Panchsheela Modelof Leadership : A Modelfor OrganizationalSurvival and Growth

Abstract

In the realm of Indian philosophical speculation, the contribution of Jainism is significant. As we aresearching for effective leadership in organizations, we can get insights from Jaina scriptures. One suchmodel of leadership is Panchsheela, which is the fundamental principle of Jainism. ‘Panchsheela’ meansfive principles or vows which form a practical code of conduct for a leader in an organization. Thesefive principles also known as Panchmahavrata are (a) Satya, (b) Ahimsa, (c) Asteya, (d) Aparigraha and(e) Brahmacharaya. If a leader follows these five principles, it can help him manage his organization inright and fair manner and will lead to its growth and development and eventually bring success to theorganization. Therefore, these principles need to be imbibed in organizational culture by formulatingpolicies and procedures based on them. An attempt has been made in this article to discuss managerialimplications of these vows along with cases of companies where these principles are observed ortransgressed.