IIM index for last 2 years –

For the 2019-2020 academic year, IIMC granted admission to 32% women candidates — the highest
ever — up from 27% last year. The number of women students at IIM-C used to average around 20%
till 2016, when it drastically dipped to 16%. This had prompted the B-school to adopt several
measures — like awarding extra marks at the pre-interview stage — to bring more girl students into its
fold.

The efforts had paid off with the number of girls going up to 31% in 2017 before dipping again the
following year.The B-school’s primary objective has always been to get a wider pool of female
candidates, which prompted it to give the girls a little push by awarding them two additional marks at
the pre-interview stage.

The class of 2021: Gender diversity gets a big boost at IIMs-India's top B-schools enrolled highest number of
female students for flagship course; overall percentage of women rose to 33.5% this year.

Most of the leading IIMs — Bangalore, Calcutta, Kozhikode, Indore and Lucknow — have admitted the highest
ever number of female students this year.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/class-of-2021-gender-diversity-gets-a-big-
boost-at-iims/articleshow/70169120.cms?
utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
IIM Ahmedabad: Diverse MBA Batch 2020-22
with Humanities, Law, Literature, Tourism
Graduates, Graphologist, Miss India Finalist,
National Swimmer
You will amazingly find a Miss India Finalist, a National Swimmer, a Graphologist, TV
Anchor among the CAT toppers coming from Humanities, Commerce, Law, Tourism
background and taking admission in the same PGP 2020-22 batch at IIM Ahmedabad. For
the 2020-2022 batch, the incoming batch invited by IIM Ahmedabad is one of the most
diverse batches in recent years, both in terms of gender diversity, work experience and
educational background.

https://insideiim.com/iim-calcutta-iim-indore-mica-iim-rohtak-iim-trichy-ximb-
indias-gender-diverse-business-schools-class-2018-2020

Gender diversity has been a major concern for both b-schools and
corporates alike, with industries demanding a more diverse work-force and
capitalizing on the potential of female workers. The Inside IIM Gender
Diversity Reports address this concern and portray the on-ground gender
statistics in India's premier b-schools.

Highlights of the report -

 When it comes to IIMs, IIM Indore, IIM Trichy and IIM Rohtak come
out on top as the most gender-diverse b-schools. On the other end of
the spectrum, IIMs Sirmaur and Sambalpur suffer from the least
gender-diverse batches in 2018.
 FMS has seen a colossal 110% increase in the number of female
candidates for their MBA batch, therefore setting a benchmark for
other management institutes.
 SDA Bocconi Asia Center and IIM Trichy have 1:1 gender ratio.
MICA has a higher percentage of women in its batch; no other b-
school has been able to achieve this feat.
 As compared to previous year's data, SJMSoM has seen the
biggest drop in the percentage of women who are a part of their
Master of Management programme, seeing a drop of close to 30
percentage points.
  While for the batch of 2017-2019, KJ Somaiya was leading the pack
as one of the most gender-diverse b-schools, it has fallen behind a
significant number of its counterparts for the Class of 2020.

Efforts in the pre-interview screening and increased weightage in shortlisting has

resulted in the top three Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) posting a better gender
and discipline diversity this year over the past few years. For instance, at 31 per cent,
IIM Calcutta has posted its highest share of female candidates among its 462 strong
batch.

As against 16.5 per cent in the previous batch of 2016-18, IIM-C saw share of female
candidates rise to 31 per cent or 145 students in 2017-19 batch, its highest ever. IIM
Bangalore too which saw a rise in its female students ratio 

Strategies followed by Institutes to improve

this index

Importance of Diversity – How does diversity in MBA impact your business school experience?

Now that we know more about diversity and how schools use it to create a class, it’s time to
understand how it affects your business school experience:

Fostering Innovation

Creating an inclusive environment

Forging a global mindset

Understanding the nuances of business

1. Fostering Innovation:

A diverse classroom environment where spirited debate, differing opinions, and viewpoints exist
encourages innovation. People from different backgrounds have different thought processes and
think about problems differently. The result is a better product or a management style. If every class
member belongs to a similar background and thinks the same way, they tend to arrive at the same
conclusions. Debates result in better ideas as people think from different areas and frames of
references.

Thus, innovation is sparked as a result of having a diverse class.

2. Creating an inclusive environment:

A diverse classroom creates an environment which is representative of the world that we inhabit. As
the global economies and various communities continue to grow, market opportunities emerge. This
brings to the fore an opportunity to develop products and market these products and services to
these growing communities.

Thus, diversity in the classroom is representative of the global business environment. It leads to
more culturally sensitive managers, who can take better and more nuanced business decisions.

A great example is the Tata Nano. Tagging the Nano as “The Cheapest Car” was a failure in
positioning the brand, and thus, it gained the wrong customer perception. An understanding of the
self-esteem and prestige associated with buying a car in India would have avoided this preventable
misstep. A better understanding of cultural nuances and identities is critical in business schools, after
all, they prepare future business leaders.Tata Nano, a failed business decision due to lack of diversity
and cultural connect.

3. Forging a global mindset:

With a more interconnected global economy, the effects of economic downturns in one country’s
economy can magnify into a global one. We no longer live in an era of domination, where one
country’s economy governs the global market. Increasingly companies are international or global.

The ability to work in multicultural environments is critical to being successful in the global economic
business environments. Thus, business schools seek to forge a global mindset which equips their
students to succeed in multicultural environments in their own country as well as globally. A diverse
class affords business schools this opportunity to train, enhance and develop a truly global mindset.

4. Understanding the nuances of business:

With globalization and the increased pace of innovation, an unprecedented number of choices are
available both to modern consumers and corporations. This results in market fluctuations and thus
organizations must consider the shifting expectations of a diverse pool of customers. These
customers themselves belong to a different age, ethnic, linguistic and cultural groups.

To meet their expectations, an organization must have a workforce made up of people who can
place themselves in the customer’s shoes. The only way to do this is to ensure that the diversity of
the customer pool is matched within the company. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring
diverse experiences and individual talents which can help the organization broaden its product and
service.

“Just belonging to one of these pools is not enough, you need to convey how it has added to your
overall experience.”
In conclusion, diversity in MBA programs, that is the business schools, helps shape truly global
leaders. It fosters collaboration and innovation in the workplace. And creates transformational
leaders who are aware of their own behaviors as well as the nuanced understanding of business
rooted in cultural values. Without the opportunity to experience working with a diverse group of
people, one may only rely on their own ethnocentric viewpoint which would yield poor results in a
multi-cultural environment. A diverse classroom with accomplished individuals allows students to
develop awareness, knowledge, and skills which help to avoid an ethnocentric approach to
management and thus allowing them to become effective leaders in a diverse workplace.