Dr Abhishek Kumar

Associate Professor;
Ph.D., Pondicherry University and Associate IIAS, Shimla

Dr Abhishek Kumar is a business leader turned academician with a depth of experience and knowledge in both. His research and teaching work straddles the fields of leadership and brand studies in management to theories of space, aesthetics of architecture and design philosophies. He has a deep interest in literature and continental philosophy and has written extensively on the subject-object split, the phenomenological conception of objects and philosophical analysis of literary texts. His understanding is fashioned by a close reading of the works of Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Michel Foucault. His method includes dwelling upon the aesthetic content of the matter at hand and is a heady mixture of the sensuality of D H Lawrence, iconoclasm of Bernard Shaw, tragic appeal of Thomas Hardy and delightful rigour of Thomas Mann. You may know more about him and his works at www.designdialectics.com

  • Ph.D. Pondicherry University

  • MBA Bharathidasan Institute of Management Trichy

  • B.Sc (Hons) Economics Calcutta University

  • Associateship (Philosophy) Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla

  • Issues common between design and management.

  • Design philosophies and philosophy of architecture

  • Continental philosophy

  • Leadership theory and practice

  • Aesthetics and Product innovation

  • Kumar, A. (2021). Product at the Crossroads of Space, Language and Meaning, The Journal-Contemporary Management Research. Vol. 14(2). Pp 26-33, BIM, Trichy.

  • Kumar, A. Dhanuskodi, R. Kaliappan, R. and Nandakumar, K. (2020). BHEL Smar Wall Blowing System: New Product Development in Manufacturing Industry, Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers. Vol. 45(4). 106-114, Sage Publications, IIM Ahmedabad.

Books or Edited Collections

  • Kumar, A. (2016) Managing Transformation – Research Insights for Business and Economy, Excel India Publishers, New Delhi
  • Kumar, A. (2016) Three Dimensions of Successful Leadership. Lambert Publishing, Germany

Journal Articles

  • Kumar, A. (2021) ‘The Architecture of Online Classrooms’, Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), 56(14) pp 65-66, Sameeksha Trust, Mumbai.
  • Tripathi, R. and Kumar, A. (2020) ‘Humanistic leadership in the Tata group: the synergy in personal values, organisational strategy and national cultural ethos’,Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, Vol ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-01-2020-0025
  • Kumar, A. (2020) ‘Liquid Objects, Solid Meanings’, Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), 55(26-27), pp 90-92. Sameeksha Trust, Mumbai.
  • Kumar, A. (2020) ‘The Profound Madness of a Photograph’, Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), 55(8), pp 60-61. Sameeksha Trust, Mumbai.
  • Kumar, A. (2019) ‘Designer’s Philosopher: Gaston Bachelard’, Economic and Political Weekly, 54(47), pp. 77-79. Sameeksha Trust, Mumbai.
  • Kumar, A. (2018) ‘Water ATMs of Indian Railways: Causing a silent revolution, Vikalpa’, The Journal for Decision Makers, 43(2), 106-114, Sage Publications, IIM Ahmedabad.
  • Kumar, A. (2018) ‘Product as A Symbol: Reading its Cypher Script’, International Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 5(4(1)), pp. 123-130, CPI, USA.
  • Kumar, A. and Kumar, R.V. (2015) ‘Creating a Business-Media Brand Personality Scale’ International Journal of Business and Social Sciences. 6(4(1)), pp. 50-61, CPI, USA.
  • Kumar, A. and Kumar, R.V. (2015) ‘A Curious Case of Business-Media Brand Personality Scale’, Management and Labour Studies, 40(1&2), pp. 95-109, Sage Publications, XLRI Jamshedpur.
  • Kumar, A. (2014) ‘Marketing and Philosophy’, Shiksha Kshetre, 2(5), pp. 15, ID Publishing, Jamshedpur, India
  • Kumar, A. (2014) ‘A Conversation between Gora of Rabindranath Tagore and John Tanner of Man and Superman’, Asian Journal of English Studies, 3(4), 28-35, Forum for Innovation and Transformation, Pune.
  • Kumar, A. and Kumar, R.V. (2014) ‘Brand Personality Scales for Media: A Story in the Making’, The Business and Management Review, (1), pp. 14-19, Cambridge, UK.
  • Kumar, A. (2011) ‘Sensationalization and Sextainment – Precepts for Success in Media and Entertainment Business’, International Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 2(5). pp. 232-236, CPI, USA.
  • Kumar, A. (2011) ‘Personality-Fit of a CEO in Family Businesses: Evolution of a Conceptual Framework for Leadership Effectiveness’, International Journal of Business and Social Sciences’, 2(2), pp. 254-261, CPI, USA.

Case Study

  • Kumar, A. (2012) ‘Ganges – A Temporary Institution’, European case Clearing House (ECCH), Paris, France.
  • Kumar, A and Sankaran, M. (2017) ‘Ramco Systems: Product Management’, Ivey Publishing, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
  • Kumar, A. (2019). Heritage as Representational Space: Lefebvre Revisited, International Conference on Heritage Management Education and Practice: Ensuring Fair Access and Inclusion in Heritage Management. Pp-70-71, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad.
  • Kumar, A. (2018). Subject-object split, Cypher and Product, World Congress of Philosophy. Beijing, China.
  • Kumar, A. (2016). Gora and John Tanner – A Foucauldian Reading, Associateship Presentation. IIAS Shimla.
  • Kumar, A. (2016). Product Levels – A Philosophical-Marketing Reconstruction, Marketing Reborn – Traditions, Trends Techniques. Pp. 200-211. MICA Ahmedabad.
  • Kumar, A. and Kumar, R.V (2015). Developing a Business-Media Brand personality Scale, American Marketing Association Summer Educator’s Conference. Pp. C19-C26, Chicago.
  • Kumar, A. and Kumar, R.V (2015). Business Media Brand Personality Scale, Marketing in Emerging Economies. Pp. 133-142, IIM Ahmedabad.
  • Kumar, A. (2011). The Telegraph goes Nude, Indifed Chennai. Pp20-21. Annamalai University, Chennai. – Won the best paper award
  • Kumar, A. (2010). A Tale of Two CEOs, Re-Inventing Businesses:Shifting Paradigms and Seizing Opportunities. Pp49-53. IMM, Delhi. – Won the best paper award in HR category
  • Air India – The Return Journey, Eastern Review, Vol 2, Issue 12, December 2021, Sampark Publication, Kolkata
  • Costumes Heralding Change, The Statesman, 1st October 2021
  • A Tale of Two CEOs, Eastern Review, Vol 2, Issue 6, August 2021, Sampark Publication, Kolkata
  • Covid-19 impact: How has the pandemic affected the teaching profession? India Today on 26th August 2021
  • Literary Writing as a Creative Practice – The Times of India Education Times 2nd August 2021
  • Short Story: Tagore, Shaw and Foucault – An Imaginary Conversation 7th March 2021 published in kitaab.org – Connecting Asian writers to global readers
  • True Leader in Making, The Pioneer, https://anu.edu.in/news/true-leader-in-making-dr-abhishek-kumar-the-pioneer/
  • Cinematic design: Drama of creativity, Dr Abhishek Kumar and Neeti Patel
  • The Poetic Force of Architecture, Realtyplusmag.com, November 2020, Authors – Dr Abhishek Kumar and Arjun Nair
  • Letter to A Young Designer, Business World Education, 29th June, 2020
  • On Listening Skills – Education Plus, p 14, The Hindu, 2011
  • Of Newtons and Apples, A fortnightly column, The Telegraph in Schools, 2010-2012. Every article dealt with one quirky fact about their personality and one relatively unknown achievement of great personalities.
  • Nurturing juniors by being an Example- Excerpts from “The Story of My Experiments with Truth” BHEL Year Book, 2013, New Delhi

Quoted in The Economic Times/The Times of India/The Hindu

  • On revival of hiring by manufacturing companies, January 8, 2016
  • Five ways to give negative feedback gracefully
  • Five ways to deal with a boss with poor listening skill, April 1, 2016
  • B Schools teach students to Speak, 25 September 2016
  • BIM Trichy conduct’s leadership training program, Being and Becoming a Leader The Times of India, Aug 22, 2014 and The Hindu September 1, 2014
  • B Schools think out of the syllabus, Get Innovative, November 26, 2013</li>
  • This isn’t fiction, Literature goes to B school and Teaching Classics – A Growing Trend, April 19, 2013
  • Execs get lessons from Indian ethos, March 2013
  • Politics New Classroom for B-Schools, March 24, 2012, The Hindu
  • Learning the ropes of leadership, April 9, 2012, The Hindu

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