Indian managements need to create healthy work culture to spot many more Indra Nooyis !
Is their a story behind a story? Yes! there is. And let me present the other side of the story for Indian managements and managers. This is a new perspective that can promote healthy work culture. I would like to highlight what it takes in India for a professionally competent person to succeed in an organization. Small or big.
Indra Nooyi’s professional success is enviable, admirable and remarkably extra ordinary and that is why it is a good story that is inspiring for many who are ambitious and dreaming to occupy the top slot in the corporate world.
In case of Indra Nooyi, it became possible because the management who hired her saw her worth. Her potential talent. Her capabilities and competence. Not just this, but her company management also offered her scope to grow, totally on her professional merits. In other words, she was given an opportunity to prove her competence and offered higher positions as she went on proving her worth. Her management was professional and progressive in their outlook and only her professional merits were considered for higher placement in the corporate hierarchy by her company.
No other considerations, such as, she is Indian, she is a woman, she is an outsider, she is not American, she is still a junior, not even senior most in the rank, made any difference. The consideration was only one…. She is a competent and capable worker who is an asset to the company growth and so… must be promoted to the top slot for company fortunes to grow. That’s it. No politics, no gender discrimination, no color bias, no games. This is the real story.
This is a story behind the story of success.
I am comparing this with Indian managements, our Indian Managers, heads of departments and their approach, and attitudes. When it comes to many deserving candidates working in Indian set ups with lot of energy and enthusiasm, they feel disappointed with the real business world. The style of most of the managers in many organizations is seen utterly unprofessional. It does not give scope and space for competent, sincere and honest worker to work professionally. Most honest and competent professionals are frustrated with “Chamchas” around their bosses.
Sycophancy is liked by many seniors. Unfortunately, in many offices this is a prevailing work culture. Their bias attitudes in day to day working is a mental torture for many. Unfair and unjust treatment by superiors is a common feature. In worst cases, humiliating treatment is given to honest and simple minded staff who do not understand political games and the reasons. This work culture which is corrupt and immoral in every way creates unhealthy atmosphere in the office and discourages good workers to either leave the organization or work without any motivation. The result is utter frustration. It affects productivity and quality of work. Not only it stops here, but the employees in frustration carry this feelings when they go home and their personal life, family life, also suffers badly.
This is a major drawback of Indian managements barring may be few who are exceptions. Very few managers, who understand well, how human assets ought to be created in an organization, if business has to grow and grow exponentially. But I see them as isolated examples. ( I can say this with conviction because I have been talking to many young professionals who express their displeasure and disappointment over unhealthy work culture)
If Mr Narayan Murthy says...(who I respect a lot and I am certain, he too will agree with my views) “Love your job and don’t love your company” . I would say, it is well said with all sincerity, but it says a lot about our business culture. To me as a Management Expert, what is very vital for the company is its human resources. Human assets. People. If an employee thinks ” he should not love the company where he works”; to me, this feeling even for a minute is not a good for the company. It is doing more harm than good. On the company part, it is not a good image any company can afford to have. It is a failure on the part of HR management. And PR management. It is a result of Bad Public Relations with its own share holders.
Rather, the feeling must be, I love my company, because I love the place and people I work for, I take pride in my company philosophy, its mission, its product and services.
If this is not the thinking of every employee of the organization, its time we must re-think, re-structure our corporate philosophy and re-invent work culture that will induce an exceptional feeling of pride, job satisfaction and happiness in every employee. And I strongly feel, every professional management and professional manager must create such a work culture where talent is spotted, opportunity is given, space for personal growth is offered, that will make every working soul happy, fully satisfied and proud of being a part of the growing organization, that cares for him and his career and his future.
And then, an employee naturally will say…I love my company first and I love my job. I bet, You will find many Indra Nooyis in India. Everyone of us have to change our mindsets.
Think about this perspective for a change and adopt a new perspective.
Till then, In friendship with success
Ajay
Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Publisher
