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Chanakya Niti and Organizational Motivation: Insights from the Indian Knowledge Tradition
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Abstract
Despite extensive research, organizational motivational theories continued to emphasize intrinsic drive, individual agency, and value internalization. Content-based to process-based approaches are influenced by Western psychological paradigms. This kind of perspective holds limited explanatory power for organizational contexts characterized by hierarchy, material dependence, authority asymmetries, and institutional control. The study developed the theory of motivation in an organizational context through the lens of Chanakya Niti. Chanakya Niti, a classical Indian text associated with statecraft, was reinterpreted as a source of insights for motivated behavior in an organized system. Using interpretative textual analysis, the study identified four core mechanisms – material security (Artha), accountability and fear of loss (Bhaya), status and recognition (Mana), and the calibrated balance of reward and punishment (Danda-Anugraha). The Chanakyan theory conceptualizes motivation as a governed organizational outcome continuously produced and regulated through institutional design. By emphasizing governance, hierarchy, and realism, the study advanced Indian knowledge in organizational theory and extended motivation beyond humanistic approaches and individual-centric assumptions.
Keywords: Chanakya Niti, Organizational Theory, Motivation, Governance-Based Motivation, Indian Management Thought
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