Paper Details

Imaginative role of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) in education, governance, management and social responsibility in India is increasingly being discussed. Meanwhile, HRM is confronted with ongoing ethical dilemmas concerning employee dignity, performance pressure, fairness, voice and employee wellbeing, as well as balancing organisational and stakeholder interests. This conceptual paper covers the ways in which some of the principles of IKS can be used to guide ethical leadership in HRM, while not replacing the current traditions of classical leadership with new principles of contemporary law, evidence or universal rights for employees. The paper sets up a framework connecting dharma, nishkama karma, lokasangraha, ethically bounded artha and leader self-mastery with moral role modelling, fair process, stakeholder orientation and responsible HR practices, following an integrative review of the foundational Indian texts, contemporary IKS scholarship, ethical-leadership research and employee-centred HRM literature. The findings indicate that when purpose, self-regulation, long-term wellbeing, and responsibilities toward others are enhanced, IKS can be an asset, but it can be used in ways that involve complying with demands, giving up oneself, or agreeing to injustice. The paper therefore suggests constitutional morality, non-discrimination, pluralism, employee voice and empirical accountability as boundary conditions. It argues that IKS is an ethical resource that can be used in the HRM field in a reflective way and is not a substitute for the HRM ethical frameworks of the modern age.

Indian Knowledge Systems, ethical leadership, human resource management, dharma, sustainable HRM, employee well-being