Thirukkural and Management

Abstract

The Thirukkural, which is also called the “Tamil Vedas”, “Threefold Division” (Muppāl), Book of Ethics, Book of Life, Philosophical Text and Universal Scripture, has fascinated the intellectual and moral imagination of individuals globally. It is easy to see why it has been translated into so many different languages such as G. U. Pope (English), the French scholar M. Ariel (French), the Italian missionary, Constanzo Giuseppe Beschi (Latin) and so many others have translated its wisdom into their own language. Management today has become an important area of study and professional practice, as well as a critical need in the organization. A lot of the effectiveness of any institution is dependent on the managerial competence of the leadership. Co-ordination is one of the various aspects of personality and is a key area in management, ensuring that actions are co-ordinated and efficient in the work of groups. In fact, management is a universal phenomenon which is applicable to all economic systems and all organised human activity. Remarkably, many of the elements of management that have been put into words today by Western contemporary thinkers have been totally described and conveyed over two thousand years ago in the Thirukkural, by Thiruvalluvar. This article thus aims at the investigation of the management concepts that are held within this old classical piece and their analysis, with the view of showing that this piece still has relevance to management practices at present and organizational theory.