The India Way
Encyclopedia
The India Way: How India’s Top Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management is published by the Harvard Business Press
. It's a non-fictional book written by Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, Jitendra Singh and Michael Useem of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
. The book was released in the U.S. on March 23, 2010, and was released in India in May 2010. The India Way primarily focuses on the contrast in business management styles between the U.S. and India
. Topics discussed in the book include topics such as leadership skills, company governance, human resources management and innovation. The authors’ conclusions are based on an analysis of nearly 130 interviews conducted with Indian CEOs and executives.
. The book’s major claim is that there are certain practices prevalent in Indian business, such as paying special attention to the management of human resources and engaging in corporate social responsibility
, which could be extremely beneficial to other models of business, particularly those in the West.
According to the authors, the primary difference between Indian and Western business styles lies in the degree to which corporate goals and strategies reflect company core values. The book claims that as a general rule, Indian corporations are far less concerned with shareholder
interests than Western businesses and that they prefer concentrate on the long term prosperity of the company, employees and surrounding community. The book goes on to say that because Indian executives motivate their employees with larger company and social goals, they are afforded significantly higher levels of trust and respect from their workforce and communities than their Western counterparts.
Chapter 2: The authors explain the economic and historical context for “the India way” and present five distinct areas in which the key attributes of the business style are played out.
These topics, which are discussed in depth in the subsequent chapters, are as follows:
Harvard Business Press
Harvard Business Press is the book-specific division of Harvard Business School Publishing, owned by the Harvard Business School, based in Boston, MA.The Press publishes general interest books in addition to business books...
. It's a non-fictional book written by Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, Jitendra Singh and Michael Useem of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. The book was released in the U.S. on March 23, 2010, and was released in India in May 2010. The India Way primarily focuses on the contrast in business management styles between the U.S. and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Topics discussed in the book include topics such as leadership skills, company governance, human resources management and innovation. The authors’ conclusions are based on an analysis of nearly 130 interviews conducted with Indian CEOs and executives.
Overview
The key phrase of the book, “the India way”, is coined by the authors to signify a particular style of business management which they argue is the unique engenderment of the culture and history of India. It is a modern take on an earlier book, the Toyota WayThe Toyota Way
The Toyota Way is a set of principles and behaviors that underlie the Toyota Motor Corporation's managerial approach and production system. Toyota first summed up its philosophy, values and manufacturing ideals in 2001, calling it “The Toyota Way 2001.” It consists of principles in two key areas:...
. The book’s major claim is that there are certain practices prevalent in Indian business, such as paying special attention to the management of human resources and engaging in corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model...
, which could be extremely beneficial to other models of business, particularly those in the West.
According to the authors, the primary difference between Indian and Western business styles lies in the degree to which corporate goals and strategies reflect company core values. The book claims that as a general rule, Indian corporations are far less concerned with shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
interests than Western businesses and that they prefer concentrate on the long term prosperity of the company, employees and surrounding community. The book goes on to say that because Indian executives motivate their employees with larger company and social goals, they are afforded significantly higher levels of trust and respect from their workforce and communities than their Western counterparts.
Chapter Summary
Chapter 1: The authors identify four key attributes of “the India way”, which are as follows:- Holistic Engagement of Employees
- Improvisation and Adaptability
- Creative Value Propositions
- Broad Mission & Purpose
Chapter 2: The authors explain the economic and historical context for “the India way” and present five distinct areas in which the key attributes of the business style are played out.
These topics, which are discussed in depth in the subsequent chapters, are as follows:
- People Management (Chapter 3)
- Executive Leadership (Chapter 4)
- Competitive Strategy (Chapter 5)
- Company Governance (Chapter 6)
- Social Responsibility (Also Chapter 6)
- Comparisons made in the previous chapters and summarize their general conclusions (Chapter 7)
About the Authors
The book is written by Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management and director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Harbir Singh, the William and Phyllis Mack Professor of Management and co-director of the Mack Center for Technological Innovation at the Wharton School and Jitendra Singh, the Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management and former Vice Dean for International Academic Affairs at the Wharton School and Michael Useem, William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management and director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School.External links
- May 17, 2010, Harvard Business Review "The India Way of Leading Business."
- April 14, 2010, Forbes. "The India Way of Doing Business."
- April 13, 2010, By John Baldoni, The Washington Post. "Leadership: Made in India."
- March 31, 2010, By Stefan Stern, The Financial Times. "India's New Management Model."
- March 31, 2010, By Jane M. Von Bergen, Philly.com. "Managing 'the India way'."
- March 29, 2010, SiliconIndia. "Indian CEO's Better than Western Counterparts."
- March 19, 2010, The Economic Times. "Professors of Indian origin at Ivy League biz schools in great demand."
- March 19, 2010, The Economic Times. "Professors of Indian origin at Ivy League biz schools in great demand."
- March 5, 2010, By Mark Tutton, CNN. "What bosses can learn from India's business leaders."
- March 1, 2010, By Peter Cappelli, Executive Online. "Leadership Lessons from India."