Scribd
Upload
226 views12 pages

Bhagavad Gita and Managerial Effectiveness

This document discusses management principles derived from the Bhagavad Gita. It discusses concepts like effectiveness versus efficiency, utilizing available resources optimally, developing a visionary perspective in work, committing to work for its own sake rather than future rewards, cultivating a "divine" work culture focused on service over ego, and maintaining good mental health by avoiding greed, envy, and ego. The Gita teaches that effective leaders lead by exemplary behavior and are motivated by helping others rather than personal desires.

Uploaded by

Gunjan Awal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
226 views12 pages

Bhagavad Gita and Managerial Effectiveness

This document discusses management principles derived from the Bhagavad Gita. It discusses concepts like effectiveness versus efficiency, utilizing available resources optimally, developing a visionary perspective in work, committing to work for its own sake rather than future rewards, cultivating a "divine" work culture focused on service over ego, and maintaining good mental health by avoiding greed, envy, and ego. The Gita teaches that effective leaders lead by exemplary behavior and are motivated by helping others rather than personal desires.

Uploaded by

Gunjan Awal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

Management Implications of Gita Learnings

Saurabh Saxena

INVASION
Arjuna got mentally depressed when he
saw his relatives with whom he has to
fight. The Bhagavad Gita is preached in
the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord
Krishna to Arjuna as a counselling to do
his duty. It has got all the management
tactics to achieve the mental equilibrium

Management Guidelines from The


Bhagavad Gita
There is an important distinction between
effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
Effectiveness is doing the right
Efficiency is doing things right

Bhagavad Gita And Managerial


Effectiveness
Utilisation of Available Resources
The first lesson in the management science
is to choose wisely and utilise optimally the
scarce resources if one has to succeed in
his venture. During the curtain raiser before
the Mahabharata War Duryodhana chose
Sri Krishna's large army for his help while
Arjuna selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his
support. This episode gives us a clue as to
who is an Effective Manager

Attitude Towards Work


Three stone-cutters were engaged in erecting a temple.
As usual a H.R.D. Consultant asked them what they were
doing. The response of the three workers to this innocentlooking question is illuminating.
'I am a poor man. I have to maintain my family. I am
making a living here,' said the first stone-cutter with a
dejected face.
'Well, I work because I want to show that I am the best
stone-cutter in the country,' said the second one with a
sense of pride.
'Oh, I want to build the most beautiful temple in the
country,' said the third one with a visionary gleam.
Their jobs were identical but their perspectives were
different. What Gita tells us is to develop the
visionary perspective in the work we do. It tells us to
develop a sense of larger vision in one's work for the
common good.

Work Commitment

The popular verse 2.47 of the Gita advises nonattachment to the fruits or results of actions
performed in the course of one's duty.
Dedicated work has to mean 'work for the sake of
work'. If we are always calculating the date of
promotion for putting in our efforts, then such work
cannot be commitment-oriented causing excellence
in the results but it will be promotion-oriented
resulting in inevitable disappointments. By tilting the
performance towards the anticipated benefits, the
quality of performance of the present duty suffers
on account of the mental agitations caused by the
anxieties of the future.
So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage the present
commitment to an uncertain future

Thus the best means for effective work


performance is to become the work
itself. Attaining this state of nishkama
karma is the right attitude to work
because it prevents the ego, the mind
from dissipation through speculation on
future gains or losses.

It has been presumed for long that satisfying lower


needs of a worker like adequate food, clothing and
shelter, recognition, appreciation, status, personality
development etc are the key factors in the
motivational theory of personnel management.
It is the common experience that the spirit of
grievances from the clerk to the Director is identical
and only their scales and composition vary.
It should have been that once the lower-order needs
are more than satisfied, the Director should have no
problem in optimising his contribution to the
organisation. But more often than not, it does not
happen like that; the eagle soars high but keeps its
eyes firmly fixed on the dead animal below. On the
contrary a lowly paid worker demonstrate higher
levels of self- realization despite poor satisfaction of
their lower- order needs.

Types of Work culture as per Geeta


Daivi work culture - means fearlessness, purity,
self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, selfdenial, calmness, absence of fault-finding,
absence of greed, gentleness, modesty,
absence of envy and pride.
Asuri work culture - means egoism, delusion,
desire-centric, improper performance, work
which is not oriented towards service. It is to be
noted that mere work ethic is not enough in as
much as a hardened criminal has also a very
good work culture. What is needed is a work
ethic conditioned by ethics in work.

Manager's Mental Health


Some of the impediments to sound mental
health are
Greed -for power, position, prestige and
money.
Envy -regarding others' achievements,
success, rewards.
Egotism -about one's own
accomplishments.
Suspicion, anger and frustration.

Gita tells us how to get out of this universal


phenomenon by prescribing the following
capsules
Cultivate sound philosophy of life.
Identify with inner core of self-sufficiency
Get out of the habitual mindset towards the
pairs of opposites.
Strive for excellence through work is
worship.
Build up an internal integrated reference
point to face contrary impulses, and
emotions

Whatever the excellent and best ones do, the


commoners follow, so says Sri Krishna in the
Gita. This is the leadership quality prescribed
in the Gita. The visionary leader must also be
a missionary, extremely practical, intensively
dynamic and capable of translating dreams
into reality. This dynamism and strength of a
true leader flows from an inspired and
spontaneous motivation to help others. "I am
the strength of those who are devoid of
personal desire and attachment.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy