India’s Global CEOs but No Global Theory: Bridging the Gap Between Practice and Management Thought

For a country that produces globally admired managerial talent, India’s absence from the pantheon of modern management theory is stark.

In recent decades, Indian-origin executives have steadily risen to the helm of the world’s most powerful organizations. Names such as Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Alphabet), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), and Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo, former) are celebrated across continents, symbolizing the exceptional capability of Indian managerial talent.

Yet, a puzzling paradox endures: despite such individual success on the global stage, not one universally recognized management theory or concept has emerged from India. This absence raises compelling questions about why Indian business practice has not translated into globally influential thought leadership.

The Strength of Indian Managers: Resilience, Adaptability, and Cultural Dexterity

There is no doubt that Indian managers are among the most versatile and battle-tested professionals in the corporate world. Their formative years are often spent navigating resource-constrained systems, working across linguistic, religious, and regional diversities, and thriving in high-pressure environments. This background instills in them:

Adaptability in dealing with volatility and ambiguity.
Frugal innovation (locally termed jugaad) to deliver outcomes with limited resources.
High emotional intelligence to navigate layered hierarchies and stakeholder expectations.
Cultural fluency to work across borders and geographies.

These strengths—earned, not inherited—translate exceptionally well to complex multinational environments. Indian professionals often rise fast because they can integrate rigor with relational finesse, and execution with empathy.

The Curious Absence of Indian Management Theory

For a country that produces globally admired managerial talent, India’s absence from the pantheon of modern management theory is stark. In contrast, countries with comparable or smaller economic and intellectual resources—such as Japan with Kaizen, or Germany with Mittelstand—have codified and exported frameworks that influence global thought.

There are several possible reasons why Indian management practice has not coalesced into formal theory.

1. Execution Culture vs. Theory Building

Indian business ethos is deeply action-oriented. From family-run businesses to multinational branches, there is a cultural premium placed on doing rather than codifying. In fast-moving, resource-scarce environments, tangible impact often trumps reflective abstraction.

Thus, even if unique models are being practiced—such as consensus-driven decision-making, community-based leadership, or values-centric governance—they remain undocumented, unstudied, and unscaled.

2. Western Academic Dominance

The ecosystem for generating globally recognized management theory remains rooted in Western academia. Prestigious institutions such as Harvard, MIT, INSEAD, and Wharton have the benefit of:

Significant research funding
Institutional linkages with industry
Global distribution of ideas via publishing platforms, think tanks, and executive education

Indian institutions—most notably the IIMs—have made great strides in teaching and applied consulting. However, India still lacks a critical mass of globally visible, theory-producing scholars and publishing platforms to anchor indigenous frameworks.

3. Colonial Legacy and Imported Curriculum

Much of Indian management education is based on Western case studies, frameworks, and pedagogical methods. The iconic Harvard Case Method, for instance, continues to dominate Indian business schools.

While this global exposure is invaluable, it inadvertently sidelines local models that might emerge organically. Western theories are often treated as the gold standard, relegating indigenous approaches to the realm of anecdote or folklore rather than formal inquiry.

4. Under-Recognition of Indigenous Concepts

Several Indian concepts have influenced management practice, but these remain under-articulated. Take jugaad, an approach characterized by flexible, low-cost innovation. Or dharma-based leadership, which emphasizes ethical conduct over expediency. Or even community-rooted decision-making seen in cooperative models such as Amul.

Despite their prevalence and potential, these ideas are:

Not rigorously researched in empirical terms
Rarely presented in global journals
Seldom abstracted into transferable frameworks

Thus, they remain part of India’s “soft power” rather than its intellectual arsenal.

5. Incentive Structures Favor Execution Over Contribution

For many Indian managers, particularly in MNCs, success is measured in business outcomes—market share, EBITDA, return on capital—not academic contribution. Unlike in countries like the U.S., where thought leadership enhances a leader’s brand and opens doors to policy advisory roles or board memberships, Indian corporate culture seldom rewards theory-building.

This focus on immediate execution over systemic contribution deters practitioners from investing in intellectual codification.

The Way Forward: Turning Practice into Philosophy

If India seeks to transition from being a “talent-exporting” nation to a thought leader in global management theory, a series of deliberate interventions is necessary.

1. Institutional Investment in Indigenous Research

Top institutions like the IIMs, ISB, and IITs must anchor long-term, well-funded research programs focused on Indian models of leadership, decision-making, and enterprise building. These need to be:

Empirically rigorous
Globally benchmarked
Published and peer-reviewed

Ideas like Karma Capitalism, spiritual quotient in leadership, or informal networks in organizational agility may be refined into structured theories through such research.

2. Bridging Academia and Industry

There is a pressing need to dissolve the wall between Indian boardrooms and classrooms. A structured collaboration where industry practitioners share their insights with scholars could generate a uniquely Indian body of knowledge that merges wisdom with applicability.

Programs like practitioner-led case writing, sponsored faculty positions, and real-time organizational research could be game-changers.

3. Global Branding of Indian Concepts

Ideas need champions—and platforms. Indian scholars and thought leaders must actively publish in international journals, speak at global forums like Davos, and collaborate across borders to position Indian insights as globally relevant, not merely locally effective.

The creation of India-specific management series, journals, or global summits could further this cause.

4. Cultural Confidence in India’s Philosophical Legacy

India possesses centuries-old traditions of leadership, governance, ethics, and conflict resolution drawn from texts such as the Arthashastra, Bhagavad Gita, and writings of thinkers like Tagore, Gandhi, and Ambedkar.

Reimagining these through a contemporary lens—as some scholars have begun to do—can create potent frameworks for leadership that bridge purpose with performance.

5. Recalibrating Education Models

It may be time for Indian B-schools to move beyond imported content and prioritize the development of original, India-based curriculum. Case studies set in Indian contexts, theories rooted in Indian cultural nuance, and interdisciplinary teaching that draws from sociology, philosophy, and behavioral science can usher in a more rooted and relevant education.

Growing Momentum and Signs of Change

There are encouraging signs that the tide may be turning. Several Indian researchers are exploring themes such as values-based leadership, social entrepreneurship, and ethical governance within the Indian context. Concepts like Gandhian management, Ayurvedic leadership, and stakeholder-centric capitalism are beginning to find an audience.

Executive education programs are also experimenting with India-origin models, blending modern analytics with spiritual intelligence or community responsibility.

Additionally, global consultancies and think tanks are increasingly interested in decoding India’s success stories—whether it is the scaling model of Reliance Jio, the rural penetration of Patanjali, or the resilience of India’s small business networks.

From Exception to Ecosystem

India’s best managers are already shaping global business. The next frontier is for India’s management thought to shape global theory. To do that, we must not only celebrate individual excellence but build a robust intellectual ecosystem that can document, debate, and disseminate Indian management principles.

The emergence of a globally recognized Indian management theory will not happen overnight. But it is entirely within reach—if academia, industry, and policymakers work in tandem to elevate practice into principle, and experience into enduring wisdom.

India has always led civilizations through insight. It is time for it to lead boardrooms the same way. For further insights into the evolving workplace paradigm, visit