Should GD/PI be a part of selection process in management schools?

GD/PI(Group Discussion and Personal Interview) are used in selection process of major management schools in India after the aptitude test. This is a 2 stage process i.e GD and PI. GD involves discussing a group of 8-12 candidates for a certain time (15-50 mins) and PI is personal interview by the b-school panel.

So coming to relevance of GD in selection process of b-school, i think its pretty valid. GD involves on-spot thinking about a topic, presenting the content in a coherent manner, building on others contents to add different perspectives. Overall it tests an individual's contribution in a group environment. As in later corporate lives, people have to discuss on different problems and will have to arrive at a consensus, it has a very valid connection in real life.

But there can be significant cons of GD in a global context where it is very difficult to exchange ideas and let's say arrive at a consensus after 15-30 mins. It is difficult to reconcile multiple view points by different members who have very wide backgrounds. Sometimes it can happen that the group loses focus or there is a conflict among the groups on certain points and the whole discussion might end without having agreements among group members in crucial points. So does GD is a complete solution in this case?

PI is always considered as an important part to assess one's personality. PIs are intensive and focus on individual's different characteristics and get a feedback on one's motivation, creativity, knowledge and other qualities. This has been an irreplaceable part of selection process.

There are somecases when Essay Writing has been give more credit than GD as essay writing covers more depth as an individual how one has progressed and how creative you are. Many of the global mba programs take essays as evaluation criteria and rightly so as it gives them more idea and time to judge a candidate compared to a short GD.

So I would say these process can be evolved and modified so as to asses one's capabilities in proper manner and without making any haste.