The Corporate Mind

There have been innumerable studies in the Indian and the Asian corporate sector. Many hypotheses have emerged. There are surveys and case studies. But in this deluge, there is poverty of theory. The author offers an alternative hypothesis to the organizational theory of the West. Surprisingly, Indian, Chinese and Japanese concepts have a great deal of commonality as their main springs are common. Organization is conceived mechanistically by normal Western theorists. In Eastern philosophy and culture, however, organization is a living thing. In the Indian tradition, even mountains, trees and rivers have life. It is only during the last two decades of the twentieth century that some Western thinkers have come to realize that man is not separate from animals, plants or mountains. The Japanese concept of ‘IE’ is the family or organic concept of organization. The corporate mind is the representation of a living organization, which has its mind, body and soul. The mind of an organization is its men. The body of the organization is its resources. The soul of the organization is the spirit of its people sharing a common cause. The soul, therefore, consists of the mission, collective commitment and emotional synergy in harmony and balance. It is just like the teaching of Uddalaka, the great guru of Chhandogya Upanishad, transferring meaning of life to his son Svetaketu. He sums up the essence that Svetaketu has emerged from universal energy and he should not forget this linkage. ‘I live’, he says, ‘Yet not I, but universal power lives in me’. The organization dies or becomes sick when it lives in ignorance of its relativism and source of motive power. The way to squander organizational resources is to work on counter purpose and slog in chaos. The concept of corporate mind builds organic theory of organization and structurally intertwines it with its larger power source to make it effective.