Rajneesh Chowdhury, PhD | University of Hull (original) (raw)

Papers by Rajneesh Chowdhury, PhD

Routledge eBooks, Apr 16, 2024

Systems research and behavioral science, May 18, 2023

Journal of awareness-based systems change, May 31, 2023

Conscious systemic leadership (CSL) is a theoretical construct that draws from Shiva consciousnes... more Conscious systemic leadership (CSL) is a theoretical construct that draws from Shiva consciousness. Through major parts of history, theories and narratives have taken an individualistic approach to leadership focusing on the person as a leader. However, systemic leadership (SL) is an emergent phenomenon that draws on synergies and concerted efforts of several people and institutions operating across several places and levels to create a more purposeful and meaningful existence for us. If SL is about shifting the focus from the self to the wider scheme of existence, a consciousness-based approach is necessary. A consciousness-based approach enables us to undergo a mind-shift from the individual to the collective, from short-term to long-term, from rigidity to fluidity, from holding-on to letting-go, and from results-focus to learning-orientation. The philosophy of Shiva is drawn on to understand that consciousness is the substratum of reality, an insight used to build the theoretical construct of CSL. In Shiva consciousness, reality is embodied in our experience of the world through a transcendental and eternal process of fusion and dance of energies between the opposing archetypes of the purusha and prakriti; pure consciousness and the creative force, respectively. Everywhere, in each minute attribute of

Systems thinking can lend a powerful perspective for problem-structuring and problem-solving in h... more Systems thinking can lend a powerful perspective for problem-structuring and problem-solving in health systems. They can serve to articulate assumptions rooted in mental models and individual values and help in facilitating convergence of viewpoints between differing stakeholders in an inclusive and participative manner. This paper presents a case-study where three systems methodologies – VSM, SSM and SAST – were used sequentially in the UK NHS to bring about value-based consensus between managers and clinicians overcoming legacy differences. The discussions highlight the contribution systems methodologies can make in unearthing causes of organisational dissonance, misaligned priorities, and deep-rooted conflict, and how the same can be resolved by working towards a higher-order stakeholder convergence through application of certain methodologies creatively and flexibly. Discussions presented emphasise on the importance of problem-structuring as an essential step before problem-solving. It is also argued that the former needs to flow through an intervention as an iterative process and that problem-structuring should not be regarded as a one-time activity. Learnings presented in this paper can be of equal value for systems and healthcare researchers and practitioners. The intervention can be located within the ambit of Holistic Flexibility, a recently introduced conceptual lens in systems thinking.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an endemic mental health crisis with the world’s population gri... more The COVID-19 pandemic has created an endemic mental health crisis with the world’s population gripped with constant fear of infection, death, isolation, and deep personal loss. Organizations today are having to deal with a complete generation of workforce suffering from anxiety and depression emanating out of the effects of COVID-19. This has led organizations to rethink how they engage with their workforce and how they ensure a healthy work environment so that employees can contribute positively to the business and to their own selves. Such developments have catalyzed employee wellbeing to come to the forefront in organization studies and practice in current times. Employee wellbeing is an overarching concept that can define an organization’s engagement with its employees touching various dimensions that matter for people to ensure a workforce that is physically and mentally healthy and that can positively contribute towards an organization’s vision and performance. Given that a wide variety of dimensions need to be considered for the design and implementation of employee wellbeing initiatives, a systems thinking approach needs to be adopted to appreciate how these dimensions mutually interact and how they need to be curated for a target audience. This chapter narrates a case-study of RoundGlass, a global wellbeing company, that has adopted a systems thinking approach to design and deploy a unique employee wellbeing solution for its employees. A narration of how RoundGlass adapted its engagements with its employees, staying close to its vision, at the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is presented. A systemic ideation of the RoundGlass approach to employee wellbeing is presented in light of Holistic Flexibility, a conceptual lens in systems thinking. The ideations presented offer key learning for organizations that want to set themselves in the path of enabling employee wellbeing.

Systemic Practice and Action Research, Jan 10, 2023

Considering Systems Thinking (ST) as a cognitive skill can create greater acceptability of and op... more Considering Systems Thinking (ST) as a cognitive skill can create greater acceptability of and openness to the discipline from practitioners and researchers outside operations research and management science. Rather than associating ST with frameworks and methodologies, ST as a cognitive skill can help popularize and democratize the discipline. This paper highlights how the conceptual lens of Holistic Flexibility can help practitioners deploy ST as a cognitive skill without the application of any traditional systems methodology. Holistic Flexibility is defined as the dynamic interplay between a state of mind that has the ability to absorb systemic complexity and a state of practice that has the ability to embrace flexibility, both in intent and in form. Through two case-studies, discussions in this paper highlight how Holistic Flexibility can serve as a conceptual lens for systems practitioners. The case-studies demonstrate the importance of a practitioner's ability to seamlessly manage and work with multiple variables, stakeholders, and factors to deliver responsible outcomes with the aid of learning loops. The main contribution of this paper lies in the case-studies and analyses presented that provide use cases for Holistic Flexibility in ST, which will help address recent calls in the discipline for ST to be considered as a cognitive skill.

Sociology of Covid 19 Pandemic in India, 2022

The last decade, specifically the last two years with the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has come t... more The last decade, specifically the last two years with the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has come to realize the limitations of a binary and fragmented approach that modern-day management has thrived on. The structures and institutions that humankind has created in the last century are directed to yield benefits in the short term for specific segments of people based on the biases that these structures and institutions have been established on. Organizations that have created great wealth for humankind have not only contributed towards grand global challenges such as climate change, rapid extinction of life forms, wars, poverty and exploitation, and mass economic migration, these organizations have also harmed their own employees to land them in an environment where work stress, performance pressure, anxiety due to workplace politics, and the feeling of constantly reeling under a threat to one’s job have become a norm. In the wake of such crises facing social and economic organizations, there is an increasing realization that focus needs to be redirected to a sense of purpose to guide organizations not only on how they should function, but also for them to ask questions on their purpose of existence. Discussions presented in this chapter will focus on how organizational wellbeing is central to appreciating such existential questions and on strategies on how practices and processes can be crafted within organizations that can help business leaders, managers and executives find their own place in the world as individuals who exist to appreciate the goodness of life, in general, rather than owners whose sole motive is to generate wealth and employees whose sole motive is to earn a paycheck. Organizational wellbeing is a multifaceted concept, and it requires a wide variety of considerations to be brought together in a coherent and interconnected manner. A systems approach will be the overall framework within which the discussions in this chapter will be framed. Systems thinking enables the understanding of how one can create their own informed boundaries, understand interrelationships, and appreciate emergent patterns – characteristics necessary to navigate complex situations. With first-hand experience of the author, a detailed case-study of an organization will be presented that has taken up wellbeing as its sole purpose of existence. The case will narrate how the organization was conceptualized and created by its founder, who is a global wellbeing enthusiast, and an overview will be presented on the initiatives for the soil, soul and society undertaken by the organization. The case will explore, in detail, how the organization dedicated itself to the wellbeing of its employees and the community with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The initiatives it took and the support it extended to its people and the community during the greatest crisis facing humanity set a benchmark. Finally, the chapter will present the learning from the discussions and highlight the importance of spirituality in the journey of organizational wellbeing. The chapter will end with conceptual thoughts on principles for organizational wellbeing in the context of spirituality.

Flexible Systems Management

Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 2022

Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2022

The Nataraja is perhaps the most well-recognized anthropomorphic form of the Hindu god, Shiva. Th... more The Nataraja is perhaps the most well-recognized anthropomorphic form of the Hindu god, Shiva. This paper articulates a set of principles for a recently developed conceptual lens in systems thinking called Holistic Flexibility for flexible and responsible management practice. The five most important function of the Nataraja, or the panchakritya, have been drawn on to articulate these principles; these principles are – "system as becoming", drawing from srishti or creation, "transformative flexibility", drawing from samhara or transformation, "responsible practice" drawing from tirobhava or (freedom from) ignorance, "spiral of learning" drawing from samhara or liberation, and "pragmatic artistry" drawing from sthithi or assurance. An argument is presented to establish the importance of management consciousness drawing from the Shiva philosophy. Behaviors associated with the principles are enlisted along with the challenges for manager...

Flexible Systems Management, 2019

Routledge eBooks, Apr 16, 2024

Systems research and behavioral science, May 18, 2023

Journal of awareness-based systems change, May 31, 2023

Systemic Practice and Action Research, Jan 10, 2023

Sociology of Covid 19 Pandemic in India, 2022

Flexible Systems Management

Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 2022

Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2022

Flexible Systems Management, 2019

Springer, 2019

This book discusses how systems thinking and approaches can aid management consultants in navigat... more This book discusses how systems thinking and approaches can aid management consultants in navigating the complexities of client advisory in current realities. It thereby brings to the forefront aspects of holism, flexibility and responsibility-the keys to success in today's world. Management consultants are called in to offer an independent expert view of an organisation/ a situation and are expected to address some of the most pressing problems businesses face. The client does not exist in a silo, but in a complex environment that lies at the intersection of a range of internal and external factors that are often unseen and unpredictable. The organisation itself presents an alien territory that the consultant is expected to acclimatise to within a very short period of time, and come up with solutions that "insiders" would not have been able to visualise. The book presents a range of ideas, concepts and reference cases that are relevant and topical for consultants in their daily work. It argues that systems thinking allows holism and flexibility in management consulting-while holism is about the ability to encompass the environmental and organisational complexity, flexibility is about the ability to think creatively and adopt different approaches to accommodate this complexity. With commentaries, case studies, conceptual models and perspectives that cut across multiple industries, sectors and countries, this book is a valuable resource for academics and professionals alike. The book's inner pages and its page on Springer.com contain additional comments providing perspectives of clients, industry experts and academia.