Abinash Panda

Mapping Cultural Diversity within India: A Meta-analysis of Some Recent Studies

Cross-cultural comparative studies mostly have been based on the assumption of cultural homogeneity that equates culture with nation. This assumption overlooks the cultural diversity that might exist within a nation. This article is based on the review of four empirical studies conducted by J.B.P. Sinha and his associates focusing on cultural diversity within India. A review of these studies revealed seven pan-Indian cultural preferences: (a) collectivist orientation; (b) respect for status and power; (c) primacy of personalized relationship; (d) desire to be embedded in an in-group; (e) familism; (f) context-sensitive (situational) behaviour; and (g) cynical view about others. However, it also revealed location-specific cultural preferences. The authors have analyzed these preferences, extracted from the findings of these studies for those locations which have been covered in more than one study, to present an holistic picture of the culture of each location. Sinha and his associates view cultural differences among various locations as a consequence of different degrees of infrastructural development in those locations. The authors are inclined to argue that cultural change is context sensitive and depends on the historical and cultural legacy inherited by a location. They argue for an evolutionary-emic approach to study cultural diversity within India.

Call for developing indigenous organisational theories in India: setting agenda for future

If we accept Virmanis (2005) argument that management in the organisations in India is somehow effected, by implication, we also agree that we have not understood how organisations in India are managed effectively. It calls for developing indigenous concepts in the organisational domain, which requires moving away from unimaginative replicative studies using quantitative methods towards carrying out contextually relevant studies using appropriate methods. On the basis of meta-review of organisational research (particularly in the area of organisational behaviour) in the past several decades, this paper analyses the reason why theory-building researches are not thriving in India to a desired extent and suggests some ways out of it. Academic scholars, academic institutions and corporate world can play significant and meaningful roles in creating a new breed of researchers focusing on exploring the indigenous understanding of organisations in India and management thereof. We have delineated their roles from that perspective. This paper also discusses about the possibilities of upgrading the quality of research in India, and the theoretical, methodological and situational challenges that researchers in India face while conducting organisationally relevant indigenous researches.

Compulsive smartphone usage and users' ill-being among young Indians: Does personality matter?

Abstract Personality characteristics are found to have significant influence on the extent of smartphone usage among the Indian youth. Compulsive usage of smartphones, however, affects the users’ emotional and physical health. The objective of this study is to examine how personality characteristics are related to compulsive smartphone usage and if compulsive smartphone usage impacts users’ ill being. Personality characteristics such as extraversion and conscientiousness are found to be leading to the compulsive smartphone usage, whereas neuroticism, openness to new experience, and agreeableness are found to be negatively influencing compulsive smartphone usage. Extraversion is found to have maximum influence on an individual’s compulsive tendency to use smartphone, followed by conscientiousness. The findings of this study also made the authors believe that compulsive smartphone usage, affects both emotional (affecting inter-personal and family relationships) and physical (lack of quality sleep and physical discomfort) health of the smartphone users. Emotional health, however, is found to be more affected by compulsive smartphone usage compared to physical health. Given these findings, it is desirable that youths in Indian should be appropriately guided to use smartphones judiciously so that they do not end up being the victims of compulsive usage and subsequently addiction.

Hi-Tech Communication Limited (HICOM)

Hi-tech Communications Limited (HICOM) is an Indo-US joint venture between Communication Limited and Hi-tech Network System, incorporated in India in 1992 to provide satellite-based value-added business communications in India. It began providing satellite-based communication services in 1995. This case explores the leadership challenges and some of the organizational issues while the leader attempts systematically to develop a vision-driven strong organizational culture through various intervention mechanisms in HICOM. It is based on observations and a series of interviews conducted by the first author with the employees to explore their perceptions and feelings about the HICOM culture as experienced by them.