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SPJIMR’s innovative approach to management education has been recognised globally for its responsible leadership development. We are honoured to be the focal case study in the research, ‘Bridging East and West: How Business Schools Can Develop Responsible Leader Competencies’, published in Springer’s Journal of Business Ethics. Led by Tatiana Trevisan, in collaboration with Sarah Bankins and Debbie Haski-Leventhal from Macquarie Business School, Department of Management, Macquarie University, Sydney, the study highlighted two key ideas. First, it explored how business schools can teach responsible leadership by combining Eastern and Western ideas on personal growth, introducing the concept of the ‘internal environment’. Second, it added a new concept called ‘societal competencies’ to the study of responsible leadership, focusing on the skills needed to lead responsibly in society.

Prof. Surya Tahora, Executive Director, Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL) at SPJIMR, and a renowned Vedanta scholar, was one of the academic mentors who guided the research. Prof. Tahora commented, “Existing research predominantly focuses on Western theories and cases, often marginalising non-Western perspectives. This study addresses this gap by integrating insights from both Western constructive development theory and Eastern Vedanta philosophy, thereby diversifying the existing literature.”

According to the authors, “SPJIMR was selected because its MBA programme explicitly develops responsible leadership, and the mandatory non-classroom learning (NCL) courses focus on developing emotional intelligence (EQ) and spiritual intelligence (SQ), integrating Eastern and Western developmental approaches.”

Using an in-depth case study approach, the research analysed how SPJIMR develops responsible leadership through its unique MBA curriculum, which integrates neuroscience, spirituality, and societal impact. This holistic approach aims to develop leaders who are authentic, compassionate, and equipped to balance the 3Ps—profit, people, and the planet. To ensure the research was thorough, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with SPJIMR faculty, current students, and alumni, capturing multiple perspectives that are crucial for a robust case study.

The findings revealed that SPJIMR provides a ‘holding environment’ and facilitates meaningful, disequilibrating experiences that encourage students to rethink their assumptions, beliefs, or mental models. These experiences helped students to develop essential intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal competencies, all crucial for responsible leadership. The research also introduced the concept of an ‘internal environment’, which serves as a space for self-reflection, new perspectives, and personal growth.

In addition, the study presented the Responsible Leader and Leadership Development Model, offering a roadmap to assist business schools in cultivating responsible leadership and guiding future research in this area. In implications for practice, it outlined four fundamental steps for developing responsible leaders:

For more insights, read the full paper and explore how SPJIMR’s innovative MBA programme is shaping the next generation of leaders.
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Know more about SPJIMR’s non-classroom learning experiences.