Compassion in Corporate Life

By Parveen Jain

Numerous research articles have been published on leadership and corporate management, and among the key cited traits of an effective leader are internally and externally perceived self-awareness, personal accountability, open-mindedness, and fairness (see, e.g., Harvard Business Review, January 2019). These are all signs of compassionate management.

Studies have shown that corporations succeed when leaders and employees are compassionate (karuṇa bhāvana), receptive, and open-minded about others’ ideas (anekāntavāda), are not greedy for themselves (lobha), and are honest (acaurya), straightforward (ārjava), and modest (mārdava), and other similar positive traits. IBM, GE, HP, Ford, Microsoft, and numerous other highly successful corporations have been built on many of these principles. The leaders at these corporations are hard-nosed businesspeople who work extremely hard while motivating their colleagues. The successful leaders have always been honorable. 

As much as Jain philosophy teaches us to be content, restrained, and compassionate, the Jain community is by and large a community of businesspeople and traders. The doctrine does not discourage householders from building successful professional careers of their choosing. However, they are urged to exert honest efforts to succeed in their business ventures. 

To successfully compete in today’s tough global environment, many corporations tend to compromise moral values in order to make quick progress. However, upon close examination the long-term winners possess many of the above mentioned esteemed values, even in today’s fiercely competitive corporate world.

For more information, please see chapters 7, 11, and 13 in An Introduction to Jain Philosophy.