779: Preventing Parallel Spiritual Pandemic Innovative Insights and Practices From the Bhagavad Gita (13976)

We live in a world of environmental degradation, geopolitical polarities, weakening social and moral fiber, and incessant wars bordering on self-annihilation. We work ourselves to sickness, only to find that we have been priced out of healthcare. And, in our furious struggle for success in a business world red in tooth and claw, we discover we no longer have a community, but only narrow self-centered clans united by aversion. And yet, these developments have also stirred us into thinking about novel approaches to live and lead organizations and societies. As management scholars and practitioners, we must continue to harness our inner resources and discover innovative ways to confront current reality and to embrace effective work and change principles to not only survive but also to thrive during these turbulent times. This PDW seeks to explore the pathways to developing values-based, resilient organizations effectively following the time-tested moral and spiritual insights and practices enshrined in the Indian wisdom text called the Bhagavad Gi¯ta¯. It is designed as an offering to counter the present parallel spiritual pandemic and as a dedication to creating a better, kinder world through living and leading from a higher moral stance based on the teachings of the Gita. We believe that operationalizing the Bhagavad Gi¯ta¯’s key principles and practices of equanimity, workplace excellence, selfless action, and seeking the welfare of all have a universal relevance for a world plagued by war, conflict, and uncertainty