WHY IS TALKING SHRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA THE BEST MANAGEMENT BOOK?
In today’s modern world, the art of management has become a part and
parcel of everyday life, be it at home or in the workplace. In all
organizations, where a group of human beings assembles for a common
purpose irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, management
principles come into play through the management of resources, finance,
planning, priorities, policies, and practices.
Management is getting
things done through and with people, efficiently and effectively. The
philosophy of Bhagavad Gita should not be viewed from devotional
perspectives only but also as a guide in developing managerial
effectiveness.
Holy Bhagavad Gita is the tremendous contribution of India to the
world. It is considered to be one of the first disclosures from God. The
spiritual ideologies and management lessons in Gita were brought to the
world by many great Indian efforts and they called Bhagavad-Gita the
soul of Vedic Literature and a complete model to practical life.
As we know Bhagavad Gita was composed in the form of a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna, to
motivate Arjuna, who got emotionally challenged upon seeing those near
and dear ones whom he had to kill in the war of Kurukshetra and Lord
Krishna guided him to perform his karma. In the eighteenth chapter of
The Bhagavad Gita, one can find tremendous management guidelines which
are relevant even today.
Formulating strategies to achieve goals is the prime function of
every organization.
Bhagavad Gita guides in developing managerial
efficiency and effectiveness to achieve the desired results.
Organizing the activities of the enterprise is also an important
step. Bhagavad Gita turns one's weaknesses into strengths and shares the
responsibilities among the people around.
The selection and
training of individuals for specific job functions come understaffing.
Bhagavad Gita guides us in the mode of selecting the right set of
individuals in the team. Selecting the right managers is also a crucial
step that could motivate the group members.
Directing includes
designing a framework for an effective work climate and creating
opportunities for motivation, supervising, scheduling and discipline.
Controlling
means the power to control how something is managed or done. Managing
an army of 1.53 million soldiers and warriors to action against a bigger
army was not an easy task in Kurukshetra, such a module was a great
explanation to be useful in today’s scenario.
Management Lessons of Bhagavad Gita-
1. Stick on a goal – Fix a goal and achieve them.
2. Utilization of available resources- Proper utilization of scarce resources effectively.
3. Attitudes towards the work – To develop the visionary perspective in the work we do.
4. Commitmentof Work – A popular verse of the Gita
advises detachment from the fruits or results of actions performed in
the course of one’s duty. Detach yourself from the end rewards and
concentrate on the work itself.
5. Result of work – The Gita explains the theory of
“detachment” from the extrinsic rewards of work. If the result of
sincere effort is a success, the entire credit should not be
appropriated by the man of action alone similarly if the result of
sincere effort is a failure, then the entire blame does not accrue to
the man of action or the team.
6. Motivation – Motivation plays a critical role in
achieving goals and business objectives. Lord Krishna said: you have a
right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the
fruits of the action.
7. Work Culture – An effective work culture is about
active and rigorous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen tasks. Sri
Krishna elaborates on two types of work culture Dalvik Sampat or divine
work culture and asuri Sampat or demonic work culture. Asura's work
culture involves egoism, personal desires, and improper performance.
Daivik Sampat's work culture is to become a world-class enterprise to tap
the potential avenues.
8. Surrender to the Supreme – Lord Krishna asked
Arjuna to surrender him to Lord; should not have doubts about the existence
of the lord. Look for the bigger and harmonious picture, put your egos
aside. Spirituality leads to social harmony.
9. Power of Science and Wisdom – Gita says “Science
can be understood by our senses. Wisdom will create an inner feeling which
comes in the form of intuition, it will make your intentions more
strong, which can be transformed into introspection.
10. Control of Mind – Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in
the middle of the battlefield that one should practice steadiness of
mind. Life is like Mahabharata wherein battle is being fought daily in
the mind. With control of mind, one can calm the emotions and increase
his/her Viveka or Buddhi with vivechana.
11. Anger Management – Lord Krishna said, the desire
for objects comes from the attachment to them, and anger comes from
unfulfilled desires. Modern psychoanalysis reveals that anger is a
manifestation of repressed and suppressed desires. The purpose of life
is to fulfill the responsibilities, goals, and most importantly peaceful
co-existence with fellow human beings.
12. Transformational Leadership – Transformational
leaders (HR managers) exhibit charisma, encourage followers to do their
own way, and treat followers differently but equitably. Today's
managers and consultants can benefit from the philosophy of
Bhagavad-Gita, which can serve as a guide in HRM.
The contribution of Bhagavad Gita is not only limited to spiritual knowledge but also the art of self-determination, personality,
behavior, time management, stress management, and many other aspects of
management that can be used as a guide to increase management
effectiveness.
The Bhagavad-Gita suggests an HRM approach, which focuses
on exploring the inner self. If managers can develop a sense of
confidence among individuals as indicated in the Gita, the quality of
leadership will be improved and the quality of management will also be
improved.
Dr. Shweta Sharma
Asst. Prof. Chemistry
Career College Bhopal
Talking Gita 30-09-2021 By Talking Bhagavad Gita Talking Gita
