Radha R. Sharma

Measuring social and emotional intelligence competencies in the Indian context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the cross‐cultural reliability and validity of the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI‐2) in a cross‐cultural context.Design/methodology/approach – Using a competency‐based approach to social and emotional intelligence (EI), the paper presents data on Indian managers from the manufacturing and service industries collected using self‐report and multi‐rater assessments. Factor analysis explored the latent structure of social and emotional intelligence competencies on the Indian sample. Divergent validity was assessed using a Stress Personality test. Internal reliability of the ECI‐2 was also determined for a sample of 400 Indian managers.Findings – A two‐factor structure has emerged in the cross‐cultural context similar to the latent structure of the construct explored by the test developers of the ECI‐2. However, six items did not have significant loading. ECI‐2 has been found to have statistically significant reliability coefficient and divergent validit...

Facilitating workplace spirituality: lessons from Indian spiritual traditions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to propose that spiritual traditions of India have enormous wisdom to provide a wholesome spiritual foundation to the modern day management. It can also play a significant role in facilitating the dimensions of workplace spirituality as conceptualized by the western counterparts. The paper does not intend to reinvent the wheel but to present an integrated framework for facilitating workplace spirituality that incorporates the western and the Indian views. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, the authors maintained an open approach. The authors first reviewed the extant literature on workplace spirituality to explore its dimensions. Thereafter, the authors searched for Indian spiritual traditions that can be suggested to have some similarity with the dimensions of workplace spirituality and can further help in facilitating those dimensions at the workplace. Findings – The paper presents an integrated framework that suggests that doctrine of Karma Yoga...

An Empirical Investigation into the Role of EQ/Emotional Intelligence Competencies in Mental Well-being

Mental well-being, a pivotal but controversial construct viewed from multiple lenses, has been garnering attention of scholars and practitioners due to high pressure environment, a concomitant of global economic meltdown. Mental well-being is described as a positive and sustainable condition which enables individuals/groups to thrive even in adversity. It, to a considerable extent, depends on perception and management of negative emotions where emotional intelligence plays an important role (Sharma, 2007a, 2008). Emotional intelligence (EI) has been studied in relation to various workplace behaviours like leadership, employee development, performance and customer satisfaction, but there is dearth of research relating EQ/EI competencies to mental well-being. Thus, the significance of the subject and paucity of empirical researches in this sphere have provided impetus to investigate the role of EQ/EI competencies, personal effectiveness and demographic variables in mental well-being.

How women traverse an upward journey in Indian industry: multiple case studies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present multiple case studies of women in leadership roles in India with a view to identifying inhibitors, facilitators and the strategies adopted by them to mitigate the challenges in their odyssey to these positions. The paper contributes to the pivotal subject of under-representation of women in apex positions, which has garnered the attention of researchers in recent years grappling with the identification of the underlying causes. Thus, with a view to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions, a greater understanding of this phenomenon is called for. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts exploratory case study method using multiple case studies. Empirical data were gathered using in-depth semi-structured interviews and personality test (NEO FFI) from women in leadership positions. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The analysis of data has led to the identification of challenges faced by the women that were categorised as personal, professional, organisational and social issues. Further, six themes emerged as the strategies adopted by the women leaders to overcome the challenges. The paper also highlights the critical social, behavioural and organisational facilitators that played an important role in their leadership journey. The paper also includes context-specific findings of women leaders from Indian industry. Practical implications The paper would have relevance for researchers and practitioners in the field of gender diversity, leadership, organisational behaviour and human resource management. The findings of this paper can be leveraged by organisations to retain and manage female talent, which is a focal area in the present dynamic business environment, when a need for gender diversity is widely acknowledged by the top management in organisations. The exploratory case studies provide vistas for gender-based context-specific and cross-cultural research on the challenges faced by women executives in their leadership journey and the strategies adopted to mitigate these. Originality/value Though a great deal has been written about the barriers to women’s career advancement, less is known about the facilitators of women’s advancement. Also, women in the Asian context face unique challenges which present a major problem for multinational companies whose hopes for growth are pinned on emerging markets. The paper has identified new emergent themes, which have not been mentioned in the extant literature nationally or globally. The findings provide inputs to companies to adopt policies and practices to facilitate gender equality in leadership. The paper bridges the knowledge gap and makes conceptual contributions for future research.

The problem of rape in India : A multi-dimensional analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the problem of “Rape” in India from multiple perspectives and recommend measures for mitigating this crime from the country. Using the much highlighted incident of gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi, India on 16 December 2012, the paper analyses the behaviour of the various parties involved in the case with the help of some sociological and psychological theories. Design/methodology/approach – A structured investigation through the technique of root cause analysis was applied to the gang rape case of 16 December 2012 to identify the true cause of the problem of rape and suggest the actions necessary to eliminate such reoccurrences in future. Findings – The analysis of the problem of rape in general and the gang rape case in particular presented numerous causes for this problem. Considering the complexity of question the authors have presented a multi-dimensional response to this problem. Research limitations/implications – Due to the sensitive natur...

HR Determinants of Organizational Success amongst Small and Medium Enterprises in the Indian Automobile Sector

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the auto sector have emerged in response to the growing off-shore requirements of the auto industry. The growth has been so rapid that it has remained elusive to researchers and the present study is an attempt to bridge this knowledge gap. Three scales (Engaging Leadership both from the perspectives of the leaders and the subordinates, and Employee Engagement) were developed by the researchers for the purpose of the study. Two existing scales viz., Cultural Intelligence and Positive and Negative Affectivity were also used in the study. The results show statistically significant results between professionals of high performing and low performing SMEs on Engaging Leadership, Employee Engagement, Cultural Intelligence and Positivity and Negativity.

Opening the gender diversity black box: causality of perceived gender equity and locus of control and mediation of work engagement in employee well-being

The study is aimed at assessing the role of perceived gender equity and locus of control in employee well-being at the workplace and ascertaining if work engagement mediates between perceived gender equity, locus of control, and employee well-being (measured through optimism, general satisfaction with life and work, and executive burnout). Adopting a personal survey method data was collected from 373 managers (both males and females) from the public and private sectors representing manufacturing and service industry in India. The study bridges the knowledge gap by operationalizing the construct of perceived gender equity and studying its role in the work engagement and employee well-being. Conceptualization of the well-being in an unconventional way covering both the positive and the negative aspects extends the understanding of the emerging concept of well-being. It has practical implications for talent management and work engagement besides promoting gender equity at the workplace for employee well-being. It opens vistas for the gender based theory and cross cultural research on gender equity.

A Competency Model for Management Education for Sustainability

Management education needs transformation to avoid socio-economic volatility in this globalised world and to deal with the crises of responsibility and sustainability. Despite rising demand and increasing popularity, management education has been under scathing attack for eroding values and ethics, and focus on imparting knowledge and skills for improving the bottom line of the firms ignoring the triple bottom line. The value crisis leading to economic meltdown reinforced the need for a paradigm shift in management education, which required responsibility to be embedded in the management curriculum for sustainability. United Nation’s supported ‘Principles for Responsible Management Education’ (PRME) initiative created a movement across the globe among scholars, practitioners and policy makers. The moot question arose “What are the competencies that need to be developed?” The article presents a competency framework and a (Cognitive, Affective, Moral and Behavioural competencies) CAMB competency model developed by the author (Sharma, 2015) based on the PRME principles which has been validated by scholar academics and practitioners from across geographies and can be adopted by business schools nationally and internationally.

Organizational Transformation for Sustainable Development: A Case Study

The paper presents a case study of organizational transformation adopting Galpin’s model of Change Management Process. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), a public sector enterprise, is a ‘maharatna’ (the greatest corporate jewels of India), an Indian multi-national, which contributes to 72 % of the nation’s crude oil and 48 % of natural gas production. It has been responsible for building up 7 billion tons of in-place hydrocarbon reserves of the country. All its installations were certified for Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Management (QHSE). The paper traces ONGC’s evolution, growth and transformation with focus on green management and triple bottom line. It had received several awards, inter alia, Golden Peacock Award several times including one in 2013 for its heath, climate, safety and impeccable record in the climate change mitigation. Thus, a traditional government owned organization, ONGC, has emerged as a leading global player in the energy sector. It had successfully faced competition and had been recognized as one of the most respected companies in India with the 3 Ps—people, profit and planet without losing focus on green management.

Indian Ethos as Humanistic Management Principles: A Case Study of a Family Business Organization

Indian ethos in management draws heavily from Vedantic wisdom. Rigveda (ancient Indian text) says ‘let noble thoughts come to us from every side’. This implies that new ideas can be generated through interaction, assimilation, and transformation processes. Indian culture is a confluence of different cultures due to its long heritage and historical developments. Thus, there is a two-way flow of ideas and an ‘integrative indigenization’ (Sinha 1992) of various social and management theories. This trend has lately been extended to the cultural confluence of Western and Eastern ideas. In Indian tradition there is a holistic view of life; the following five principles constitute Indian ethos and Indian thought which can be observed in various forms of individual and social behaviour.