Prof. Soumya Rajan

Assistant Professor

Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management.

302, Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai

soumya.rajan[at]iitb.ac.in

Brief Overview

At the heart of my research is a belief in dignified workspaces and an exploration of its influence on humans who associate with them. With over 10 years of experience in Corporate and 6 years with Academic institutions, I continue to pursue my love for theory and praxis.

A word of gratitude to the almighty, my gurus and ancestors for lighting my path.

Education

  • PhD
    Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
  • MBA
    PSG College of Technology, Anna University
  • BA
    Calicut University

Experience Recital:

  • 2008-2010 – Assistant Manager @ Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), Mumbai

  • 2010-2014 – Assistant Manager @ The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI), Mumbai

  • 2014-2018 – Team Manager @ L&T Financial Services, Mumbai

  • 2018-2021 – Assistant Registrar @ Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Palakkad

  • 2021-2024 – Assistant Professor @ Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai

Research Interests:

  1. Dignity and its meaning in diverse social milieu with a focus on human-centric designs

  2. Socially impactful projects/ interventions/ organizations with a CSR/ ESG/ Sustainability lens

  3. Algorithmic management and its impact on humans at work

Publications: Google Scholar

Selected Work:

Journal articles:

    • ‘Propounding an integrated solution ecosystem to effectuate CSR in India: an alternate framework’. Social Responsibility Journal, 20(5): 861-879. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-12-2022-0529 (Q1 in Scopus, B in ABDC)

    • ‘A space for dignity: the vantage of capability approach’. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 59(2):202-216, October 2023. (C in ABDC)

    • ‘Searching for answers on dignity, knowledge and engagement in a Worker Cooperative Society’, IIMB Management Review, Elsevier DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2021.03.008 (Q2 in Scopus, B in ABDC)

    • ‘Inversion of Control in Employee–Employer Relation: Multiple Case Study of Generational Cohorts from State Government Sector’, NHRD Network journal 2022, Sage Pub, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/26314541221077145

Book Chapter:

    • Dutta, S., Pramanik, H.S., Rajan, S.G., Rajan, R.G., Satapathy, S. (2024). Proliferations in Algorithmic Control: Review of the Phenomenon and Its Implications. (Published) In: Sharma, S.K., Dwivedi, Y.K., Metri, B., Lal, B., Elbanna, A. (eds) Transfer, Diffusion and Adoption of Next-Generation Digital Technologies. TDIT 2023. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 697.Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50188-3_5

Teaching Case:

Conferences:

  • ‘“But we can’t find them…” Investigating impediments in the sourcing of persons with disabilities (PwD) in the Indian disability inclusion intention’ accepted for the 41st EGOS Colloquium 2025, Athens (Greece)

  • ‘Dual pathways of algorithmic influence: Empowerment and precarity in gig economy’ accepted for the 40th EGOS Colloquium, 2024, Milan (Italy)

  • ‘Capability approach for Dynamic capability building: an exploration of their complementarities in nurturing dignity’ presented at INDAM Conference in January 2024.

  • ‘Proliferations in Algorithmic Control: Contextual Review of the Phenomenon and its Implications’ presented at the IIM Nagpur’s IFIP WG8.6 Working Conference in December 2023.

  • ‘Narratives on Experiences with Future of Work: The Case of an Indian Food Delivery Start-up’ presented at SCMHRD – EM Normandie Business School’s S-TEAM Conference, September 2023.

  • ‘Propounding an integrated solution ecosystem to effectuate CSR in India: an alternate framework’, presented at the 38th EGOS Colloquium 2022, Vienna (Austria).

  • An emergent framework to analyse perception through the lens of knowledge: Observations from a rural social development interventions on Digital Financial Inclusion’ presented at INDAM Conference, IIM Trichy 2020

  • ‘Understanding dignity at the face of changing world of work’ presented at British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference, Birmingham, UK 2019

  • ‘Positing new elements in organisational analysis: the case of engagement’ presented at CERE Conference, IIM Indore, 2019

  • ‘Searching for answers on dignity, knowledge and engagement in a Worker Cooperative Society’ presented at IMRDC, IIM Bangalore, 2018

  • ‘Drawing parallels between knowledge culture and identity: Questions on Decision making and Bounded Rationality’ presented at Max Planck Institute’s Winter School on Bounded Rationality,2018

  • ‘Dignity at a worker cooperative society through the lens of capability approach’ presented at International Conference on Cooperatives, IIM Kozhikode, 2018

  • ‘CSR implementation: Models in community engagement’ presented at National Conference on CSR, XIMB, 2012

Projects/Engagements:

  1. Social Development project:

    • Curated and implemented a Community Women leadership programme (Njanam Sarvam) with Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry

     

  2. Corporate/Cooperatives:

    • An impact study on Sri Aurobindo Rural and Village Action Movement (SARVAM)

    • A study on capabilities and dignity with Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), Kerala

    • A study on the Emergence and Impressions of the Industrial Region: the case of Kanjikode, Palakkad, Kerala

    • ‘Alternatives in organizing’ study on Kochi Muziris Biennale 2022-23

    • Research on ‘Algorithms and future of work’ with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

  3. Training curated (at TISS):

    • Management Development Programme for HR Executives – Asian Paints

    • Management Development Programme for HR Managers – Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd

     

  4. Invited speaker

    • Talk titled ‘Capabilities of Exabyte’ at the ‘Connect with leadership’ session of TCS

     

  5. Reviewer with the following journals:

    • Management and Labour Studies (XLRI)

    • Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers (IIM Ahmedabad)