Phanish Puranam

Professor of Strategy

The Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organisation Design

Research Director of the INSEAD-Wharton Alliance

Biography

Phanish Puranam is a Professor of Strategy, the Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organisation Design at INSEAD.

Phanish’s research in organization science focuses on how organizations work, and how we can make them work better. His current work focuses on different ways in which intelligent algorithms relate to organizations, in their roles as tools (e.g., machine learning applied to organizational data), team-mates (e.g., human-AI collaboration), and as templates for organizing ( e.g. blockchain, metaverse).

Besides publishing his research extensively in peer reviewed journals (see link to Personal Website on the left), Phanish has also written several books. The Microstructure of Organizations (Oxford University Press, 2018) offers researchers a new perspective on organization design. Phanish’s books for practitioners include Corporate Strategy: Tools for analysis and decisions (co-authored with Bart Vanneste, Cambridge University Press, 2016) which is used as a reference in MBA programs around the world. India Inside (co-authored with Nirmalya Kumar, Harvard Business Review Press, 2012) won critical acclaim for its balanced look at the prospect of India emerging as a global hub for innovation. He also releases regular updates of the freely available e-book The Organizational Analytics E-Book: A guide to data driven organization design (with Julien Clement).

His latest book “re-Humanize ” is written for a general audience and explores what organizations of the future might look like, in the light of rapid changes in technology and culture.

At INSEAD Phanish Puranam founded and co-directs the Transforming Your Business with AI and the AI for Business programmes for senior executives.

Phanish obtained his PhD at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, and was on the faculty of London Business School till 2012. Reflecting his commitment to doctoral training, he has served as the Academic Director for the PhD Program at both London Business School and INSEAD.