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398: PDW: Dualism in Indian Management                                                                                                    Underlying Mechanisms and Consequent Impact                                                                                                     Saturday, Aug 5 2017 2:00PM - 4:00 Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atrium A703

As a society, India is a curious mix of traditional and modern values on one hand; and conventional and creative practices on the other. Contradictions abound between thought and practice as well as among thoughts. All Indians manage these conflicts on a daily basis with varying degrees of success.  As a result, contemporary Indian management is an amalgamation of different, and at times diametrically opposite, thoughts put together by a single individual. We use the term 'Dualism' to refer to this experience of contrasting requirements. The proposed PDW intends to examine the dualism experienced by Indian managers, studying its antecedents, correlates, and consequences.

It aims to discuss dualism as a key aspect of Indian management and deliberate how dualism impacts not only managerial cognition and behavior, but also changes many organizational norms and practices. The PDW will also be a platform to investigate the mechanisms adopted by Indian managers to resolve and reduce this dissonance. Endeavour shall be made to evolve strategies to explore and manage dualism, setting the agenda for research / practice.

Workshop Format

Karminder Ghuman will introduce contemporary Indian management as a blend of western ideologies, systems, and beliefs on one hand, and traditional Indian values, expectations, and practices, on the other. He will set the agenda for the workshop by providing an overview of the dualism experienced by Indian managers as a key feature of the Indian management scene.

Padmakumar Nair has coined the term "micro-collectivism" to characterize the Indian mindset with regard to others in the social group. He defines micro-collectivism as the degree to which individuals feel affinity toward, and depend on, their immediate family members and close friends, such that they act in accordance with the interests of these groups rather than the country or the organization. Indeed, micro-collectivism is at odds with individualism as well as collectivism, and thus is an important factor in the dualism experienced by the Indian manager.

Divya Bhutiani addresses the influence of dualism on transformational leadership. She will argue that transformational leadership can be effectively used only if leaders are adept at overcoming challenges posed by the dualistic norms and beliefs. She will discuss practical implications and theoretical challenges of practicing transformational leadership in the Indian context.  

Taking the case of the Future Group, the first Indian private conglomerate to appoint a Chief Belief Officer (Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik), Anita Sharma will focus on institutionalization of Indian beliefs at the workplace. The case exhibits how institutionalization of the 'value of beliefs' can be effectively used to revitalize imagination, self-esteem, and decision-making. 

Snehlata Jaswal will dwell upon that among the myriad psychological factors which impact dualism, perhaps none is as important as the perception of dualism by the individual concerned. It is Snehlata's contention that dualism denied or distorted is likely to have more pernicious impact on consequent thinking and behaviour. However, conscious and accurate perception would encourage rational and more effective strategies for managing dualism.

Dr. Karminder Ghuman,                                                                                                                                                                                 Head, Centre for Indian Management                                                                                                                                    Associate Professor, LM Thapar School of Management,                                                                                                         Thapar University, Patiala, India                                                                                                                              karminder@thapar.edu