‘ISB Discover’ Highlights Research on Women, Leadership, and Maternal Health

Research from the Indian School of Business highlights how gender diversity, women’s leadership, and infrastructure investments influence organisational performance and health outcomes.

13th March 2026: The Indian School of Business (ISB) is spotlighting research on women, leadership, workplace inclusion, and maternal health through its recently launched ISB Discover platform—a practitioner-focused digital hub that makes globally benchmarked research more accessible and actionable for businesses, policymakers, and society.

ISB Discover bridges the gap between academic research and real-world decision-making by translating complex, peer-reviewed studies into clear and practical insights. The platform features a variety of formats, including articles, explainers, videos, podcasts, and infographics, enabling users to quickly access evidence-based insights. 

As global conversations around women’s leadership, inclusion and health gain momentum, research on ISB Discover highlights how gender dynamics and access to essential services shape organisations, leadership outcomes, and public policy.

Key Insights from ISB Discover:

• Gender-diverse teams drive better outcomes: Diverse teams are more effective in improving operational performance and adapting to change.
• Leadership decisions shaped by context: Female marketing leaders tend to adopt more cautious strategies in high-risk environments.
• Gender influences online influence: Research shows differences in how influence develops and sustains over time on digital platforms.
• Workplace bias still impacts opportunities: Structural and cultural biases continue to shape hiring, evaluation, and career progression for women.
• Women in family businesses remain under-recognised: Studies highlight the need for greater recognition of women’s leadership roles.
• Better infrastructure improves maternal health: Improved road connectivity increases access to healthcare, institutional deliveries, antenatal care visits, and vaccination coverage—especially benefiting girls and rural communities.
• Climate challenges affect women disproportionately: Women, particularly in developing economies, face greater vulnerability to climate change impacts.

Professor Sarang Deo, Deputy Dean – Faculty and Research, ISB, said: “Management education is not just about learning theories; it is about understanding real-world challenges and developing the ability to solve them. Through our cutting-edge, rigorous research on women’s leadership, workplace inclusion, and health outcomes, we are aiming to help shape future leaders who can think critically and contribute meaningfully to organisations and society.” 

ISB Discover reflects ISB’s broader commitment to generating knowledge that addresses India’s socio-economic challenges. Over the years, ISB has built a dynamic research ecosystem spanning marketing, entrepreneurship, technology, finance and accounting, operations, economics and public policy, leadership and organisations, and strategy.

Designed for business leaders, policymakers, journalists, students, researchers, and entrepreneurs, ISB Discover enables users to quickly identify insights that inform strategy, shape policy, and contribute to public discourse. 

Through ISB Discover, the School seeks to ensure that research does not remain confined to academic journals, but instead informs boardrooms, policy discussions, and community-level action. The platform will continue to highlight work that advances inclusive leadership and sustainable development.