Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL)

Inspired by SPJIMR’s mission of value based growth, Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL) looks to enhance conventional leadership development approaches currently deployed by corporate learning and development professionals, with wisdom traditions drawn from the East and West. The Centre is part of an emerging global network of leadership and wisdom centres, scholars, and practitioners. CWIL co-creates and disseminates new perspectives through blog articles, podcasts, training modules, retreats, and conferences.

What's New

Education

  • Management Development Programmes

    Mindfulness at Work

    We live in a demanding world. There are demands and expectations at the workplace. Our ambition is also a demand we make on and of ourselves. Attempting to meet all these demands and find the proverbial work-life balance causes us stress. Living amidst the noise and overwhelm of these demands, how do we as leaders develop our inner resources and fulfil our commitments with comparative ease and grounded lucidity?

    Know more

    The Pursuit of Wise Leadership

    SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership(CWIL) offers ‘The Pursuit of Wise Leadership’, a 2-day intensive workshop for mid-level managers which integrates insights from Indian wisdom traditions with Western concepts and evolving leadership needs. The workshop can serve as a broad template for future leaders to act more consciously and engage fully as they face challenges with more equanimity, flexibility and freedom in this deeply interconnected and dynamic world. Through this reflective and experiential workshop, participants will gain insights and learn practices for their growth as wise leaders of tomorrow.

    Know more

    The Second Winning

    The need for transition is often felt at a time when success, as defined this far, has been achieved, and one begins to sense a ‘What more?’ or ‘Is this it?’ kind of stirring within. CWIL’s ‘The Second Winning’ (TSW) is a programme designed as a potent pause to address this inner rustle. It is an opportunity to put aside racing to-do lists, rest our overworked will, shift lens and gear, and inquire into certain essential questions – What is unaddressed within? What is seeking fulfilment? What needs closure? What is life asking of me? ‘The Second Winning’ is an intervention to make a conscious transition from a notable career to a meaningful life. The design and structure of TSW draw upon Eastern wisdom traditions, advances in western Psychology and Neuroscience research, and the wisdom of contemporary thought leaders. TSW can be seen as a rite of passage (doorway) to fully participate and contribute to crafting a memorable and meaningful life which we cherish and others remember.

     

  • Course for SPJIMR FPM

    The course discusses concepts, ideas, and questions pertinent to the idea of wisdom as understood through the lens of Eastern philosophy (especially Indian culture), Western philosophy, and leadership.  It also draws upon history to provide leadership perspectives through the understanding of historical methodology, historiography, and genres like a biography.  The course focuses on methodological issues in measuring and studying wisdom while exploring specific extant literature.  It aims to help students foray into researching the construct of ‘wisdom’ in leadership and organisation studies.  This course will enable participants to unravel the past, present, and future of wisdom literature delineating the implications of ‘wisdom’ for managers, organisations, and society.

    The course will be covered in 30 hours, ten sessions of 3 hours each.

Events

  • CWIL Conclave February, 24 2023

    The SPJIMR CWIL Conclave on Rethinking Business: Advancing Wisdom in Innovation and Leadership brought together some of the brightest minds in the industry and academia to discuss the importance of wisdom and innovation in modern business.

    Know more Watch here

    Publications

    18 Jul 2023

    Pre-Partition stories, filmi music made Radio Ceylon a household name in India and Pakistan

    Dinyar Patel Know more
    28 Mar 2023

    Satish Kumar: Abundant Love (Longform Conversations series)

    Jagdish Rattanani, Sudarshan Iyengar & Lisa Pearson Know more
    1 Jun 2022

    Power and Philanthropy: The Imperial Dimensions of Parsi Amelioration of the Iranian Zoroastrians

    Dinyar Patel Know more
    1 Apr 2022

    Robert Kennedy’s politics was almost Ambedkarite. The world needs leaders like him today

    Dinyar Patel Know more
    16 Jan 2022

    Heavy lies the head that wears the crown

    Tanvi Mankodi Know more
    12 Jan 2022

    Students leadership programme: Igniting the young minds

    Mihir Ajgaonkar Know more
    23 Dec 2021

    Why students should be taught differently: Learner characteristics, learning styles and simulation performance

    Bindu Kulkarni, Ranjan Banerjee & Rajasekaran Raghunathan Know more
    16 Nov 2021

    Actions in phygital space: Work solidarity and collective action among app-based cab drivers in India

    Shalini Parth, Dharma Raju Bathini, George Kandathil Know more
    22 Oct 2021

    Danone: Leading change by rejigging purpose?

    Tulsi Jayakumar & Surya Tahora Know more
    28 Sep 2021

    Stereotyping & unconscious bias in organizations

    Ashita Aggarwal Know more
    27 Sep 2021

    Impact of HRM practices on innovative behaviour: mediating role of talent development climate in Indian firms

    Sumita Datta, Pawan Budhwar, Upasna A. Agarwal & Shivganesh Bhargava Know more
    22 Jul 2021

    Nurturing a healthy mentor-mentee relationship

    Renuka Kamath Know more
    23 Jun 2021

    Executive education engine drives continuous learning

    Preeta George Know more
    19 Apr 2021

    Chapter - The singing Satyagrahi: Khurshedben Naoroji and the challenge of Indian biography

    Dinyar Patel Know more
    11 Apr 2021

    Moral hazards of RBI’s balance sheet approach

    R K Pattnaik Know more
    4 Dec 2020

    Career choices of Indian women managers: Lens of bounded rationality

    Sumita Datta & Snehal Shah
    3 Dec 2020

    Shaping Institutions: Breaking barriers and focus on stakeholders

    R. Gopalakrishnan & Sushmita Srivastava Know more
    6 Nov 2020

    Shaping institutions: Orbit shifting and cyclical thinking

    R Gopalakrishnan & Pallavi Mody Know more
    20 Oct 2020

    Board seats for women successors: It is a matter of mindsets, not rights

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    8 Oct 2020

    Shaping institutions: The art of critical thinking

    R Gopalakrishna & Sushmita Srivastava Know more
    29 Sep 2020

    Indic religiosity scale: Developing and validating an Indian religiosity scale

    Tulsi Jayakumar & Anshul Verma Know more
    3 Sep 2020

    Ninety-six shades of emotion in today’s age of emojis

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    2 Aug 2020

    Creating safe workspaces at home

    Vidyut Lata Dhir & Rishabh Kochhar (PGDM 2020) Know more
    2 Aug 2020

    Introverts Vs Extroverts in the digital workplace

    Vineeta Dwivedi & Seema Khanvilkar Know more
    13 Jul 2020

    The narrative of beauty has to change

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    20 Jun 2020

    Are marketers breaking or building gender stereotypes?

    Ashita Aggarwal & Rachna Wadhwa Know more
    29 May 2020

    Higher learning, upskilling and reskilling in times of Covid-19

    Jyoti Jagasia & FPM 2018 Scholar Alka Aggarwal Know more
    24 Apr 2020

    Covid-19: Importance of motivating language

    Vineeta Dwivedi & Upasna A Agarwal Know more
    24 Apr 2020

    When quarter-se-quarter-tak thinking is a letdown

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    25 Feb 2020

    MBA education: New insights on enablers of managerial performance

    Debmallya Chatterjee & James Poovathingal Know more
    5 Dec 2019

    Management Lessons from the Masters: Believe to succeed like Azim Premji

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    3 Jul 2019

    Chapter: Vedanta philosophy’s contribution to wisdom development for leadership: Grounding Indian practical wisdom in higher knowledge and purpose

    Surya Tahora, Snehal Shah & David Rooney Know more
    20 Jun 2019

    Make Indian education future-ready

    Ranjan Banerjee Know more
    9 May 2019

    Think, lead and strategize like Kumar Mangalam Birla

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    29 Apr 2019

    Of hubristic leaders and obedient company boards

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    15 Apr 2019

    How business schools can change the world

    Deepa Krishnan Know more
    5 Dec 2020

    Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism

    Dinyar Patel Know more

    Digital technology-enabled transformative consumer responsibilisation: a case study

    Shalini Parth, Bhupesh Manoharan, Rishikesan Parthiban, Israr Qureshi, Babita Bhatt, Krishanu Rakshit Know more
    13 May 2019

    Kena Upanishad (French Edition)

    Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Author), Surya Tahora (Translator) Know more
    20 Jan 2020

    Bhagavad Gita: Cours d'Étude de la Bhagavad Gita - Volume 1

    Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Author), Surya Tahora (Translator) Know more

    Building a Backdoor to the iPhone: An ethical dilemma

    Tulsi Jayakumar and Surya Tahora

    How is wisdom defined in Indian traditions

    Ajinkya Navare

    How can wisdom be measured?

    Ajinkya Navare

    Eastern Wisdom Traditions and its linkage with leadership

    Snehal Shah

    Theories of self: A comparative study of Western and Indian Perspectives

    Shalini Parth

    Can wisdom be a deterrent to destructive/dark leadership behaviour?

    Tanvi Mankodi.

    Is stoicism in leaders valued by their followers?

    Tanvi Mankodi

    White Paper on “Establishing wise practices as a basis for Leadership Development”

    Tanvi Mankodi, Sumita Datta, Anant Talaulicar, Snehal Shah, Surya Tahora

    The Liberals and the Making of Modern India

    Dinyar Patel

    Long-term biographical project on Allan Octavian Hume

    Dinyar Patel

    Long-term edited volume projects on the selected papers of Dadabhai Naoroji and Allan Octavian Hume

    Dinyar Patel

    PRJ article on the historical antecedents of professional management education

    Dinyar Patel

    PRJ article on the history of swadeshi

    Dinyar Patel

    Co-editor for special edition of Iranian Studies on Parsis and Modern Iran

    Dinyar Patel

    Blogs

    This space would feature several blogs penned by our affiliates on engaging topics such as the wise self, being a great experiencer, stoicism, history of wisdom, contemporary issues in wisdom, wisdom in the digital age, wise innovations, hubris in leaders, and many more. We intend to present a brief look at the insights we gather from our research and consulting experience in this area. We hope to stimulate interesting conversations with all those inclined to learn more about the Centre and the area of wisdom in leadership.

    August 20, 2024

    It is ok, not to know everything: Importance of Intellectual Humility (IH)

    Divya Ramani, Research Associate, SPJIMR CWIL Know more
    May 10, 2024

    Who is Rama? Rama dances in my heart

    Surya Tahora Know more
    May 10, 2024

    Understanding wisdom: a look at the 6p unified framework

    Surya Tahora Know more
    October 19, 2022

    Become a Mahakarta and a Mahabhokta (Part I)

    Surya Tahora Know more
    October 19, 2022

    Are you a Mahakarta and a Mahabhokta ? - Part 2

    Surya Tahora Know more
    October 19, 2022

    The quest for the wise ones

    Tanvi Mankodi Know more
    October 19, 2022

    I am not OK, are you ok?

    Tanvi Mankodi Know more
    October 19, 2022

    History and Wisdom

    Dinyar Patel Know more
    October 19, 2022

    Remembering my Grandfather: The fallacy of fear

    Anant Talaulicar Know more

    • Series - “Past Imperfect: Indian Histories of Business, Politics and Leadership”

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Author Mircea Raianu

      An exciting conversation with Mircea Raianu, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of Tata: The Global Corporation That Built Indian Capitalism (Harvard University Press, 2021). This is the first book to extensively engage with Tata’s archival records, thereby providing a sweeping narrative of a corporation which has played an outsized role in the making of modern India. Raianu was in conversation with R. Gopalakrishnan and Dinyar Patel.

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Vinay Sitapati

      A conversation with Vinay Sitapati, Associate Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Ashoka University and author of Half-Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India. Half-Lion chronicles the life of one of India’s most consequential prime ministers. It explores how, against seemingly insurmountable opposition, Rao was able to implement reforms which put India on the path toward economic liberalisation. Sitapati was in conversation with Dinyar Patel.

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Danish Khan and Ruhi Khan

      An exciting conversation with Danish Khan (journalist and historian) and Ruhi Khan (independent journalist), authors of Escaped: True Stories of Indian Fugitives in London. Escaped examines the lives of several high-profile Indian fugitives abroad, from Vijay Mallya to Iqbal Mirchi, and asks an important question: why do they all flee to London? They were in conversation with Dinyar Patel and Mihir Ajgaonkar of SPJIMR.

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Ross Bassett, author of ‘The Technological Indian’

      A conversation with Ross Bassett, author of The Technological Indian (Harvard University Press, 2016). The book examines the very roots of India’s IT economy, demonstrating how Indians from B.G. Tilak to Mahatma Gandhi played a role in fostering technological education in India – and, in particular, how the model of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) inspired Indians. He was in conversation with Dinyar Patel.

    • Series - “Flourishing in the New Era”

      CWIL Webinar 1: Sustainable Futures: Well-Being in the Anthropocene - 15th January 2021

      In the first webinar in the series “Flourishing in the New Era”, Dr. Paul Shrivastava, Chief Sustainability Officer of Penn State University, is in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora. 

      CWIL Webinar 2: Progressive Business Models and Resilience - 22nd January 2021.

      The second webinar in the series, with Prof. Laszlo Zsolnai on the topic, ‘Progressive Business Models and Resilience’. Mr. László Zsolnai, Professor and Director of the Business Ethics Center at the Corvinus University of Budapest and the President of European SPES Institute in Leuven, Belgium, is in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora. 

      CWIL Webinar 3: Exploring Ideas and Models on Responsible Business. 29th January 2021.

      The third webinar in the series, with Dr. Eleanor Higgins on ‘Exploring ideas and models on responsible businesses’. Eleanor O’Higgins, an Adjunct Associate Professor in the College of Business at University College Dublin and an Associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science, was in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora. 

      CWIL Webinar 4: Spiritual based leadership in business with Mr. Peter Pruzan - 5th February 2021

      The fourth webinar on the topic, ‘Leading with Wisdom: Spiritual-based leadership in business, was held on Friday, February 5th, with Dr Peter Pruzan, Professor Emeritus at Department of Management, Philosophy & Politics, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark & Honorary Guest Professor at Sri Sathya Sai University in India. He was in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora.

    Webinars

    • Research Presentation Series

      Efficacy of yoga-based mindfulness intervention for leadership professionals

      CWIL's 15th Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr. Sreekumar TS, Associate Dean, VAYU USA and accomplished Leadership Consultant (coach and facilitator). The presentation, titled 'Efficacy of yoga-based mindfulness intervention for leadership professionals', covered how a five-day yoga retreat can enhance mindfulness and stress management among leaders and emphasised the necessity of continued support to sustain these improvements.

      Humanist management: Role of practical wisdom and responsible leadership

      CWIL's fourteenth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Prof. Ashish Pandey, faculty at Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai and Visiting Faculty at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, on Friday, 19th January 2024. In this presentation titled “Humanist management: Role of practical wisdom and responsible leadership”, Prof. Pandey shares how the Indian worldview and its implications are parallel to the contemporary ideas of humanistic management. He shares how Indian perspectives and practices are helping practising managers to apply practical wisdom in the day to day work and how responsible leadership is practised by many Indian managers in complex business situations.

      Connecting personal development to positive impact

      CWIL's thirteenth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Prof. Tatiana Trevisan, Unit Convenor at Macquarie University and Energy Solutions Specialist at Green Energy Group. In this presentation titled "Connecting personal development to positive impact” Prof. Trevisan presents a case study of SPJIMR, that aims to develop leaders who do not only create value for the business, but also for others, society, and themselves. She discusses her research, which aimed to identify the activities and interventions that business schools can utilise to develop conscious leaders.  The article offers a novel model of the learning mechanisms and competencies that can support business schools to be a catalyst for developing such leaders.

      The Future of Corporate Sustainability

      CWIL's twelfth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr. Chris Laszlo - Professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. In this presentation titled "The Future of Corporate Sustainability", Prof. Chris Laszlo reflects on the changes, since the publication of his 2003 book, The Sustainable Company. He deliberates on the two major challenges facing businesses over the next 10 to 15 years. The first challenge is distinguishing between doing less harm, incremental positive impact, and system-wide transformation. The second is to catalyse transformation through direct-intuitive practices that give a person an experience of wholeness and connectedness. He underscores that only by reconnecting business leaders to their authentic selves, others, nature, and the transcendent can businesses meet rising societal expectations for solutions to wicked problems such as climate change and social equity.

      Stages of Meditation and Traditional Wisdom: Challenges to Neuroscience

      CWIL's eleventh Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Prof. Sisir Roy, Senior Homi Bhabha Fellow and Visiting Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISC Campus, Bengaluru, India on Friday, 18th August, 2023. 

      In this presentation titled "Stages of Meditation and Traditional Wisdom: Challenges to Neuroscience" Prof. Sisir Roy emphasizes that the brain acts as a noise regulatory device. Hence deciphering noise in the brain may open new vistas in future meditation research.

      Indian Psychology for Personality Studies: Need, Challenges, and Future Directions

      CWIL's tenth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Prof. Kumar Alok, Assistant Professor, Organisational Behavior, XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur. In this presentation titled "Indian Psychology for Personality Studies: Need, Challenges, and Future Directions", Prof. Kumar Alok speaks about the need for Indian psychology for personality studies to evaluate the current state of triguṇa-based personality research. He also talks about future directions regarding leveraging the Sāṁkhya system of thought for personality research.

      Sadhu Marga: An Indian Model of Living and Leading

      Continuing its series of Wisdom Research Presentations, CWIL concluded its Ninth Presentation on 'Sadhu Marga: An Indian Model of Living and Leading' by Prof. Dharm Bhawuk. This presentation examined the management style of Pujyapramukha Swami Maharaja, the leader of BAPS, from 1950 to 2016. By analysing the vows of a sadhu in the BAPS tradition and observing how he exemplified them in his life, it becomes evident that he led by example. The implications of his leadership style for leadership, in general, were also discussed.

      Values: The essence of leadership

      CWIL successfully concluded the eighth presentation in its Wisdom Research Series: ‘Values: The essence of leadership’ by Prof. Zubin R. Mulla. This presentation highlighted the importance of values in leadership, noting that a leader’s values predict the emergence of transformational leadership and impact the effectiveness of leader behaviours.

      The Wisdom Researchers and the Elephant: An Integrative Model of Wise Behaviour

      CWIL's seventh Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Judith Glucke, Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria. In this presentation titled "The Elephant Model of Wise Behaviour: Towards a Better Understanding of Wisdom", she speaks on the development of wisdom through an interplay of life experiences and psychological resources, the relationship of wisdom and morality, and people’s conceptions of wisdom across cultures. To learn more about Prof. Glucke and her work, please visit: https://www.aau.at/psychologie/wisdom-lab/

      Experience and Wisdom: How do aspects of wisdom change with different experiences

      CWIL's sixth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr Howard Nusbaum, Director of the Chicago Center for Practical Wisdom and the Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago on Friday, March 31, 2023. In this presentation titled “Experience and Wisdom”, Dr Nusbaum speaks about how although wisdom is generally thought to increase with ageing, it is apparent that experience is the causal agent that works to improve wise reasoning. He discusses the range of different kinds of experiences that can positively benefit some of the processes that are important in wise reasoning. To know more about Dr. Nusbaum and his work, visit https://wisdomcenter.uchicago.edu/

      Wise Leadership: Are you virtuous enough to succeed in volatile times?

      CWIL's first Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr. Ali Intezari Harsini - Senior Lecturer at UQ Business School, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, on 26th August 2022. In this presentation titled “Wise Leadership: Are you virtuous enough to succeed in volatile times?” Dr. Intezari discusses why decision situations can be more wicked than we think, and addresses how wisdom contributes to leadership in circumstances of extreme unpredictability.

      To know more about Dr. Harsini, and his work, please click the following link:

      https://business.uq.edu.au/profile/3661/ali-intezari-harsini

      Wise Leadership in a Dangerous World

      CWIL's second Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr Bernard McKenna -Honorary Associate Professor at UQ Business School, University of Queensland, Australia, on 16th September 2022. In this presentation titled “Wise Leadership in a Dangerous World”, he discussed how principles of wisdom through a different lens. The lens will look at three levels at which wisdom or the lack of it can occur: the micro (self and intimate others), the meso (organizations, including workplaces, and communities in which we operate), and the macro (national, global).

      To know more about Dr. McKenna, and his work, please click the following link:

      https://business.uq.edu.au/profile/38/bernard-mckenna

      Practice of "Wise Reasoning"

      CWIL's third Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr Justin Brienza, Lecturer in Management, UQ Business School, Australia, on 22nd October 2022. In this presentation titled “Practice of Wise Reasoning”, Dr Brienza discusses his research studies on how wise reasoning can improve problems at work and leadership.

      To know more about Dr. Brienza, and his work, please click the following link:

      https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/25434

      Limits of Social Science through the Prisms of Wisdom & Quantum Mechanics

      CWIL's fourth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr. David Rooney - Honorary Professor, Macquarie Business School, on Friday, 4 November 2022. In this presentation titled “Limits of Social Science through the Prisms of Wisdom & Quantum Mechanics”, Dr Rooney discusses about the possibilities of taking a more serious look at social ontology, at social science epistemology, and at how we might expand the methodological, and analytical capabilities of social science to meet the challenges of an increasingly problematic social, political, and economic world.

      To know more about Dr. Rooney, and his work, please click the following link:

      https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/david-rooney/publications/

      Wise Organizations facilitate Employee Flourishing & Wellness

      CWIL's fifth Wisdom Research Presentation was conducted by Dr Monica Ardelt, Professor of Sociology and Graduate Coordinator at the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Florida, on Friday, 20th January 2023. In this presentation titled “Wise Organizations Facilitate Employee Flourishing and Wellness”, Dr Ardelt speaks about how wise organizations are likely to have a positive impact on employee flourishing and wellness if their ultimate goal is to promote the common good. She discusses her research study, where the dimensions of the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Model were integrated with the psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness of Self-Determination Theory.

      To learn more about Dr Ardelt and her work, please click the following link:

      https://people.clas.ufl.edu/ardelt/

    • Past Imperfect: Indian Histories of Business, Politics & Leadership

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Author Mircea Raianu

      An exciting conversation with Mircea Raianu, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of Tata: The Global Corporation That Built Indian Capitalism (Harvard University Press, 2021). This is the first book to extensively engage with Tata's archival records, thereby providing a sweeping narrative of a corporation which has played an outsized role in the making of modern India. Raianu was in conversation with R. Gopalakrishnan and Dinyar Patel.

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Vinay Sitapati

      A conversation with Vinay Sitapati, Associate Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Ashoka University and author of Half-Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India. Half-Lion chronicles the life of one of India's most consequential prime ministers. It explores how, against seemingly insurmountable opposition, Rao was able to implement reforms which put India on the path toward economic liberalisation. Sitapati was in conversation with Dinyar Patel.

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Danish Khan and Ruhi Khan

      An exciting conversation with Danish Khan (journalist and historian) and Ruhi Khan (independent journalist), authors of Escaped: True Stories of Indian Fugitives in London. Escaped examines the lives of several high-profile Indian fugitives abroad, from Vijay Mallya to Iqbal Mirchi, and asks an important question: why do they all flee to London? They were in conversation with Dinyar Patel and Mihir Ajgaonkar of SPJIMR.

      CWIL Webinar: In Conversation with Ross Bassett, author of ‘The Technological Indian’

      A conversation with Ross Bassett, author of The Technological Indian (Harvard University Press, 2016). The book examines the very roots of India's IT economy, demonstrating how Indians from B.G. Tilak to Mahatma Gandhi played a role in fostering technological education in India - and, in particular, how the model of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) inspired Indians. He was in conversation with Dinyar Patel.
    • Flourishing in the New Era

      CWIL Webinar 1: Sustainable Futures: Well-Being in the Anthropocene - 15th January 2021

      In the first webinar in the series “Flourishing in the New Era”, Dr. Paul Shrivastava, Chief Sustainability Officer of Penn State University, is in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora. 

      CWIL Webinar 2: Progressive Business Models and Resilience - 22nd January 2021.

      The second webinar in the series, with Prof. Laszlo Zsolnai on the topic, ‘Progressive Business Models and Resilience’. Mr. László Zsolnai, Professor and Director of the Business Ethics Center at the Corvinus University of Budapest and the President of European SPES Institute in Leuven, Belgium, is in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora. 

      CWIL Webinar 3: Exploring Ideas and Models on Responsible Business. 29th January 2021.

      The third webinar in the series, with Dr. Eleanor Higgins on ‘Exploring ideas and models on responsible businesses’. Eleanor O'Higgins, an Adjunct Associate Professor in the College of Business at University College Dublin and an Associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science, was in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora. 

      CWIL Webinar 4: Spiritual based leadership in business with Mr. Peter Pruzan - 5th February 2021

      The fourth webinar on the topic, ‘Leading with Wisdom: Spiritual-based leadership in business, was held on Friday, February 5th, with Dr Peter Pruzan, Professor Emeritus at Department of Management, Philosophy & Politics, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark & Honorary Guest Professor at Sri Sathya Sai University in India. He was in conversation with Prof. Jagdish Rattanani and Dr. Surya Tahora.

    Podcasts

    • Past Imperfect Episode 15: Nico Slate on Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay’s Art of Freedom

      Past Imperfect Episode 15 features SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel in conversation with Nico Slate, a Professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University. They discuss Prof. Slate’s latest book, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: The Art of Freedom.

      Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was one of the most remarkable leaders of twentieth-century India, someone who was unafraid of shattering taboos, speaking her mind, and linking together campaigns for social justice around the world. Nico Slate’s new biography, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: The Art of Freedom, traces a political career which lasted nearly seven decades. She was an outspoken advocate of women’s rights, a socialist firebrand, a global ambassador for India, and a towering personality in the world of Indian handicrafts and arts. Slate’s book investigates Kamaladevi’s multifaceted career, allowing us to better appreciate the words she lived by: “Beauty is the soul of freedom.”

    • Past Imperfect Episode 14: Swadeshi Steam with A.R. Venkatachalapathy

      This edition features SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel in conversation with A.R. Venkatachalapathy, Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies.

      How did one man take on one of the world’s biggest multinational corporations of the early twentieth century? A.R. Venkatachalapathy’s Swadeshi Steam traces the life of V.O. Chidambaram Pillai who, in 1906, founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company to break a British shipping monopoly. Swadeshi Steam was powered by both patriotism and remarkable business acumen: it canvassed shares from across India and the global Indian diaspora. And it nearly succeeded in disrupting British commercial interests—the primary reason for why Swadeshi Steam was eventually crushed by the British Indian government.

    • Past Imperfect Episode 13: Murali Ranganathan on Bombay and Mumbai, Past and Present

      This episode features Prof. Dinyar Patel in conversation with the independent historian Murali Ranganathan. Over the past fifteen years, Murali Ranganathan has trawled archives and libraries looking for material on Mumbai’s history in Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, and Persian. And he has assembled some remarkable finds into a series of books and articles covering everything from print history to pandemics.

      His latest book, The First World War Adventures of Nariman Karkaria, is a translation from Gujarati of a Parsi soldier’s rollicking accounts of his world travels and battle experiences. And it provides a window into a broader discussion of Mumbai and its people.

      How has the city changed and stayed the same over the centuries? What is the longer history of controversies over naming, identity, and belonging in the Maximum City? How do Mumbaikars understand their city’s history?

    • Past Imperfect Episode 12: Taylor Sherman on the myths of Nehru's India

      How much of history is mythmaking? In this episode, Taylor Sherman, author of Nehru’s India: A History in Seven Myths, tackles some shibboleths of India’s first seventeen years of independence. How nonaligned was nonalignment? Could socialist policies actually widen socioeconomic disparities? Was Nehru really the architect of modern India? The answers, Sherman discovers, are far more messy and complex than we imagine.

    • Sapience Episode 8: Is Arthashastra Relevant in Modern Times?

      Prof. Surya Tahora is in conversation with renowned Leadership Advisor Rajesh Kamath. Mr. Kamath is a Keynote Speaker, Storyteller, Consultant, Facilitator, Columnist, Teacher, Coach and Lifelong learner. In this episode, he discusses elevating leadership and transforming organisations by adapting timeless principles from Indian wisdom, with a focus on the ancient Indian text Arthashastra.

      The discussion touches on its historical context, authorship, and relevance to modern leadership. The conversation also explores specific tools and frameworks from the Arthashastra that can be applied in organisational contexts. Join us in the latest episode of Sapience to gain insights about implications and wisdom related to leadership. The series is presented by SPJIMR Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Sapience Episode 7: Transforming business and leadership

      This edition features Prof. Surya Tahora in conversation with Prof. Chris Laszlo, Department of Organizational Behavior, Weatherhead School of Management. In this engaging discussion, Prof. Laszlo reflects on the evolving role of business in society, emphasising the integration of ethical behaviour, market forces, and individual transformation. Explore the importance of personal practices and experiences in driving transformative change, drawing parallels with wisdom traditions that recognise the interconnectedness of self, others, and the world.

      Tune in to the latest episode of the podcast series Sapience presented by SPJIMR Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Past Imperfect Episode 10: Ashok Gopal on the Life and Thought of B. R. Ambedkar

      SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel is in conversation with Ashok Gopal

      In B. R. Ambedkar, India possessed a phenomenal intellectual powerhouse. Drawing on ideas and thinkers from the subcontinent and around the world, he stirred India’s conscience, pointing to the devastating legacies of caste and untouchability while raising urgent questions about the viability of democracy in India. Ambedkar’s ideas could be unsettling and uncomfortable—and that is precisely why he remains so relevant today. In A Part Apart, Ashok Gopal has written the definitive English-language biography of Ambedkar, the product of fifteen years of close research and study. Gopal’s book charts the evolution of Ambedkar’s career and thought, from his engagement with Hindu social reform to his embrace of Buddhism as a religion truly compatible with social. democracy.

    • Past Imperfect Episode 9: Radio Across Borders with Isabel Huacuja Alonso

      SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel is in conversation with Isabel Huacuja Alonso, Columbia University.

      Before the internet and television, South Asia tuned in to the radio, and the radio helped South Asians forge a shared sense of belonging. Isabel Huacuja Alonso’s Radio for the Millions chronicles the history of broadcasting from the beginnings of All India Radio (AIR) in the 1930s to the heights of Radio Ceylon’s filmi music-powered popularity from the 1950s through the 1970s. Governments tried to use radio to project state power, but listeners regularly used their sets and transistors as tools of defiance or resistance. This was particularly the case after 1947 when film songs and Hindustani broadcasting helped bring together people divided by Partition.

    • Past Imperfect Episode 8: The World of Sugar with Ulbe Bosma

      SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel is in conversation with Ulbe Bosma, International Institute of Social History and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

      What can sugar teach us about global history? Plenty, as Ulbe Bosma demonstrates in his new book. “The World of Sugar” is a sweeping narrative of how sugar emerged from India and China to conquer the world: generating both enormous riches and endemic poverty, powered by sophisticated networks of capital and technology as well as brutal labour regimes. Bosma examines how the human penchant for sweetness has shaped politics and economics for centuries, laying the foundations for modern capitalism and globalisation.

      The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Past Imperfect Episode 7: Vinayak Chaturvedi on Savarkar's Reading of History

      In the latest episode of Past Imperfect, SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel discusses with Prof. Vinayak Chaturvedi, University of California, Irvine, the role of history in shaping Hindutva, including the ideas of V.D. Savarkar. Chaturvedi’s work engages with Savarkar’s ideas and perspectives, which may be viewed as innovative, controversial, or challenging. The podcast highlights the significant role of history in shaping the concept of Hindutva, and Savarkar’s insights into the account provide context for understanding this ideology.

      The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Sapience Episode 6: The Wisdom Researchers and the Elephant; An Integrative Model of Wise Behavior

      Prof. Surya Tahora is in conversation with Prof. Judith Gluck, University of Klagenfurt, Austria. Prof. Gluck offers an insightful perspective on the different approaches to wisdom in the field of research, drawing parallels to the well-known fable of the blind men and the elephant. Listen in as she shares her journey towards developing a unified model of wisdom and its various interpretations. Join us for a thought-provoking and informative conversation on the latest episode of Sapience. The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Past Imperfect Episode 6: Priya Atwal on Women Power in the Sikh Empire

      Priya Atwal, Author and Professor at the University of Oxford, is in conversation with SPJIMR faculty Dinyar Patel. Women’s voices are absent from so much of South Asian history. In “Royals and Rebels,” Priya Atwal recovers the remarkable roles that royal women played in the affairs of the Sikh Empire (1799-1849). Ranjit Singh might have been the Sher-e-Punjab, but Atwal demonstrates that his empire owed much of its success to female power.

    • Past Imperfect Episode 5: Bombay Imagined with Robert Stephens

      Robert Stephens, Author and Architect, RMA Architects, is in conversation with SPJIMR Prof. Dr Dinyar Patel.

      The architect Charles Correa once described Bombay/Mumbai as a great city but a terrible place. In ‘Bombay Imagined,’ Robert Stephens, an American-born architect at RMA Architects, chronicles several centuries of unfulfilled plans to make the city both greater and less terrible. ‘Bombay Imagined’ demonstrates that smelly sewage, awful infrastructure, paltry open space, and inadequate housing are not simply modern problems: Bombay citizens have established a long tradition of devising plans to mediate these perennial headaches, unfortunately with limited success.

    • Past Imperfect Episode 4: The Global Business World of the Sassoons with Joseph Sassoon

      Author and Professor, Georgetown University, Dr Joseph Sassoon, is in conversation with SPJIMR Prof. Dinyar Patel. Joseph Sassoon’s ‘The Global Merchants’ charts the meteoric rise and calamitous collapse of the Sassoon family, Jewish refugees from Baghdad who built a world-spanning business empire out of Bombay, London, and Shanghai. Sassoon’s book is full of fascinating characters: opium traders, horse racing aficionados who rubbed shoulders with British royalty, and perhaps the first woman to lead a global commercial enterprise.

    • Past Imperfect Episode 3: A Man and a (Five-Year) Plan with Nikhil Menon

      Dr Nikhil Menon, Author and Professor, University of Notre Dame, is in conversation with SPJIMR Prof. Dr Dinyar Patel.

      “In ‘Planning Democracy’ Nikhil Menon takes us to the summit of Nehruvian planning in the 1950s and 1960s—and what we find there might surprise us. The story of India’s first Five-Year Plans involved a genius professor, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis; deft Cold War diplomacy; and the introduction of India’s first computers. But it was also about so much more: an attempt to make planning ‘democratic,’ a project which involved rural volunteers, Bollywood talent, and even sadhus.”

    • Past Imperfect Episode 2: Thinking about Constitutions with Linda Colley

      Historian and Author Linda Colley is in conversation with SPJIMR Prof. Dr Dinyar Patel.

      Linda Colley’s ‘The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen’ is a wide-ranging exploration of the development of constitutions, a book which demonstrates how increasingly violent warfare led to the worldwide spread of these documents between the 18th and early 20th centuries. In this episode, Colley discusses global influences on Indian constitutional thought, the relevance of constitutions today, and why historians need to write accessible books.

      “Past Imperfect,” explores leadership from a historical perspective while bridging the past and present. The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL) and features conversations with authors of recent works of global and Indian history and explores political and economic leadership in unusual or unconventional situations.

    • Past Imperfect: Episode 1

      In a new SPJIMR podcast series, ‘Past Imperfect’ our Faculty member Dr Dinyar Patel is in conversation with Historian Dr Ramachandra Guha.

      They discuss the dearth of good biographies in India and South Asia. Dr Guha emphasises why biographies should not be written with a political agenda but draw on rich and original research as well as a perceptive frame of analysis. They talk about his new book, ‘Rebels Against the Raj’ and the insights it provides into relations between India and the West, and India’s story as a country searching for its identity and liberty beyond British colonial rule.

    • Sapience Episode 5: Linking Wise Organizations to Wise Leadership, Job Satisfaction and Well-Being

      In our latest episode of Sapience, SPJIMR Prof Surya Tahora is in conversation with Prof Monica Ardelt, University of Florida. Monica Ardelt takes us on a journey into the heart of wise organisations. Drawing from her Three-Dimensional Wisdom model, she breaks down the components of a wise organisation, from leadership and decision-making to the sharing of profits. She also explains why wise organisations are the way of the future and how they can create a better, more sustainable world for future generations.

      The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Sapience Episode 4: The Science of Wisdom in a Polarized World: Knowns and Unknowns

      Faculty member Surya Tahora is in conversation with Howard Nusbaum, University of Chicago. They discuss how, despite its long history, there is still much to learn about wisdom and how it can be applied in the real world. They also scrutinise how wisdom researchers from various disciplines and backgrounds can collaborate to identify commonalities in their theories and develop a more comprehensive understanding of wisdom. This understanding can then be used to assist people in making wiser decisions that consider the impact of their actions on others.

    • Sapience Episode 3: Application of wisdom research to organisations, leadership, and qualitative research methods

      Faculty member Dr Surya Tahora is in conversation with Dr David Rooney, Macquarie University. They discuss if there is a way to overcome the existential threat that young executives feel and what wisdom practices they can adopt. The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Sapience Episode 2: Advancing the science of wise reasoning in management

      Faculty member Dr Surya Tahora is in conversation with Dr Justin Brienza, University of Queensland Business School.

      They discuss why despite extensive work on wisdom research it is yet to percolate to the Organisations. They also talk about how ‘wise reasoning’ can benefit organisations where intelligence, emotional intelligence and cognitive ability fail. The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    • Sapience Episode 1: Developing Leaders to Perform in Uncertainty; The Mindfulness Solution

      In our new podcast series, ‘Sapience’, Faculty member Dr Surya Tahora is in conversation with leadership Development Advisor Dr Elizabeth King

      They dive into the many aspects of mindfulness; does the evidence match the hype, and can we distinguish between mindfulness’s peripheral and deeper side? They discuss the implications for organisations, what goes on in senior leadership rooms, and do those decisions serve the greater good.

      The series is brought to you by SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL).

    Team

    Surya Tahora

    Executive Director CWIL

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    Ajinkya Navare

    Deputy Programme Chairperson, PGDM and PGDM (BM)

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    Dinyar Patel

    Associate Professor, General Management

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    Sumita Datta

    Adjunct Faculty, Organisation & Leadership Studies

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    Anant Talaulicar

    Executive in Residence

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    Jagdish Rattanani

    Assistant Professor, General Management

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    Snehal Shah

    Associate Dean, Academics & Research

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    Tanvi Mankodi

    Assistant Professor, Organisation & Leadership Studies

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    Gisha Crispin

    Administrative Assistant

    Ashita Gupta

    Teaching Associate

    Divya Ramani

    Research Associate

    Advisory Committee

    Monika Ardelt

    Professor of Sociology, University of Florida

    Howard Nusbaum

    Professor, University of Chicago

    Varun Nagaraj

    SPJIMR Dean

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    Snehal Shah

    Associate Dean, Academics & Research

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    Laurent Ledoux

    Founder, Partner and Chairman, Board of Phusis

    S Padmanabhan

    Executive Chairman, Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG) and the Head, Tata Sustainability and Ethics

    Nitin Seth

    Co-Founder and CEO @ Incedo Inc.

    David Rooney

    Honorary Professor, Management and Organisation Studies, Macquarie Business School, Australia

    • People

      • Key Leadership

        • Surya Tahora

          Surya Tahora is the Executive Director of CWIL (Centre for Wisdom in Leadership) and a Professor at SPJIMR. He teaches Spirituality and Leadership to around six hundred MBA and Executive MBA students annually and conducts workshops for various organisations in India, Europe, and Asia. Before entering into the academic domain, Surya worked for several years for multinational organisations in marketing and strategic planning at a global level in Europe and Asia. His areas of competence and interest are Eastern Philosophy, Contemplative Practices, Cognitive Neurosciences, Personal Growth and Ethics and their applications for organisations and society.

        • Ajinkya Navare

          Ajinkya is an Assistant Professor, General Management and the Center for Wisdom in Leadership (CWIL), Research Lead at SPJIMR. He works in the area of developing insights from wisdom traditions. He holds a Ph.D. in organisational behaviour from IIT, Bombay. His Ph.D. research is on ‘Karma Yoga at the Workplace and its Impact on positive psychological outcomes’. His doctoral work has garnered awards like ‘Best Paper of the Conference Award’ at the Biennial Conference of INDAM – 2020 and ‘Best Paper in HR track Award’ at COSMAR – 2018 (COSMAR) held at IISc, Bangalore. His research interests include Karma Yoga, workplace spirituality, Indian management thought, and positive organisational scholarship.

        • Dinyar Patel

          Dinyar is currently Assistant Professor, General Management at SPJIMR, where he is developing courses on the history of capitalism and Indian economic and business history. He holds a Ph.D. in Modern South Asian History from Harvard University and a BA in International Relations from Stanford University. He is a regarded historian of modern India, focusing on Indian nationalism, the city of Bombay/Mumbai, and the Parsi Zoroastrian community. He is interested in biography as a tool for understanding political and economic leadership and decision-making processes.

        • Tanvi Mankodi

          Tanvi Mankodi is currently Assistant Professor, Organisation & Leadership and Lead, Teaching Excellence & Teaching Development at SPJIMR. Her areas of interest in teaching include strategic HRM, talent management, learning and development, leadership and change management, career management, and HR for Entrepreneurs. Her doctoral research in the area of workplace incivility that is rude and disrespectful behaviour in the workplace. Her broad research interests are the dark side of organisational behaviour, strategic HRM, organizational resilience, women leadership and entrepreneurship, career management, the future of work, and wisdom-based leadership.

        • Sumita Datta

          Sumita Datta holds a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, with her doctoral research conceptualised on Talent Development Climate. She has completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, India. She is an adjunct faculty in the area of Organisation & Leadership Studies at SPJIMR. In her career spanning 30 years, she has led critical responsibilities in HR, Learning & Leadership Development, at leadership levels with prominent organisations in Automotive Manufacturing and Engineering Products companies for almost two decades. Her research interests cover topics including Innovation and HR practices, Diversity and Inclusion, and Careers Choices for Indian Women Managers. Her research contributions have been presented in leading journals and publications.

      • Other Affiliates

        • Anant Talaulicar

          Anant Talaulicar is an Executive in Residence at SPJIMR. Aside from his board and trust memberships, he is engaged as an advisor to three companies and a start-up. He is funding the Usha Jaivant Foundation to educate financially disadvantaged rural youth through college and provide them with important aspects of spirituality, values and life skills. Anant was a member of the Cummins Inc. global leadership team from August 2009 till October 2017. He was also the President of the Cummins Inc. Components Group from 2010 through 2014. He was the Chairman and Managing Director of the Cummins Group in India from March 2004 through October 2017. During this timeframe, he also served as the Managing Director of Tata Cummins Pvt. Ltd., a 50:50 joint venture between Cummins Inc. and Tata Motors Limited. He also chaired the boards of four other Cummins legal entities in India.

        • Jagdish Rattanani

          Jagdish Rattanani is faculty at the Departement of General Management, SPJIMR, who has demonstrated excellence in media publications, news correspondence, editing, and writing for periodicals. He is the author or co-author of over 400 articles in various popular newspapers and media publications. In his professional journey of over 35 years, he held strategic roles and responsibilities within the media and publications industry with prominent news media groups in India and abroad. During this period, he has been associated with leading colleges in journalism as a visiting faculty. His research interests lie in the areas of communication (journalism) and sustainability. He received his BA degree (major in Sociology & Political Science) from Mumbai University and his MSc degree (major in Sustainability & Responsibility) from Ashridge Business School, UK.

        • Snehal Shah

          Snehal Shah is a Professor of Organisation & Leadership Studies and the Associate Dean, Academics & Research. Her research interests are in the field of Diversity and Inclusion, with a specific focus on corporate governance and career choices. Her emerging research interests include eastern wisdom traditions and the intersectionality of OB concepts in other management domains. Snehal has published papers in journals like the Journal of Management Information System, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organisation Behaviour and Journal of Management Development. She has also been invited to present papers at international conferences and to write book chapters. Snehal has been a reviewer for highly ranked academic journals in Organisation Behaviour.

      • Key Administrators

        • Gisha Crispin

          Gisha Crispin is an Administrative Assistant with the Science of Spirituality at SPJIMR. She has over 10 years of experience in the sectors such as Hospital, Academic Institute and Interior Designing across three areas- Administrator, IT Admin, HR Coordinator. She has completed her graduation in Bachelor of Commerce from University of Mumbai and GNIIT certified from NIIT.

        • Ranjani Arvind

          Ranjani Arvind is an Associate with the Science of Spirituality Department at SPJIMR. She has completed her Masters in Applied Psychology from University of Delhi, and M.Phil in Educational Studies (with a major in Psychology) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Her diverse work experience of 9 years ranges across the domains of social science research, teaching and training of students in academic institutions, social media consultancy and content writing.

        • Rachna Wadhwa

          Rachna Wadhwa is a Faculty Associate (Research) at SPJIMR and currently pursuing a Doctorate of Business Administration from Manipal GlobalNxt University, Malaysia. Before joining SPJIMR, Rachna was Asst. Professor at Manipal University Bangalore Campus training probationary officers from public & private sector banks and conducting faculty development programs. Her academic achievements include MBA (HRM), MA (Edu), MCom, BCom & BEd. She has over 12 years of experience working as a trainer/facilitator, content writer, instructional designer and researcher. Rachna has published papers in national & international journals on topics such as Emotional Intelligence, Human Capital Management and Organisational Culture. Her research interests include Leadership, Spirituality in Management, Training & Development, Emotional intelligence, Organizational Culture & Diversity.

    • Advisory Committee

      • Advisory Committee

        • Monika Ardelt

          Monika Ardelt is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida and the 2008 Colonel Allan R. and Margaret G. Crow Term Professor. She is a Founding Faculty Member and Member of the Advisory Committee of the University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health. Dr. Ardelt received her Diploma (M.A.) in Sociology from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University of Frankfurt/Main in Germany and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Aging Studies, Research in Human Development, Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences and as a deputy editor for the Journal of Family Issues. She is co-editor of the book Faith and Well-Being in Late Life: Linking Theories with Evidence in an Interdisciplinary Inquiry (2009).

          Ardelt is the developer of the widely used Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS; Ardelt, 2003). In 1999, she was elected as a Brookdale National Fellow to study the similarities and differences between ageing and dying well. As a Positive Psychology Templeton Senior Fellow in 2005, she examined the association between spirituality and ageing well. In 2010, Dr. Ardelt was awarded Fellowship status by the Gerontological Society of America.

          Ardelt has published numerous journal articles and book chapters in the area of successful human development across the life course with particular emphasis on the relations between wisdom, spirituality, ageing well, and dying well.

          Monika Ardelt’s research focuses on successful human development across the life course with particular emphasis on the relations between wisdom, purpose and meaning in life, spirituality, ageing well, and dying well. Her overall goal is to identify factors that lead to both ageing and dying well and that might help families and institutions to facilitate well-being and psychological growth for the elderly until the very end of life under conditions that are more cost-effective and humane than customary practice.

        • Howard Nusbaum

          Howard C. Nusbaum is currently the Director of the Chicago Center for Practical Wisdom and Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago. He has recently returned from serving as the Division Director for the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences in the Directorate of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation.

          His research is on the psychology, neurobiology, and comparative biology of language use, the role of sleep-in learning, attention and working memory, and the neurobiology of economic decisions. He is the director of the APEX Lab (Attention, Perception, and Experience lab), where they study speech perception and music perception as auditory skills, perception as a cognitive system interconnected with other psychological systems, and how wiser decisions arise from experiences supporting the interaction of intellectual virtues such as epistemic humility, reflection, curiosity, and perseverance with moral virtues.

        • David Rooney

          David Rooney is an Honorary Professor of Management and Organisation Studies at Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. He has researched, taught, and published widely in the areas of wisdom, leadership, knowledge-based economy, and creative industries.

          His books include Wisdom and Management in the Knowledge Economy, Public Policy in the Knowledge-Based Economy, the Handbook on the Knowledge Economy, and Knowledge Policy: Challenges for the Twenty First Century.

          Professor Rooney has published in major academic journals, including the Leadership Quarterly, Public Administration Review, Human Relations, Academy of Management Learning and Education, and the Journal of Business Ethics.

        • Snehal Shah

          Snehal Shah is a Professor of Organisation & Leadership Studies and the Associate Dean, Academics & Research. Her research interests are in the field of Diversity and Inclusion, with a specific focus on corporate governance and career choices. Her emerging research interests include eastern wisdom traditions and the intersectionality of OB concepts in other management domains. Snehal has published papers in journals like the Journal of Management Information System, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organisation Behaviour and Journal of Management Development. She has also been invited to present papers at international conferences and to write book chapters. Snehal has been a reviewer for highly ranked academic journals in Organisation Behaviour.

        • Laurent Ledoux

          Laurent Ledoux

          Laurent Ledoux is the founder, partner and chairman of the Board of Phusis, a team of experienced managers specialising in collaborative governance.

          Phusis Partners, who have typically implemented collaborative governance (teal, liberated, agile, sociocratic,…) in the organizations they have managed, now share their experiences with and accompany organisations which also want to implement collaborative governance.

          Laurent Ledoux has a varied experience in the private and the public sector and specialises in restructuring and modernising business units and administrations.

          He was previously Interim CEO for EurActiv; President of the Belgian Ministry for Mobility & Transports; Head of the Public Banking department and a member of the Executive Committee of Corporate & Public Banking for BNP Paribas Fortis; Chief of Staff of a Minister; Director for Personal & Administration of the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs; Partner for Arthur D. Little – a management consulting firm; Restructuration Project Manager in Eastern Europe for the European Commission; Merger & Acquisitions officer for ING and HR Director in Mozambique for Médecins Sans Frontières.

          He holds a Master’s in Economics from the Universities of Namur, Bologna & Madrid and a Post-graduate in Business Administration from Solvay (Belgium). He lectures on Business Ethics, CSR and Leadership at various universities. He is also director, on a voluntary basis, of PhiloMa, of Face2faith, one of the founding members of Teach For Belgium and a member of the boards of various associations and social businesses. He has contributed articles on his own spiritual path in various books on spirituality & management.

        • S Padmanabhan

          S Padmanabhan

          S Padmanabhan is the Executive Chairman of Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG) and the Head of Tata Sustainability and Ethics. He is a Director on the Board of Tata Chemicals Limited, Infiniti Retail Limited, Air Vistara and The Associated Building Company Limited. His career with Tata group companies began with Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) in 1982 and spans over 35 years. During his 26-year stint at TCS, he held roles such as Executive Director of Human Resources, Head of Application Development and Maintenance, Head of Airlines Practice and Country Manager of TCS Switzerland. He was also the Executive Director-Operations of Tata Power from 2008 to 2014 and was on the boards of the operating subsidiaries of the company.

          Padmanabhan has a distinguished academic record in the technical and management domain from reputable institutions. He is a Glaxo Marketing Scholar Medallist, a Distinguished Alumnus from IIM Bangalore, a Gold Medallist and a Distinguished Alumnus from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore. He has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is also a life member of CSI, Senior Member of IEEE.

           

        • Nitin Seth

          Nitin Seth is a highly accomplished technology industry leader with a unique combination of experiences as a Global Manager, Innovative Entrepreneur, Management Consultant, and Best Selling Author. He is passionate about building and transforming businesses, driving innovation, coaching leaders, and building high-performance teams.

          He is the Chief Executive Officer of Incedo Inc, a high-growth technology services firm focused on Digital, Data and Analytics. Prior to Incedo, Nitin held top management positions at globally recognised enterprises. He was Chief Operating Officer of Flipkart, India’s largest ECommerce company; Managing Director and Country Head for Fidelity International in India; and Director of McKinsey’s Global Knowledge Centre in India. Nitin has been elected twice to the NASSCOM Executive Council, was a Founder and Chairperson of NASSCOM’s GCC Council, and was the Chairperson of the NASSCOM Regional Council (NRC) in Haryana, India. He recently authored the book “Winning In The Digital Age,” a Penguin Random House published National Bestseller.

          Nitin is passionate about mentoring and nurturing current and future leaders. He is a Co-Founder of Plaksha University – India’s largest collective philanthropy effort to build a new model of engineering education and research. He is deeply influenced by India’s Spiritual philosophy and traditions and believes they can provide the inspiration for a social and cultural renaissance not just of India, but the world. As an avid speaker in the areas of leadership, entrepreneurship, business transformation, and spirituality, he regularly speaks at industry conferences and colleges, and writes a blog called “Nitin’s Fundas”.

          Nitin holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, where he was awarded Chairman’s Gold Medal for standing first in the MBA program and a degree in engineering (B. Tech) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

        • Varun Nagaraj

          Varun Nagaraj is Dean and Professor of Information Management & Analytics at SPJIMR. He holds a Ph.D. in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. He also holds an MBA from Boston University, an MS in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University, and a BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Bombay.

          He has held senior leadership roles, including C-level responsibilities for venture-funded start-ups as well as public companies in the US. His research interests encompass the impacts of digital innovation on teams, organisations, and society at large. Specific interest areas include Team Learning, Product Management, Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship and Venturing, and Digital Ecosystems and Platforms.

          His research contributions have been presented in prominent journals, renowned international conferences, and popular periodicals. He has previously taught at the University of Notre Dame, Pepperdine University, and Boston University.

    Working Papers

    CWIL aims to create a practical impact on individual and collective wisdom through research, scholarly papers, white papers, etc.

    The prime focus areas of CWIL research are – (a) seeking insights from various wisdom traditions like Vedanta, Yoga, Sikhism, Buddhism, etc., (b) defining wisdom-based leadership skills for a sustainable society, (c) studying wisdom in leadership in cross-functional domains like history, politics, governance, etc.

    • Focus Area: Seeking Insights from various Wisdom Traditions

      Contemplative Practices in an MBA curriculum

      Vinca Bigo, Kedge Business School; David Rooney, Macquarie Business School; Surya Tahora, SPJIMR

      The research aims to design and measure a course’s impact on enhancing wisdom for MBA students through various contemplative practices.

      White Paper on “Establishing wise practices as a basis for Leadership Development”

      Tanvi Mankodi, Sumita Datta, Anant Talaulicar, Snehal Shah, Surya Tahora

      The whitepaper is a brief review of some of the academic work done on wise leadership. It aims to address some potential limitations of present leadership development models and present ‘wise leadership’ as a potential area for L&D practitioners.

      How Wisdom is defined in Indian Tradition?

      Ajinkya Navare, Shalini Parth, Snehal Shah

      This research aims to study how wisdom (often referred to as jñāna) is defined and explained in the Indian tradition.It would include the operational definition, conceptual framework, and building blocks of wisdom in the Indian tradition.

    • Focus Area: Defining Wisdom-based Leadership

      Developing a model of Wise Innovation

      Varun Nagaraj, Ajinkya Navare

      The study aims at developing a model of wise innovation, which involves the development of a conceptual framework and an experimental study to measure the impact of a wise mindset on wisdom innovation outcomes.

      Is stoicism in leaders valued by their followers?

      Tanvi Mankodi

      The study aims at understanding how leaders make sense of stoic behavior and how followers perceive them.  Do leaders feel emotionally stunted or feel pressure on their mental well-being if they are always expected to remain stoic under any circumstances?

      Can wise leadership act as a deterrent to dark leadership behavior?

      Tanvi Mankodi

      The aim of the study is to examine the role of wisdom-based leadership in acting as a deterrent to destructive behavior. It further examines the role of wisdom in addressing some of the antecedents so as to act as a deterrent to dark leadership behaviors.

      Karma Yoga as a Wise Practice for Salespeople

      Ajinkya Navare, Renuka Kamath, Aakash Kamble (BITS-Dubai)

      Job burnout levels among salespeople have become a crucial issue in the retail sector. The study examines the impact of Karma Yoga practice on the burnout level of salespeople working predominantly in the FMCG sector.

    • Focus Area: Wisdom in Leadership from Cross-Functional Domains

      Making Swadeshi Managers: The Antecedents of Professional Management Education in India, 1860s-1950s

      Dinyar Patel

      Article significantly revises our timeline of the development of management education in India, pointing to antecedents from the late 19th century which were influenced by Indian nationalism.

      The Global Roots of Swadeshi, c. 1840s-1905

      Dinyar Patel

      This paper explores the roots of swadeshi in the second half of the nineteenth century, detailing how Indians closely examined global politics, history, and economic models pursued by industrializing countries.

      The Liberals and the Making of Modern India (Book)

      Dinyar Patel

      This is an ongoing book project on the history of early Indian nationalism, examining global connections and how early nationalists interpreted and adapted western liberal ideas to fit Indian conditions.

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