Himanshu Rai (academic)

Himanshu Rai (born December 25, 1969 in is an Indian management expert, professor, speaker and writer. He is the Director of Indian Institute of Management, Indore. He also serves as a professor of strategic business negotiations, leadership through literature and Justice, ethics and morality at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

Early life and career
Himanshu Rai attended the National Institute of Technology Karnataka between 1987-1991 where he obtained a BE in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Between 2000-2005 he obtained a PhD from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad where his thesis focused on Morphology of conflict resolution and negotiation.

Rai began his career in 1991 assuming the role of Head of Division for Corporate Communications and Electrical Operations at Tata Steel.

Academic career
Rai began his academic career in 2005 as a faculty staff at the XLRI – Xavier School of Management. In 2006, he joined the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow as a faculty staff in HR. He served as a faculty staff till August 2014. In September 2014, he joined SDA Bocconi School of Management as a full time professor. He was appointed Dean at the MISB Bocconi where he served till 2016.

In 2016, he was appointed professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Luknow where he teaches strategic business negotiations, leadership through literature and Justice, ethics and morality. In December 2018, he was appointed director of the Indian Institute of Management, Indore. Rai's book "Negotiation" published by McGraw Hill Education is a bestseller and his TEDx talk on "Ethical Leadership: Lessons from the Vedas" has won him several awards. In 2023, he was reappointed director of the Indian Institute of Management Indore.

Rai's book titled "Organizational Behaviour" is co-authored by Steven McShane and Mary Ann Von Glinow. He has trained several people in negotiations and leadership. He has also consulted for World Bank and the Government of India where he audited programs sponsored by the Planning Commission of India. He also serves as the chairperson of the board of directors, Indore Management Association and Chairperson of the Advisory Board of Durban University of Technology Business School.

He is a recipient of the NTSE scholarship.

Publications
Rai has contributed to the academic field, with over 40 papers and chapters published in peer-reviewed journals and books. His research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including negotiation, cross-cultural issues, management, religion, spirituality, gender, influence tactics, 360-degree feedback, recruitment advertising, and proxemics. He is an expert of Sanskrit literature, he has also written about and given discourses on Indian and Western philosophy, which he avidly studies. His research always has a strong underpinning of philosophy and its elements. His research exploring the measurement of spirituality through an analysis of Vedic literature won him the best in-session presentation award at a conference in Costa Rica.

Books

 * Rai H. (2022). Organizational Behaviour. McGraw Hill Education.
 * Rai, H. (2017). Negotiation. McGraw Hill Education.
 * Rai, H. (2005). The Role of Hinduism in Global India and her Business Ethics. In Capaldi, N, (Eds.), Business and Religion: A Clash of Civilizations? Salem, MA:M&M Scrivener Press. 379-389.
 * Rai, H. (2005). The Emerging World Trade Regime, Social Clause and Implications for Employee Relations Management. In Chawla, K.N., (Eds.), Enhancing Global Business Competitiveness, Delhi: Wisdom Publications. 160-175.