Valluvar on Management
Dr. R. Prabhakaran
Introduction
The colossal pyramids of Egypt were built about
5,000 years ago. Around the same time, the Indus Valley Civilization
(Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa) had developed a sophisticated Town Planning System.
Most of the houses there were very spacious and two-storied. There were
well-built granaries, citadels, burial grounds, and public baths. Parts of the
Great Wall of China were completed during the 7th century BC. During the
second half of the 5th century BC, the Parthenon and other famous buildings of
Greece were built. The oldest operational dam in the world, Lake Homs
Dam, located in Syria, was built between 1,319 BC-1,304 BC. The Kallanai Dam
(also known as Grand Anicut), located on the Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu, India,
was built by Karikal Chozhan of the Chozha dynasty in the 2nd century AD, and
it is the fourth oldest dam in the world. These are examples of projects
conceived by the kings and completed with the help of many people. Such
large-scale construction projects were not peculiar to the ancient days.
Similar projects were carried out during the middle ages also. The huge
castles, beautiful churches, and stunning synagogues of Europe, the
architecturally elegant temples of India, and the impressive mosques in many
countries are all examples of major construction projects completed by the
group efforts of thousands of people during the first and second millennium of
the Christian era. It is inconceivable that monumental structures like these
could have been built without proper leadership and an organizational structure
to support the leader’s vision. Invariably, the leadership would have come from
the kings. The kings might have entrusted the responsibility for the
construction to one of their ministers. There could have been other supervisory
personnel, and the actual work would have been done by laborers and, in some
cases, by slaves.
Academicians
and researchers are of the opinion that the concept of management started with
the advent of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. But
long before the Industrial Revolution, Kautilya (371 BC – 283 BC) discussed
leadership and management in detail in his book Arthasasthra. Also,
Valluvar, who lived about 2,000 years ago, had thought about the various aspects
of the administration of a country and describes in detail the role of a king
and that of the minister in the Kural. So, the concept of management did not
originate after the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The management guru Peter Drucker says, “Management is
about human beings. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance.”
Based on this simple definition, management practices have been there for many
centuries.
In the KuraI,
Valluvar describes the characteristics, roles, and responsibilities of a king
and a minister and how they should govern their country. The role of a king, as
described by Valluvar is similar to that of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of a modern-day organization. The advisory council of a king would be analogous
to the Board of Directors of an organization. However, there is one major
difference. The Board of Directors of an organization has the power to remove a
CEO from office. In comparison, no one had the power to remove a king from his
office. He had a lifetime tenure. The role of a minister is comparable to that
of the vice -presidents or the managers who report to the CEO. In Valluvar’s
scheme of things, the king and the ministers shared the responsibility for the
administration of their country. In the Kural, Valluvar has discussed several
aspects of management functions and how they should be handled.
Modern
management scholars differ in their classifications of management functions.
The most widely accepted functions of management, as given by Koontz and
O’Donnel in their book, “Principles of Management: An analysis of Managerial
Functions” are as follows: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, and
Controlling. In the following sections, we will consider Valluvar’s ideas about
these management functions.
Importance of Planning: Planning is an essential
function of management. According to Koontz and O’Donnell, “Planning is deciding in advance - what
to do, when to do and how to do. It bridges the gap between where we are and
where we want to be.” Planning deals with deciding on a future course of action for
achieving pre-determined goals. Planning is necessary to ensure that the
resources are properly utilized. Planning is an intellectual activity that
helps to coordinate all aspects of a project.
Throughout history, there
are many examples of business enterprises and military ventures ending in
failures due to a lack of proper planning. In the United States, more than 500,000 small businesses
are started each month. According to the Small Business Administration’s Office
of Advocacy, only about 50% of these businesses survive their fifth
anniversary, and only one-third celebrate their 10th anniversary.
Among the many reasons for the failure of small businesses, it is said that
lack of proper planning is the chief among them.
Failure to
have adequate planning has also led to major defeats in battles. For example,
due to a lack of proper planning, Napoleon suffered a major setback when he
invaded Russia in 1812. He did not expect that when the Russians retreated,
they would burn everything on their way. When Napoleon’s army reached Moscow,
Moscow was burning. Napoleon’s army ran out of supplies, and they were
ill-equipped to face the severe cold Russian winter. Napoleon’s army had to
retreat. While Napoleon’s army was retreating, the Russian troops attacked
them. Napoleon lost more than 500,000 warriors. Another example of an ill-conceived
plan that led to shameful defeat occurred during the Bay of Pigs Invasion of
Cuba by the Cuban exiles in 1961 to overthrow the Fidel Castro regime. When the
Cuban exiles reached the Bay of Pigs, they were vastly outnumbered by the Cuban
army, and the air support from the USA did not come to aid the exiles as
expected.
Valluvar realizes the
importance of planning. According to him, “Action should follow analytic
decision resulting from deep deliberations. Venturing into action without due
deliberation is disgraceful (kural – 467).” “Those who fear public disgrace
will not venture into a project without detailed deliberations (kural – 464)”.
“Any endeavor without a proper plan will fail even if many people support it
(kural – 468).” In order to stress the importance of planning, he also mentions
the consequences of undertaking an action without proper planning. “To fight
against the enemies without well-thought plans will only strengthen the enemy
(kural - 465).” In modern times, these
kurals can be considered as Valluvar’s warning on venturing into a project
without adequate planning. Valluvar’s advice regarding the importance of planning is applicable to all
ages and for all human endeavors.
The Planning Process: Valluvar has several kurals in
which he offers valuable guidelines as to how the planning process should be carried
out. He is of the opinion that the leader or the king should consult with
knowledgeable people and decide the course of action. Although the king or the
leader is ultimately responsible for the outcome of his actions, if he consults
with experts, he will benefit from their knowledge and wisdom. He advises the
king to consider the pros and cons and the net benefit before venturing into
any action. The pros and cons vary with the type of venture. In the case of a
war, it may be the destruction of the enemy and the ultimate victory for the
king and his country. In the context of a business, expenses, income, and net
profit should be considered before launching a new project. Valluvar warns
against undertaking any project where one is likely to lose the capital itself.
The relevant kurals dealing with the planning process are as follows:
There is nothing too difficult to
accomplish for those who act after deliberations with wise counsel and careful
consideration. (kural–
462)
Before venturing into action,
consider the pros and cons and the net gain. (kural
– 461)
Wise men will not, for the sake of
anticipated profit, undertake a project that may consume the capital itself. (kural
– 463)
Five Factors to be considered
during the planning process: In addition to emphasizing the importance
of planning and discussing the planning process itself, Valluvar outlines the
major factors that should be considered in the planning process. He considers
five elements as the basic requirements of a plan. The five elements are the
resources at hand, the equipment that is needed, the appropriate time for the
action, the nature of the project, and the appropriate place for the project.
If a king had to launch a war with an enemy, he should certainly consider his
manpower, the weapons and other resources available to him, the appropriate
time to attack the enemy, the actual mode of attack, and the proper place to
attack the enemy. In the case of a business venture, the entrepreneur should
consider his financial and human resources, the type of equipment needed, the
opportune time for launching the venture, details of his product and the proper
location to build his plant, and the distribution facilities for marketing the
product. The same five elements are important in planning any venture, whether
it is a military mission, starting a business, or building a manufacturing
plant. The relative importance of these five elements may vary. But
nonetheless, they are all important considerations for developing a proper
plan. The actual kural discussing these five elements is as follows:
Consider these five factors:
resources, means, time, task, and place of action, and then proceed with the
execution. (kural
– 675)
Resources and means: In economics and sociology, the
term “means of production” refers to non-human and non-financial resources used
for the production of goods. Based on this, the term “means” in kural 675 can
be interpreted as non-human and non-financial resources, and the term ”resources”
can be interpreted as human and financial resources needed for a project. All
major accomplishments requiring management involve a group of people working
together. Valluvar says, “The king who has an army, citizenry, economic
resources, ministers, friends, and fortresses is a lion among the kings (kural
– 381).” Also, in another kural, he
says, “A well-organized and well-equipped army of brave and victorious soldiers
is the chief asset of a king. (kural – 761).”
These two kurals, clearly illustrate Valluvar’s emphasis on human
resources. In the case of a king, he needs financial resources to support his
army. In the case of a business, capital and ongoing cash flow are essential
for the successful operation of the business. So, in order to support human
resources, financial resources are essential. Equally important is the
equipment, which can be obtained with the help of financial resources. In the
case of the king, he must equip his army with weapons, vehicles, and other
equipment necessary for the soldiers to fight effectively. In the case of
businesses, financial resources are necessary to acquire office space, office
equipment, and in some cases, manufacturing machinery. So, Valluvar’s inclusion
of resources and means as factors to be considered in the planning process is
very appropriate. Although he had the king in mind when he wrote the Kural, in
the modern context, his ideas are applicable to the business environment as
well.
Time: After resources and means, the
kural 675 mentions time as an essential factor to be considered in the planning
process. Valluvar illustrates the importance of time in the following two
kurals:
Bide your time like the stork for its prey; like the stork striking at its
prey at the opportune time, take swift action when the time is right. (kural
– 490)
A crow can conquer the much
stronger bird owl in the daylight. Similarly, a king needs opportune time to
conquer his enemy. (kural
– 481)
The stork does not go around
looking for a fish. It stands in one place and waits for the opportune time.
When the fish is near, it quickly attacks it with its beak. Similarly, in
warfare, the king should wait for the right time to launch an attack on his
enemy. This is also applicable to a businessman. He should wait for the
appropriate time to launch a new product or promotion for an existing product.
In other words, the king or a businessman should wait for the right time to
undertake his ventures. The kural 481 also conveys a powerful message to
emphasize the need to take advantage of the right time for launching a venture.
The owl is a much stronger bird than the crow. But, the owl is incapable of
seeing things during the daytime. The crow has the ability to see during the
daytime. So, if the crow attacks the owl during the time when the owl is
vulnerable, it is certain to win. Similarly, the king should analyze his enemy
and launch his attack during the time when the enemy is weak. So also, the
businessman will benefit if he times his launch of a new product or entry into
a new market when the competitor is weak in those areas. Valluvar’s emphasis
of time is reminiscent of Brutus’ remark in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “There is a tide in the
affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” (Julius Caesar Act 4, scene 3, 218–219)
Task: After the factor
time, Valluvar mentions task in kural 675. Task may refer to the entire project
or the subtasks that constitute the main project. In either case, if necessary,
the leader should consult with others who are knowledgeable on the subject and
be thoroughly aware of all aspects of the project.
Place: According to Valluvar, in addition to the four factors - resources,
means, time, and task – the place of action must also be considered in the
planning process. In warfare, it is very important to consider the location
where the enemy is weak and plan on attacking him at that location at a time he
may not expect. This element of surprise has contributed to the success of many
battles. It is equally important for businesses to consider the appropriate
location for their operation. Businesses routinely analyze the appropriateness
of a location in great detail when they are planning to build a new plant, open
a branch office, test market a new product, and so on. Marketing professionals
claim that the 4Ps of marketing are Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. This
highlights the fact that place is an important factor in successfully marketing
a product. According to Michael Porter, who is a well-known economist and
business strategist, it is of strategic importance for an enterprise to select
the best place for fighting its competitors. Valluvar emphasizes the importance
of place in several kurals.
A crocodile will be victorious in the deep water.
Out of the deep water, other animals will conquer it. (kural – 495)
The strong-wheeled chariot cannot be driven on the
high seas. So too, the swift sailing ship cannot move on the earth. (kural
– 496)
On the marshy ground, where the foot sinks, even a
fox can conquer a mighty elephant with fearless eyes in its majestic face and
two spears of ivory. (kural – 500)
The above kurals illustrate the fact that “Your
enemies will not achieve the planned victory over you if you fight from a
carefully chosen place of vantage (kural – 494).”
Assessment of strength: In addition to the five factors – resources,
means, time, task, and place – mentioned in kural 675, it is also necessary to
carefully consider and compare the strengths and weaknesses against those of
the enemy or the competition. Military strategists routinely consider the
strengths and weaknesses of their side and compare them against those of the
enemy. In addition to comparing the strength and weaknesses, it is not uncommon
to evaluate the opportunities and threats associated with the planned
operation. This
type of analysis of the internal and external factors associated with a venture
has been in practice for the past 50 years or so under the name SWOT Analysis.
SWOT is the acronym where S stands for Strength, W stands for weakness, O for
opportunity, and T for threat. Businesses perform SWOT analysis before
launching a new venture. Valluvar expresses a similar idea in one of his
kurals.
Before launching any
venture, consider and compare the resources required for the venture, your
resources, the resources of the enemy (competitor), and the resources of your
supporters. (kural
– 471)
In the above kural,
”resources” is a general term that may depend upon the context. In the case of
a king who is planning a war, it may refer to his army and the associated
weaponry and facilities. In the case of a business, it may refer to the factors
of production such as land, labor, capital, and organization. In the following
kurals, Valluvar stresses the importance of assessing one’s strength before
entering into any action.
Many
who do not know their own strength begin an act but fail in the middle. (kural
– 473)
Those who have climbed to
the top of the tree will lose their lives if they attempt to climb still
further. (kural
– 476)
Although the peacock feathers
are light, piling too many of them in a cart will break the axle of the cart. (kural
– 475)
In kural 475, Valluvar warns about the danger of
overextending one’s resources. In summary, according to Valluvar, “A person who
knows his own capabilities, who has assessed the capability needed for a
particular venture, and who has learned what he ought to learn and does not
overstep the limits of his capabilities and knowledge will not fail (kural –
472).”
The next step after the planning phase is organizing. Organizing is the
process of bringing together physical, financial, and human resources and
developing a productive relationship among them to achieve the organizational
goal. In the organizing phase of a project, the various tasks that are to be
identified and are grouped and prioritized in the right order.
Prioritization of Tasks: In any project of
considerable complexity, there will be several tasks. These tasks may vary in
their relative importance. Valluvar is of the opinion that the project will be
unsuccessful if the essential tasks are not accomplished. He also adds that the
project will end up as a failure if the irrelevant, unnecessary, and
unimportant tasks are completed.
The project will
be ruined if you do things that ought not to be done or you do not do things that
ought to be done. (kural
– 466)
The tasks may be
dependent on each other. In order to succeed in a project, during the
organizing phase, all the tasks that are relevant to the project must be
carefully analyzed and prioritized based on their dependency, importance, and
urgency. These days, project planners use sophisticated software to analyze the
task dependencies and the resources required to complete the tasks and schedule
the tasks in the right order based on their importance, dependencies, and
urgency.
The concept of
prioritizing tasks is important and applicable in our day-to-day life too.
There is a simple method for prioritizing the tasks known as the Eisenhower
Principle, named after the US president, General Dwight Eisenhower. According
to this principle, the tasks should be prioritized as follows: The tasks that
are important and urgent must be done first. Tasks that are important but not
urgent should be handled next. Tasks that are not important but urgent would
belong to the next category of tasks to be performed. Lastly, tasks that are
neither important nor urgent should be postponed, avoided, or delegated to
other people, if possible. Stephen Covey, the
American educator, author, and businessman, refers to this as “Habit
three – Put first things first” in his most popular book, The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People. The following kural conveys the same idea as that
of the Eisenhower Principle and Steven Covey’s Third Habit:
Things that may be done at leisure can be
implemented slowly and deliberately. But things requiring immediate attention
should not be delayed at all. (kural – 672)
Staffing
According to Peter Drucker, “The fundamental task of management is
to make people capable of joint performance through common goals, common
values, the right structure, and the training and development they need to
perform and respond to changes.” In an organization, it is the people who carry
out the various jobs which are needed for its functioning. They are the most
important resource of the organization. They supply the talent, skills,
knowledge, and experience to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
Hence, the staffing function of the management is an important function, and it
involves the building of the organizational workforce. In staffing, the
management is faced with the challenge of not only finding the right person for
each job but also matching the personnel with the jobs identified and providing
for their long-range growth and welfare as members of the organization.
Staffing is that part of the process of management which is concerned with
acquiring, developing, employing, and retaining people so that the right people
are available for the right positions and at the right time in the
organization. Valluvar addresses the recruitment aspect of the staffing
function in detail.
Selecting someone for a
position without testing him will result in endless troubles for years to come.
(kural
– 508)
The choice of the right
executive should be based on how he reacts to the four-fold tests concerning
virtue, wealth, love, and fear of death. (kural
– 501)
Valluvar’s guidelines for recruitment: Valluvar gives valuable guidelines for hiring people for
critical positions. Valluvar insists that nobody should be hired without being
tested. According to him, hiring without proper testing will lead to endless
troubles. In particular, he mentions that a candidate for the top-level and
critical position should be tested with respect to his attitude towards virtue,
wealth, love, and fear of his own death.
I used to work with the
US Army. I had the responsibility to direct all aspects of the US army’s
supercomputer facility. The computer center was one of the largest computer
centers with the most powerful computers in the world during the early part of
the twenty-first century. There were computers that were used for classified
(secret) computing and general-purpose computing. Since the computers were used
for classified purposes, the employees working there had to have Secret or
Top-Secret Clearance. In order to get the secret or Top-secret clearance, the
employees had to go through a background check by the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI). Once an employee is given the clearance, it is valid for
five years, and after that, it should be renewed. The renewal process also
required thorough investigations by the FBI. When my staff’s clearance expired,
I was one of the persons interviewed routinely by the FBI. The investigator
would ask me about the employee’s morality, ethics, finances, family life, extra-marital
relationship, etc. Based on the answers, the investigator would come to a
conclusion about the employee’s honesty, ethical and moral character, and
corruptibility. Also, based on the answers to the questions regarding the employee’s
marital and extra-marital life, they could judge whether enemies could exploit
the employee’s weakness for sex. Finally, one who is not afraid of death would
not hesitate to go to any extremes. Suicide bombers who are not afraid of their
own death are a common phenomenon in modern terrorist warfare. It is
interesting to note that the four criteria suggested by Valluvar are considered
important even now.
In addition to the
above-mentioned testing criteria, Valluvar adds a few more to the list. He says
that only those who have a good family background, are free from obvious faults,
and are concerned about their status in society should be hired. Further, he
insists on hiring only those who will be loyal to the organization, who are
knowledgeable, capable of clear thinking, and not very greedy. These are very
practical guidelines.
A man of good family
heritage, free from faults and sensitive to public disgrace, will be the right
man to choose.
(kural – 502)
Employ only those who are loyal,
knowledgeable, capable of clear thinking, and devoid of excessive desires. (kural
– 513)
There are people who may
meet all the criteria mentioned so far. But some of them may not have the
ability to contribute to the financial growth of an organization. Whether it is
a nation or an organization, people with the ability to add to the wealth of
the nation or to an organization are considered an asset. This is evident from
the fact that the CEOs of most large corporations come from the ranks of
marketing, finance, and business development backgrounds with expertise in
growing the company’s financial position.
Employ the one who can
expand the sources of revenue, increase wealth, analyze problems, and resolve
them. (kural
– 512)
In addition to suggesting
who should be hired, Valluvar also mentions the type of people who should not
be hired. He is not in favor of hiring people who have no friends and relatives
because such people will not be concerned if their personal reputation is
sullied. Also, people should be hired only on the basis of their merit and
expertise and not on other considerations such as personal likes and
favoritism. Valluvar stresses the consequences of hiring undesirable and
unqualified people in the following kurals:
Avoid selecting a man who
has no relatives or friends. Such a man will be impervious to shame. (kural
– 506)
Work should be entrusted
to men of expert knowledge and capable of discharging the assigned duties and
not due to other special considerations. (kural
– 515)
Selecting a man for a job
simply because you are fond of him will result in all kinds of follies. (kural
– 507)
It is interesting to see
that Valluvar has thought extensively about human resource issues. His ideas
about the hiring process are still valid. When a corporation hires an
executive, it is customary to check his academic and professional background
and his past performance. In many corporations, they conduct personality
assessment tests like the Briggs-Myers test and other psychological evaluations
to determine the suitability of a candidate for high-level positions. As
mentioned before, governments conduct additional tests for candidates seeking
employment in the defense and law enforcement sectors.
Directing is a
process in which the managers delegate, instruct, guide, motivate, and
supervise the performance of the workers to achieve the organizational goals.
In order to perform this function effectively, managers should have good communication
skills.
Valluvar on delegation: Valluvar is of the
opinion that once a person has been selected after being tested, he should be
assigned appropriate duties and made to own all the responsibilities for that
job. More importantly, he should also have the necessary authority to do the
job. So, the delegation of authority and responsibility should go together.
Once the individual is empowered to act, he should be left alone. He should not
be micromanaged. Micromanaging an employee destroys his motivation and
self-confidence. Many managers have a tendency to micromanage and destroy their
employees’ morale and productivity.
It is said that Steve
Jobs, the founder of Apple, was an example of a micromanager extraordinaire who
was reformed into a successful executive. His first attempt at Apple was not
very successful. When he was let go from Apple, he started the company NeXT
Computer. At NeXT, Steve Jobs micromanaged just about everything. The failure
of NeXT is attributed to Steve Jobs’ management style. When he started Pixar company,
he did not make the mistake of micromanaging. He gave complete authority and
responsibility to his managers. Pixar was very successful. He continued the
same style of management when he returned to Apple and turned it into one of
the world's most valuable companies. Valluvar is in favor of delegation and
avoiding micromanaging. These ideas are in kurals, 509, 518, and 517.
Do not hire anyone
without testing. Once an individual is hired, do not hesitate to assign
appropriate duties to him. (kural – 509)
Once it has been decided
that a man is a right person for a task, assign complete responsibility for
that task and make him own that task. (kural
-518)
After analyzing that an
employee can accomplish a task with the identified resources, assign the task
to him and leave him alone to discharge his duties.
(kural
– 517)
Valluvar on Supervision
and Performance Evaluation: Valluvar is a true pragmatist. He says that in spite of all the
tests, even a man of good family background and education may prove to be
incompetent upon close examination. A candidate may do well in all the tests.
But, in actual work, his performance could be less than satisfactory. Everyone
has their strengths and weaknesses, and the employer has to consider both and take
the one that outweighs the other. Therefore, it is necessary to routinely
supervise the employees, evaluate their performance and reward them
commensurate with their performance.
Even those who have
successfully acquired rare learning and are known to be free from defects may
exhibit some incompetence upon close examination. (kural – 503)
Be aware that there are
many people who satisfy all the tests, and yet they differ in the performance
of their duties. (kural – 514)
Consider a man’s good
qualities as well his faults, and whichever is more, take that to be his
nature. (kural
– 504)
It is good not to treat
all the staff alike. Treat each differently according to his merit. There are
many who look forward to such distinctions. (kural – 528)
Communication: Since management is all
about working with people, communication is an essential part of the directing
function of management. It is customary to use print media to communicate
formal policies and procedures. In addition to formal written communication,
verbal and non-verbal communications also take place among the people in the
workforce. In the context of management, verbal communication can be either
between the manager and one of his subordinates, or the manager may communicate
with a group of staff members at the same time. Non-verbal communication is
also common in the workplace. Non-verbal communication is
the act of conveying a thought, feeling, or idea through physical
gestures, posture, and facial expressions. Valluvar emphasizes the importance of
verbal as well as non-verbal communication. He has dedicated four chapters (40
kurals) to discuss the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication. The
following kurals highlight the importance of the gift of speech and the need to
guard against misusing it.
The gift of speech is
indeed a special gift, and it stands apart from other gifts.
(kural–
641)
Since good and evil
consequences may arise from speech, it is wise to guard against blemishes in
speech. (kural
– 642)
Inter-personal communication: It is important that
during a conversation, one should listen to the other person with whom one is
trying to communicate instead of focusing attention only on expressing oneself.
In other words, the communication should be bilateral instead of being
one-sided. Ideal communication should result in a useful exchange of ideas
among the people involved in the conversation. In order to keep the listener’s
sustained interest, it should be brief and to the point.
When
flawless people speak, they speak in such a manner that the listener is eager
to listen, and they also grasp useful ideas from the listener. (kural – 646)
Those
who do not know how to convey their ideas in a few faultless words will prefer
to utter many words. (kural
– 649)
Communication with a group of staff members: At times, a leader or manager may have to address a group of his staff
at the same time. On such occasions, the speaker should assess the caliber,
requirements, and the mood of his audience and make his presentation so that it
appeals to his audience. His speech should have the right content. Also, in his
speech, he should use the right words, the right style of delivery with the
right pronunciation, right tone with appropriate modulation in his voice. In
the following kurals, Valluvar conveys the importance of understanding the
audience and his suggestions for proper diction for the delivery of the
presentation:
Men with eloquent speech,
and precision in words, will choose their words and their style of presentation
based on the audience and their disposition. (kural
– 711)
Competent and eloquent
speakers will suit their contents and the diction of their presentation in
accordance with the mood of the audience. (kural – 712)
Non-verbal communication:
When speaking to a group, the speaker is
advised to observe the level of understanding and the mood of the audience so
that he can adjust his remarks. So also, during interpersonal communications,
it is advantageous to be able to understand what is in the other person’s mind.
Valluvar observes that the face of an individual clearly depicts what is in his
mind ,like a mirror reflecting the objects in front of it. According to him,
through our eyes it is possible to read the facial expressions of others and
thereby understand what is in their mind. In fact, he claims that it is the
primary purpose of the eyes to observe others’ face and decode what is in their
mind. Perhaps everyone may not be so observant. That is why Valluvar says that
it is a rare ability to read others’ mind by observing their face and a person
with such a gifted ability is indeed divine.
As
the mirror reflects what is in front of it, the face portrays what is in the
mind.
(kural
– 706)
Is
there anything more intelligent than the face to reveal one’s joy or ire? (kural – 707)
Of
what use are the eyes if they cannot sense others’ minds? (kural – 705)
He
who can read others’ minds beyond doubt is comparable to God. (kural – 702)
Controlling
Controlling is one of the
managerial functions like planning, organizing, staffing, and directing. It
consists of verifying whether everything occurs in accordance with the plans
adopted, instructions issued, and principles established. Controlling ensures
that there is effective and efficient utilization of organizational resources
to achieve the planned goals. Controlling implies measuring the deviation of
actual performance from the standard performance, discovering the causes of
such deviations, and taking corrective actions. According to modern concepts,
control is a foreseeing action, whereas the earlier concept of control was used
only when errors were detected. These days, management information provides the
information needed for the leader/manager to compare the progress against the
plan.
Valluvar’s main focus is
the king and how he should control his administration. During his days, the
method of information gathering was through intelligence services (spies). His
approach is still valid and being practiced by the governments. The Federal
Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA,
the Criminal Bureau of Investigations (CBI) of India, the Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti
(KGB) of Russia are examples of
agencies involved in gathering information on behalf of their countries’
security and law enforcement. Valluvar is of the opinion that
intelligence information must be gathered, and the leader of the nation must
ensure its accuracy and act upon it as needed. The following kurals convey
Valluvar’s ideas in this regard.
It is the duty of the
king to know immediately everything that happens to everybody at all times. (kural
– 582)
The intelligence services
and the literature of the state-craft are the two eyes of the king. (kural
– 581)
A king who is not able to
learn the happenings around him through his network of spies and scouts is not
likely to be successful. (kural
– 583)
The king should ensure
that his intelligence corps watches the officers of his realm, his own
relatives, and his enemies closely. (kural
– 584)
See to it that no spy
knows the others engaged in the same work. When the reports of three spies
agree, then you may give credence to them. (kural
– 589)
The information obtained
from one spy should be checked against the information obtained from another
spy.
(kural -588)
Valluvar does not
advocate a laissez faire approach to governing a country. He suggests
active involvement by the ruler in all aspects of the administration of his
country. The same active approach is also applicable to managing an
organization. Effective information gathering regarding the performance of
individuals and deviations from the plan is a valuable tool for leaders to control
the performance of their organization.
Importance of Leadership
According to Valluvar, all the wealth and other
resources of a nation are not of much use if the king is not a good ruler.
Even if a country has all
the blessings, it is worth nothing if it lacks a good ruler.
(kural – 740)
The above kural is a
clear warning that if a king does not have good qualities and is not effective
in his administration, the well-being of the citizens is in jeopardy. In a
monarchy, one becomes a king by virtue of being a king’s son or by killing an
existing king and taking over his position. In such situations, it is possible
that a king may not have many of the necessary and desirable qualities and
qualifications. So, it is Valluvar’s intent that if a king does not have the
required qualities and qualifications, he should acquire them in order to be an
effective and ideal king[1].
Just as a good ruler is
vital to a nation’s well-being, a good leader is vital to the success of an
organization. Planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling
functions of management are important to an organization. Without the efficient
functioning of these elements, an organization will not be able to meet its
goals. However, it should be noted that although these functions are necessary,
they are not sufficient to ensure the success of an organization. The leader of
an organization is responsible for effectiveness and efficiency and to achieve organizational goals. He sets
the vision, initiates action, motivates the staff, provides guidance, creates
confidence, coordinates, and oversees all aspects of the organization’s
functions. In view of the critical importance of the position, those who are in
leadership positions should work meticulously to acquire the necessary qualities.
Conclusion
Major projects throughout
history point to the fact that management has been in practice for a long time.
After the Industrial Revolution, private industries began to emerge. In the
beginning, they were owned by entrepreneurs. Subsequently, as the businesses
grew in complexity and size, Adam Smith’s theory of division of labor, Frederic
Taylor’s scientific management theory, and other theories began to be developed
and put into practice. In the middle of the nineteenth century, management
evolved as an academic discipline. Modern management theorists consider
planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling as the five basic
elements of management. Valluvar has considered these five elements of
management as well as leadership in great detail in the Kural. His ideas are
compatible with modern thinking on management. The ideas of Valluvar were developed
almost 2,000 years ago in a remote part of India where monarchy was the form of
government. It is amazing to see that his ideas have withstood the test of time
and are universally applicable.
[1]. For a detailed discussion of the important qualities
required for a king, please refer to the essay on “Valluvar on Leadership”
