INDICA IKS MetaRetreat: Indian Knowledge Systems In Management

INDICA is pleased to announce the IKS Meta-Retreat on “Indian Knowledge Systems in Management“ from Dec 20-23, 2024 at Bilvam Foundation Retreat, Tiruvannamalai. The MetaRetreat would be led by Prof. B Mahadevan, retired professor of Operations Research IIM Bangalore, and a luminary of Indian Knowledge Systems..

This Meta-Retreat seeks to examine the foundational principles of Modern Management, deeply understand the progress in integrating Indian wisdom into Management, take stock of current drifts and emerging trends, and explore productive ways to move forward to further advance IKS in Management. A detailed note will follow.

Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) offer a holistic vision of wellbeing, extending care from individuals to communities, all living beings, and the environment. Drawing on philosophy, health, economics, science, aesthetics, linguistics, and ecology, IKS emphasizes interconnectedness, inclusive growth, and harmony. These principles provide a valuable framework for addressing contemporary management challenges.

As industries and entrepreneurs grow more receptive to diverse knowledge traditions, IKS stands ready to enrich modern management models. Institutions such as IIMs and IITs, along with independent consultants, are already integrating IKS into business practices. Fatigue with Western frameworks that prioritize profit alone, combined with rising global interest in spirituality and consciousness, further enhances IKS’s opportunity space and relevance.

To influence today’s complex industrial landscape, IKS must adapt. Concepts historically geared toward spirituality and small-scale communities must be translated into practical tools for large enterprises. This transition can help tackle pressing issues: environmental crises, mental health struggles, lack of purpose, inequality, and a sense of disconnection at work. By blending economic and ethical considerations, IKS can redefine success to include environmental stewardship, social justice, and personal fulfillment.

In this context, INDICA is organizing an IKS MetaRetreat on “IKS in Management, IKS for Management.” The MetaRetreat will explore how industrial life and management frameworks evolved, pinpointing opportunities to swiftly incorporate IKS-based approaches. It will examine the existing footprint of IKS, review progress made by professionals and institutions, and highlight government efforts—particularly through the Ministry of Education—to institutionalize IKS.

Most importantly, the MetaRetreat aims to chart a path forward, envisioning a future where IKS guides policy, leadership training, and organizational thinking. By identifying research priorities and practical next steps, the gathering aspires to establish “Bharat Management Techniques and Methods” that foster sustainability, resilience, and human flourishing over the coming decades.

INDICA IKS Meta-Retreats are immersive, intellectual journeys spanning 2-3 days with the triple principle of Acharya-Ambience-Attitude. It is led by an Acharya—an expert who leads a cohort in exploring specific themes in an atmosphere of Shraddha. With a cohort of 12-15 participants, these retreats foster an Upanishadic spirit of learning through immersive dialogue in a setting reminiscent of a Gurukula.

This 2+ days unique program authentically explores a subject through 8-10 sessions, in an aesthetic setting, organised around the following elements – thus weaving together an immersive and transformative experience.

• Invocation
• Cohort Introduction and Concerns around the subject
• A Stock Taking of the Present
• A Deep Dive into the Past to understand the Present
• Problems, Concerns, Conflicts that require Resolution
• The Emergence and the Opportunities
• Desired Future
• A synthesis towards the Desired Future
• The Specific Next Steps

The early mornings and evenings are spent in informal conversations around the subject with a visit to the Arunachala Shiva Temple, Ramana Maharshi Ashram and an offering of Naivedyam to Devi Saraswati with the cohort itself coming together to prepare the offering, thus symbolically signifying the MetaRetreat as a sacred offering.

As outcomes we seek to explore some specific actions that could be carried forward and advance the cause of Indian Knowledge Systems in Management.

A report on past INDICA IKS Meta-Retreats can be found in the links given below. So far we have completed 10 IKS MetaRetreats. Indian Knowledge Systems in Management would be the 11^th. Reports of the first 7 MetaRetreats are presented in the links below.

https://indica.in/launch-of-iks-meta-retreats/

https://indica.in/iks-meta-retreat-making-sense-of-cultural-differences-a-report/

https://indica.in/the-6th-indica-iks-metaretreat-deconstruction-and-reconstruction-beyond-colonial-discourse/

https://indica.in/the-7th-indica-iks-metaretreat-shakti-the-power-of-indic-feminine/

The cohort of the MetaRetreat consists of distinguished scholars, academicians, thinkers, independent practitioners and institution builders who are deeply engaged themselves in the advancement of IKS in Management over decades. Participation is by invitation only.

Shivakumar GV

Director – IKS Changemakers

INDICA

Speakers

Prof. B Mahadevan

B. Mahadevan is a Professor of Operations Management at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, where he has been teaching since 1992. He was the founding Vice Chancellor of Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, a University for Sanskrit and Indic Knowledge. He was also the Dean (Administration) of IIMB and a member of the Governing Board of IIMB for four years. Professor Mahadevan is also on the Board of IIM, Kashipur, IIT Madras, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan. He is also on the International Advisory Board of California Management Review. Earlier he was on the Board of the Indian Oil Corporation, Professor Mahadevan received his M.Tech. & Ph.D. from the Industrial Engineering and Management Division of IIT Madras. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering (production engineering) from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras. Professor Mahadevan has more than 30 years of wide-ranging experience in teaching, research, consulting, and academic administration at IIM Bangalore and other reputed institutions such as IIT Delhi and XLRI, Jamshedpur. He was a visiting scholar at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, in 1999–2000. Professor Mahadevan is on the board of trustees of some NGOs providing valuable community and social service. He is on the International Advisory Board of California Management Review. Besides being on the advisory boards of several business schools and management journals in India, Professor Mahadevan has published several of his research findings in leading international journals such as California Management Review, European Journal of Operational Research, Interfaces, Production and Operations Management Journal, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Technology Management, Asian Journal of Operations Management, International Journal of Yoga, Vikalpa, South Asian Journal of Management and IIMB Management Review. His research interests include supply chain management issues in e-markets and e-auction and Design of Services with customer co-creation of value, Management Paradigms from Bhagavad Gita and other ancient Indian wisdom. Professor Mahadevan has been recognized for his excellence in teaching both at IIM Bangalore and outside. He was also conferred the ICFAI Best Teacher Award by the Association of Indian Management Schools in 2005. Prof. Mahadevan was one among the 40 nominated globally for the Economic Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Business Professor of the Year Award, 2012. Apart from his bestselling book Operations Management: Theory and Practice, Professor Mahadevan is also the author of The New Manufacturing Architecture. His latest book, Introduction to Indian Knowledge System: Concepts and Applications, published by PHI Learning, is the first of its kind in the country. Professor Mahadevan has been playing a very significant role in the field of Sanskrit and Samskriti for the past 20 years.