TIME  MANAGEMENT

It can be observed that art of dividing a day into various slots of smaller value and doing different  activities in each slot was well known to Indian Civilization from Vedic and Puranic times.
Arya Chanakya while suggesting time schedule to the King that can be easily adapted by CEO’s of today, has divided the day into 16 slots of one and half hour each. It is interesting to observe that in the e-world of today we keep the sessions for one and half hour.

I’m all-powerful Time,  that destroys all things – Shri Bhagavad Gita

As the sub-text implies ‘time’ is the most powerful of all elements that Nature has bestowed on humanity. Significance of time has been expressed in many ways across all Ages and Civilizations. While some of them have been explicit in their references some of them are subtle.  In as much as it carries a negative label “as a destroyer”, it also carries the positive reputation of a “healer” – the adage goes “ time heals”.  Such is the reputation and  power of Time.

It is worth mentioning here that the ancient civilizations especially from the Asian continent had a fine understanding of “time”.  With such clear understanding, development of day calendars, movement of planets within the constellation, prediction of solar and lunar eclipses on a day to day basis was possible. Asian, Indian and Chinese civilizations had developed fine astronomical calendars depicting the time

The current Paradigm:

The current management thinking has credited “time’ as one of the key determinants of success. “Time, timing ‘ is a secret weapon that leverages other factors of success. It acts like a catalyst in ensuring that other factors of success work in sync and produce the desired results.   It is long recognized that ‘time’ is a key competitor for every business organization.

Traditionally,  business success is defined as ‘ provision of most value at lowest of costs.  With “time” having  been recognized as a key success factor in the armoury of a successful organization, no wonder, then, the  current management thought  has added the ‘time dimension’  to  the above  definition.  ‘Providing most value for the lowest cost in the least amount of time’  is the new mantra.   Accordingly, the corporates have started redefining their success strategies with provision of time bound services.

Current management literature is full of benefits that accrue to a time based competitor or supplier– benefits varying from  reduced inventory ,  lower transaction costs , reduced cycle times and so on.  Being a time based competitor is a win-win situation to both the customer and the provider. While customers perceive this as a significant ‘value-add’ to the product or service,  the supplier or provider of services enjoy less order cancellations,  satisfied customers which gets reflected in the  repeat orders. No wonder Time Management has become an important component of current management vocabulary. The celebrated management thinker and writer Peter Drucker had written a lot on the role of time management in success of individuals.

These instruments of time management varies from time planners, schedulers, project management tools, trackers, personal calendars, scheduler,  to-do-list  and a whole host of others.  It must be mentioned here that multiple variants have emerged and one of them is even called “life planning tools”.  Such life planning tools include result area forms, goal tabs, goal forms, metrics and goal progress tracking formats and what not. These tools are  designed to keep the users focussed on achieving their goals.

Ironically all these solutions focus on individuals suggesting "Do-it-Yourselves" solutions, training programs etc.  The place ‘time management’ occupies in our day to day life is unmatched by any other concern.  Warfare and other destructive activities too have not spared the time dimension from its own operating vocabulary.

Inventions such as air travel, telephony, mobile phones, internet, search engines etc have been focussing and attacking the time.

Arya Chanakya in his treatise on Political Economics, has referred to the subject in the context of how the time should be spent by the king or CEO. He has divided the day in sixteen periods of one and half hour each. It is amazing to observe that even today the period of one and half hour is considered as optimum period for effective session. He has given a schedule for a king to follow that covers topics such as discussions with key ministers, open session with the public at large i.e. target customers, review of achievements. stress management etc.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Recently, Mr.Ratan Tata announced in public that by next year, that is 2011, he will retire from active business. Prof. Narayan Murthy of INFOSYS has made similar announcement although he has been mentoring INFOSYS. Both the prestigious organizations are busy with exercise on “Succession Planning”. It is obvious that the process is not easy.  It will be interesting to read the guidelines suggested by Arya Chanakya in his treatise on “Political Economics – Kautilya’s Arthashastra”.

Arya Chanakya has dealt with the subject of succession planning for king. While referring to internal aspects of a stable and prosperous kingdom, Arya Chanakya has covered guidelines for selecting / developing and protecting the successor  under the title “Rajadharma” in Chapter 17^th and 18^th of book 1

The eldest son/daughter of the king is a natural choice for succession provided he/she fulfills the criteria. However, there is a clear reference that succession need not be by inheritance. The elder son and rest of brothers have a natural right for succession, Arya Chanakya has advised that the activities of eldest son should be observed and closely watched right from birth. If king has only one son, he should be kept under observation all the time. If he has more than one son, all of them  should be assigned tasks to prove credentials and capability.

Arya Chanakya has classified sons into three categories. The first category as intelligent, who are capable of learning the basic concepts of duties and responsibilities, logic economics etc. who can put those principles in practice. The second category consists of those who learn but cannot put learnings in practice. The third category is the one who hate the principles of governance and find themselves in difficult situations. If the king has only one son from the point of view of smooth succession, the king should convince his son for having a grandson to take care of eventuality, If  a king has a daughter, king should convince her to have grandson from his daughter.

On analyzing dynasties that ruled various kingdoms on continents including Indian sub-continent, we find several examples of smooth succession that resulted in rule of those dynasties over a long period of time. Mauryan empire that was led by Chandragupta Maurya under the advice of Arya Chanakya, ruled Indian sub-continent for three generations upto King Ashoka. (Moghul emperors, Nehru dynasties, House of Tatas, Birlas, Mafatlals)

While describing behaviour of the successor, Arya Chanakya has given certain guidelines for the nominated prince or successor. Even if the king asks the prince or successor to take up the task that may not be worthy of his status, the prince should accept the task and ensure success. However, the task where life is in danger or where there is possibility of revolt from the constituency, the prince could make an exception and resist the appointment. If he is appointed on meaningful task, the prince should accept the challenges, fulfill the task with assistance from able hands and pass on the benefits to the king. In case prince is not able to get an able assistant, he should try and show results by various means to prove his capability.

Arya Chanakya has also discussed at length the issue of announcement of a successor that is critical in Succession Planning for smooth transition. There are specific guidelines about the announcement where the king is sick. He mentions when the news should be made public and how the news about sickness should be conveyed amongst the members. While discussing Succession Planning, Arya Chanakya has given a warning that some of the disgruntle of elements of kingdom in the empire could rise and revolt to take advantage of opportunity. Kautilya says that in order to have smooth transition, the Ministers should choose a Prince who is not just senior but the one who is capable of handling the responsibility of stability and growth in the long-term interest of the kingdom. 

INTRODUCTION

“Namaste”. It’s a Indian way of extending greetings. Friends it is a day of Ganesh Puja, we pray Lord Ganesh for knowledge and good luck for new project. I want you to open  and read blog on
 “ Management practices based on Indian scriptures” with a click of a Mouse that is a vehicle for Lord Ganesh as stated in mythology.

On this auspicious day I am entering virtual world “as a netizen”. Internet and click of a mouse has made it possible to establish contact with you. I can reach all of you who will get interested in establishing a unique identity of our country i.e. India. Would you not agree that India is a force to reckon with?.  India has treasure of knowledge that survived over centuries. A new style is emerging as “Indian Management” that has a cultural background of its own. It is value based and stands out in post global financial melt down. Indra Nooyi, Vikram Pandit, Raghuram Rajan, all global business leaders in industry and banking inherit Indian culture.

Indus civilization has history of over 5000 years. Literature and scriptures based on observation of nature and behaviour of human beings are available that throw light on handling and managing situations in day to day life. Wisdom accumulated and enriched with experience is available. Would you not like to share and practice .

“Upnishadas” the early scripture well before Christ opens out relationship between the universe and individual human being.. The theme of these scriptures is that of Inclusive Philosophy that we refer today. Bhagwad Geeta represents essence of Vedas that explain practical way of managing relationships and management of self. The principles cover a wide range from conflict management to leadership keeping in mind ethical angle of issues involved. It is an excellent guide on actions to be taken without keeping in mind any expectations.

Pancha tantra is a scripture that explains practical tips for successful life.

Swami Vivekanand who gave his famous speech in the religious conference at Chicago in US  in 1893., brought out wisdom from scriptures that emphasized life based on values and ethical behaviour.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra a treatise on “Political Economics” is a very comprehensive document that explains Management of a Kingdom in a codified manner. When we read between the lines a clear message emerges that brings out principles of management that are practical and applicable in today’s industrial and commercial world.

Mahatma Gandhi – a lawyer by profession who jumped into freedom movement by accident became a leader of ‘Quit India’ Movement against British Raj. Today he has become inspiration for learning leadership skills in the Western countries. 

As a student of Management I felt that a time has come to develop and put forth the lessons that emerge out of these scriptures of Indian origin. My attempt is to share with you my view point in a structured manner.

I was encouraged by the support extended by Mr. S. M. Dutta, Ex-Chairman, Hindustan Unilever Ltd., Mr.A.K.D. Jadhav, Ex-Principal Secretary of Ministry of Mining and Heavy Metals   Mr. Rajendra Barwale, Managing Director of Mahyco Ltd. and Ms. Harshabeena Javeri Managing Director of NRB Bearings Mr.S.S. Godbole, Mr.Siva Shivaramkrishnan – Sr.Consultants, Prof. K.C.R. Raja Director of Rofel Institute of Management & Others.

Creation of the Blog has been possible due to teachings from my Guru late Mr.V.G. Karnik and discussions with Sr. friends like Dr. B. M. Kacholia. I owe a lot to my clients from business world who allowed me to share various experiences. Without technology support provided by Dr.Milind Deshpande, the blog would not be a reality.

With your involvement, I propose to share one post every week that will represent a pre-curser to the topic and welcome your comments. Let us together bring out Management Practices from Indian Scriptures.

 I welcome you as follower of this blog and thank you for sharing your views in advance.

The series begins with ‘Kautilya’s Arthashastra’.There are three posts.

A treatise on ‘Political Economics’ written in the year around 300 B.C. Let us talk about Indian Management just as we discuss Western Management and Japanese Management.

Indian contribution- A comparative evaluation

In the early periods before Christ, there were four major civilizations that developed socially and culturally that developed basics of management with reference to society and kingdoms. They were Greek and Roman civilization around the river Euphrates and Tigress, Egyptian civilization around river Nile, Indus civilization around river Indus (Sindhu) and Chinese civilization around river Yangtze.

In the Roman civilization, great philosophers such as Socrates and Plato (around 400 B.C) covered the subject.The concept of democratic state emerged from the works of these philosophers through their books such as “Republic”. Indus Valley civilization conceptualized understanding about the universe its relations with individuals, social values and ultimate peace for human being that is reflected in the scriptures of “Vedas and Upnishadas”. Essence of these scriptures is covered by “Bhagwad-Gita” that explains philosophy of work without expectations. “Kautilya’s Arthashstra” a treatise on political economics presented in codified manner principles of governance ( around 300 B.C.).Chinese civilization represented by Cofucius and his teachings ( 500 B.C ) emphasized personal and governmental moral values, correctness of social relationships and tactics for warfare that reflected in the work of Sun Tzu in the book “The Art of War”.

Plato’s philosophical views had many implications particularly with reference to society and the governance of the society. Some of the famous doctrines in his book “Republic” cover laws and rules and discipline that would govern the statesmen. They bring out triplicate class structure symbolizing the castes of society, such as Productive, Protective and Governing class.There is reference to the State and the Ruler who would govern the state. The observations with reference to the philosopher king can be translated for effective Chief Executive of today.

In the Indus valley civilization, Arya Chanakya, as mentor and advisor to the first Indian Emperor, Chandragupta Maurya, has developed guidelines for running the administration and managing growth of the empire. In his excellent work, “Political Economics (Kautilya’s Arthashastra)”, there are comprehensive references to the internal administration of the empire and the external affairs. The treatise covers topics that can provide guidelines for the strategists and managements in global competitive world of business.

Chinese philosopher Confucius explained moral values for society. In the book “Art of War” by Sun Tzu, there is reference to the wars amongst the states that existed during his time in China. The references are more tactical. There is reference to Strategies that should be adapted in different conditions. They are applicable in marketing warfare and are operational in nature.

In the next post we will introduce the theme of this blog Management practices from Indian scriptures.