Nurturing Creativity and Excellence 
Last date for registration: 01 Mar, 2019
End Date : 13 Mar, 2019
Early Bird Discount Date : 18 Feb, 2019
The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind – computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers”. – Daniel H. Pink in A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future.
There is an increasing realization in the corporate world that managers are relying primarily on their left brained analytical minds to work on problems and issues, which would have well benefited from a combined use of both sides of the brain. The demand for right-brained thinking is now more in demand than ever because of the ways in which the global workplace is morphing. Left brained tasks are increasingly getting automated, leaving the more complex, big picture, conceptual tasks to be done by human beings. As a result the left-brain capabilities of analytical thinking and logical analysis are necessary but not sufficient. To be successful in the coming era, managers will also need to hone their right-brained qualities of inventiveness, storytelling, empathy, meaning, and play.
In this program, we aim to enable participants to start using their whole brains to touch excellence in their respective domains. We examine how we can leverage the workings of our own minds better in order to be more creative as well as effective. This program has been designed so that learning can occur simultaneously at two levels - intellectual and experiential. In the first (intellectual) level we explore the workings of the mind from a psychological and neuroscience perspective to understand the workings of the brain better. We examine the interrelationships between mental models or scripts, emotional states, and analytical functioning. We examine how we can leverage the power we have over crafting our own mental models and emotional states so as to touch excellence in analytical as well as creative thinking. In the second (experiential) level we engage with participants directly using three different lenses, in the form of three different art forms - theatre (role plays), storytelling and music (percussions). Each art form is used on a different day as the chosen medium of expression, exploration and discovery to enable participants to touch and discover for themselves the magic of right brain engagement.
During this course, we will introduce participants to some key ideas related to the workings of our mind. We will build on scientific findings in the areas of neuroscience and positive psychology to understand how we can leverage our own minds to support us better as we work. Participants will be guided to explore and examine some of their own mental models and beliefs underlying work and the influence this can have on their everyday experiences at the workplace. We will also have a module that focuses exclusively on stress management by examining how the neurochemistry of the brain is influenced by potential stressors at the workplace. Participants will be trained in tested methods of energy and stress management that can help them cope with potential stressors in a productive manner, so as to aid them in their quest for excellence.We will introduce participants to the concept of multiple intelligences (as developed by Howard Gardner) because we believe that one of the reasons for the current over-reliance on left brained thinking is the way our educational systems have been designed. Most standard educational paradigms emphasize reductionist thinking using certain forms of intelligence (like logical, numerical, and verbal) over other forms of intelligence (like musical, visual, kinesthetic, natural, self and interpersonal). This way we have all literally been ‘coached’ over the years to rely and hone our left-brained skills and dismiss the supposedly more intangible right-brained skills. It is time now to therefore consciously coach ourselves to discover and use our other forms of intelligence which we may have neglected or not leveraged to full potential. During this program participants will also take part in experiential sessions of theatre, rhythm, and storytelling as a medium of inquiry, exploration and discovery. These sessions have been designed with the aim of providing a starter platform for participants to consciously experiment with using their right brain skills
There is a dual emphasis on theory as well as experiential learning and therefore we will introduce participants to different techniques designed to stimulate the working of their right brains. In the morning sessions we will use classroom lectures, discussions and exercises while in the afternoon sessions we will use medium such as theatre, rhythm, and storytelling for experiential learning.
This program is targeted towards executives in a managerial role who either work in teams or are responsible for teams. It is recommended that participants have at least five years of managerial experience to be able to appreciate the nuances of interpersonal dynamics.
Dr. Ramya Ranganathan has a B.Tech in Electronics from IIT Madras, a PGDM from IIM Ahmedabad and a PhD from London Business School. After working in blue chip companies like ICICI, Infosys, and Citibank she went on to explore the fundamental question ‘Why do people work’? Her quest led her to scour the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience and theology, looking for tools and best practices that can help the human spirit flourish at work and in life.
For the last eight years, Ramya has been designing and teaching courses at IIM Bangalore where she invites students and executives to step into the driving seat of their own lives so that they can take a more proactive role in the way they work and live. She teaches Post Graduate, Doctoral and Executive Courses on Positive Psychology, Aligning Personal Values and Goals, Innovation, Intrinsic Motivation, Emotional Intelligence, Managing Stress and Personal Energy. She has designed and taught in customized workshops for clients such as Atlas Copco, Essilor, Novartis, Bosch, ISRO, Hindustan Lever, Aditya Birla Group, NHPC, NEEPCO, GAIL, Pernod Ricard, Novo Nordisk, etc. She has previously held the positions of Programme Director, Management Programme for Women Entrepreneurs, and the Programme Director, Management Programme for Entrepreneurs and Family Businesses at IIM Bangalore.
Ramya dreams of a world where there is no longer a chasm between happiness and work. Her many avatars include poet, philosopher, professor and parent. She is also a yoga teacher, an energy healing practitioner, a travel writer, and an artist. She published her first collection of poems titled ‘I’m Choosing Life’ in 2017.
Dr. Sari Mattila received her Ph.D. degree from Tampere University of Technology in the field of Management and OB/HR after an integrated Master's Degree in Philosophy from the University of Joensuu (now part of the University of Eastern Finland). She has previously taught at IIM-A, Institute of Management, Nirma University, Flame School of Business, and CEPT in India besides Tampere University of Technology and University of Turku in Finland. Her topics have included Organisational Behaviour, Ethics, business Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility, Mentoring and Coaching, Socratic Dialogues, and Indian Values.
She is interested in FiloCafes, Socratic Dialogue and its applications, group dynamics, mindfulness, organizational chaos, psychosocial realities and applications of fiction in real life (and vice versa). Before her academic career, she has worked in industry in various positions of responsibility. Prior to that she was into competitive professional horseback riding. She has herself been doing mindfulness practices as part of her interest in experiential learning, counselling and therapy, yoga, mindfulness and vipassana.
Programme Fee and Payment
INR 81,000/- Residential (+ Applicable GST) per person for participants from India and its equivalent in US Dollars for participants from other countries.
The participants are required to work on assignments, cases and prepare for the classes the next day during the programme days. The programme therefore has been structured as a residential programme. Non-residential option is not available.
Early Bird Discount
Nominations received with payments on or before 18-Feb-19 will be entitled to an early bird Discount of 10%.
- Early Bird Fee (Residential) INR 72,900/- (+ Applicable GST)
Please Note:
All enrolments are subject to review and approval by the programme director. Joining Instructions will be sent to the selected candidates 10 days prior the start of the programme. Kindly do not make your travel plans unless you receive the letter from IIMB.
A certificate of participation will be awarded to the participants by IIMB.
- The programme fee should be received by the Executive Education Office before the programme commencement date.
- In case of cancellations, the fee will be refunded only if a request is received at least 15 days prior to the start of the programme.
- If a nomination is not accepted, the fee will be refunded to the person/ organisation concerned.