motivation - leadership.doc

8/12/2019 Motivation - Leadership.doc

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Indian Management Thoughts and Practices

Concept Questions:

1. Indian Approach to Motivation:

In Indian philosophy motivation is not something external. It is rather internal. Infact GITA is a

story of motivation. Arjuna as motivated from the very !eginning !ut he lost his motivation

due to some o!stacles" hurdles and confusion in his mind. All that as re#uired as to remove

these o!stacles only. Thus removing o!stacles during the performance of jo! is motivation in

Indian philosophy.

Every soul is divine" having immense potentialities. Management has to !ring out that potential

!y removing o!stacles and hurdles hich restrict from performing. $uch motivation involves the

inner !eauty and does not promote any greed in an individual to have more and more in return of

his or%& as or% itself is vieed in a uni#ue ay in Indian philosophy. 'or% is here considered

as an exercise of energy. A living !eing has no alternative !ut to !e or%ing& physically or

mentally. A non or%ing !ody is a dead !ody. A man has to or% to reali(e that divinity is

residing in him. Thus attitude toards or% is #uite different. An Indian does not or% for a

livelihood only" !ut he considers it as his duty) $adhana*" as Indian philosophy teaches that every

or% you perform can only !e an offering to that divine soul in you.

+ord ,rishna motivated Arjuna successfully !y this techni#ue. In the !eginning Arjuna said that

-I ill not fight and at the end he said - I ill do" hat you say. Arjuna as not offered any

position etc. for this !ut all the o!stacles had !een removed. /e as motivated right from the

!eginning" he only re#uired some of his dou!ts cleared. In fact the Gita shos the five clear

stages of motivation. They are as follos0

1. Patient listening2 hen +ord ,rishna did not interrupt Arjuna and listened patiently"

here Arjuna puts his pro!lems from 34 to 56 stan(as in the first chapter of Gita.

3. Putting stress on good points7 strength hile removing Arjuna8s dou!ts.

9. :iscussing on intellectual level& shoing the essence of %arma7 duty.

5. $hoing the action plan to achieve the goal.

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;. :iscussing the conse#uences of proposed action plan.

Thus


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good :o Good leads to purification of thoughts" tal%s and actions associated ith good

thoughts.

Courage:in the orld of management courage points out acts of !ravery. >ourage is telling the

truth even in the face of danger. @ou have the guts do something" hich is ris%y.

Self-discipline:$elf&discipline and self&control indicate that the soul is the !oss ho ta%es

control of the mind and directs the mind and senses to move on the journey to reach the goal to

reach to the master.

'hen the individual consciousness a%es up e have self&discipline and self&control to deal

ith life. The #uality of life then is different. The #uality of life ill then give you greater

harmony" happiness and moderation. 'e need discipline and courage to reach to our o!jectives

in time.

4. Ethics :

It is the study of morals" hat is right or rong" virtuous or vicious" and !eneficial or harmful to

us. They are the right and healthy values hich you preserve in yourself. Ethics is -human moral

conduct according to principles of hat is good or right to do. $ome of the ethical values are

fearlessness" empathy" modesty" humility" spirit of sacrifice for the sa%e of common good control

on mind and restraint on senses and passions" cheerfulness and vigor.

5. Learning:

+earning is a change of !ehaviour that ta%es place through practice or experience. It is relatively

permanent. It is associated ith accumulation of information" %noledge and its application

regulating in isdom. The outside temperature is ;o> 2 this is just a piece of information.


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past ,armas and hence must concentrate on his correct dharma. The


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The guru%ul system is !ac%ed on the concept that the learning from the teacher is not limited to

the classroom sessions" !ut is continuous from his !ehaviour throughout the day and night. The

teacher is a role model. It is also expected that the student ill thin% a!out hat he is learning

and de!ate the issue and that in the process" the teacher also may learn. Boint exploration is the

process. The student is not expected to accept hat the teacher conveys" !ut is expected to apply

his mind and validate the lessons !efore accepting them. Guru%ul system prepared the young

ones in total personality :evelopment at an ashram guided !y Cature and Guru )rishi*" here

common codes are encouraged" e#ual and appropriate opportunities are given to all shishyas.

Major human values including respect to elders are also emphasi(ed.

&+,+0 Ta%es one from dar%ness to light.

Descriptive Questions:

-1: a o$$ent on 0Indian ethos and $otivation.

The xford English :ictionary defines ethos as -the characteristic spirit and !eliefs of

community" peopleD..

Interest in Indian ethos arose due to the development of attitude toards or% hich emphasi(es

the individual gain at the cost of the organi(ation or the organi(ation=s gain at the cost of the

society at large. This unethical attitude of individuals needs to !e improved" !ecause it is harmfulto man%ind.

Thus" to or% in an ethical ay" an individual needs to !e motivated from ithin. /e should not

or% for his on interests and harm the society. This %ind of motivation can !e traced !ac% to

our ethos and our philosophy" hich is further explained !elo0

Motivation- as vieed in Vedanta philosophy:

Thin%ers of the 'estern orld define motivation in different ays. 'illiams G $cot defines it as

a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish desired goals.

In Indian philosophy motivation is not something external. It is rather internal. Infact GITA is a

story of motivation. Arjuna as motivated from the very !eginning !ut he lost his motivation

;


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due to some o!stacles" hurdles and confusion in his mind. All that as re#uired as to remove

these o!stacles only. Thus removing o!stacles during the performance of jo! is motivation in

Indian philosophy.

Every soul is divine" having immense potentialities. Management has to !ring out that potential

!y removing o!stacles and hurdles hich restrict from performing. $uch motivation involves the

inner !eauty and does not promote any greed in an individual to have more and more in return of

his or%& as or% itself is vieed in a uni#ue ay in Indian philosophy.

+ord ,rishna motivated Arjuna successfully !y this techni#ue. In the !eginning Arjuna said that

-I ill not fight and at the end he said - I ill do" hat you say. Arjuna as not offered any

position etc. for this !ut all the o!stacles had !een removed. /e as motivated right from the

!eginning" he only re#uired some of his dou!ts cleared. In fact the Gita shos the five clear

stages of motivation. They are as follos0

1. Patient listening 2 hen +ord ,rishna did not interrupt Arjuna and listened patiently" here

Arjuna puts his pro!lems from 34 to 56 stan(as in the first chapter of Gita.

3. Putting stress on good points7 strength hile removing Arjuna=s dou!ts.

9. :iscussing on intellectual level& shoing the essence of %arma7 duty.

5. $hoing the action plan to achieve the goal.

;. :iscussing the conse#uences of proposed action plan.

Thus


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Indian management is sloly emerging to promote e#ually excellence and spiritual enrichment

!oth in individual and collective life. The salient ideas and thoughts of Indian ethos in

management revealed !y our scriptures are0

1. At$ano Mo(sharathan agat hitaya cha

All or% is an opportunity for doing good to the orld and thus gaining materially and

spiritually in our lives.

2. Archyet ana Manahya$

'orship people not only ith material things !ut also !y shoing respect to their ever present

divinity ithin

3. At$ana indyate iryan

$trength and inspiration for excelling in or% comes from the divine" God ithin" through

prayer" holy readings and unselfish or%.

4. 7ogah (ar$as' (a'sha)a$. *a$atva$ yoga 'chyate

/e ho or%s ith calm and even mind achieves the most.

5. 7ahishi 8havana yasya siddhi havati tadrishi

As e thin%" so e succeed" so e !ecome. Attention to means ensures the end.

6. 9araspara$ havayantah shreyah para$ havapsyathah


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A leader must !e satisfied ith his on self. If as a leader he is not satisfied ith himself" then

he ill indulge in getting money" poer" position" name and fame" to ma%e him satisfied. Thus

his life !ecomes full of stress and strain. +eaders ith such distur!ed mind can never !e

successful leaders. +eaders must understand that happiness or satisfaction that one tries to see%

in different o!jects of the orld is one=s on nature. It lies ithin oneself" and one can !e happy

only if the mind is happy.

$imilarly" a leader has to learn to accept the outer orld also as it is. /e should try to understand

that !y trying to change the outer orld" he ill not !e happy or satisfied. Instead of this" he

should try and change his approach of vieing the orld. /e should remem!er the to !asic

principles0

a* God resides in every!ody

!* Every soul is divine.

A leader=s duty is only to !ring out that divinity !y providing appropriate environment and

leadership" !y removing dou!ts" and confusions from the mind of people" and !y removing

hurdles in the ay of performance. It is true that if situation can !e changed" a leader must have

the courage to change it.


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attitude ill help managers in managing all %inds of situations effectively and successfully

shoing perfect maturity of mind and gaining people=s appreciation for his capa!ility of

tac%ling the situation ith calmness.

Creating Appropriate Mental Attitude:

A leader needs healthy attitude toards life hich includes concern for people and service

orientation. /e is alays re#uired to !e a!ove average" a man" ho has lifted himself from man

hood to God hood=. Thus" as a leader one has to %eep aay from three things.

These three things are attachment )aga*" fear )


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from other individuals and the hole universe. As "ater is the essence of a ave and the

ocean" ATMAC )divine spirit*" is the essence of every individual and the hole universe or


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'hen e act driven !y high values e are inface em!odying desira!le #ualities of a good human

!eing. 'elfare of all ill necessarily ensure our on.

ne test of hether our motive7!asis for action is value !ased is not that if it is exposed to

intelligent #uestioning !y those affected e should !e a!le to defend our action ithout any

em!arrassment.'e should try to act ith the sense of detachment fixing the mind ith the

supreme conciousness in order to achieve !alance and hence success.This ill also guard us

against undesira!le influences of others on us.

>oncepts hich are !asic in Indian tradition" are contained in the ancient texts li%e edas and

Upanishads. They contain principles to guide one=s life" regardless of one=s religious persuasion.

>ollectively they may provide a philosophy or attitude to life and living. These principles are

relevant to !usiness !ecause the processes of !usiness management and the purposes of !usiness

are related to people. These principles are !eing presented !elo in !rief0

Concept of divinity0 the most signifant fact is that these texts do not refer to any God !ut refer to

certain divinity hish pervades all !eings" human and animals including inanimate matter.

:ivinity is conceptuali(ed as energy hich may !e in !oth dynamic or the static form. Energy is

not vis!le !ut can !e experienced. It is energy that moves or does. The energy is individual

called)atman* is the same as the total energy called )!rahma*" in the same as energy in an electric

!ul! is the same as the energy in the generator. In this reali(ation !rahma is timeless and

spaceless. It permeates the entire universe.

Concept of man:Man is understood to !e constituted of five different sheaths. The grossest of

these is the physical !ody called -annamaya" hich is constituted of matter created !y food.

The second sheath covering the physical !ody is the -pranmaya hich is related to the

!reathing or vital energy. The third sheath is the -manomaya" hich roughly translates as the

mind !ut infact has larger cannotations than mind in psychology. The fourth sheath is

-vijnanamaya or the intellect or he poer of discrimination. The final sheath is the

-anandmaya or eternal !liss. Each sheath is su!ler than the earlier one and allos more freedom

of movement through time and space. Every person is simultaneously operating at all these

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levels. Every person has the capa!ility to move from the constraints of the physical sheath and

live in eternal !liss. Thus these human and ethical values are the ealth of character in terms of

Indian perspective.

-4: 0 India is rated as one o" the $ost corr'pt nations in the or)d.


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discrimination. The final sheath is the -anandmaya 2 eternal !liss. Every person has the

capa!ility to move from the constraints of the physical sheath and live in eternal !liss.

c+Concept of &arma:

According to this concept" the future of an individual depends upon hat he does or does not do

ith his life. /is actions )%arma* and the conse#uences of his actions shape his future A major

facet of %arma is the or% one does" and the attitude ith hich he goes a!out his duty. To or%

for selfish reasons" such as to !e a!le to afford luxuries li%e converti!le cars and simming

pools" is !ad %arma" especially hen one craves these possessions to gain stature in society.

Actions such as materialism restrain one from furthering his place in life and from attaining an

honest satisfaction ith his spiritual groth. ne ould as% hether on these premises it ould

!e ethical to sell products li%e cigarettes.


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e+ Concept of (oga:

The meaning of the ord is essentially union and implies integration of all aspects of our !eing0

!ody" mind and psyche. Its practice originated in the East )India* and there are various forms

suited to the different natures of practitioners. Three paths have !een delineated to achieve this

purpose 0


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functions particularly in human resource management. The folloing are the ays in hich

organi(ational productivity !e increased ith value driven Indian management0

nculcation of values ,y the top management: Every effort must !e made !y the top

management in the organi(ation to inculcate values. alues related to the internal domain of

the !usiness. i.e. interactions ith the employees" customer" suppliers" creditors" pu!lic etc.

n the corporate mission or creed values. vision. goals and o,/ectives cherished ,y the

organi0ation should ,e descri,ed: alues should !e the integral part of the organi(ation.

alue orientation through such things must e a programme&!ased activity ith constant follo

up and motivation through management and support.

Mem,ers of the organi0ation should ,e continuously e1posed to spiritualism:Mem!ers of

the management team and the union leader of or%ers must !e regular exposed to spiritualism.

The organi(ation should inculcate the spirit of giving rather than ta%ing in the or% life. The

individuals are encouraged to su!dued their ego" overcome to some extent selfishness" anger"

jealousy" greediness" and such other undivine elements.

"mployees must strive internal development: The employees must strive for internal

development rather than only speciali(e in s%ill and proficiency. They should sharpen their

mind and intellect. Pure heart and mind ould influence and sustain enduring values as a !asis

for improved effectiveness in the organi(ation.

"mphasis on integrated personality development:There must !e emphasis on integrated

personality development in hich enduring values enjoy the right place along the re#uisite

s%ills. To !ring a!out a radical change in thought" speech" action and !ehaviour of oneself

needs discipline" sustained conscious and ell directed effort of sadhana.

2heories of self-man agent and self-evolution should ,e practiced

2he right to action ,ut not to fruits of action must ,e stressed:

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Then only our high consciousness ould shine reflecting ethical and human values. alue driven

management com!ined ith re#uisite s%ills improves the #uality of or% life and enhances the

reputation of the company. 'hen management and staff translate value orientation into their

everyday life=s" they ould !e !etter leaders and team mem!ers. They ould also receive

voluntary co&operation form heir peers and juniors in the hierarchy.

alues are the !est means in routine life for purification of our mind and heart. Management !y

consciousness demands presence of values in our character and personality. Model and orldly

!ehavior go together for human values !ecause human values cannot !e disassociated from

ethics and morality.

-.6: isting'ish the traditiona) Indian nat're o" )earning ith $odern $ethods o"

)earning.

+earning is a chance of !ehaviour that ta%es place through practice or experience. It is relatively

permanent. +earning is associated ith stimulus&response&change& process. Maturation is the

process of development and groth.

+earning can !e selective. 'e also learn !y association" assimilation" exploration" and selection

of correct responses. 'e !uild up certain ha!its. /a!its along ith values !uild up character.

+earning can !e pleasant or painful depending on the in#uisitiveness and motivation and desire

to learn. +earning is associated ith accumulation of information" %noledge and its application

resulting in isdom.

!rienta) Indian inp'ts:

$ans%ar from previous !irth provide major input toards learning tendencies" direction of

learning etc.

Mother father si!lings provide the major foundations here learning ta%es place

spontaneously and effortlessly.

?amily !usiness7trade7occupation have the capa!ility of injecting the young men directly

to the family !usiness.

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Boint family system provides security" support and flexi!ility including isdom !an% in

the process of learning guru%ul systems prepared he young men=s in total personality

development at an Ashram guided !y nature and Guru )ishi*

Major human values including respect to elders ere emphasi(ed.

Atma Manthan is a great of learning from ithin.

:hyan meditation opens up access a unlimited %noledge ithin.

-.# :


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$elfless or% )%arma yoga* is a golden means. It preserves the spirit of renunciation ithout

a!andoning activity.

Gita emphases that swadharmashould !e carried on for the general elfare of society and as a

orship of divine. This call to or% in the true yajna spirit is an exhortation to support and

actively co&operate in the divine=s evolutionary design and to live ith the mother earth"

safeguarding her grand ecological !alance.

-.?: E;p)ain the i$portance o" )earning in organisations.

rgani(ational learning is an exciting" ne approach to organi(ation development. To learn in an

organi(ational context is to gain %noledge and s%ills accompanied !y a desira!le change in

!ehavior. +earning is indispensa!le to survival and groth. rgani(ational learning is even more

indispensa!le in societies undergoing profound changes" in domains of activity in hich

technological changes or competitive pressures are mounting" and in domains that are getting

more and more complicated due to increasing legal" political" or social constraints.

rgani(ational learning has immense importance in third orld societies. The third orld

organi(ations&& especially the strategic ones have to learn much in order to operate effectively.

The more learning oriented they are despite the ingrained conservatism of the societies in hich

they function" the faster they ould learn to !e effective" and the faster too" ould !e the socio&

economic development of their societies development. Management styles that spur

organi(ational learning may" therefore !e especially valua!le and those that impede

organi(ational learning should !e avoided.

+earning is important not only for organisations !ut for each and every individual. +earning

comes from experience" practice. It is relatively permanent. The more the organisation learns" the

more it flourishes and gros. +earning hence is given a lot of importance !y organisations today.

There are various sources through hich an organisation can learn. They are as follos0

$elf Analysis ) Introspection*

Its People ) Employees" Managers*

?rom other organisations

Past ?ailures

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Past successes

!servation of !usiness environment

+earning is also important due to the folloing reasons0 to fight competition" to gro" to

improve efficiency" to manage people effectively" to gain leadership" to provide !etter services to

customers" to ta%e !etter decisions and to increase profits. Today competition has !ecome a

!u((ord. If one needs to survive one needs to !e !etter than the other in terms of price" #uality"

delivery etc. /ence an organisation needs to learn from other organisation ho is !etter than it so

as to provide !etter service to customers.

Innovation today occupies a central position" one ho innovates comes out ith a novel product"

captures the mar%et.


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There are many different models of learning. ne model commonly employed in schools and

colleges is of a!sor!ing the information dished out !y instructors and !oo%s. A radically

different model" idely used in apprenticeship situations" is one of learning from experience

ithout much formal training and education. A third model is one of action learning&learning

from feed!ac% on one=s proactive" entrepreneurial actions. There are also dialectical models of

learning exemplified !y the common de!ate" in hich a thesis is countered !y an antithesis and

eventually some form of synthesis generally emerges. ?reudians have developed cleansing

models of learning&in hich resistance to acceptance of reality" rooted in repressed childhood

traumas. $ociologists have pointed to the poer of situational demands and the roles one has to

play in learning or moulding of !ehavior. rgani(ational psychologists have emphasi(ed the

importance of experiencing" o!servation" reflection" conceptuali(ation" and active

experimentation in learning. They also emphasi(ed ma%ing contact ith hatever one is opposed

toK giving voice to the under&represented" dominated" or deniedK responding constructively to the

unpleasant rather than suppressing or denying it. These alternative !ut often complementary

ays of learning offer a rich pool of ideas for vieing organi(ational learning and for developing

practical ays of enhancing it in organi(ations.


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#earning mechanisms to Aid mplementation of nitiatives:

1. Tas% forces for implementing ne projects.

3. Preparation of contingency implementation plans.

9. Tas% forces to revie practices and suggest innovations.

5. Incorporation of strengths of old practices in ne practices.

;. Maintenance of records of organi(ational successes and failures

F. Top level revies of innovations and changes.

6. Use of s%illed staff for implementing changes.

#earning Mechanisms to Sta,ili0e nnovations and nitiatives+

1. Tas% forces to evaluate innovations empirically.

3. Periodic staff meetings to revie organi(ational successes and failures.

9. Tas% forces !ased evaluations of implemented innovations.

5. Tas% forces for institutionali(ing changes and innovations.

;. 'idespread sharing of implementation experience.

F. Identification of actions needed to sta!ili(e innovations7projects

6. Modification of plans !ased on implementation experience.

H. >onceiving alternate ays of implementing changes.

-.12: o$pare and contrast the A$erican and apanese sty)e o" $otivation.

Actually spea%ing" there doesn=t seem to !e much difference in the American and Bapanese styles

of motivation. The difference in only in the ay it is presented.

Values in 3apan: 4A5

1* Cational $ervice through Industry

3* ?airness

9* /armony and co&operation

5* $truggle for !etterment

;* >ourtesy and humility

F* Adjustment and assimilation

6* Gratitude

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Values in America: 465

1* A !elief in the !est

3* A !elief in the importance of the details of execution

9* A !elief in the importance of people as individuals

5* A !elief in superior #uality and service

;* A !elief that most mem!ers of the organi(ation must !e innovators

F* A !elief in the importance of informality to enhance communication

6* Explicit !elief in and recognition of the importance of economic groth and profits

Co picture of contrast" as revealed a!ove in the 3 lists of 6 values each" could have !een more

vivid.


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6* 'elfare services Positive Positive

H* Unions Cegative Cegative

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