HRIC 2026 – Day 3

Day Three of the sixth Human Resources International Conference (HRIC), held on 11th April 2026, included more paper presentations, the valedictory and the awards ceremony.

A farewell to the participants with the message of advancing knowledge

Prof. U Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIM Bangalore, in his address highlighted the profound impact of AI in diverse domains, including in HR, such as in recruitment functions since a lot of interviews are being done by bots these days, in learning & development, etc. “Since the impact of AI is significant, we need to completely understand AI, particularly the pros and cons of its use. We already know the benefits of using AI, we need to be aware of the downside as well. Remember, AI may not give you the right answers all the time. Large language models are often constrained by factual inconsistencies. AI often struggles with ‘differentiation’ that may come naturally to humans. Hence, a deeper debate is needed on the extent to which AI should be used and how. Use your learnings from this summit as well as your networks and let this community grow. Create a lot of knowledge in this domain because talent is something that will take us to the future.”

Prof. Pawan Budhwar, Aston University, UK, also addressed the gathering, stating that there would not be a single person present there who did not build new networks or initiate new collaborations, or who did not enjoy being at the conference. “There was a variety of exciting features in the conference, and I hope you all have benefitted and had useful interactions. Reflect on this meaningful learning, work hard and try to implement your takeaways from this meet.”

Prof. Sushanta K Mishra, Chairperson, Research & Publications, C-DOCTA and Centre for Teaching & Learning, Editor-in-Chief, IIMB Management Review, and faculty of the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, IIM Bangalore, delivered the vote of thanks. “The conference saw 327 physical presentations, 16 virtual presentations and 55 poster presentations. Altogether 79 sessions included three panel discussions, five symposia and two workshops. There were 19 Track Chairs and 49 Session Chairs. Two years of hard work, collective commitment, resilience and teamwork culminated into a very successful conference with seamless execution of events, bringing together this community of researchers, new insights and engagement. Beyond academics, the yoga sessions and cultural programs made this event truly enriching and meaningful. Let us continue to remain committed to spreading this knowledge for the betterment of the society.”

Promising Research Idea Awards

These awards were presented for seven different papers, the details of which are mentioned below.

• Katya Salovskaia Leport, Ksenia Usanova and Maral Muratbekova-Touron for ‘When Inclusion is Disrupted: Understanding Sudden Exclusion Triggered by External Events’ (DEI track)
• Akash Yadav and Sandeep Kumar Kujur for ‘Technological and Non-Technological Innovation in Shaping Employment and Gender Diversity: Evidence from Manufacturing Firms in a Large Developing Economy – India’ (DT track)
• Timothy Bednall, Karin Sanders and Huadong Yang for ‘Understanding Human Resource Practices: A Climato-Development Imprint’ (ESWB & MH track)
• Debolina Dutta, Ruchira Garai and Munmun Sharma for ‘What Attracts Gen-Z: Exploring the Link Between Gen Z Work Values and Organizational Attraction’ (TM & SP track)
• Avikshit Pratap for ‘Emptiness in Practice: Reimagining Human Resources through Shunyata and Decoloniality’ (IKS & HR track)
• Manan Gandhi for ‘Interdependent Organizational Identity and Common Good HRM: Aligning Societal Welfare and Organizational Flourishing’ (ES & CSR track)
• Rajanala Ruchitha Devi and Abraham Cyril Issac for ‘Motives that Matter: Conceptualizing a Theory of Needs, Knowledge Hiding, and Group Cohesion’ (TM & SP track)

About HRIC 2026 and IIM Bangalore: Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the next big landscape, which is evolving at an exponential pace. Its versatility has percolated into the domain of Human Resources, where AI-powered tools are increasingly assisting professionals. The 6th HRIC aimed to address various issues and challenges seen in the evolving workforce management space, as a result of AI and other emerging technologies, particularly relating to sustainable HR practices.

IIMB is a leading graduate school of management in Asia which features among the top business schools in various rankings, including the FT and QS rankings as well as the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Government of India. Located in Bangalore, IIMB is in close proximity to some of the leading corporate houses in the country, ranging from information technology to consumer product companies. The Institute is accredited by the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). It has a vibrant Student Exchange Programme with several partner universities across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. It has deep engagement with a number of reputed international networks, including the Global Network for Advanced Management, which includes 33 eminent business schools around the world. All these, and a lot more, made it a perfect venue for the Human Resources International Conference 2026.

Overall, voices from near and far, and sharing of diverse perspectives, experiences as well as knowledge, created a rich, intellectual exchange at HRIC 2026, which saw a footfall of more than 500 academicians and researchers.

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