SBM ITB is proud by the accomplishments of its faculty. This time, good news came from the SBM ITB MBA lecturer, Prof. Dr. Ir. Mohammad Hamsal, MSE., MQM., MBA, CISCP, who has been officially inaugurated as a Professor in Strategic Management knowledge of inquiry. Interestingly, when interviewed by the SBM ITB Marketing and Communications team on Friday, 17/2/2023, Prof. Hamsal admitted that he did not feel any significant changes from before and after being appointed as s professor.
“Becoming a professor is not the end, but the beginning of a journey. I don’t feel that a title is something to be converted for but something to take responsibility for by contributing to the organization, nation, and state,” he said.
A life-long learnerConsidering his track record as a lecturer, it is given that Prof. Hamsal has made a significant contribution to the field of education, through teaching, practicing, and research. However, his contributions are based on his life principle of sharing and benefiting others.
“My passion is to share, especially sharing knowledge. That passion has carried over to this day. But, if we want to share, we have to continue adding insight. For that, we must learn and explore new knowledge a lot,” said Prof. Hamsal.
His commitment to learning is proven by continuing his education at RMIT University, Australia, to study two fields simultaneously: Quality Management and Systems Engineering. However, he doesn’t stop there. Prof. Hamsal decided to return studying for his third master’s degree, majoring in Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Victoria University, Australia, after graduating from RMIT University. So, in 2000, Prof. Hamsal returned to Indonesia with three master’s degrees.
After returning from Australia, Prof. Hamsal returns to his job at Bank Niaga. This is where his transition to the world of academia began. While carrying out his position as VP/Division Head, Prof. Hamsal also pursued his doctoral education at the University of Indonesia, eventually joining SBM ITB as a lecturer in 2007.
An Academia with a Practitioner’s SoulProf. Hamsal admits his passion for sharing knowledge also drove his academic transition. “I want to be able to share more with others,” he said.
“Indeed, knowledge sharing can be done in the industry. In my experience, I am often invited to serve as a trainer and facilitator in industry and government. However, as an academic, sharing insights through lectures, making others more advanced and knowledgeable, is a particular satisfaction for me.”
Thanks to his impressive work as a practitioner, Prof. Hamsal has industry experience, which is an added value to his teaching methods. Prof. Hamsal can balance the practicality aspect of the industry with the concepts and theories that underlie practice in the field.
“I use my experience to give case studies, do’s and don’t’s, what I experienced, strengths, weaknesses, failures, even things not written in the textbook. This makes the class lively and dynamic,” Prof. Hamsal explained.
This is also aligned with character of business management as an applied science, so more practical rather than theoretical approaches are needed. It is oriented towards real-world practice, especially where problem-solving and decision-making are important.
“That is what makes SBM a different color because there are many aspects of business practices such as case studies, discussions, and presentations,” continued Prof. Hamsal.
“Students, Don’t Mager!”“Now is no longer the time for us to be mager (lazy–just waiting and being passive). We must be more dynamic and agile, keep learning, and watch what is happening outside to adapt to change. If we don’t adapt, we should be prepared to be ‘eaten’ by the change. Don’t just be a spectator; take a part,” Prof. Hamsal concluded.
