Prof. Isa Mishra has over 25 years of experience in all gamuts of HR in varied sectors – Education, Power, Telecom, and Port, both at corporate and site. This includes experience in Strategic and Operational HR. She played a lead role while assisting management in wage rationalization, merger & acquisition, and being a change agent during transitions. Professional competencies include designing customized HR processes and their implementation. She has worked with eminent corporations like Adani Dhamra Port, Tata Refractories Limited, AIRCEL, and IMIL in leadership roles. She is currently working as an Associate Professor in the HR area at KIIT School of Management (KSOM). She dons several other hats in the organization. She is the Chairperson of several commitees like Quality Assurance Cell, Displinary Committee, Konfabulate - Knowledge Dialogue Series, Konfidant – Corporate Mentoring Program and Convenor of National HR Konclaves at KSOM.

She has been a Certified Thomas International PPA Practitioner since June 2016. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in HRM; LLB; M. Phil. in PMIR (highest in batch), and MA in PMIR (gold-medalist for the session 1993-1995). She has been invited to some reputed institutes like IMIS, Orissa Engineering College, Arya School of Management, Silicon Engineering College, Magnus School of Management, and KSOM in this regard. She has been conducting MDPs in the areas of communication and etiquette, emotional intelligence, labor laws and compliances, time management, stress management, diversity and inclusion, POSH, etc. for corporate houses and has worked in HR consulting in the following areas: Competency Mapping, Job Analysis and Evaluation, Performance Management, HR policies and processes across diverse industries like CSM Technologies, SIDBI, OPTCL, IOCL, Adani Dhamra Port, C&G; and HR consultancy (for providing end to end HR services) for company based at Mumbai. Dr. Mishra has been Secretary of NHRDN, BBSR Chapter from May 2009 till March 2014 and as Treasurer since April 2014 till date. She has been the Honorary Sub-Editor of the National Institute of Personnel Management, Utkal Chapter from April 2000 to March 2005.

KIIT School of Management

Being the Head of the HR Department, what are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

  1. Ensuring the HR Curriculum is aligned with industry requirements and the best practices advising and mentoring students on course selection, career planning, and job search strategies including tips on cracking interviews. 
  2. Collecting feedback on my subjects and those taught by other faculty members to ensure the needs of the students are met along with the educational outcomes of the subjects.
  3.  Remaining updated on industry practices about people to provide updated information to students. 
  4. Maintaining relationships with industry professionals who visit the institute and are invited to be part of different fora which includes student interaction. 

How do you try to bring in a practical approach to the subject and make it industry-oriented?

  1. Speaking about real-life practices and real-life case studies allows students to analyze real-life scenarios, apply theoretical concepts, and develop critical thinking skills. 
  2. By empowering students to confidently participate in case study discussions, fostering collaborative problem-solving and decision-making abilities. 
  3. By conducting role-playing activities so that students develop hands-on experience in handling practical HR tasks, and develop valuable communication and negotiation skills. 
  4. By designing simulated projects that replicate real-life HR situations and centers of expertise. 
  5. By collaborating with industry professionals and inviting them as guest speakers to share their experiences and insights on current trends and challenges. 

How do you strategize the curriculum and how often does it get updated to make it beneficial for the students?

  1. Feedback from Placement as to the reasons why students could not crack the interview process. This helps in the training needs assessment of students and aids in designing training programs for them to perform better in the next interview process. 
  2. Intermittently analyzing and evaluating the curriculum of benchmarked educational institutions. Whenever required the courses are revamped and new courses are added. By ensuring the relevance of information and learning imparted. This is an area that is always evolving at a fast pace. 
  3. Ensuring that all faculty members adhere to the evaluation pattern aimed at specific learning outcomes and assessing learning at different cognitive levels. There is no fixed frequency of updating the curriculum. It is updated as per requirement.

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What do you see as the HR department of KIIT School of Management’s greatest strengths and how can it be enhanced?

  1. The industry-aligned curriculum of HR & OB courses. 
  2. Practical applications of HR concepts through different pedagogy. 
  3. Diverse learning methods in every course. 
  4. The blend of academicians and professors of practice. 
  5. Continuous assessment and training of students to make them industry-ready, through industry-focused career services. 
  6. Exposing students to various fora comprising interaction with industry professionals. Offering both academic and industry mentorship to students. 
  7. Consistent revamping of curriculum. 

By continuously enhancing these strengths, KSOM can establish benchmarked HR courses and prepare students for successful careers in the ever-evolving field of human resources.

How does the curriculum of the HR department ensure the best practice of the industry?

  1. Practical applications of HR concepts through different pedagogy. 
  2. Regularly collecting feedback from Placement about different industry standards and why students could not crack the interview process. This helps in the training needs assessment of students. 
  3. Continuous assessment and training of students to make them industry-ready, through industry-focused curriculum. 
  4. By regularly analyzing and evaluating the curricula of benchmarked educational institutions. Whenever required, the courses are revamped and new courses are added according to the industry requirements.

What valuable advice would you like to the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead in HR?

I would like to advise students to develop a tight grip on all the basic concepts, stay updated on the current industry trends, stay updated on global headlines and news, stay connected with mentors, do a SWOT on themselves, and work on it, maintain a constant connection for their career progression, develop communication skills, especially listening skills, and empathy, and work continuously to build trust with people who matter.