The Thirukural enunciates a variety of principles
indispensable to modern management. Management fundamentally
consists of:
Planning and strategy (initial and
periodic).
Organising – people and resources.
Controls to ensure that what is planned
is achieved
The Thirukural defines the job of the leader
(prince or chief executive officer) as that of planning the
strategy, earning revenue,preserving what has been earned
and spending it wisely. What is required for management is:
Knowledge.
Leadership qualities to make the knowledge
productive.
Thrust in management schools
In today’s world management studies
emphasise on acquiring knowledge in the areas of planning, organising
and control. In management schools, we are taught various tools
that are required to analyse each area and how to plan, organise
and control through these tools.
In management schools, one can take up specialisation
in the areas of finance, marketing, and human resource.
The thrust in the Thirukural
The thrust of management education is on
acquiring knowledge relevant to the respective field. As indicated
earlier, in management schools various tools and techniques
are taught. Even if one reads management books, they invariably
talk about the various phases of growth of a company,what strategy
to adopt at various points, sales strategy and human resources
strategy. They do not talk about what is required to make all
those strategies work. While thousands of people may read all
these theories and strategies, only one or two are able to execute
and
succeed. Why? Here I found the Thirukural very lucid because
it deals with some eternal fundamental principles that are elaborated
here.
Though knowledge is very essential for management,
knowledge alone will not enable management. There are many other
fundamental aspects that enable management and which give a
person the ability to achieve desired results. These fundamental
characteristics are:
Courage.
Conviction.
Determination.
Optimism.
Quickness in decisions.
Aggression.
Ability to handle defeat.
Patience.
Choosing one’s words and controlling
anger.
Eloquence.
Sustained high energy levels.
Self-motivation.
These are the key behavioural aspects which
enable a person to succeed and make him an effective manager,
that is, leader. Knowledge to some extent can be substituted.Wherever
one lacks detailed knowledge one can have an assistant or consultant
or advisor, but fundamental behavioural characteristics are
not substitutable. These qualities are required for successful
execution and hence for successful management...
