Management Sutra - Part 2

विज्ञानमयकोश Vigyanamaya Kosh (Intellect Layer / Buddhi - Knowledge / Ahankara - Ego)

A common man and a common organisation have everything that can be related to अन्नमयकोश Annamaya Kosh (Physical Layer / Physical Body) and प्राणमयकोश Pranamaya Kosh (Vitality Layer / Pranic Body / Life). A better person and a good organisation have elements explained within the scope of मनोमयकोश Manomaya Kosh (Consciousness Layer / Senses).

True success comes through the competencies built and developed by individuals. Knowledge often leads to ego. Sigmund Freud defined a structural model of the individual psyche, consisting of id, ego, and super-ego, in terms of the activity and interaction of mental life. According to this model, the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends, the ego is the organised, realistic part, and the super-ego plays the critical and moralising role. Ego per se may not be negative, unless it is used to undermine another's knowledge or capability.

An organisation needs to build a set of competencies to succeed. This creates centres of excellence in the respective area of business. 3M, GE, and Google are institutions that have built competency and innovation management. Such organisations thrive on creating and exploiting their core competency for the benefit of mankind, society, and finally the organisation itself. The ability to establish oneself as a knowledge leader, also known as a domain or technology leader, is key to the success of organisations that have lasted long and spread beyond their initial geography.

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skill, and process abilities, known as KSA. We often also include attributes or behavioural aspects. However, KSA is demonstrated through the behaviour of an individual. For example, an individual may have strong knowledge of problem solving techniques and also possess the skill and ability to apply them. But such KSA is useful only when it is demonstrated. In fact, competency is regarded as demonstrated behavioural performance in an area of interest.

Competency levels can be described in their simplest form as novice, proficient, expert, and master. If loosely compared with Freud's model, it may look as follows:

The ego of an organisation can be dangerous if it fails to appreciate and understand a competitor's strength. What we call an ego trip is common among organisations that tend to ignore a competitor's strength. This behaviour can be explained as ostrich management. Like an ostrich, such an organisation is so deep into its own strength that it ignores the threat of growing competencies in a competitor's organisation.

आनंदमयकोश Anandmaya Kosh (Blissful Layer / Ultimate Joy)

This is the final outcome that we all strive for. Be it a philosophical need or a materialistic one, the ultimate goal is the same. This is common to both individuals and organisations. The life span of this stage is often short. Sustaining this stage is rare and calls for excellence in every aspect of the business organisation or the individual.

Yoga is all about planning, controlling, and improving our body system at every stage.

About Maharishi Patanjali

Before moving into Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and its interpretation for management science, a few words about Maharishi Patanjali himself.

A traditional prayer often chanted to remember Patanjali goes:

"Yogena cittasya padena vacam, Malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena, Yo pakarottam pravaram muninam, Patanjalim pranjaliranato smi."

I bow with hands folded to Patanjali, the most excellent of sages, who removed impurity of consciousness through yoga, impurity of speech through grammar, and impurity of the body through Ayurveda.

Maharishi Patanjali is believed to have lived sometime between 500 and 200 BC. His life remains an enigma to modern historians, and it is only through legends that we can draw inferences about him. Universally accepted as the father of yoga, he codified his thoughts and knowledge of yoga in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. This compilation of 195 sutras is considered a blueprint for living an ideal life and incorporating the science of yoga into one's life. He is also the author of the Mahabhasya, a major commentary on Panini's Ashtadhyayi.

According to one legend, Maharishi Patanjali was an avatar of Adi Shesha, the cosmic serpent upon whom Lord Vishnu rests. While watching a dance by Lord Shiva, Adi Shesha found it unbearable to support the weight of Lord Vishnu. Amazed, he asked Lord Vishnu the reason. Lord Vishnu explained that this was due to his harmony with Lord Shiva's energy state, gained through the practice of yoga. Realising the value and benefits of yoga, Adi Shesha wished to be born among humans to teach them this great art.

In another popular legend, Patanjali was born to Atri, first of the Saptha Rishis, and his wife Anasuya, placing him at the time of creation by Brahma. According to this tradition, Anasuya had to pass a stern test of her chastity when the Trimurti, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, came to her as bhikshuks asking for bhiksha. She passed the test by accepting them as her children and feeding them. As a boon, she was granted that all three would be born to her as SomaSkandan or Patanjali, Dattatreya, and Durvasa.

According to another legend, he fell, pata, into the hands of a woman, as an offering, anjali, giving him the name Patanjali. Maharishi Patanjali's Jeeva Samadhi is within the precincts of Sri Brahmapureeswarar Temple, near Trichy in Tamil Nadu, India. A stamp in his honour was released by the Government of India in 2009.

We will explore the Sutras from the next issue onward.