Introduction
In our globalized world, understanding diverse cultural attitudes and behaviors is crucial for business leaders (Tanneau and McLoughli, 2021). Amongst various dimensions associated with culture, one is the “concept of time and its interplay”. Every culture has a different relationship to time – the way people organize their time, behavior and activities. While working in a multicultural environment, this posits a big challenge (Lewis, 2013). Cultures around the world have a diametrically opposite approach to time, which is either polychronic or monochronic (Hall, 1984) and thus they may find it difficult to work with each other (Duranti and Di Prata, 2009). Therefore, managing these opposite behaviors have implications for leadership success.
There are many successful leaders who understand this scenario and design their approaches in accordance with it. One of such leaders is Srila Prabhupada from India. He knew that Hindu culture has the right balance of both ways of relating to time; the monochronic approach reflected in strict disciplines of tithi, muhurt etc and the polychronic ease based on cyclicity of time. This article draws lessons from Srila Prabhupada’s approach.
Research Question:
How was Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, able to lead his followers who were primarily monochronic?
What are monochronic and polychronic cultures?
There is a copious literature on cultural competence for global leaders (Senyshyn, 2002; Lewis, 2013; Paiuc, 2021). Hall (1983) was the first to describe the concepts of monochronic and polychronic. Later, Lewis offered his modified model of cultures (Lewis, 2013). “Polychronicity is a form of behavior wherein a person engages in two or more activities during the same block of time, while monochronicity occurs when a person engages in one activity at a time” (p. 269 Lindquist and Scarborough, 2007).
Monochronic cultures
The Anglo-Saxon, Germanic linguistic countries are prime examples of monochronic cultures (Nunez, et. al. 2007). The culture identifies with logic, facts, science-based truth based, and material comforts. This results in short-term relationships, efficiency, cleanliness, tidiness, probity, and safety (Lewis, 2013). They regard time as a commodity of value, where unpunctuality, excuses, and waiting are unacceptable. People are under constant pressure to meet deadlines (Duranti, G. & Di Prata, O., 2009). After hard work, as a release, they are tempted to the pleasure, excitement, cultures, food, and sounds of the polychronic countries (Lewis, 2013).
Polychronic cultures
Polychronic cultures do many things at a time. They largely allow unpunctuality, emotions, intuitions, feelings, flexible truth, loquacity, and the use of unrestrained body language (Lewis, 2013). One observes this in Mediterranean, South-American, African, and Asian cultures. Polychronic action occurs not because of conscious planning, but as a reaction to events (Duranti & Prata, 2009). Such cultures are less organized, change plans often and easily and consider the notion of waiting as normal. They are committed to people and interpersonal long-term relationships. They display more spontaneity and less process.
Srila Prabhupada’s Leadership Qualities
The actions and words of Srila Prabhupada give insights into his leadership qualities. Prabhupada was very serious about clarity, efficiency and organization. In one of his discourses with his followers, he said, “we have to be very organized! Very strict! We cannot deviate an inch… We cannot do (cultivate a worldwide mission) unless we are very organized and efficient” (Goswami, 2020). He clearly argued that both organization and efficiency were required for helping others and for the higher cause. Once while walking, Prabhupada and his followers saw a sign “Service is our business.” He immediately commented, “When the service is done with remuneration, that is material. When it is done…out of love, that is spiritual.” “Riding in the back seat, I felt inspired to hear Prabhupada’s definition of pure devotional service” (Goswami, 2020).
Once a group was protesting against ISKCON. Prabhupada’s response showed his quality of probity: “Do not agitate back… don’t cause a strain” (Goswami, 2020).
At the end of every letter Prabhupada wrote greetings such as “Your ever well-wisher”. These greetings pleasantly stunned his monochronic followers, who were accustomed to shorter relationships. This greeting was even a ‘beyond long-term relationship’.
Prabhupada was consistent about cleanliness and negligence. “Always keep to this high standard of Deity worship, never become neglectful. Everything must be done very timely, and the temple must be immaculately cleansed daily”. Safety (material and physical) is important characteristics of monochronic culture. Prabhupada went beyond this mundane concept and proposed, “Chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will always keep us safe and sound”; a concept that his followers had never heard of and which they wouldn’t have imagined. Monochron’s experience of maintaining schedules and time is very stressful, as they feel that they are the controllers of time. However, Prabhupada wrote, “He (God, Krishna) is the controller of this material nature and of all living entities. He is also the controller of inexhaustible time.” With statements like this, he removed the time-stress factor from his followers.
Prabhupada informed his followers “So one must be enthusiastic, one must be patient, one must be confident…and one must be very honest in dealing”. This changed the focus of his followers from the negative concept of waiting to the one full of positivity.
Prabhupada created a temple environment and culture which was both exotic and attractive with at least one festival per week, opulent and sanctified food (Prasadam), ecstatic music, singing, dancing, and colors. Prabhupada wrote, “Temple means festivals.” This idea overjoyed his followers. Prabhupada maintained “simple living and high thinking. We should think of Krishna without being hampered by material disturbances.” With this he could transform his followers’ thinking to a higher level.
Conclusion:
Srila Prabhupada added higher spiritual, yet exciting dimensions to the monochronic characteristics of cleanliness, efficiency, organization, probity and safety.
With the mantra of simple living and high thinking, he shifted the focus of gravity from temporary material comforts of the body, to permanent comforts and delight of the soul.
He turned the stressful concepts of time and waiting into something sublime and delightful, and polychronic attractions such as food, sound, colors, culture and environment turned into sources of transcendental pleasures and excitement. With his selfless actions and critical discourses, he brought enduring and unmitigated excitement, delight, inspiration, vision, meaning and purpose in the life of his followers.
He was one of the greatest role models for a person from polychronic cultures who wants to be a successful leader in a monochronic environment. Srila Prabhupada thus, manifested leadership qualities of how to lead successfully in a monochronic environment. It can be said that plurality of Hindu culture as expressed in monochronic and polychronic ways can help develop leadership style to suit a multicultural environment.
References
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Goswami, Satsvarupa Das (2020). “We have to be very organized! Very strict! We cannot deviate an inch!” Srila Prabhupada Lila
Hall, E. T. (1983). The dance of life: The other dimension of time. New York: Anchor Press.
Lewis, Richard, D. (2013). Monochromatic and Polychromatic Cultures
January 21st, 2013
Lindquist, Jay D. and Kaufman-Scarborough, Carol (2007). The Polychronic—Monochronic Tendency Model: PMTS scale development and validation. First Published September 1, 2007 Research Article
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