DEVELOPING VIRTUOUS PROFESSIONALS IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: THE THIRUKKURAL WAY

Abstract

The current study attempts to review and report the insights manifested among the teachings of ‘Thiruvalluvar’ in Thirukkural to be used in developing virtuous professionals in Human Resource Management (HRM), as they have to be virtuous essentially to manage people at work. Though authors and scholars have emphasized on various spiritual texts to get insights to develop virtuous professionals in HRM, the teachings in Thirukkural have not been utilized adequately. Therefore, the current study attempts to fill that lacuna in up to date literature providing practical insights for professionals to be virtuous in the said domain. This study is a qualitative content analysis. Thus, a narrative review of the section ‘Aram’ in Thirukkural, and key articles published critiquing the original text of Thirukkural was conducted. Being happy at work, result orientation than task orientation, dynamism, self-motivation, humility, truthfulness, empathy, and impartiality are found in Thirukkural as essential qualities to be improved within the self to be a virtuous professional. Further, according to the Thirukkural way, mindfulness in every decision and action is found to be the stamina of a virtuous professional. Hence, the Thirukkural way is recommended in keeping with other organizational and professional policies, to be adopted in developing virtuous professionals in HRM.