South Central Railway and Indian School of Business (ISB) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in Capacity Building and Research. The MoU was exchanged by Vinod Kumar Yadav, General Manager, SCR and Prof. Rajendra Srivastava, Dean, ISB on 6th December, 2017 at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad. Prior to that, the Dean, ISB and N.V.Ramana Reddy, Principal Chief Personnel Officer, SCR jointly signed the MoU.
The MoU broadly envisages co-operation and engagement between the two entities’ towards Research and Knowledge sharing. The forms of co-operation and engagement cover:
- Hosting of Leadership Lecture Series by faculty from ISB on topics such as Leadership, Strategy Management, Negotiations skills, Change Management etc., which are critical for the Railway Officers.
- Holding of Capacity Building Workshops to train and update Officers of SCR in areas like Performance Management, Strategy Management, Change Management etc., encompassing various topics as Infrastructure, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, Operations, Revenue Management, Innovations etc.,
- Undertaking Collaborative Research involving both the institutions on critical issues like Brand Capitalization, Customer Satisfaction, Operational Efficiency, Business Innovation etc., which impact the efficiency and service delivery of the organization.
- Vinod Kumar Yadav, General Manager, SCR in his address to all the Principal Heads of Departments, Divisional Railway Manager’s and other Senior Officials stated that this tie up of SCR and ISB is an excellent initiative towards enhancing the Management and Operational Skills of the decision makers, in tune with the present day challenges of the market. Appreciating the positive work culture and team spirit prevalent on SCR, the General Manager said that the track record of the Zone, which has been awarded five performance efficiency shields at All India level last year, speaks of the commitment of the workforce. Vinod Kumar Yadav expressed optimizing that the Lectures, Workshops and Research activities of ISB will infuse a fresh dynamism on SCR and inculcate new perspectives of Management towards success. He thanked the Dean, ISB for formalizing the MoU in a short time, after it was discussed by the two.
Delivering the first lecture of the series, Prof. Rajendra Srivastava, Dean, ISB espoused the learning philosophy of the Business School, Leadership lessons and value creation. He stressed on Research, Inquiry and Managerial Action as the key elements that enable multi disciplinary thinking, to build up an Organization. Drawing upon history and comparing its similarity with the new world, the Professor spoke of Leaders as Mahatma Gandhi and Abdul Kalam in the same vein as Satya Nadella and Bill Gates who all had a vision and the capability for problem solving.
Inspiring others is what is needed for a Leader, he opined. He also added that risk taking is essential to challenge status quo and overcome limitations. Speaking on value creation, Prof. Rajendra Srivastava, spoke on Customer Value and Innovation which leads to doing things better. Citing several successful Business Models, the Professor wanted that there shall be competition for a Customer’s Business and it should be won by Operational efficiency. Evolution of a brand is important, he stressed on the Railways to take on competition by means of coming up with plans that match Customer needs. The Professor expressed confidence that Integration of Research and Training will give a new thrust to the Railways. The Lecture was followed by a Question and Guidance session, during which Prof. Rajendra Srivastava interacted with the Railway Officers and shared his thoughts on their questions.
Amongst the Railway Officials present was, John Thomas, Additional General Manager, SCR. From the ISB, Kumara Guru, Director, External Relations, ISB; Ms. Mamata Reddy, Senior Associate Director, Centre for Executive Education, ISB and Sandeep, Senior Manager, External Relations, ISB graced the program.
Umashankar Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer, SCR presented the welcome address and conducted the program.