‘The most valuable skill today is the ability to keep learning’: IIM Kozhikode Director on skills, AI and future of management education
Learning Agility Takes Centre Stage in Management Education
Bharatmorningnews.com – As employers seek people who can respond to rapid change, academic credentials alone may no longer define long-term career success. Students also need to build the capacity to adapt, communicate clearly, collaborate with others and remain receptive to unfamiliar ideas.
Professor Debashis Chatterjee, Director of IIM Kozhikode, believes this changing environment makes continuous learning one of the most important strengths a student can develop. In an era shaped by artificial intelligence and shifting workplace expectations, he stresses that professional readiness depends on more than acquiring a single specialised qualification.
“The most valuable skill today is the ability to keep learning.”
Choosing more than a degree
For applicants considering a management programme, placement records, rankings and institutional reputation are useful indicators, but they should not be the only criteria. A management school also influences how students approach decisions, relationships, leadership and responsibility.
Students should consider an institution’s history and culture, including the values it represents and the kind of graduates it aims to shape. Faculty quality and accessibility matter, as do opportunities to learn from classmates and participate in experiences outside conventional coursework.
The broader question is not limited to what a programme might contribute to a career. Students should also consider how the environment could influence them personally and professionally. Strong management education should prepare graduates for employment while helping them develop judgement, ethical awareness and an understanding of people.
At IIM Kozhikode, the educational approach is guided by three ideas: Satyam, Nityam and Purnam, representing authenticity, sustainability and fulfilment. Professor Chatterjee describes these as practical foundations for the culture the institute seeks to foster. The goal is to develop managers who are capable and employable, while also being conscious, compassionate and able to create meaningful value.
Diversity as a learning experience
A diverse classroom can be especially valuable in management education because organisations are built around people with different experiences, priorities and perspectives. Gender diversity and diversity of thought allow students to engage with viewpoints they may not encounter within their own backgrounds.
IIM Kozhikode has seen this impact directly. It was the first Indian Institute of Management to have a cohort in which women formed the majority. The development has helped encourage more young women to see management education and the IIM system as spaces where they can belong and lead.
Peer learning is therefore not simply an added benefit. It is part of the educational process itself. Students who work with people from varied disciplines, regions and life experiences can gain a broader understanding of how teams function and how leadership choices affect different stakeholders.
What AI cannot replace
Artificial intelligence is changing both classrooms and workplaces, creating new ways to access information, analyse material and solve routine problems. Yet the availability of technology does not reduce the need for human capabilities. It increases the importance of using technology thoughtfully while retaining the qualities that machines cannot easily reproduce.
Critical thinking is central to this challenge. When digital tools can produce quick responses, students must be able to assess those responses, identify gaps, frame stronger questions and apply judgement to complex situations. Creativity also becomes more significant, because the ability to imagine alternatives and connect ideas in original ways remains a distinctly human advantage.
Professor Chatterjee highlights the importance of asking better questions rather than relying only on readily available answers. For students, this means treating technology as a learning aid rather than a substitute for reflection, curiosity or independent thought.
Skills for an uncertain job market
A qualification may help open the first door, but career progress is often shaped by how effectively people learn, adjust and work with others. Communication, collaboration, empathy, resilience and comfort with uncertainty are increasingly important in workplaces where roles and technologies continue to evolve.
Emotional intelligence is another essential area of development. Students need to understand their own responses, engage constructively with colleagues and approach difficult circumstances with care and balance. These abilities are particularly relevant in management, where decisions often involve competing interests and incomplete information.
For those entering an MBA without a business or commerce background, a different academic foundation can be an asset rather than a disadvantage. Students do not need to discard their original discipline. Instead, they can connect its methods and insights with management learning, bringing fresh perspectives to organisational problems.
IIM Kozhikode’s MBA in Liberal Studies & Management reflects the value of this interdisciplinary approach by bringing together humanities, liberal arts and management. Such learning can help students recognise that business questions are rarely only financial or technical; they also involve culture, society, communication and human behaviour.
A career mindset built for change
For students planning their next step, the practical lesson is clear: prepare for a career that will require repeated learning rather than a fixed set of skills. Technical knowledge remains important, including knowledge of AI, but it must be accompanied by curiosity, adaptability and the capacity to work responsibly with people.
The most durable advantage may be a willingness to keep evolving. Students who combine professional competence with creativity, emotional intelligence and an openness to new learning will be better positioned to contribute not only to their workplaces, but also to the communities and institutions around them.
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