Buddhism and decision making at individual, group and organizational levels

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how practical wisdom rooted in Buddhism can help modern managers make decisions in contemporary business organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper suggests a model explaining how individual level Buddhist beliefs in Dependent Origination are reflected in behavior of individual through mindfulness, compassion and expansion of self. The model also explores the consequences of above mentioned behavior in terms of individual, group and organizational level decision making, respectively. Findings – The paper develops propositions which demonstrate the possibility of applying the practical wisdom of Buddhism into the individual, group and organizational decision-making processes. The paper proposes an integrative model and suggests initiatives that can be taken in business organizations and business schools for applying the practical wisdom gleaned from the Buddhist traditions. Research limitations/implications – The paper brought the core concepts of Buddhism as the main point of application in the decision-making process in management. However, this approach is perhaps difficult to grasp for the readers who may not be as conversant with that tradition. Originality/value – Rich eastern traditions have remained underexplored in contemporary business literature. This paper examines the potential contributions from the Buddhist heritage in the crucial decision-making domain in management.

Tensions and Struggles in Tackling Bribery at the Firm Level: Perspectives from Buddhist-Enacted Organizational Leaders

“…It gives "full moral weight to conflicting 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice' values, accepting the demands of both but acknowledging that any practical resolution of the dilemma will entail that one of the conflicting moral claims will perforce lose" (Perrett 2000, p. 110). In Buddhism, the Middle Way reflects a moderate way of thinking and approach, combining external action and internal attitude based on principles of causal effect, interdependence, and profundity (Vallabh and Singhal 2014) in considering outcomes of actions. Thus, the Middle Way "takes the form of equanimity and suggests that moderate consumption fulfills needs and prevents delusional attempts to satisfy endless desires" (Pace 2013, p. 34) because "everything we consume is a means, not an end" (King 2009, p. 98).…”

Seeing A Buddhist Doing Business: An Interview with Sudhamek AWS

“…Buddhist theory on anicca (impermanency) is the idea that gives us the description about the reality of life and how to deal with it. It is not wrong to put in the effort to sustain good work as long as possible (Ratnayake & Jayawickrama, 2015;Vallabh & Singhal, 2014). On the pragmatic level, good business must consider the wellness of the employees; the quality of life and the quality of working life (Kassim & Zain, 2016;Michalski, 2014).…”

“…As for Indonesian Buddhists businessman and businesswomen, many of them are more aware to implement the principles they have learnt from their spiritual side to their daily activities, including business. Like in the time of the Buddha, financially outstanding businesspersons or people from another walk of life became the patron of Buddhism and had an important role in the history of Buddhism (Vallabh & Singhal, 2014). Among the lay disciples two of them are declared to be the most in supportive of the Sangha.…”

Another benefit of mindfulness: Ethical behaviour

“…Lastly, mindfulness may compensate the effects of cognitive complexity on moral choices as it improves self-regulation (Bishop et al, 2004), awareness and attention (Vallabh & Singhal, 2014) which prevents selfish interests.…”