Good day, Deepanshu Wadhwa. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

So basically I am a graphics showing an organizational behavior group at the Institute of Advancement, Calcutta. So I have recently submitted my thesis and I'm awaiting my reviews. This is reviews and in my process I have IV publishing case study published and I have two revising resubmit decisions in two international journals. Moreover, I have.

And experience in teaching assistantships in different organization behavior courses including individual organizational behavior which is microbi and macro OB, plus specific courses on the leadership and diversity, cricket and inclusion.

Do you wanna see?

Thank you, Professor, but that's sufficient for now.

Anything else you want to ask?

Professor Wadhwa, I see you've pursued a Ph.D. in Organizational Behaviour at IIM Calcutta, with research focusing on areas such as hiring discrimination and creating inclusive workplaces. Let's begin by discussing some of the targeted skills and expertise outlined for this position. Could you start by explaining how you would integrate HR Analytics or AI applications into organizational behavior research or teaching?

PS focusing first on the research part so in my thesis, one of the chapter focuses on the role of individuating information in reducing the hiring discrimination of transgender persons so here I what I have done is in there was an experimental manipulation where the individuating information using the standardized. Hiring techniques using AI was used.

Like, uh, the aptitude score, attitude score of the participants were captured and then they those were used in the as a experimental manipulation. So in this way, the usage of.

HR analytics has been done in my thesis work as well as uh in my teaching. I have also uh good interest in HR analytics. I will be developing few courses in HR analytics plus in the my research part if you see I have actually analyzed the experimental data so somehow. I have the skill set which has been used for data analysis so overall it will help me to.

Even teach the HR analytics because I have hands on experience in it.

Yeah.

Please go ahead and detail the methods or tools you used.

OK so I I followed so the tool which I used for data analysis was SPSS Statistics mainly plus in that I follow analysis of variance.

Uh, F test, uh, specifically, uh, I follow F test and then the analysis of variance and then the planned comparisons were done. In this case, in my thesis plus some, uh, survey studies focusing mainly on the ANOVA analysis was done.

And plus in the qualitative studies I've used, thematic analysis and tools used for NVO took that time.

Understood. You mentioned using both SPSS for quantitative analysis as well as NVivo for qualitative research. How did you ensure methodological rigor when combining these two distinct approaches in your research?

So specifically so one thing which I wanted to clarify. So when I use SPSS request for a separately search question all along and when I used NVO for the qualitative analysis, it is a separate research question which is more exploratory oriented than the hypothesis testing 1 which where I used the SPSS. So if you say combining both of them, it basically the methodology or the tools which we use.

Depends on the research question which is coming from so that's more or less aligned if in my thesis, so for the quantitative analysis.

So the the the participants assistant managers, they were asked to review CVS of cisgender and class gender job applicants and they were experimental manipulation and hypothesis testing based on which they had to make some decisions So overall.

The the ANOVA approach was the most suitable one in this experimental study. When I say using N vivo in qualitative study is mainly for the.

Experiences of transgender employees who are already working in their organizations. So here the focus is on the lived experiences rather than testing hypothesis. That's why the qualitative approach is the most suitable 1 here.

The the subjective.

Thank you for clarifying, Professor Wadhwa. It makes sense that your methodological choices were driven by distinct research questions and objectives. Let’s shift focus slightly. You mentioned interest in teaching HR Analytics. Could you outline how you would structure a foundational course on HR Analytics for graduate students? Specifically, what key topics or tools would you prioritize?

OK. So in HR analytics would be focusing on is the full employee life cycle starting from the first steps of screening, then hiring, selecting, then training and so for so on and so forth, including all the HR practices first. So first giving a brief introduction in the HR practices which work HR. Personals do in the organization.

Then moving towards the role of data in all these processes and later on how that this data has been or has been or has to be analyzed using the HR analytical approaches and then seeing how effective the IT can be effective in the employee life cycles. Overall, if you see this would be a more practical driven approach rather.

So this will give a hands on experience on one what are the HR practices involved in an organization and then moving towards the role of data analysis in the whole process of employee life cycle. That is a basic idea which gives 1 theoretical understanding plus both the theoretical and the managerial implications. If you see.

Thank you, Professor Wadhwa. Providing a blend of theoretical understanding and practical data-driven insights into the employee life cycle seems like an engaging approach for graduate students. Would you also incorporate specific software tools or technical skill-building into the coursework? If so, which ones, and how would you integrate them?

One. So basically I I have a good hands on experiences in SPSS Statistics and SPSS Mmos. Moreover, if at the starting stages I would be using Ms. Excel for the simple data analysis and then moving towards the SPI statistics and the SPSS Amos for depending on the the the what type of data I have and the way I want to analyze it if it is more of an experimental kind of.

These scale items with market dimensions, then MOS is a more suitable approach where the the the processes of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis can be done, which gives even more understanding of the data and how the analysis involved in this in the HR data.

Then this PSA statistics would be used because more of a survey involving multiple.

I understand. Your approach to progressively introducing tools like Excel for foundational analysis, followed by SPSS for experiments and Amos for more complex statistical methods like factor analysis, provides a clear pathway for building analytical competency. Next, let’s focus on another key area. Would you describe your experience or perspective on managing family businesses or incorporating it into your teaching?

So managing family businesses, I have experiences so one.

This would be a more personal one. My father is a business personal and I have those hands learnings from my father plus.

My thesis advisor has taught many programs which mainly focuses on the family businesses.

Mainly, the approach do not vary much in terms of family businesses and businesses. These are more more conventional or mainstream corporate type businesses.

The the the ideas and the topics do not vary much, but there are some elements of entrepreneurship which involves in the.

Idea of family businesses, uh, and I have started developing your interest in this area either in research or in teaching. So soon I will be developing few courses in this term of family businesses. But overall, if you see the leadership approaches or the theoretical understandings is kind of same in different sector of organizations than that I have.

Experience in teaching assistantships.

Less the Organizational behavior curriculum which I had for two years out of which I have 7.3 CGP out of nine and commendable teaching assistantship experience in two to three courses in Calcutta which gave me some exposure to the ideas and theories of leadership which can be applicable for family business type of programs.

You bring an interesting perspective, combining personal exposure to family business dynamics with formal academic training. Drawing on both experience and theoretical foundations, I see potential for you to further explore this area in teaching and research. Switching focus slightly—what is your approach to guiding student projects and facilitating research? Could you provide an example of how you've mentored or would mentor students through a structured project?

So structured project, if you see, I have mainly, uh, so uh, I have hands on, don't have hands on experience in the basically reaching any PhD scholars. But for the, the activities one in terms of the MBA curriculum as well as the grad programs, I have some experience, if you see, uh, in the group projects which we regularly give to students.

Uh postcard program in management plus uh, PGP, uh visionary leadership programs, uh group projects plus I uh, have designed almost every class with the experiential learning activities. So I my preferential method of teaching is experiential learning where I design activities where do give a hands on experience to the students rather than giving lectures as a pedagogical approach alone.

I give experiential learning class.

Case studies as a methodology to teach the similar concepts but with this pedagogical approach. So that way this might help.

Your emphasis on experiential learning and case studies as pedagogical tools is commendable, particularly for management and leadership courses. Structuring activities to provide hands-on experience aligns well with fostering applied learning for students. Next, let’s discuss strategic management. How do you approach teaching this subject to effectively balance theory with real-world application?

So strategic management basically, uh, I have one doctor program, doctor course, which I had with this strategic process research where I studied about the differences between strategic content and strategy process. Uh, so basically looking at the resource based view and the contingency theories there I learned about how the strategy links with organization. Plus, moreover, I have two Tiership experiences.

Is with the the Organizational Structure and Design course where multiple theories of strategy. If you see the.

Transactional cost theories all these theoretical understandings of which are common in strategic management as well as organizational behavior that I have struggled well as well as I have experience in these running such courses in terms of designing class exercises for experiential learning Plus I have set of case studies which are applicable for such type of courses.

The agency theory or the source based perspective which I already explained, both were highly discussed.

And yeah.

That's it.

You've demonstrated a solid foundation in strategic management concepts, particularly through your doctoral coursework and teaching experiences. Incorporating theories like the resource-based view and agency theory alongside practical exercises and case studies seems to provide a well-rounded approach to teaching this subject. Let's move to another vital aspect: organizational behavior and career management. How do you address the integration of soft skills training, such as leadership or interpersonal skills, into your teaching methods?

Yeah, that's that's my core area. If you see, I have a lot of experience in teaching courses on leadership specifically as a teaching assistant. I have designed multiple class exercises which are applicable for soft skill trainings the and the leadership specifically in different aspects of leadership.

And those experiential learning approaches are substantiative by the the case studies which I have.

Explored which can be used in such courses. One case study where I use the idea of the inclusive leadership the the Lalit case. The this case study which I published in Ivy Publishing, it's about Lalit and it focuses on inclusive leadership as an idea and in this way.

Somehow developed or somehow?

Uh, the.

Plus research, plus these experiential learning methods can be amalgamated and can be used in the classroom environments of VIP.

Teaching.

That’s impressive, Professor Wadhwa—your expertise in leadership, combined with your case development on inclusive leadership, demonstrates a strong ability to integrate soft skills like leadership and interpersonal training into classroom practice. Using experiential methods tied to your own academic contributions seems very effective for engaging students. Finally, let’s talk about your research publications. Could you summarize the impact or applicability of one of your notable research papers, particularly in terms of teaching or advancing the field?

That's so one, uh, I have a case study published in Ivy Publishing, which is the, uh, the lalit bringing a transgender inclusive workplace.

Which is available on the web and I have a book chapter published in Springer Nature which is about the the leader member exchange concept and specifically focusing on the Algorithmic Leader member exchange.

Specifically in gig work.

It is also a published book chapter and available plus I2 papers. I have in process one in ABDCA or abs 3 and 1 is in the ABDC B and ABS 2. All both of these publications are having in device and resubmit decision and they are in process of resubmission.

Plus one paper I am planning to submit in.

In FT Journal of in organizational behaviour field this way this I have a fully driven in class ideas in research that helps me to innovatively use those research approaches in my teaching curriculum. Somehow it helps I want to design my classes in more of an experiential learning.

The reason is I am continuously, uh, developing, uh, my research ideas, research methodologies, and somehow it helps me to develop the class environment in a similar manner.

Your publication record and ongoing research efforts clearly demonstrate a strong alignment between your academic work and teaching methodologies. Leveraging your case study on inclusive workplaces, book chapters, and forthcoming publications to enrich experiential learning is both innovative and impactful, particularly for students in organizational behavior and related fields. With that, we've covered a broad spectrum of your expertise and skills. Is there anything specific you'd like to add before we wrap up?

I mean, mostly things we have covered. Uh, only thing that I want to add here is it's an interesting experience interacting with the, the VIP, I think department and how the this process has been going on. This is a new.

This experience with for me, uh, never cried such uh, interviews before, but this is an interesting one Before that this the process which I had in the Proctor exam was also very, very interesting and I think this is a new way of this hiring plus.

Using technology in the hiring process which is another approach for HR analytics which somehow which is giving me the interest areas of struggling.

In the, uh, so that, that's why somebody is highly commendable, uh, in terms of using technology in hiring.

No, I think I don't want to add anything. Thank you so much for this.

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback, Professor Wadhwa. It's encouraging to hear that you find the process engaging and reflective of technological advancements in HR practices. Your openness to this experience speaks to your adaptability and forward-thinking approach. If there's nothing further, shall we conclude the interview? Let me know if you'd like to add anything else.

Yes.

You're very welcome, Professor Wadhwa. To confirm, may I proceed to formally conclude the interview?