Meeting Local Challenges for Creating Global Opportunities

We all are experiencing a new kind of global war against the local enemy. Proactive forces in this world have to learn one important thing --- respect for the roots. By properly gravitating to the roots the world can morph into one global economy (maybe prepared, thereafter, to meet the economic challenges of the universe!!). However, there are some immediate challenges. Please read this note (The Seven Challenges) that I have written for a much larger audience. I know it needs some refinement, but your feedback will help me strengthen the ideas further. Thanks.


THE SEVEN CHALLENGES
(Prepared by Dr. Kaushik Sahu for various target groups)

Dear All,
We have people with enormous experience from all walks of life in this e-group. I am sure you will understand what I am saying here and get prepared to meet future challenges in the Indian Organizations.

Challenge#1: CULTURAL CHANGES POST-LIBERALIZATION. Indian Organizations are faced with a harsh reality, that of transformation from a Hierarchical Structure to a Flat Structure. While the former left the decision making with the head, the latter promotes decentralization. Thus, while obedience was a virtue to be extolled in the hierarchical setup, result orientation became less of a priority. The head got used to saying "I" rather than "WE" (I did this.., I did that... etc.). (Question to us: Should we not change?)

Challenge#2: HOW TO MAKE HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATIONS MORE AGILE. This is one of the key challenges for the Management Scientists of India. Given the fact that the transformation from hierarchical to flat is not so rapid, what does one do in organizations where there is a distinctive absence of top management leadership? Surely, loyalty does not help when the organization starts getting hived off.
(Question to us: What should we do in the absence of top management leadership?)

Challenge#3: ARCHAIC CODES OF CONDUCT. Judging our judges. Who will do it? How? If one probes the codes one can tell how courts have become safe havens for people who do not want to encourage dissent. Note this: "Even truth cannot be used as a defense against contempt of court" (from the Big Fight dtd. 28.10.2001, ndtv.com, Star TV). In other words, even judges cannot point out the mistakes of the court. But then we find some silver lining as well, and social pressures are mounting to bring in some changes.
(Lesson for us: Let us review our own codes of conduct. Allow the young generation to question the status quo. Relinquish power and facilitate better coordination mechanisms. Encourage dissent. Discourage blind loyalty.)

Challenge#4: CREATING OPPORTUNITIES CLOSER TO THE ROOT. The American law does not allow jobs to be given to foreigners bypassing citizens who are competent for the same. However, because of some loopholes, corporate America was merrily surfing the waves that exposed the nation to tremendous threats culminating in the WTC disaster. Today the son of the American soil is rightfully supporting the Patriotic Act. Their Patriotic Law will be preserving the balance between security and liberties. However, things like detention and deportation of non-citizens and immigrants engaged in associational activities will bring frustration to many individuals working far away from home.
(Lesson/Question for us: Why not create opportunities for our children closer to our roots? Note the word "our".)

Challenge#5: BUILDING A STRONG ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE THAT CAN WITHSTAND TOUGH TIMES. It would be a good learning for many to study the organizational structure of the "Al Qaeda" network. It is designed to survive the holocaust. (In management lingo, "n-rootedness" gives it the ability to find alternative modes of survival).
(Question to us: Can good forces not re-think their own organization structures?)

Challenge#6: USE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD A STRONG NETWORK. Scientists from the Swiss Lab have given us the World Wide Web (watch out for their next revolution: "The Grid") that has shrunk the world into a global village. It has brought tremendous joy to many.
(Question for us: How to make the virtual space complement the physical space?)

Challenge#7: SEVERAL REDUNDANCIES OF OUR SOCIAL SYSTEM. One viewpoint suggests core changes at the grassroots level (say the family as an organization) to handle the challenges imposed on our country. That would mean learning the lessons and doing some soul searching by answering the questions above. That would lead us to highlighting the several redundancies of the Indian society. Without eliminating these redundancies we cannot compete globally.

I may not be physically present to spend time with you. But I am sure helping some of you while away your time thinking about my notes. If it is too much of a pain then please write to me separately. I will make sure not to include you in my distribution list. Thanks for your attention. (Please don’t forget to see the assignment below.)

Best wishes to all.............Kaushik (1 November 2001)

PS: Here is an assignment. [ ;-)..... That is me with a wink]
Take "X" as an organization and re-visit the challenges mentioned above. I don’t know how many have enrolled in this e-group, but I sure know that we can take the inputs from the various Politicians, Bureaucrats, Doctors, Technocrats, Business-Executives, Educationists, Consultants, Homemakers and Students that we know (I am living out the Tiny Tots. They will be our judges when they grow up. It depends what we can give them. Can we give them the American dream in our soil? Near our roots?)
NOTE: I have used the American dream as a benchmark worth achieving for all.


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