Over 25 years ago, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, while stressing upon the pivotal role of educational institutions in imbibing and nurturing Values - Human Values in the youth, also emphasized upon the need for global application of these Values in every sphere of activity. Referring to the education imparted to students, Bhagavan Baba has also repeatedly announced that merely imparting “bookish knowledge” is of no consequence unless the students are made aware of and trained to apply the fundamental Values - Human Values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, and Ahimsa in all their actions. He has often said that “Education is for life, and not for mere living” and that “The end of education is character”. The essence of education at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning accordingly focuses not only on instilling these Values in students but also on guiding them to consistently behave ethically and in consonance with these Values in a world that is grossly abusing globalism to achieve globalization.
Globalism is the theory that postulates the finite limitations of the planet earth and demands respectful treatment to be given to the environment by all human beings not only on special, commemorative days of the year but on a continuous daily basis, and as a way of life. On a global scale, this requires truthful and candid communications, peace, love and compassion, sharing of resources that foster sustainability and a world-wide understanding that mutual interdependence and the attitude of give-and-take are the key to survival of mankind. This certainly makes a strong case for global application of the cardinal Values, Human Values. In the race to compete and dominate, every human being, every community, every national society, every corporate entity, every government professes the tenets and benefits of globalism, although most of them want it to be practiced by others. Globalism thus forms an approach for “globalization” which is in turn defined as a process of increasing interdependence between all human beings of the world, who are linked together by, among other things, trade, as corporations move their resources, products and services around the world in search of competitive sources of labour, raw materials, components and human brains.
International trade, foreign investments and cross-migration of human beings formed the basis for a world economy that has been in vogue since the 16th century. Globalization, on the other hand, really began to boom only in the early 1970s following the historic oil crisis which spawned technological innovations, automation, improved logistics systems and computer-aided decision support systems — all of which pushed the world from the “industrial age” to the “information age”. ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and the persistent economic need for continued growth of multinational/global organizations, worldwide, have now driven the process of globalization to a point of no-return.
For India, benefits of globalization include higher Foreign Direct Investments (FDI’s), higher employment in selected areas, a constant near 7% growth rate of the economy, a visible increase in the standard of living of the middle classes, and a reduction in poverty level – by no means a small achievement for a diverse democracy.
On the negative side, to retain their competitive advantage, corporations have reduced their overall workforce through use of automation and technology. Global unemployment now exceeds one billion. Governments in some developing countries have allowed their domestic industry to suffer by permitting cheaper imports. To make matters worse, even some governments, in their anxiety to reap the benefits of FDIs and growth of local employment have at times obliged multinationals by agreeing to ignore local labour or environmental laws. They have conveniently ignored market place/consumer activism against local sale of products banned in the home countries of the big MNCs. Even while this article is being written, youth and students are publicly protesting against a leading soft drink company in U.S.A. for its practices that are allegedly abusing the environment in far-away India, while there is no significant reaction against the company in India. The company however denies any such malpractice. It is just to avoid the possibility of inappropriate actions by multinational corporations that the concept of “Corporate Social Responsibility” was voluntarily evolved by multinationals in the 1980s.
Corporations now are not only required to be responsible to their shareholders, but also to all their stake holders. They are expected to bear the responsibility of any adverse impact from their operations, anywhere in the world. Although there is no legislation or body to enforce global ethical governance, companies have on their own decided to frame and adopt their internal “Codes of Conduct”. 90% of Fortune 500 companies and several leading companies in India today have some sort of Code in place to address issues relevant to their activity. These issues include:
• Responsibility towards customers, shareholders, partners, associates and competitors
• Health and safety issues related to the workplace and to their products and services
• Environment protection issues
• Human rights issues
• Community welfare issues and obligations to the community
• Obligations towards governments and their agencies
• Obligation towards ensuring ethical conduct at all levels in the organization.
A Corporate Code of Conduct, in short, is nothing but a company’s policy statement that defines ethical standards of conduct – by the company as a collective entity for conducting its business, and by its employees as individuals with respect to protecting the interests of all the stakeholders. The Code must therefore be framed using principles of ethics based on the core Human Values and be religiously implemented with strict adherence, regardless of any short term business compulsions or advantages, or else it can only be expected that adherence to its stipulations will at best be short lived. It becomes the prime responsibility of the managers, therefore, to evolve a Code and an implementation system that ensures voluntary and total compliance to ensure achievement of the company’s objectives for sustained growth, yet fulfilling its obligations towards all of its stakeholders, world-wide.
Having stated its Code, having all managers and employees fully understand it and having an effective monitoring system in place may still leave several ethical concerns and dilemmas to be resolved. Some companies give their managers the authority to appropriately deviate from the code based on certain exceptions like cross-cultural differences, varying regulations and different standards of legal enforceability in various countries. Cost effective drugs, for instance, banned in developed countries due to side effects are readily imported by governments of poor developing countries in order to avoid or fight epidemics. Are the drug companies acting unethically by selling these drugs or are the importing governments crossing the threshold of ethical norms by using these banned drugs albeit for urgent or life-saving action?
There are several countries where bribery and corruption are a way of life in business activity. Bribery is not even declared illegal. Should companies with Codes of Conduct that prohibit giving bribes refuse to engage in business activity in such countries and totally ignore such markets? Or should they suitably deviate from their code to “suit the situation?” Can the world afford to exclude these countries from the purview of globalization?
Closer home, India is today rated as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. According to the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, India ranks 72 out of 91 countries. Should multinationals pull out their investments because of this major concern? Or should they join the crowd? Maybe the entire business community could get together and try to stem the rot?
What makes a corporate gift a bribe? Is it the market price of the gifted item, or is it the timing of the gift, or is it the intention with which it is gifted that defines the ethical threshold. Or is gifting a non-cash item not really a bribe at all? Should employees be allowed to re-define the spirit of their Company Codes of ethics to “deliver the results”?
If home country ethical standards are “superior” to those in most other countries, should global companies based in such “superior” countries stop all business activity elsewhere and possibly bring the globalization process to a grinding halt? Or should such MNCs compromise on their own standards to suit the requirements of business? Should a global company’s employees located in host countries with lower standards be made to “upgrade” their standards to match the home country’s “superior” level thereby possibly contravening their own country’s accepted practices?
These are just a few of some of the common ethical dilemmas that could confront corporations and their managers in today’s global scenario. Employees, world-wide watch carefully as their Managements try and solve these tricky issues. A wrong move at the top could be ruinous for the credibility of the Corporate Code of Conduct and ruinous for the long term survival of the organization. This is what makes the CEO’s job complex and difficult.
Global managers capable of successfully and consistently handling such complexities need to bring Values like truthfulness, integrity, respect, empathy and sensitivity towards all human beings, respect for the law (righteousness), patience, fair play with respect to competitors and customers, to say the least. They need to have special skills for working with diverse teams, for conducting negotiations with genuine empathy, for building relationships, specially with people who are “not like me”, and for resolving conflicts through love, rather than by force or coercion. They need to have a burning passion for maintaining peace with nature and the environment, for concern for the poor, and have a strong unwavering urge for social responsibility. Above all, they need to be calm and composed under the stress that globalization produces. Can B-schools train their graduates to cope?
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s philosophy of education does just that. He has given His guidance to managers: “Businessmen should develop a moral approach, use right means for earning wealth and utilize it for the benefit of society.” He advises managers to learn to discriminate between the good and the bad, the correct and the disastrous, the permanent and the impermanent; He says that all good deeds and acts of charity have zero value unless they are backed by the application of Human Values; such a transformation alone can result in moral and ethical behaviour.
Ethical behaviour is about good intentions no doubt; yet as we have seen above, it goes beyond intentions. It is about discriminating good from bad, and about choosing the correct action that represents good intentions, and about judiciously considering the possible consequences, not just relating to the self, but, more importantly, to others. It is, as Bhagavan says, about maintaining unity and harmony between thought, word and deed which He describes as the Dharma of every human being. It is about application of the Human Values in every situation, and not just when it is convenient. It is about discovering divinity within, and in others, regardless of their colour, caste, gender, creed or nationality. It is about understanding and application of all facets of Educare through the powerful tool of Value Education. What makes Value Education difficult and much more than a classroom blackboard ritual is the fact that it involves developing abilities that make students think ethically, feel the right sentiments, and act righteously. It is therefore more than a list of do’s and don’ts. It is in this direction that the next generation managers are being groomed at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. The students here are imparted an education that transcends the routine information based bookish knowledge. The education system here is based not just on students acquiring knowledge but also on experiencing with their hands, minds and their hearts the ancient, yet, currently most relevant Human Values.
To prepare its students for the ticking bomb of globalization that is capable of wiping off entire cultures and value systems when it detonates, the system works on a unique three-pronged approach to Value Education.
First, the emphasis on spiritual upliftment through regular prayers and meditation in the hostel, the Institute, and in the Mandir leads to inner poise, equanimity and disciplined thought. It provides a practical vehicle for realization that there is indeed a divine spark in all human beings that can lead to genuine and appropriate respect and sensitivity towards fellow human beings.
Second, in its integrated Value Education system, the teachers, role models in their own right, subconsciously and spontaneously communicate to the students Values encapsulated in their subjects. Further, specially designed classes are conducted for undergraduate as well as post graduate levels that focus on cultivating self-awareness that results in human excellence, on developing emotional intelligence and on imparting an understanding of relationships between development of character and success in business. Awareness of Values in the workplace that lead to effective leadership/follower-ship attitudes and emotions is systematically imparted. Management of work-related stress through ancient mind control techniques of yoga and meditation forms a significant part of the curriculum. A unique course on Value based management has proved to be an effective tool for imparting knowledge and skills in the application of management principles with Dharma as the foundation and basis of all contemporary business.
Third, while the spiritual approach provides the internal motivation for developing a sound character, and the pedagogic approach helps in sound understanding of the principles of Dharmic and value based behaviour, it is the focus on “doing” through extra-curricular activities that helps to balance the utilitarian Values and Human Values in various ways. Prominent among them are:
• The Annual Grama Seva (Village Service) activity provides a platform for developing an urge for social responsibility and concern for the poor and under-privileged classes. The inner benefit to the givers perhaps outweighs the physical benefit to the recipients of the Seva.
• Competitive and particularly the non-competitive Sports and Cultural Meet which is a highlight of the annual calendar for hostel related activities helps develop long lasting team working ability and a sense of interdependence among the students. The month-long preparatory sessions and rehearsals provide excellent opportunities for relationship building and leadership/ followership attitudes, where a leader in one event is possibly a lowly follower in another.
• The student-resident teacher ratio in the hostel stands at a low of 15:1, perhaps a benchmark for any institution, worldwide. This ensures an adult relationship and a continuous communication channel between the students and faculty that promotes total trust and understanding.
• Dramas, dances and musical programmes put up entirely by students for celebrating all major festivals impart tolerance and understanding of all religions. For these theatrical events they do the script writing, choreography, direction, costumes, sound recording, set manufacturing etc., all by themselves giving them a feeling of empowerment and self-sufficiency, and providing them an opportunity for responsible and accountable behaviour.
• Ten to twelve students share not only each room but also their joys and sorrows. In two years, the students are automatically trained in community Values, empathy, adaptability, sensitivity to diverse cultures, lingual, economic and ethnic backgrounds, and gain experience of occasional conflict resolution through peaceful and integrative negotiations.
• And, most of all it is the Omnipresence and Divine power of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba who knows how well each student unifies his thoughts, words and deeds that keeps the students at their best behaviour - in and out of class. “Discipline is the medium of instruction at this Institute; the first, second and third languages are love, service and Sadhana.” It is the eternal and pure love of Bhagavan that provides the motivational force.
Sri Viney Thakar with Sri Sathya Sai
This is what Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning has been established to achieve - not just academic excellence, but also the development of Values, character and correct attitudes in the students - so that their life-long behaviour in the business community becomes the glowing reflection of Bhagavan Baba’s teachings and Mission, in the globalization scenario of the 21st century, and beyond.
- Viney Thakar
Faculty Member (2004-2016), Department of Management and Commerce
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Prasanthi Nilayam Campus
Source: Vidyagiri: Divine Vision (2006)
No comments:
Post a Comment