Leadership in the Indian tradition has been shaped by philosophical, cultural, and ethical frameworks that are distinct from Western paradigms. Unlike Eurocentric governance models, Indic leadership has evolved through principles that emphasise responsibility, statecraft, and economic welfare. This tradition of leadership, embedded in historical texts, epigraphic records, and indigenous governance practices, offers a perspective on governance, military strategy, and public administration that continues to be relevant today. The Indic Leadership Models Project seeks to document, analyse, and contextualise leadership frameworks from Indian history.

The study will focus on statecraft, ethical governance, military organisation, economic policies, and leadership strategies, offering insights into contemporary governance, policy formulation, and business administration. The outcomes of this project will be in the form of a well-researched book and as B-school case studies. We hope to include these results in the curriculum being taught to business students. This project is being supported by Prof K R Srinivas Murthy. Prof Murthy has had an illustrious career in management education from institutions like MIT and Harvard, and has been in leadership positions such as former director of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) and Vice Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). He has been the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and serves on the boards of several educational and non-profit institutions.