A Holistic Approach to Business Management:

Perspectives from the Bhagavad Gita

Article Analysis Submission 

Group 6 

a. How closely do the assumptions made in the article represent Indian realities?
[200 words]: Assumptions can be implicit or explicit, relevant or outdated (e.g.,
Aryan Invasion Theory), or reflect how a foreigner may view India or how we
may view ourselves. 
Ans. The article's purpose was to take perspectives from the Bhagavad Gita and present a
management grid to link the profit-centric business approach with a purpose-centric business
approach. The focus of the businesses has been predominantly on the capability, capital, and
connections to sustain cash flow for generating profit. While the author has examined the
applications of Gita from a manager's perspective, there are a few assumptions made in this
examination.
The claim about our world not being real is explained by the concepts of the Gita. I think this
is accurate as the cause-and-effect cycle, described by Karma, is a predominant concept in
Hinduism. The notion of Karma is used as an explanation for the situation an individual is in
at any given point in his life, be at just after birth or during one's death. The author has also
described the Varna system based on the human involvement required, as was the case. There
has been a spread of misinformation that claims that the Varna system was inhumane. Still,
the author has made an effort to correctly understand the concept of the Varna system and the
reason for its implementation. The author has also given business-related examples while
drawing parallels from the Gita. I agree with the assumptions made as the mentioned points
have already been implemented in various capacities across industries and have proved to be
valid. A lot of Japanese work ethic has been derived from the learnings of the Gita, and the
fact that it works is evident from the success of the Japanese companies.
(259 words)

b. How much sense do the core ideas presented in the article make? [400 words]

Ans. The core ideas presented in the article, and its reflection of the Bhagawad Gita as a
manual for leadership principles remains extremely relevant in management today. The crux
of the article was Krishna’s role as a transformational leader, one who was able to act upon
the situation to counsel Arjun through to his final course of action. This is a key skill in any
workplace setting, especially in our case as managers, we must inculcate the flexibility and
finesse to be able to delicately navigate a situation. Krishna in this case, primarily focuses on
the nature of dharma- duty, Arjuna’s role as a warrior. He explains the criticality of his
actions, the consequences that will come of it, and alleviates his guilt and anxieties by
proposing the idea of an immortal spirit- making death (the natural aftermath) trivial. The
ideas of Individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, idealized influence and
inspirational motivation remain key leadership principles applicable in multiple settings to
understand the employee and the problem at hand. An effective manager is one that is able to
objectively understand the motivations, drivers and anxieties of the individual employee and
provide guidance accordingly. In Arjuna’s case, Krishna speaks of his duty as a warrior to his
people, his family, and himself, but this is just as relevant in modern workplaces with tasks
that are more time sensitive. Also, much like Krishna was able to highlight ideals of duty-
role clarity acts as key in motivational theory today.
Intellectual Simulation is crucial to inculcate creative process, but also motivates an
employee by emphasizing the importance of their role in the larger scheme- the questions that
are posed give direction and a roadmap for employees to better reach their goal. The
Idealized influence model is one that focuses on “good leadership creating good leaders”.
While mentorship is a great path, it is also most effective when their path aligns closely with
the mentor’s. Inspirational motivation also similarly, seeks to articulate what is, and what can
be. It is important that a manager have an understanding of the employee’s abilities, and
while providing a roadmap to the goal, is able to effectively communicate how to maneuver
these skills. Transactional leadership is ineffective as it reduces goals to simply task
completion, but in more complex situations transformational leadership becomes crucial. The
article comprehensively explains with examples a roadmap to navigate intricate workplace
scenarios, directly impacting employee motivation.
(399 words)

c. How much confidence can we put in the findings of the article? [200 words]
( only for empirical articles )
Ans. NA ( conceptual article )

d. How implantable may these ideas be for an organizational leader? [400 words]

Ans. We frequently debate about eastern vs western philosophy. But wherever they converge
I would like to start right from there. Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great: Why Some
Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't” writes that one of the most basic qualities of
successful companies’ leaders was Level 5 leadership which basically means a leader who
puts the interests of the company before his self interest. Chapter 3 of Bhagwad Gita says
exactly the same thing - selfless action. Most definitely most of the other ideas are
implantable in an organizational leader. 

The parallels between Jim Collins’ bestseller and the teachings of Bhagwad Gita surprised us
immensely. Not only are almost all of the teachings same, there are additional learnings from
the Gita. Chapter 7 teaches us about the Supreme Truth and facing the harsh realities. Facing
brutal truths is one of the teachings of Jim Collins’ bestseller. Chapter 8 of the Gita
essentially teaches us about pursuing convergence of purpose for a motivated team. The right
people are needed inside the organization and the wrong people need to be let go. One can go
on and on about the parallels between the two sets of scientific documents. Both the
documents are results of extensive research and through independent different paths have
reached the same conclusions. The west is already scratching the surfaces of the deeper
learnings of the Gita without even realizing it.

Implementing the teachings of all the 18 chapters of Gita will definitely prove to be
extremely difficult and most likely impossible. But keeping in mind these teachings will help
managers and leaders to effectively run their companies and take them to new heights. Even
after hard examination we couldn’t find a single one of the teachings which could be
unimplementable always. Just like Krishna is a guiding light, these teachings are suggestions
and guidelines for success. Managers and leaders will have to integrate their intellect, acumen
and experience along with these teachings to achieve best results. 

Integrating the values within each member of the whole organization will be the biggest
challenge in implementing these teachings of the Gita. It has to start from the top and with
passing years and focussed recruitment an organization based on the foundation of these
learnings can reach every pinnacle of success, both monetary as well as social. Being
employment generators, businesses have an immense social responsibility and going by the
teachings of the Gita benefits everyone. As Chapter 5 teaches us: win-win options for all.
[417 words]

Submitted by

Group 6 :

Akshat Bhatia FH21001

Ashwin Harsha BJ21076
Abhinav Chauhan BJ21064
Komal Tanwar H21144
Hridya Menon H21180
Upamanyu Chatterjee BJ2118
Shirley D’Souza H21168