review

62 3D... IBA Journal of Management & Leadership

Metaphors and Social Analysis: New Indian Metaphors in Social Analytics

Subhash Sharma Indus Business Academy, Bangalore

3D... IBA JoUrNAl of MANAgEMENt & lEADErShIp Vol:12 n Issue:1 n July-December, 2020

In this paper we present some new metaphors for social analysis. In particular following three Indian metaphors (Western Windows Eastern Doors – WWED and other related writings) provide us some new ways of analyzing contemporary society both Western and Eastern: i. Economic Chapati making (WWED, p.56) ii. Coconut model of society (New Earth

Sastra, p.48) iii. Dialectical Chakra (WWED, p.56)

Metaphor I: Economic Chapati Making Economic chapati making uses the metaphor of chapati making to economic policies and management. It takes us beyond the rightist and leftist approaches to policy making as it suggests the proper allocation of resources for the benefit of the victims of market forces. Science and art of chapati making suggests that in order to make a proper chapati, proper movement in all four directions is needed. It implies both horizontal and vertical movements. Traditional thinking in Political and Economic thought is only

in terms of Rightist and Leftist approaches. These approaches ignore the vertical axis of Capillary action economics and Sustainability economics. Chapati making metaphor suggests to the policy makers a need for a holistic approach taking us beyond the rightist and leftist social discourse in Economics and Society. Fig. 1 presents the idea of economic chapati making in a diagram form. This metaphor also takes us beyond the growth vs equity debate (e.g. debate between Jagdish Bhagwati and Amartya Sen) by incorporating the vertical axis ideas represented by grassroots economics and sustainability and provides us a framework of ‘Holistic Economics’.

Sustainability Economics

Capillary Action Economics

Leftist Economics

Rightist Economics

63Vol:12 n Issue:1 n July-December, 2020

Sustainability

Soul

Grassroots Development

Soil

Equity

State

Growth

Market

Fig. 1: Economic Chapati Making Metaphor for Holistic Economics

Idea of economic chapati making also has a broader philosophical implication beyond Economics and Politics. It suggests that we need to go beyond the horizontal dialectics of Market (Right) and State (Left) that has dominated the social discourse by incorporating the vertical axis of Soil and Soul, advocated by Gandhi, as part of the social discourse. Fig.2 presents this interpretation of the chapati making metaphor.

Fig. 2: Chapati making Model of Social Discourse Metaphor

II: Coconut Model of Society

Coconut model of society takes us beyond the pyramid and flat models that have been advocated in social analytics. C.K. Prahlad argues for the Bottom of the Pyramid approach for the Corporates and Thomas Friedman suggests that ‘World is Flat’ because of the cyber revolution. In contrast to these two models, Coconut model recognizes the role of the middle class in shaping the society. This role is also represented by the shape of the coconut that bulges out in the middle.

Fig.3 presents these three world view about the nature of society.

World is Pyramid (C.K. Prahlad)

World is Coconut (Subhash Sharma)

World is Flat (Thomas Friedman)

(New Earth Sastra, Subhash Sharma, 2012, p.48)

Fig. 3: Three Models of Society

Metaphor III: Dialectical Chakras in Society Dialectical chakra implies a look at the society from the view point of multiple dialectics manifested through caste, class, culture, gender and other factors. Through various intensities of dialectics the ‘social chakras’ move and lead to ‘dialectical spirals’ in the society that at times take violent forms in the form of negergy (negative energy) spirals.

‘Action- Reaction cycles’ arise from ‘dialectical tensions’ and dialectical intensities in a society. Human history can be seen in terms of an unfolding of ‘action – reaction dynamics’

64 3D... IBA Journal of Management & Leadership

leading to unpredictability in the direction of change. This dynamics creates dialectical chakras and thereby negergy - synergy spirals with unpredictable consequences. Thereby it also facilitates ARIMA (Action – Reaction – Interaction – Mutual Adjustment) process in society. Deterministic models of history are inadequate in explaining these aspects of events in human history. ‘Theory’ of ‘dialectical tensions’ can be captured through the see-saw model of dialectical tensions and dialectical intensities. When dialectical tensions and dialectical intensities between two individuals, communities, nations, go out

of control, it has disastrous consequences. For example, racial riots, communal riots, wars etc. are indicative of dialectical tensions and dialectical intensities going out of control. In such situations, ‘actions and reactions make vectors change directions’. We can also see dialectical tensions and dialectical intensities in many forms in organization context. Role of an enlightened leader is to effectively manage dialectical tensions and dialectical intensities in organizations and society. See saw model of dialectical tensions going out of control is presented in Fig. 4.

See saw of dialectical tensions & dialectical intensities

Action-reaction dynamics

Dialectical chakra Negergy - synergy spirals

Fig. 4: See-saw Model of Dialectical Tension

In the context of an individual, synergy spirals can create ‘catapulting effect’ to the rise of an individual and negergy spirals lead to the fall. Both rise and fall phenomenon can be observed in case of individuals. Further synergy and negergy spirals also represent ‘whirlpools in the mind’. This has a number of implications for the field of Psychology.

Dialectical chakras in society also arise from dialectical swastikas representing the horizontal and vertical dialectics and ‘dialectical tensions’. As dialectical chakras move fast because of

dialectical intensities, negergy-synergy spirals emerge. Negergy spirals emerge when the dialectical swastika takes an anti-clockwise motion and synergy spiral emerges when swastika moves in clockwise direction. This process presented in Fig. 5 can be referred to as Swastika-Chakra-Spiral (SCS) process leading to economic, political and social changes in society. It may be indicated that because of social media, spirals lead to ‘viral impact’ of the events on the communities, society, nations and the world.

Synergy Spiral

Swastika Chakra Negergy Spiral

Viral Impact

Fig. 5: Swastika-Chakra-Spirals (SCS) Model of Social Change

SCS (Swastika-Chakra-Spiral) model can also be applied to the field of Economics. Demand supply curve is essentially a demand-supply swastika. It creates demand-supply chakra

arising from the high and low (hilo) dynamics representing the intensity of dialectics between demand and supply. This in turn leads to bloom or gloom spiral depending upon the nature of

65Vol:12 n Issue:1 n July-December, 2020

Boom Spiral

Gloom/Doom Spiral

Deman-Supply Swastika Deman-Supply Chakra

swastika rotation. Fig. 6 presents this dynamics arising from demand-supply swastika. This dynamics in turn can also set in motion other dialectical chakras in society leading to

non-controllable disorders and thereby new changes in the society. It may be indicated that behavior of stock markets can also be analyzed through ‘dialectical chakra’/ SCS model.

(Wisdom & Consciousness from the East, Subhash Sharma, 2013, p.166)

Fig. 6: Dialectical Swastika, Dialectical Chakra and Spirals in Market and Society

It may be indicated that SCS (Swastika, Chakra, Spirals) model also helps in explaining emergence of social movements and revolutions in modern society arising from dialectical intensities. Further, human history can also be viewed in terms of unfolding of swastikas and dialectical chakras through negergy (disorder) and synergy (order) spirals that we observe in societies across the world. History is essentially a record of events that created dialectical chakras of immense intensities influencing a society or nation. Thus, ‘dialectical chakra’ model represents a ‘General Theory of Society and Social Sciences’ as it has application across various social sciences such as Economics, Political science, Sociology, Psychology as well as History. It also has an equivalence in nature in creation of storms and tornados etc.

Three metaphors presented in above discussion viz. Economic Chapati making, Coconut model of society and Dialectical chakras have EPS (Economic, Political and Social) significance for a nation as well as for the world as they have implications for Economic policies, Political dynamics and Social harmony. In the age of globalization swastikas, chakras and spirals originating in one nation acquire a momentum of their own and influence other nations and the world because of global interconnectivity. Thus

impact of economic, political and social events in one nation can be felt across the globe as the ‘dialectical intensities’ get enhanced because of interconnectivity of various factors leading to a ‘viral impact’ across the globe.

Further Readings • Sharma Subhash, Management in New Age:

Western Windows Eastern Doors, New Age International Publishers, New Delhi, 1996.

• Sharma Subhash, New Mantras in Corporate Corridors: From Ancient Roots to Global Routes, New Age International Publishers, New Delhi, 2007.

• Sharma Subhash, New Earth Sastra: Towards Holistic Development & Management (HDM), IBA Publications, Bangalore, 2012.

• Sharma Subhash, Three Paradigms in Management: American, Japanese and Indian, International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 16(1), 30-41, 2013.

• Sharma Subhash, Wisdom & Consciousness from the East: Life, Living and Leadership, IBA Publications, Bangalore, 2013.

• Sharma Subhash, New Ideas in Strategic Thinking & Management: Towards A Knowledge Tree of New Age Mantras, New Age International Publishers, New Delhi, 2016.

Copyright of 3D: IBA Journal of Management & Leadership is the property of Indus Business Academy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.