Editorial

Citation

Liddle, J. (2011), "Editorial", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 24 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm.2011.04224caa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Public Sector Management, Volume 24, Issue 3

From this issue, and for the subsequent regular issues, I am delighted to introduce readers to a series of interviews with leading public sector executives/managers in India. The interviews were conducted by Dr Guru Prakash Prabhakar, under the aegis of the GLOBE project (Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness Research Programme). The Indian segment of the study was initiated to study the leadership behaviours of top CEOs in India and attempts to find out the key leader behaviours that are vital to run their organisations. The scope of the research project was defined primarily by the organizational positions, geographical location, and a number of executives (CEOs) and managers that have been interviewed. These CEOs/Senior Executives belong to various governmental and not for profit organizations. As part of the project, interviews of CEOs were conducted in and around Delhi region and required questionnaires on leadership behaviour, performance and the global and competitive environment. Most of the work of interview conduction and transcription writing took place during 2001 to 2006, and contact was established again with the CEOs during 2010 to revise and update the research:

India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition (Mark Twain).

With a billion plus population and hugely untapped markets India is emerging as a strong economic power, and these interviews contain very useful data on the way public organisations are structured, managed and organised in this part of the world. The interviews also help to throw light on important leadership behaviours and strategy. The interviews illustrate the uniqueness of the Indian nation, its socio-political system, organization, vastness of the country and diversity of people. Being the biggest democracy of the world, leadership styles of leaders in India are quite varied and leaders face a host of highly complex challenges. We thank Dr Prabhakar, and the executives in question for their permission to publish this illuminating series of interviews.

Short biography on Guru

Dr Guru Prakash Prabhakar is a Senior Lecturer of Project Management at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England. He is the winner of the (Doctoral) Student Paper of the Year Award in 2005 at PMI’s Congress in Toronto and also received the 1st Prize for the best student research paper in “pmdays 2004” at Vienna. His main research areas are Leadership and Project Management and his favourite context is the Indian sub-continent. Previously, he has conducted research, in conjunction with the Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA, USA in the area of global leadership and organizational behaviour. Guru has work experience in the field of finance, banking and e-commerce. As an academician he has taught in India, France and the UK and presented research papers around the world.

Joyce Liddle