Astrophysics or astrology is one subject several corporate managers are nowtaking recourse to, to unravel the mysteries that abound in the professionalworld. With the scientific nature of the subject gaining credence inprofessional circles, corporate organisations, though not openly, are indeedconsulting astrologers with respect to management matters.

Industrial design engineer-turned-astrologer Saurabh Kwatra says the subjectis particularly useful in the recruitment processes of companies.

``Technically skilled people seldom make good administrators. The mentalmake-up of these two types of people are fundamentally different, but thecommon recruitment methods fail to see these differences. Astrology caneasily identify the innate skills of people, and these findings may be ofuse to human resources managers,'' he says. Attitude reflects the characterof a corporate team and the organisation's success. Kwatra says thatastrology can inquire into the inner consciousness of people and identifytheir psychological disposition to work. ``The pilot error that caused therecent Eygpt Air crash is a clear indication of how a person's negativeattitude can be life-threatening and inimical to the employer's businessinterests. The pilot who caused the crash was technically sound, butmentally he was headed for disaster,'' says he.

``Astrology could have made a fair assessment of the mental health of thisperson and averted a tragedy. Reports say the pilot had made certainstatements some time earlier that were fatalistic. This was indeed the truecharacter of the person, which could have been highlighted by an astrologerat the very stage of recruitment,'' says Kwatra.

``Extreme religiosity is not suitable for risk-bearing activities. Peoplewith a strong religious bent of mind accept death quite easily,'' he says.Chinese business organisations are known to check the horoscopes of the keyplayers in business, he says. ``This comes out of their ancient concepts ofkuputra and suputra,'' says he. Suputras were those students a sage acceptedunder his tutelage because of the positive traits he saw in them. ``Some ofthese practices are still in vogue in China, Japan and Hong Kong,'' saysKwatra.

Positive thinking isn't the only psychological disposition that finds favourin the job market. ``Negative emotions are extremely useful in corporatelaw, particularly in matters of labour laws,'' he says.

Astrophysics is popular in the stock market circles worldwide. ``That'sbecause the astrocycles indicate the movement of stock prices ofcommodities. These are key inputs for professionals in the stock market,''he adds.

Astrology also provides the lead for identifying leadership qualities inpeople. ``There are two types of leaders: transactional andtransformational. Transactional leaders look at short-term goals and seekthe security of job and money, whereas transformational leaders seeklong-term goals and create the right ambience for the team members,'' heexplains.

Most people feel they are in the wrong job. Kwatra feels that astrology canhelp both the employer and the employees identify areas that are closer totheir individual interests. ``In the initial stage, the employer must talkto each of his employees in confidence. Maximum objectivity is called for inthis exercise. Thereafter, the inputs can be evaluated against a scale. Theastrologer can assist in the development of this points' scale. He can alsotell the employer whether the inputs provided by the employees are in tandemwith their actual individual thought processes. By merging HR practices withastrology, companies will be able to conduct their HRM in a more appropriatemanner,'' he says.

Kwatra says he has been approached by several corporate managers, seekingguidance in their professional pursuits. ``But now there are bigorganisations who are thinking of formalising the use of astrological inputsfor HR practices,'' he says.

Astrological charts are also used to study the health of businessorganisations. ``Inceptional charts cast at the time of the organisation candetermine the future course of the organisation. The birth chart of thefounder or current owner also play a role in determining the future of theorganisation,'' says Kwatra.