After settling down comfortably into my seat on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco, I started browsing through my digital copy of the latest issue of The Economist. Much to my surprise, I saw an article titled, The Usefulness of Managers beginning with the sentence, "Is your manager really necessary?" Bingo!!! My mind went back to so many discussions we keep having about our Indian Pharma industry and the various arguments about line management and their contributions, role clarity, their usefulness and the often-asked question, “Are they really effective?” When the top leadership says, that effective managers are a rare breed with comments such as, “they are the weakest link in our chain”, my mind keeps racing through with the thought as to, “if they are not, who has to be responsible to make them effective?” Having been a line manager and climbing the ladder against odds, I can understand and empathise with both sides of this management world. However, when these doubts and questions keep raising its head often, my curiosity quotient kept raising a question, “Are we in Indian pharma very unique to have such challenges?” A chance meeting I had with a team of Google senior management personnel based in Google’s headquarters in California during this trip gave me an interesting insight on what Google did and what it continues to do. Much to my solace I found that their apprehensions were similar to what we in Indian Pharma face. The differentiating factor was that their "people operations" team (HR) has applied the Google Way (data analytics) to management analysis and developed a manifesto entitled Eight Habits of Highly Effective Google Managers.

Indian pharma wrapped up November 2025 with serious velocity....

Brand Building Special Issue with articles on personal branding, brand differentiation and avoiding brand arrogance

For years, Novo Nordisk was the poster child of growth. Its GLP-1 drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, didn’t just change obesity treatment — they reshaped the company’s balance sheet. Demand outpaced supply, public awareness skyrocketed, and Novo’s market cap surged. But growth always attracts challengers. Enter Eli Lilly with Mounjaro and Zepbound, and a wave of competitors and compounded generics threatening margins. Add in slowing sales growth and operational bloat from years of expansion, and suddenly Novo’s leadership had to answer tough questions about sustainability.

A Digital-in-pharma special issue. Announcement for ACG-MedicinMan's "Pharmaceutical Marketing in the New Age" conference to be held in March 2018

In his new position, he will lead teams across...

The PE Playbook: Why Private Equity is the New...

Tez Health and the New Race to Bring Healthcare...

The pharmaceutical industry stands at a critical juncture in...

In India’s million-strong retail pharmacy universe, oral weight-loss pills...

In his new position, he will lead teams across...

The PE Playbook: Why Private Equity is the New...

Tez Health and the New Race to Bring Healthcare...

The pharmaceutical industry stands at a critical juncture in...

In India’s million-strong retail pharmacy universe, oral weight-loss pills...

In his new position, he will lead teams across...

The PE Playbook: Why Private Equity is the New...

Tez Health and the New Race to Bring Healthcare...

The pharmaceutical industry stands at a critical juncture in...

In India’s million-strong retail pharmacy universe, oral weight-loss pills...

In his new position, he will lead teams across...

The PE Playbook: Why Private Equity is the New...

Tez Health and the New Race to Bring Healthcare...

The pharmaceutical industry stands at a critical juncture in...

In India’s million-strong retail pharmacy universe, oral weight-loss pills...