Holistic approach towards Corporate productivity Dr CVS Ranga Sai

Dr CVS Ranga Sai, is a senior faculty at Vaze College, Mumbai-400081 Presented at International Conference of Health Sciences and Alternative Medicines Titled Holistic Approach towards Corporate productivity 1,2 Dec 2002 at Kolakata.

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Holistic approach in corporate executive development programmes for improving productivity is the convergence of various fields like Industrial psychology, behavioral therapies, food & nutrition, Human Resource Management, Architecture, Aesthetics, naturopathy, music, aromatherapy, Yoga and religion.

In modern technological societies, skills have improved leading to higher wage and better standards of living. In the corporate sector, the senior and middle level executives specifically face physical fatigue together with emotional exhaustion. The

job may not specify specific working hours, yet the job related tensions spread throughout the day and night at workplace and house.

The work culture demands that the corporate achievements dominate the life space of the executive. Such a work culture and life style naturally imbibe certain deficiencies, which may ultimately affect efficiency and health of people.

Holistic approach in corporate training aims at restoring those essential

components which are lost or neglected. Thus a person can lead a fuller life professionally as well as a household.

Annually industrial houses spend worth a fortune on providing several amenities at place of work like food, recreation and paid vacations. There are Personal counselors available to help manage emotional disturbances. However, these are discrete measures lacking coordination among themselves.

Likely dangers of dominant corporate objectives in a persons life are many. In the first place the personal self will be affected. The corporate achievements fail to satisfy the professional expectations. The incentives, rewards and recognition become routine. If at all, these incentives fail to induce person to stretch productivity further.

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The holistic management of individual includes State of body and state of mind, each conditioned by nutrition and pranayama, respectively. Astral influences may not determine the course of events but definitely affect proximity variables connected with human beings. Home is an important unit, it is the link between micro and macro matter. A perfect home encourages positive features of individual traits. In true sense its becomes a home for all those who come into its fold.

The relationship between matter and mind is quintessential part of holistic approach in corporate management. For this purpose the lineage is drawn from the universe to micro matter viz man and associated matter, hierarchically.

Hierarchy : Universe is the Alma matar of the creation of life on earth. Such universe

manifests itself as matter and space. The matter constitutes the celestial objects, the planets which influence the cycle of life on earth. The energy spectrum provides the range from the sound to visible light, colour and the energy spectrum of vibrations which the physical instruments can not be calibrated to measure. Such planetary aspects, physical environment, home, food constitute the proximity to man. The most intimate being the body.

The emotional body, metabolism, food and workspace ambiance influence the productivity of people working.

The mind body management is confined to ground level consciousness, though the study takes cognizance of the causative factors, which are active in different levels of consciousness. (Deeper levels will be explored for the purpose of finding unified solution to natural harmony in existence.)

The mind body management techniques can be applied with specific set of objectives. These objectives involve such programmes which involve training,

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orientation, experiences and exercises. Such methods are simple and result oriented. The holistic approach make these techniques comprehensive and effective. Management with objectives can be professionally developed for different target groups like corporate executives, parents, students, performing artists and any other defined target group. 1. Universe

2. Matter, space

3. Celestial objects, Body, Energy spectrum, consciousness 4. Planetary aspects, food, environment and metabolism 5. Holistic medicine as tool for Corporate productivity 6. Corporate objectives in improving personnel productivity

Better inter personal relationship,

Good emotional intelligence,

Leadership, physical stamina,

Stress management,

productivity, corporate culture,

Emotional engineering,

Healthy techniques of relaxation

Occupational intelligence

Positive attitude,

Security, values and ethics 7. Tools of improving corporate productivity

Proximity environment,

Body, proper functioning of senses and better coordination

Food designed according to personal traits or the expected traits or contingency

Mind: at different levels of consciousness

Emotions, inventory and regulated use for higher emotional intelligence

Ayurveda as an anchor medicine for describing food characteristics

Body management by food

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Mind conditioning by pranayama

Mind management by counseling 8. Range of corporate functions

There is a wide variety of corporate executive functions each different in terms of skills, intelligence, temperament, attitude, physical stamina and adaptability. The productivity in each case will demand certain professional skills and personal traits. Professional skills are acquired by management education and training. Personal traits can be enhanced to improve productivity.

Marketing functions demand intense personal skills, adaptability and through understanding and perseverance.

Finance is a matter of logic, analysis, recalling past experience and application.

Operations need more of physical adaptability, alertness and endurance

Public relations need, empathy, social acceptance, adaptability and outgoing nature.

Administration need memory, personnel relation, thinking outside the system and agility.

Media management needs creativity, team work, interpersonal relations, imagination.

Overseas business may need most of the skills needed for other functions plus ability to learn fast and adapt.

9. Emotional intelligence for better occupational intelligence : Corporate productivity is understood in terms of emotional intelligence and

occupational intelligence together with traditional intelligence. Broadly, emotional intelligence refers to identifying personal emotional inventory and using they with objectivity.

There are four branches of Emotional Intelligence:

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a. Perception Appraisal and Expression of Emotion Emotions prioritize thinking by directing attention to important information

b. Emotional Facilitation of Thinking : Emotions are sufficiently vivid and available so that they can be generated as aids to judgment and memory concerning feelings.

c. Understanding and Analyzing Emotions; Employing Emotional Knowledge : Emotional mood swings change the individual's perspective from optimistic to pessimistic, encouraging consideration of multiple points of view.

d. Reflective Regulation of Emotions to Promote Emotional and Intellectual Growth : Emotional states differentially encourage specific problem-solving approaches such as when happiness facilitates inductive reasoning and creativity.

Such qualities enhance proactive management. The problems can be systematically divided into such denominations which can be resolved depending on corporate resources.

Attitudinal engineering is a specific task towards enhancing team spirit, sustaining motivation and developing capacities to lead. There are training programmes and trainers available for this purpose. Often these programmes are discrete, routine and ad hoc.

Development Model In corporate management different behavioral and physical traits are expected from each one of the corporate function: marketing, finance, operations, public relations, administration, media, overseas business etc. Each one of these characteristics indicates a combination of body and mind character.

However, a holistic package of training corporate executives may have a common

content which is versatile and also effective. A cafeteria approach in attitudinal development programme will provide greater choice as well as purpose.

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Objectives: Better inter personal relationship, good emotional intelligence, leadership, physical stamina, stress management, emotional engineering, productivity, corporate culture, healthy techniques of relaxation, occupational intelligence, positive

attitude, security, values and ethics

Environment: Corporate targets, transfer of responsibilities/accountability, quantification of efficiency, Segmented personal relationships, heterogeneous group, finances

Limitations: Rigid line management, sharing of objectives with a team, conflicting interests, hierarchy, semi permeable emotional transfer from household to corporate life, hierarchy of personal expectations,

Resources: Leadership, trainers, finance, corporate will, human resources

Procedural Interface with holistic medicine: Redesign of Canteen menu to suit corporate needs, training in relaxation techniques,

Family interactions, corporate socialization,

training in emotional management,

redesign of interiors for natural ambiance : practicing three dimensional neo vedic Vastu in city architecture,

counseling: either scientific behavioral techniques or religious cult practices; professional as well as personal

Specific model: Food :

General Executive Lunch

Green salads, black salt, fresh curds(cows milk) in lunch, hot low cal soup as a starter, moong dal preparations, roti, rice (semi polished, can be spiced to cover up brown shade),

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Only Til oil, sparingly used, Ginger, turmeric, methi and zeera to be necessarily used. Warm water to end lunch.

Specific augmented menu depending on professional demands : (Indicative, not exhaustive) Finance, planning and administration: Sweets, green salads, dry fruits Marketing and media: Cinnamon, Garlic, turmeric Operations (working in shifts): Dates, radish, lemon grass

There are variation to general menu to specified professionals depending on their job requirements.

Attitudinal Engineering /Personal Counseling : Objective : Emotional inventory, perception, prioritization, family: expectations, responsibilities, participation , compartmentalization of personal and professional issues, escape from value judgment,

Ambiance of Senior Executive Chamber : Specifications

Enriched oxygen supply 25 % Ionizer

Light (colour) : source of light, wall, drapery, Music : instrumental, vocal, alaap, light classical, +rhythm, vedic

recitations, clock >10 decibels Aroma : Natural or customized synthetic fragrances : musk, sandal, rose,

kevada. Mogra, jasmine, ponda Temperature control : 20C to 26C customizable

A customizable combination of these parameters will create an energizing chamber which will relax, elevate mood, refresh a person within 15 minutes. It will help in reducing pulse rate, blood pressure and reduce stiffness of muscles.

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Corporate function Food Colour (Base) Fragrance Music *

Marketing Garlic Orange Jasmine Athana

Media Cinnamon Green, yellow Musk Anand Bhairavi

Finance

Dry Fruits Purple Sandal Kanada

Operations

Green salads Grey Earth Mohana. Kalyani

Public relations Dates Green Jasmine Shahana

Administration Sweets White Rose Hindola

Overseas business Lemon grass Red, blue Sandal Malaya marutham

* Ragaas in Karnataka classical tradition

Forward integration : There is a need for in depth study on the convergence of various fields for

corporate productivity. The study is an exploratory endeavor soliciting in depth study. As the need is for convergence of alternative forms of medicines and therapies, developing synergies for corporate productivity.

The level of awareness is low in terms of holistic approach. The corporate world knows that there are alternatives for improving productivity through Yoga, occupational counseling, relaxation techniques and similar. But paucity of research in this direction prevents developing a marketable product to the corporate world.

Empirical research is needed. The field has the potential of being developed as a major post-doctoral project. Availability of funds will enable ambitious research in this area.

In terms of conceptual development there are yet certain gray areas. The ambiance may develop dependence. So there should be a regime of food and exercise at home, which will complement the work environment. Yet, the exploratory study more than proves the potential of holistic approach towards corporate productivity.

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Presented at International Conference of Health Sciences and Alternative Medicines Titled Holistic Approach towards Corporate productivity 1,2 Dec 2002 at Grand Hotel, Kolakata. Organized by IBAM, Kolkata.