Values‐based corporate governance and organization behavior – guidelines from Manusmriti for ethical and social responsibility

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of organization behavior based on the guidelines from Manusmriti, an ancient Indian law text. The paper also purports to provide guidelines from the text for values‐based corporate governance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper first develops an organizational behavior typology based on Manusmriti. The paper then provides guidelines for various aspects of values‐based corporate governance. Findings – The paper finds that the guidelines from Manusmriti are relevant in providing a holistic approach to corporate governance which promotes ethical and social idealism. Practical implications – The paper has practical implications to practitioners of corporate governance in terms of developing structures which promote ethical and socially responsible behavior. Originality/value – The originality of the paper is in deriving guidelines for values‐based corporate governance from Manusmriti.