An IIM Interview

Today i finally went through an interview process for securing admissions into a post-graduate course offered by the IIM's! The course on offer was PGSEM, a part time general management course for practising software professionals.
Over the past week i spent a good deal of time on learning more about my company (www.nsn.com) and my industry. I was banking on my capability to show-case my achievements at work. Unfortunately for me, the interview followed a different thread :(
Following is what i can re-collect from the process...

Venue : IIM-B (M14)
Time : 11:30 AM
Interview Panel : 2 Professors (45-55 years of age)
Duration : 20 minutes

Enter the room, greet one professor who is ready..
Prof1: 10 months in Motorola, 2 months in Airvana and now quite stable with Siemens :)

Me: It is Nokia-Siemens Networks now :)
Motorola - great company - working on an established project - no growth opportunities - was immature as well (Frank tone) - Excited about AV, a startup company - colleagues from Moto also head there.

AV - Startup - more responsibility - company started by Mot and Nortel execs - great vision - like the topline view of the company - work wise not good at all - boring tasks - felt need to learn in an established environment - so headed to Siemens - No such thing as a perfect employer.

Prof1: I see a potential entepreneur in you. What is your opinion?

Me: Not in the immediate forseeable future, do not see myself taking the plunge in the short to mid term as well. (10-12 years). Immediate goal is to learn domain/business more in an organizational environment.

Prof2(Joins): What is the basic difference between a manager and an entepreneur?

Me: Managers are directed by the company goals - Focus more on the execution of the responsibility assigned to them - They are thus in a "comfort" zone - Entepreneurs - Affinity for risk.

Prof2: Risk precisely the word - Appreciative of the answer.

Prof2: Still there are people who take the plunge without sufficient knowledge and are successful..

Me: Agree - I can only speak for myself - Personal constraints make me risk averse - Tell him about me being an initiative taker but not such a big risk.

Prof1+2: What is your expectation from the course?
Me: Mention my aim to be a business analyst - Mention that general mgmt course is tailor made for me as i want knowledge/techniques from all aspects - Holistic perspective.

Prof2: Compare Motorola and Siemens as employers from an organizational perspective.
Me: Sie - laidback, Mot - Dynamic - Mot more process oriented - Mot India more organized than SIE India - SIE a big conglomerate can sell bundle telecom solutions with others - Mot more aggressive.

Prof1: What else do you do?
Me: Play TT/Hockey - Jog - BasketBall - Skit - Organize events - Hang out with friends.

Prof2: Full partying?
Me: Not so, not a party freak - Do have my fair share of fun though (wink)

Prof1: Assume you replace MMSingh as PM. List 3 areas you will be working on.
Me: (Taken aback)
1) Infrastructure - importance - competitiveness of India as an economy - Creation of jobs - Better supply chain for companies.
2) Education - Primary - Rural focus - Special emphasis on better agricultural methods.
Empathy - Urban educated class thinks too much of themselves - They should go around and appreciate the needs of the rural poor - Praise the Govt initiatives - Cite budget constraints.

Prof1: Can IT make a difference?
Me: Cite Bhoomi project - Transparency - Last mile connectivity - Education online to empower more folks - Ask the profs to put up courses online!

Prof2: What will you change?
Me: Operational efficiency - Drive the system at a grass root level.

Prof1: There is already an organization for this. Can you name it?
Me: (Stumped) Dont know :)

Prof2: There is a ministry for operational aspects.
Me: Oh..

Prof2: Comfortable with Maths?
Me: I am decent.

Prof2: Throws a linear eqn problem.
Me: Cant solve (3-4 min passby - Get tense)

Profs: No problem..this alone will not determine your selection. Thanks!
Me: (Confused) Say thanks and bid goodbye.
The problem does not have a solution incidentally!

Overall i think the interview did not head where i would have liked it to. (work, wireless)
I have serious doubts if i will manage to make it :(