Ideal Management

Hari OM

Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!

VEDANTA IN ACTION.

This is the title of a publication from CM which, whilst it of course has items by Gurudev, also includes selections of writing from other well-esteemed Gurus from the Vedantic tradition as well as leading businessmen. Its focus is the working life. We shall be exploring these essays for the next few weeks on Workings-day as, clearly, they pertain directly to the premise of this section of AVBlog! As ever, you  are encouraged to read back over previous posts, to ensure full benefit.

Part 1; Vedanta in Management.

A Vedantic Approach to Management Theory. (SriThandaveswara) cont'd.

Role of the Manager.

It is an undisputed fact that if productivity of an industry has to improve, the productivity of the workers associated with the industry has to improve. Even the latest technology of modern methods of management cannot achieve greater productivity unless the workers, executives and administrators improve their own efficiency and productivity. Personality rehabilitation is the method to make people more dynamic, creative and self-actualised.

To keep any organization dynamic, healthy and productive, the managerial personnel must have certain special personality traits and capacities. They should be the source of creative ideas. The should be conscious of the desires, aspirations, needs and problems of their community, and should have the ability to dispassionately look at, understand and evaluate events and people not only from a material point of view, but from the psychological and spiritual viewpoints also. They must have an insight into the deeper aspects of human motivation in order to harness all the potentialities of the employees, both for the individual's growth and the growth of the organization.  Above all, they must know the technique of right action through which they can prevent dissipation and disintegration of their own personalities.

The Vedantic View of Business.

Sufficient has been said to indicate the need for new thinking. In the ancient Vedic culture, many indications are given to provide for us this new view.  The Vedantic view of human enterprise is based on concepts such as the yajna (yagnya) spirit, sacrificing individual desires in favour of communal benefits; shreyas, preferring long-term benefits over short-term gains; sharing; a sense of cosmic harmony. Here, business is seen as a means for the evolution of human society toward its own true perfection, with all its activities being accessory to and justifiable only in terms of that end.  According to ancient Vedic scriptures, business was created by society as an instrument of wealth for welfare, to attain socially desirable goals, through ethically worthy means, resulting in a generation of healthy, wholesome individuals who carry ethical values and positive impulses into their community.

On the other hand, according to the current accepted definition, business is created by society as its instrument of wealth and welfare, functioning for socially desired goals, through result-oriented means, resulting in short-term success and continuous conflict between individuals and businesses.

If we view business enterprise in the ancient perspective, the practice of management will acquire a new complexion. It will no longer be a purely objective exercise to achieve external results. It will concern itself equally with the subjective aspect of individuals. What a business career does for a manager will be as important as what he does for the business. Will he emerge as a positive, wholesome, harmonious individual with a sense of growing toward his own total fulfilment? As a whole, will managers be able to create a healthy and wholesome community, of which the manager himself will be a satisfied member? Questions such as these will increasingly determine business policy and management practice.

[This ends the section on management. Remember, the purpose of this text is to really assess what is practical about Vedanta, how it can be meaningfully applied and employed in daily life. The next section now takes up the matter of gaining and improved relationship as worker to the work.]