VUCA 2019 Inaugural Session
The 6th International Conference on the theme “VUCA World: Issues and challenges” was organised under the AEG is of Research and Development Cell at Asian Business School on 9th March 2019. The Research and Development Cell at ABS works to promote research and allied activities in the organisation. This conference was an effort to present and facilitate an understanding of the complexities of the changing face of the Industry, its drivers, enablers, goals and limitations. This conference served as a forum where research scholars, industry professionals, learned faculty members, functionaries from diverse business backgrounds came together to learn and share their knowledge on this subject.
The day started with the Inaugural ceremony wherein Dr. Lalitya Vir Srivastava, Director AEG, welcomed all the guests. The Inaugural address was delivered by Dr. Sandeep Marwah (President Asian Education Group), wherein he expressed the relevance of the theme chosen. This was marked by the release of the conference souvenir.
The keynote address by Dr. Rakesh Mohan Joshi (Professor and Chairperson of International Collaborations and Research- Indian Institute of Foreign Trade), set the ball rolling and made a perfect start to the conference theme. The speakers at the Inaugural Ceremony Mr. Dilip Chenoy (Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry -FICCI), Mr. Richard Rekhy (Former CEO, KPMG India), Dr. Rakesh Kumar Khandal (President R&D- Indian Glycols Ltd.) connected to the audience by spreading out their rich knowledge of practices and experiences. IBMRC-lifetime membership certificates and mementos were presented to all the guests.
Plenary Session: Leadership Challenges in VUCA World
Leading in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, not only presents a challenging environment in which leaders must operate, but also opens the door to a range of new competencies that are required in order to succeed. Cognitive readiness, the preparedness and agility to handle the situation at hand and still prevail, is a valued skill set in the VUCA world. Today’s leaders must be equipped with the mental, emotional and interpersonal preparedness for uncertainty and risk. This plenary session delved upon this issue and various speakers in the plenary session shared their insights regarding how to lead effectively in a VUCA world.
The eminent guests in the plenary session included:
- Prof. Sudhir K. Jain (Professor and Ex-Head- Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi)
- Mr. Muniinder Anand (Managing Director-India and South Asia – Centre for Creative Leadership)
- Ms. Charandeep David (Head – L&D, OYO Rooms)
- Prof. Kartik Dave (Professor & Dean School of Business, Public Policy & Social Entrepreneurship Ambedkar University, New Delhi)
Each one of them made very pertinent observations on the topic at hand – “Leadership Challenges in a VUCA World”. Post their address, the audience posed their queries related to changing face of leadership challenges in the environment that is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Each of the panellists shared their views about how the role played by leaders and their skill sets and responsibilities is evolving, given the paradigm shift in the challenges in front of leaders. The session closed with how communication, influence and compassion are important for a successful leader today.
VUCA 2019 – Technical Sessions
Post lunch, parallel technical sessions were conducted in tracks consisting of Finance, General Management, Human Resources and Marketing. The best paper award for each category was adjudged by the session chairs in consultation with the co- chair.
The external panellists comprised of Prof. Kartik Dave (Professor and Dean, School of Business, Public Policy and Social Entrepreneurship, Ambedkar University, New Delhi), Dr. Neeti Rana (Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Gautam Buddha University) and Dr. Amitabh Gupta (Associate Professor, Department of Financial Studies, University of Delhi). The verdict of our esteemed panellists was considered final to adjudge the best paper awards in each category. In all, 120 papers were received from authors in India and abroad including contributions from Germany, UK and other nations, out of which 78 were selected by the editorial board for presentation.
VUCA 2019 – Valedictory Function
The Valedictory Function was held in the presence of Dr. Neeni Rana, Prof. Kartik Dave and Dr. Amitabh Gupta as guests. Certificates were awarded to all the participants. The Best Paper awards were given for each technical track. Best paper award for HR track was given to Mitika Nangia & Farhat Mohsin from Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies. For Finance track, best paper award was jointly shared by Vipul Mehta and Vasu Jain from Asian Business School. Mohak Sehgal, Ankur Budhiraja and Ambika Rathi from New Delhi Institute of Management jointly received the best paper award for Marketing track. In the student category, Aashima Malhotra & Mohd.Uzair of PGDM 2018-20 batch of Asian Business School got the best paper award. The conference was summarized by Dr. Resham Sundrani (Member-R&D Cell). At the end of valedictory function, Vote of Thanks was given by Ms. Kavita Khurana (Member-R&D Cell) wherein she thanked the participants, organizing committee members, students and coordinators for making the event successful.