Managerial Transformation by Values: A Corporate Pilgrimage

The Godrej group is one of India's largest and most diversified industrial houses. As the company entered its tenth decade, several of the "old-timers" realized that it was necessary to change ways to keep in step with the times. However, they were concerned that a balance was maintained between new ideas and enduring wisdom, especially on the human side of the enterprise. Their aim was to see that the group remained responsive to the deep and authentic roots of the Indian ethos even in the midst of large-scale and rapid growth. This unique book is an account of the author's response to adapt and communicate the timeless elements of classical Indian psycho- philosophy to all groups of employees in Godrej--from top management to staff associates, from unionized employees to company school teachers. The main vehicle for these efforts was a series of intense educational programs, workshops, and follow-up sessions. S. K. Chakraborty successfully projects the role that India's traditional values can play in modern-day industrial enterprises. Following the resounding success of the "Japanese Ethos-Western Technology" synergy, Chakraborty convincingly argues the case for a workable synthesis of "Indian Ethos-Western Technology." This innovative and timely contribution to the field of professional management in India will be indispensable reading for all those involved in management and human resource studies, the behavioral sciences, organizational studies, self-growth, and ethics. "This book is one of those which belongs to a rare category of dealing with Indian spiritual ethos not in a detached plane but in the most practical and apparently highly materialistic context. This book rightly proclaims that real leadership and team work could emerge only when we practice the said Indian ethos in a genuine manner. This book is, therefore, not only to be read but also to be used as a plank for developing ourselves. It is a book which will go a long way to reaffirm our faith in our own ethos." --Productivity "The book under review is the latest addition to the author's remarkable labor of love. It is unique in the sense that it contains documentation of Chakraborty's involvement in a process of managerial transformation in a single organization, the Bombay-based Godrej and Boyce (GBL). . . . The professional-intellectual aspect of his involvement was passionately dominated by the sacred spirit which gave the mission the purifying sub-title." --Economic and Political Weekly