FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
BIOGRAPHIES
This encompassed everything from their mannerisms and tone of inquiry to the perceived level of di culty in the questions they asked and other nuances. Some academics even recalled instances of exaggerated situations shared by interview candidates online and said that they self-regulated their conduct to safeguard the institute’s image as a result. Indeed, comments posted by students about a business school’s admissions process have the potential to impact on that school’s image, thereby a ecting the institution’s ability to attract suitable candidates. Further causes of stress stem from the physical environment in which admissions interviews are carried out. Many are conducted in sound-proof, enclosed cabins without windows that are instead illuminated with artificial lighting. Such spaces are not conducive to faculty members’ sense of wellbeing, or to their levels of concentration and motivation. Losing one’s sense of day and night also became a possibility for some, particularly when interview centres were set up in the same hotel as faculty members’ allotted accommodation for the duration of the process. Respondents therefore placed a high value on being able to have a change of scenery between extended hours of interacting with candidates. The factors described above can all a ect the fairness of a business school’s selection process in addition to causing physical and psychological discomfort to faculty members. In particular, our study’s analysis has revealed that feelings of anxiety, irritability and impatience frequently permeate the lives of faculty members during an admissions interview process. Backaches caused by long hours of sitting in enclosed spaces and intolerances towards noise at the end of the day were also highlighted. In fact, a majority of participants reported that they simply could not endure an admissions process of this nature beyond three full, consecutive days because of the cognitive drain experienced. How institutions can curb faculty stress To ensure the productivity and wellbeing of their faculty members, higher education institutions must address occupational variables that a ect the levels of stress they experience, such as their involvement in admissions interviews. Schools can design and incorporate practical interventions that reduce the chances of any one individual being overloaded with work. From the organisational perspective, this will also help sustain an e ective execution of the duties required. In recognition of the three-day fatigue identified, for example, schedules should be balanced across the members of a faculty cohort. Workload should be kept within moderate limits and time pressure should be reduced.
Padhmanabhan Vijayaraghavan is an associate professor in the area of organisational behaviour and human resources at Goa Institute of Management (GIM), where he is also chairperson of the GiveGoa initiative. In 2023, a business case he authored was recognised as an Ivey Publishing best seller Karman Khanna is an assistant professor in the communications area at GIM. His research interests include human-object intimacy, interpersonal relationships and panpsychism. He is also a fervent kalimba player and trainer Sreerupa Sengupta is an assistant professor and Principles for Responsible Management Education coordinator at GIM. Her areas of teaching, research and consultancy are in gender and development, health and public policy. She is an alumnus of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability and a fellow of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research
Ambition MAY 2024 | 39
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