New Scholar joins the Empowering Project

Dr Jaideep Welcome  to the Empowering Project!

Dr.Jaideep is a PhD in Organizational Behaviour from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi. His PhD study was ‘Spirit Centric Leadership Styles for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study of Indian PSUs’. Dr Jaideep has more than ten years of  experience in teaching and administration. He holds Masters Degree in Business Administration from Uttar Pradesh Technical University with dual specialization in Human Resource & Marketing. 

Dr Jaideep worked as Research Officer in the project entitled Restructuring of Ministry of Home affairs at Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. His interest areas of research include Leadership, Spirituality, CSR, Sustainable Development and Value Based Management. Dr Jaideep has qualified National Eligibility Test conducted by UGC for Lectureship. He was awarded JRF (Junior research Fellowship) and SRF (Senior Research Fellowship) by UGC. He has also published several research papers in various national and international journals. 

Dr Jaideep will be looking into "Soap for Hope" an initiative by "Doctors for You" a nonprofit launched in India in 2016 by Diversey India. His  case study will explore how the work is organised, including how local nonprofits employ underprivileged community members in craft making workshops.

Team Changes and Updates

Unfortunately our colleague Sanatan Tiwari has left the project. However we have recruited a new scholar from the University of Delhi, Faculty of Management Studies. I will post an update about him soon. At the moment he is working on the design of his Case Study to get Ethical Approval.

Four students have already started their fieldwork and are collecting data from interviews and participant observation, using audio recorders, photo and video cameras. Two of them have travelled to remote areas and have successfully returned bringing with them their experiences using audio and visual technologies in areas with limited access to electricity and internet. Soon we will share some of their reflections in this blog.

The Empowering Case Studies

As our Student/Researchers are already working on their fieldworks I thought I could share some details of their work:

Avilasa Sengupta is working on ‘Ecofeminist organisation and earth democracy in food production’: her study focuses on the practices used by a non-profit organization to empower women and the religious/spiritual beliefs that these practices are based on. Methods comprise participant observation and semi-structured interviewing with video recording and photography.

Guangpuanang Kahmei is working on ‘Organisational tradition, change and loss in the Naga tribe of NE India’: his study focuses on the organization of tradition among the Zeliangrong Naga in the Indian state of Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The study involves a collective storytelling interview session about stories of organisational tradition, change and loss followed by semi-structured interviews and discussions.

Nikhil Kumar is working on ‘Giving voice to unspoken issues of gender through the organization of Street Play Theatre’: Nikhil is looking at street plays which address issues of gender in Indian society, organisations and workplaces. He will attend and watch these plays, which are typically attended by approximately 100-200 people. He will obtain and read the scripts of the plays, video record the play and take photographs. After the play Nikhil will interview performers and members of the audience.

Rohit Shah is working on ‘The enactment of leadership in the Santal tribe of Jharkhand’: he is looking at how leadership is enacted in this community, and the ways in which the tribal religion is invoked to protect the land (Mother Earth). The study explores the tensions arising from the degradation of the environment. The methods used are individual semi-structured interviews which will be recorded and photographed.

Sanatan Tiwari is working on ‘Local government and community responses to farmer suicides in the Maharashtra’: he is exploring how communities make sense of, and respond to, the high incidence of farmer suicides in the Maharashtra. The study will involve qualitative semi-structured interviews with the Sarpanch, elected village representatives of the local government (Panchayat) and other local community leaders.

Sumeet Anand is working on ‘Stories of economic migration told by Uber/Ola drivers in Delhi’: Sumeet will select research participants by taking short Uber/Ola rides and asking drivers briefly where they are from. If they satisfy the criteria for inclusion in the study (i.e. they are economic migrants who originate from other areas of India and not from outside of India) he will invite them to participate. Data collection will take place at a prearranged public meeting place. The method of study will involve life history interviewing combined with portrait photography, where the student will work with participants to determine how they would like to be photographed.

Empowering Mentors

As the student/researchers are going through their training on qualitative research methodologies (see previous post) we have introduced them to their new Mentors. Our Mentors are OU based with experience in carrying out qualitative research.

We have asked Mentors to organise Skype meetings with their Mentees. The purpose of the conversations will be to provide advice and answer the students' questions about doing qualitative research. We have also asked Mentors to share information on their own research if it is relevant to the case studies. The Mentor-Mentee interactions will continue through out the duration of the case studies.

More updates soon.

Empowering Methodologies Video Lectures

Professor Emma Bell and Dr Tim Butcher have filmed a series of 8 Video Lectures as part of a training plan for our Indian Student/Researchers. The Lectures address topics such as Decolonising Research, Indigenous Management Research, Ethnography, Visual Methods and Research Ethics. We hope this material will help and inspire the students to improve the design of their case studies in line with the "Empowering" concepts and to put them into practice.

The Lectures have been uploaded on our (private) Project Space alongside reading material. At the moment the students are watching and reading. But we are also encouraging them to provide feedback on the contents of the lectures. In this way we can start nice discussions that will enhance their learning process.

We would like to thank Sas Amoah, Online Producer, from Open Media and Informal Learning OU, for Filming and Editing the Films for us.

On a related matter, I helped Sas with the editing, watching the videos several times and filling Editing Tables with times for cuts. We have gone through several rounds of editing adding texts and making the videos look good. It was time consuming but an interesting experience. I can say however that the final products are excellent and I expect useful for the students :)

Summer Update and good news

In early July, after a few weeks of hard work, Emma submitted an application for Ethical Approval with the Human Research Ethics Committee within the Open University. The application included information of the overall project Developing Empowering Methodologies in Management Research and also details of the individual projects our six students/researchers will carry out soon in India.

We have had great news recently.

Yes!!!

We have received Ethical Approval so we can carry on with the Students' projects!!  😃😃😃😃😃

More to come soon.

Six Students join The Empowering Project!

Six students from the University of Delhi have joined the project. They were selected from a group of students who attended a workshop at the Faculty of Management Studies. The workshop was titled (as the project) Developing Empowering Methodologies in Management Research and we discussed ideas about Empowering Methodologies and how to put them into practice. After the workshop we invited interested students to submit an application to participate in the project with a Case Study. After a few weeks and much deliberation Professor Bell and Professor Sengupta selected six of the applications which were in line with the objectives of the Project and which have excellent potential for implementation in the coming months.

Here you have brief paragraphs about each student, so you know who we are working with. Of course I will post more information about the actual Case Studies as the project progresses. Here, in alphabetical order:

Avilasa Sengupta: I am currently pursuing Masters in Psychology from University of Delhi, India and aspire to have a career in counselling and therapy. I am particularly interested in gender sensitive research through qualitative methods. Being raised in a matriarchal setting by a strong single mother, I have grown to cherish and value womanhood in all respects. I believe that bonds between women have a unique nurturing and dynamic power and by sharing experiences and with collaborative efforts we together can create a better future. In my spare time I enjoy listening to soulful music and indulging in nature walks. I also like to read novels and articles that are thought provoking and that offer different lenses to view the world.


Guangpuanang Kahmei: originally from Tamenglong, Manipur (North Eastern States of India) but living in Delhi since 2012. I graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), under the University of Delhi in Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), and later received a master of Commerce (Finance) from Department of Commerce and Business, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. I also briefly work with the department of commerce, Zakir Hussain Delhi College (Morning), University of Delhi before I joined Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) as a PhD student. Currently, I’m pursuing a PhD in Organizational Behaviour and my research interest is “Learning organization; study in the context of Indian culture”. Apart from a secular study, I have a deep interest in religious study and theology, especially bible and active member of North Delhi EGF (Evangelical Graduate Fellowship), under UESI (Union of Evangelical Students of India).


Nikhil Kumar: I am a post-graduate student at the Department of Psychology, University of Delhi. Currently I am associated with a Market Research Firm, as a Research Executive. My work here mostly involves the incorporation of the ideas and methods and applications of the skills I have learnt during my academic journey, as a Qualitative Researcher.

My keen interest is in studying diverse cultures across the world, mostly the cultures that are endangered or are diminishing at a rapid rate or are lost within the purlieus of their bounded territories. I also have a keen interest in studying how religion and spirituality unveils in different parts of the world. I also have developed an interest in studying the organizational cultures and its impact behind their success.

I love reading, and I find a keen interest in reading about the Hindu Mythology and Different Scriptural Texts from ancient Indian History. I have been an active member of dance and drama clubs at various levels. I also see myself as a budding writer, as it helps me to express myself freely without any hesitation. Another way I see of expression of experiences, be it good or bad, associated with me or with others, is sketching and Painting. I have worked with few NGOs in Delhi which aim to teach kids and aid them with the skills of arts and crafts.


Rohit Shah: I am pursuing a PhD at the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi and simultaneously teaching as Assistant Professor at Shyam Lal College, University of Delhi. I have done my Masters in Commerce from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and Graduation in Commerce from Hansraj College, University of Delhi. I have written research articles in the field of Marketing, Ethics, Taxation, and much more. My main research interests include Global Climate Change and Eco-system Management- Culture, Traditions and Nature.

Sanatan Tiwari: Researcher by nature, teacher by profession. I love to learn from all possibilities. I am currently pursuing PhD from FMS Delhi University, and have been working as an assistant professor in Delhi University for the last 6 years. I have published a couple of books in Economics domain, one of which is recommended by Delhi school of economics, economics department as suggested reading book.


Sumeet Anand: I am a dynamic marketing strategy, consumer insights and brand communications professional with an eclectic mix of work experience across industry and academia. Post MBA, 5 years of industry experience in market research, consumer insights and brand management with top MNCs. Pursuing a PhD in Marketing Semiotics from FMS, University of Delhi. UGC NET qualified in ‘Management’ subject and 1.5 years’ experience of teaching UG/PG courses as visiting faculty at leading private universities in Delhi NCR. Research interests include meaning deconstruction using qualitative methods and applied semiotics, cognition based behavioural and consumption psychology, marketing strategy and brand communication. I am extremely passionate about music, Indian classical music in particular.

Congratulations and we are looking forward to working with you!