In Search of Meaning (A spiritual perspective of Management) by renowned management monk Moid Siddiqui outlines the meaning of life and also the principles of ethical management practices in its totality. The author has literally questioned the prevailing events and happenings in global businesses and social environments around the world.
Liberally quoting great spiritual teachers and thinkers of the world, Siddiqui’s writing is very lucid and focusses on how to execute business strategies without compromising on ethical values that has become so common nowadays as we see the greed of man for more and more leading to scandals, scams and controversies.
The author easily jumps from societal, business to spiritual situations with a fluidity that is not seen commonly for instance, from the Beauty Queen’s Contest which he calls as frog leaps towards indecency, How phony is the porn industry, the Sex Reassignment Surgery - a lucrative surgery to Our First Abode, Know Thy Self and Are We not Spiritual beings ? Apart from this, Siddiqui explains and urges the need for following the right practices in an organisation as well as society and refrain from doing the wrong things as ‘there is no right way to do a wrong thing’.
Siddiqui is highly critical of the multi-national companies and corporate pharaohs’ for targetting the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ (BOP) or the ‘unexploited pauper consumers’ in various under developed and developing countries of Asia and Africa and says, “We can exploit them by addicting them to ‘borrowing’ habits through bank-credit strategies and this is how and why sacred business philosophy gets corrupted with a profane approach.” Many people today including some so-called management Gurus have lost their sensitivity and have failed to observe the skewed learnings and devilish practices adopted by many companies, bankers and commercial houses.
The hundreds of anecdotes that he has retold with a streak of spirituality and sensitivity over-rides his writings and is clearly visible in each and every chapter. In the entire book, Siddiqui again and again comes out with Gautam Buddha’s philosophy that “Life is not worth living without purpose or meaning” and in fact highlights Buddha’s eightfold path for a meaningful life.
Opposing the wrongdoings in the society, the writer who is also referred as the “Management Monk” by many, says “There is a definite need to integrate spirituality in the management of business organisations today and also treat the employees as spiritual human beings.” Describing many business and social situations, the author propogates how necessary are ethics, morality, truthfulness, love and faith in the society.
The beauty of life does not depend on “How happy you are ?” but depends on “How happy others can be through you ?” And as Richard Bach said, “The only obligation in any lifetime is to understand the meaning of life” concludes the author and says his book will be of great help to those who are serious about life and believe in using the right means for gains.
The book is readable, its contents apt and interesting and therefore, useful for CEOs, managers, consultants, research scholars, management trainees, students and housewives.