Teegala Krishna Reddy Engineering College, HOD, MBA: Dr.V.Suryanarayana Interview

Dr. V. Suryanarayana is currently the Head of the Department for MBA at Teegala Krishna Reddy Engineering College. He has an MBA, M.Com. MA in English, and M.Phil., along with a PhD. Dr. Suryanarayana has extensive industrial experience and has worked for HUL for 23 years as a Chief Production Officer. In addition, he has 14 years of academic experience. He has also written a book called BEFA.

How the program does ensure that the students are being prepared for the future? 

We aim not just to teach but also to reach the students. How you teach the students according to your syllabus is not important. Teaching from the book is only bookish knowledge and the teacher should have a conceptual approach by applying the concepts of reality. Students must be taught to apply their book knowledge to the realities. To do this, first of all, faculty should have general knowledge and global knowledge of current trends, which will provide value-based information to the students. That will have an added advantage and it has its own impact on education. We give the essence of the subject with global knowledge, which will help students flourish in the present world.

What are your most proud moments in your career so far?

I have worked at a corporate company, Hindustan Unilever for 23 years. It was a U-turn for me when I joined academia and became a professor. Due to my professional industry experience, I am able to connect the book concepts and knowledge to the realities of the industry in a practical manner. It is a proud moment for me to see my students succeed and win in life due to the efforts I have put in.

What was the most challenging task that you have faced in your career so far? 

The most challenging moment in my career is working with people. Handling people and getting work done in a collaborative manner is tough. I need to convince them and also take into account their problems and suggestions. There are also different mentalities and work styles to consider when distributing work and responsibilities. I try to get people to do on their caliber while emphasizing decision-making and being action-oriented.

What do you find most difficult being a head of the department?

The most difficult part of my job is to be available to everyone and listen to them. I try to be empathic and listen more instead of speaking. Handling problems and issues is also another challenge for me. To handle any sort of problem I try to approach the root cause and work with them to arrive at a solution with consensus.

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What strategy do you employ for building an efficient working environment?

When it comes to strategies, you should know what work is to be done, which people are involved, and how is the work to be done with division labor on floor. I try to understand how people are skilled and what their abilities are. Some might be good, at problem-solving, others at communication, or mathematical problems. We try to have leverage to achieve our goal. This way our students are learning their curriculum but also polishing their skills.

Any insight or advice that you would like to give to the current youth or the aspiring students? 

Creativity should be improved. It is not just reading from a book; you should come into the world and understand what is actually needed of you. And on that basis, you have to create something new and useful for society. That word or innovative programs should be shared with everyone. Knowledge should not be confined to your own borders. You should evaluate and distribute the knowledge to the next generation. You also have to be involved and indulge in good practices so that your creativity will stand as a goal for the strategic approach.

What is your vision or vision for your institution for the next five years? Where do you see your institution?

Education is changing every day. Our programmes and the quality we offer are not sufficient to make it viable for students to work in the industry. Over the next five years, we need to adopt a digital way of doing the education system and change ourselves according to the current trends. We also need to work on our collaborations and industry institute partnerships through more MOUs to provide internships, special lectures and more.

What are the latest programs that you offering at your institute?

We at Teegala Krishna Reddy Engineering College offer an MBA degree in Entrepreneurship that was started recently. This programme helps the students equip managerial skills and will help them start their own businesses.