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Management and Business Ethics through Indian
Scriptures and Traditions
Dr Yog Raj Singh,
Shriram Institute of Management & Technology, Kashipur, Uttarakhand
Ankur Bhatnagar,
Shriram Institute of Management & Technology, Kashipur, Uttarakhand
1. INTRODUCTION
As mentioned by management guru Peter Drucker, “More and more people in the workforce- and mostly knowledge workers- will have to managethemselves.†The average working life is likely to be fifty years for knowledge workers. But the average life expectancy of successful business is onlyabout thirty years. If they want to survive for long, they will have to change their structure, their work, their knowledge and the kind of people theyemploy. While the knowledge workers need to identify themselves, their strengths, the way they work, and their contribution. Today, the culture thatfacilitates psychological and spiritual development of the individual and community besides creating a cohesive community which coordinates thecreativity, well-being, self realization, and inner and outer unity of a person with himself and with the stakeholders, environment, society and thehumanity as a whole.
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Management and Business Ethics through IndianScriptures and Traditions
by Ankur Bhatnagar on Monday 13 February 2012, 11:04 PM | Category: Miscellaneous| View: 1963 views
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Home » Articles » Miscellaneous » Management and Business Ethics through Indian Scriptures and Traditions
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humanity as a whole.
2. BUSINESS ETHICS
Business ethics determines rightness and wrongness of actions of a businessman. The study of what is ethically permissible and of what is positivelyvirtuous; in regard to business activity is what we call business ethics. “Management ethics†is that discipline which deals with what is good andbad, or right and wrong or with moral duty and obligation. It governs the way bi=business carries its operations.
Business ethics applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and business organizations as whole. In the
increasingly conscience-focused marketplaces of the 21st century, the demand for more ethical business processes and actions (known as ethicism) isincreasing. Businesses can often attain short-term gains by acting in an unethical fashion; however, such behaviors tend to undermine the economyover time. Today most major corporate websites lay emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values under variety of headings. Insome cases, corporations have redefined their core values in the light of business ethical considerations (e.g. Bharat Petroleum's “beyondpetroleum†environment tilt).
“A business that values nothing but money is poor kind of business.â€
-Henry Ford, 1863-1947 American Industrialists
3. INDIAN CONTEXT
India is a country of high values and ethics. It is a land where people of all religion and cultures, with difference in languages, beliefs, social backgroundstay together. We see that the various scriptures written by great men of ancient times, of all the religious backgrounds, speak more or less of thesame concepts. Also, all their teachings, preaching and writings can provide as a guide for “Effective and Ethical Management.†In present world,where “making profit†at any cost is the main motive, and where people opine that “either you can be ethical or do businessâ€; theseteachings from the holy books and other scriptures are a good answer to them, guiding us how both – Ethical and management – go together.
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969), US General, 34th President of United States said “A people that values its privileges above its principles soonloses bothâ€
Now, let discuss how some of the golden words of the scriptures guide us even today's corporate scenario
4. THE RAMAYANA
One can easily co-relate the modern-say management lessons with Lord Rama's teaching in ‘Ramayana'. Lord Rama presents the masterpieceexample of “leading by Valueâ€. How a manager has to tackle the situations is well presented by him. When Vibhishana asks him how will defeatthis huge army with your limited resources? He explains using the example of chariot, whose four wheels denote: character, courage, ethics and valor;the four horses denote: gusto, strength, energy and passion; and their four reins denote: forgiveness, compassion, consistency and equanimity. Thusthe weaponry: knowledge, strategy, intelligence, skills, commitment and a restraint of ego- these are the weapons which can help us win any kind ofbattle. “Emotional Intelligence an embodiment of all these things mentioned above is what makes victory possible against any opposition. You needto be consistent in your approach to different people, no meter whom they are and where they are coming from. Ramayana gives us example of a “good manager†in Rama, Sugriva, Vibhishana and that of a “bad manager†in Ravana. A good manager is one who can even get his workdone from the rivals as we can take for instance; Angad (whose father was killed by Rama) actually helped in battle. This shows the excellentmanagerial skill of Rama and Sughriva while Ravana being a “bad†one, continuously ignored the suggestions of his managers, includingVibhishana, and lost the battle and his kingdom. Other aspects of the modern-day management can be seen by: the “High Motivation†provided byJamvant to Hanuman when he had forgotten his powers: “Swot analysis†is done by Hanuman in analysis the strength, weaknesses, opportunitiesand threats of the Lankan army, when he was asked to convey Rama's message to Goddess Sita; the “Strategic Alliance†formed by Lord Ramaand Sugriva in which the former helped in regaining his lost kingdom while the latter helped in providing resources and help find Sita and win overtRavana. Business are run on relations and Lord Rama in Ramayana has proved that a manger who can nurture good relations with the employees,clients, and anyone in whose contact the organization and the management comes in, can do wonders in the company.
5. THE HOLY QURAN
The holy Quran also sets out the institutional framework for achieving promised results. Various ayats in the holy Quran guides us, how ethical conceptsare implied in modern-day management. Obedience and respect for authority is the basic fundamental requisite. It is necessary for those people whoare given the job to complete a task to obey all legal and reasonable orders and perform it reasonably, as Holy Quran instructs in this ayat: [4:59] ‘Obey Allah and his Messenger and those in position of authority among you. ‘The importance of “joint-consultation†and “team work†isalso revealed by the Quran. As in the following ayat: [3:159] ‘pass over (their faults), and ask for (God's) forgiveness for them: and consult them inaffairs (of moment). Then, when you have taken a decision put your trust in God, for God loves those who put their trust (in Him). ‘The holy Quranalso puts forth the principle of “equal opportunities†which relates to the modern management as all members of an organization shall have equaland fair to the modern management as all members of an organization shall have equal and fair chances to grow, contribute, and be rewardedaccordingly. This is presented in the ayat: {49:13] ‘O people we created you from a single male and female couple and then divided you in nationsand tribes so that you may recognize one another. Verily the most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is he who is most “righteous†of you.Also, speaking about the “Elimination of wastageâ€, the ayat: [17:26] of the Quran: ‘And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) tothose in want, and to the wayfarer. But waste not (your wealth, time, health, talents, opportunities etc) in the manner of a spendthrift
6. THE HOLY BIBLE
As mentioned earlier, the corporate definition of ethics lies in knowing about actions that are good and bad and also, treating the stakeholders withrespect. The teachings of Jesus Christ and the Ten Commandants as given in the Bible, has significant impact on business Ethics. These can beillustrated in the following verses of the Bible: “Do into others as you would have them do to you†has the underlying lessons for the businessesthat they should treat their stakeholders; by the business operation with the respect and honestly that they would like those people to show to them. “Love the neighborâ€; neighbor, in terms of business, are those who work in the organization itself (they are the closest “neighbors†of thebusiness). The term ‘love' in this verse refers to form the basis of the family type of cultural environment that many businesses strive to achieve inthe workplace. Good businesses succeed because of the ethical bond they form with employees. “Thou shalt not bear false witnessâ€, “thoushalt not stealâ€; these verses present the ethical value of ‘honesty and trust'. All researchers promote the values of the honesty and trust as beingcritical to the building of business relationships. Honesty in terms of advertising, marketing, financial issues and the like are of sheer importance. Inaddition to the above, the influence that the Bible has upon ethical business practices is also dependent upon the individuals who lead the organization.
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addition to the above, the influence that the Bible has upon ethical business practices is also dependent upon the individuals who lead the organization.
It is not the fact that the ethical values might be incorporated within the business code of practice, but also they will have to see these values reinforcedin practice.
7. THE BHAGAVAD GITA
The guidelines, teachings and values taught by Lord Krishna to Arjuna during the battle of the Mahabharata, are so contained in the Bhagvad Gita. Themodern management concepts like vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work, achieving goals, meaning of work, attitude towards work, natureof individual, decision making, planning etc., are all discussed in the Bhagavad Gita with a sharp insight. When Duryodhana and Arjuna were asked tochoose among Lord Krishna's army or his knowledge; Duryodhana went for his large army while Arjuna went for his wisdom. This shows that in termsof “resourcesâ€, a manager must choose wisely and utilize optimally just as Arjuna did. Gita also tells us about the “commitment towards work†through the law of detachment. By titling the performance towards the anticipated benefits, the quality of performance of the present duty suffers onaccount of the mental agitations caused by the anxieties of the future. The very popular Shloka 47 of chapter 2 in the Bhagvad Gita, (“KarmanyaVadhikaraste ma phleshu kadaachan, / ma Kampala heturbhrma te sango astav akamaniâ€). Your right is only to do your duty, and not to its fruit orresult. Neither the result of your action should be your motive, nor should you become inactiveâ€. In Chapter 16 of the Gita Sri Krishna elaborates ontwo types of Work Ethic viz. daivi sampat or divine work culture means fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self-denial,calmless, absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride; and asuri sampat or demonic work culturemeans egonism, delusion, desire-centric, improper performance, work which is not oriented towards service. This principle explains 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†conditionedby “ethics in workâ€. Henry Fayol, mentioned among his principles, “subordination of individual interest to general interest†is well depicted inShlokas 31-38 of Chapter 2 in which Lord Krishna guides Arjuna to fight “not for his own benefits, not for satisfying his own greed or desire, but forthe good of manyâ€.
Krishna also advices, in regard to temporary failures, “No doer of good ever ends in miseryâ€. Every action should produce results: good actionproduces good results and evil begets nothing but evil. So, one should always act well and be rewarded. Apart from helping humans in self-discovery,Gita eulogizes Karma i.e. human endeavor of action (Karma Yoga) is better than renunciation of action (Karma Sanyasa).
8. OTHER SCRIPTURES
Various Upanishads, Vedas, Smrutis, and other ancient Indian scriptures also contain teachings which can be directly or indirectly applied tomanagement ethics. The Kathopanishad is one of the most popular of all Upanishads. The “ability to take decisions†is the real test of a manager'scaliber. The mantra in this Upanishads mentions, at every stage in a man's life he is confirmed by the necessity to choose between two courses ofaction. One is sreyas which seems painful in the beginning but painful in the end. In managerial terms, sreyas may be regarded as the hard optionwhile preyas is the soft option. The Taittiriya Upanishads lays down the qualifications of those who are worthy of being looked up to as precedents. Inthe Yaksha Prashana episode, Yaksha asks “which path to choose?†and Dhramputra answers: The path that great men of yore had traversed inthe past is the path we should follow. This is also mentioned by Jesus Christ in the holy Bible and also in ayat [43:32] in the holy Quran.
The Vedas contain various concepts such as knowledge management, relationship marketing, quality system, change management, time management,etc. in terms of Social responsibility; the Vedas specify that the poor and the needy shall be duly protected. They call upon one not to cause injury toothers or covet the wealth of others. And in terms of the Value system through transparent ethical practices in the best interest of the society at large.The Vedas stress upon moral and ethical conduct and appeal to every one to be guiltless and blemishless. They give the clarion call for value-centricbusiness practices.
The individual value system of the various employees together shape up and determine the value system of an organization to which they identifythemselves with. Vedas also stress that “work itself does not cause frustration, but something else causes frustration, it's the expectation of resultâ€. A short story reveals the “attitude towards work†in which: a lady asks three workers, who were cutting stones for the construction of thetemple. First says,†I am doing this horrible job of cutting stonesâ€, Second says,' I am working to get money for my family†while the third says, “I am building the templeâ€. All the three men are doing the same work but for the first one, it is “hellâ€; for the second, it is a “duty†whilefor the third one, it is a “blessingâ€. This shows attitude towards work.
9. CONCLUSION
We cam see how relevant and important aspects of Management and Business Ethics we can discover from our scriptures. We have seen many peopleadvocating the concept that one can do either business or ethics. But this is not the fact. Good actions always yield good results. One may say that JesusChrist was crucified even after being righteous but the real fact is, his teachings and lessons are being followed even today and he is worshipped by somany people. At the end of the millennium, we are back to basics.Even as society appears to be getting increasingly corrupt and criminal; many arebeginning to realize that you cannot aspire to create value without deeply cherishing a sense of values. For instance, chairman of Wipro systems andWipro InfoTech, Azim Premji, once called for a meeting. A senior general manager of the company was leaving, because he had inflated a travel bill.The amount involved was not huge. Nor was the general manager's contribution to the organization insignificant. And yet, he was leaving because ofone act of misdemeanor. It was a question of principles, of values. To add a lot of interest to your principal, you need to stick to your principles. Tosustain your competitive advantage in an increasingly corporate world, you need character. Morals are more important than money, materials,marketing and management.
“The winner of any corporate competition is the company whose moral purpose best fits the prevailing environment.â€- Nikos Mourkogianis,management consultant in strategy and business, Issue 41, winter 2005. Thus, Ethical issues which are a big challenge being faced by management,need to be paid heed at and let go unnoticed. Through core values and principles, we can reach the zenith and we students being the prospectiveentrants in the corporate world, must inculcate these values from the very beginning. This lines of Achille Silvestre, Cardinal of Roman Curia, are worthnoticing which he mentioned at a congress of the Union of Industrialists of Rome , organized under the theme “Business Ethics and Legalityâ€-
“Ethics and religion must not stay at home when we go to work.â€
REFERENCE:
1. http://www.lifepositive.com/lpevents /lppublicevent.asp2. http://www.trcb.com/business/management.htm
► Scriptures
► Business Ethics
► Indian Culture
2. http://www.trcb.com/business/management.htm3. http://www.valuequotes.net/chronological.html4. http://1stholistic.com/prayer/hol_holy-Gita.htm5. Swami Nikhilananda, The Upanishads: A New Translation Vol.I, at 3-4 (5th Ed. 1990) ISBN 0-9112066. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2003). Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0060507144.7. Riches, John. The Bible: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-285343-08. Head, Tom. The Absolute Beginner's Guide to the Bible. Indianapolis, IN: Que Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-7897-3419-29. Easwaran, Eknath (2007), The Bhagavad Gita, Nilgiri Press, ISBN 9781586380199
10. Singh, R. Raj (2006), Bhakti and Philosophy, Lexington Books, ISBN 073911424711. Goldman, Robert P. (1990). The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India: Balakanda. Princeton University Press. pp. 456. ISBN
9780691014852.12. Mahulikar, Dr. Gauri. Effect Of Ramayana On Various Cultures And Civilisations, Ramayan Institute
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