Management Perspectives

The next decade must build on the last. With the policy architecture now in place, the focus shifts to execution excellence, collaborative governance, and relentless iteration. By aligning incentives, removing residual friction, and fostering a culture that celebrates calculated risk, India can transform its startup ecosystem from a national success story into a global benchmark.

Purpose gives organisations a reason to exist; stories give them a way to matter. When purpose and storytelling converge, they create a powerful force for change—one that inspires people, shapes culture, and drives impact. In a world hungry for meaning, the organisations that master authentic storytelling will not only survive but thrive.

The middle is not vanishing. It is, in many ways, being invited to evolve. What is disappearing is not the layer itself, but the comfort of its old identity. A more demanding role is emerging—one that must make sense of change, enable people through it, and hold together the human fabric of organisations in an increasingly complex and competitive world.

We owe this to the people of India. As I have mentioned earlier many times, ‘management’ should not be restricted to schools, universities, and the corporate world; it has to continuously touch the lives of people of the country and make them feel safer. IIMs run courses now about many societal subjects; so why shouldn’t management associations also pitch in with all these ‘nation building efforts?