PhD makes a difference even in civic work

Officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) are second to none when it comes to getting a PhD. In fact, many have discovered that a doctorate is helpful as it has given them a better understanding of their field of work.

Deputy municipal commissioner of AMC’s New West Zone, MD Modhia, was recently awarded a PhD. Municipal commissioner of AMC, Guruprasad Mohapatra, already has a doctorate in power sector reforms. And the assistant manager of AMC’s Industrial Relations department, Naren Hazari, is also a PhD.

Explaining how a PhD helps if you work for the government, Mohapatra told DNA that in studying for a doctorate in any subject, you get a broad perspective of different areas of work.

“One gains tremendous insight and it becomes much easier to understand the different concepts of a particular field,” he said. One also gets to know about the various sources of data, the municipal commissioner said.

In 2010-11, Mohapatra decided to do research in the field of power reform. “My topic of research was ‘Change Management: A case study of Gujarat Power Sector reforms’. My studies on the topic gave me a deeper understanding of the field I was working in,” he said.

Mohapatra was with Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) when reforms initiated in 2002 led to its division into separate units. “I was an eyewitness to the entire reform process. I saw how the organisation changed. Incidentally, the topic of my dissertation when I was studying for an MBA in 2005, was ‘Power reform strategies’,” he said. “From my studies for the dissertation and later for my doctorate, I acquired a deeper understanding of the power sector,” Mohapatra said.

The topic of MD Modhia’s doctorate was ‘Emerging Youth Leadership in Panchayat: Sociological Implications’. He completed his PhD in four years.

“It is an emerging trend among youths to join the panchayats and this is why I decided to do research on this topic,” he said. So have his studies helped him in his work? “They have definitely. I now have a better perspective on this subject. Since I had done my Masters in Sociology, I had the basic knowledge of this area. Now I know about it in greater detail,” Modhia said.

He also said that studying for a PhD gives you deeper insight into your field of work. “I always wanted to get a PhD on a topic relevant to villages. I am more interested in rural areas as I come from a village in Sabarkantha,” Modhia said.

The assistant manager of Industrial Relations (IR) department of the AMC, Naren Hazari, has a PhD in industrial relations. This has proved enormously helpful in his professional life.

“It was one of my ambitions to do a PhD. As I had an MBA in HRD, for my research the topic I chose ‘Employee Relation System in AMC’. I completed my PhD in 2009,” Hazari said.

Has the PhD made any difference in his professional life? “Definitely, my professional life has changed. My work has become more interesting now and the PhD has given me a better understanding of industrial relations,” he said.