5 skills it professionals miss by not doing an mba great learning

5 SkillsIT Professionals

miss out by not doing an MBA

Introduction .........................................................................................................................

5 Skills IT Professionals miss out by not doing an MBA ..........................

Bridge that gap between Technology and Business .......................

Leadership ......................................................................................................................

Customer Facing .......................................................................................................

Become a Strategist ................................................................................................

Better Career Prospects .......................................................................................a) Holistic perspective over the business worldb) Credibility with your business peers c) New skill and knowledge acquisition

Great Lakes ePGPM .......................................................................................................

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Do technology professionals really require

a Master of Business Administration

degree? What discernible value does an

MBA add to technology professionals?

This is an often-debated topic amongst

technology professionals. In today’s

interconnected world, there are hardly any

roles that can be completed in isolation

and the dependence on colleagues,

managers, external stakeholders is ever

increasing. Hence, even as a technology

professional, people skills are becoming

paramount and managing teams, projects

and targets is a core competence once

gains through an MBA.

With ever more complex work being

sourced in India by Indian companies and

MNCs alike, employees are beginning to

see career paths and opportunities they

did not believe was possible until a few

years ago. Technology professionals,

who were earlier boxed or stereotyped in

specific roles throughout their careers, are

now being able to transition to techno-

functional roles and aspire for leadership

positions. And an M.B.A is becoming a

necessary tool, as you try to transition to

techno-functional roles or get closer to

the CEO’s cabin.

www.greatlearning.in/epgpm [email protected] +91 95991 99776 03

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES:

Leadership is all about having a vision of where you want to be and working to achieve that vision

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CUSTOMER FACING:

Increasingly technology professionals are having to wear the hat of a solutioning expert and convince customers of their product or service

STRATEGIST:

As one transitions to more mission critical roles, it becomes important to see the bigger picture and think beyond one’s imminent projects or priorities

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BETTER CAREER PROSPECTS:

A relevant and

impactful MBA program can result in accelerated career progression to techno-functional and managerial roles for technology professionals

BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN IT AND BUSINESS:

The future belongs to technology

professionals who can manage

complex projects, large-distributed

team and stringent timelines

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5 REASONS why technology

professionals need to empower their careers with an

MBA


BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN IT AND BUSINESS1

Business and Technology are

interconnected; nearly all business

decisions will have IT-related

consequences, and vice versa. As a

result, business folks and technology

professionals need to interact,

collaborate and co-deliver.

However this can be difficult; business

managers and IT professionals often

do not speak the same language. An

MBA, however, can help bridge this

gap by giving IT professionals the

communication skills and business

relevance they need for the boardroom

and managerial discussions.

When you are talking about new systems

or alterations to existing systems, you

have to understand what the most

important things are in your organization;

not from the IT point of view, but from

the business point of view. MBA allows IT

professionals to communicate better with

their business colleagues because they

“learn to speak the board language.”

While technology professionals toil on

the execution side, they often wonder

how they can be a part of the planning or

decision-making team. And this is where

you need to exhibit competencies that

go beyond technology into the realms of

business planning and strategy.


LEADERSHIP QUALITIES2Leadership qualities can seem illusive to some despite their desires

or positions. Just because someone has been put in charge

doesn’t necessarily mean that those traits exist. That particular

group we might call “ineffective leaders”.

The good news is that you can develop these leadership traits

even if they were not something you were born with. You can learn

these leadership skills through an M.B.A.

As a manager, moving into a leadership role, developing specific

leadership skills and techniques will enable you to maximize

performance and get the most out of your team.

MBA degree assists in building strong interpersonal and carves

out your personal development skills. You can gain the critical

techniques, leadership skills and confidence you need to transform

from a competent IT professional into a leader who reinvigorates

and inspires the team.

Leading others requires enhanced self-awareness, core skills,

such as managing conflict and increasing team performance, and

the ability to maintain a goal-oriented vision. Through an M.B.A

program, you will gain insights and tools to build your personal,

team and organizational effectiveness. You will learn to delegate

effectively, set realistic goals and coach others in order to achieve

set results and targets.


LEADERS

• don’t hang back

• take responsibility

• have initiative

• communicate openly and honestly

• believe in what is possible


CUSTOMER FACING3As technology professionals grow within

the organization, the roles performed by

them see a gradual change. No longer

would one just be doing isolated technical

functions, like they did in start of their

career. On an average, after commencing

an IT career with a pure technical role one

would definitely be involved with clients

and delivery. When one touches those

boundaries, it is imperative and career

critical to take up an M.B.A

Technology professionals, who move

on to higher responsibilities, feel the

need of certain managerial skills along

with resources and cost management.

Clearly these demand a different skill sets

acquisition than pure technical knowledge.

Areas like marketing, pre-sales or key

account management, where customer

interaction is their bread-and-butter

business, an M.B.A adds a significant value.

M.B.A helps in understanding the

bigger picture beyond technology

implementation, since usually customers

do not clearly communicate in terms of

what they want and how they want to get

implementations done. So there are always

options in terms of how you are going to

execute the project, what is the pricing

that you choose, what is the profitability

that the order will give you? When such

things arise, a technology professional with

management degree would be in a better

position to give big picture.

Even in roles such as a delivery manager,

an M.B.A is a plus point. To execute a

project with the right resource management

and time-cost estimate, a thorough

knowledge of project management,

resource optimization and exemplary

people management skills are required.


BECOME A STRATEGIST4At the strategic management level

when one is dealing with customers,

companies, business models and has

business and marketing responsibilities

an M.B.A qualification is a must and

will make a difference. An M.B.A adds

layers of dimension on how you look at a

problem from the finance and marketing

angles, which a sole technical education

cannot give.

Technology professionals realize

that when they look at a problem with

a technical background, they see things

only on a single vector. But with an

additional M.B.A degree one can add

the business vector, which is very crucial.

The M.B.A helps you picture solutions

to customer’s problems from the

marketing, finance, operational, and

business aspects.

The MBA curriculum teaches you to

understand and interpret financial

statements, marketing plans, market

analyses, audit reports and business

development plans. Knowing how to

read a financial statement is important

when, for example, you are evaluating a

vendor’s financial health. Knowing how

to interpret marketing plans and market

analyses will help you identify a vendor’s

strengths and overall strategies to see

if the vendor can or will continue to be

able to meet your needs. It’s also helpful

when trying to understand your own

organization’s operating environment:

The better you understand the way your

company is moving, the better able you’ll

be to position your projects or your value

in front of customers and management.

Being in front, on the leading edge of

change, is more fun and will make you as

a techno-functional professional, much

more valuable to the company.


BETTER CAREER PROSPECTS5

Often IT professionals don’t spend

enough time proactively managing their

careers, evaluating personal drivers

and assessing opportunities for growth

that can have a real impact on career

trajectory. MBA degree will teach you

to look at the “career sweet spot” for

you, the strategic integration of your

passions, expertise and personal drivers

juxtaposed against the current global

market conditions. If you’re feeling

stagnant in your career growth, getting

an MBA can help you successfully

navigate and leverage your next

career step.

In Addition, MBA graduates, due to

their qualification, higher chances of

obtaining and holding a high level

management position. It is estimated

that 70% of the senior managers, CXOs

or business leaders in IT companies are

MBA graduates.

What happens after you graduate with

an MBA? How much does total pay go up

compared to pre-MBA pay? Is it worth it

to get an MBA?

A comprehensive research study has

been conducted on business school

ranked in the ForbesTop 50 provides the

facts are:

• Post-MBA Starting Pay was up 25%

over Pre-MBA Pay

• By the end of five years post-MBA,

Fifth Year Pay was up 80% over Post-

MBA Starting Pay


Holistic perspective over the business

world

An effective management education

gives you access to a great network of

professionals and companies and you

constantly challenge yourself with the

newest problem-solving approaches.

The business knowledge and holistic

understanding together give you a great

overview of the business world, a deep

understanding and receptiveness to the

slight changes of this environment.

MBA empowers technology professionals

with the ability to look at businesses

as interconnected organizations with

several teams and their specific priorities

as opposed to viewing them as distinct

and disjoint units.

Credibility with your business peers

An MBA can add commitment to the

business because you have invested

substantial time and energy required to

obtain the degree. It shows your mindset

towards the business perspective and

recognizes that the technology you

implement, support and develop is

intended to enable business activities

and is not an end in itself. It further

indicates that you have mastered a

certain level of knowledge in business

management, which gives you the ability

and confidence to speak on equal terms

with executives outside of IT. The MBA

adds credibility to your perspective when

you are discussing technical solutions to

business problems with your colleagues.

New skill and knowledge acquisition

MBA gives the tools, techniques

and resources needed to run

technology projects and teams like a

business implementing management

techniques like risk management plans,

performance plans, project management

methodologies, steering committees,

process maps and marketing plans.

Generally, as an technology professional,

one looks at IT as a services organization

that executes requests or commands

rather than as a function that needs

to position itself strategically inside an

organization.

www.greatlearning.in/epgpm [email protected] +91 95991 99776 1 1

Great Lakes ePGPM program is an executive management program

designed specifically for technology professionals. The program format,

flexibility and curriculum is designed to enable technology professionals to

gain competencies that are relevant and in-demand, thereby accelerating

their careers to leadership and techno-functional roles.

G

REAT LAKES ePGPM PROGRAM


GREAT LAKES ADVANTAGE

Impressive faculty,

Innovative pedagogy and

impactful alumni make

Great Lakes a part of the

top 10 business schools for

executive education.

CAREER SUPPORT

Access to career

planning workshops,

career toolkit and

access to ‘lateral’

opportunities from

leading companies.

CAREER CRITICAL

COMPETENCIES

Empower your career by

building competencies

in Product Management,

Analytics & Big Data, Project

Management, Business

Development and others.

TIME SAVER

Why waste 2-3 years

learning courses irrelevant

to your career when you

can complete ePGPM

program in 12 months and

fast track your career.

FLEXIBILITY

Have the flexibility to

complete ePGPM in 12

months or stagger it

in short modules with

breaks in between and

pay in installments.

CONVENIENCE

Format of online lectures

and bi-monthly weekend

contact sessions make it

convenient for working

professionals to pursue

and complete the

program.

Here are 6 reasons why Great Lakes ePGPM is the desired choice for technology professionals


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Date post:	16-Apr-2017
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5 skills it professionals miss by not doing an mba great learning

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