Special issue on: Organizations and Organizing in an Indian Context
Article Type: Guest editorial From: International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Volume 21, Issue 3
In recent decades, India has evolved as one of the most prominent emerging economies of the world. It is known for its vibrancy in providing intellectual potency in relation to both world class management academicians and business practitioners. Yet, international-level research studies within the management field focusing on Indian firms and contexts, have been proportionally few and far between in Western outlets. Furthermore, where exposure has occurred, it has been the case that frequently lopsided attention has been accorded to particular sectors, for example, the information technology (IT) and the outsourcing arenas, and this has obscured opportunities for insights into wider Indian settings.
This special issue endeavours to take a step towards supplementing the above outlined extant situation. It brings together a range of novel papers on a wide variety of organizing practices and processes in Indian organizations. Moreover,the issue introduces papers clustered in a number of themes. First, there are a series of papers on organizational behavioral dimensions of Indian organizations and cases. This is a valuable exercise in order to better appreciate culture factors in operation in this emergent economy. Second, the special issue examines a series of under-commented industrial sectors. The issue commences and concludes with illustrative cases. These include studies of the construction industry and the diamond trade.
In the main, the authors are of Indian nationality and are based in a range of major Indian institutions of management and university departments. However,this is not exclusively the case as it was also felt that there would be value in complementing this perspective with papers and gazes produced by non-national authors and, equally, ex-patriot Indian academics and observers.
Overall, the intention is to showcase Indian organizing processes and situations across various sectors and highlight recent developments within a larger socio-political context. Therefore, this special issue aims to deepen our theoretical and empirical understanding of Indian organizations and Indian markets, as well as commenting on the unique challenges confronting organizations in emerging economies. In placing the focus on organizations and organizing in an Indian context, this special issue explores the proposition that these phenomena are qualitatively different from their manifestations in other parts of the world.
The special issue has sought papers that would develop or extend existing theories of organizing practices using India or Indian firms as an empirical context or strategic research site. From the outset, the potential range of topics on which the issue might focus was vast. The context of Indian organizations and organizing is self-evidently immense and a special issue can hope to deal with only a relatively small section of the potential coverage. The collection contains empirical papers (both quantitative/qualitative) papers.
The special issue commences with a case study “NTPC – a preferred employer” by Chhabra and Sharma. In this case, the authors consider the case organization’s particular approach to training and development and their work towards developing a learning organization in an Indian setting. The paper considers the implications for retention and the onus placed on Indian organizations to develop and engage their employees.
The second paper in the special issue embarks on a consideration of “Prioritization of individual success indicators for managerial success” (by Ghosh). It looks more closely at the notion of “managerial success” in the Indian context. In particular, the paper attempts to identify some of the causal factors that play a role in generating this phenomenon. The work seeks ways in which understanding of these factors might be employed and facilitated by both managers and recruitment consultants.
Next, Ghosh, Satyawadi, Joshi and Shadman undertake an interesting study that looks at the intriguing question of indicators that predict and pre-empt staff turnover and retention. This analysis produces a thought-provoking managerial tool which can assist in decision-making in relation to staff development.
The subsequent paper is authored by Jain, Sabir and Cooper and is entitled:“Perceived organizational support as a moderator in the relationship between organizational stressors and organizational citizenship behaviours”. Here, the special issue returns to the well-commented theme of outsourcing of operations in Indian settings. However, in this paper it looks at the less-commented issues of the stress and challenges presented by the working patterns that are prevalent in these environments. The paper investigates and applies models and analytical approaches that are useful in assessing and managing stress levels of employees.
The special issue moves to consider issues of Indian organizations and organizing from another perspective to present a paper on “International assignment and repatriation experiences of Indian international assignees in The Netherlands” by Valk, van der Velde, van Engen and Szkudlarek. The paper conducts a fascinating study into Indian ex-patriots who were on assignment in The Netherlands and also a cohort who returned to India from The Netherlands. The arguments in the paper consider a range of emergent issues including:cultural identity change; knowledge utilization and organizational learning;social network support; Indian economy and global career prospects. The study provides an interesting set of experiences and observations in relation to these facets of ex-patriot life. In particular, it provides and a brief but revealing insight into the phenomenon of the Indian-diaspora which has played such a significant role in the development of Indian within the globalized economy.
Nickerson, Planken and Sahu provide an insightful study on “CSR across the globe: Dutch and Indian consumers’ responses to CSR”. The main aim of this research is an attempt to investigate consumer responses to CSR in a developed and emerging economy (The Netherlands and India). The research points at comparable attitudes across nationalities to both CSR platforms and CSR initiatives, with, for example, greater importance assigned to CSR reflecting legal and ethical (rather than philanthropic) concerns. The findings are valuable in that they suggest that it is important for companies to monitor stakeholders’ CSR attitudes in order to ensure that CSR policy orientations meet expectations.
The issue introduces the theme of sustainability in the next paper as Kumar examines “Women entrepreneurs in a masculine society: inclusive strategy for sustainable outcomes”. This complements the CSR presentation in the previous paper. Given recent tragic events in India, which have drawn the spotlight onto the role of women in Indian society in a specific range of contexts, Kumar’s paper is timely in examining a range of issues pertaining to women in organizational settings. The paper duly notes that small entrepreneurs in the poor states of India are not able to progress because they are vulnerable to market uncertainties and burdened with high debts in local banks. The paper observes that, in many cases, government policies have undermined traditionally independent roles of women in agrarian societies(Bacchi, 1981). Gender parity and development remain, even now, more an aspiration than reality. The paper addresses how these issues might be progressed. The next author, Iammulamadaka, returns directly back on to the CSR issue. In particular, it is the issue of responsibility in relation to CSR in the SME context which is examined.
Anand, Prasoon and Sowmiya provide the next discussion piece entitled: “Graph theoretic approach for analysing the readiness of an organisation for adapting lean thinking – a case study”. This paper examines the fact that organization-wide change management through the philosophy and principles of lean thinking (LT) is attempted by many companies. Although some organizations have transformed and reaped significant benefits in this endeavour, many organizations have failed in this attempt. One of the reasons can be attributed to the fact that not many organizations are attempting to “assess the organizational readiness” before implementing/adapting LT. The paper identifies the different factors under the categories of suppliers, customers,etc. in addition to employees, organisation and top management for smooth and successful adaptation in the Indian context.
The next paper turns attention to a context of Indian organizations which is not widely commented, namely, the construction industry. The paper entitled: “Enablers of growth in Indian construction companies: a comparative study of polar cases”(Bhattacharya, Iyer and Momaya) examines the factors that promote growth. The study explores a cross-section of construction companies that have diverse growth performance on the basis of several parameters and assesses them in terms of “enablers of growth”. It attempts to record the reasons behind the success and failures of the select companies. The paper provides lessons that can be utilised to orient aspiring construction companies in India towards growth and enhancing their chances of successfully competing with the large and international players.
The penultimate paper a stimulating study from Professor Varkkey: “Keeping the sparkle on: workforce retention in Indian diamond cutting and polishing firms during economic recession”. Following on from the papers above on NTPC and the construction industry, this paper also looks at a sector that is under-commented in the Indian context. The paper considers the impact of work-force reduction on efficiency and seeks to work through the conflicting literature on the topic. This research attempts to add an empirical understanding of the “implicit contract” and its role in deciding the fate of Indian diamond workers, during 2008 recession. The diamond industry has been specifically chosen because of its unique growth trajectory that provided the ground for societal values to shape managerial practices.
The concluding and final study is provided by Gautam Rajkhowa. He provides a revealing and clarifying overview of higher education set in the Indian context. This points up the longstanding credentials of India in the international educational environment and provides a valuable map of the educational sector terrain. The relevance of this commentary to a wider understanding of Indian organizations and the overall special issue is self-evident in this emerging and most potent of economies.
Overall, the special issue works to provide a span of fresh insights into differing sectors, social and operational issues and academic subject foci. It draws together a breadth of commentators from within and beyond the borders of India. The issue provides substantive evidence of the rich lines of enquiry and research being undertaken within that context and there is considerable scope for further expansion of this work. Future potential for examination of the myriad and multifarious complexities of Indian organizations and organizing remain. This special issue is another step on that journey.
Peter Stokes, Mitch Larson, S. Balasubrahmanyam, Sanjay Kumar SinghGuest Editors
