Role of management education in adapting the Indian public sector to market-based economic reforms
International Journal of Public Sector Management
ISSN: 0951-3558
Article publication date: 21 April 2023
Issue publication date: 29 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
In 1991, India embarked on market-based economic reforms initiatives pillared on liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG). The reforms exposed the public sector enterprises to competitive market forces, raising the need to identify and develop the competencies necessary for survival. Executive training programs were initiated to prepare public enterprises for the market-based reforms. Three decades later, the reforms especially privatization is witnessing renewed interest under the current administration. In this context, the article takes a closer look at the structure of management education provided to public sector officers in India. The article also identifies barriers for implementing the learnings from the management courses in the workplaces and suggests approaches for closing the gap.
Design/methodology/approach
The study follows a thematic approach based on unstructured interviews of senior executives of Indian public sector enterprises covering oil and gas, aeronautical, power and transportation sectors. New public management (NPM) is used as a yardstick of “business-like” characteristics of public sector enterprises.
Findings
Despite heavy investment, trainings have had only partial success in implementing the core objective of NPM, i.e. to provide quality services in a professional manner to meet citizen requirements. The study found that though concepts of NPM are introduced at multiple management training programs, the public enterprises lag in the implementation of NPM. The ingrained hierarchical and procedural culture of the enterprises was often highlighted as the challenge to its implementation.
Practical implications
The study will be of significance to Indian policymakers in designing management education programs to public sector employees. It brings out – (1) various models of management education provided to public servants across industries, (2) provide evidence on the extent of NPM implementation, (3) identify barriers for transitioning the learnings from the management courses to workplace and (4) suggest changes for improving effectiveness.
Originality/value
The existing research on LPG in India covers the economic transformation post-implementation and the factors contributing to the success of its implementation. This study adds to the limited literature available on the management education of public servants in the country.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Historical Trends and Emerging Issues in Public Management Education”, guest edited by Prof. Morten Balle Hansen, Assoc. Prof. Anja Overggaard Thomassen and Prof. Dag Olaf Torjese.
The authors would like to thank the interviewees for sharing their experiences with them. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for helping them improve the article.
Citation
Prakash, N. and Hawaldar, A. (2023), "Role of management education in adapting the Indian public sector to market-based economic reforms", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 36 No. 4/5, pp. 315-332. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-01-2022-0003
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited