Develop Indian Management Theories
Management courses are still considered the most
prestigious ones in our country, though the glamour is slowly coming down
during the recent years. The proliferation of management institutes and the departments
of management offering graduate and post-graduate degrees have increased
manifold during the past two decades. It is not that easy to get seats in the
prestigious institutions even today.
Management degrees from the top institutions usually command
a very high respect in the West, such as the US. The opportunities for climbing
up fast in the corporate ladder and chances for earning millions of dollars as
income are many times more for the management graduates. The spread of
multinational companies across the world and the idea of globalization
increased the demand for MBAs across different countries.
The concept of “modern management” began in Europe.
The industrialization process and the consequent developments led to the birth
of scientific management techniques. Management theories of the West started
emerging in Europe and America from the final decades of the nineteenth
century.
Practicing managers such as Taylor and Henry Fayol and
social scientists such as Mayo and McGregor had contributed to the earliest
western theories. Later it was the
academicians and the management consultants- mostly from the US- who have been
predominantly contributing.
As the rest of the world was largely under the dominance and influence of Europe, and later
the American thinking, their concepts of management came to be adopted in other
parts of the world. After the US began to dominate the global economic scene,
they began popularizing their theories. As a result, their theories came to be
accepted by the universities and higher institutions in different countries,
including India.
But the developments in the western management field,
particularly the US, led to the questioning of the popular management beliefs
from the first decade of the twenty first century. Experts began to point out
the serious flaws in the western management system.
Too much of individualism at the top, maximization of profits as the only
objective and little concern for values were some of the
flaws that are repeatedly mentioned. The well-known management guru Peter
Drucker lamented: “Today, I believe it is socially and morally unforgivable
when managers reap huge profits for themselves, but fire workers. As societies
we will pay a heavy price for the contempt this generates among the middle
class managers and workers.” ( Managing
in the Next Society, Oxford, 2003)
Beginning from 2005, the international bodies and the multilateral
agencies such as the World Bank openly admitted that the western economic
models were no longer universal. It implied that the business and management
models are also different for different countries, as the management systems
are the products of the larger business and economic systems.
Field studies in India indicate unique management
models functioning at the ground level. The little- studied non-corporate
sector follows a completely different system based on Indian ethos and
realities. Entrepreneurs in different industrial centres proudly note that they
groom future entrepreneurs in their work places, without being worried that
those people would enter the same field and set up businesses mostly in their
own localities. They feel proud of the
fact they are creating many more entrepreneurs. But our modern management
theories teach that any one entering the field is a competitor.
The well-known Dhabbawalas of Mumbai are known for
their very successful native management system. There are community-run business
enterprises and they run them for the benefit of the people based on higher
values. There is a village called Palamedu in Madurai district. The Nadar
community of that village runs a very successful diary, saloon, toilets and
even a cinema theatre.
On one of the days, a few from some other communities
in the village, noticed a few obscene scenes in a movie. They go and point out
the fact to the management. The management immediately withdraws the
movie from the screen. Not only that, they immediately appoint a committee of
persons to pre-view the movies so that they would allow only the ‘decent’
movies for screening.
Even at the corporate level, many companies follow
distinct systems reflecting the unique foundations of our country. There are
companies that give higher monthly incentives for women employees who keep
their parents in-law with their families.
During the recent years, the western universities and
research bodies are showing interest to study the Indian management practices.
Harvard institutions from the US were here in India during the previous Kumbh
Mela to study the Indian methods and practices.
Even though the western universities take up only a few limited aspects of Indian
business and management, they reveal the unique Indian methods adopted here.
For example, the study by four US professors on leadership practices note that
Indian corporates follow superior systems than those followed in the US.
The noted management expert Chakraborty asks: “ …. have we Indians ever thought of challenging
its (US) wholesale transmission to our students and managers? Could it be that
post-independent Indian culture has been so characterless, and our intellectual
spinelessness so shameful, that the well intentioned Americans have never
really faced a solid and genuine challenge to review the intellectual wares
they have brought over to do us good?” (Management by Values – Towards Cultural
Congruence, OUP, 1991)
India has emerged as the fastest growing economy
during last year. Besides, she is expected to become a major force and powerful
player in the years to come. Her economic and business systems are slowly
getting recognized the world over.
This is time for the management experts and the
management institutes to develop theories based on the functioning Indian
systems. It is already late; hence this task has to be taken up urgently. Then
only we can develop management graduates who understand the Indian realities.
(Yuva Bharathi, Vivekananda Kendra, Chennai, April 2016)
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