After reading once more the Kata Upanishad, I had a moment of reflection, thinking about everything we are trying to do in my company and how we used to work in the past. Suddenly I noticed that, somehow, some of the principles of transformational management we want to implement, the ones based on Laloux book*, Wholeness, Evolutionary Purpose, Self Management, are nothing more than the principles of Quantum management, Danah Zohar book Quantum Leader – and BOTH are nothing more than a revival of old scriptures of India – the world most hidden and wise life-science books….
Where the world is evolving to, is to the most ancient wisdom – ALL human beings are capable of anything, provided that they are a whole with themselves and with everything that surrounds him/her! If the human being is given the right environment, his/her highest motivation will be his/her own pursuit for meaning and self realization. All basic material needs being provided, they will look for a meaning and this will be the most powerful motivation tool than any other material incentive.
So why we, as humanity, have arrived where we are today? Believing that other human beings are only motivated by material incentive, that they are not deeply spiritual, that they will not come to work for something bigger than just for a pay check?
My insight was coming back to my days of Quantum Leader workshop – all the western management theories were based on the Newtonian science, believing that the knowing the parts and being able to perfect each part separately, you can make a better whole. While we know in quantum physics, and in any Indian ancient scripture, that if we will perfect one part alone you will create a completely different whole, and maybe destroy the whole. In order to be able to tackle an issue you have to see it as a whole, if you look parts of it you will never perfect it at its maximum potential…
So the fragmentation of Medicine, Management, and all other theories is purely fruit of newtonian theory – which brought us to believe that to understand the whole we have to separate the parts. Bringing to the belief that, we are individuals separated from each others, cities separated, states, countries, and each one wants to have the maximum for ourselves, destroying the whole. But we would be able to get much more if we would see ourselves as a whole…
Well, let us come back to management theories and compare what would be the world today, if we would have been guided by the Indian ancient scriptures!!
Let’s take a look on the “old management theory”, where the search was to “fragment the management” and to control the productivity through the control of human being, transforming it in Human Resource… Goals and clear objectives were crucial, as they could not see the whole and take decisions by themselves, also motivation would be low, finally THIS human being from Newton’s belief, would never come to work for his/her own purpose, but for material incentive, so you better have a good compensation system, not matter the why of your company!
For all to review the business class theories:
Taylors principle of scientific management:
· Science, not rule-of-thumb; · Scientific selection of the worker · Management and labour cooperation rather than conflict · Scientific training of workers
Weber’s bureaucratic approach:
Structure Specialization Predictability and stability Rationality Democracy
Fayol’s principle of management: administrative theory
· Division of work (specialization) · Authority and responsibility · Discipline · Unity of command · Unity of direction · Subordination of individual interest · Remuneration of personnel · Centralization · Scalar chain · Order · Equity · Stability of tenure of personnel · Initiative · Esprit de corps · The concept of line and staff · Committees · Functions of management – planning – organizing – training – commanding – coordinating
Check here for a thorough view of these theories (http://www.fao.org/3/w7503e/w7503e03.htm)
But what are the modern books telling us???
*Laloux book is bringing examples of corporations and start ups, or modern leaders who are bringing a fresh new way of driving their business, and today our company is striving to do the same.
Quantum Leader brings clearly the new management theory from the perspective of quantum physics and define clearly what a quantum leader and a quantum organization should be and tools for you to implement the mind set.
Otto Scharmer is famous for his U Theory, which is derived from the famous Dialogue concept of David Bohm
The main principles of the Laloux book, which is a simple view of them all, for lay people as us, in a very rough summary:
Wholeness:
Transform ego-system to an eco-system – what does it mean? Instead of looking purely to their own profits, the companies should look to the eco-system they are part of, and instead of predicting the future, like in Weber’s theory, you build the future, aware of the impact you bring and helping the system to be “healthier”. They should see the company as one with all parts it is composed and all parts it is impacting. From Quantum theory, the entanglement theory and the understanding that whatever you do, you will have an impact, so let us impact positively, let us help co-creating the eco-system. This is pure Purusha, Prakriti, the search for the final connection Samadi, when you understand that you and the world are one, and whatever you will think, will transform in words and will transform in your reality, the power of consciousness….
Purpose:
The new management theories understand that the WHY is more important than the WHAT and the HOW, the what and how can only be sustainable if the Why is correct. As in each one of us!! It does not matter what we are doing and how we are doing, if we get to the 50’s and we are super successful, honest, but we are working in something that destroys the future of our kids, we will all get frustrated, and not proud, then we will seek for our true Why… the same applies for companies, societies, etc… What is your Why? What is your company’s why? This in quantum physics, is the essence of everything…. and in the Indian ancient texts is the self-realization, the identification with your Higher Self, which understands that there is something more than our eyes can see, our ears can hear and our nose can smell…
Self Management:
Another beautiful concept!!
The belief that each one is so powerful that utilizing the power of each individual together will bring something much more organized and powerful than a command control system controlling individuals. Of course, provided you have the right processes, framework and the right people doing the right things, and above all, the right Why is there. Then, the world of infinite possibilities opens up! …and this is the quantum dynamic system in the Quantum Leader book, in quantum theory this is what explains for example, ourselves – the human being is the most complex living system and it is self organized, we evolve, get old, but we always have certain functions that should be working well, so we function in our best state. It does not matter if we have a super huge strong right arm if our kidney is failing, but when we are at our best, we do not notice when we are breathing, digesting, and we will still be running a marathon – the perfect harmony. When we try to control it and try to over train it, we stress it, we have to balance it, know it, let it guide itself…
Do you see the beauty that I am seeing,? Do you see the insight I have day after day being in India?
Most probably the Indians that are reading my blog will understand my excitement to realize that, the highest scientific wisdom we can find in the world is just sitting among us!
I believe that, if Eastern world would have been guiding the Industrial revolution, there would not be a scale in production separated in parts, where humans are resources and not beings, but it would be evolving with all parts of the eco-system and making a world that would have evolved incredibly better.
Transformational leaders in different fields like David Bohm, Steve Jobs, have learned from Indian wisdom. Did you know, that Steve Jobs besides having spent years in India he has left for the guests of his memorial, a copy of Yogananda Paramahansa, “The autobiography of a Yogi” as a “Life Tip” for humanity, because he believed that the true manual of life, is already among us for centuries, within the Indian scriptures?
So, this is the reason why I believe Indians have everything in their hands, hearts and souls, to guide the world with the intrinsic wisdom they are born with! They just have to bring out their true-self and bring them as whole to their families, society, work and be the true human being with all the wisdom inside. And this applies to all human beings in the world, for me also, as a Brazilian. It is just that, Indians have the blessing of being born in the same land where, for more than 4000 years, all the wisdom is simply around!
* I work for Roche. All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the position of my organisation.”