In search of Change Maestros - P. Singh

Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." In Search of Change Maestros is a book about leaders who chose to be that change.

In Search of Change Maestros documents the contributions of seven great Indian wealth creators and institution builders who thought out of the box and had the vision and fortitude to create world-class Indian corporations that have set global benchmarks. The compilation includes case studies of Kumar Mangalam Birla, M. Damodaran, Sajjan Jindal, K.V. Kamath, Sunil Bharti Mittal, A.M. Naik, and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

This book highlights:

"The personae and leadership styles of the seven maestros.

"The growth story and best practices of their corporations.

"And, the essential difference that makes the maestros contribution and legacy different from others.

This is a first-of-its-kind work that focuses on outstanding Indian corporate icons-their means, methods, and achievements-and in the process, creates an entirely new paradigm for evaluating Change Maestros and change leaders not only in the corporate world, but also in public life all over the world.

With skilful integration of imaginative fables from different cultures into the case studies and synthesis of in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and anthropological analysis, the authors provide a glimpse into the intimate world-view of these Change Maestros and take the readers on a journey to discover how to be the change they want to see.

Pritam Singh is currently the CEO of LEAD Centre in Gurgaon.Dr Singh is a thought leader with extraordinary insight. Dr Singhis the author of seven critically acclaimed books, three of whichare award winning. He has also published over 60 research papersin various national and international journals. He is a globallysought-after speaker and has addressed various Indian and globalaudiences, including Chambers of Commerce in various countries,notably, Holland, France, Germany, Greece, Russia, UK, USA,Thailand, Mauritius, Egypt, etc.

As an academic administrator, Dr Singh has an unparalleledrecord. With his entrepreneurial vision and path-breaking innovativemethods, Dr Singh turned around the fortunes of bothMDI-Gurgaon (where he was the director from 1994 to 1998 andfrom 2003 to 2006) and IIM Lucknow (1998-2003). He steeredInternational Management Institute (IMI) for a period of threeyears until October 2014, and during this period IMI improved tremendouslyin reputation and ranking. Quite fittingly, therefore, heearned the repute of Midas Touch Director.

As the Chairman and member of several policy-making committeesand bodies of the Government of India, he has stampedhis perspective on policy issues that surround both managementeducation and corporate management in India. He is currently onthe Board of 10 reputed private- and public-sector organizations,helping them initiate the change process and charter a winningcorporate strategy.

He has been conferred the prestigious 'Padma Shri'-a first inthe field of management education. He has also been the recipientof several other prestigious awards, the most notable amongthem being the 'Global Thought Leader' 2006-2007 by MIRBIS(the Russian School of Business in Moscow), where he was the firstAsian to be thus awarded. Thinkers50 India ranked him 27 out of 50Indian Thinkers (both in India and globally) in 2014.

In Search of Change Maestros is based on an empirical research to study the leadership styles and persona of some of the most recognized names in the Indian corporate world and the impact they have made on the institutions led by them…The authors have built effectively on qualitative data culled out from the in-depth interviews of quantitative data collected through structured questionnaires, to highlight and understand key elements that categorises change leaders…Many fascinating stories and folklores have been blended with the conceptual frames and research findings to create the context and make the book an interesting read…The authors through this scholarly work have introduced a fresh perspective to the study of leadership in the context of Indian corporate environment…The book has been able to provide some meaningful insights on softer aspects of change management that result in high performance organizations. The lesson can definitely be imbibed and practised in the current Indian business Context.

The book is a clinically thorough attempt, perhaps, the first book post-1991, to analyse the trailblazing business successes of modern India. The authors have impeccable credentials with vast experience in management teaching and consulting with myriad organizations. The academic approach is clearly visible with the appendices strewn throughout containing extensive data and analyses…. Change Maestros is a commendable effort to quantify the industrial successes post-liberalised India. The authors have sincerely attempted to go behind the scene to dig out the story.

In Search of Change Maestros attempts at chronicling the functioning of seven business leaders in the last decade and a half. The book is not a search as the title says, but a careful aggregation of milestones and events, based on the somewhat unusual approach of combining qualitative research and interviews with employees and juniors. A book like Change Maestros is a useful addition to bookshelves, particularly if you want to look back at the bare facts about how some of India's most successful corporations and business groups have evolved.

The common dimensions of Change Maestros encapsulate all of the significant elements of highly successful leaders and when embedded in the stories of seven extraordinary change agents of history, they bring out the understanding of what such leaders are about to all of us in a powerful and provocative way.

In Search of Change Maestros is a unique contribution. It provides powerful and meaningful insights on change, strategy, and role of the leader. I highly recommend this book to all leaders and those aspiring to become Change Maestros.

This book celebrates our home-grown heroes without apology or inhibition! It is a telescopic vision of the vast mindscape of transformational leadership. In this, the authors are pathfinders. The dizzying array of stories, cases, and evidence-based concepts will be a part of our academic and corporate folklore for many years to come.

During a period where change leadership is in short supply globally, the authors have provided us with an amazing book containing some outstanding examples of change leaders from India.

Pritam Singh and Asha Bhandarker's selection of the cast of Change Maestros in the book In Search of Change Maestros is remarkable for its extensive representation: a young inheritor; an empire builder; an indomitable entrepreneur; a tenacious innovator; a righteous bureaucrat; an expansionist technocrat; and a prescient banker.

This book reflects a magnificent understanding of what leads to building great Indian corporations. It shows how outstanding Indian leaders have woven growth and people power, keeping in view cultural uniqueness, into the organizational fabric for creating outstanding and globally competing organizations. It is definitely the book you must read if you wish to seek inspiration and gain understanding of the intricacies for managing change.