Against the Tide: The Philosophical Foundations of Modern Management

In this collection, S.K. Chakraborty dwells on the east-west distinction in worldviews. The essays are reflective and deliberate upon philosophical differences and attitudes of thinkers that have shaped the behaviour of the common man, both in and out of the workplace. In this context Chakraborty discusses the thoughts and ideas of four modern Indian thinkers (Tagore, Vivekananda, Gandhi, and Aurobindo) and four western thinkers (Griffiths, Toynbee, Rolland, and Frawley). He emphasizes that the underlying difference in perspectives stems from the ‘feminine-nurturant-centripetal east’ to the ‘masculine-dominating-centrifugal west’. The book offers insights and hypotheses about the current human condition. The author emphasizes the urgent need to fight the tide of self-alienation and blind-emulation of contemporary trends. He challenges meek submission to ‘western aggressiveness’ and offers several practicable guidelines for the revival of the ‘assimilative ethos’ that eastern philosophy and spirituality have nurtured for centuries. Of immense interest to practising managers as well as laymen, this is another excellent collection by the leading management and ethics expert in the country.