Management Lessons from Indian Ethos
When we think of innovation and creativity in India,
the first thought coming into our mind is the giant software industry which
through its cutting edge technology has created an aura in the global market.
But there is more which Indian legacy has in store,
for the corporate world. India is having a rich heritage filled with fables and
epics. In the today’s competitive world where uniqueness is the cue it becomes
very important to understand the learning’s of this rich heritage and implement
them in day to day functioning.
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines
Ethos as “the set of beliefs, ideas, etc. about social behavior and
relationship of a person or group” while Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
defines it as “the moral ideas and attitudes that belong to a particular group
or society”.
The new generation corporate has been primarily
dependant on strategic management literature for management tools, to prepare
the budding managers from the business world. According to Peter Drucker,
“Management means, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of
knowledge for folkways and superstition, and of cooperation for force”.
Knowledge needs wisdom and wisdom comes with age and
experience. Wisdom is all about implementing knowledge gained from experience
for the betterment of organization and society that meets with the requirement
of time. “Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from
bad judgment”.
MAHABHARATA & MANAGEMENT:
Mahabharata
is the longest epic in the world. War of Mahabharat was fought in 3139 B.C. at
Kurukshetra. The Great War lasted for 18 days and against all odds Pandavas
emerged as victorious. Mahabharata is a massive treasure for management learning.
Geeta and Lord Krishna: Lord Krishna is one of the greatest Management Gurus,
whom we can emulate without second thought. He is the Mentor of Mentors, Coach
of Coaches and Guru of all Motivational Gurus. He is the greatest life skills
expert and demonstrated every skill in the court of Dhritharashtra during his
diplomatic tour to Hasthinapuri which was taken up only to avoid war between
Kauravas and Pandavas.
MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM ‘MAHABHARATA’
• Share Your Responsibilities: Efficiently sharing responsibilities is the mark of a
good manager and the great Indian epic gives the best example for this. It advises the managers not to make the
decision-making process an autocratic one, rather involve everyone so that the
best of ideas will pop up.
• Learn The Art Of Teamwork: It was not a common war for Kauravas as they never
showed the unity. But the way Pandavas fought is a lesson for managers as it
highlights the significance of sticking on to the common goal while meeting the
individual targets. The great story teaches the golden lesson that only a
combined effort can bring in success in an organization.
• Know The Ground Realities: Pandavas spent one year in exile with the poor people
and the years of exile helped them to reach out to people from various area of
the society while Kaurava's had no experience of the ground reality as they
lived a royal life. Managers need to understand the realities to lead their
team in the right direction. They need to break the barriers to get in touch
with their subordinates to understand their problems and identify ways to make
their work easier.
• Take Calculated Risks: Krishna has acted as a greatest crisis manager showing
how to take calculated risks at the time of crisis. Management is all about
taking calculated risks. Shying away from challenges is not a sign of
management, rather well-assessed decisions to on facing the challenges is the
trademark of good management.
• An Excess of Emotion is More Dangerous than the
Absence of Emotion!: An
overdose of any emotion clouds rational thinking. Anyways, by nature, man is an
irrational animal! When you couple this fact with obsessive love or hatred, you
end up with not an irrational man but with an irrational and obstinate mule,
who simply refuses to see reason. E.g- Dhritarashtra’s obsessive love for
Duryodhana & Duryodhana’s irrational hatred for the Pandavas
• Strategy
Means Utilizing the Right Tool (Or Person) at the Right Time: Strategy
is not about having the best people or material or systems and processes. It is
about using them at the right time and in the right way. During the war, Arjuna and Bhima both lost
their sons Abhimanyu and Ghatotkach respectively. Both these boys fought like veteran warriors
and gained the respect of their elders and peers alike.
• Other Management Lessons from ‘Mahabharata’
Ø Transform your weakness into strength
Ø A good mentor is worth an entire army!
Ø Think before you commit!
Ø Any skill learnt (or knowledge gained) is never
wasted!
Ø Talent by itself is meaningless; it gets meaning from
how you use it!
RAMAYANA AND MANAGEMENT
Valmiki
Ramayana, in the Sanskrit literature is known as Adikavya or the first poem
in which Shri Ram is
stated as Transformational Leader.
• Idealized influence: the people of Ayodhya those who believe their king as
Lord Ram and followed him in all aspects of their life.
• Intellectual simulation: Lord Ram who made Bharatha to think about the things which
he had never questioned before.
• Inspirational motivation: the conversation between Lord Ram and Hanuman who got
motivated and crossed ocean.
• Individual consideration: the words of Ram that ‘it is my vow to provide shelter
and protection to any living entity from fear, even if Ravan comes for
protection”
KAUTILYA’S ARTHASASTRA
& MANAGEMENT
Being
the first Sashtra about the economics of Indians, Kautilya’s Arthasastra taught
us every aspect of administration and management for total economy and as well
as for an individual level. It also coaches on How to improve security for our
territory and how to develop secret forces to improve our security?
PANCHTANTRA AND MANAGEMENT
Pandit
Vishnu Sharma’s creation, composed in 3rd Century BC. The book is
divided into (pancha) five 'Tantras’
(systems) of 'Niteeshashtra' (Science
of wise conduct). Five strategies are explained in five volumes of stories.
‘The Separation of friends’ in
the first book. ‘How to win more friends’ in the second book, the third
book teaches ‘How to lead a life through war and peace to achieve successes.’
The lesson of the fourth book is ‘Anything that can be gained, can be
lost!’ And finally the fifth book provides lessons of ‘Actions that the
one should strictly give up’.
CONCLUSION
The
ethos is like a vast ocean from which we can keep on picking pearls of wisdom
every time we dive in it. Its greatness probably lies in the fact that its
lessons are as applicable in practical, realistic terms in today’s world as
they were a couple of thousand years ago and as they will be a couple of
thousand years later!
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