Spirituality and Management

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Introduction
“You sow a thought, you reap an action.
You sow an action, you reap a habit.
You sow a habit, you reap a character.
You sow a character, you reap a destiny.
It all starts with a thought.”
The leaders of the future are in universities today. The direction, society is heading towards,
depends entirely on the training of our youth and the young managers entering the corporate
world. The modern system of education and business trains the people to deal more, with
numbers and figures than with values and thoughts. Such an information oriented system leads to
hedonistic lifestyle based on selfish desires and motivations. it is such self-centered desires and
cravings, which are shaping the destiny, not only of the individuals, but also of the social body at
large.
The problems faced by an organization and the people working in the organization due to the
high stress and increasing complexities at the work place with the solution to the same, are
highlighted in this project. Principles from the Bhagavad-Gita and Spirituality are not mere
solutions but the ultimate mode of management.
Spirituality Quotient and Spirituality at Work is a new discipline that may yield substantial
benefits to individuals and organizations, however much of what is written on the subject is in
popular books leaving a dearth of critical thinking and rigorous analysis. The definitions of
spirituality and Spirituality at Work are articulated using different means, highlighting certain
gaps in the research agenda. Methods of practicing spirituality have been briefly touched upon.
Some of the outcomes of Spirituality at Work are tabulated and the nature of the validity claims
explored along with live examples from the industry is referred to. An appeal is made for closer
integration with Business Ethics and Organization Science. Finally, companies have to look
forward to this new discipline of Spirituality at Work and the principles of the Bhagavad-Gita as
the ultimate means to effective and right management.
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What is management?
Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office or factory
and in government. In all organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a common
purpose, management principles come into play through the management of resources, finance
and planning, priorities, policies and practice.
Meaning and Definition
Management is the organizational process that includes strategic planning, setting; objectives,
managing resources deploying the human and financial assets needed to achieve objectives, and
measuring results. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of
human effort. Management also includes recording and storing facts and information for later use
or for others within the organization. Management functions are not limited to managers and
supervisors. Every member of the organization has some management and reporting functions as
a part of their job.
“Management” (from old French Menagement “the art of conducting, directing”) characterizes
the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the
deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible).
Early twentieth-century management writer, Mary Parker Follett defined management as “the art
of getting things done through people.”
“The task of management is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their
weakness irrelevant,” says the management guru Peter Drucker. It creates harmony working
together – equilibrium in thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance,
products and markets.
One can also think of management functionally, as the action of measuring a quantity on a
regular basis and of adjusting some initial plan, and as the actions taken to reach one’s intended
goal.
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Functions of management
There are 5 management functions and they are
• Planning
• Organizing
• Leading
• Co-ordinating
• Controlling
Incorporating the above functions together resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical,
technical or human fields, through maximum utilization with the minimum available processes to
achieve the goal. Lack of management causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction
and even depression. Managing men, money and materials in the best possible way according to
circumstances and environment, is the most important and essential factor for successful
management.
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Evolution of ‘management’ as a concept

19th century
Modern management as a discipline began as an off-shoot of economics in the 19thcentury.
Classical economist such as Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill provided a theoretical background
to resource allocation, production, and pricing issues. About the same time, innovators like Eli
Whitney, James Watt, and Matthew Boulton developed technical production elements such as
standardization, quality control procedures, cost counting, interchangeability of parts, and work
planning.
By the middle of the 19th century, Robert Owen, Henry Poor, and M. Laughlin and others
introduced the human element with theories of worker training, motivation, organizational
structure and span of control.
By the late 19th century, marginal economists Alfred Marshall and Leon Walras and others
introduced a new layer of complexity to the theoretical underpinnings of management. Joseph
Wharton offered the first tertiary-level course in management in 1881.
20th Century
By about 1900 we find managers trying to place their theories on a thoroughly scientific basis.
Examples include Henry Towne’s Science of Management is the 1890s, Frederick Winslow
Taylor’s Scientific management (1911), Frank and Lillian Gilbreth’s Applied motion study
(1917), and Henry L. Grant’s charts (1910s). J. Duncan wrote the first college management text
book in 1911.
The first comprehensive theories of management appeared around 1920. People like Henri Fayol
and Alexander Church described the various branches of management and their inter-
relationships.
In the early 20th century, people like Ordwat Tead, Walter Scott and J. Mooney applied the
principles of psychology to management, while other writers approached the phenomenon of
management from a sociological perspective.
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Peter Drucker wrote one of the earliest books on applied management: Concent of the
Corporation (published in 1946). It resulted from Alfred Sloan (chairman of General Motors
until 1956) commissioning a study of the organization. Drucker has gone on to write 32books,
many in the same vein.
Some of themore recent developments include the theory of constraints, Management by

objectives, reengineering and various information technology driver theories such as agile
software development.
As the general recognition of managers as a class solidified during the 20th century and gave
perceived practioners of management a certain amount of prestige, so the way opened for
popularized systems of management ideas to peddle their wares. In this context, many
management fads may have had more to do with pop psychology than wth scientific
management theory.
Towards the end of the 20th century, business management came to consist of six separate
branches,namely:
• Human resource management
• Operations management or production management
• Strategic management
• Marketing management
• Financial management
• Information Technology management
21st century
In the 21st century, we find it increasingly difficult to subdivide management into functional
categories in this way. More and more processes simultaneously involve several categories.
Instead, we tend to think in terms of the various processes, tasks and objects subject to
management. A lot of some of the areas of management can be found later in this article.
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It is also the case that many of the assumptions made by the management have been under attack
from business ethics, critical management studies and anti-corporate activism.
One consequence is that workplace democracy has become both, more common and more
advocated in some places distributing all the management functions among the workers, each of
whom takes on a portion of the work. However, these models predate any current political issue,
and may be more natural than command hierarchy. All management is, to some degree,
democratic, and in that there must be majority support of workers for the management in the
long term, or they leave to find other work, or go on strike. Hence, management is becoming less
about command-and-control, and more about facilitation and support of collaborative activity,
utilizing principles such as those of human interaction management to deal with the complexities
of human interaction.
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Increasing complexities of management at the workplace
High Demand for Performance
Unrealistic expectations, especially in the time of corporate reorganizations, which, sometimes

puts unhealthy and unreasonable pressures on the employee and the managers, can be a
tremendous source of stress and suffering. Increased workload, extremely long work hours and
intense pressure to perform at peak levels all the time for the same pay, can actually leave an
employee physically and emotionally drained. Excessive travel and too much time away from
family also contribute to an individual’s increasing stress levels.
Job Insecurity
Organized workplaces are going through metamorphic changes under intense economic
transformations and consequent pressures. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizing and
other changes have become major stressors for employees, as companies try to live up to the
competition to survive, these reformations have put demands on everyone, from a CEO to a mere
executive.
Technology
The expansion of technology – computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet –
has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing
pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels. Workers
working with heavy machinery are under constant mental stress. There is also the constant work
pressure to keep up with technological breakthroughs and improvisations, forcing employees to
learn new software all the time.
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Workplace Culture
Adjusting to the workplace culture, whether in a new company or not, can be intensely stressful.
Making oneself adapt to the various aspects f workplace culture such as communication patterns,
hierarchy, workspace and most importantly working behavior and behavioral patterns of the boss
as well as the co-workers can be a lesson of a life. Maladjustment to workplace cultures may lead
to subtle conflicts with colleagues or even with superiors. In many cases, office politics or
gossips can be major stress inducers.
Personal or Family Problems
Employees going through personal or family problems tend to carry their worries and anxieties
to the workplace. When one is in a depressed mood, his unfocused attention or lack of
motivation affects his ability to carry out job responsibility.
Job Stress and Woman
Women may suffer from mental and physical harassment at workplaces, apart from the common
job stress. Sexual harassment in workplace has been a major source of worry for women, since
long. Women may suffer from tremendous stress such as ‘hostile work environment harassment’,
which is defined in legal terms as ‘offensive or intimidating behavior in the workplace’. This can
consist of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct. These can be a constant source of tension for
women in job sectors. Also, subtle discriminations at workplaces, family pressure and societal
demands add to these stress factors.
Life’s situation
Major life events such as divorce, death, midlife crisis, financial worries, persistent strain of
caring for a chronologically sick child, nagging health problems or managing a physically or
mentally challenged family member can act as potential stressors. Even conditions such as
prolonged unemployment or a sudden lay-off from a job can leave you under tremendous stress.
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One just can’t wish away situations. Moreover, one has to live through these situations, in the
right spirit, to make living a worthwhile experience.
Stress also comes from our personal and social contexts and from our psychological and
emotional reactions to such conditioning. Here, our mental and emotional disposition, built over
the years, decides whether to accept these situations with a fighting or fleeing spirit.
Accordingly, we may either be under harmful influences of stressors or be out of it.
Children and women subjected to mental and physical abuses are known to suffer from
tremendous stress symptoms of depression, constant anxiety and burn out.
Though anger, fear and other negative emotional reactions are natural and necessary, we need to
channel them constructively to create a balanced state between our body and mind.
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LEARN TO SEE HOW HAPPY THE WORLD IS!!!
Would you believe it, Bangladesh is the happiest nation in the world! The United States, on the
other hand, is a sad story: it ranks only 46th in the World Happiness Survey. That’s way behind
India, the fifth happiest place in the world, and others including Ghana and Latvia, Croatia and
Estonia.
Research led by the London School of Economics professors into the link between personal
spending power and the perceived quality of life has conclusively proved that money can but
everything but happiness. The study revealed that people in Bangladesh, one of the poorest
countries in the world, derive far more happiness in small incomes than, for example, the British
(32nd on the list) do from their relatively large bank balances. In fact, people in most rich
countries including Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Japan and others are unhappier
than their poorer counterparts like the Dominican Republic and Armenia.
Most unfortunate are Russians and people in some other parts of the former Soviet Union. They
are neither rich nor happy, indicates the World Happiness Survey. Slovenia, Lithuania, Slovakia,
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria and Moldova follow the United States in the list to bring up
the rear. The study shows that although the British have twice as much money to spend in real
terms compared with 40 years ago, their perceived quality of life has not improved. Earlier
surveys revealed that many Britons thought money could bring happiness. The new study shows
that such a link still exists in poor countries because a small increase in income can mean large
improvements in lifestyle.
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However, beyond a certain income-level, that direct relationship breaks down. According to the
research, happiness in rich countries now is far more dependant on close personal relationships,
good health ad job satisfaction. “People in Britain are generally less happy then they were ten
years ago. Two-thirds would rather see the environment improved than have more economic
growth and personal spending money,” said Robert Worcester, visiting professor of government
at the LSE and co-author of the study.
The researchers have concluded that although Britons are rich compared to most other countries,
many suffer from an emotional poverty caused by consumerism and the breakdown of family
life. “We are being seduced by an economic juggernaut and out personal needs are not being
met,” said a social sciences researcher who also worked on the report.
From this report, we can say that even being one of the most advanced nations in the world, USA
is not a happy place to be in. The research concluded that money could buy everything but
happiness. Happiness in these countries is more dependant on close personal relationships, good
health and job satisfaction and not necessarily monetary power.
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Costs Paid for Stress-Free Living
DEPRESSTION COSTS US EMPLOYERS MORE THAN $23 BILLION PER YEAR

DUE TO ABSENTEEISM and REDUCED PRODUCTIVITY
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (1999), more than 19 million adult
Americans suffer from depression every year. One out of 10 adults will experience an episode of
depression each year. The emotional and social hard of going through an episode of depression
may devastate one’s self esteem and scar a person for life. The financial cost of depression on the
U.S. – economy is estimated at $44 billion per year. Depression is a major problem affecting
10% of the adult US – population. Ten person, how many people would be in your organisation?
LOSS of SLEEP and FATIGUE COST US-BUSINESSES $150 BILLION PER YEAR
(The National Commission on Sleep Disorders)
A survey from the National Sleep Foundation Gallup (1995) shows that 49% of Americans have
trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. The National Commission on sleep Disorders estimates
that sleep loss alone is costing American businesses $150 billion per year in stress related
accidents, in attention, and lower workplace productivity. It is estimated that sleepiness was an
important factor with 1, 00,000 automobile accidents during 1998.
60-80% OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS are DUE TO STRESS
Depression usually goes hand-in-hand with an overload of physical and mental stress. The
American Institute of Stress indicates that, “Job stress is estimated to cost U.S. industry $300
billion annually, as assessed by absenteeism, diminished productivity, employer turn over, direct
medical, legal and insurance fees, etc.” and “The market for stress management programs,
products and services was $9.4 billion in 1995 and is projected to be $11.1 billion for 1999.”
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ECONOMIC COSTS of HEADACHES and OTHER COMMON MENTAL AILMENTS is

STAGGERING
It costs business dearly when employees call in sick at the last minute or even worse, when they
come to work complaining and dragging their feet. Productivity takes a nose dive.
In 1992, the United Nations identified that job stress would be the ‘21st Century Epidemic’. The
World Health Organization called it a ‘world wide epidemic’. The US National Institute for
Occupation, Safety and Health reports that stress related disorders are rapidly becoming the most
prevalent reason for workers disability. Recent research shows that nearly 40% of employee
turnover in the USA is due to on-the-job stress. it is estimated that the cost of job stress to
American industry is something like 200-300 billion dollars annually owing to related factors
such as absenteeism, diminished productivity, employee turn over, accidents, direct medical,
legal and insurance fees and workman compensation awards.
The figures for India are not readily available but there is not much doubt that job stress is
costing our industry very heavily in terms of financial loss and human suffering.
UK Research Indicated
• About half a million people in the UK experience work related stress at a level they
believe is making them ill;
• Up to 5 million people in the UK feel “very” or “extremely” stressed by their work; and
work-related stress costs society about Euro 3.7 billion every year (at 1995/6 prices)
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THE WORKPLACE SATISFACTION SCALE
Thinking about your current job, how often does each of the following statements describe how
you feel?
SCORE
Rating Guide for these questions

1 = Never 2 = Rarely 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Very Often
A Conditions at workplace are unpleasant or sometimes even
unsafe
B I feel that my job is negatively affecting my physical or
emotional well being
C I have too much work to do, and too many unreasonable
deadlines
D I find it difficult to express my opinions or feelings about my job
conditions to my superiors
E I feel that job pressures interfere with my family or personal life
Rating guide for these questions
1 = Very Often 2 = Often 3 = Sometimes 4 = Rarely 5 = Never
F I have adequate control or input over my duties
G I receive appropriate recognition or rewards for good

performance
H I am unable to utilize my skills nd talents to the fullest extent at
work
TOTAL
Result of the test
The test was conducted on people working with Big Corporate firms like Managing Directors,
General Managers, Presidents, Vice Presidents and also people at the managerial level.
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It was seen that the people were feeling stressed out at the work place due to many reasons like
too much work pressure, pressure from peer mates, some had problems from superiors, some had
personal problems & others had retention problems.
The people holding the top post were having a lot of mental stress but not physical stress. They
were going through this phase and many a times also took help of temporary solutions explained
in the project; after which they were at ease but not fully away from the stress.
The managers in the organizations had to listen to their bosses who were already stressed out and
were also feeling the stress. On top of this, were their own personal and group problems which
led to added stress.
Individuals spend 8 hours of the day at the workplace dealing with problems, complaints, tension
and other work-related issues. At the end of it when he or she returns home there is no energy or
spirit left to spend quality time with the family. The stressed out mind and the irritated attitude
breeds conflicts and deteriorates inter-personal relationships with family and friends. This
negative attitude is carried forward to the workplace, which in turn disturbs decision-making.
Thus, individual gets caught in this vicious circle of bouncing from home to the place of the
work and back always stressed out, ultimately leading a chaotic life. Eventually, the person
becomes the slave of his mind totally losing control of his actions and losing connection with
himself.
Is there a solution a available for these stressed out people who have lost total identity of
themselves?
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Is there a way to balance to work life with personal life? Is there a way to work efficiently
without tension and pressure?
What is the way of living a purposeful life that has meaning and direction?
How do we conduct ourselves differently at work?
LET US SEE…
Spirituality?
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“Spirituality is the search for direction, meaning, inner wholeness and connectedness to
others, to non-human creation and to a transcendent”
Spirituality is the individual’s endeavor to re-connect with the Divine Source, the Creator, on a
personal basis, without the middleman. This personal endeavor to re-enter one’s spiritual home is
not dependant upon any doctrine, organization, or culture but solely upon the individual’s will.
That which is spiritual:
• Comes from one’s inner self.

• Benefits self and others.
• Creates alignment of purpose/people.
• Comes with surety (validated by the heart).
• Creates inner meaning and motivation about work.
• Creates inner peace in one’s self; centeredness.
• In a natural desire to help others grow, learn and succeed.
• Respects and values individual and group dignity
Once the practice of spirituality is established, the relationship with the Divine becomes the
focus of the individual’s efforts. This Divine relationship becomes extremely personal and is
independent of any other individual, situation or belief system. It is free-flowing and manifests
without generating a culture, as do most personal relationships. It manifests in as many ways as
there are individuals, since we are all unique expressions of the Divine. It bestows an ultimate
feeling of self-worth on those who achieve even the smallest connection with their Source.
Spirituality is not a doctrine. It is a remembrance. It is a feeling. It is the knowledge that you are
more than your physical body, that you are an eternally living being. It is self-exploration,
self-realization. This is where most people stop. They are not able to or perhaps willing to
explore themselves. Furthermore, they do not want to face the possibility that they are eternal,
spiritual beings who will have a temporary human experience. It is easier to adhere to someone
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else’s belief system or something else, such as materialism, than to explore deep into his or her
own soul. Worse, they cannot face the responsibility that such knowledge conveys upon them
that they must think and act as eternal beings and they are responsible to their Divine purpose.
Directed Spirituality
One aspect of ‘Being Spiritual’ is goal-directed, with aims such as: simultaneously improve
one’s and willpower, achieve a closer connection to Deity/the universe, and remove illusions or
false ideas at the sensory, feelings and thinking aspects of a person.
Others say that spirituality is a two-stroke process: the “upward stroke” is inner growth,
changing oneself as one changes his/her relationship with God, and the “downward stroke” is
manifesting improvements in the physical reality around oneself as a result of the inward change.
Spiritual disciplines are those practices that we intentionally take on in order to form our
spirituality in a specific direction. Spiritual disciplines, Christian, Hindu or Muslim are designed
to open us to God’s presence, to make us available for closer intimacy with God, to help us
discern God’s will for our lives. This is why religions have dominated the human experience for
untold millennia. The Fear of Self has held the collective human consciousness in chains and in
ignorant misery. But no matter how fearful we have been able to explore the infinite human
spirit, we cannot escape the task that remains before us.
“We cannot ignore our spirituality forever because we cannot ignore ourselves forever.”
The development of spiritual consciousness is the one thing that human beings must accomplish
before we can further evolve. And this is the time appointed for human mass-consciousness to
evolve. If we fail, then one can simple take a deep breath, look back through history and get
prepared for the big repeat. We have to get it right this time.
Aims of Spirituality
 To have complete control of sense organs, i.e. to be free from wasted and sinful thoughts.
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 To conquer the five vices of anger, greed, ego, lust and attachment.
 To acquire Divine Intellect through purification
 To burn our past Sankaras and bad habits through intense yoga
How to keep mind free from waste and unnecessary thoughts
• Through intense meditation.
• Silence and solitude.
• Determined and positive thoughts.
• Constant remembrance of the Supreme Father.
• Love and pure feelings to the Supreme Soul as well as to brother souls.
• Isolation and removal of waste and negative thoughts.
• Constant checking and preparation of hourly chart.
Divine Intellect
Purification of Intellect
• To observe and practice purity in thoughts, actions, relations, connections and body.
• Abstain from illicit relationships.
• Check regularly on passions and practice continence and austerity.
• To be in meditation, yoga, remembrance and tapasya.
• Constantly to be in soul consciousness imbibing knowledge, churning and inculcation of
divine virtues.
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Burn Old Habits or Tendencies.

By the constant practice of Yoga.
• The most important method is to burn our past sankars and only then will the way
become clear to bring about self-transformation. Yoga is the pilgrimage of remembrance
of God.
• Visualize and experience. To visualize or to study knowledge is not enough to bring
about the required result.
• Experience with knowledge and Yoga.
• To do selfless service both physical and spiritual. Give spiritual charity through pure
thoughts and feelings and to give best wishes in the incorporeal stage.
• To be in constant remembrance of the Supreme Father.
Meditation is simple the management of your thoughts. It is to focus and harmonize the power
of the mind and intellect as a point, similar to when a magnifying glass focuses on the sun
rays on a piece paper. Similarly, focusing your intellect on the Supreme Father for ever one
minute can burn the last into ashes.
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Spiritual Quotient
For long, the world gave much importance to Intelligence Quotient. “My son has an IQ of 210!”
the proud mother would gush. “He’s going to be a scientist.” This attitude is a legacy of the early
20th century when psychologists devised tests to measure intelligence. These tests primarily
measured intellectual or rational intelligence. The higher the figure, the belief went, the greater
the intelligence.
In mid-1990s, Daniel Goleman revealed findings in neuroscience and psychology that stressed
the importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ). This makes us aware of our feelings and that of
others. It gives empathy, motivation, compassion and an ability to respond skillfully to pleasure
and pain. Goleman argued that EQ was a basic requirement for the use of IQ. If the areas of our
brain that feel are damaged, our ability to think effectively is diminished.
Last year, however, authors Dana Zohar and Ian Marshall introduced a new dimension to
human intelligence. Spiritual Quotient (SQ) is the ultimate intelligence, they claim. This is the
intelligence used to solve problems of meaning and value. “Is m job giving me the fulfillment I
seek?” “Am I relating to people in my life in a way that contributes t their happiness and mine?”
Answers to these questions determine whether we will find happiness or not. IQ and EQ are
inadequate in such issues.
Spiritual intelligence is about the growth of human being. It is about moving on in life. About
having a direction in life and being able to heal ourselves of all the resentment we carry. It is
thinking of us, as an expression of a higher reality. It is also about how we look at the resources
available to us. We realize that nature is not meant to be exploited. Ultimately, we discover
freedom from our sense of limitation as human beings and attain Moksha.
Humans are essential spiritual beings, evolved to ask fundamental questions. “Who am I?”
“Where am I going?” “What do others mean to me?” it is an ability to answers questions like
these that lead to people to personal growth workshops. Spiritual intelligence motivates people to
balance their work schedules to spend time with the family. Or an executive with a high SQ
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might look beyond profit margins and devote time for voluntary work with orphans. Spiritual
intelligence also addresses the need to places one’s life in a shared context of value.
The Transformative power of SQ distinguishes it from IQ and EQ. IQ primarily solves logical
problems. EQ allows us to judge the situation we are in and behave appropriately. SQ allows us
to ask if we want to be in that situation in the fist place. It might motivate us to create a new one.
SQ has little connection to formal religion. Atheists and humanists may have high SQ while
someone actively religious may not.
The awakening of our spiritual intelligence may be a time o great joy and meaning. “Suddenly I
had a feeling of being in control. Earlier things happened to me. Now I am more aware. Also, I
have actually started living those values I has heard about—like acceptance and unconditional
love,” says Anita Pandey, who frequents Personal Growth programs.
A Simple Model of Multiple Intelligences
Here we see more than one model of multiple intelligences, but this one is a good one to start
with since it is the simplest. It begins with Physical or “PQ” – which is our earliest focus (think
learning to crawl!), then IQ or logical and verbal intelligences—which is the focus of our
educational system, and then Emotional Intelligence or EQ. if you are not familiar with
Emotional Intelligence we highly recommend any book by Daniel Goleman—but especially
working with Emotional Intelligence. EQ has been found to be more predictive of success in the
business world than IQ. IQ appears to act as a “gateway to entry”… if you don’t have a
minimum IQ you can’t enter the field…so you need a minimum IQ to become a lawyer, or a
nurse, for example. But once you are in – what distinguishes star performers is their EQ.
Goleman, Boyatzis and The Hay Group have developed an instrument that measures Emotional
Competencies (the skills of EQ). The measuring instrument is below.
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Inner wisdom guided by

Compassion. Equanimty
(inner and outer peace)
SQ
Managing ourselves and

EQ our relationships well
IQ Math & Verbal intelligences

(think SATs)
PQ Body awareness and

skillful use
EQ and SQ are related but different intelligences. A person needs “at least a little EQ” to
authentically begin a spiritual journey. Specifically, a little self-awareness and empathy is needed
to start! But once you begin your spiritual practices, SQ can be very reinforcing of EQ growth,
and EQ growth can then nourish SQ growth… so they are positively reinforcing each other.
Visually it would look like this:
SQ EQ growth assists SQ
growth, and SQ growth
enhances EQ growth
EQ
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Measuring SQ
Spiritual intelligence skills can be broken into 4 Quadrants:
1. Higher Self/ Ego Self Awareness

2. Universal Awareness (awareness of interconnect ness, etc)
3. Higher Self/ Ego Self Mastery
4. Spiritual Presence/ Social Mastery
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Spirituality at the work place
The goal of all mystical spiritual traditions is to realize our inherent Oneness with the creator and
then give service to others from this experience of Oneness. We are born of creation and share in
its creative powers. From Oneness with God, we co-create with God in this world. Work is the
opportunity to deepen and express of Oneness with all beings through selfless service. While the
notion of selfless service flies in the face of our normal desires and beliefs about compensation
and benefits programs, it is one way to begin experiencing the true nature of God as one’s own
nature, purified through more and more selflessness. The intrinsic motivator—our inner nature of
love—is the very nature of divinity and the very life principles behind all organisms, including
organizations.
Thus the big question changes from “How can me show that spiritual values can contribute to the
bottom line?” to “How can we bring business into an expanded sense of our spirituality?”
Business is a learning ground for deepening our spiritual awareness. With this approach, ask
yourself: “how would we conduct ourselves differently at work? How would rewards and
motivation be different? How would we communicate differently? How would we work to meet
our commitments to our customers? How would we deal with pollution, recycling and ‘green’
issues? How would we measure the health of a company (would quarterly earnings still be
important)?
The answers to these questions might imply incremental or radical changes in how we operate,
depending on who we are and our circumstances. The one thing I feel confident about: the
answers would lead us to greater prosperity, both materially and spiritually, rather than less.
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Defining Spirituality at Work
Just as spirituality may be defined abstractly and in terms of characteristics, types, and specific
content, we take the same approach to defining spirituality at work.
“A journey toward integration of work and spirituality, for individuals and organizations, which
provides direction, wholeness and connectedness at work”
Two primary types of practices exist according to level of analysis:

• Individual
• Organizational
Individual Spirituality at work is journey towards integration of an individual’s work and

spiritual life. This means having work contribute to the individual’s spiritual path, and
having the individual’s spiritual path contribute to their work. The specific nature of this
integrating journey will depend on the individual’s spiritual path, for a Buddhist, it might
include practicing mindfulness, compassion and meditation at work and a career journey that
emphasized “right livelihood”. Individual Spirituality at Work also includes work on
spirituality and leadership, individual creativity, intuition, and well- being at work.
Organizational Spirituality at Work is the organizational journey towards the spiritual.

This can include organizational efforts to nurture Individual Spirituality at Work, but also
organizational re- orientation towards spiritual goals and means. Until recently, this
phenomenon was not well described, but recently Mitroff and Denton have proposed five
types of organizational spirituality. These are the Religious, Recovering, Evolutionary,
Socially Responsible, and Value- driven organizations.
According to India’s spiritual leader, Sathya Sai Baba, fundamental human values such as
concern for well being, responsibility, love, truth and inner peace provide the foundation to
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every major spiritual tradition. These fundamental human values also directly support
established business values such as how:
• Concern for well-being fosters great service

• Responsibility fosters trust and quality
• Caring fosters collaboration and daring
• Truthfulness fosters honest relationships
• Equanimity fosters creative, wise decisions
As business leaders and ethical organizations, we can learn how to integrate personal and
spiritual vales into the workplace to stimulate quantum leaps in creativity, process improvement,
customer service, and other business values.
CHARACTERISTICS O SPIRITUALITY AT WORK

In addition, as with spirituality, a list of characteristics can often help understand a phenomenon.
Characteristics of the Spirituality at Work
 Largely a grass- roots phenomenon rather than an organizationally orchestrated

one.
 The primary texts are primary books and the basis of their truth claims is largely
assertion.
 A pluralistic phenomenon but with some hostility toward traditional/fundamental
religiosity.
 Literature with an overall optimistic and uncritical tone.
Finally, as with spirituality, Spirituality at Work may be expressed in terms of specific beliefs
and practices. The table below organizes the individual and organizational aspects of Spirituality
at Work in terms of their interior and exterior attributes. Exterior phenomena can be measured
and observer by empirical methods. However, interior phenomena require exceptional, narrative,
or discursive approaches.
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A proposed organizing framework for spirituality at Work
Interior Exterior
 Private mediation  Observable

and prayer behaviors
Individual  Practicing spiritual  Spiritual symbols
attitudes toward and talk
work and colleagues  Spirituality and
 Deep beliefs about leadership
the nature of God, development
the Universe,  Spirituality and
Humanity, Order/ career development
Chaos, Grace, etc.  Empirical research
(e.g. well-being, task
effectiveness,
motivation).
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Interior Exterior
 Organizing principle  Structural features (e.g.

Organizational  Values programs hierarchies, reward
 Climate, attitudes systems, measures)
 Organizational  Spiritual goals (multiple
history and mission stakeholders, non-
 Culture, stories, material outcomes)
myths  Spiritual means

(participation? no
layoffs?)
 Boundaries/statements of
policies on Spirituality at
Work
 Nurturing individual
spirituality (e.g. time and
space)
This table shows dimensions along which a spiritual organization may be classified; these are
principles and values (interior). The exterior, structural features of an organization that would
promote more spiritual means and outcomes are also worthy of study. These would include
identifying reward systems, HR policies, organizing principles, connectivity, and physical layout
that would nurture individual spirituality at work, and assist the organization toward fulfilling
more spiritual goals with more spiritual means.
Spirituality—New Mantra at the Management Schools in India
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A new language is spoken on the management campus these days: Sanskrit. The buzz words in
business circles are no longer TQM (Total Quality Management) or kaizan. They are Ahm
Brahmasmi (Self-Realization) and Tat Tvam ASI (Thou art that). And for the aspiring mangers,
the new Bible is the Bhagavad- Gita.
Spirituality is sashaying down corporate corridors, ready for business. The quest for self-
awareness, once confined to mystics and spiritual adepts, is bursting activity. The emphasis is on
spiritual and ethical principles and on expansion of consciousness through meditation, yogic
techniques and creative thinking.
The Calcutta IIM’s capitulation to this new thinking through its Management Centre for human
values has given the changeover much- needed credibility, even among hard-core champions of
western empirical thought. The center came about with addition of concepts from Indian
philosophy in the curriculum of the Executive Development Program. Industry is boldly mining
the depths of Indian wisdom, the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, looking for a framework
springing from Indian roots and thought. “It is time we rediscover our own ethos and cultural
context if we are to give meaningful and relevant management education.” Says
S.K.Chakraborty, convener of The Management Center of Human Values at the Indian Institute
of Management (IIM), Calcutta.
At the Himachal Futuristic Communication Ltd. (HFCL), Delhi, managers and senior staff tune
into fortnight lectures on Indian philosophy. Alacrity Foundation, a premier construction
company in Chennai, practices human values such as integrity (reportedly, they have never given
a bribe), trust, and the welfare of others. Industries like Excel and Nirlep also encourage worker
participation and try to create a stress- free, familial work atmosphere.
Much of the credit for this new synthesis of spirituality and materialism goes to the resurgence of
some spiritual organizations and their new found popularity among urban westernized
professionals. The Mount Abu- based Brahma Kumari’s regularly teach cooperate clients the
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value of listening, tolerance , adaptability and decision- making through the practice of Raja
Yoga.
Two other programs that have made steady inroads at the cooperate level are the Rishi Sansruti
Vidhya Kendra (RSVK), Siddha Samadhi yoga (SSY) Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living course.
The Art of Living foundation is an international non-profit educational and humanitarian
organization, active in over 140 countries. Te Foundation is dedicated to creating peace from the
level of the individual and fostering human values within the global community. The programs
eliminate stress, create a sense of belonging, restore human values, and encourage people from
all backgrounds, religious, and cultural traditions to come together in celebration and service.
Management consultants, many of them Vedantists Centre for Indian Management in Indore,
outlines three reasons for developing an Indian style of management: “to have an appropriate
management style in India; to show how ethical values help in every aspect of industry and
business; and to show that a great achiever can lead a peaceful life.”
Suresh Pandit, a productivity expert, endorses the use of Indian concepts along with the standard
western practices. “There is a power in the concept, which often brings about a total change in
attitude,” he says. But the greatest catalysts for this change are the management institutes which
have designed their curriculum in line with western thinking.
Some spiritual organizations have themselves entered the field of management education. Mata
Amritanamdamati Math has opened the Centre for Value-Based Value Education at Ettimadai,
Coimbatore in India. Maharshi Mahesh Yogi’s organization has five centers of management
study in the country.
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In Mumbai, The SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPIIMR) has established a
reputation for value-based education, emphasizing adoption of values, social sensitivity, team
spirit, student participation in administration, and a month-long social project with the
underprivileged. The Srihgeri Sharada Institute of Management in New Delhi and the Symbiosis
Center for Management and Human Resources Development (SCMHRD) in Pune, unabashed
advocates of Vedantic thought, aim at synthesizing holistic Indian concepts with modern
management techniques. SCMHRD agenda includes helping students discover their powerful
creative selves through yoga, pranayam, vipassana, meditation and various team- oriented
activities.
In his book Indian Wisdom for Management, Swami Someshwarananda writes that the main aim
of character of Indian culture is synthesis. It is an ability to reconcile contradictions, a movement
from opposing choices to converging ones. Indian thought can thus reconcile contradictions and
conflicts inherent in the materialistic, capitalistic business model of our times: the conflict
between trade unions an management, between colleagues for top jobs, between companies for
market shares, between industry and environment, and above all, within the individual, for whom
success is increasingly extracted at cost of peace of mind and happiness.
The emphasis is on subjective factors such as vision, foresight, courage and determination rather
than on tangible objective factors such as money and material goods.
The focus shifts from the external to the internal; the motive from profit to service and personal
growth; the means form capital and natural resources to human ones. Says Swami
Someshwarananda; “Form profit we must take the objective people- oriented. I recommend to all
my clients that they take 2 to 3 minutes off every morning to chant a mantra: ‘I work for the
people, I work for the nation’.” He concludes; “If we can
Make goodness effective, it will show better dividends.”
“People reach out to these concepts like the parched earth receiving the rain.” Management
institutes implementing IM principles have been remarkably successful. SPJIMR is listed as one
of the 10 best management schools in the country, while SCMHRD had over 9,500 aspirants
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for 90 seats in 1997 and attracted 112 campus corporate recruiters. The ironies are rich. While
the more convectional disciplines from primary school to the liberal arts remain dissociated from
the ethos of the land, a ‘mercenary’ subject like business management has, in its pursuit of
materialism, come face-to-face with the rarefied zone of spirituality.
Introduced by Americans to established and entrench their business practices such as

individuality and competition, management studies are now veering to their opposites;
teamwork, cooperation and even service. The time seems peculiarly rife for resurgence in eastern
thought. One reason, of course, is the proven success of the Japanese model of management
based on Buddhism and Shintoism, which reflects Indian ideas. When the Japanese proved that
holistic principles such as TQM and Kaizan made brilliant business sense, the whole world sat
up to take note.
Says Anil Sachev, Eicher MD: “we realized after talking to the Japanese that the changes have to
be bought about within oneself.” And this movement within can be perfected by our culture.
Says Rishi Prabhakar, founder of the RSVK: “the sages of the past have given us the best
possible tradition and knowledge… this would not be found at Harvard Business School.”
What has given a crucial impetus to the implementation of IM is that the business imperatives of
globalization and the quickening pace of obsolescence call for a fluid, horizontal, de-structured
o23368905.docrganization which eastern thinking with its emphasis on internal resources
facilities. The root of IM is the Vedantic concept of oneness.
From this understanding radiate all the concepts associated with Indian thought such as: the
whole affects the part and vice versa. Just as a human being is a composite of body, mind and
soul, so too, the employee, the company and society are seen as one unit. “Can an employee
grow at the cost of the company, or the company at the cost of the society?” asks Swami
Someshwarananda.
Holistic thinking reconciles contradictions. Emotions and intellect are no longer at war, but seen
as crucial halves of the whole, Says Dr Chakraborty: “Holism is synthesis, the union of
analytical intellect and emotion, the united mind with the all-enveloping vision.” “Management
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has to be a function of brain, heart and guts,” says Dr Mahesh Shrikant, honorary dean o
SPJIMR.
For Dr Chakraborty, the crucial Indian concept is that of antardristi, which he describes as a
penetration to the heart f the matter. But such limpid clarity of mind calls for two qualities:
stillness and purity, in other words, antarmukhita (drawing the senses within) and antarshuddhi
(inner purification). It is this state of mind he hopes to cultivate in his Center for Human Values.
A basic Indian concept, Swami Someshwarananda says, is that of self-sustenance, the

establishment of systems that will run by themselves, needing little or no outside help or
supervision. He cites the instances of Lijjat Papad and the Udipi hotels with their lighting
speed and efficiency, and the local grocer t highlight Indian practices such as flexibility, role
rotation and individual empowerment.
“Indians are fantastic,” enthuses the Swami, “all they need is self confidence.” Dr Chakraborty
sees IM as allowing the cultivation of noble emotions and human values such as gratitude,
humility, contentment, transparency, truthfulness and forgiveness. Thus Indian Management
focuses on transformation of the individual as the source of all external transformation, unlike
western model which advocates transformation of the environment as the means to individual
transformation.
Parallels and parables are drawn from the Jataka, the Puranas, Panchantantra and Mahabharta,
the ancient Indian literary texts and epics. Says Swami Someshwarananda to illustrate the need
for individuality: “we do not care to know the names of the 100 Kauravas (of the two feuding
families in Mahabharata) because they were copies of Duryodhan, while ach of the Pandavas
was unique. Make yourself a Pandava.”
He has also derived such Indian ideas as the Arjun model of management, the Namaskar, the
Eklavya, Pancha Bhuta, Shiva- Shakti and Krishna models. With its emphasis on values and the
welfare of the whole. IM has the potential to reconcile prosperity and productivity with social
equity, social need, peace and harmony.
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It cans synthesis the private initiative of capitalism with the social justice o communism. And it
alone can restrain business from generating greed, consumerism and environmental degradation.
It’s the Indian version bought to life, dreamed by all sages and philosophers fro Swami
Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo to S. Radhakrishnan, and likely to be realized, strangely
enough, by the Indian corporate world.
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Selected Spiritual Practices
What practices lead to these spiritual experiences?

Meditation is primary, particularly in its passive form. It is fund among all the mystical
teachings in every major religious tradition, albeit outside of the mainstream of those traditions
in some cases. It is a major part of the eastern religious traditions, where is it often practiced as a
community. In Western traditions it is more commonly been practice individually. There are also
secretive meditative practices that are nearly identical to those based in religious traditions,
though they don’t use religious icons as in some of those traditions. Individuals interested in
learning to meditate are strongly encouraged to seek a personal guide for this practice, whether
religious, secular or mystical. There are also numerous books available to supplement initial
personal guidance.
Contemplative Prayer is similar to meditation in creating a spiritual experience. It may be

practiced in active or passive form. Active contemplative prayer includes repeating a short
saying, scriptural verse, sacred name and so froth as the focus of attention. One then surrenders
to the experience of the presence of God.passive contemplative are silent, wordless surrender to
God. Thomas Merton describes it as “unitize knowledge of God... Not a knowledge f subject and
object, but a far different and transcendent kind of knowledge in which the created ‘self’... seems
to disappear... and no longer knows itself apart from God.” As with meditation, continuous
contemplative prayer can be extended throughout one’s daily activities.
Ritual is also a common practice among religious traditions, and somewhat less common in
secular practices. Any repetitive action, song, saying, or prayer may be part of ritual practice.
The greater the significance or meaning of these, the more effective the ritual be in creating a
spiritual experience. The use of candle, incense and scared objects may enhance the experience
for the practitioner. The practice of ritual in a group also seems to enhance the experience.
Attending religious services are the most common source of community religious ritual
practices. The nature and extend of ritual activities in these services varies from very elaborate
and formal practices to simple and informal ones. Some people find walking, particularly
outdoors and in nature, to be an effective spiritual practice. Walking in a labyrinth is an
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increasing popular alternative as churches and other organizations construct them and make them
available to the public. Sitting quietly in nature is also a common practice.
Reflective thinking, particularly in the form of journaling, is a common practice. Recording

one’s spiritual experiences can help amplify the development of those experiences. In the
evening, before retiring, is a particularly good time for this.
Islam calls for prayer five times each day. One can incorporate that or an alternative practice into
one’s daily practices. It may necessitate closing an office door or finding an empty space. Or you
may seek to practice with other during those times, which is increasing common in the
workplace.
One-minute moments of meditation are also possible. Even brief periods can enhance the level of
spirituality in one’s day. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness can also be incorporate into daily
practice. This involves developing one’s sense of awareness of every action, word or thought.
Mindfulness takes practice and improves slowly over a period of time.
Also recommended is the Jewish practice of the Shabboth or Sabbath, also followed by some
Christians. Following the 4th commandment in the Hebrew Bible, one avoids work or any activity
that would cause another to work from sundown on Friday until sundown o Saturday. During
Friday evening, a family may enjoy dining together, or one may choose to dine with other
similarly mind of people. Scriptures may be read candles lit, and so forth, according to your
particular tradition or preference. The next day may include religious services and/or study of
scripture or other spiritual texts, together with other spiritual practices. It is a day of rest—a full
day without work: no chores, no shopping, no T.V-- quite rare in our society. In this case, it is
acceptable to do work, but it is always to be done very deliberately and consciously. This is then
interspersed with periods of mindful walking and meditation throughout the day. In addition,
maintaining silence throughout the day. One can also spend time mindfully sitting, drinking tea,
eating, reading, scripture, or writing letters to friends. Such a practice can be a significant
addition to one’s spiritual life, which will help in enhancing his working ability in a stress free
condition.
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The individual may not realize the changes immediately since these methods heal not only the
mind but also the soul of the person. Meditation is an inward process of self- realization that
gradually purifies the mind and the intellect of the person. With disciple and regular practice the
person slowly starts experiencing increasing powers divine nature and at the same time an
everlasting peace of mind.
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Benefits of Spirituality at Work
When one observes purity, the vast amount of energy that is required and consumed in the
pursuit of the passions(vices) especially lust is now made available to imbibe divine knowledge
and to inculcate godly virtues and to practice these divine attributes. This energy is now
converted into divine intellectual and spiritual power and can be transmuted into creative
thinking and work. This results in major scientific inventions and gives the world a peek into the
power of silence and thus accesses and reveals the secrets of creation.
With this power of silence, which is the root or basis of science, one is now able to have noble
thoughts and royal feelings, which is the foundation of good action. When one had good actions,
they acquire valuable, spiritual experience that generates further intuitive thinking that leads to
wisdom. The intellect can now be very effective in decision- making and divine judgments to the
general benefit of mankind.
In general a pure intellect is able to select the pure thoughts it wishes to concentrate on and
experience this immediately. The impure thoughts are rejected. This is fortune and immediate
inheritance from the Supreme for those who purified their intellect. So remember make your
consciousness Powerful and Accurate and you will make the connection. Perform elevated
actions making constant connections and then you can stabilize and become Master Authority.
Benefits for the Organization
What would a more spiritual workplace mean for people? It would mean that work would move
more merely being a place to get enough money to survive—from just earning our daily bread—
to being a place of livelihood. By livelihood I mean a place where we both survive and are fully
alive. We are alive in that our spirit fully expresses itself. And through our contribution, we
allow other people’s spirits to be nourished and to flourish. Livelihood has, at its core, three
meanings for work: survival (you’re alive), enlivening of the individual Self (you’re aliveness),
and enlivening of the collective Self (their aliveness).
What are the benefits of a more spiritual workplace? One of the primary benefits is that people
are more in touch with the Source of creativity. As business people realize the value of
39
creativity and innovation. Creativity is a cornerstone of business. It allows us to come out with
new products and services that really are of service. It allows us to do more with less. In essence,
creativity leads to more efficient contribution.
As we move more into a service and technological economy, we want to continually expand
innovation and creativity. But you can’t demand that of people. “Human capital” has to be
treated differently than “Financial capital.” You have to create an atmosphere in which creativity
and innovation flourish; and that is accomplished through the bountiful expression of spirit.
When we are more in touch with the Source of creativity, there is also renewal and resilience.
Another benefit is increased authenticity in communication. A lot of work I do as a consultant I

create a “safe space” in which people feel permission to talk about their truth without fear of
reprisal. Businesses aren’t accustomed of doing this as a matter of normal everyday practice.
However, when the truth is allowed to be safely and respectfully spoken, old problems clear up,
new possibilities emerge, and people feel more aligned. They work together in a trusting team.
Increased ethical and moral behavior is yet another benefit. But who cares if a company is
ethical? Isn’t business just a place where you see how much you get ahead? In a word, no. an
important value of ethical behavior for a business is the development of trust. We trust people
who operate in an ethical framework. Employees trust employers. Employers trust employees.
And customers who trust a company stay customers longer.
Spirituality in the workplace also promotes the expression of talent, brilliance, and genius—
talent in the sense of our divine gifts; brilliance in terms of out intellect and the intensity of the
light we have to shine; and genius not as a scarce commodity, but as something that everyone
has. Our true job is to connect with that genius. And moreover, spirituality in the workplace also
leads to increased self- fulfillment, contentment and a deep sense of belonging.
In most businesses today, spirit and spirituality are not the things that are talked about. The first
thing that needs to happen is to make it safe and permissible to talk about it, as normally and as
40
the naturally the many other conversations we have at work, such as; profitability, innovations
and personnel issues.
We start this simply by beginning. Talk to those you trust. Talk to others in business, talk to tour
colleagues, but begin to talk about it. There may be an initial fear, but after a while, the
momentum mill is unstoppable. The benefits in brief are:-
• Spirituality is related to well being

• Spirituality is related to individual motivation
• Spirituality is linked to task effectiveness
• Spirituality is a dimension of leadership
• Spirituality is related to organizational climate
• Spirituality at work will change the culture
• Spirituality at work will positively affect profitability through corporate values
• Spirituality will positively affect profitability through its effect on well-being
• Spirituality will positively impact the ability of the organization to acquire resources
• Spirituality at work will improve ethical conduct of organizations
The table below shows the more benefits of Spirituality at Work

Benefits the companies receive
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 Helps in achieving autonomy  Innovation as the mind is free form

 Meritocracy based decisions are taken stress
 Aggressiveness is sought In the  Integrity as each for all and all for each
business motto is followed
 Service to the customer  Respect is given to each and every
 Hard work due to reduced stress person indifferent of his position in the
 Continuous improvement due to company
reduction in burnouts  Tolerance level increase so less fights
 Solving problems  Quality and reliability increases
 Excellence achieved  Forgiveness is inculcated in the way of
 Expansionism living
 Love
 Being out in front
 Compassion
 Mindfulness
 Balance
Criticism
Spirituality at Work seems likely to be strongly criticized by the academic and business
“establishment” on a number of grounds. Among the challenges will be that our findings are not
42
“real world,” or are not “rational”. Other challenges may be of a more emotional nature resulting
from the treat that Spirituality at Work may pose to establishment “knowledge” or power
structures. Still other challenges may come if this work resembles “old wine in new bottles” or
has the appearance of yet another fad.
We must consider whether these ideas are sufficiently robust in the face of the challenges from
the techno—economic and socio—cultural context. For example, some important sociological
arguments from critical theory have not yet been exposed to scholarly debate:
• Can Spirituality at Work co-exist with the capitalist techno-economic context? Why
would organizations consider seriously wider stakeholder and non material goals? How
does institutional theory predict these organizations will far against there more profit-
oriented competitors?
• Is spirituality at Work another “liberal rhetoric” used to conceal issues of exploitation and
“make the intolerable, tolerable”? Is Spirituality at Work an extension of corporate
“culturist”, or the control systems of modernity?
• Could Spirituality at Work lead to increased conflict between spiritual worldviews?
Between spiritual and material goods? Between worker spiritual lives and greater
employer demands for time and effort?
These questions represent an extreme point of view, but it is worth considering whether we have
an adequate response. We can ask what can be learned from the sociological “conflict” school
without wholly embracing its conspiratorial views of corporate actions.
Spirituality at Work is a powerful force for good and people who are its custodians must ask
themselves what they are doing to ensure that it is taken seriously and to prevent it from
becoming a fad. For, if it does become a fad, individuals will have lost the chance to try to apply
some well- tested principles and practices in their work- lives and to, perhaps, make those wok-
lives more meaningful and joyful. Researchers will have lost the opportunity to adopt a more
holistic approach that would integrate a broad range of thoughtful and scholarly ideas on
individual and organizations behavior. And organizations will have lost an opportunity to try and
43
moderate some of the ills that are, today, taken for granted as part of corporate culture: e.g.
overwork, commoditization of people, and exploitation of the environment.
It is the responsibility of the researches, consultants, and practitioners to prevent this happening.
For a topic such as spirituality, we must strive to be even more precise in the definitions,
assumptions, theories, and research methods. For if one truly believes in the power of spirituality
to effect radical positive change, then the future of that radical positive change depends on the
commitment of the people who are studying and practicing Spirituality at Work now to
Distinctiveness and rigor.
The Bhagavad-Gita
“Mind is very restless, forceful and strong. O Krishna, it is more difficult to control the mind
than to control the wind” ~ Arjuna to Sri Krishna.
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One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is the holy Gita which is considered to be
the first revelations from God. The man agent lessons in this holy book were brought into light of
the world by divine Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the spiritual philosophy by Sr.Srila
Prabhupada Swami and humanism by Sai Baba. Maharishi calls the Bhagavad-Gita the essence
of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides “all that is needed to raise
the consciousness of man to the highlight possible level,” Maharishi reveals the deep, universal
truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone. Arjuna got mentally depressed
when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight (mental health has become a major
international public health concern now). To inspire him and eliminate his doubt the Bhagavad-
Gita is preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as counseling to do
his duty while multitudes of men stood by waiting. It has got all the management tactics to
achieve the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad-Gita can be
experienced as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Bhagavad-Gita means song of the Spirit,
song of the Lord. The Holy Gita has become a secret driving force behind the enfoldment of
one’s life. In the days of doubt this divine book will support all spiritual searches. This divine
book will contribute to self-reflection, finer feeling and deepen one’s inner process. Then life in
the world can become a real education—dynamic, full and joyful--no matter what the
circumstance. May the wisdom of loving consciousness ever guide us on our journey? What
makes the Holy Gita a practical psychology of transformation is that it offers us the tools to
connect with our deepest intangible essence and we must learn to participate in the battle of life
with the right knowledge?
“Mind can be one’s friend or enemy.

Mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation.”
“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s life, O Arjuna, and is directing the
wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material
energy.”
There is no theory to be internalized and applied in this psychology. Ancient practices
spontaneously induce what each person needs as the individual and the universal coincide. The
work proceeds through intellectual knowledge of the playing field (jnana yoga), emotional
45
devotion to the ideal (bhakti yoga) and the right action that includes both feeling and knowledge
(karma yoga). With on going purification we approach wisdom.
The Bhagavad-Gita is a message addressed to each and every human individual to help him or
her to solve the vexing problem of overcoming the present and progressing towards a bright
future. Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This is the experience of
everyone in this world; the drama of the ascent of man form is a state of utter dejection, sorrow
and total breakdown and hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding, clarity, renewed
strength and triumph.
The chariot of the body. The five horses represent the five senses (tongue, eyes, ears, nose and
skin). The reins, the driving instrument, symbolize the mind. The drive is the intelligence, and
the passenger is the spirit soul.
Management guidelines from the Bhagavad-Gita
There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
• Effectiveness is doing the right things.

• Efficiency is doing things right.
The general principle of effectiveness management can be applied in every filed, the differences
being more in application than in principle. Effective management is not limited in its
application only to business or industrial enterprises but to all organizations where the main aim
is to reach a given goal through a Chief Executive or a Manager with the help of a group of
workers.
The manager’s functions can be summed up as:
• Forming a vision
• Planning the strategy to realize the vision
• Cultivating the art of leadership
• Establishing institutional excellence
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• Building an innovative organization

• Developing human resources
• Building teams and teamwork
• Delegation, motivation, and communication
• Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when called for.
Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a
common goal to the maximum social benefit- in search of excellence.
Similarly, the principles from the Bhagavad-Gita are not just limited to a religion but is the
fundamental ideology of right and true living, and therefore applicable to every filed related to
our lives.
The critical question in all managers’ minds in how to be effective in their job. The answer to
this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad-Gita, which repeatedly proclaims, “You
must try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manger reaches a level of excellence
and effectiveness, he or she wills b merely a face in the crowd.
Old truths in a new context
In this context the Bhagavad- Gita expounded thousands of years ago by the Super
Management Guru Bhagawan Sri Krishna enlightens us on all managerial techniques leading
to a harmonious and blissful state of affairs as against conflicts, tensions, lowest efficiency and
least productivity, absence of motivation and lack of work culture etc common to most of the
Indian enterprises today.
The modern management concept like vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work,
achieving goals, meaning of work, attitude towards work, nature of the individual, decision
making, planning etc., all are discussed in the Bhagavad Gita with a sharp insight and finest
analysis making it highly eligible to become a part of the modern management syllabus.
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In may be noted that while Western design on management deals with the problems at
superficial, material, external and peripheral level, the idea contained in the Bhagavad Gita
tackles the issues from the grass root level of the human thinking because once the basic thinking
of man is improved it will automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their results.
The concept of the Western management practices talks about efficiency and effectiveness more
at the physical level. The Bhagavad-Gita on the other hand reaches deep into the soul to revive
it and sets in the discipline. A building can be made of the strongest iron but if the foundation is
poor, it will surely collapse, while a deep and a firm foundation can hold the tallest skyscrapers.
The Bhagavad Gita emits such power from its verses that by just implementing those practices
the individual builds himself a solid base so concrete that weight of this world would be less.
The REAL Problem:

The management thoughts emanating from the Western countries particularly the U.S.A. are
based mostly on the lure for materialism and a perennial thirst for profit irrespective of the
quality of the means adopted to achieve the goal. This phenomenon has its source in abundance
in the West particularly in U.S.A. management by materialism caught the fancy of all countries
over the world, India being no exception to this trend.
Our country has been in the forefront in importing those ideas mainly because of its centuries
old indoctrination by the colonial rulers that inculcated in us a felling that anything Western is
always good and anything Indian is always inferior. Hence our management schools have
sprung up on the foundations of materialistic approach wherein no place of importance was
given to a holistic view.
The result is while huge funds have been invested in buildings these temples of modern
management education, no perceptible changes are visible in the improvement of the quality of
life although the standard of living of a few has gone up. The same old struggles in almost all
sectors of the economy, criminalization of institutes, more and more social violence,
exploitation and such other vices have gone deep in the politic body.
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The Result
The western idea of management had place utmost reliance on the worker (which includes
Managers also) – to make him more efficient, to increase is productivity. They pay him more
so that he may work more, produce more, sell more and will stick to the organization without
looking for alternatives. The sole aim of extracting better and more work from his is improving
the bottom line of the enterprise. Worker had become a hirable commodity, which can be used,
replaced and discarded at will.
The workers have also seen through the game plan for their paymasters who have reduced
them to the state of a mercantile product. They changed their attitude to work and started
adopting such measures as uncalled for strikes, Gheraos, sit-ins, Dharnas, go-slow, work-to-
rule etc to get maximum benefit for themselves from the organizations without caring the least
for the adverse impact that such coercive methods will cause to the society at large.
Thus, we have reached a situation where management and workers have become separate and
contradictory entities wherein their approaches are different and interests are conflicting. There
is no common goal or understanding which predictably leads to constant suspicion, friction,
disillusions and mistrust because of working at cross- purposes. Material advancement takes
place at the cost of human ethics, honor, and principles of life. The absence of human values
and erosion of human touch in the organizational structure resulted in a permanent crisis.
The western management thoughts although acquired prosperity to some for sometime has
absolutely failed in their aim to insure betterment of individual life and social welfare. It had
remained by and large a soulless management edifice and an oasis of plenty for a chosen few in
the midst of poor quality of life to many. Hence there is an urgent need to have a re-lock at the
prevalent management discipline on its objective, scope and content.
It should be redefined so as to underline the development of the worker as a man, as a human

being with all his positive and negative characteristics and not as a mere wage-earner. In this
changed perspective, management ceases to be a career agent but becomes an instrument in the
process of national development in all its segments.
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The Solution
Bhagavad Gita and Managerial Effectiveness
Now let us re- examine some of the modern management concepts in the light of the Bhagavad
Gita which is a primer of management by values.
Utilization of Available Resources
The first lesson in the management science is to choose wisely and to utilize optimally the scarce
resources if one has to succeed in his venture. During the curtain raiser before the Mahabharata
War Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna’s large army for his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna’s
wisdom for his support. This episode gives us a clue as to who is an Effective Manager.
Attitude towards Work
Three stone-cutters were engaged in erecting a temple. As usual an HRD Consultant asked them
what they were doing. The response of the three workers to this innocent- looking question is
illuminating.
‘I am a poor man. I have to maintain my family. I am making a living here,’ said the first
stone-cutter with a dejected face.
‘Well, I work because I want to show that I am the best stone-cutter in the country,’ said
the second one with a sense of pride.
‘Oh, I want to build the most beautiful temple in the country,’ said the third one with a
visionary gleam.
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Their jobs were identical but their perspectives were different. What Gita tells us is to develop
the visionary perspective in the work we do. It tells us to develop a sense of larger vision in one’s
work for the common good.
Work Commitment through unattachment
“You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work.
Let not the results of your action be not your motive, nor be attached to inaction.”
The popular verse 2.47 of the Gita cited above advices non- attachment to the fruits or the results
of actions performed in the course of one’s duty. Dedicated work has to mean ‘work foe the sake
of work’. If we are always calculating the date of promotion for putting in our efforts, then such
work cannot be commitment-oriented causing excellence in the result but it will promotion-
oriented resulting in inevitable disappointments. By tilting the performance towards the
anticipated benefits, the quality of performance of the present duty suffers on account of the
mental agitations caused by the anxieties of the future. Another reason for non-attachment to the
results is the fact that working of the world are not designed to positively respond to our
calculations and hence expected fruits may not always be forthcoming.
Lord Krishna further humiliates individuals who work only for the results they will obtain in
return for their work.
“Far inferior is work promoted by desire than work done with detachment,
Take refuge in wisdom: those who are impelled by results are miserable indeed.”
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‘Miserable is the word used to describe the people who are caught in results. Such will be their
fate; people are always consumed with the anxiety, “Am I going to fail? Am I going to succeed?”
never having any peace of mind. Matters become worse when unscrupulous and corrupt means
are used achieve success.
Srila Prabhuapda speaks of fruitive workers of being described as mudhas (asses), in the
Bhagavad-Gita. A donkey works very hard carrying loads on his back in return for little morcel
of grass at the end of the day. Similarly, a businessman at the end of his toiling and hardworking
day will open his account books to check his balance. If it is less, he will be in misery and if it is
high, he will think of making it even higher the next day. The mental peace us never achieved
and the whole purpose of life is lost. Finally, there is no difference left between human and the
donkey.
So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage the present commitment to an uncertain future, “Full effort
is full victory”. If we are not able to measure up to this height, then surely the fault lies with us
and not with the teaching.
Bhagavad Gita id full of advice on the theory of cause and effect, making the doer responsible
for the consequences of his deeds. The Gita, while advising detachment from the avarice of
selfish gains by discharging one’s duty, does not absolve anybody of the consequences arising
from discharge of his responsibilities.
This verse is a brilliant guide to the operating Manager for psychological energy conversation
and a preventive method against stress and burn-outs in the work situations. Learning managerial
stress prevention methods is quite costly now days and if only we understand the Gita we get the
required cure free of cost.
Thus the best means for effective work performances is to become the work itself. Attaining this
state of nishkama karma is the right attitude to work because it prevents the ego, the mind from
dissipation through speculation on future gains and losses.
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It has been presumed for that satisfying lower need of a worker like adequate food, clothing and
shelter, recognition, appreciation, status, personality development etc. are the key factors in the
motivational theory of personal management
it is the common experience that the spirit of grievances form the clerk to the Director is
identical and only their scales and composition vary. A clerk is unsatisfied with his low salary
while the director is unsatisfied with less power under his control. It should have been that once
the lower-order needs are more satisfied, the Director should have no problem in optimizing his
contribution to the organization. But more often than not, it does not happen like that. On the
contrary a lowly paid school teacher, a self employed artisan, ordinary artists demonstrate higher
level of self-realization despite of poor satisfaction of their lower-order needs.
This situation is explained by the theory of Self- transcendence or Self- realization propounded
in the Gita. Self- transcendence is overcoming insuperable obstacles in one’s path. It involves
renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, team work, dignity, sharing, co-operation,
harmony, trust, sacrificing lower needs for higher goals, seeing others in you and yourself in
others etc. the portrait of a self-realizing person is that he is a man who aims at his own position
and underrates everything else. On the other hand the Self- transcendence is the visionary and
innovators. Their resolute efforts enable them to achieve the apparently impossible. They
overcome all barriers to reach their goal.
The work must be done with detachment. ‘This is because it is the Ego which spoils the work. If
this is not the backbone of the Theory of Motivation which the modern scholars talk about what
else is it? I would say that this is not a merely theory of Motivation but it is a theory of
Inspiration.
The Gita further advises to perform action with loving attention to the divine which implies
redirection of the empirical self away from its egocentric needs, desires, and passions for
creating suitable conditions to perform actions in pursuit of excellence. Tagore says working foe
love is freedom of action which is described as disinterest in work in the Gita. It is on the basis
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of the holistic visions that the Indians have developed the work-ethos of life. They found that all
work irrespective of its nature has to be directed towards a single purpose that is the
manifestation of essential divinity in man by working for the good of all beings-lokasangraha.
This vision was presented to us in the very first mantra of lsopanishad which says that whatever
existing the universe is enveloped by God. How shall we enjoy this life then, if all are one? The
answer it provides is enjoyed and strengthens life by sacrificing yourself selfishness by not
coveting other’s wealth. The same motivation is given by Sri Krishna in the Third Chapter of the
Gita when He says that ‘he who scarifies the wealth generated only after serving the people,
through work done for sacrifice for them, id freed from all the sins. On the contrary those who
earn wealth only for themselves, eat sins that lead to frustration and failure’.
The disinterest work finds expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former two are
psychological while the third is the strong-willed determination to keep the mind free of and
above all the dualistic pulls of daily experiences. Detached involvement in work is the key to
mental equanimity. This attitude leads to a stage where the worker begins to feel the presence of
the Supreme intelligence guiding the empirical individual intelligence. Such de-personified
intelligence is the best suited foe those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of organizational
goals as compared to narrow personal success and achievement.
Work culture means vigorous and arduous effort in pursuit of a given or chosen task. When Sri
Krishna rebukes Arjuna in the strongest words for his unmanliness and imbecility in recoiling
from his righteous duty it is nothing but a clarion call for the highest work culture. Poor work
culture is the result of tamo guna (work done out of ignorance) overtaking one’s mindset.
Bhagawan’s stinging rebuke is to bring out the temporary dormant rajo guna in Arjuna. In the
chapter 16 of the Gita Sri Krishna elaborates on two types of Work Ethic viz.
• Daivi sampat or divine work culture and

• Asuri sampat or demonic work culture.
Daivi work culture – means fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, truthfulness,
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straightforwardness, self-denial, calmness, tranquility, absence of fault finding, absence of greed,

gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride, absence of fickleness, boldness, forgiveness,
fortitude, purity
Asuri work culture – means egoism, delusion, desire-centric, ostentation, arrogance, anger,
rudeness, improper performance, work which is not oriented towards service. What is needed is a
work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.
It is in this light that the counsel ‘yogah karmasu kausalam’ should be understood. Kausalam
means skill or method or technique of work which is an indispensable component of work ethic.
Yogah is defined in the Gita itself as ‘samatvam yogah uchyate’ meaning unchanging equipoise
of mind. Tilak tells us that performing actions with the special device of an equable mind is
Yoga. By making the equable mind as the bedrock of all actions Gita evolved the goal of
unification of work ethic with ethics in work, for without ethical process no mind can attain
equipoise. Adi Sankara says that the skill in performance of one’s duty consists in maintaining
the evenness of mind in success and failure because the calm mind in failure will lead him to
deeper introspection and see clearly where the process went wrong so that the corrective steps
could be taken to avoid such shortcomings in future.
The principle of reducing our attachment to personal gains from the work done or controlling the
aversion to personal losses enunciated in Ch.2 Verse 47 of the Gita is the foolproof prescription
for attaining equanimity. The common hesitation about this principle that it will lead to lack of
incentive for effort and work is not valid because the advice is to be judged as relevant to man’s
overriding quest for true mental happiness. Thus while the common place theories on motivation
lead us to bondage, the Gita theory takes us to freedom and real happiness.
Work Results
The Gita further explains the theory of non-attachment to the results of work in Ch.18 Verses 13-
15 the import of which is an under:
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If the result of sincere effort is a success, the entire credit should not be appropriated by the doer
alone. If the result of sincere effort is a failure, then too the entire blame does not accrue to the
doer.
The former attitude mollifies arrogance and conceit while the latter prevents excessive
despondency, de-motivation and self-pity. Thus both these dispositions safeguard the doer
against the psychological vulnerability which is the cause for the modern Managers’ companions
like Diabetes; High B.P. Ulcers etc.
Assimilation of the ideas behind 2.47 and 18.13-15 of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of
lokasamagraha or general welfare.
There is also another dimension in the work ethic. If the karmayoga is blended with bhaktiyoga
then the work itself becomes worship, a seva yoga.
Managers’ Mental Health
the ideas mentioned above have a close bearing on the end-state of the manager which is his
mental health. Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity more so management.
An expert describes sound mental health as that state of mind which cam maintain a calm,
positive poise or regain it when unsettles in the midst of all the external vagaries of work life and
social existence. Internal constancy and peace are the pre-requisites for a healthy stress-free
mind.
Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:

• Greed-for power, position, prestige and money.
• Envy- regarding others achievements, success, rewards.
• Egotism- about one’s own accomplishments.
• Suspicion, anger and frustration.
• Anguish through comparisons.
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The driving forces in today’s rat race are speed and greed as well as ambition and competition.
The natural fallout from these forces is erosion of one’s ethic-moral fiber which supersedes the
value system as a means in the entrepreneurial path like tax evasion, undercutting, spreading
canards against the competitors, entrepreneurial spying, instigating industrial strife in the
business rival’s establishments etc. although these practices are taken as normal business hazards
for achieving progress, they always end up as a pursuit of mirage- the more the needs the more
the disappointments. This phenomenon may be called as yayati-syndrome.
In Mahabharata we come across a king called Yayati who, in order to revel in the endless
enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for a
mythical thousand years. However, he lost himself in the pursuit of sensual enjoyments and felt
penitent. He came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This yayati syndrome
shows the conflict between eternally directed acquisitions, motivations and inner reasoning,
emotions and conscience.
Gita tells us how to get out of this universal phenomenon by prescribing the following capsules:
• Cultivate sound philosophy of life.

• Identify with inner core of self-sufficiency.
• Get out of the habitual mindset towards the pairs of opposites.
• Strive for excellence through work is worship.
• Build up an integrated reference point to face contrary impulses, and emotions
• Pursue ethic-moral rectitude.
Cultivating this understanding by a manager would lead him to emancipation from falsifying
ego-conscious state of confusion and distortion, to a state of pure and free mind .i.e. universal,
supreme consciousness wherefrom he can prove his effectiveness in discharging whatever duties
that have fallen to his domain.
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Bhagawan’s advice is relevant here:
“tasmat sarveshu kaaleshu mamanusmarah yuddha cha”
‘Therefore under all circumstances remember me and then fight’ (Fight means perform your
duties)
Leadership principles from the Bhagavad-Gita
“Whatever a great man does the commoners follow”, says Sri Krishna in the Gita. This is the
leadership quality prescribed in the Gita. A great person is described as a man who gives up all
desires of mind, unperturbed by success or failure. A great leader is an individual free from
selfish motives and who welcomes good and evil without loving or hating. Such a person with
controlled senses, Lord Krishna describes, I a man of wisdom and such are the qualities that are
required by real leaders.
The visionary leader must be a missionary, extremely practical, intensively dynamic and capable
of transforming dreams into reality. This dynamism and strength of a true leader flows from an
inspired and spontaneous motivation to help others. “I am the strength of those who are devoid
of personal desire and attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not
opposed to righteousness” says Sri Krishna in the 10th Ch. of the Gita.
The Ultimate Message of Gita for Managers
The despondent position of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is a typical human situation
which may come in the life of all men of action some time or other. Sri Krishna by sheer power
of his inspiring words raised the level of Arjuna’s mind from the state of inertia to the state of
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righteous action, from the state of faithlessness to the state of faith and self-confidence in the
ultimate victory of Dharma (ethical action). They are the powerful words of courage of strength,
self-confidence, of faith in one’s own infinite power, of the glory, of velour in the life of active
people and of the need for intense calmness in the midst of intense action.
When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood right to fight, Sri Krishna gave him gospel for
using his spirit of intense action not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own greed and
desire, but for using his action for the good of many, with faith in the ultimate victory of ethics
over unethical actions and truth over untruth. Arjuna responds by emphatically declaring that all
his delusions were removed and that he is ready to do what is expected of him in the given
situation.
Sri Krishna’s advice with regard to temporary failures in action is ‘No doer of good ever ends in
misery’. Every action should produce results: good action produces good result and evil begets
nothing but evil. Therefore always act well and be rewarded.
And finally the Gita’s consoling message for all men of action is: He who follows My ideal in all
walks of life without losing faith in the ideal or never deviating from it, I provide him with all
that he needs (Yoga) and protect what he has already got (Kshema).
In conclusion the purport of this essay is not to suggest discarding of the Western model of
efficiency, dynamism and striving for excellence but to make these ideals tuned to the India’s
holistic attitude of lokasangraha –for the welfare of many, for the good of many. The idea is that
these management skills should be India-centric and not America-centric. Swami Vivekananda
says a combination of both these approaches will certainly create future leaders of India who will
be far superior to any that have been in the world.
Conclusion
“The path of self-knowledge and the path of selfless service both lead to the supreme
goal.”
-Bhagavad-Gita (V.II)
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People who practice Spirituality at work are custodians of a discipline that might be a powerful
force for good in the lives of people. An average individual spends 60%of his life at the work
place. Helping individuals integrate their work and spiritual lives might mean that the 1, 00,000
or so hours that an individual will work in their lifetime are more joyful, balanced and
meaningful and nourish their spirit rather that drain it.
By following the principles propagated by the Bhagavad-Gita and practicing meditative and
other spiritual techniques it helps the individual to observe himself, just like watching himself in
a movie. By observing himself the person witnesses his own behavior and actions, because only
after studying ones own behavior does he realize his faulty actions at the workplace and at home.
This simple act of observation leads to self-realization.
Case study
Matsuhita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (B)

- Business Philosophy of Mr. Matsuhita
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Chairman Matsuhita taught his executives that the autonomous management method was still
effective today; detriments could be complemented by managerial devices. Interpreting his
ideology all executives held firm belief what was essential for the divisional organizational
system was everyone’s way of thinking towards it, not a mere shape or pattern: unless top
management more that anyone else, displayed “go-ahead” attitude, the system could not work:
its success was unto top management whether it had clear-cut policy or not.
Ever since the foundation of the corporation, Mr. Matsuhita summoning all corporate members
early January, delivered a speech on his business philosophy and policy. In addition to it,
whenever the corporation encountered newly developed situations, he expressed his basic
attitude and direction to be taken by the members to cope with them.
Listed below is some of his philosophy that had supported the divisional organization system,
chosen from among those given at numerous occasions such as above?
1. The purpose of an enterprise is to contribute to society by supplying goods of

high quality at low price in ample quantity.
2. Happiness of a man is built on mental stability and material affluence. To serve

the foundation of the happiness, through making man’s life affluent with inexpensive and
inexhaustible supply of life necessities like water inflow, is the duty of a manufacturer.
The purpose of the enterprise is to materialize the duty and contribute consequently
to society.
3. Profit comes in compensation for contribution to society. Profit is a yardstick

with which to measure a degree of social contribution made by an enterprise. Thus,
profit is a result rather that a goal. If an enterprise tries to earn a reasonable profit but
fails to do so. The reason is because the degree of its social contribution is insufficient.
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4. Always direct your effort for “mutual prosperity and existence.” You should always
act with the notion in mind that you share your living and you share prosperity with
wholesalers, retailers and consumers as a manufacturer, with competitors as a
businessman, with the nation as a citizen, and with people abroad as an international
man. The mutual prosperity and existence: is an idea based on the relation of
interdependence between enterprises. Business dealings must be fair from
beginning to end. You should never play meaningless bargaining tactics or tricks
5. Fair competition makes progress. Serious effort under fair competition makes man and
business more competent. We should sell those goods those are likely to grow under fair
competition.
6. Meet what others expect from you. You should discern who expects what of us and try
to meet his expectations. Never cling stubbornly to your stand only.
7. The responsibility of manufacturer cannot be relieved until its product is disposed

of by the end user.
8. Do not forget that you are a businessman. The true businessman will be sturdy, humble
and modest. The true businessman always listens to what his client says.
9. Any business must be a success. Unsuccessful business employs a wrong management.

You should not find its cause in bad fortune, unfavorable surrounding, or wrong timing.
Nourish in your mind a tough determination to be the winner. No success will be
forthcoming unless you succeed in letting the face opposite you turn to your side.
10. Always question yourself. Carry our monthly accounting and check if there is any point
to be improved. If you find it, lose no time to correct it. Never repeat the same mistake
twice. Ask yourself if you are doing the right work appropriate to the corporate strength.
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11. Business appetite has no self restraining mechanism. Human appetite declines as the
stomach is filled, but the business appetite accompanies so much mechanism. When you
notice you have gone too far, you must have courage to come back.
12. Confine business expansion within credit limit. The scale of our business activities is to
be determined by society with evaluates our contribution to it. Business expansion should
be done on a profitable basis within the limit, beyond which reasonable profit could not
be secured.
13. The essence of management is to develop business with parallel effort to foster men
there. You should treat your subordinates with confidence in job assignments, so that he
can work on his own initiate to his fullest capability.
Matsushita Group Vision for the 21st Century
Ubiquitous networking
Coexistance with the environment
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Solutions
for
Comfortabl
e living
Home
Appliances
Household
Digital Equipments
Networks Healthcare
Environment
Components and devices

Production systems
Our Basic Business Philosophy as the Foundation of Our Business.
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Our basic business philosophy helps us determine our objectives, our approach to business
activities, and the direction general of our company. This philosophy comprises the Basic
Management Objective, Company Creed and Seven Principles. Together these guidelines serve
as a compass, helping us set and maintain the right direction for our business. Our Basic
Business Philosophy is timeless and remains valid regardless of where our business takes us.
Creation of Value and Contribution to the Society
Our business primarily comprises the following integrated philosophies and processes. First, we
are entrusted by the society with valuable recourses, including human recourses, materials, funds
and information. Next, we use these resources to create value-added products and services.
Finally, we make these products and services available throughout the world. The most essential
of these processes is the creation of added value aimed at contributing to economic, social and
environmental progress with a view to achieving sustainable development. In other words,

creating value and contributing to out society is out primarily mission.
Close Ties with Society
Developing close and mutually advantageous relations with society is another key process. As
we contribute to the continual progress of the society, so our Company is also being positively
influence by out society. Our business needs both tangible and intangible support and
cooperation from numerous stakeholders, including our shareholders, customers, business
partners, employees and local communities, at the same time, our business activities influences
those stakeholders in variety of social, economic and environmental aspects.
An Enterprise as a Public Institution

Since our business is dependent on our customers and other stakeholders, we must remember
that “an enterprise is a public institution,” that must strive to fulfill its social responsibilities. In
addition to listening to stakeholders’ opinions, we must conduct our business activities
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transparently in order to be accountable. In must, we must continue to be fair, truthful and honest
and swift in taking action to comply with our social responsibilities.
Only One Earth

The earth is our home. It provides us with a variety of blessing including natural recourses and
energy. With this in mind, we will take the initiative in environmental activities to preserve our
invaluable natural environmental for future generations.
Global Perspectives – Global Conduct
As a global company, we must resects human rights and do our best to understand, acknowledge
and respect the diverse cultures, religions, mindsets, laws and regulations of people in the
different countries and regions where we conduct business.
Carrying out our Basic Business Philosophy
Today more than great importance is being given to corporate social responsibilities and business
ethics. This Code of Conduct is to design to help us implement our Basic Business Philosophy,
by providing the criteria that should be observed in individual business activities in any country.
This Code of Conduct, however, cannot cover all possible situations. For situations not covered
in the Code of Conduct, it is importance that we always refer to the Basic Business Philosophy
and determine what action to take in the spirit of that Philosophy.
Basic Management Objective
Recognizing urn responsibilities as industrialists, we will devote ourselves to the progress and
development of the society and the well being of the society through our business activities,
thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world.
Company Creed
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Progress and development can be realized only through the combined efforts and cooperation of
each employee of or company. United in spirit, we pledge to perform our cooperate our duties
with dedication, diligence and integrity.
Seven Principles
1. Contribution to Society
We will conduct ourselves at all times in accordance to the Basic Management Objective,
faithfully fulfilling our responsibilities as industrialists to the communities to which we operate
2. Fairness and Honesty

We will be fair and honest in all our business dealings and personal conduct. No matter how
talented and knowledgeable we may be, without personal integrity, we an neither earn the respect
of others, nor enhance our own self- respect.
3. Cooperation and Team Spirit

We will pool our abilities to accomplish our shared goals. No matter how talented we are as
individuals, without cooperation and team spirit we will be a company in name only.
4. Untiring Effort for Improvement

We will strive constantly o improve our ability to contribute to society through our business
activities. Only though this untiring effort can we fulfill our Basic Management Objective and
help to realize lasting peace and prosperity.
5. Courtesy and Humility
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We will always be modest and coordinal, respecting the rights and needs of others in order to
protect and strengthen healthy social relationships and improve the quality of life in our
communities
6. Adaptability
We will continually adapt our thinking and behavior to meet t ever-changing conditions around
us, taking care to act in harmony in nature to ensure progress and success in our endeavors.
7. Gratitude
We will act out the sense of gratitude for all the benefits we have received, confident that this
attitude will be a source of unbound joy and vitality, enabling us to overcome any obstacles we
encounter.
Some More Companies Using Spirituality at Work
 3M
 XEROX
 BBC
 THE BODY SHOP
68
 THE BOOTS COMPANY

 TATA AND SONS
 RELIANCE INDUSTRIES
 DU PONT
 FRITO LAYS INTERNATIONAL
 HEWLETT PACKARD
 IBM
 PIZZA HUT
 TACO BELL
 TRAID PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY
 ROCKPORT SHOES
 CANON
 BEN AND JERRY’S ICE CREAM
 BHEL
 UTI
 GODREJ GROUP
 THE VERDHAMAN GROUP
 INDIAN OIL CORPORATION
 EICHER
 VENUS INTERNATIONAL
 BIRLAS
 INFOSYS
 WIPRO
Annexure
Love as the Basis for High Integrity Reputations
From Executive Excellence, Vol. 18 No. 5, May 2001
69
Spirituality evokes or expresses divine love—love that is fearless, unconditional and selfless.
Love is the basis for all other spiritual values and for character. For example, love in speech is
truth, love in behavior is right, responsible action, love in thought is inner peace, and love in
understanding/ wisdom is non- violence. These core values, found in all spiritual traditions, are
“built in” to our spiritual nature and may be expressed on an individual and organizational level.
Individually, a person would do his or her best quality work, even if no one were watching. A
professional would tell the truth about errors or delays, even if it meant a reprimand. An
executive will find new creative ways to deliver goods faster, without costly delays to customers.
A sales person would neither over- promise nor overcharge. A manager would seek to serve
people.
Fortune magazine that evaluates corporations on their net worth, maximum health, maximum
market share, now also assesses corporations based on five dimensions:
1. credibility/trustworthiness
2. respect,
3. fairness,
4. meaning of work,
5. Sense of family and community.
Demonstrating the impact of these values on organizations is an ongoing study of the “100 Best
Companies to Work For.” These 100 companies that adhere firmly to high integrity character
have an average growth more than 50% higher than their industries!! Love, and related values,
can be synonymous, and synchronous, with business success. Indeed, the reputations for living
by noble values help attract top talent, who then contribute to outstanding growth and
performance.
By living these values, we gain the moral authority to bring people, even divisive factions,
together to heal conflicts and enrich community. We find the spiritual common ground amidst
the diversity.
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Spirituality is essential to health, trust, creativity, commitment, ethical behavior, and

productivity. Spirituality tends to ground us to greater good beyond the self, helps us value other
people, and creates in us more depth and sensitivity.
Ant Company that successfully integrates performance and responsibility will thrive. When
leadership s strongly grounded in spiritual principles, business skills are applied with excellence,
and people strive to apply high values to its products, its communications and its internal
management practices—then the brands of that company take on an allure to anyone interested in
high integrity. That reputation will return multiple dividends in terms of greater investment,
greater growth, and greater talent. And we all gain greater confidence in the power of love and
character to provide for our material as well as spiritual well-being. When we exercise leadership
based on spiritual values, we build the character and reputation required for the growth.
MESSAGE FROM THE DALAI LAMA

I am pleased to express my encouragement and support for the “Spirit in Business Conference”
and the Spirit in Business World Institute, in which religious and business leaders will meet to
discuss and advance the role of spirituality in business and economics.
71
For a long time I have advocated the need for ethics or spiritual values in the world of politics
and economics In order to make this place a better place, more human and safer place, we need
to realize how interdependent we all are and therefore how we should take responsibility for one
another. At the present time, globalization and advances in information technology have made
our world so much smaller. This practicality applies to business leaders, whose actions affect the
lives of many people, both their employees and the customers they serve all over the world.
Personally I don’t believe you need to be a religious or spiritual person to appreciate this
reality an act accordingly. However, the world’s religions all have in common an emphasis on
developing qualities such as ethics, tolerance and compassion. Some people may think that these
sort of ethical attitudes are not much needed within economic activity. I strongly disagree. The
quality of all our actions depends on our motivation. In economics and business, as in all other
fields of human activity, if you have a good motivation and seek to contribute to a better human
society, you will be a good and honest businessman or economist.
On the global level, we must take immediate measures to create ethical codes in the worlds of
business and finance. For instance global degradation of the natural environmental and climate
threatens life itself. We must also remember that economics is responsible for creating the
unacceptable gap between the rich and the poor both amongst nations in the world and between
different sections of the society within a nation. We are continuing along this path, the situation
could become irreparable. The yawning gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” is going to
create a lot of suffering for everyone, including the world of finance itself. Therefore, it becomes
necessary for us to widen our perspective t include the well being of the whole world and its
future generations in our vision of economics and business.
On a personal level, if you practice tolerance and compassion, you will immediately discover
that these qualities are causes of happiness. There are many methods, some of them religious and
others derived from what I think of as fundamental human values, that you can employ to
develop these qualities and become a better person, and naturally you will also become a better
and more effective business person. There is no machine that can produce inner peace; there is
no shop that sells inner peace. It is something that has to come form inside, through mental
practice.
I am happy to learn that the mission of Spirit in Business is to deal with all these questions.
They are indeed big questions. I believe that the answers can be found on the basis of increased
72
awareness: we should meet and discuss these issues more often and in this way we will gradually
be able o create solutions. I am confident that the Business in Spiritual New York conference
provides an excellent opportunity for this and I look forward for hearing what practical steps up
agree to take.
Bibliography
BOOKS
73
 Meaning and Measurement of Spirituality in Organizational Settings Development

of a Spirituality Assessment Scale.
 Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. ( Harper Business)
 Spirituality at Work: A Pre- Theoretical Overview ( Paul Gibbons)
 A Mindfulness and Meaningful Work, ( Parallax Press)
 Consciousness Handbook of Living Religions
 Spiritual Well- Being of Workers (Austin)
 The Science of Self- Realization ( A.C. Bhaktivedanta)
INTERNET
 www.fcci.org
 www.spiritincusiness.org
 www.workplacespiritualty.org
 Spirituality.indiatimes.com
 www.futureconsideratins.com
 www.lifepositive.com
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Meaning and Definition

There are 5 management functions and they are

Evolution of ‘management’ as a concept

Some of themore recent developments include the theory of constraints, Management by

Increasing complexities of management at the workplace

High Demand for Performance

Unrealistic expectations, especially in the time of corporate reorganizations, which, sometimes

Job Stress and Woman

LEARN TO SEE HOW HAPPY THE WORLD IS!!!

Costs Paid for Stress-Free Living

DEPRESSTION COSTS US EMPLOYERS MORE THAN $23 BILLION PER YEAR

60-80% OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS are DUE TO STRESS

ECONOMIC COSTS of HEADACHES and OTHER COMMON MENTAL AILMENTS is

THE WORKPLACE SATISFACTION SCALE

Rating Guide for these questions

G I receive appropriate recognition or rewards for good

Result of the test

How do we conduct ourselves differently at work?

That which is spiritual:

• Comes from one’s inner self.

How to keep mind free from waste and unnecessary thoughts

• Through intense meditation.

• Silence and solitude.

• Determined and positive thoughts.

• Constant remembrance of the Supreme Father.

• Isolation and removal of waste and negative thoughts.

• Constant checking and preparation of hourly chart.

Burn Old Habits or Tendencies.

A Simple Model of Multiple Intelligences

Inner wisdom guided by

Managing ourselves and

IQ Math & Verbal intelligences

PQ Body awareness and

Spiritual intelligence skills can be broken into 4 Quadrants:

1. Higher Self/ Ego Self Awareness

Spirituality at the work place

Defining Spirituality at Work

Two primary types of practices exist according to level of analysis:

Individual Spirituality at work is journey towards integration of an individual’s work and

Organizational Spirituality at Work is the organizational journey towards the spiritual.

• Concern for well-being fosters great service

CHARACTERISTICS O SPIRITUALITY AT WORK

Characteristics of the Spirituality at Work

 Largely a grass- roots phenomenon rather than an organizationally orchestrated

A proposed organizing framework for spirituality at Work

 Private mediation  Observable

 Organizing principle  Structural features (e.g.

 Climate, attitudes systems, measures)

 Organizational  Spiritual goals (multiple

history and mission stakeholders, non-

 Culture, stories, material outcomes)

myths  Spiritual means

Spirituality—New Mantra at the Management Schools in India

Introduced by Americans to established and entrench their business practices such as

A basic Indian concept, Swami Someshwarananda says, is that of self-sustenance, the

Selected Spiritual Practices

What practices lead to these spiritual experiences?

Contemplative Prayer is similar to meditation in creating a spiritual experience. It may be

Reflective thinking, particularly in the form of journaling, is a common practice. Recording

Benefits of Spirituality at Work

Benefits for the Organization

Another benefit is increased authenticity in communication. A lot of work I do as a consultant I

• Spirituality is related to well being