Shaping the Future of Work

Sripada Chandrasekhar (Chandra) combines vast practitioner experience with deep academic interests in teaching, research and scholarship. Chandra’s current research interests are focused on leadership, talent, culture and the future of work in digital economies. He teaches a range of courses covering topics such as power, influence, change, networks, personal and organizational leadership, strategic human resource
management, and future of work and careers. Chandra was a C-Suite executive with a large public, private and MNC firms and held the role of the chief human resources officer (CHRO) for more than twenty-five years. He has wide cross-border experience of leading people and building human capital strategies across continents, nationalities and cultures. Apart from teaching postgraduate and modular programmes, Chandra teaches extensively in Indian School of Business’s executive education programmes. He is also a certified executive coach and sits on the boards of both for-profit companies and NGOs.

Chandra’s recent publications include Leading Human Capital in the 2020s (Sage Publications, 2020) and working papers on talent strategies in unicorns and global development centres.

The future of work will largely be shaped by demographics and technology. Essentially, how we work determines who gets to work. The more flexibility that exists, both in timing and workspaces, the more people can join the workforce. In this regard, policymakers, employers and industry bodies need to come together and create a new ecosystem to foster tech-enabled work models across the country.

This book not only addresses the challenges of building an inclusive human capital framework for India but also highlights some unconventional ideas around work and models of employment which can create this much-needed inclusion. It is imperative that we adapt and shape the future of work possibilities around flexibility. By doing so, we can considerably address India’s jobs and employment challenges.