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The 5th Biennial Indian Academy of Management Conference 2017 kicked off at IIM Indore on December 18, 2017. The conference witnessed a presence of a large number of experts and keynote speakers from the nation and abroad, focuses on Indian insights to understand and manage the complex interplay among the individuals, institutions and innovations. ‘The objective of the conference is to promote, propagate and diffuse wisdom pertaining to management and auxiliary discipline that have the potential to transform the world of academician and practitioners. The conference would have around 186 paper presentations by delegates from IIMs, IITs, NITIE, XLRI and other B-schools’, said Professor Sushanta K. Mishra, Chair of the Conference and Faculty, IIM Indore.
The Day Zero, December 17, also witnessed a pre-conference workshop on Envisioning Indian Psychology in the Next Quarter Century: A reflective and Critical Workshop by Professor Dharm P.S. Bhawuk, Shilder College of Business, Hawaii, USA. Professor Bhawuk discussed how India psychology differs from western psychology. He highlighted how the concept of cognition and emotion are understood differently in Indian and Western Psychology.
The workshop was parallel with a Junior Faculty Consortium by Professor Nagaraj Sivasubramanian, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. Professor Nagaraj discussed about the role and expectations from an academician in the classroom. He drew an analogy of a teacher in the classroom with that of a performance artist and a designer.
The day also had a session on Opportunities and Challenges of Using the Indian Context in Management Research. This was conducted by Professor Preet Aulakh, Schulich School of Business, Canada.
The inauguration of the conference took place on December 18; in the presence of Professor Pradip Khandwalla, Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan, Faculty, IIM Bangalore and Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director IIM Indore. Professor Krishnan welcomed all the guests and said that the challenge before all the researchers in India is to be able to do a lot of research work which is contextually relevant as well. Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan spoke about the purpose of INDAM and noted how the conference this year has received the highest (350) number of papers, out of which 230 were shortlisted and 180 are been presented.
This was followed by the keynote address by Professor Pradip Khandwalla. While talking about global aspects of research, Professor Khandwalla said that we are global, but we are also Indians; and we need to focus on India and its problems while doing research. When people talk of management, they usually mean just business management, but we should know that this is a narrow approach. Management deals with all aspects ranging from professional, personal, political, economical and even civilized sector, he said.
‘India has much to be proud of—attaining violence free independence, secular and democratic state, unity in diversity, increase in economic growth from 1% during British rule to 6.5% in 1990s, increased literacy rates and empowered Dalits and women. However, we have much to regret as well—corruption, superstition, poor education facilities, poor healthcare services, lack in public administration and poor civic sense. There are around 20,000 cases of robbery, murder and kidnapping per year, around 25,000 recorded rape cases and lack in government measures. Will this lead us to civilization excellence and help us be more humane, creative and innovative?’, questioned Professor Khandwalla. He noted that focusing on just economic growth won’t help the nation attain excellence in civilization, unless corporate society focuses on ethical values, education system revamps courses to help students live in real-life situations and work in that environment.
His talk concluded with a Q&A round.
A workshop on ‘Management Research in India: Current State and Future Directions’ also took place in the first half of the day. Professor Naresh Khatri, Vice President, INDAM, University of Missouri, USA; Professor Pawan Budhwar, Aston University, UK and Professor Arup Varma, Loyola University, Chicago, USA conducted the workshop. The forum also critically discussed about the journals and controversies around paid journals and predatory journals leeching on the publishing mania across India and the world. Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan, Faculty, IIM Bangalore; Professor Sivasubramaniam, Duquesne University, Pittsburg; Professor Jyoti Bachani, Saint Mary’s College of California, USA also shared their views on the topic.
A Professional Development Workshop on Teaching Effectiveness was also conducted by Professor Jyoti Bachani, Professor Nagaraj Sivasubramanian and Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan. They discussed about teaching vs teaching effectiveness and importance of teaching in learning.
The second half of the day began with a Round Table Discussion on the theme—Diversity and Inclusivity. The panel members for the discussion included Ms. Aaradhana Lal, VP, Sustainability, Lemontree; Ms. Nirmala Menon, CEO, Interweave Consulting and Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan, Faculty, IIM Bangalore.
Apart from various technical sessions held all day, a book launch ceremony was also conducted. A book by Professor Pradip Khandwalla named ‘Fast Forward Toward Civilizational Greatness: Agenda for India’ was released. The book probes the civilizational sickness we seem to be stuck in, reveals the good world and proposes what can be done to reverse the malignancy and restore health. The book also looks at insights and innovations concerning child-rearing practices and schooling, and education in colleges and institutes of higher learning to advocate what needs to be done to promote civilizational advance. It looks specifically at India, how it is modernized, its successes and failures as a nation and what can be done to speed up its evolution as a great modern civilization.
The second day began with a round table discussion on the theme Innovation and Organization which included speakers namely, Professor Anoop Madhok, Schulich School of Business, Canada; Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Indore and Dr. B. Ravindran, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhuwaneshwar. Dr. Ravindran discussed his ideas on challenges faced in building institutions in India. ‘Making an institution is a big challenge. Professor Madhok spoke about his research on ‘Firms, Markets and Crowds: Towards a new economics of organizing in the digital economy’. Professor Krishnan shared his ideas on his work on ‘Industry 4.0: Implications for Management Education’. He spoke about how Industry 4.0 as a new paradigm is changing ways how management education is being delivered.
The first workshop of the day was a Paper Development Workshop by Professor Peter Bamberger, Editor, Academy of Management Discoveries (AMD), Tel Aviv University. This workshop was a part of the AMD Paper Development Workshop Around the Globe series. The journal AMD’s unique vision is to publish rigorous research on new and emerging phenomenon. Professor Bamberger delivered a session on Addressing ‘Too Much Theory’ Problem in Management Research: Abductive Reasoning. He discussed the paradigm of abductive research and said, ‘There may be papers that lack on good theory but may have some very important findings. If the findings are robust with significant policy implications, we encourage them. We ensure these papers are critically scrutinized to ensure the quality of research being delivered to the academia. We follow the concept of Abductive Research which serves as a complementary alternative to classic, theory grounded management research.’ The workshop witnessed a huge participation and concluded with a Q&A session.
The second half of the day also witnessed a Professional Development Workshop on the topic ‘Indian Insights: Integrating Individuals, Institutions and Innovations’. This was conducted by Professor Nagaraj Sivasubramaniam (Executive Committee Member, INDAM 2017, Professor at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA) and Professor Jyoti Bachani (Saint Mary’s College of California, USA) and Professor Bhawuk (Shildler College of Business, Hawaii, USA). The discussion revolved around Indian values, spirituality and its role in management organizations.
A Publication Workshop was also held by Professor Pawan Budhwar, Editor-in-Chief, British Journal of Management; Professor Peter Bamberger, Incoming Editor-in-Chief, Academy of Management Discoveries and Professor Anoop Madhok, Schulich School of Business, Canada.
The INDAM Award Ceremony also took place in the evening. Details are as follows:
A) INDAM Lifetime Achievement Award
The INDAM Lifetime Achievement Award is given as recognition of significant and sustained contributions over a career to the broad field of business and management. This includes extraordinary lifetime accomplishments that have made great scholarly, pedagogical and/or institutional contributions to the field of management, and the individual’s contribution and impact is recognized internationally.
- Farok Contractor (Distinguished Professor in the Management and Global Business Department at Rutgers Business School, USA)
Dr Farok’s research has focused on corporate alliances, outsourcing and offshoring, valuation of intangible assets, the technology transfer process, licensing, and foreign direct investment. He is particularly focused on the negotiated, inter-firm aspects of International Business such as alliances between firms from different nations, including joint ventures, and licensing, as well as negotiations between investors and governments.
- D M Pestonjee (School of Petroleum Management, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, GSPL Chair Professor since July 2009)
He has almost five decades of teaching experience. He is author/co-author of ten books and over 100 research articles. Among his better known works are: ‘Organization Structure and Job Attitudes (1973)’, ‘Behavioral Processes in Organization (1981)’, ‘Second Handbook of Psychological and Social Instruments (1988)’, ‘Third Handbook of Psychological and Social Instruments (1997)’, ‘Studies in Organizational Roles and Stress and Coping (1997)’, ‘Studies in Stress and Its Management (1999)’ and the celebrated ‘Stress and Coping: The Indian Experience (1992, 2002)’.
B) INDAM Fellow Awards
The INDAM Fellow is given as a recognition from a peer group towards contribution to both scholarship and to the larger contribution to the management community and INDAM. Typically, the award is given as a recognition of significant contributed to the broad field of business and management related to India more broadly than the normal demands of their job. This contribution can be in the areas of thought leadership, institution building, practical applications or policy development.
- Professor S Ramnarayan
Prof. Ramnarayan is Clinical Professor of Business at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, India. He has carried out assignments funded by different international agencies, such as US Office of Personnel Management, Ford Foundation, World Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, Department for International Development, and German Science Foundation. Apart from research papers, monographs, and case studies, Prof. Ramnarayan has co-authored books such as Changing Tracks: Reinventing the Spirit of Indian Railways, Change Management: Altering Mindsets in a Global Context, and Managing Organizational Change, and has co-edited books such as Life After 360 Degree Feedback, Strategic Management of Public Enterprises in Developing Countries, Organization Development Interventions and Strategies, and Managerial Dilemmas: Cases in Organizational Behaviour. Prof. Ramnarayan has shaped managerial practice in India and his contribution to the professional networks in India is significant.
- Professor Sumit Kundu
Sumit Kundu is the James K. Batten Eminent Scholar Chair in International Business [2012-Present], at the Florida International University. He is also the Associate Dean, International Programs and the Academic Director, Master of International Business program. He is a well published scholar and has through his academic appointments influenced several networks including INDAM across the world. He was the Vice President (Administration), Academy of International Business [2014-2017], Associate Editor, Journal of Business Research, [March 2017 – Present]. Editorial Board Member – Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Global Strategy Journal, Journal of International Management, International Business Review, Management International Review, Thunderbird International Business Review, Cross Cultural and Strategic Management – An International Journal, Journal of Teaching in International Business, International Journal of Emerging Markets.
C) Emerald/INDAM Indian Management Research Fund Award
The criteria used for the award was that the topic should be of significance, and in particular, should illustrate how it will benefit the social good; demonstrate originality and innovation; make an outstanding contribution to theory and its application; the appropriateness and application of the methodology and demonstrate sound implications for theory and practice.
Winning project
Bridging institutional voids through institutional work: Case of institutional intermediaries in India
By Debabrata Chatterjee, Professor Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode and Sreevas Sahasranamam, Chancellor’s Fellow, Strathclyde Business School
Highly Commended Projects
- Motives and Impact of Volunteerism: a study of Vidhyadaan Program in India
Devyani Mourya
Research Scholar (OB & HRM)
Indian Institute of Management Indore
Sushant Kumar Mishra
Professor (OB & HRM)
Indian Institute of Management Indore
- Modelling the decision-making behaviour of farmers in context of contract farming in India
Nilanjan Dutta
Ph.D. Scholar
Department of Management Studies
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Arshinder Kaur
Associate Professor
Department of Management Studies
Indian Institute of Technology Madras