Management

Why should we always complain about lack of market in Nepal or in India? Today, with globalization speeding up, products from all over the world can move freely, without any barrier, into any other market. WTO will usher us very soon in such an environment. For this we have no alternatives but to develop an attitude to produce world class goods, which can be marketed anywhere. In present days, the economic resources are more or less similar in every country. In such a case it is the attitude of the entrepreneurs which is more important to develop a country into either a tiger or a mouse. There is no need to look in awe upon Japan and Taiwan as Asian Tigers. There is definitely an urgent need to learn lessons from them and immediately act to reach those levels.

One lesson to be learnt is about the principles of world class manufacturing practices that have brought impressive quality and productivity to these countries. These principles are very simple and are applicable to our industries as well. The Japanese have developed various principles like TQM, TQC, 5 S, etc. We can learn them and apply in our factories.

Let us look at the very popular technique of " 5 S " developed by the Japanese. It is based on the theory that every individual can contribute to improve her/his workplace leading to a better environment and total quality improvement. It is a simple but systematic approach to good house-keeping that leads to a cleaner, better and safer workplace which is fundamental to productivity and quality. As for the companies that are yet to be initiated into " 5 S ", it may mean a beginning of a journey to become world class. 5 S are called SEIRI, SEITON, SEISO, SEIKETSU and SHITSUKE in the Japanese language.

SEIRI means sorting and discarding unnecessary items from the workplace. In many unprofessional offices we find heaps of papers at the working table of the Executives which results into a lot of efficiency loss. SEITON means a place for every important things. It says that we should be careful whether things are put in their respective proper places or not. That makes working style different and systematic. SEISO means cleanliness which should be there in every workingplace – be it a table, chair, store or machine. Standardization or writing standard procedures for the above three is called seiKetsu. Then comes training people to follow and strictly adhere to these points of good housekeeping decipline autonomously. This is called SHITSUKE.

These small cares maintained in workplaces make a vast difference in work done which helps to increase productivity. These simple five points are basic to all the spheres of our life – be it our home, street, city, office or factory.

Implementation of these is equally critical, but simple. The first prerequisite is that it should be participated in by all the people from top Management to the clerk’s or operative’s level. The CEO should take leadership for implementation of the 5 S concept at the workplace, and the implementation should be carried out in such a way that it becomes self-sustaining. The CEO should visit the workplace periodically and implementation of "5 S" should go hand in hand with other quality improvement programmes. Most important about the program is that it should generate sufficient impact at the initial stage so that people will be enthusiastic about it.

The entire idea is based on attitude development. Therefore, once people start developing an attitude for simple things like cleanliness and good housekeeping in the workplaces, implementation of the
5 S concept is not difficult. The systematic implementation of this attitude, through a proven technique like "5 S" , will certainly improve our manufacturing process. Even service industries like hotel and transport will gain much from this and help us in becoming a self-sustaining economic power.

Vipassana An Art of Corporate Management

By Dr. Roop Jyoti

Vipassana teaches how to tackle ups and downs in life calmly. One engages in trade and the price sometimes goes up and sometimes down. One engages in manufacturing and one is faced with problems and uncertainties all around – production problems, labor problems, raw material problems, marketing problems, finance problems and it goes on. One may engage in any type of business activity and there are always problems, there are always uncertainties, there are always ups and downs. We were expecting the sale to go up but they go down. We were hoping the profits to rise but they decline. We are expecting the interest rates to go down but they go up. We are expecting the cost of goods sold to decrease but they increase. Are we able to deal with such situations calmly? Most certainly, if we are practicing Vipassana and applying it in our daily lives.

Vipassana teaches how not to get upset in life. Business management involves dealing with people – good people, bad people, and all kinds of people. Some behave nicely, some don’t. Some are satisfied customers, some aren’t. Some are disciplined employees, some aren’t. Some are obedient workers, some aren’t. Among this maze of uncertainty, there is one certainty – we don’t have a choice of people we get to deal with. Whether we like our superiors or not. Whether we like our subordinates or not. Whether we like our working conditions or not. Whether we like the task assigned to us or not. We may not have any immediate options. Does it help to get upset? No, it only makes things worse, not only for ourselves but also for those around us. But we do just that unless of course we have learnt Vipassana Meditation and are practicing it regularly.

Vipassana teaches how not to react in face of provocations. Friendly meetings turn into shouting matches. Nice customers suddenly get angry. Employees don’t do what they are told to. Workers make impractical, unrealistic demands. Bosses give unreasonable, impossible tasks. Do we get provoked and react with a fit of temper? That’s what we do and make the situation worse for ourselves and for others. Unless of course, we are trained in Vipassana Mediation and have learnt to observe our sensations, the vibrations within ourselves.

Vipassana provides us with a skill to deal with all types of situations in life with serenity, tranquility and equanimity. There could not be another sphere of life where such a skill is of more utility, of more relevance, of more importance than the corporate world.

I am a businessman and I use cost-benefit analysis, consideration of trade off etc. for making decisions. When we have limited amount of money and we have to decide where to spend it, we figure out where it will give us the most benefit and even save us money in the future. Similarly, when we have limited amount of time, we should figure out where the time spent will give us the maximum benefit and even save time for us in the future. I have received many practical benefits from Vipassana. I do not easily get upset, irritated or angry. If at all, only rarely and only for a short time, so I do not waste time on these things. If I am wavering on some decision, ‘Sheela’ and ‘Dhamma’ show me the way. I am more aware of my responsibilities. I am more effective as a manager. People take us more seriously when we tell them with a cool and calm mind rather than when we shout at them under temper what they have done wrong and what they should do to redress it – whether they are our employees or out children. With such benefits, I find time for Vipassana even though my time is always in short supply.

Vipassana helps by enabling us to
gain control over our mind. After all, an uncontrolled mind is the cause of our miseries. We want this and we want that. We don’t want this and we don’t want that. We desire this to happen, we desire that not to happen. All this never ends, just goes on and on, and we suffer, we get upset, we get irritated, we become miserable. If we can become the masters of our mind rather than a slave to it, all this can change and we can remain happy, composed and calm in spite of any event that may take place. Vipassana helps us by removing impurities of our mind.

Our ego keeps on growing and growing. All our lives, we go on accumulating fear, anger, animosity, hatred, greed but we never learn how to get rid of them, how to eradicate them. We know how to clean our body but don’t know how to clean our mind. Vipassana teaches us how to clean our mind and how to keep it clean and pure.

The experiences of a number of business enterprises have shown that the introduction of Vipassana Meditation to the people in the organization has improved the working atmosphere, the cooperative attitudes, the discipline, and the harmony within. Managers have become more patient in dealing with business uncertainties and more tolerant in dealing with troublesome employees. Workers have become more disciplined and better capable of carrying our their tasks even if they entailed repetitious and monotonous routines. Observing the benefits of Vipassana, many business and non-business organizations have begun providing paid leave to their employees to attend Vipassana Meditation courses. Some have treated Vipassaa as a training program, some have included it in their Human Resource Development activity and yet others have simply considered it an employee welfare activity. Vipassana has reduced instances of confrontation and situations where conflicts arise unnecessarily. After all, Vipassana makes a person live happily and happy persons make a happy organization. Employees become grateful towards their employers for giving them the opportunity to learn Vipassana and employers reap the rewards in the form of higher productivity and better morale.

Vipassana teaches us how to be responsible without developing attachment. Vipassana does not make us indifferent, it makes us more aware of our responsibilities. Vipassana trains us how not to react involuntarily but how to protect properly. Vipassana does not make us unambitious, it makes us more resourceful. Vipassana builds our will power to persist with the right actions, it makes us more patient, more persevering.

Vipassana teaches us how to tolerate short-term pains for long-term gains. We may be doing our best for the good of the organization but the desired outcome may not take place. Do we get upset, irritated, annoyed, disappointed, frustrated? If yes, we have developed an attachment. If no, and we keep on trying untiringly, without giving up, searching for more suitable alternatives, continually seeking more appropriate methods, then we have learnt to fulfil our responsibilities better and better. Vipassana makes us capable of doing all this by making us become aware of our inner self. With Vipassana we get rid of our negativities and purify our mind and a pure mind guided by pure Dhamma always makes the right decision, always takes the right actions.

Vipassana is an art of stress management. Vipassana is an art of people management. Vipassana is an art of conflict management. There may be more to the science of management but Vipassana can become very nearly the art of total corporate management.

Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. Long lost for humanity, it was re-discovered by Gautam the Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. Vipassana means ‘to see things as they really are’, it is the process of self concentrating the mind. With this sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering, and egolessness. This truth-realization by direct experience is the process of purification.

Holder of Ph D, MBA and MPA from Harvard University, Dr. Jyoti is the Vice-Chairman of Jyoti Group of companies besides being a teacher of Vipassana Meditation.

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