Honchos turn teachers: From boardroom to classroom

Dr RK Shrivastava was a marketing expert in the field of pharmaceuticals for almost 30 years. He was heading the country marketing operations of a multinational company when he quit the corporate world to enter teaching. Now, he teaches at Sydenham Institute of Management Studies and Research and Entrepreneurship Education.

Shrivastava loved research. In the 30 years that he spent in the corporate world he was happiest when he was conducting market research and studies for different companies. But as he rose up the corporate ladder, time for research became scarce.
In 2004 he took the decision to enter the world of academics, one that he is happy to have made. “Now, not only do I research, but I also get to spend time with my wife,” he says happily.

“Corporate life is such that you hardly have any time at your disposal,” said Shrivastava, who did his PhD in 1995. But the fact that he could not pursue further research continued to bug him, even as he rose to become the country head of large multinational company. “That job was very demanding and I could not do any research. But quitting my job to just do research was also not an option,” he added.

He quit the company to join Somaiya Institute of Management as a full-time professor where he started the PhD section in management. “Sixty students completed their PhD in my tenure. The candidates were a blend of industry, academic professionals and fresh students,” he said.

Shrivastava then became the director of SIES Institute of Management with his academic qualification and expertise. However, he soon realised that administrative responsibilities gave him no time to continue research. He quit the job and joined Sydenham Institute of Management re-designating himself as a professor heading the marketing department and continued research on different trends in the field of marketing.

“Other than continuing my research, teaching allows me to bring my experience and translate it into insights for academics,” said Shrivastava who added that there is a significant disconnect between industry and academics. When he was the director of SIES Institute of Management he ensured that PG students and faculty were continuously in touch with the industry. Different tie-ups with companies were made and students were asked to continue working while studying. “Carl Marx said, ‘Theory without practice is blind.’ But unfortunately that is happening in Indian academics,” he says.

According to him,  institutes can’t be blamed entirely. Industry also needs to step ahead in creating industry-academia interface. “In India, industry does not actually look up to academicians. They are seen as theory experts who don’t have sufficient practical knowledge,” said Shrivastava, who introduces himself as a former country head of a big MNC and not as a professor in any public gathering. “People then take me seriously,” he says.

He is a regular lecturer at institutes such as the University of California, Mandela State University (South Africa) and Pennsylvania State University.

What is his message to aspiring managers? “They have a misconception that once they get into a good management institute, they are going to land a good job and will be successful. But they need to realise that getting into a good institute is just the beginning.”

Dr RK Shrivastava
Former Designation: Head, country marketing operations
of a multinational company
Now: Teacher at Sydenham Institute of Management Studies and Research and Entrepreneurship Education