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Book Review
Management philosophy
AGAINST THE TIDE — The Philosophical Foundations of Modern Management: S. K. Chakraborty; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, First Floor, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 575.
THE CURRENT trends in globalisation and market economy are driving the developing countries to the precipice of consumerism. When financial scams and frauds are rocking even the affluent and stable economies such as Japan, Korea, and Germany; when even the world of sports is tainted with treachery and painted with perversion, where do we look for relief and redemption? Where is the emancipation from this maelstrom of mundane appeasement and the pursuit of the paisa?
This book seems to provide the answers to these searching questions. The author is a leading exponent of the philosophy that modern management, which is essentially Western in character and outlook, needs to be tempered with the culture and ethos germane to the East in general, and India in particular.
In an encyclopaedic contribution by him through an earlier volume on the same subject, appropriately entitled The Management and Ethics Omnibus, he has dealt with this dictum in detail and in an exemplary manner.
The sum and substance of this book is that the decline and fall of modern management must be arrested; that the trend has to be reversed, towards which it must be the goal and gameplan of every manager to "work against the tide"; and restore the ideals of rectitude and righteousness to the profession of management. He believes that all these will be possible only from the platform of Indian ethos and philosophy.
He says that it is the authentic voice of India, which must reverberate throughout the world for establishing ethics and values in management.
According to him it is the solemn duty of man to abide by the principles of ethics in life. "Ethicality is a compulsory attribute of each citizen. Slipping back from it may call for punishment, but sticking to it can claim no formal reward."
Part `A' of the book comprises nine essays. The opening article highlights the difference between the East and the West.
For this purpose, the author draws inspiration from the philosophy of four illustrious Indians, whom he described in the earlier volume as the "golden quartet of the golden decade" viz., Rabindranath Tagore (born 1861), Swami Vivekananda (born 1863), Mahatma Gandhi (1869), and Aurobindo (1872).
Proceeding further with his analysis, he cites four eminent thinkers from the West as well in this context in support of his theory viz., Bede Griffiths, Arnold Toynbee, Romain Rolland and David Frawley.
The next chapter finds the author expatiating on the principle that the East is basically contemplative, and the West is basically action-oriented. Ten issues are brought forth for an analysis under the umbrella of this theory.
This is followed by a projection of the gender perspective "on the broad theme of the East-West differential." The author underlines the "need to check the destructive march of masculine centrifugality (of the West) by reinforcing feminine centripetality" (of the East).
After this comes an examination of a spiritually based model of leadership "which has evolved and stayed alive in India to this day." This is followed by the pronouncement of another hypothesis and the description of an experiment conducted, based on that hypothesis. "Live and let live" model of leadership from the East is the need of the hour today, according to the author, and the experiment he refers to is the long-term educational process organised for the senior managers of the State Bank of India, by the Management Centre for Human Values at Calcutta.
The remaining chapters in part "A" amplify the concept that the "aggressive masculine-centrifugal behaviour" of the Western management is being replicated by the developing countries in the East. The critical question raised in this juncture is "Can Indian corporates begin to do their humble bit to reverse this tide?"
Part "B" of the "book is a kaleidoscope of ruminations and reflections on a large variety of issues," of worldwide dimension and significance, except Chapter 15 which is specifically addressed to the Indian situation.
In this chapter, the varying nomenclature used to describe the Indian scenario like "a secular democracy, a composite culture, a pluralistic society" have been challenged, and also, suitably explained by the author, from his point of view.
Some of the other aspects discussed in this section are the law of karma as understood by a couple of captains of industry; emotional purity should be a goal of life; the undesirable consequences due to the advances made in the field of biotechnology like "cloning"; technology minus ethics will bring disaster; and the importance of followership as against leadership.
The author has strong and forthright views on the philosophical foundations of management. There is no ambiguity in his language, nor lack of logic in his perspective.
The reader, however, needs to have a certain frame of mind in order to appreciate and empathize with his thinking, which at times may sound radical. "In sum then, this book offers certain insights and hypotheses about the present human condition from a writer, who refuses to be submerged by the tide of self-alienation and blind imitation."
Although a subsequent publication, this book must be seen as a prelude and a primer to his earlier work.
R. DEVARAJAN
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