Management Gita: Mentors Shape Strategy

सञ्जय उवाच – दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा । आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ १-२॥
sañjaya uvāca – dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṃ vyūḍhaṃ duryodhanastadā
ācāryamupasaṅgamya rājā vacanamabravīt 1-2

Spiritual Context

Sanjaya narrates how Duryodhana, upon observing the Pandavas’ organized army, approaches his mentor Drona to discuss the situation, indicating a moment of strategic reflection.

Management Context

This reflects strategic planning and the role of mentorship in management. Duryodhana’s act of consulting Drona shows a leader seeking expert input to assess a competitive landscape, a key aspect of organizational strategy formulation.

Insights

Consulting mentors or experts enhances decision quality (Drucker, 1999). Duryodhana’s observation of the enemy’s formation parallels competitor analysis in business (Porter, 1980), emphasizing proactive strategy over reactive panic.

Applications

Managers should engage consultants or advisors during crisis management or planning phases, ensuring informed responses to market challenges (Kaplan & Norton, 1996).

References

Drucker, P. F. (1999). Management challenges for the 21st century. HarperBusiness.
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996). The balanced scorecard: Translating strategy into action. Harvard Business Review Press.
Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. Free Press.

This excerpt is taken from Management Gita, authored by Sunil Khandbahale