IAC2026 Concept Note
From Gurukul to Boardroom – Indian Knowledge Management Systems in Present day organizations
“The past is not dead; it is living in us and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make.” – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
India has always been recognized as the civilisation where knowledge was not just a collectable or matter of perseverance, but a pace where knowledge was lived, practised, exchanged, and transmitted from the Gurukul to society at large across generations.
The traditional Indian philosophical theories and practices created Indian Knowledge Management Systems (IKMS) which is more like connecting intellect with ethics, learning with lived experience, and personal development with collective responsibility.
As leadership and management education confront the challenge of preparing individuals for uncertainty, ethical ambiguity, and rapid change, the decoding and integration of IKMS emerges not as an academic exercise, but as a strategic need of the hour.
By adhering with this traditional richness, the eighth edition of IAC with the theme “From Gurukul to Boardroom: Indian Knowledge Management Systems in Present-Day Organisations” is aiming for insights about the meaningful interwoven effectiveness of Indian knowledge traditions with contemporary leadership and learning ecosystems while bringing cultural changes in the organizational and academic philosophies.
The broader subthemes the conference delves into are:
1. Indian Knowledge management systems as living frameworks for leadership:
Indian Knowledge Management Systems (IKMS) offer more than just cultural context. They are useful and practical leadership frameworks that help to make decisions, improve skills, and make organizations more effective and sustainable in complicated modern business settings.
2. Balancing Tradition with Modernity: Road ahead for Indian organizations:
Indian organizations nowadays navigate the complex landscape where traditional values coexist with evolving technology. Balancing tradition with modernity has emerged as a critical leadership challenge in a globally competitive environment.
3. Wellness, Sustainability, and Humanistic Leadership: The Triple Success Engines:
Success is so well connected with triple foundations of Wellness, sustainability, and leadership responsibility for achieving sustainable growth of the organizations. Leaders are progressively expected to deliver the results while safeguarding their employees well-being and environmental responsibility while keeping the humanistic approach towards the society as whole.
4. Gen Z and Indian Knowledge Management Systems: Allies or Strangers:
Gen Z workplace expectations are reshaping terms of purpose, flexibility, honesty, and inclusion. Many organisations are still struggling to figure out to have the meaningfully engagement and growth of this new workforce in a meaning way.
IAC has consistently been a platform for celebrating and recognizing the groundbreaking contributions of both Academia and Industry. In keeping with this tradition, IAC 2026 is set to host a dynamic and power-packed Awards session, showcasing and acknowledging excellence in both realms.