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Application of Mythology in Modern Indian Management Practicesmore by Anupriy Kanti 4,778 Download (.pdf) BMS_Research_Project_on_Application_of_Mythology_in_Management.pdf 1.09 MB

Methods used for Data Collection All of the data collect ed for this study is from a secondar y source, gi ven that most of stories from myt hology have been passed down through histor y withdifferent variations.The internet was mostl y used for collection of stories and anecdotes frommythology. It was also used for getting t he infor mation about variouspersonalities and instit utions that are using myt hology in managementapproach. Few books were also used as references.Most of the anal ysis and interpretations are done by reputed academics,philosophers and mythologist Notabl y Devdutt Pattanaik.However, most of the anal ysis is s elf -evident while reading the stories.

Limitation of the study One of the major limitations of the study is the subjectivity of analysis andinterpretations of stories, symbols and rituals mentioned in the mythology as itis not completely based on concrete scientific and empirical data.Though statistical facts or trends have been has been supported by a crediblesource as far as possible, it is generally based on observation and intuition.However, as the study focuses more on how mythology can be used inmanagement than the current state of management in India, this factor does notaffect the credibility of the study.The accuracy of mythological elements also comes into question as there aremany variations of the same story (even names). For the purpose of the study, atmany instances, different versions have been accounted for and analyzed.Lastly, time constraint and various other factors did not allow direct interactionwith the personalities or institutions using this mythology in managementapproach, thus making the collection of data only possible through secondarysource.

Introduction Management practices in India While it is hard to pinpoint the exact way management is practiced in India,there is a macroscopic trend or trait that can be generalized to describe it. Forcenturies, Indians have been exposed to vrats (fasts) and upaays (solutions).Hence, at a deep cultural core, most Indians believe there is nothing rigid aboutlife. Everything is manageable, solvable, everything has a work around.Religious Indian books are full of

vrats . It was one of the ways by which onebelieved one can work around any distressing and apparently insurmountablefate. The same thought exists behind the notion of upaay that is popularamongst astrologers. Astrology is supposed to reveal through the position of stars and planets the fate of man. If the revealed fate is not favourable, then theastrologer immediately offers to work around it by a gemstone, a mantra (spell),a pilgrimage, a prayer, a ritual with which the negative effects of a planet can beovercome.This powerful cultural construct has its most popular manifestation in trait,colloquially termed as jugaad . It is the ability to get things done especiallywhen the law and the rule are not favorable. A jugaadu is a highly networkedand resourceful person who can weave his way through any system and getthings done when the straight and narrow path is blocked. He is a criticalcomponent of ones team if one wants to succeed in India.

'Indian way' is commonly seen as trait of accommodating everything. Forvarious things in life most Indians subscribe to jugaad and vrat and upaay ,believing in bending fate. This could be argued as the reason why Indians canbe such short-term thinkers at times, finding it difficult to plan for the distantfuture - like eradicating poverty by 2020 - while finding it easy to find jugaad for the immediate problems - like getting a driver's license made.Evidently, the existence of jugaad can be seen as testimony to the fact whyIndia system are largely inefficient and corrupt and why people are not uprightabout rules are not being rigid or universal. Nevertheless, it indicates thatIndians have no qualms about bypassing the system to get their way.While the ethics and legality of practicing jugaad is questionable. For many, jugaad is proof of Indian ingenuity and creativeness a demonstration thatIndians are not willing to accept fate and are willing to scurry a solution out of any problem. That is to say - If one has the will, there is always a jugaadu way.So this leads to the question, does the system construct jugaad or does jugaad construct the system? Are Indians creative thinkers and therefore refuse tocreate linear logical systems? Or is it that they find linear systems tedious,demanding too much discipline and uprightness, hence turn to jugaad ? Theanswer perhaps lies in the emotional nature of Indians that is responsible forboth the inefficiency of the system as well as for the effective workarounds.An example would be seen if one travel across India

cannot rely on a postaladdress to find a persons house in a city. Postal addresses are logical name of the city, the area, the road, the colony, the building, the flat. But structuring andlocations of Indian cities are not logical. One has to perhaps ask the localpedestrian for directions. This is jugaad , albeit a minor form, that allows one to overcome a situation that is not favored by logic. Situation may be different if one was in USA or a European country. Jugaad may not be possible or evenneeded as everything is comparatively well organized with roadmaps and streetsigns that there is little need to ask anyone. While today there are street signsand road maps in India too, large numbers of people still prefer asking peoplearound them for directions, indicating the Indian comfort with people than withprocesses - with private emotions rather than with impersonal logic.Psychologically seeing this trait, it can be said that Indians do not make adistinction in their professional and personal behaviour very easily. It is quiteacceptable for professional friends to become personal friends asking for favorsor to do jugaad . From an Indian point of view, there seems nothing wrong withtaking advantage of one's role and position for a friend.The Indian comfort with jugaad is the reason why Indian can be seem verytolerant to ineffective management systems (ineffective from westernperspective) and sometimes even contributing to inefficiency. If one does notexpect things to work through processes one find innovative personal ways toget things done.Thus the concept of jugaad can be seen as the underlying base for the traditionalmanagement model practiced in India. Influence of Western culture in Indianmanagement practice To make India modern was the White mans burden Devdutt Pattanaik Since the advent of East India Company under Great Britain to India forbusiness, India has been greatly exposed to the western culture. Throughcenturies of British rule and post-independence rise of globalization, traits of western culture seeped its way into various aspects of Indian way of living andthinking. While this caused amalgamation of the two cultures, it also led to thetrend of defining and understanding life in a western way - Westernization. Thereason for differences in culture and Westernization can be understood byunderstanding mythologies that governed the two cultures.Both the Greek and Biblical ways assume there is only one life and one way tolive life: individual achievement according to the Greeks and collectivesurrender for the Jews, Christians and Muslims. In the Hindu way, as in theBuddhist and Jain way, there are many lives. Everything is cyclical andrepetitive. The only way to make sense of this merry-go-round is to step back and reflect on life.It important to see how these cultures matter in the corporate world as all humanbeings are churned out cultures. Over time these cultures have mingled andmerged with each other. Hence a little bit of all cultures lies within everyone.Christianity didactically asks for rejection of man-made hierarchy, whileembracing of community and surrendering to a higher reality before which all