At a time when job cuts have become a routine affair in leading companies across India, having a greater corporate exposure is a must for fresh graduates. They also should know that as business evolves and matures, employees and prospective employees need to demonstrate that their thinking and capabilities suit current and emerging business needs.
In its efforts to connect future talent with the corporate world, Deloitte has launched a programme?the Deloitte Maverick?a pan-India competition that puts to test the business acumen of students from India?s top-60 MBA schools, while also connecting young professionals to the culture of a top-tier global professional services firm. ?The emphasis is on leadership. The competition encourages the participants to think like leaders and behave like leaders,? says Hari Kumar, principal, Deloitte. ?The competition gives management students a chance to understand, discuss, solve current challenges that businesses and the economy as a whole are grappling with and thus experience how they can serve clients with distinction,? adds Kumar.
In its second year, the programme has received a good response, which includes the number of campuses as well as students. ?From 30 campuses last year, in season 2 we have reached out to 60 campuses. From 6,000 participants in season 1, we have increased participation to 14,000 students,? says Kumar.
The competition is conducted in a multi-stage format. In the first round, students have to form a three-member group and work on a common business challenge. Following that, 10-15 teams are shortlisted from each region (East, North, West and South) and are invited for regional qualifiers held at campuses in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
?It provides a jump-start from campus to corporate for management students before they hit the career path. The participants are given the opportunity to think strategic solutions for challenges faced by current-day business leaders, challenging them to think beyond the classroom,? says Kumar.
The teams are evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, including senior business leaders from diverse domains. The top two teams from each of the four regions are then invited for the grand finale, which involves the challenge of facing complex business issues in more aggressive time-frame and presentations. This year the grand finale will take place in Hyderabad on September 20.
But the question is, in this age where students are already overburdened with their study material, is it justifiable to burden the students with another competition? Kumar disagrees. He says one can look at high competition as a trigger for students getting overburdened, or as the driver for innovation. ?What students must keep in mind is the fact that in today?s age, professional success has to go along with health and well-being, social responsibility and values. That?s the new-age leadership we are looking for and that?s the new-age leadership the economy is looking for,? he concludes.