India’s social sector has long been powered by grassroots passion and field expertise. But as the scale and complexity of societal challenges continue to grow—from public health to climate resilience and livelihood generation—there is an urgent need to professionalise development work with structured, long-term training in leadership and management.
Many organisations in the development space are now expected to manage large funds, navigate multi-stakeholder environments, and deliver scalable impact. Yet, there remains a significant underinvestment in building managerial capacity to meet these expectations. Passion and purpose, while essential, are no longer sufficient to sustain high-impact initiatives in an increasingly complex ecosystem.
Blending Development Thinking With Management Tools
Unlike corporate sectors, the development domain requires a unique application of management principles—one that respects the nuances of social realities while ensuring strategic planning, efficiency, and governance. While short-term certificate programmes have cropped up to fill learning gaps, they rarely offer the depth needed to transform field workers into system thinkers.
“Social impact work now requires deep skills in finance, governance, strategic leadership, and technology,” said Professor Tanojkumar Meshram, Chairperson of the Post Graduate Programme in Development Management (PGPDM) at SPJIMR. “You can’t lead an NGO or CSR unit at scale without the ability to plan, execute, and evaluate programs through a managerial lens. The need is to blend development ethos with management discipline.”
FLEXIBLE, PRACTICE-ORIENTED LEARNING FOR WORKING PROFESSIONALS
One reason many professionals in the sector struggle to upskill is a lack of time. A 2024 report found that 90% of Indian professionals cite work and family commitments as barriers to learning. Programmes tailored for working professionals especially modular, blended learning formats offer a viable solution.
Structured over 12 months with both online and on-campus modules, development management programmes like PGPDM offer a pathway for practitioners to build leadership without leaving their jobs. This model ensures that learning is both academically rigorous and field-relevant, rooted in real-world assignments and cross-sector collaboration.
Bridging the Education-Employability Gap
A major disconnect in the social sector remains the gap between academic learning and workplace needs. Development challenges are deeply contextual, and solutions cannot be taught only in theory. That’s why programmes that integrate immersive fieldwork, reflective practice, and cohort-based peer learning play a critical role in improving employability and sector readiness.
“There’s a lot of focus on short courses, but we also need long-term thinking,” said Prof. Meshram. “When professionals are equipped not just to implement but to design and scale solutions, we start seeing real transformation. It’s not just about filling roles—it’s about preparing leaders for a more equitable and sustainable world.”
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