[Assam] Gita is new mantra for US businesses - HT

[Chan Mahanta]

Ram, Ram, Ram !

Tumi ki kotha koisa he'? What are you saying? Does anyone need to 
restate what is an universal truth? Would you open a debate on the 
fact of the sun rising on the east, just because some fool might have 
doubts about it, or dispute it, (unless they sowed some doubts in 
your own mind as well)? Come on Ram!


Why I say that is because the proof is everywhere to be seen, all 
around us, ain't it? Just look at the temple-building, Gita-reciting, 
puja-performing,  pilgrimage-undertaking, Hinduttwa-promoting and 
asserting business-communities and 'bepaaris'of India and their 
exemplary ethics thru the centuries and how they have set the bar on 
"holistic approach to business" not to mention the establishing of 
those "Hindu values" that the world is making a bee-line to emulate 
today!


c-da :-).

PS: Is this the same C K Prahlad that has promoted little packages of 
consumer goods that hang like colorful link-sausages on 'paan-shops' 
across the sub-continent to bring the good life to the deprived 
masses, never-mind how they can pay for them?





At 3:52 PM -0500 10/26/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>Just can't believe this story. Wilh all the negativity about 
>Hinduism, one would think, these business savvy mega corps/think 
>tanks in the US would even think about the Gita (inspite of Hinduism 
>supposedly not moored to strong, verifiable foundations :)).
>
>--Ram
>
>Gita is new mantra for US businesses - Hindustan Times
>
>Big businessess in the United States are embracing Indian philosophy 
>in a significant but sometimes quirky new trend.
>
>A recent whirlwind East Coast tour by Swami Parthasarathy, one of 
>India's best-selling authors on Vedanta, was just one small 
>manifestation of the new trend, according to BusinessWeek magazine.
>
>Suddenly, phrases from ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita 
>are popping up in management tomes and on websites of consultants, 
>while top business schools have introduced "self-mastery" classes 
>that use Indian methods to help managers boost their leadership 
>skills and find inner peace in lives dominated by work.
>More important, India-born strategists also are helping transform 
>corporations. Academics and consultants such as C.K. Prahalad, Ram 
>Charan, and Vijay Govindrajan are among the world's hottest business 
>gurus, Pete Engardio and Jena McGregor write in the Oct 30 issue of 
>the publication.
>
>About 10 percent of professors at places such as Harvard Business 
>School, Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business and the University 
>of Michigan's Ross School of Business are of Indian descent -- far 
>higher than other ethnic groups.
>
>"When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or 
>[Dartmouth's] Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are 
>reflected in the way we think and articulate," the weekly quotes 
>Dipak C. Jain, dean of the Kellogg School as saying.
>
>Indian theorists, of course, have a wide range of backgrounds and 
>philosophies. But many of the most influential acknowledge that 
>common themes pervade their work.
>
>One is the conviction that executives should be motivated by a 
>broader purpose than money. Another is the belief that companies 
>should take a more holistic approach to business - one that takes 
>into account the needs of shareholders, employees, customers, 
>society and the environment.
>
>Some can even foresee the development of a management theory that 
>replaces the shareholder-driven agenda with a more 
>stakeholder-focused approach.
>
>"The best way to describe it is inclusive capitalism," the magazine 
>says, citing Prahalad, a consultant and University of Michigan 
>professor who ranked third in a recent Times of London poll about 
>the world's most influential business thinkers. "It's the idea that 
>corporations can simultaneously create value and social justice."
>
>You might also call it Karma Capitalism. For both organisations and 
>individuals, it's a gentler, more empathetic ethos that resonates in 
>the post-tech-bubble, post-Enron zeitgeist.
>
>These days, concepts such as "emotional intelligence" and "servant 
>leadership" are in vogue. Where once corporate philanthropy was an 
>obligation, these days it's fast becoming viewed as a competitive 
>advantage for attracting and retaining top talent.
>
>Where the rallying cry in the 1980s and 1990s may have been "greed 
>is good", today it's becoming "green is good".
>
>And while it used to be hip in management circles to quote from the 
>sixth century BC Chinese classic The Art of War, the trendy ancient 
>Eastern text today is the more introspective Bhagavad Gita, the 
>Businessweek said.
>
>Earlier this year, a manager at Sprint Nextel Corp. penned the 
>inevitable how-to guide: the key message of "Bhagavad Gita on 
>Effective Leadership" is that enlightened leaders should master any 
>impulses or emotions that cloud sound judgment. Good leaders are 
>selfless, take initiative, and focus on their duty rather than 
>obsessing over outcomes or financial gain, the weekly said.
>
>"The key point," it quotes Ram Charan, a coach to CEOs such as 
>General Electric Co.'s Jeffrey R. Immelt, as saying "is to put 
>purpose before self. This is absolutely applicable to corporate 
>leadership today".
>
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