Posted in Management Lessons, tagged Book, Conflicts, Leadership, Management, Resolving, Work Culture on November 23, 2019| Leave a Comment »
An executive fighting his boss
– when he feels the top dog is wrong – is a good sign.
Executives fighting between themselves in the boss’ presence is also the sure sign of a healthy work culture.
Seniors airing their difference of opinion or berating their colleagues is an unhealthy sign.
We all remember the fable of a monkey which mediated between two warring cats and gobbled up the entire piece of cheese at hand.
(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)
Posted in The European Diaries, tagged Freedom, Inclusivity, India, Norway, Poetry, Rabindranath Tagore, Values, Work Culture on May 16, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Here is a country where the mind is without fear
And the head is held high
Where knowledge to children and youth is virtually free
And those distressed by the world are welcomed with open arms;
Where the definition of nationalism implies inclusivity
Fine arts of all countries and cultures are welcome
If narrow domestic walls exist, these are only to protect national interests
Where respect for the law of the land reigns supreme;
Where gender equity and diversity is not a mere slogan
The care offered to the elderly is exemplary
Some wish the taxes to be lower but realize the money is well spent
In many ways does it serve and comfort the citizens;
Where human endeavour aims to attain perfection
Words come out from an inner conviction
Gentle, helpful, physically active and resilient
Following a work culture which deserves to be aped;
Where one can encounter the true…
View original post 51 more words
Posted in The European Diaries, tagged Freedom, Inclusivity, India, Norway, Poetry, Rabindranath Tagore, Values, Work Culture on August 22, 2018| 2 Comments »
Here is a country where the mind is without fear
And the head is held high
Where knowledge to children and youth is virtually free
And those distressed by the world are welcomed with open arms;
Where the definition of nationalism implies inclusivity
Fine arts of all countries and cultures are welcome
If narrow domestic walls exist, these are only to protect national interests
Where respect for the law of the land reigns supreme;
Where gender equity and diversity is not a mere slogan
The care offered to the elderly is exemplary
Some wish the taxes to be lower but realize the money is well spent
In many ways does it serve and comfort the citizens;
Where human endeavour aims to attain perfection
Words come out from an inner conviction
Gentle, helpful, physically active and resilient
Following a work culture which deserves to be aped;
Where one can encounter the true gifts of nature
Clean air, pristine water, lakes and streams
One amongst which is the clear stream of reason
Leading to ever-widening thought and action;
Into this heaven of freedom, I wish this country to remain.
(Inspired by the famous poem ‘Where the mind is without fear…’ by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore)
Posted in Management Lessons, tagged Book, Conflicts, Leadership, Management, Resolving, Work Culture on April 13, 2017| 1 Comment »
An executive fighting his boss
– when he feels the top dog is wrong – is a good sign.
Executives fighting between themselves in the boss’ presence is also the sure sign of a healthy work culture.
Seniors airing their difference of opinion or berating their colleagues is an unhealthy sign.
We all remember the fable of a monkey which mediated between two warring cats and gobbled up the entire piece of cheese at hand.
(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)
Posted in Management Lessons, tagged Fairness, informal organization, meritocracy, Minimizing Office Politics, Political Quotient, Transparent work culture, underground cable connections, Work Culture on June 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »
How does one stem office politics? Ask a manager who has benefited from such politics, and he or she would be loath to even accept it exists. Prod someone who has lost out on that coveted promotion to the corner office and he (or she) would be spouting venom and making out a strong case for the degradation in company values, the way in which nepotism rules the roost and how unfair life in general is.
Smart leaders would nip office politics in the bud. This is how they go about doing it.
Minimizing one-to-one interactions
When discussing a problem which involves several team members, a smart leader would encourage an open dialogue, with all stakeholders present. He would have a patient ear for the extrovert and aggressive ones who have a view on everything. He would ensure that by gentle persuasion, the less vocal ones also come out with their view on the subject.
Maintaining an open and transparent working culture would enable the team members to be more objective, thereby cracking their targets more effectively. Corner stand-alone meetings would only get tongues wagging all over, diluting the team`s effectiveness.
Prompt and open redressal
Rather than allowing things to keep simmering for long, it makes sense to confront the issue and call the bluff of the mischief mongers. The earlier it is done, the better it is for the eventual fate of the project at hand.
In large bureaucratic organizations, a rumour which keeps circulating for a few months often tends to become a reality. This has two clear disadvantages. First, the surprise element goes missing, thereby impacting the enthusiasm with which the implementation takes place. Second, cliques get formed based on perceived likes and dislikes of the top bosses involved, thereby vitiating the working culture.
Selective use of underground cable connections
Informal structures and groups are invariably more effective than the formal ones. Smart leaders take advantage of such informal groupings and communication channels to clean up the political mess. Team members who try to earn brownie points with the boss by reporting juicy gossips at frequent intervals get discouraged, whereas those who have solid data and clinching evidence to share in an open forum get all the encouragement they deserve.
Transparent policies help
Organizations which keep tweaking policies to suit specific individuals or groups end up suffering in the long run. Employees loath the absence of a level playing field and eventually seek greener pastures elsewhere. Even after parting company, they tend to become negative ambassadors of the organization, thereby holding back potential employees from showing up at the HR outpost.
Being fair and lovely
A leader who maintains equipoise and is widely perceived to be fair enables a cleaner work culture. He or she does not discriminate between team members based on their race, caste, creed or sex and ends up creating a strong meritocracy based set up. Such attributes and behavioral norms cascade down the hierarchy, thereby improving the overall performance of the organization.
All said and done, only the foolhardy would chase the utopia of creating an organization totally devoid of any kind of politics. A healthy dose of stem cell therapy is therefore necessary to keep the political quotient below tolerable and at healthy levels.
ashokbhatia 