Professor Sumita Mishra is the Dean of MBA at the KIIT School of Management. She is an alumnus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, where she earned a master’s degree in social work. Furthermore, she is a fellow at the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. Besides having worked for organisations like CAPART, UNICEF, and Tata Refractories Limited, she also has seven years of teaching experience. Professor Mishra has published several papers in referred journals such as Asian Case Research Journal, Decision, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Management Review, International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management etc., and has also presented papers in national and international conferences of repute. Her interests are in organisational culture, group culture, Strategic Human Resource Management, Social Psychology and Organization Design.

KIIT School of Management

Being the Dean of KSOM, what is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

The role of a dean of any school, college, or educational institution entails more than taking care of administration and day-to-day affairs. It requires a successful amalgamation of technical knowledge and human resource management skills. More often than not, faculty members are self-driven in their quest for continuous learning. Hence, my leadership philosophy has always been participative. KSOM’s administrative and academic structure is well defined, and we are encouraged to make decisions in committees with the consensus of all.

The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here in your institute?

KSOM has always imparted education with relevance and compassion. Management as a discipline can grow through a robust relationship between the industry and academia. KSOM has always tried to impart a relevant curriculum to all students and attempt to make them industry-ready with sound domain, technical, and human skills. Education at KSOM is not limited to the classroom but percolates into every facet of student life through vibrant student clubs and year round student driven events with our industry stakeholders. Lastly, continual mentoring of students is integral to the KSOM way of life. Every faculty member is a mentor and takes charge of the academic and non-academic development of the students or “mentees” in their care. The mentor is a parent and shares a special bond with the select students after their tenure at KSOM comes to an end.

How does the curriculum of KSOM ensure the best practice of industry?

KSOM has a well-defined curriculum development process. The curriculum in all disciplines and specialisations witnesses a minimum of 10% change every academic year. Curriculum changes (deletion of irrelevant content, addition of new courses, change in credit structure, etc.) are first discussed in small group area meetings and then taken to the larger faculty council for suggestions and modifications. On approval from the faculty council, these changes are formalised and presented to the Board of Studies and Academic Council. The onset of curriculum change begins with the annual Konclaves on topical themes in different specialisations. These Konclaves are a conduit to hear industry experts on a wide variety of topics covered under an overarching theme. In addition to these channels, KSOM also organises workshops related to curriculum development to dialogue with our industry and academic peers.

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What do you see as KSOM’s greatest strengths?

The major strengths of KSOM include drawing inspiration from the visionary leadership of our founder, Prof. Achyuta Samanta. We are a tight-knit team of dedicated faculty members with rich and diverse academic and corporate experience. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure in classrooms, reading rooms, library facilities, cutting-edge software, amphitheatres, and related electronic resources are also major strengths. We offer exposure to updated pedagogical tools and good internship opportunities, and we maintain a dedicated corporate relations team to facilitate and augment placement opportunities for students. We have a Kareer School attempting to hone technical, interpersonal, and communication skills in students to help them secure their dream jobs and make them industry-ready. We also promote a multidisciplinary environment available to students, as KSOM is part of the larger universe of KIITDU.

Could you please highlight the placement statistics for KIIT School of Management?

The average package at KIIT School of Management is INR 9.5 lakh with the highest international salary being INR 18.33 lakhs. The highest domestic salary is INR 14 lakh. Some of the top companies visiting the KIIT campuses are Khimji Ramdas, Dell, Deloitte, TCS, Kelloggs, ITC, and ICICI Bank.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

The current generation is an informed generation with lucid ideas about how they would go forward in life. However, the one lesson that they can imbibe from our generation is the virtue of perseverance. Intelligence and skill are honed by perseverance to achieve dreams and make them big in the corporate world that awaits you. The current generation requires instant feedback and instant results, and sometimes this may not be possible. However, with constant effort and the aim clear in mind, you may achieve what you strove for.