Samanvaya Workshop on the Indian System of Management, "The Indian Way" -
A 4 day workshop that presents a comprehensive introduction and experience of the Indian System of Management through lectures, practical tips and case studies. The workshop is aimed for practicing managers who are working with Indian situation and challenges in their daily work life.
The workshop is slated for 28th Feb & 1st March and 14,15 March at the Arkay Convention Centre, Mylapore.
Registrations are limited to the first 15 participants and close on the 26th Feb, wednesday. The fee per candidates is Rs. 20,000/- for the entire duration. Concessional fares are provided for civil society and student members. Write to chief@samanvaya.com for further details.
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An Interview with Ram, Chief, Samanvaya and the faculty of 'The Indian Way' -
What is the ‘Indian Way’?
Way, Path or Route are all words
used traditionally by philosophers to indicate a certain of several paths that
are available to reach a destination or a goal. There is nothing greater or
lesser about these and all are equally relevant. We choose the path or way that
is best suited for us.
Indian Way is a method of
managing ourselves that we Indians may be most comfortable with. It is
basically a aggregation of several theories, practices and principles through
which Indians have managed and continue to manage their affairs effectively.
Why ‘Indian Way’, isn’t it
exclusive to call something as an ‘Indian’ management style?
Management is a
multi-disciplinary academic course that has emerged with the developments in
many other social sciences – sociology, psychology, political science, philosophy,
history all have had a role in shaping management body of knowledge. As an
applied science it has emerged in the last two centuries and even more
vigorously in the last 100 years. This is also the period of great political
and knowledge subjugation across the world and hence it has followed the
political discourse and preferences of all other academic disciplines that have
shaped it. The problem starts here. Many
of these sciences have their roots either in Europe or America and have assumed
the conditions as applicable universally. They are not, people everywhere are
different and they have different ways of managing themselves and prefer to
work differently and all are equally valid. So, the application of these
theories in the Indian context has meant tweaking these theories here and there
as we Indians are prone to do, we do band aid work with others’ theories and
make them our own all the time knowing that perhaps somewhere deep down in the
Indian society, we must have our own collective wisdom, knowledge and theory.
The ‘Indian Way’ is an attempt to articulate what works best in our conditions,
there is nothing ‘exclusive’ about it, nor an attempt to romanticize what we
do, just a statement of what is best suited for our mental makeup and
priorities.
But, hasn’t our lifestyle
become more universal now? After all most of us lead a life that seems to be
universal western way of life everywhere, what is wrong with adopting the
western management style as well?
Our problem starts with confusing
between ‘universal’ and ‘globalized’, sometimes we use these terms
synonymously, which is wrong. Our way of life is ‘globalized’ and not
intentionally, it is without choice. If you are an Indian living in a city
today, it is difficult for you to find a tailor who can stitch customized
shirts for you or a shoe maker who can make a customized shoe for you, these
service providers have been eliminated from the urban landscape and replaced by
readymade ‘globalized’ lifestyle dictating brands, which means, you stick to a
certain types of shirts and shoes, not something that you want. So, most of us
pick and choose from a limited choice given to us and be satisfied. This is the
impact of a mindless globalization. Where we lose freedom to gain limited
choice and get told that this is the way the world lives and we ought to be happy
with it.
So, self coloured cotton that was
crafted by superior skilled hands all the way through has been replaced with
plastic polyster shirts in most men’s wardrobe in India. Amazing leather
crafted shoes are only seen in the museums of Maharaja’s of colonial times and
their wealthy descendents. Our lifestyle
is dictated by a globalized market, which is not the same as our life
decisions. We still haven’t completely become ‘western’ in our thinking and
personal decisions, it comes out in the way we choose life partners, choice of
food, how we teach and nurture our children and many more very personal
decisions.
Western management style has
evolved not with the Indian space in mind, that is why western managers coming
to India are given a ‘cultural lesson’ in management for Indian situations and
Indian way of thinking. This hasn’t changed in centuries, during the colonial
times, they were made to read a specific ‘Indian method of thinking and working’
book put together as a way of understanding. However, we don’t have such a text
for us Indians, partly because we think we already know, but, wouldn’t dare
articulate it and partly because we don’t pay attention to our own needs and
specific demands. So, we have frustrated Indian managers who often complain
about how theory x or theory y doesn’t work as we Indians don’t understand
these amazing theories. The ‘Indian way’ turns this argument on its head and
claims that the theories are not applicable in India and says that there are
other theories that are equally
applicable here towards the same ends.
We often see that there are
books on ‘Chanakya style of Management’, ‘Thirukkural Management’, ‘Indian Case
Studies’, coming up in the market, don’t such books end up romanticizing some
of the Indian weaknesses?
These books have always been
there and perhaps become more visible now in the last two decades they have
grown quite a bit with more confidence and articulation by Indian managers. It
is a good trend and needs to be encouraged, every nation and society at some
point in its evolution articulates its strength. Yes, there is a danger of
romanticizing or legitimizing some weaknesses as strengths as well, but, better
that we articulate them and resolve them ourselves to evolve something better
than to borrow something and suffer forever.
For instance, doesn’t these
scriptures also legitimize social malaise such as caste system that are deeply
rooted in Indian way and are fundamentally founded in false premise of people
being in-equal? Why continue to perpetuate such systems, what is wrong in replacing
them with a more evolved western system?
Replacing wrong ‘systems’ with
better ones is a systemic approach that has its own fundamental flaws, it may
work for computers, it doesn’t work for societies. Because we replace a system
with another, we cannot change a society, societies change at the speed of its
weakest persons, their perceptions, capacities and potentials and how they find
strength to change is what determines changes in society. Take the caste
problem, despite several changes since Independence, we haven’t had the opportunity
to change the caste system but incrementally and only in some pockets. Worse
newer forms of caste systems and more rigorous forms of inequality have come to
dominate our society today. Is it wisdom that dictates that in ridding
ourselves of a prevailing problem we acquire more sinister and varied forms of
the same problem?
We need to root out these
inequalities, but, that will not happen by transplanting an alien system, which
like an alien species can only become a week of a more dangerous dimension. For
reviving our soil health and better returns, we need to remove our weeds, but,
plant our own trees, plants and crops that are most suitable for our conditions
and that can revive and best use the soil conditions, so also, our systems.
But, isn’t the contrary also
true? Aren’t there systems and ideas in India that do have an universal appeal?
Why then call it the ‘Indian Way’?
That may be so. If we start to
look at our wisdom and see its application for all over the world without
adequate understanding of the rest of the world, then we will fall in the same
trap as the western thinkers of simplistic understanding of the world, when
they declared what was good for them must be good for the rest of the world and
ignored or ridiculed all those facts
that form part of the non-western world.
If there is something Universal
in the Indian Way, that is for the rest of the world to find that out. I am
neither competent nor care to prescribe something to the rest of the world. I
know my part of the world best, I have some experience and knowledge that is
based on what happens here and what I have learnt from here, so, that is all I
can talk for.
So, what is so different about
the ‘Indian Way’? How can someone benefit from it?
For that you have to attend the
workshop. Please do come with an open mind and with your own problems and
challenges at work, it is not trying to prove a point or a perspective, that is
not the ‘Indian Way’, it is a gentle reminder of what is possible, what was accomplished
and what stands to be accomplished, the potential, prospect and power that is
deeply Indian.
Who is this programme meant
for?
Primarily for practicing managers
and entrepreneurs. People who already know parts of the Indian Way, but, haven’t
had time to either articulate it to themselves or examine the day to day
challenges in its light.
Isn’t 4 day rather long for a management workshop?
Lets it is too short if it
changes the way of thinking and poses serious challenges to fundamental
understanding of management that you so far have. People spend more than 2
years in B-Schools understanding management, they spend perhaps twice as many
years learning what was wrong with what they learnt in the B-Schools and equal
amount of time getting rid of it, so, 4 days is just a beginning for the rest
of their life.
Do you intend to do these
programmes often?
We have done this during my Corporate days, that was almost 15 yrs ago, our last programme on this subject was about a decade ago, since then, we have been busy with other things and couldn't give time or attention to this area of work. We are now starting with Chennai, we
would like to do this in other parts of India as well in due course depending on time and interest.
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