Corporate Chanakya - Successful Management the Chanakya Way

Today we as a Management student are familiar with the success stories of Ford, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft. We have a mindset that what the teachings in Harvard business school and other top notch B-schools is the last word for management. Perhaps because we have been brainwashed to believe that the western management concepts and the success stories of western enterprises is the secret formula for any business today. We are much familiar with the concepts and teachings of Peter Drucker and Philip Kotler. But sadly not many people are aware with the teachings of great philosophers, scholars and strategist from our very own land Bharat and their extraordinary works. 

Around 2300 years ago (370 BC-283 BC) a man walked amongst the now ruined city of Takshilla of ancient India. He taught at the greatest university of this region (possible the entire world at that time) Nalanda University (also known as Nalanda International University) which is located in Rajgir, near Nalanda, Bihar, India. He was single handedly responsible for changing the course of history for the sub-continent. That great man was Chanakya, a man who took head on and diffused the threat of Alexander the Great’s ever growing ambitions to conquer India. He has played an important role in the establishment of the Mauryan empire, which was the first empire recorded in the history to rule most of the Indian subcontinent.

Chanakya a well renowned military strategist and considered to be a pioneer in the field of political science and classical economics. Chanakya, also known at times as Kautilya, wrote one of the earliest books on the subject of governing called ‘Arthashastra’. It outlines the details of the duties of a king and how to manage an efficient empire by which he can maintain the balance between power and keeping his subjects happy and prosperous. His visions and thoughts were so ahead of time that it is relevant even to this day and Arthasastra can be considered as a holy book any management student must read.

In the present era of competitive business environment, corporate history has shown that it has become more difficult for successful organizations to remain successful. The corporate world is with examples of companies such as IBM, Nokia, Nissan Automobiles etc taking a knock. A study of these companies have proved that strategic management is the vital part of any organization to remain successful in this dynamic and continuously evolving business environment. It is interesting to note that Arthasastra, a treatise on administration written before Christ, identifies the managerial effectiveness and strategy as the key element for continuous prosperity and growth of any kingdom.

Can we use Arthashastra in today's corporate world? This question came to my mind before I was introduced into the magical world of Chanakya sutras through a book from our college library written by Dr.Radhakrshna Pillai titled ‘Corporate Chanakya’.

When i read the book, i was struck by how most of his concepts of kingship were still relevant for the modern leader and today’s business environment. Which later became a big yes as an answer to my question, we can use the teachings of Chanakya in todays competitive business which will be more effective and practical than modern business concepts.

There are several other books in the market which deals with the same concepts of Arthasastra in today’s modern world. But this book definitely has an edge over the other by the way Radhakrishnan pillai, the author simplifies the age old formula of 6000 sutras success for leaders of the corporate world in a simple way.

The book has been divided into 3 sections of Leadership, management and training it covers 175 short chapters. From the chairman to a management trainee of any company each one can easily understand these profound ideas presented in a simple format. They have been written in a practical manner which each of us can practice in our daily life. I would say this is the major strength of this book.

From tips of how to organize and conduct effective meetings, how to deal in tricky situations when you are having two bosses, how to attack your competitor by war tactics, strategy to make a calculative risk,   to decision making for leaders, time management, effective ideas for financial freedom, responsibilities and powers that a leader should follow etc – hardly there are any topics not covered in the book.

This book helps you to learn with interesting analogy and experiences. It’s a must read one and is the worth the price to invest. It highlights through the intelligent combination of Leadership, Management and Training. Organization’s goals are derived from different areas. Revenue from customer, profits associated with costs, technology with investment and employee with productivity. The author has invested effort by carefully selecting from the 6000 sutras and thereby giving us an opportunity to understand Chanakya niti in a most practical and relevant way.

Call it your guide for corporate success or a book that brings back ancient Indian management wisdom in modern format you just cannot let go the Chanakya wisdom contained in each page. It is a matter of great honor to recommend this book to internalize the findings.

Flip any page and discover the ‘Corporate Chanakya’ in you…

This post was written by DEEPAK.J, II year PGDM ( 2014-2016 ).