Drama classes to make IIMC students better managers

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 5
Now Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) students will study dramatics to become better managers. It has been incorporated as part of their optional papaer in strategic management curriculum and the B-school has invited famous theatre group Nandikar to conduct classes.
The Dramatics Society of IIMC has already conducted two workshops with Nandikar for theatre enthusiasts on campus but it was hitherto unrelated to their curriculum. It was during the workshops that Prof Shekhar Chaudhuri, director of IIMC, expressed his desire to incorporate the theatre group’s teaching within the curriculum. “We have invited Nandikar to take two sessions of a module on strategic management. If they accept it then we would like them to take the classes in January next year,” said Bishwatosh Saha, faculty of strategic management at IIMC.
Explaining why a theatre group would be asked to conduct management classes, Saha who is a theatre enthusiast himself, said, “Everything cannot be taught with the help of chalk and paper and this is where Nandikar would come in. Among various other things, the skills of a theatre artiste can help a student become a better negotiator.”
The Nandikar group, which boasts of stalwarts such as Rudraprasad Sengupta, Goutam Halder, Debshanker Halder and Swatilekha Sengupta, is ready to accept the proposal. “Yes, we have received the proposal from IIMC and would definitely accept it. We will send them an official reply accepting the offer soon. There are a lot of things that management students can learn from theatre and we would love to be of help,” said Rudraprasad, the front man of Nandikar.
According to IIMC instructors, management is all about understanding people, getting into their heads and then empathising with them to take both the organisation and the individual forward. Expressed thus, one comes to understand why management can find parallels with theatre. The pauses between sentences when one performs on stage are like conversations one has at the workplace.
Communication, that is so vital to employees, is the fulcrum around which theatre revolves. And it isn’t restricted to the spoken word alone. Its about that stare the actor gives his co-actor, similar to what one would get from his boss, if he were to slack off. It is about articulating oneself to perfection, which would define organisational communication to a tee. And it’s also about being bold or even fearless at times, which is what theatre is all about. More critical aspects of theatre like rhythm of speech and body language would teach students on how it influences little things like even the way we walk. “Theatrical skills can be used in the boardroom as well as in life. If everything goes well, we are planning to make it a permanent fixture in the course,” said Anindya Sen, dean of program and research initiative of IIMC.
Though course details will be finalised once IIMC receives confirmation from Nandikar, topics like voice modulation, situational analysis and conflict negotiation will be part of the class Students would understand their own body and how it works synchronously with the brain, to enhance their power of understanding and react to situations in a better way, a must for managers.
Students are already elated with the prospect of Nandikar conducting classes. “We wanted it to be incorporated in our syllabus and even our director was keen. We are happy that it is finally happening,” said Shipra Sinha, head of the dramatics cell.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com