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Leadership. Made in India. Each one of us is required to take a leadership role within our own spheres of life and circle of influence. The difference between leaders and followers is in effective styles & impactful results. Hence, leaders are remembered!!.
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Leadership Made in India
Each one of us is required to take a leadership role within our own spheres of life and circle of influence The difference between leaders and followers is in effective styles & impactful results Hence, leaders are remembered!!
Leadership..most widely discussed & researched Widely studied topic, multiple definitions, but no clear agreed definition Leadership is like beauty; it's hard to define, but you know it when you see it - Warren Bennis • Leadership is universal & timeless • A complex subject • Its behavioral manifestations differ in terms of it’s context of – • culture & • operating environment (political & economic)
Few studies on Indian Leadership styles • Since industrialization, U.S. multinational companies dominated business. • Hence, most business research & studies of leadership have developed models as seen and applicable to U.S. • In 1980s, the growth & emergence of Japanese economy, led to a shift in research focus to a 'Japanese' model of management that was distinctive from the US models • The rise of the Indian economy has sparked interest in the ‘Indian’ Model of leadership • It is likely that this model would dominate management thought and practices in the next few years to come
Kautilya’sArthashastra – A Leader must be desirous of victory and self motivated – Vijay (victory), Ikshuk (desire) : Vijigshu Indian Cultural Concepts impacting leadership behavior Business leader’s victory is of prime importance • Karta –head of family, strict but nurturing, responsible for welfare of family, provides guidance Paternalistic culture, Expects high compliance Welfare of all • Kutumb – Family • Niskama Karma – Work is worship Hard working, lacks focus on leisure/family, may lack results orientation • Dharma – Duty as per given role in family & society Duty in relationship to one’s position in life (towards subordinates/organization)
Indian Economic Factors impacting leadership behavior • Family ownership structure is the dominant business model Marked by flexibility in style • Strict regulatory climate Entrepreneurship / risk-taking Highly resilient, adaptable & resourceful Especially in times of adversity • Challenging infrastructure environment • Rapidly growing economy Fast adaptation to the new opportunities Diverse thinking, new management approaches being introduced • Scores of ‘educated abroad” coming back to India
Dominant aspects of Indian culture, prevalent economic environment combined with western education and presence of multi-nationals have impacted leadership styles
So what are the typical leadership styles displayed by Indian managers? Research 1 – Harvard University, USA & INSEAD, France Research 2 - The GLOBE Research Project* - IIM, A Research 3 - The India Way: Harvard Business Review
Research 1 – Harvard University, USA & INSEAD, Fr • Leadership in Indian Organizations from a Comparative Perspective* • Leadership Behaviors of Indian senior management studied and compared to behaviors displayed by senior managers in the US • Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) - 5 leadership practices (reported by leaders & their subordinates) : • challenging • inspiring • enabling • modeling • encouraging Indian CEOs rated higher than their US counterparts Indian CEOs rated lower than their US counterparts *SudhirKakar, Harvard University, USA, ShvetaKakar, MNSEAD, France, Manfed F.R. KetsdeVries, MASEAD, France & Singapore, anfred.kets.de.vries@insead.fr , Pierre Vrignaud, ILETOP, CNAM, France, vrignaud@cnam.fr
Research 2 - The GLOBE Research Project*-IIM, A Effective leadership styles for India • Charismatic, action oriented • Relationship orientation is more important than performance / task orientation • Being a self starter and a collective orientation • Being a problem solver, visionary, entrepreneurial, inspirational Seems like shoes too big for anyone to fill!! • However, the : • ancient but continuously evolving culture • complexity & diversity of Indian culture • demands unique attributes, abilities & behaviors from leaders in India In India a range of leadership practices are required *Jagdeep S. Chhokar
Research 2 - The GLOBE Research Project*-IIM, A Comparison of Leadership Styles
1. Holistic engagement with employees Research 3 - The India Way: Harvard Business Press* • Build employee morale & company culture • People viewed as assets • Several economic, policy & other hurdles, so rely on wits to manage (resourceful, jugaad) • 2. Improvisation and adaptability • Invented ways of delivering ‘value for money’ products & services to value-conscious customers • 3. Creative value propositions Characteristics of India Leaders • Take pride in enterprise success, family prosperity, regional & national advancement 4. Broad mission and purpose • Set grand agendas & repeatedly test what works, what does not • 5. Think & act pragmatically broadly • But on ground realities & fast changing business climate forces them to write a suitable strategy 6. No great desire to reinvent the wheel on strategic areas *Michael Useem, Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, and Jitendra Singh
Conclusions • With growing western concepts of management, influx of multinational cultures, the Indian Management style is being rapidly transformed • Further evolution can be expected in leadership behaviors • These factors are also making desired leadership practices more complex
Inspirational Leadership Visionary & Entrepreneurial – Look beyond financial goals Ability to operate under constraints Personal and familial relations Self starter the way forward for leaders & organizations? What we must keep • What we must develop • Sharpen strategic thinking • Balance performance (meritocracy) and relationship • Ability to encourage • Delegate vs decide
Changing values / culture Changing workforce expectations Operate in an increasingly global world Joint ventures/ collaborations between Indian and foreign companies Why Adopt Changes to Leadership Style?
Enablers Reverse mentoring Personal coaching Coaching & feedback sessions for top management team on leadership behaviors Leadership competency based performance assessments If you run a firm, define expected leadership behaviors and hire accordingly Making your leadership journey - Ask yourself if you would like to consciously work towards developing yourself on leadership behaviors. If yes, then Become more open to feedback from subordinates, peers and external coach (if you have one) Be receptive to changing demands within your workplace and demonstrate flexibility in adapting self Invest in upgrading your leadership skills, look for external expertise and help – personal coaching is replacing traditional training Helping you on your leadership journey
If developing leadership skills is your journey then there is no better time than now to start!!
Thanking You !! Sona Rajesh, Assessor & Coach