Sri Sathya Sai explains: Significance of The Term ‘MANAGER’ – Part 1

Sathya Sai Speaks

Today, business in India is not run following sound principles of management suitable to the conditions of Indian environment. We have to recognise the nature of nations. We are following the rules of America. How can American systems be appropriate in Indian conditions or vice-versa? There should be a proper harmony between nations. The businesses run by following American, Russian, Japanese and British systems and practices would not be viable or sustainable in Indian settings in the long run and vice-versa. So, we have to develop business in accordance with the requirements of each nation. For example, a steel factory is proposed to be set up in a particular place. Before setting up a steel factory, all necessary preconditions would have to be inquired into. The most important item that a steel plant needs is coking coal besides iron ore. We have to ensure the uninterrupted supply of the required materials and resources for sustained development of the organisation.

We have to follow the seven principles (embodied in the acronym of the word ‘Manager’) properly. The person who understands and internalizes the essence of these seven principles becomes not merely a manager pertaining to any one single type of organisation, but would shape himself into a ‘Universal Manager’ [meaning one who will be complete in all respects so as to be able to achieve great results as a glocal (one with global mind-set but with local relevance) manager under very challenging situations]. But these principles have to be put into practice. What knowledge and skills you acquire during your study period are academic inputs. All these technical details are so complex that there is seldom any chance to put them into practice in the real world. However, it should be borne in mind that though people might have to encounter various difficult challenges in operationalising such principles at work place, that enterprise which takes care to put them into practice, alone will prosper in the long run. 

The first and foremost basis of all this is enquiry, and the second and third that follow are practice and experience respectively. The unity of all these three (enquiry, practice, experience) should be present in everybody concerned with business. This is what is referred to in the Bhagavad Gita as ‘Jnatum, Drashtum and Praveshtum.’ Jnatum means enquiry, Drashtum means seeing with the eyes what has been enquired; internalizing/assimilating that, is Praveshtum. If people were questioned as to what was prepared for breakfast, the reply for instance could be Uttappam (black-gram pan cake). You may have heard of this, and you witness it being placed in your plate. By knowing about and witnessing the item, the hunger is not going to be satisfied. When that Uttappam is placed in the mouth, munched and swallowed, the taste is realised and also the hunger satisfied. Only when you consume it yourself, you derive the strength, nourishment and the energy. Similarly, even though we read about Business Management in books, until we get hands-on experience in translating that theoretical knowledge into practical skill, such information would continue to be mere theoretical input. 

Continued in Part 2…

Source: The Manager and Values-Based Management: Significance and Salient Features, Chapter 9, Man Management: A Values-Based Management Perspective