‘Mythology does shape management of organisations’

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik, Chief Belief Officer, Future Group 

How mythology can shape the management in organisations?

Mythology does shape the management of organisations. Currently, the management lessons taught in B-schools are based on Biblical mythology (hence target and task orientation are on lines with ‘Promised Land and Commandments’) and the celebration of Business Leaders are ‘heroes’ in line with Greek mythology where meaning is granted by achievement. The veneer is rational but the soul remains mythical. It does not take the Indian mythology into consideration which focuses on subjectivity and consequences of actions.

How will you describe your role as the ‘Chief Belief Officer’ at the Future Group?

My role as the ‘Chief Belief Officer’ is to get people to break the frontiers of their thoughts and become aware of other beliefs and better appreciate their own.

What are your derivates from epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata which can be applied to modern-day businesses, especially with respect to HR?

Ramayan and Mahabharat are not parables – they have no lessons. They are not prescriptions, they are reflections. We can derive frameworks from them that facilitate our decision-making process and make us more aware of the consequences of our actions. They reveal the extent to which people can go in order to validate themselves in an organisation. It explains how that can be the root cause of conflict and instability in organisations.

Do you think Gen-Y is ready to connect belief to business? How do you make them relate to this?

Gen-Y already has beliefs of its own. Are they aware of it? Is it good enough to take them to a happy zone? We confuse mythology with religion or something supernatural. Mythology is a study of human assumptions that shapes our actions and society at large. Our assumption today is that technology will solve all of life’s problems. This assumption is neither right nor wrong; but it has consequences. Our assumption today is that wealth generation brings happiness. This assumption is also neither right nor wrong; but it also has consequences. Our assumption is we can predict consequences of our actions. Even this assumption is neither right nor wrong; but it has consequences.

How does your approach improve the quality of talent in your organisation? And, how does it affect leadership?

Do you believe understanding assumptions of leaders/consumers/investors/employees is important to business? If yes, then, understanding of beliefs/myths is critical. If not, then it is not important. I do not believe in evangelising the value of mythology; the demand comes because people realise its value, not because like in the American model (that is embedded in your question), we sell its value.

According to you, what would be the long-term effect of this approach? 

No one can predict consequences of any action. But yes, it has the possibility of expanding our mind, making us wiser, which will benefit both society and industry.