Management Gita: Weighing the Risks

निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव । न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे ॥ १-३१॥
nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava
na ca śreyo’nupaśyāmi hatvā svajanamāhave 1-31

Spiritual Context

Arjuna sees ominous signs and finds no good in killing his kin, expressing doubt about the battle’s outcome.

Management Context

This reflects risk perception, ethical foresight, and outcome evaluation. Arjuna’s hesitation shows a leader weighing long-term consequences over short-term gains.

Insights

Anticipating negative outcomes enhances decision quality (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). This aligns with ethical decision-making models (Ferrell & Gresham, 1985).

Applications

Managers can use risk assessments or ethical audits to evaluate decisions’ broader impact (Hillson & Murray-Webster, 2007).

References

Ferrell, O. C., & Gresham, L. G. (1985). A contingency framework for understanding ethical decision making. Journal of Marketing, 49(3), 87–96.
Hillson, D., & Murray-Webster, R. (2007). Understanding and managing risk attitude. Gower.
Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–291.

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