Professor
Shaista E. Khilji
ACademic
At Conferences/ Classes/ Consulting (to be inspired by others and hopefully to inspire some ‘others’)
acADemic
Always dreaming (for a heavy measure of idealism along with realism and practice)
acadEmic
Engaging with (through teaching, research, exploration, observation, questioning, and reflection)
acadeMic
Messy (demonstrates my belief in complexity and paradoxes of life– see below)
academIC
Intellectual curiosity (to wrestle with “what, whys and how” of interdependencies and complexities of life- i.e. individuals, organizations and societies)
I Am Driven
I am driven by the prevailing “wicked” problems (Crowley & Head, 2017; Rittel & Weber, 1973) that impact the global world at large. In particular, based upon my research of globalization and how that impacts individuals, societies and organizations around the world, I am intrigued (as well as saddened) by the rising levels of global inequalities. I look at the ‘global leadership crisis’ as one (note only one) of the contributing factors. Over time,
I Am A Work In Progress
I hope to use my research to learn more and continue to inform the questions that are being asked. My students are aware of the ‘divine dissatisfaction’ (McCoy, 2007) with which I approach global issues. I want to thank all my students: Ken, Cristen, Christine, Darryl, Mia, Courtney, Stephanie, Laura, Lisa, Beth, Dalton, Kaitlin, Stephanie, Lorraine, Jordan, Gigi, Shawn, Alicia, Brian (who I learned a lot from), John, Chris, Don (to name just a few) for keeping me grounded and feeding my intellectual curiosity.
BIODATA
Shaista E. Khilji is Professor of Human and Organizational Learning & International Affairs at the George Washington University (GW), founding editor-in-chief of the South Asian Journal of Business Studies (Emerald Publications), and affiliate faculty at Sigur Center for Asian Studies, and Global Women’s Institute. She is also the Director (and architect) of Online and On-Campus graduate programs (Certificates and Master’s) in Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) at GW. She serves as the lead designer of Online Master’s Program and a GW Faculty Senator. She has also served as member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Special Hearing Panel for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at GW.
Prof. Khilji has a well-established expertise in talent development, cross-cultural management, change and leadership. She has spent her entire academic career examining how societies/ countries are increasingly faced with pressures to globalize and how they transition. Her book entitled Globalization, Change and Learning in South Asia that highlights paradoxes and complexities of development, was published in Oct 2013. Her most recent work focuses upon making sense of inequalities within organization, and advancing humanistic leadership, and humanizing leadership education. For the past decade, she has conducted several projects, as well advised many of her graduate students in conducting research and developing programs related to enhancing leadership/ empowerment and facilitating change globally. Between 2013 and 2017, she served as the Co-Principal Investigator of a US$ 1 million project (funded by the US Dept. of State) that focused upon women’s empowerment in Pakistan, by building academic partnerships and creating people to people ties. Further, she led efforts within GW to develop the next generation of United States Naval Academy (USNA) leaders through a Master’s degree in Leadership Education and Human Development (LEAD). She is currently working with the United States Coast Guard to train their officers in leadership through a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL).
Prof. Khilji has taught and trained a diverse audience in Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Vietnam, United States, Canada, Morocco, India, and Pakistan. Based upon her expertise, she has contributed to several stories published in daily newspapers and magazines globally. She has served as a consultant to many public and private sector organizations globally.
Prof. Khilji is multi-lingual- she has native knowledge of Urdu, Punjabi, and basic understanding of Arabic, Farsi and French.
