Leading the Enterprise: Improvisation and Adaptability-What Western Business Leaders Can Learn from the India Way

By: Peter Cappelli and Michael Useem and Jitendra V. Singh and Harbir Singh

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Synopsis: One of the defining qualities of the India Way of doing business is its distinctive style of leadership. India's business leaders think broadly and act pragmatically. They set grand agendas and then rely on trial and error (and personal resilience) to see what works and what doesn't. In this chapter, authors Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, Jitendra Singh, and Michael Useem describe one of four principal practices of the India Way-improvisation and adaptability-and show, using richly detailed examples such as Hindustan Unilever (India's largest consumer products company) and banking juggernaut Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, how Indian business leaders create sustainable profitable growth from the ground up. As Western companies struggle to regain their footing in the wake of the 2008-2009 economic collapse, the phenomenal successes Indian executives have achieved-in an ever-changing business landscape-offer inspiration as well as instruction. This chapter was originally published as Chapter 4 of The India Way: How India's Top Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management.