India, March 6 -- For decades, the traditional MBA was built around a simple assumption: if you wanted to go further in management, you stepped away from work for two years and devoted yourself to study. That model made sense when career arcs were linear, roles were functionally bounded and the core challenge was acquiring frameworks and credentials before returning to work.

Today, that assumption is being reconsidered. For many working professionals, pausing a career mid-stream is neither straightforward nor desirable. Teams, responsibilities and ongoing projects don't pause for study and the cost of stepping out at a stage when careers are already well established can be high.

At the same time, the nature of managerial work itself has...