Significance of Indian Knowledge Systems in Evolving Modern Management Practices

Indian Knowledge Systems extensively addressed social diversities with interfacing humanities and social sciences built around ethics in creating ideal societies in ancient India Bhargava Teja (2011). However, modern thinkers like Newman (1950), defined Management, as a sociological process borne out of human life with actions and activities of persons who are behaviourally highly unpredictable. Kotler et al. (2003), while advancing Newman’s idea, added that these specific actions and activities of people are always related to the motive-motivation construct; Bhargava Teja (2013), a specific place and time giving rise to an outcome, with a push-pull synthesis. This statement indicates that Event Management is invariably inseparable from a place where it happens to actualize oneself, Bhargava Teja (2013), for achieving the outcome productively by anchoring all related activities.

Exploration is carried out in ancient Indian scriptures, Ramayana and Mahabharata, for identifying a requisite model for modern leadership along with the Karma and Dharma that were in vogue, which is of great relevance to the Wisdom of India for building an aspiring India. Management of events and leadership practices of modern times have been found with their roots in the ancient scriptures, beginning from their origin of events and development, which comprises acts and activities. Accordingly, the anticipation of modern thinking on Leadership Qualities, including Communication, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Crisis Management, has been studied from traditional scriptures. The requisite skills of an Organizer, i.e., Task Management and People Management Skills, are drawn from the epic Ramayana, which has been in better correspondence with contemporary theories and is explored and analyzed.

Further, a typical case study relating to a celestial program is selected, and all elements involved in the celebration, namely, starting from the conception of the idea to Invitations, Food, and accommodation, and extending even up to the closing of the ceremony are chronologically codified and analyzed. The analysis of leadership reflecting management reveals that it is a human activity that is always related to the occurrence of something happening at a given place and time. These studies further show that the underlying principles for achieving the goal of effective Event Management are sentimental fervor, personal touch, and emotional integration. This research paves the way for evolving the subject of Management to be a distinct discipline.

Management is perceived as the art of getting things done by the people, Koontz, H. and O’Donnell, C. (1955) through formally organized groups that facilitate the performance of an event in the most professional manner. However, management guru Fayol Henry (1949) says that appropriate role allocation for the individual and the team makes the mission successful by getting the desired results. Further elaborating on the management process, James Stoner et al. (2006) opined that it is a process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the work of organization members. He clarified that management specializes in dealing with time and human relationships as they arise to reach organizational goals using all available resources. The opinions and ideas conceived by different authors that contributed to the evolving subject of management and its management are analyzed and presented in Annexure -1.

It can be observed from the annexure that while carrying forward these management concepts, Terry, George R. (1968) explained that event management is an intangible, dynamic, goal-oriented, multi disciplinary group activity involving the intelligent and judicious use of human capital and resources for accomplishing a given objectives or task—accordingly, McFarland, Dalton. (1979) summarized these ideas by denoting event management as a cooperative human effort to create, direct, maintain, and operate purposive organizations.

However, Freud, Sigmund. (1930), the Father of Psychology opined that a person’s ‘one and only one’ objective in life is attaining happiness through fulfilling whatever assignment he takes up. Further, according to WHO (1993), life skills are essential for achieving happiness by dealing effectively with the varied and differential demands and challenges of everyday life. Extending and strengthening these concepts for organizational success, Wagen and Carlos (2005) stated that leadership qualities will pave the way through task management and people management.