Anant National University: Fostering Innovation Through a Dynamic and Collaborative Work Environment

Anant National University, Ahmedabad, is India’s first DesignX university dedicated to training students to devise solutions for global problems through creative thinking, fusing contemporary technologies and indigenous practices. We are a community of 1828 students and 183 faculty members. We constantly strive to maintain a work environment that fosters creativity and collaboration as we understand that creating a dynamic and responsive workplace is crucial for any organisation, especially for a design university where innovation and creativity thrive. We implement robust evaluation and refinement mechanisms to ensure our strategies remain effective and aligned with employee needs and industry best practices.  

One way of ensuring this is by taking regular feedback from every member of the Anant community, including teaching and administrative staff. We conduct regular employee and pulse surveys to gather broad and real-time feedback on workplace satisfaction and areas for improvement. The university encourages an open-door policy, helping Anant’s community members to engage in open dialogue with the management.  

We also employ performance metrics to monitor key performance indicators and analyse trends in employee feedback. We encourage faculty self-evaluation and student feedback. A gap analysis is prepared, and the department leads create a future plan to address the gaps. Faculty feedback is taken to understand their perspective to ensure that there is complete transparency and accountability. A dedicated team benchmarks against industry standards, staying updated with industry research and engaging in peer reviews to promote the adoption of best practices.  

Anant also invests in leadership and management training to ensure leaders are equipped with the latest strategies for effective workplace management. Additionally, pilot programmes and iterative testing are followed for experimentation and continuous improvement. Utilising technology, such as feedback platforms and HR management systems, streamlines data collection and communication, while external audits and regular review meetings with senior management ensure accountability and alignment with organisational goals.  

Our collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), one of the top private Ivy League research universities in the United States of America, exemplifies our commitment to faculty development. The collaboration facilitates the delivery of new innovative academic programmes to education industry leaders, school leadership teams, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, policymakers and anyone interested in addressing critical issues in education through innovation.  

Our workforce is our pride, and we prioritise their health through various initiatives. We ensure their physical well-being by promoting regular physical activities and providing ergonomic workspaces. Simultaneously, we create a culture of care and understanding through initiatives, such as access to counselling services and encouraging open conversations about mental health.  

We also prioritise community building and fostering camaraderie among employees. We achieve this through various initiatives, including organising community kitchens, cultural events, recreational activities, monthly gatherings and fun-filled celebrations of all festivals. Musical nights and open-mic events further enhance our sense of togetherness. 

Anant National University takes pride in being a workplace where individuals can express, explore and expand their performance horizons while working as a community. Our offices ensure the smooth functioning of administrative and academic activities, ensuring that every member of the Anant community gets equal opportunity to thrive and succeed. The Administrative Office ensures that students, faculty and staff have a comfortable environment conducive to learning and teaching.  

The Office of the Provost works closely with the university’s academic and administrative leaders to foster inter-faculty collaboration, advance university-wide approaches to compliance and research policy, oversee and coordinate the university’s international activities, support faculty, students and academic professionals in advancing innovations in teaching and learning and oversee activities about intellectual property, technology transfer, research collaborations with industry and trademark licensing.  

The Office of Human Resource and Administration office creates, encourages and maintains an environment that supports, develops and sustains the well-being of the university’s employees, students and the broader community. 

By integrating these mechanisms, Anant offers a dynamic and responsive workplace environment that adapts to the evolving needs of its employees and stays aligned with industry best practices. This continuous feedback loop ensures that our workplace strategies remain adequate, relevant and conducive to employee well-being and productivity.