JMVRI Issue Number 13 is a Special Issue on Maharishi Vedic Architecture, the traditional science and art of design and construction of buildings, towns, and cities in Maharishi Vedic Science derived from that aspect of the Vedic Literature called Sthāpatya Veda (स्थापत्यवेदः). This Special Issue explores the application of the knowledge contained in Sthāpatya Veda from the perspectives of the fundamental theory and principles of Vedic Architecture, urban resilience, and creativity. Three papers respectively, explore the theoretical foundations of Maharishi Vedic Architecture, introduce adverse effects of rapid urbanisation and how they can be corrected through Maharishi Vedic Architecture, and, examine the impact of Maharishi Vedic Architecture on workforce creativity. This Special Issue is a response to a series of collaborative exchanges among international experts in Maharishi Vāstu Architecture and celebrates the March 2020 launch of Maharishi Vāstu Alliance, formed under the auspices of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute.
JMVRI Issue Number 13
JMVRI Paper 13.3
Creativity and Workforce Development: A Preliminary Empirical Study of Maharishi Vedic Architecture
Authors: Anil Maheshwari & Margaret Rose P. Werd
This paper can be downloaded via the following link:
Citation: Maheshwari, A. K., & Werd, M. R. P. (2020). Creativity and workforce developments: A preliminary empirical study of Maharishi Vedic architecture. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 13, 113-137.
Summary:
Organisations are always looking for new ways to increase their strategic and competitive advantage. Such advantage not only increases shareholder value, but more importantly increases stakeholder value as well. Organisations often look to increase their advantage and hence their shareholder and stakeholder value, including their competitive performance, through innovation, programs of excellence, and the development of workforce creativity. This paper reports preliminary results from an investigation into the impact of Maharishi Vedic Architecture (MVA) on the creativity of a company’s workforce.
Conventional architecture has developed greater efficiency and environmental friendliness but often has not paid adequate attention to human health and well-being or to the well-being of society more generally. Moreover, architectural design typically does not consider factors such as the creativity or competitive performance of its occupants.
Maharishi Vedic Architecture is the adaptation of a holistic system of architecture derived from the ancient Vedic Literature, specifically from Sthāpatya Veda, by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as part of his revival of Vedic Science. Maharishi Vedic Architecture is primarily concerned with, and places particular importance on, human well-being and other more specific physiological and psychological benefits, including the success of its occupants. Such an approach to design seeks to enliven ‘wholeness’, while including green technology and natural materials in the process of aligning with the power of Natural Law and promoting greater health and success of individuals.
Early preliminary data indicate that direction of buildings and the head direction of individuals during sleep have a positive impact on the security of homes and health of individuals, and more recent large-scale empirical research on quality of life indicate that MVA impacts health, well-being and personal relations and that length of time living in MVA may increase these factors. However, research into the impact of MVA on creativity has until now been largely absent from the public record.
A technical consulting firm moved its office from a conventionally designed office building to an office building designed according to the principles of MVA in Maryland, USA. The company’s employees were tested on a standard measure of creativity using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) one month before and three months after moving into the MVA office building. This research found a significant improvement in the originality and depth of creative output of employees when they relocated to the MVA office building. These results suggest organisations can increase their strategic and competitive advantage by differentiating themselves for greater success through the generation of more original and innovative ideas by moving their workforce into spaces which have been designed according to the principles of MVA.