NEED OF VALUE-BASED HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT
Let us see two examples to prove that value-based holistic management is essential and there is no choice:
1. Man machine equation:
In the earlier times man was treated as any machine in the organisation, who could be hired and fired whenever the owners felt. Their feelings and emotions were nil for the organisation. It is due to Behavioral Scientists that this situation has considerably improved. Today there are various concepts like Performance Appraisal, Motivation, Job Satisfaction, Job Rotation, etc which draw a line of difference between a man and a machine. Value-oriented management will recognize the divine model of man. This will surely help in eliminating the man machine equation. Human values for managers will honour the core of humanness and bring about harmony and balance between values as ends. We will evolve a judicious combination between values and skills.
2. Prevention of exploitation of mother nature:
Science and technology brought about phenomenal industrialization at the cost of indiscriminate and ruthless exploitation of Nature. It is wrongly assumed that man is having a birthright to draw on resources supplied by nature at his will. Under the holistic approach man and Nature are deeply interconnected and interdependent. Hence, there is no right to exploit Nature for purely selfish motives.
As one man exploiting another man is bad so is exploiting Mother Nature bad. Many organisations knowingly and unknowingly pollute the environment. Value-based holistic management alone can prevent this exploitation of Mother Nature.
VALUE DRIVEN MANAGEMENT:
Effectiveness in performance of managers and workers is a function of values and skills together. A good manager has strength in both values and skills. We have management by consciousness. The purity of mind and heart guides the reasoning and intellect in all managerial functions particularly in HRM.
Every effort must be made by the top management in the organization to inculcate values. Values relate to the internal domain of business i.e. interactions with employees, customers, suppliers, creditors, public, etc. In the corporate mission or creed we describe values, vision, goals and objectives cherished by the organization.
Values should be an integral part of corporate mission, objectives. They should be expressly mentioned in the mission document. Value- orientation must be a program-based activity. It is a long-term activity with the constant follow-up and motivation through management support.
The members of the management team and the union leaders of workers must be regularly exposed to spiritualization, satsang of spiritual leaders, seminars and workshops, meditation, introspection, common prayers, etc. the organization should inculcate the spirit of giving rather than taking in the work life. The individuals are encouraged to subdue their ego, overcome to some extent selfishness, anger, jealousy, greediness, hatred, partiality and such other undivine elements.
The employees must strive internal developments rather than only specialize in skills and proficiency. They should sharpen their mind and intellect. Purer heart and mind would influence and sustain enduring values as a basis for improved effectiveness in the organization.
Let us note that success of Japan is based on values familiar to Indians, using spiritual education and practices, example concentration, meditation, lectures of spiritual leaders, mind stilling, intuition, etc., to neutralize the evil effects of reckless industrialization and to synthesize the human values into management and organization. Japan has combined spiritualism and materialism and adopted value driven holistic approach in management and organization. Let the global management adopt this.
INDIAN CULTURE AND WISDOM
The long term viability and progress or the sustainable all round development of a nation depend not so much on its material, ecological or technological resources but primarily in its human resources having ample potential energies- spiritual and psychological resources of our people. The greatest of the spiritual and psychological resources of any nation are its people who are conveniently forgotten or ignored. The essential and enduring part of a collective being or a nation is not its economics, commerce, ecology or politics which form only its outer body but its Insight, Ethos and Culture, which are the expression of its Mind and Soul.
Just as the outer material and economic progress and well-being of a nation depends on a scientific preservation and harnessing of the material and biological resources of its ecological heritage; the inner evolution and progress of a nation depends on the enlightened preservation and harnessing of its human and cultural heritage. Fortunately, in India we have the immense potential of our insight, and culture for motivating, managing and leading our abundant human resources.
THE ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES: The Driving force for Achieving Excellence
There are two levels of human consciousness:
Lower consciousness operating through our five senses in contact with the external world. This is also called the lower mind.
Higher consciousness or higher mind which is the door to get the vision of the spirit or pure consciousness. This is also called the inner mind. We are in touch with this inner mind only in silence. It can commune with the Divine within us. It can hear the small voice in the form of inspiration, or intuitive purified mind.
Traditional methods of purification of mind/heart are:
Karma Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Jnan Yoga
Raja Yoga
METHODS OF HEART/MIND PURIFICATION
The above chart indicates the four traditional methods of mind purification.
Jnan Yoga- Path of knowledge
Raja Yoga- Path of Mind Control
Bhakti Yoga- Path of Devotion
Karma Yoga- Path of Action
All these help to develop a pure mind. Pure mind is the origin of all values. Values emerge only from a purified mind i.e. from the inner mind or higher consciousness. This is a key factor for managerial effectiveness. ]
CONCLUSION
We are living in a world of unprecedented change. Development of science and technology is in turn forcing social, economic and political institutions everywhere all over the world to promptly adjust and adapt to the fast changing environment.
We cannot disown the use of modern science and technology to improve the human life in India. But the question has to be raised that whether human life can be improved by science and technology if yes than up to what extent. Human life is not a machine; it has a consciousness and sensitivity. Modern science can only give materialistic satisfaction but not the inner satisfaction and not the piece of mind. In today’s world the life has become much more complex. Human life needs to nurture with love affections. An organization cannot succeed, a society cannot succeed, and a nation cannot succeed in absence of development of human life. Technology has its own limitation, pros and cons.
Today the foremost challenge lies in the not controlling the human resource but let the human resource be so conscious that it controls it self, its activities and utmost thing is that they themselves should realize what is right or wrong for them, their society and organization. We need to invoke the consciousness of human being that a technology and science can’t do. The growth has to be internal as well as external. It is very sorry to state that today people are running behind the luxury things, they have become much more possessive in nature.
Organization can import technology and can develop technology but they cannot import a self conscious and spiritual human being. They have to develop and it is a challenge for them.
Let us see two examples to prove that value-based holistic management is essential and there is no choice:
1. Man machine equation:
In the earlier times man was treated as any machine in the organisation, who could be hired and fired whenever the owners felt. Their feelings and emotions were nil for the organisation. It is due to Behavioral Scientists that this situation has considerably improved. Today there are various concepts like Performance Appraisal, Motivation, Job Satisfaction, Job Rotation, etc which draw a line of difference between a man and a machine. Value-oriented management will recognize the divine model of man. This will surely help in eliminating the man machine equation. Human values for managers will honour the core of humanness and bring about harmony and balance between values as ends. We will evolve a judicious combination between values and skills.
2. Prevention of exploitation of mother nature:
Science and technology brought about phenomenal industrialization at the cost of indiscriminate and ruthless exploitation of Nature. It is wrongly assumed that man is having a birthright to draw on resources supplied by nature at his will. Under the holistic approach man and Nature are deeply interconnected and interdependent. Hence, there is no right to exploit Nature for purely selfish motives.
As one man exploiting another man is bad so is exploiting Mother Nature bad. Many organisations knowingly and unknowingly pollute the environment. Value-based holistic management alone can prevent this exploitation of Mother Nature.
VALUE DRIVEN MANAGEMENT:
Effectiveness in performance of managers and workers is a function of values and skills together. A good manager has strength in both values and skills. We have management by consciousness. The purity of mind and heart guides the reasoning and intellect in all managerial functions particularly in HRM.
Every effort must be made by the top management in the organization to inculcate values. Values relate to the internal domain of business i.e. interactions with employees, customers, suppliers, creditors, public, etc. In the corporate mission or creed we describe values, vision, goals and objectives cherished by the organization.
Values should be an integral part of corporate mission, objectives. They should be expressly mentioned in the mission document. Value- orientation must be a program-based activity. It is a long-term activity with the constant follow-up and motivation through management support.
The members of the management team and the union leaders of workers must be regularly exposed to spiritualization, satsang of spiritual leaders, seminars and workshops, meditation, introspection, common prayers, etc. the organization should inculcate the spirit of giving rather than taking in the work life. The individuals are encouraged to subdue their ego, overcome to some extent selfishness, anger, jealousy, greediness, hatred, partiality and such other undivine elements.
The employees must strive internal developments rather than only specialize in skills and proficiency. They should sharpen their mind and intellect. Purer heart and mind would influence and sustain enduring values as a basis for improved effectiveness in the organization.
Let us note that success of Japan is based on values familiar to Indians, using spiritual education and practices, example concentration, meditation, lectures of spiritual leaders, mind stilling, intuition, etc., to neutralize the evil effects of reckless industrialization and to synthesize the human values into management and organization. Japan has combined spiritualism and materialism and adopted value driven holistic approach in management and organization. Let the global management adopt this.
INDIAN CULTURE AND WISDOM
The long term viability and progress or the sustainable all round development of a nation depend not so much on its material, ecological or technological resources but primarily in its human resources having ample potential energies- spiritual and psychological resources of our people. The greatest of the spiritual and psychological resources of any nation are its people who are conveniently forgotten or ignored. The essential and enduring part of a collective being or a nation is not its economics, commerce, ecology or politics which form only its outer body but its Insight, Ethos and Culture, which are the expression of its Mind and Soul.
Just as the outer material and economic progress and well-being of a nation depends on a scientific preservation and harnessing of the material and biological resources of its ecological heritage; the inner evolution and progress of a nation depends on the enlightened preservation and harnessing of its human and cultural heritage. Fortunately, in India we have the immense potential of our insight, and culture for motivating, managing and leading our abundant human resources.
THE ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES: The Driving force for Achieving Excellence
There are two levels of human consciousness:
Lower consciousness operating through our five senses in contact with the external world. This is also called the lower mind.
Higher consciousness or higher mind which is the door to get the vision of the spirit or pure consciousness. This is also called the inner mind. We are in touch with this inner mind only in silence. It can commune with the Divine within us. It can hear the small voice in the form of inspiration, or intuitive purified mind.
Traditional methods of purification of mind/heart are:
Karma Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Jnan Yoga
Raja Yoga
METHODS OF HEART/MIND PURIFICATION
The above chart indicates the four traditional methods of mind purification.
Jnan Yoga- Path of knowledge
Raja Yoga- Path of Mind Control
Bhakti Yoga- Path of Devotion
Karma Yoga- Path of Action
All these help to develop a pure mind. Pure mind is the origin of all values. Values emerge only from a purified mind i.e. from the inner mind or higher consciousness. This is a key factor for managerial effectiveness. ]
CONCLUSION
We are living in a world of unprecedented change. Development of science and technology is in turn forcing social, economic and political institutions everywhere all over the world to promptly adjust and adapt to the fast changing environment.
We cannot disown the use of modern science and technology to improve the human life in India. But the question has to be raised that whether human life can be improved by science and technology if yes than up to what extent. Human life is not a machine; it has a consciousness and sensitivity. Modern science can only give materialistic satisfaction but not the inner satisfaction and not the piece of mind. In today’s world the life has become much more complex. Human life needs to nurture with love affections. An organization cannot succeed, a society cannot succeed, and a nation cannot succeed in absence of development of human life. Technology has its own limitation, pros and cons.
Today the foremost challenge lies in the not controlling the human resource but let the human resource be so conscious that it controls it self, its activities and utmost thing is that they themselves should realize what is right or wrong for them, their society and organization. We need to invoke the consciousness of human being that a technology and science can’t do. The growth has to be internal as well as external. It is very sorry to state that today people are running behind the luxury things, they have become much more possessive in nature.
Organization can import technology and can develop technology but they cannot import a self conscious and spiritual human being. They have to develop and it is a challenge for them.