Mahabharata and Management
Mahabharat and mgt.
The Mahabharat, the longest epic in the world, is about couple of million words in total. Its not just the length of the epic that makes it grand and superior, but also the quality, reach and teachings it consists. The Mahabharat’s scope is best summarized by one quotation: “What is found here, may be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere”.
Mahabharat is not plainly the story of a war or a source of wisdom for philosophers. It exposes the secrets of leadership and the path to success. Mahabharat can be considered equivalent to other management bibles. Whether it is man management, human/organisational behaviour, game theory, management by objectives, all aspects of modern management can be discovered in various characters and episodes of the great epic.
Bhishma, an honest manager caught in diametrically opposed clashes, who was forced to take wrong decisions by forces beyond his power. Yudhisthira is a flawless example of managerial acumen. Karna, a manager who fought his way up the ladder but could not keep up with the pressure and tensions and met a tragic end. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, a daredevil leader without a business-plan of escape. He fought his way into the chakravyuha, but failed to come out and was brutally cornered and killed by Drona and others. Draupadi is the typical model of a woman powerhouse who kept others motivated till the goal is achieved. And Lord Krishna is the ideal example of a leader-manager who kept his eye on the target till the desired outcome was achieved.
In today’s modern management when ethical judgment and importance of recognizing the ethical dimensions is talked about, Mahabharat gives an excellent analogies to identify the ethical boundaries. "Rules of ethical conduct", dharmayuddha, for the war were framed by the supreme commanders of each side. Both sides broke most of these laws at least once.
Lord Krishna himself advised the Pandavas that no action can
The Mahabharat, the longest epic in the world, is about couple of million words in total. Its not just the length of the epic that makes it grand and superior, but also the quality, reach and teachings it consists. The Mahabharat’s scope is best summarized by one quotation: “What is found here, may be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere”.
Mahabharat is not plainly the story of a war or a source of wisdom for philosophers. It exposes the secrets of leadership and the path to success. Mahabharat can be considered equivalent to other management bibles. Whether it is man management, human/organisational behaviour, game theory, management by objectives, all aspects of modern management can be discovered in various characters and episodes of the great epic.
Bhishma, an honest manager caught in diametrically opposed clashes, who was forced to take wrong decisions by forces beyond his power. Yudhisthira is a flawless example of managerial acumen. Karna, a manager who fought his way up the ladder but could not keep up with the pressure and tensions and met a tragic end. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, a daredevil leader without a business-plan of escape. He fought his way into the chakravyuha, but failed to come out and was brutally cornered and killed by Drona and others. Draupadi is the typical model of a woman powerhouse who kept others motivated till the goal is achieved. And Lord Krishna is the ideal example of a leader-manager who kept his eye on the target till the desired outcome was achieved.
In today’s modern management when ethical judgment and importance of recognizing the ethical dimensions is talked about, Mahabharat gives an excellent analogies to identify the ethical boundaries. "Rules of ethical conduct", dharmayuddha, for the war were framed by the supreme commanders of each side. Both sides broke most of these laws at least once.
Lord Krishna himself advised the Pandavas that no action can