Do we need education on planning?

Mr. A.S Rao Advisor, Department of Scientific, and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, mentioned about DSIR starting new scheme, where they will provide angel fund to innovative startup companies, in his recent mail. Later, he also sent his blog address, where you can find further details, about it http://myangelfund.wordpress.com/.

The format of the application, for fund, is send, to couple of entrepreneur who is planning to start up. They where little overwhelmed, with the extensive financial information, the format of the application require. After couple of weeks also, there is no response from those would-be entrepreneurs.

Previously, the perception was that, there is a lack of funds available for supporting startups. However, the reality is different. Right now, the funding situations are getting better and better. There are also people who are planning to start their own business, and there is a lot of energy into that. While working on different process in i2i2008 of IIMC, and TieGER08 Bplan Competition of TiE Kolkata, and while being invited to Judge the Kshitij08 Business Plan competition of IIT-Kgp, there was a remarkable revelation.

The lack is not in the fund. There are also people who have the fire in belly. They are passionate about starting up. The lack is on understanding about the process of planning, which could lead to the process of funding. The plans people made, are not the plans investors want to see. They were just static project timelines, with activity sheets. Most plans lacked the strategic focus, which is so important for generating fund. There are few exceptions obviously.

There are also mental blocks. There are quite a lot of passionate young stars, who thinks planning is a one-time process. It is like building a resolution on the first of every year and throwing it in second. However successful entrepreneur have a different take on it. They feels planning is a continuous process. You have to plan, at the same time you have to adapt. You cannot successfully adapt, without a plan. Neither, you can make a successful plan without adapting it time to time.


Do we need education in planning to change the misconception about what a plan is?

Is the education model, successful for one country, has to be necessarily successful in other country also?

Is the education model, successful for one country, has to be necessarily successful in other country also?

Anthony Mitchell, a successful entrepreneur from Seattle, has sent a link after receiving ‘AIL Daily wisdom newsletter’. The link, originally from New York Times reflects, about how US universities, are expanding abroad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/education/10global.html?em&ex=1202878800&en=74783ecf65600179&ei=5087%0A

Is the education model, successful for one country, has to be necessarily successful in other country also?

While taking Management classes in different institute of India, I see a blind following of US case studies and authors. Lot of the people, who comes out from these classes, is never going to work in US environment. However the problem here is different, we do not have good cases and books on Indian management scenarios, again leaving the exceptions.

Therefore, on the context of management education, there is no question that US education model and content will be a great help. However, Will that be same in other academic disciplines too?

Will Integral Education help to create entrepreneur and teach lifeskills?

I have another successful entrepreneur from kolkata, Mr. Abhishek Rungta, who really wrote about Entrepreneurship Education, and to what extent that could be taught in his blog.

http://www.abhishekrungta.com/can-entrepreneurship-be-taught/94

He, actually informed about it, after receiving ‘AIL daily wisdom’ mails that he has been thinking on these lines, long time back.

Extending to his thought let’s ask the following question

What could be the education model that would create entrepreneurs?

A man, who wants to exercise his freedom on creating new ways of doing things, would require a different kind of mind. The mind has to think originally. This is an essential requisite, to become innovative. He also has to see things integrally and see the bigger picture.

There has been an education model known as ‘Integral Education model’, which is conceived around the thoughts of Sri Aurobindo. The Mother (Mira Alfassa) later implemented it.

Based on a principle thought that “Nothing can be taught. “ Integral Education is somewhat aligned how entrepreneur learns things – by exploring and experiencing.

A video footage from Sraddhalu Ranade from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, talks about Integral Education in more detail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1vPJXnsjjs

Can this be a solution?

Entrepreneurship Education and life skills Education – do they relate?

On July 2004, I was in a talk show with television journalist Sabyasachi on life skills education. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc8SxImJY0w

I was talking about, how with life skills education, people can make best from his life from both materially and spiritually.

I have heard many people saying, “Entrepreneurship is a way of living.”
Earlier, I heard also Dr. William Scott Green of University of Miami, telling about the focus on American Education system towards ‘Innovation’ and ‘Job creation ’.

Whereas I find, Indian education system is more geared towards building ‘Job seekers‘then ‘Job Creators’. Fundamentals of our economy will only change when our education system creates more “Job Creator.”

Can we impart entrepreneurship education in form of life-skills education?

This is already a successful practice in US Education System.

Can Entrepreneurship be educated ?

On January 15th, 2008, I was in panel discussion, under the DEG Symposium http://www.entrepreneurship.org/events.aspx .

The title of the panel discussion was “Entrepreneurship Education “

I had two very experienced entrepreneurship educators, with me as the speaker on the panel. Prof Harkesh Kumar Mittal on behalf of National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board , Government of India and Prof William Scott Green of University of Miami.

Being sometime in Entrepreneurship education , on both online and offline format , I was very eager to ask the question , which I faced many times, while conducting my classes on Entrepreneurship, in Business Schools, earlier in IIM-Calcutta and later in ISB&M Calcutta.

Can Entrepreneurship be educated?

Both agreed, yes it can be.

There was another deeper question , which I ask sometimes to myself , which goes this way.

If ‘Innovation’ is the Key thought and activity surrounding the profession of ‘entrepreneurship’, can a phenomenon as ‘disruptive’ as innovation be created in a structured learning environment ?

I asked this question to both of them .

There reaction was .... that innovation is ‘disruptive’ ,and it is not so easy to create it, in a structured learning environment. However some efforts could be made , that people better understands about innovation and Entrepreneurship. And the most important of it , should be on educating entrepreneurship as a life skill.

My Journey with i2i from 2005 to 2008

In 15th Feb,2005 ,I was a Judge of the Business plan Competetion 'Ideas to Implementation'organised by IIM-Calcutta.There were teams from all over India.And the team from IIT-Kgp SAVedU won the prize.You can get more details about the competetion using the following link -

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050215/asp/calcutta/story_4377522.asp

In 1st Feb,2008 , I was looking after some of the process design of the same Business plan Competetion 'Ideas to Implementation' organised by IIM-Calcutta. The nature of the prizes where different , then the earlier cash prize given at 2005. This time ,wining teams could straight away get the seedfund to start thier venture. Following links carry more details.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080202/jsp/calcutta/story_8852110.jsp

I2i 2008 created a great positive response, from the aspiring entreprenuer ,then the earlier version, due to the innovation on prizing process.

Life , Business & Chess

Life is non linear. Chess is not . It takes things definitly. So the competitors know ,there are fixed movements a pawn can have . It is a pure logical game. You do not have such definite and fixed movements of the pawns , incase of life . There is no fixed rule. Things change .

So there is a very important question come here .

We Can plan things for Chess , But can we do it in case of Life ?

It's right that chess is a kind of ideal enviroment . Plans can work there very well.Infact, it is designed in such a way that plans can work. It is less disruptive . More structured and linear.

Life is not like that . It is suprising . It is disruptive . And it is non-linear. The role what plans play in chess , the same role cannot be in life.

The objective of planning in Life is to make that intial preparation for you that you can hadle change and adapt .

The same happens in case of business , which is also full of suprises. As business is a part of economic life .