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Application of Ancient Indian Sutras in Modern Management Framework: Towards A Sustainable Paradigm
Application of Ancient Indian Sutras in Modern Management Framework: Towards A Sustainable Paradigm
present framework of modern management. It will be 1. Indrijaya - Conquer The Senses Through Self
attempt to know how ancient Indian values which have Knowledge:
stood the test of time can help Modern Management Man suffers from ignorance of the supreme self within.
philosophy to create a more sustainable model of The self within is paripurna whole, perfect, absolute,
management. How HR Function can design a road map of infinite. But we do not realize the essence of this truth as
a long term sustainable Organisation by applying our own we are ignorant of our supreme nature. Just as darkness is
proven Ancient Indian wisdom. This will antagonize the instantaneously removed by light however thick its
need to revisit the ancient Jnana (knowledge) and derive density so also in one who gains knowledge of the self,
the eternal essence out of it which can bring altogether a beginning less ignorance (avidya) is at once lifted, and
different dimension to the Modern Management concepts. within a lightning flash it ends. When ignorance is ended
there is the immediate apprehension of Truth, the supreme
Brahman. It is only through mindfulness and spiritual
THE BRAHMAJNYANA VIEW OF discipline that we can acquire wisdom and only through
MODERN MANAGEMENT our experiences that the myth is shattered in our mind.
Knowledge is created and acquired in the process and we
realize our true Self.
The four key interwoven elements of Management
practices can be depicted with a segmented pyramid as Modern HR or Management paradigms like Emotional
shown in the figure 1. Only by conquering our senses by Intelligence are very ideal theoretically and can be
practicing morality and ethics we can enlighten our self derived from the ethical and spiritual frameworks of
within and thereby attain self knowledge which becomes ancient Indian ethos.
the essence of leadership. Through leadership we can
create strong and stable internal management strategies by There are too many examples of poor leadership in the
having a holistic perception finally leading to ultimate workplace, from within all levels of organizations, and the
perfection. Thereby fostering the sense of oneness we can attributes of this poor leadership are easily identified. But
have creation of global culture by acquiring the knowledge have we ever noticed those leaders and managers that
of Absolute through Spritual congruence. It is only by everyone admires and who just seem to have a knack at
promoting virtues of truthfulness (transparency), trust being excellent leaders? What is this elusive quality that
(employer-employee, employee-employee and employee- good leaders have that sets them apart?
stakeholder), righteousness (justice, equity and honesty)
and sense of cooperation we can have ethical According to Daniel Goleman in his book, Emotional
organizational culture to set global marks. Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ, it is likely
that these leaders and managers have a high Emotional
Figure 1: The Four Interwoven Key Elements of Intelligence Quotient or EQ. These people are
Management recognized as stars within their organization and for their
ability to work with people and accomplish great things.
of emotional intelligence may not exist in isolation; who understands oneself, can only understand all other
anyone who wants to become a successful manager/leader, facets properly.
must learn at first how to manage/lead himself/herself, and
then set an example in leading others successfully. 2. Be A Rajarishi And Create Rajarishis A Mantra
Emotional intelligence can therefore be defined as the For Effective Leadership:
ability to recognize and adjust our emotions that trigger Managers have to face a vibrant business environment
our responses with certain situations or people. where change is the only factor remaining constant and
they have to keep adapting to these changes. But
Emotionally intelligent leader will also be able to sometimes in situations of complexity or uncertainty,
spontaneously develop and create emotionally intelligent managers may get lost. It is then than someone has to
teams. Goleman et al. (2002, p. 199) describe emotionally show them the right direction.
intelligent teams with the same characteristics as
individuals, as for EI skills are interrelated and cumulated As Stephen Covey said:
in a group. Self-awareness of team members and parallel Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of
recognition of needs and moods bring more empathy into success; leadership determines whether the ladder is
the work environment. On a team level, empathy is the leaning against the right wall. - Covey, 1989
basis for building effective relationships within the team
as well as with other parts of the organisation. Therefore, Whatever a great man does, people follow. Whatever
Human Resource Leaders who are able to develop Standard he sets, the world pursues. A lot has been said
empathy and other important social skills, must bound and researched about leadership. Some people said that
themselves to forming emotionally intelligent leadership is all about character or some unique traits in an
organisations. Employees should be given the opportunity individual. Some say that a leader is an agent of change or
to develop their potentials and participate in forming he is the one who aligns a group of people towards a
organisational integrity. Managers on the other hand, common vision. However, the recent event of economic
should find appropriate ways to transform organisations downturn in the western countries based on effective
vision into actions that support emotionally intelligent modern management practices really puts a question on
practice. On a strategic level, this reflects measures that the existing models of leadership in those organizations.
create systems, where rules, statutes and personnel Today, we need to have a paradigm of leadership which
practice in human resource management are aligned with will be more responsible in maintaining the sustainability
the desired objectives. of the business. Since most of the organizations fail due to
wrong decisions or on unethical grounds where the
To conquer the internal enemies before you conquer the existing shareholders and stakeholders of the organization
external enemies as asserted by Kautilya, who gives lot lose hope and trust on its management and leadership, we
of stress on Self Control. He elaborates the same in 12th really need to incorporate ethics and integrity in the
Sutra, the importance of control over the senses by giving existing framework of leadership and management. People
up Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Mana, Mada and Harsha i.e. should be able to trust upon the existing corporate
lust, anger, pride, arrogance and fool hardiness. He also governance in the organization.
gives various examples of kings who perished, having
over indulged in the senses and in the 12th sutra, he The qualities a leader must possess as well laid down by
concludes by quoting King Jamdagnya and Amarisa who Chanakya, in the first management text in the form of
enjoyed the earth for a long time having controlled their Arthashastra which was written around 4th century
senses. B.C.
As Narayana Murthy of Infosys once said about leadership Strategies should be made considering The Market / Client
in an interview: / Customers / Society / Environment.
Leadership is about transformation i.e. being a change
agent. Its about making people more confident and When we ape the management style of other countries, we
making people think of impossible and make it happen. are likely to face various problems. The main objective of
People are always watching their leader, so it should be these countries is to increase the quantity of output and
Leadership by example. Leader has to create an objective make a lot of money. They may not be so much concerned
and have to gain trust of a people. Its the Journey about about the welfare of society or consumers in the host
sacrifice and He has to demonstrate genuine, discipline, country. Indian culture is entirely different, wherein we
value system, commitment, aspirations, honesty in his are happy when the society is happy. This is the Indian
actions and decisions. If you want people to contribute by way of viewing holistic business performance, where
giving ideas, you should become magnet. Accepting your selfishness and maximizing profits is not the prime motto.
own weakness, though it is difficult to stand up and say I Indian culture possesses such lofty ideals owing to which
am wrong is overcoming ego. It is very difficult to say that it has been able to bestow spiritual knowledge to the world
success of Organization is not because of me but because from time immemorial. The tradition of Bharatiyas is:
of everyone in the Organization. And thats the creation of Samastha Lokaha Sukhino Bhavantu (May everyone in
implicit trust in you. (Narayana Murthy, 2011) all the worlds be happy). Holistic understanding is
awareness, not partial understanding. Knowing in bits and
No wonder, Infosys has survived many downturns and has pieces, (fragmented way) is not Awareness. Awareness
consistently been the most revered in the Indian IT means knowing in entirety. Therefore, every educated
industry among the shareholders as well as stakeholders. person must make an effort to understand things in a
And it has happened because leadership is not just based holistic way. Only after understanding them in a
on efficient management practices but also on a model satisfactory way, must we venture to enter the world.
which is more transparent, responsible and ethical.
Recently Infosys has to call back his founder inspite of Successful practitioners of HR will be those who will be
him taking retirement from active services of Infosys able to achieve balance between external as well as
which brought into limelight a very vital and important internal stakeholders. They should be able to treat all
thing of creating a Rajarishi who can take the baton from employees equally and with equity and Act globally.
the predecessor which is well defined in the ancient Indian Today line managers realize that competitors can more
wisdom. easily copy price, product and technology but the way to
manage people and organizations is a unique advantage
It throws light on one of the most important future that competitors cannot easily copy. HR has become more
challenge for HR which is developing the next generation strategic not because HR wants to be strategic but because
of Corporate Leaders. line managers need insights that good HR professionals
(source: Report published by Society for Human Resource can offer. Even the Head of HR will be a full contributor
Management (SHRM) on Future HR Challenges and to business discussions so that he/she can help create value
Talent Management Tactics in Nov 2012.) for employees, build disciplines to deliver strategy, create
customer share from key customers, create investor
3. FORTIFIED FORT DURG - A confidence in future earnings and create confidence in
HOLISTIC PERCEPTION: broader community. For holistic managerial effectiveness,
managers should equip themselves with both skills and
A stable, well-ordered, and highly motivated Organisation values.
(State) that excels in internal management will be in a
better position to calibrate itself to meet challenges from Chanakya has identified seven pillars for a stable kingdom
its rivals, absorb shocks and defeats, and have a slightly with a holistic angle to it. If we relate those seven pillars
larger margin of error that may well make the difference by translating them into seven elements that can
between survival and oblivion or success and failure, very strengthen the growth oriented sustainable organization,
aptly described by Chanakya. we have a treasure of management wisdom.
REFERENCES
[1] R.P. Kangle, The Kautiliya Arthashastra Part II,
Motilal Banarsidass, 1972, pp.12-14.
[2] R. Pillai, Corporate Chanakya, Jaico Publishing
House, 2011, pp. 16-29
[3] A R Thapan, The Penguin Swami Chinmayananda
Reader, Penguin Books, 2004, pp. 6-11
[4] R.K. Bhaskar, Man Management A Values-Based
Management Perspective, SSSS&S Welfare Society:
India, 2009, pp. 132-139
[5] D Goleman , Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter
more than IQ, Bloomsbury, 2002, pp. 199.