2. MICA
“Started in 1991, Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) is an autonomous
non-profit management education institution. MICA has set a precedent as the first
residential academic institution in the country and perhaps in the Asia-Pacific region wholly
dedicated to meeting the needs of the integrated marketing communications industry.
MICA complements the role that management education plays in modernizing and
professionalizing communications-driven businesses.”
This is how MICA introduces itself to the world
through its website. MICA is a premier
management school of the country yet it is
unique from all the other management colleges.
What is this uniqueness about MICA and its
culture? Lets go through various facets of MICA
like the student community, the faculties etc to
understand this unique MICAn culture.
The MICAn culture
MICA is one of the most premiere schools in the
country which imparts education, conducts
research and trains one to be leading
professionals in the Communications domain.
Brief Interviews and opinions of Prof Arbind Sinha, Prof Rajneesh Krishna & Mr KGK Pillai
were taken. Culture of MICA can be understood under following sub-heads:
(1) Student Community
Every year thousands of students are there around the country who are die-hard MICA
aspirants just because MICA offers them their desired course through which they can make
up a career in the field of their choice. Students are chosen by MICA management in such a
manner that their areas of interests aligns with the vision & objective of MICA.
MICA Culture is such that it lays a great emphasis on Communications field and ensures
that students are trained to undertake responsible job in marketing communications
department and drive this industry forward.
Students get a 360 degree exposure here in terms of academics, extra-curricular activities,
sports and personality development programmes. They are prepared in such a way that
they take challenges and initiatives to portray leadership skills. Student Exchange
programme is a gateway for students here to have a glimpse at how the communications
management fundamentals are taught the world over.
Students get ample freedom here, so they enjoy their hostel life and make the maximum
out of a community living.
3. (2) Curriculum Design
MICA’s vision is to adopt the best pedagogy of teaching for its students. Syllabus is
designed here in such a way that the students get to study the most relevant and latest
trends in the industry along with brushing up their fundamentals.
Lot of Case Studies, Seminars, Guest Lectures from Industry, Study through Movies
happen here. Students are always equipped with knowledge which makes them efficient and
analytical enough to face the industry with aplomb.
(3) Faculty & Administration Staff
Faculties are chosen in MICA with great care. Because MICA does not want any teacher who
feels out of place in Organizational culture of MICA. Teachers besides being the experts of
their fields are the ones who have done some research in communications domain or their
individual vision is quite clear so to what MICA aims to impart to their students. Each &
Every faculty has a separate Air-Conditioned Cabin with an easy access to the plenty of
world class reading material. Ample amount of freedom is given to Faculty in the way they
wish to conduct their sessions and how they want to evaluate students. All the hygiene
factors along with Salary remunerations are taken care by MICA Management so that every
Teachers enjoys teaching here and brings out his/her best.
Similar freedom along with necessary perks is provided to Administration staff too. They are
always treated as important assets of MICA and are considered as second to none. They are
provided with holidays and regular breaks too so that they do not feel stressed out and
contribute effectively to keep the machinery of MICA running smoothly.
(4) Entertainment and Innovation
While MICA always strives hard to deliver on its promise to students for quality teaching and
superb placements it also ensures that it is rated high on employee satisfaction level too.
For this at one place when it tries to assess itself through credible external bodies it also
does a lot to provide wholesome entertainment to its staff and students through various
Concerts and Fest and hence it always keeps a separate budget for such activities and
encourages if others propose for it.
On the other hand MICA always dreams and acts in the direction to be a distinguished
Institution. It strives to remain a leader in its field. For this constant growth innovation is
very necessary. It revamps the curriculum taught here regularly, keeps salaries at par with
industry standards, maintains a strong networking with the industry. Always something new
and interesting is brought forward to the table so that everyone’s enthusiasm levels are
high and there is excitement in working and attending classes as well.
(5) Campus and the Environment
MICA as an organization believes that an individual can only prosper if the environment
around him/her boosts him/her to do so. Campus is big, calm and serene. All the elements
to survive here are in adequate proportion whether it is Technology, Food, Medical Facility,
Gymnasium or Sports equipments & Off-course living rooms too.
4. There are caretakers to keeps the Campus clean and damage-free all the time and ensure
everyone right from students to staff to invited guests have a pleasant stay here.
These various factors go a long way in defining the culture of MICA.
Functional and Dysfunctional aspects of the MICAn culture
The culture, be it of an individual’s or an organization’s or of a nation’s, it acts both as an
enabler and a barrier to success and growth. It is like two sides of the same coin.
Functional aspects
1. Dedication of each and every individual related to the organisation towards
improving the education imparted by the institute. It is a part of MICA culture to
strive towards excellence and stay abreast with the latest developments taking place
in the industry. MICA has been a pioneer amongst all the other Management schools
in the country because it develops and nurtures professionals in communications
industry.
2. A very open culture helps resolve conflicts amongst the various stakeholders of the
college, an open forum for students to voice their opinions is necessary and MICA
has strived to provide that culture. Student teacher interactions are more in form of
dialogues instead of monologues.
3. Continuous evaluation is done to identify the weak points of the organisation and
help improve them or work towards improvement.
4. Research is focussed on such that motivated individuals can be developed for the
greater good of the society. The organisation culture speaks of giving back to the
society and that culture is inculcated in each and every individual who has ever been
a part of the MICA family.
5. Each individual’s views are respected and MICA is considered to be a member of the
MICA family, thus it helps in improvement of group dynamics and helps each batch
live the MICan life years after years.
6. The college has provided challenges to each student such that it helps in improving
their capabilities and forces them to identify and explore various alternatives which
are a true mark of a capable manager. Providing guidance and even assistance by
way of financial aid to attempts made by students in the field of research is proof to
the fact that research is an integral part of the academics at MICA.
Dysfunctional aspects
5. 1. There are times when decisions are taken by the authorities which might not be what
the students desire or see as useful to them. Now in this case there is often dialogue,
discussion, sparks fly, tough decisions are taken and a compromise reached. In the
past these compromises have not been the best for the MICA cause. They are
decisions taken ‘in the moment’. When there are too many stakeholders and less
time to take decisions, taking each and every individuals opinion might get difficult
and hence the risk of a compromise has to be taken by the management and
students.
2. The MICA culture that the students of MICA perceive as integral, we believe are not
the most progressive elements of the MICA culture. Often there are negative
connotations about this culture and in fact sometimes students take to certain habits
and even attitude because it is perceived important in order to ‘fit’. Hence habits
such as smoking become rampant and students take to smoking, drinking, etc for
the first time at MICA.
An action plan
After diagnosis of the culture and identification of
the undesirable/dysfunctional elements, the next
step is preparation of an action plan to remove
these elements from the culture of the
organization.
There are two main dysfunctional aspects brought
out here.
1. The first one is that the communication between the admin and the student community is
not easy and effective. A flaw in the communication process is the last that MICA should be
blamed as it calls itself the most premier institute of communication.
Dissemination of information or communication can be of two types, downward and upward.
Downward communication
The strategy decisions , policy measures etc. taken by the administration has to be regularly
and fully communicated to the students who are in most cases the stake holders. It has to
be done effectively.
Upward communication
The various requests, requirements, grievances or even ideas conceived or decisions taken
by the student community has to be communicated to the administration for easier and
better solving of problems by the admin.
Both downward and upward communication is extremely important for effective
communication process.
6. Some steps that can be taken to better the present communication process are:
Better participation at the level of decision making
There has to be required level of participation in the major decision making processes from
the student community. Student representative should be encouraged to take part in and
contribute to important brain storming sessions conducted preceding major decisions. This
will make them feel included, important and also responsible parties to the decisions thus
arrived at thus ensuring better abidance to such decisions.
Better and stronger channels of communication
Currently, the channels of communication between the administration and the student
community are the various student committees mainly the MCSA. The MCSA consists of
three seniors and four juniors (class representatives). The size of the MCSA is very
disproportionate to the huge size of the student community. The same is the case with the
other committees. Measures should be taken to make sure that the size of various
committees are increased. Creation of a committee just to play as an interface between the
admin and students can also be pondered over. Such steps from the part of the admin
should be in sync with the wishes of the current committee members else it might be felt
like an interference.
Enhancing the feedback system
The current feedback system is very lengthy, objective and mechanical. And it rules out the
option of an open, subjective feedback from the students. Also, the feedback covers only
the learning and teaching aspects. The other aspects also are important and students
should be given a forum or system to register their feedback.
These measures will be helpful in making the communication between and better working
together of the admin and the student community.
2. Another and, may be, more important dysfunctional factor of the MICAn culture is the
‘oomph’ factor attached to the word MICA. Fortunately or not, MICA is known in the
management student communities as a ‘cool’ college. Being cool is good, of course. But
what the industry is looking for is rigour and discipline.
Here the question is, is MICA just cool and nothing else? The sheer amount of national and
international competitions won by the MICAns alone is enough to answer this question.
MICAns are no less than any other management school students in hardwork, brilliance and
rigour. But sadly these values are not what is attached to the college.
The problem is that MICAns themselves try to define them as a cool crowd which is were the
mistake happens. Many take the various freedoms of college life that they experience here
at MICA as unique to this place, but it is not so. Traditionally, colleges were where students
experienced the word ‘freedom’ for their good or bad. It is given that the crowd at MICA,
thanks to the unique selection process, is a bit unique but everything ends there. Much of
this oomph factor surrounding MICA is sheer exaggeration.
Proper communication strategies should be conceived to tone down the play of this ‘oomph’
factor in the minds of outsiders as well as the MICAns themselves, most importantly in the
industry circles. MICAns are nothing but professional management students with the streak
of creativity well intact, is what we should be telling them.
7. The vision of MICA is “to be the pre-eminent communications management school” and its
mission is “to develop innovative professionals in the practice, development and
management of communications to serve the needs of the industry and society through
education, research and advocacy.”
To achieve this glorious mission as it adheres to the path set by its vision, the constant
checking and correcting and updating its culture is extremely important like for any other
organization.
