The Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi (IIM-R) has now set its sights lower for its foray into neuro management. It is mulling mapping the brains of residents of Jharkhand prior to initiating its ambitious project of the study of celebrities, including Team India captain MS Dhoni.
Earlier, the business school had proposed to brain map the popular cricketer, generating much excitement in Jharkhand.The premier business school will begin this experimental course from June 2014. IIM-R director MJ Xavier clarified, “We will initially start with school leaders and then may be with some locals. Thereafter, we shall gradually go to celebrities. Not straightaway. We have to establish it first.”
“The experiment will be launched in 2014-15 session. So, why unnecessarily bother Dhoni and Central Institute of Psychiatry nowIJ” added Xavier.
The experiment is basically to highlight reactions of leaders and others, wherein people would be shown different kinds of situations and their reactions — especially brain reaction — would be observed. Describing this concept, Xavier said, “Suppose there is a shocking incident. In that case, how does a leader react and how does an ordinary person react. That is what we will experiment with.”
Xavier said equipment required for this research — FMRI-functional magnetic resonance imaging system — was delaying the process. As of now, IIM-R is actually doing some small, time-taking experimentation regarding this neuro management project, for which it has recruited a specialist a few months ago.
However, the institute is yet to figure out what local people it wants for this project. Xavier said, “I was thinking of some Government officers. Right now, we are busy organising a conference for this December. We are still working on this brain-mapping project.”
IIM-R is rolling out the first international conference on neuro management in collaboration with the Central Institute of Psychiatry, from December 9 to 11. The purpose is to bring together scholars within India and abroad, working on inter-disciplinary areas of biological sciences — neuroscience and genetics — and social sciences like business, economics and decision-making. It would also focus on neuron-marketing, neuron-leadership, neuron-finance and consumer neuroscience.