Gita- Mother of all management Gurus

Iam very skeptical and critical of the western schools of thought related to management theories. Ofcourse some of them are under the scathing criticism of the westerners too. In reality some of them cannot be contained by those who desire a meaningful realtion in an organisation. Primarily the confusion is on the area of priority. ie Who comes first? Is the individual subordinate to company's interest or the organisations exist because of human element. Can one ignore the importance of human element. This reminds me of the Marxian philosophy. How right they have been in their analysis. Unfortunately when the west is in a mood to revamp the entire concept which has created a number of misfits in the social fabric here we are trying to imitate and pick up from their bin those elements which will never suit our ethos. Ask our MBA's or look at their mental frame. Perhaps you may find some validity or truth in my statements..

Have we ever reflected on the relevance of those theories in our day today business.
Any institution which does not consider the human values is bound to fail. That's what has happened in the west.

Equate man to machine, is our present mantra. These days we don't get spare parts. The alternative is, either an excahnge or discard the the one that has already lost its vitality ,socal purpose.Man too becomes useless at a given point. Discard him too.
Hire someene and fire someone!
In this context I was glad to know one of the American schools have decided to give the philosophy of Bhagavd Gita a try. Gita neither allows you to vascillate nor be aggressive in any matter. It is not result oriented to the extent man doesn't get frustrarted of the outcome. But the philosophy of "Karma ' demands from the person his maximum effort to the fullest extent.To the present generation which is incapable of facing the reality and unequipped to start from thescrap Gita will definitely be a solace. Management desn't mean stepping on sombody elses shoes. It demands hard work patience, fair play, ethics and compromise. Leadership dosen't mean washing the dirty linen (Of others) in public . Don't forget we rise higher and higher standing onthe shoulders of our predecessors. How small the man may be. I think this is the area we all have failed to take note of. When we are filled with alter ego where is the question of adjustments and aknowledgements. . Moreove we all want quick results. Can I call the principles of Gita a balm to
to heal or a mechanism which will give way to restoration of human dignity and values.
Agreed some of our institutionas are framing curriculam based on the principles of Vedanta. But they are yet to be operational . Pl.do correct me if iam wrong in making this statement.
kanaka

Hi kanaka,

Good topic.

Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office . Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of human effort.

Your views are quite true..and let me not elaborate more on that....

but bhagawad gita written long long ago..and still can be considered as a book on management principles...

Assimilation of the ideas of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of general welfare, the work ethic and devotion.


To quote Mahatma Gandhi,
"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."

Not only from the management part of education, i would suggest, gita be thought at school as a science of understanding life......

(P.S.Bhagawad gita has been introduced in indian management insitutions also...last year there was an article about it in THE HINDU...)

Dear Kanaka
Great writeup..your article itself can be a study paper for management students..also makes me think..
I can no way write like our dear Shanthi..her reply is equally incredible..
your line.. :..Any institution which does not consider the human values is bound to fail. That's what has happened in the west.."
is true to a very great extent. But like always we cannot generalise ..still thats corporate culture..many factors are due to this kind of thinking..
Still many survive and many do exhibit good human relations too.. Great article..

Dear Kanaka,

Worth contemplating upon, Kanaka. Shanvy and Anandchitra have echoed some of my thoughts. There are bound to be some exceptions to the rule and everything cannot be generalized. It sure is high time that companies who matter gave a critical look at the way things function.
People do wake up to their follies and not all is lost, yet!
With this thought provoking write up, you have joined the elite lot at Finest Posts of the Month! Congrats!

L, Kamla