Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Ajantha Dharmasiri on Uditha Liyanage: PIM and the reality within SL!


I refer to the article in the FT by Professor Uditha Liyanage’s successor at the PIM about his mentor, and the person synonymous with PIM which enters its 30th year.


It was good article of the student in honoring his teacher, in memory of his life, and in remembrance of his untimely demise a year ago.

I know many people who have gone to the PIM to do their MBA, and many in senior positions in the Private Sector who believed that an MBA from the PIM would secure a future where they could advance in their chosen fields and become the captains of industry, or even step aside and become the entrepreneurs of the future. Therein lies the fallacy of what actually becomes of the product of the PIM.

This blog is about improving the quality of life of those who live in Sri Lanka. So in that context, it is important that the beneficiaries of the Education at PIM are both able to benefit themselves in their chosen field by improving and diversifying their knowledge base from their original specialization, but are also able to contribute positively to the growth of their Country, through the knowledge they have gained in following this course of study.

I know many of the top Sri Lankan business leaders personally, and while no one has got their through what one would call high academic education, most of them being self made with hardly O levels to speak of, now want to find competent people to take the responsibility to manage these businesses, and can’t find suitable people who fit the bill.

The next stage for a self-made billionaire is to hand over his company to professionals who institute procedures and practices and pass on their vision and values to take the Companies to the next level. They are frankly STUMPED for talent. It is almost impossible to find the right people with something more than technical competence.


They need to think and make decisions on the go. They need to face unexpected challenges, and overcome them with ease. That is lacking in the people, and the PIM course which may teach theory has not instilled the vision in them to take the risk, (often at the risk of their own job) to think outside the box and provide business solutions to everyday problems, which foreign owned entities do!~

I would appreciate a reader who could prove me wrong, but contradicting my hypotheses to the contrary, to save the bacon for PIM as one that not only teachers new ideas that are relevant but also produces people who can go to the next level.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

PIM MBA just leverages the Individual to a better job, but the knowledge learned is not used in practice, making a mockery of the education per se

One must really look at the true social benefit of the program to improve skills of the managers in improving by efficiency and productivity, as well as innovation to grow the business.

The jury is still out.