MDI Gurgaon and Think Culture Foundation partner to host Think Culture Conclave 2019; promote cultural consciousness in corporate leadership
Gurgaon: Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, a frontrunner B-school in India, has collaborated with Think Culture Foundation (TCF) to organize Think Culture Conclave 2019. Themed “Culturally Conscious Leadership”, the event focused on the need for promoting cultural sensitivity in the business ecosystem to bolster cross-cultural as well as organizational synergies among the increasingly diverse workforce of 2020.
The latest edition of the annual convention took place on 27 November, 2019 at the MDI Gurgaon campus, and was attended by eminent dignitaries including domain-leading CXOs, entrepreneurs, and academicians, among others. The event underlined MDI’s vision of promoting cultural consciousness and will serve as a platform for similar events in the future – many of which are already in the pipeline.
The conclave also marked the beginning of an enriching partnership between MDI Gurgaon and Think Culture Foundation (TCF) that aligns with one of MDI’s core missions of imparting value-based education to its students aimed at fostering future leadership. As such, the Think Culture Conclave 2019 explored the critical role that cultural diversity and inclusion play in leadership and relationship-building in the workplace, and will continue to guide global synergies in the future. A recent McKinsey study validates this development by linking a diversified workplace culture to 40% greater employee engagement as well as enhanced business performance.
Prof. (Dr.) Pawan Kumar Singh, Director, MDI Gurgaon, said, “Culturally conscious leadership is very important, especially in this globalized world. For the leaders across cultures, integrity, humility, sense of purpose and emotional intelligence is very crucial.” He also emphasized on being sensitive to the environment for the future generation.
Ms. Yan Han, Founder, Think Culture Foundation emphasised on the importance of culture and described her vision of it, “For me, Culture is like the air. As time flows and the futures wrinkles into past, Culture persists. It reflects the sense of what it means to be a human being. It is an affection for the beautiful and the gracious around us. Think Culture Foundation is built on this vision’.
The gathering facilitated a platform for various knowledge-sharing sessions to take place. The speakers shared their experiences and insights on implementing organization-wide tools and initiatives to boost cooperation between teams. The event also featured conversations around ways of fostering a robust corporate environment which reinforces positive cultural and social values. The significance of privileging inclusivity and crafting a diversity-centric strategy led by strong, sustained, and inclusive leadership emerged as a key takeaway.
The dignitaries who delivered focused insights revolving around the theme included keynote speaker Mr. S Y Siddiqui, Chief Mentor, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd; and Ms Yan Han, Founder, Think Culture Foundation. Other panelists were Ms. Priyanka Agrawal, Regional Talent Manager (Reckitt Benckiser); Ms. Divya Jain, Founder & CEO (Safeducate); Dr. Tanuja Sharma, Professor and Area Chair, HRM, MDI Gurgaon; and Ms. Srabani Dubey, Vice President (Great Place to Work) and Ms. Wenjuan Zhang, Director, Centre for India-China Studies.
In line with its mission of empowering culture and youth, Think Culture Foundation also collaborated with the College of Arts, Delhi. More than 40 student artists set the event aglow on the back of their exquisite creations that were exhibited at the special corridor at MDI Gurgaon.