Winning Strategy

We can discern many management principles in the 3000 year old epic, Mahabharata.
The Pandavas were exiled for 13 years and had no kingdom; on the other hand, the Kauravas were in power for 13 years and the subjects did not really miss the Pandavas. Duryodhana was completely focused on the war but the three elder Pandavas were against going to war. The war lasted 18 days and on the night of the 18th, Aswatthama slaughtered the Pandava camp in sleep.
Despite all this, how did the Pandavas win the 18 day war?
Preparation: Karna went on a nationwide campaign and subdued many kingdoms. But it meant loss of a large number of army men and creating a lot of new enemies. Though in exile, the Pandavas used the time to improve their weak aspects. Arjuna went on a mission to acquire divyastras (special weapons). Bhima met his brother Hanuman and got his blessings for enhanced strength. Yudhishtira got wisdom from many rishis and also lessons in dice to become unbeatable in the game of dice.
Allies: The Kauravas had the greatest empire of the time, but with centralized controls. They did not have powerful allies except for relatives from far off kingdoms. In contrast, the Pandavas had no wealth or political power of their own but had powerful allies from all over India, mainly through marriages
Leadership: The Kauravas had a centralised leadership with one head of army at any one time, commanding 11 akshouhinis, one akshouhini consisting of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 65,610 horses and 1,09,350 foot-soldiers. But the Pandavas had a distributed leadership with seven commanders, each commanding one akshouhini.
Team spirit: The great Kaurava warriors fought their own personal wars. They did not gel well with each other. But the Pandavas were one team with one goal. They all had great respect for Krishna and Yudhishtira. They were all part of the decision making process, fighting a common war.
Individual motives: Except for Duryodhana, none of the other senior members wanted the war because of strong ties with the Pandavas. Bhishma & Drona would not kill the Pandavas. Shalya was uncle of Nakula and covertly helped the Pandavas. Karna had promised not to kill any of the Pandavas except Arjuna. In contrast, the Pandavas had a common goal and their individual goal was tied in with the team’s objective.
Commitment: Bhishma gave away the secret of how to kill him and would not fight Shikandi because of personal bias. Drona abandoned his weapon when he heard that his son was killed. Karna gave away his protective gear to prove his personal reputation for charity. On the other hand, in a suicidal mission, 16 year old Abhimanyu single handedly entered the Chakravuh and killed innumerable enemy soldiers. Even while dying, Ghatotkatch finished off almost half of opposition army. Yudhishtira did not stick to his personal principle of truth when he had to utter a lie for the good of his team.
Right managers: Krishna was the greatest crisis-manager ever. Yudhishtira was a low-key strategist. On the first day of the war, in the guise of seeking their blessing, he talked to the elders in the opposite side and had them unfold the secrets of defeating them.
The roots: The Kauravas were princes brought up in comfort and in romanticized ideas of power, fame, courage and valour without experience of ground realities. The Pandavas spent the greater part of their lives in poverty. They had contacts with various strata of society, different regions and different races of people like Rakshasas, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Nagas.
Empowerment of women: The Kauravas were of a patriarchal society where there were no women in decision-making. The Queen mother was confined to the inner chamber and nobody listened to her. The Pandavas were of a matriarchal society and the mother was the supreme authority. Draupadi had a big role in all decision-making.
So what we learn is:
· Turn your weaknesses into strengths
· Turn enemies into allies
· Share your responsibilities
· Teamwork scores over individual effort
· Right team means the right man for the right job
· Commitment scores over competence
· Put team interests over individual interests
· Know your opposition and challenges. Exploit its weaknesses. Take calculated risks
· Use the right managers to inspire, invigorate, counsel in crisis
· Know ground realities. Accept different ideologies. Cooperate
· Empower women.
- Condensed from “Mahabharata-A winning strategy”, a. pps slide presentation, author: anon.