Globalization routes: The pursuit of conformity and distinctiveness by top business schools in India

Abstract

In this article, we examine how leading business schools in India orient themselves locally and globally while pursuing conformity and distinctiveness. We expect that these dynamics are particularly complex in 'emerging' economies such as India where liberalization and subsequent economic resurgence have led to more intense global exposure for business schools. By exploring changes in the way these responses are applied over time, we identify four globalization routes in the field. Furthermore, we show that these routes make up two broad zones of global-local interaction. In one, we point to the ability of global practices to serve both global and local compulsions, leading to the diffusion of global norms and practices. In the other, we point to how inherent paradoxes lead to possibilities for moderate and radical global distinctiveness.

Moving Beyond Mimicry: Developing Hybrid Spaces in Indian Business Schools

“…The effects of business school globalization can be seen in India where institutions are under increasing pressure to become 'world class educational institutions' (Murthy et al, 2007) and produce 'global managers' (Sheth, 1991;Khatri et al, 2012). There has also been significant growth in the number of new business schools (FICC, 2011;Mahajan, Agrawal, Sharma & Nanjia, 2014): in 2005/6 there were 1,888 management institutes, by 2010/11 this had risen to 3,858 (Vakkayil & Chatterjee, 2017). This has generated concerns about the quality of management education in India related to shortages of faculty and the adequacy of educational systems and processes of regulation (Panda & Gupta, 2014;Sheel & Vohra, 2014;Mahajan et al, 2014).…”

“…In elite institutions there has been an emphasis on producing global research, as schools have sought to enhance their position in international rankings (Banerjee, 2013) by encouraging faculty to publish in journals listed in the Financial Times 'Top 40' (Khatri, Ojha, Budhwar, Srinivasan & Varma, 2012). This has led to greater diversification between institutions, as some schools pursue distinctive accommodation of local orientations while others prioritize conformity to global institutional norms (Vakkayil & Chatterjee, 2017). This context provides the conditions within which Indian management scholars perform their identities, in ways which are, as we argue below, shaped by neo-colonial relations including 'Western othering… and attempts to universalize Western approaches' (Ulus, 2005: 891).…”

When global meets local: Action learning, positionality and postcolonialism

“…In this study, participants showed a paradoxical interplay of acceptance-resistance towards fully embodying certain Western beliefs and yet staying true to their original ideals (e.g. Vakkayil and Chatterjee, 2017). By using Bourdieu's notion of position-taking along with a postcolonial lens, in this section, I argue that encouraging critical dialogue with Pakistani MBA students without taking consideration of their social, cultural or historical legacy only reinforces colonial and power relations (e.g.…”

“…Although globalization is a multifaceted phenomenon, some studies (e.g. Joy and Poonamallee, 2013; Vakkayil and Chatterjee, 2017) point towards the impact on non-Western business schools which are often prompted to import Westernized practices, including the adoption of rankings, accreditations, pedagogies and partnerships, to become global. This ideology, however, mainly emanating from the West presents a series of challenges in the internationalization of business schools especially in the global South (Alcadipani and Faria, 2014).…”

“…Kothiyal et al, 2018; Kumar, 2019). For example, some business schools have often found it paradoxical in conforming to international standards yet staying true to their locale (Vakkayil and Chatterjee, 2017).…”