ashokbhatia

In a highly competitive and inter-connected world, how can organizations keep pace with the ever-evolving business environment? How can business leaders and CEOs achieve results, when faced with disruptive technologies which keep changing the way the business works?

An alternative paradigm for management processes can perhaps help. This paradigm comprises four aspects which underlie all aspects of management, as it is understood, taught and practiced by working as well as by aspiring managers.

The four aspects of Integral Management, drawn from Sri Aurobindo’s writings, are: Perfection, Power, Harmony and Wisdom. Perfection in whatever an organization plans and does. The Power that a company uses to achieve its goals. The Harmony which is required to enable the achievement of goals. Above all, the Wisdom which goes into running a business enterprise in a sustainable fashion.

Smart managers always aim for Perfection. It is said that Mr. R. M. Lala, an editor, writer and publisher of repute, once commented to Mr. J. R. D. Tata that the latter believed in excellence. The great man is said to have retorted thus: “Not excellence. Perfection. You aim for Perfection, you will attain excellence. If you aim for excellence, you will go lower.”

Sri Aurobindo Center for Advanced Research (SACAR), a NGO devoted to disseminating the thoughts and vision of the well-renowned seer of India, recently held a day-long seminar on various aspects of managerial perfection. The seminar was held at Pondicherry in India.

Some of the key issues deliberated upon at the seminar

• Making ‘Make in India’ a success needs a change in the attitudes of those who practice the art of management. The attitude of compromise needs to be shunned in all spheres of life. A strong sense of self-belief is a pre-requisite.

• Imperfection leads to higher stress. When faced with a challenge, ‘Root Cause Analysis’ often leads to a state of perfection being achieved. Attention to detail alone helps. Pushing down complexity is yet another way to realize our goal of perfection.

• Perfection is a dynamic concept. It is a moving goal. Even 99.9% is not good enough. Factors which help a leader in her journey towards perfection are:
o Unquenchable thirst, constant endeavour
o Catering to revised customer expectations
o Vision to reach there
o Perfect planning
o Obedience
o Constant supervision and vigilance
o Perfect balance and endurance

• Decision making can be made more perfect by supplementing rational thinking with intuition. The higher the level of uncertainty, the greater the role that intuition can play. Intuitive faculties can be developed by means of:
o Listening better
o Reflecting on a decision before implementing
o Examining your beliefs
o Communicating to, and consulting, others
o Learning to recognize and interpret your emotions
o Creating the right learning environment; allow failures
o Using situational assessments and case studies

• Leadership styles can be perfected by following some concurrent processes:
o Leading oneself first – introspection, self-improvement, practicing gratitude, shouldering      responsibility, improving quality of action and self-discipline; self-image plays a crucial role
o Leading others – by example
o Delivering results
o Grooming leaders

• A sound HR philosophy is the essence of Perfection, which is an inner state of living. The principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are useful in crafting innovative HR policies. Employees at all levels deserve an operational freedom which needs to be balanced with a sense of collective responsibility.

Some real-life examples which were touched upon

The following were some of the real-life examples which came up for discussion at the seminar:
• Evolution of manufacturing excellence across the world, from the first World War onwards
• Products of Apple and the no-nonsense attitude of Steve Jobs
• The SAS turnaround by Jan Carlzon; lessons from ‘Moments of Truth’
• Nestle India’s delayed decision to withdraw Maggi noodles from the shelves
• Recall of more than 2 million cars by Honda due to faulty air bags

The seminar, entitled ‘In Pursuit of Managerial Perfection’, drew an enthusiastic response from business managers, scholars and students alike. It was addressed by Dr. Ananda Reddy, Director of SACAR, Mr. R. Mananathan, Chairman and MD, Manatec group of companies, Prof R. P. Raya, Dean, School of Management, Pondicherry University, Prof. Jaisree Anand, Founder LearnMore India Consultant, Mr. Ganesh Babu, Founder and CEO Winning Minds, Prof. Kisholoy Gupta, Senior HR Professional and yours truly – a heady mix of management educators, lifestyle coaches, business thinkers and influencers.

Dr Shruti Bidwaikar, Assistant Director, SACAR, summed up the proceedings of the day. Dr Arvind Gupta, Assistant Director, Directorate of Distance Education, Pondicherry University, advised the participants to imbibe the day’s learning in an appropriate manner while facing challenges in life.

SACAR proposes to organize a series of follow-up seminars touching upon the three other pillars of Integral Management, viz., Harmony, Power and Wisdom.

(Related Post: https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/an-inner-approach-to-leadership-and-management-note-on-a-seminar)