DECISION - Call for Papers: Special Section on 'Indigenous Indian Management - Decolonizing Management Knowledge in India: Promoting Pluri-versalism through indigenous knowledge paradigms'

Guest Editors

Abhoy K. Ojha, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
email: aojha@iimb.ac.in (this opens in a new tab) 
https://www.iimb.ac.in/user/117/abhoy-k-ojha (this opens in a new tab)

Ramya Venkateswaran, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
email: ramyatv@iimcal.ac.in (this opens in a new tab)
https://www.iimcal.ac.in/users/ramya (this opens in a new tab)

There is increasing acceptance that contemporary management knowledge, influenced by post-enlightenment ontological and epistemological assumptions, is Euro/US-centric. Scholars from Europe (and USA) and many others across the world, including in India, believe in the universality of theoretical frameworks and research methods developed in Europe/US.  Much of research in management in other contexts is based on the extent to which the observed phenomena match (or differ) with the phenomena in Europe/US. Even when established theories and methods are challenged, the alternatives are also Eurocentric, e.g., the Marxist perspective vs the Capitalist perspective. This tendency was visible during colonial times with the spread of European colonialism and continues in contemporary times through neo-colonial practices championed primarily by the US (Ojha & Venkateswaran, 2022).

Theoretical abstractions when ruptured from the historical and cultural background of a particular context, and forcefully applied through a system of pressures and constraints to a completely different context are unable to capture the nuances of the phenomenon under study, and more importantly fail to create meaning for the people for whom it truly matters (Venkateswaran & Ojha, 2017). The quest for indigenous theory arises from the need to engage intimately with the context and speak with relevance to the local problems and challenges of managers in India. There have been calls for promoting pluriversality, which does not mean rejection of the Eurocentric theories and methods, but recentering the locus of knowledge to indigenous contexts and sources to encourage alternative contextually rich theories and methods based on the world views and experiences of non-European/US contexts. The resulting hybridity will help provide a more multi-faceted understanding of phenomena in non-European/US contexts, and also provide fresh insights into phenomena in European/US contexts.

This Special Section intended as a platform for conversation among scholars to engage in collective reflection and debate on the state of management research and education in India and the need to create a receptive and hospitable space for pluriversalism in universities and institutions in the country.

Illustrative themes

1. Many a times simplistic perspectives from the Occident have been employed to understand or explain complex phenomena in the Orient, including in India.  Is it possible to examine the suitability of  some of these perspectives and offer alternative indigenous perspectives to enhance pluriversality and create hybrid spaces? This will provide better understanding of phenomena in non-Western contexts but may also throw new light on Western phenomena and theories.
2. While there has been a felt need for context specific theorization that accounts for the historical and cultural moorings of the Indian setting and of Indian scholars, but what are the fundamental arguments on why the Indian context and worldviews may call for indigenous management thought (Bhawuk, 2008; Gupta, 1991, 1994).
3. While a vast body of knowledge seems to be existing in ancient Indian knowledge systems, how can we tap into these in our contemporary organizational contexts (Adhia, Nagendra & Mahadevan, 2010;  Mahadevan, 2013)? Are there ways to create constructs and models from scriptural texts (Bhawuk, 2010; Pandey, Budhwar & Bhawuk, 2022)?
4. There is perhaps also a need to expand the notion of indigenous knowledge to go beyond ancient Indian texts as sources, and examine real examples of management models that actually are being created grounds up in the present day India and emerging organically from the historical, political and cultural specificities of the locale, inspiring indigenous theory building (Isaac, 2022).
5. What are the challenges in creating such an academic space that enables genuine and vibrant knowledge creation that is relevant and meaningful for our own context (Bindlish, Nandram, Gupta & Joshi, 2018)? How is it possible to claim and negotiate such a space for scholars and PhD students and yet succeed amidst the systemic pressures of the dominant paradigms in management education in India (Ojha, 2017)?
6.  How do we want to articulate our responsibility as scholars in the Indian management context in holding and shaping such a space? Is there a possibility of acknowledging contemporary Indian management knowledge and not just ancient Indian knowledge? What are the creative alternatives and hybrid spaces available to young scholars (Gopal, 2021)?
7. How can we build a flourishing space and momentum for indigenous knowledge creation acknowledging a plurality of worldviews and cosmologies, moving beyond critical perspectives and decolonial approaches?
8. What are the relevant questions of knowledge and power in management history that influence the creation of indigenous knowledge (Srinivas, 2021)?
9. Where should we draw the line and establish on what is unique and particular to the context and what could potentially be universal? What are the implications for cross-cultural research? (Bhawuk, 2008)
10. What has been the journey of scholars from other non-Western contexts outside India in promoting management research that is emergent from the local context (Teehankee, 2004)?

Submission Process and Deadlines
The submissions need to adhere to the guidelines specified in this link: 
https://www.springer.com/journal/40622/submission-guidelines (this opens in a new tab)

Full manuscripts submissions will be due on 30 April 2024. Submissions need to be made into the DECISION journal submission system (this opens in a new tab), please choose ‘S.I: Decolonizing Management Knowledge’ while making your submission.

References
Adhia, H., Nagendra, H. R., & Mahadevan, B. (2010). Impact of adoption of yoga way of life on the reduction of job burnout of managers. Vikalpa, 35(2), 21-34.

Bhawuk, D. P. (2008). Globalization and indigenous cultures: Homogenization or differentiation? International journal of intercultural relations, 32(4), 305-317.

Bhawuk, D. P. (2010). Methodology for building psychological models from scriptures: Contributions of Indian psychology to indigenous and universal psychologies. Psychology and Developing Societies, 22(1), 49-93.

Bindlish, P. K., Nandram, S. S., Gupta, R., & Joshi, A. (2018). How to prepare the researcher for indigenous context: an integrative approach. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 17(2), 221-237.

Gopal, P. (2021). On decolonisation and the university. Textual Practice, 35(6), 873-899.

Gupta, R. K. (1991). Employees and organisation in India: need to move beyond American and Japanese models. Economic and Political Weekly, M68-M76.

Gupta, R. K. (1994). Challenges in developing indigenous theories of organisation and management: An Indian perspective. Indian Journal of Social Work, 55, 220-220.

Isaac, T. M. (2022). Thomas. Kerala: Another Possible World. Leftword Books.

Mahadevan, B. (2013). Spirituality in business: Sparks from the Anvil: In conversation with Suresh Hundre, Chairman and MD, Polyhydron Pvt. Ltd. IIMB Management Review, 25(2), 91-103.

Mignolo, W. D., & Walsh, C. E. (2018). Eurocentrism and Coloniality: The Question of Totality of Knowledge. On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics, Praxis (pp. 194–210). Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv11g9616.14 (this opens in a new tab)

Ojha, A. K. (2017). Management education in India. In M. Thakur, & R. R. Babu (Eds.), Management Education in India: Perspectives and Practices (pp. 55–77). Springer.

Ojha, A.K. and Venkateswaran, R.T. (2022), “Understanding the colonial roots of Indian management thought: an agenda to decolonise and theorise for Indian contexts”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 149, pp. 700-712, doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.067 (this opens in a new tab).

Pandey, A., Budhwar, P., & Bhawuk, D. P. (2022). In Search of Indian Management. Indigenous Indian Management: Conceptualization, Practical Applications and Pedagogical Initiatives (pp. 523-561). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Srinivas, N. (2021). False binaries in management history, and the scope for a postcolonial project. Journal of Management History, 27(1), 121-140.

Teehankee, B. L. (2004). Culturally sensitive leadership in the Philippine setting. World Scientific Book Chapters, 211-229.

Venkateswaran, R. T., & Ojha, A. K. (2017). Strategic management research on emerging economies: Cultural imperialism in universalizing research paradigms. Critical perspectives on international business.