IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUALITY IN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

The Brief over view of “Importance of spirituality in Business school”

*1 The Business School provides the modern education and develops the outer personality to deal with the people objects and situations while interacting in the business deal. This education has missing link to produce the balanced mind. Mind is controlled through a process of inner education. Right now the development of the mind is one-sided. Our mind has been trained to see outwards and when the mind sees out, it has no foundations inside, no connection with its source, and it can become disturbed at any moment. But if we are able to provide a link with the inner self, then that mind guides the performance of the individual and ensures we are unaffected by the negativity received from the world.

*2 The School of management produces the professionals being extrovert in nature. The behaviour of Managers are identified with the senses and the external environment. Professionals have been looking out so much that they have forgotten to look within. They have lost the sense of awareness, the quality of observation that can otherwise, help them to find the equanimity between the gross self and the subtle self. In absence of awareness, they further develop the sense of emotion.

*3 The trained Professionals live in a world full of emotion. The development of main conflict in human life is due to disharmony in the realm of emotion, not in the intellectual portion. This disharmony many times manifests in the form of anger, hatred, jealousy, frustration, love, affection, happiness or sorrow with the help of trillions of brain cells known as neurons. So, what they are actually interacting with in is nothing but emotion. When rationality comes in and they are able to understand the situation properly, then proper step is taken and progress is made. In order to understand what is happening in the heart there has to be some form of self-observation. That is why, it is said that spirituality is ‘self-observation'

*4 Spirituality deals with physical body, mind and self. In the course of time, physical development became a separate science, the development of the mind became a separate science, but the spiritual development remained in the background. Spiritual development is also necessary. One can develop the body, one can treat disorders of the mind, but in the absence of spiritual development these two remain partial, incomplete.

*5 It is interesting to note that putting spirituality at work place is not an intellectual exercise. Instead, it focuses on the source of essential inner nature prevailing in human beings. It leads to bring forth the most meaningful, uplifting, practical course to take in life.

*6 The purpose of spirituality is to ensure that the natural state of mind remains constant, tranquil, so that only small ripples will be created when manager of different levels are engaged in business deal. During pre and post training period, spirituality insists for development of awareness managers of different level can find solutions too many of life's problems. The questions arise “Is it possible to remain aware when professionals are agitated and angry?” and “Is it possible to remain aware of what is happening to them when they are in confusion, suffering and conflict?” Right now, the answer is no. But managers and executives have to develop the awareness even in worst situations. When the awareness is developed, it makes them to witness the situations, become knower and observer of the reaction and emotion of all that goes inside. This seer (drashta) then becomes the controller or guide of actions to be taken and they find the balance of behaviour in life. Who is able to find the balance is known as a spiritual man. A spiritual man is not a person who practices different kinds of yoga, meditation and pranayama; but a person who has been able to find inner balance. That happens by developing the awareness with the practice of spiritual process.
In modern education, one is provided to become more aggressive and competitive. It gives the skills, concepts and ideas to act at the outer material level, to know how to attain the things under intense responsibility and viewing the high target of business. The outcome of modern education makes us to be desirous and we think how to acquire money, how to have an affluent society and how to be part of it, how to excel in the profession or field of expertise. Is it wrong desire? Certainly not. But the process followed to achieve the desire has missing link of not being relaxed, not being aware of the happenings, not being concentrated and not being creative during the fulfillment of the desire. Thus the entire education is directed towards building a better 'outer me', but how to become a better 'inner me' is not part of the modern education policy.

*7 The spirituality directs certain aspects and the first thing is discipline. The second thing is total control over the tendencies of the mind. The third is becoming aware of the inner being. The fourth is becoming free from the day to day turmoil that makes professionals moves like a shuttlecock, from this end, to that end.

*8 Developing immunity against the activity of the ripples of mind (vrittis), awareness is the first step of spirituality. Secondly, we have to learn to let go, to relax, to release the stresses which are generated in the mind, body and emotions without any conscious control. As we understand that every event in life causes tension, specially in managing the business whether in the field of project, finance, marketing and Human Resources. Tension is also the natural outcome of life. However, the moment this tension becomes intense, it affects the behavior of the mind and body in a negative way. Learning how to relax and manage the external and internal tensions is the second step of spirituality. Thirdly, one needs to provide a direction for the creativity in overall management to compete with the advancement of scientific and technological developments. That can be manifested through determination (sankalpa). This direction is a conscious understanding of the positivity in managing the business, and working to attain that positive quality. Fourthly, one has to develop concentration through the process of visualization. This is most important part of spirituality and this can be obtained by developing the sense of with drawl.

*9 Stability and prosperity of any business will depend on the strengthening of economy of markets and the creation of strong corporate governance systems. While it is encouraging to see emerging economies rebound from the financial crises of the last several years, it has become important to achieve the momentum for reform of corporate governance.

*10 Mostly we ignore the aspects of feeling and emotions while achieving the high targets in business, thinking that rationality is above the feeling and emotion. In early times, thinkers said that every expression in life came from the head, meaning the higher centre. Later thinkers said every expression in life came from the heart centre; that what we feel and believe in determines how we act and live. More recently, with the development of psychotherapy, Freud and other eminent psychoanalysts said that everything that happens to us comes from the lower centres. When world famous scientist, Einstein gave the “theory of relativity”, he said that everything is relative. The point to consider here is that we need to find a balance between our reactive, emotional and intellectual natures. Once a balance is found in these three different natures, then transmissions from the consciousness into the body will be more harmonious, balanced and integrated. This approach helps the professionals and managers to evolve his IQ and EQ and also balance them with the help of SQ.

*11 In spirituality, the different steps suggested to be followed have been reviewed and became the most wonderful science. For example, let us consider science of breathing or breathing management is one of the most effective management step taken by mankind in recent years. The topic on breath management signifies the state of harmony, along with the physical and mental energies, the two forces that reside in the human body. One is the force of bio-energy, or prana, through which we live, and the other is the force of consciousness, or chitta, through which we think and feel. These two forms of energy control each and every function in the human body. They are responsible for our mobility, our thinking and our total physical and mental existence. When there is disharmony between them there is disease, restlessness and disturbance; and when there is harmony between them, there is peace and good health. Through the practices of spirituality, these energies are balanced and regulated, and the whole body is purified. By this way, the state of union, harmony and peace is achieved.

*12 It is very important to implement the beneficial aspects of spirituality in school of management. In this context, the issues like to what extent the current management schools are attaching importance to spirituality and what are the elements of some of the spiritually based organizations have to be reviewed. It is observed that American Academy of Management and Harvard Business School embraced some of the elementary concepts of spirituality. The important elements of the same are yet to be introduced with the help of breath management and mind management. The transformation aspects of behaviour and negative habits are the secret of spirituality.