Management Lessons From Kautilya

MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM KAUTILYA’S ARTHASHASTRA
SL NO Name Register Number

1 Darshan T N P18GH21C0060
2 Divya M P18GH21C0062
3 Harish B R P18GH21C0064
4 Impana S M P18GH21C0076
5 Jeevitha P P18GH21C0047
Kautilya’s Arthashastra:
Kautilya's Arthashastra. By India Today in: The Arthashastra refers to a practice of political
diplomacy that arose in India, and is epitomized by the written material on position, policy and
military strategy written by Kautilya.
The Arthashastra (Sanskrit: अर्थशास्त्रम्, IAST: Arthashastram) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise

on statecraft, political science, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilya, also identified as
Vishnugupta and Chanakya, is traditionally credited as the author of the text The latter was a
scholar at Takshashila, the teacher and guardian of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya Some
scholars believe them to be the same person, while a few have questioned this identification.
1. Your People Come First:

Chanakya believed that a King should always put his subjects before himself. The common
man creates the King. Hence, the very existence of a King depends upon the happiness and
well-being of his subjects. Similarly, business leaders of today should put their people at the
forefront and not themselves when making decisions. A good leader’s top priority is his peers
and subordinates. Every person matters in an organization. No job is small or insignificant.
These are basic principles that are taught in modern-day Business Schools, but Chanakya
followed it back then. He was a man ahead of his time.
2. People In Power Must Be Accessible:

It is not uncommon for a King to be surrounded by his ministers and noblemen. However,
If he does not listen to and is not accessible to his subjects, he endangers not just his kingdom
but also himself. Likewise, business leaders at the top of the hierarchy are often not
accessible to the people at the bottom. It is a common complaint in today’s corporate world
that leaders do not listen to their people. They only listen to those higher up or equal in
rank. Sometimes the best ideas come from the least expected places.
3. Hold People Accountable For their work:
Chanakya believed that rewarding those who are performing well motivates them to continue
doing their best. It is important to hold people accountable for their work – both good and
bad. The ones performing well must be encouraged and rewarded. The underperformers must
be put on the spot. Rewarding your best performers motivates them to do even better. It also
sets them up as an example that others would want to follow.
4. Don’t Delay Your Decisions – Do The Right Thing At The Right Time:
Chanakya understood that a good King did his duties the right way and most importantly, at
the right time. That is the only way that a King can expand his empire. After all, time and
tide wait for no man. A good King understands the value of time. He understands that time,
once lost, can never be gained back. A good business leader knows the importance of time
management and how crucial it is to the success of an organization. Delayed decision making
can slow down organizational growth. When you do not solve problems on time, they often
snowball into larger problems that are hard or cannot be solved.
5. Attributes of Leadership:
The Arthashashtra has a good deal of thoughts on the qualities the top appointee of
government machinery must possess.
He writes about these qualities as qualifying standards for appointment as a Mantri
(Minister).
These qualities are:
 Drudhachitta – Power of concentration
 Shilavan -Character
 Pragna – Capability to think logically
 Vangmi – Communication skills
 Daksha -Observation/ Vigila
In addition, he highlights the competencies that a Mantri must possess. These competencies
are the same as the competencies advocated by the management gurus of the present times,
namely, Knowledge, Skills and Attitude. In present day scenario, all key managerial persons
in the organizations should possess the above qualities of leadership to lead a company into
successful organization.
6. Diversification and profitability:
Diversified economy should consist of productive forests, water reservoirs, mines,

productive activities, trade, markets, roads, ports, and storages. Similarly today , we need
various resources like men , material , labors and capital to run and operate business
successfully. Profitability should not only mean surplus over costs. It should also mean
provision of investment for future growth, today companies are using their retained earnings
for investment and expansion purposes.
7. Diplomacy:
He thought that the world was in such a state that a kingdom was either at war or was
preparing for a war and diplomacy was yet another weapon used in this constant warfare. He
believed that diplomacy is a series of actions taken by a kingdom such that it gains strength
and eventually conquers the nation with which diplomatic ties were created.
Today in modern day business same diplomacy strategy is used to gain competitive
advantage, mergers and acquisitions etc.

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MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM KAUTILYA’S ARTHASHASTRA

SL NO Name Register Number

The Arthashastra (Sanskrit: अर्थशास्त्रम्, IAST: Arthashastram) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise

1. Your People Come First:

2. People In Power Must Be Accessible:

These qualities are:

 Drudhachitta – Power of concentration

 Vangmi – Communication skills

 Daksha -Observation/ Vigila

6. Diversification and profitability:

Diversified economy should consist of productive forests, water reservoirs, mines,

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