Brave new world of young Indian decision elites

Abstract

Among the young elite decision-makers in modern India, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationers and management graduates from institutions such as Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) rank high. They come from similar family and educational backgrounds. Yet, within the space of the first five years on the job, they display markedly different attitudes towards work. The paper makes an attempt to posit an exploratory hypothesis to account for this difference. The critical phase in the attitude formation is the time between the decision to apply for IAS examination or admission to IIM and actual entry into the job, a period of two and a half to three years. The bulk of this is spent in the professional training institution.