Bhagwat Geeta and Corporate management

Kshitiz Gaur 

Kurukshetra— Arjuna Paused----- then declined to fight--- Is there glory in a victory that kills fathers, sons, teachers and students?

One of the most able warriors in the land was paralysed by emotions.

Lord Krishna then reminded him of the consequences to the state and of the society.

Modern days, mangers face the same situation every day. A conflict between tough decisions and between the larger good or the theory of dos and don’ts when targets remained unsolved, the conflict of to be or not to be remain and effects the confidence of individual and create restlessness and the dilemma that Arjuna faced in the battle field of Kurukshetra.

At present days, the Corporate are also playing fields are much like of Kurukshetra and they can be better called as Dharam Kshetra where the role of leadership is to re-establish dharma or rule and resolve the conflicts that arise between customers and suppliers, pollution and environment, manipulative politics in the organization and unfair practices towards workmen. The mool mantra is to attain the object which will only be accomplished as stated in Yoga Sutra.

Asanshya Mahabaho Mano Durnigrah Chalam

Abhiyasane tu Kauntaya Virganayan ch Ghrahaste

Explain that the mind will work with its own speed but with the help of incessant practises a man enjoy in his work whether it is family life or work life.

In Mahabharata the concept like Utthishta (stands up and be counted). Vishadha (stage of doubt) Swadharma (self duty) and Nishkama Karma (work without desire of result) are the ways or action prescribed for making right thing at right place. The Hindu culture and tradition is rich in leadership values and management. Scholars are examining the wisdom embodied in the scriptures and many across the country who have tried to inculcate the values prescribed in the Bhagwat Geeta are fairly enough showing results.

Dr Subir Choudhary, former director of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta said, it is back to basics, if traditional values are transplanted to modern times, a new management style can develop as opposed to the Japanese and American style. The reason thereto lies in a very simple sentence, The trio that is Kamgar, Prabhandhak, Upbhokta are all the sons of the same soil, having assimilated, in their Achara (action) and Vichara (thought) overtly and covertly due to pervasive unity of human thoughts that means the facto of Sanskaras of ancient Hindu culture in the form of eternal song the Geeta and the Ramayana. The proportion of this element may vary in this trio but no doubt we are having a little edge, to inculcate and then extract the desired results from it vis-a-vis to colonial management techniques.

It will be strange to know, that the recent studies shows that companies like Excel industries, Larsen & Turbo, Crompton Greaves and others are re-interpretive business in the context of the Indian heritage. Asea Brown Boveri ltd unit in Vadodara is one such place which has been experimented with the Vedanta style as part of its total quality management programme, where Adhayasa (craving) to know the truth is used in the form of desire to know the necessary qualities level liked by the customers.

Even the concept of Vedanta which emphasise on the ultimate goal with the help of stability of consciousness that is Nirguna (attribute less) can help i the growth of production by practising with ethics of neutrality and ethics of structure. The results are visible and can be quantified.

In one of a Corporate in one group of workers reduced the time to make a circuit breaker from 120 days to 68 days, while customer delivery has improved by 100 percent.   For overall vision the minds of people is engaged in creative manner rather than the hand body syndrome.

Hindu Shastras can be used in more sophisticated management missions, albeit late, than improving shop floor objectives. It deals with the two basic questions, generally faced by any individual, the moral question like – Ought I to do this? Is this right and helpful? Is this decision going to work? These questions are in which an individual has to satisfy himself first and in this process one is gathering his confidence to implement the decision to check its consequences. The second type of question is of the fact about people’s moral opinion like-- What the subordinate will think? What will be the result of my project?

Russian Nobel Lauerate Solzhenitayn observed, “A society which is based upon the letter of the law and never reaches any heights is taking very scarce advantage of high level of human possibilities. The letter of law is too cold to have any beneficial influence on the society, whenever the issue of life is woven legalist relation; there is an atmosphere of moral mediocrity paralysing man’s Nobelist impulses.”

Delhi based management consultant MB Athreya has used his knowledge of the Geeta to reorganize Indian family businesses like of Haishankar Singhania, transformed the political culture of the LM Thapar group to that of a business culture and has helped workers at Shaw Wallace.

Similarly, The Upnishads saw that to live by one man’s will became the cause of all men’s miseries and this constrained them to come into laws wherein all men might see their duties before hand and know the penalties of transgressing them.  One of the big corporate in India started the manegment methos on the basis of Upnishads. The company had not wasted an hour on industrial disputes in its 70 years history. The suces was that they shared the motto:

Together we will work,

 together we will do great things

but never envy each other.

The re-discovering of ancient wisdom is quickly being recognised as one another Corporate in India adopted: “The Bhagwat Geeta work because it is about self- management.”

“If all you want is more money and power, go to a financial institution. If you want to know the rightful things then the place of both the Geeta will help.”

 

According to Bangalore based economist and author SLN Simha of management with the Dharma, all the way and books on the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, values are critical to the performance of individuals and also to the outcome of the corporate efforts, “ The principles of management tell you how to acquire skills but people do not have the courage or character to use those skills correctly,” said the author.

Very long time back, I was read a research on management of Madras based lectures on the subject of many are convinced that western management has outlied its relevance in the contest of the Indian psyche. Excessive emphasis on competition and not enough on integrative cooperation has begun to expose its imperfection. “In the line with the integrative mode, companies like Thermax and Sundara, fasteners have trying to evolve ‘shared vision’ and core corporate values. One that is done, it has powerful emotive appeal within the organization.”

It is amazing to see the resonance with which the Indian workmen take to concepts like ‘karma yoga’ some of the studies have shown that even after training of three years of Shastras, the new set of values survive emerged because when a management educator uses the Shastras, he literally taps into what Carl Jung calls the ‘collective unconscious’ or the ‘Sanskaras as better work ethics. Cooperation between departments and improved management of union relationships begin to emerge naturally.

Results appear to match the theory and companies like Logic Control P Ltd manufacture voltage stabilisers are beginning to experience ,” Most workers lack a purpose in life, but their lives are full of misgivings, doubts and complexes” say the management.” Within two months of the lectures on the Vedas The transformation in the company became evident. Workers became aware of their contribution in production and they make and began to appreciate their significance.

In the same chain, the changes caught the attention of the transporters who ships products between Logic control and his companies found that it took hardly to empty the vehicles in the company while it took hours to do the same thing at another place.    He discovered that there is no bureaucracy or hierarchy in the company and he was told that this was a result of the weekly Vedanta sittings. Soon the transport company started searching to increase production through going back to their traditions and scriptures.

 

To further emphasis, the exercise has to be performed objectively an d fairly, mindful of the fact that the majesty of the law has to be upheld and the rule of law preserved, which does not discrimination between individuals on the basis of their stature, position or power. What we deserved are the key solutions which every management aims for, “The Vedas combine the dynamism of the west with the peace and serenity of the east. Also they tell you to be true to what you are doing. It could be illustrated by an example of standing for a Havana (fire), throwing Ahuti (offering) in the hope that the fire god will shower his blessings. A factory is like a Havana Kund

Efforts of employees are like Ahuti (offering

And if they are pure and sincere, they will be rewarded. This encourages workers to deliberate on their actions. And this can be seen as a psychological transformation of workers.

The transformation is inevitable, suggested by Doctor Y Jaydev, was director of Bombay based Yoga institute, He experienced that has shown that the Vedas as well as the Yogas help cultivate another worldly attitude, With industries and businesses showing an increasing interest in the value of Shastras. IIT Delhi in one of the paper conducted an efficiency study over logic, statistic to quantify the gains. Whatever its finding, the need for a specifically Indian movement has become imperative to balance the western dynamics of progress. “A sobering effect to the mind-less rat race is the need of the hour.”

Unfortunately, many consultants who use the Shastras are sometimes viewed as cranks or even religious fundamentalists but they continue to look towards the great Indian Epics for inspiration, helping,, resolving the conflicts between individual, corporate and social objectives. The attitudinal change is in keeping with what Simha onserved in his book- “Public intrest must always take precedence over provate intrest. That is the path of Dharma.”

A path that could help bring in improved work ethics and enhance productivity is a mission statement that any management world be proud of it.

Or, we can have it in a middle path the higher the authority, the higher is the level of sensitivity and responsibilities expect from it. To seek shelter between the technicality of procedure is to let loose forces which would lower the moral one of the society.