Sumantra Ghoshal: The Euroguru who warned of workplace dissonance

In the aftermath of a promising young executive’s death by suicide at an audit firm, companies are in the dock for their role in engendering workplace stress. Dubbed “Euroguru" by The Economist, Ghoshal wrote and spoke extensively, advising companies that they needed to shift from transactional relationships with their employees to one of mutual respect. Thus his famous “Smell of the place" speech, in which he urged companies and their bosses to change the context that they created around their executives, was delivered at the 1995 Davos meet, in front of the world’s corporate elite. Twelve books, and numerous articles and case studies cemented Ghoshal’s formidable reputation, which he harnessed to write a new playbook for management. They need only to stop doing a lot they currently do," in a paper provocatively titled ‘Bad Management Theories Are Destroying Good Management Practices’.