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 technofunctional 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.

1. 5SkillsIT Professionals
miss out
by not doing an MBA

2. 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 world
b) Credibility with your business peers
c) New skill and knowledge acquisition
Great Lakes ePGPM .......................................................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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3. 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 epgpm@greatlearning.in +91 95991 99776 03

4. LEADERSHIP
QUALITIES:
Leadership is all
about having a
vision of where
you want to be
and working to
achieve that vision
2
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
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5. BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN
IT AND BUSINESS
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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.
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6. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
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Leadership 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.
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7. LEADERS
• don’t hang back
• take responsibility
• have initiative
• communicate openly
and honestly
• believe in what is possible
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8. CUSTOMER FACING
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As 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.
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9. BECOME A STRATEGIST
4
At 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.
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10. BETTER CAREER PROSPECTS
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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
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11. 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.
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12. 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.
GREAT LAKES ePGPM PROGRAM
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13. 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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