<div>Atul vaidya sat in a conference room before the interview panel at Wisdom Foods, stunned by their tone, manner and now what they were telling him. </div><div> </div><div>Atul was the head of supply chain at Artemis Retail Holdings whose CEO, Harish Vittal, had asked him to resign. Atul had tried to understand his reasons but Harish had dodged him offensively. Atul had begun to look for a change.</div><div> </div><div>The Wisdom Foods interview panel had just told Atul that they had checked back at Artemis; “It seems there is a financial discrepancy involving you...” the panel said. </div><div> </div><div>Hot under the collar, his heart pounding in unexpressed anger, Atul sat in his car, staring into space for a very long time, waiting for the waves of humiliation to die out. He was in no position to drive till then.<br /> </div><div>When he reached Artemis, Atul walked straight to the office of Rassal Baig, the HR head. </div><div> </div><div><strong>Atul:</strong> So, what is it, am I leaving or am I being sacked? And if I am being sacked, what is the reason? Ten days ago Harish told me I was not serving his purpose, I was inefficient... but now I have committed fraud? What is this! Please clear my name.</div><div> </div><div>When an agitated Atul had left his room, Rassal sat back to think. There was a very tiresome pattern evolving. A pattern with tiresome people doing tiresome things, thinking tiresome thoughts and speaking tiresome words. Harish was desperate, it seemed to him... What is the kind of person I am dealing with in Harish? What am I missing?</div><div> </div><div>Two days ago, Artemis President Madhur Bhaskar had just justified to Rassal that Atul had done a grave wrong two years ago. A wrong he had heard about after two years from a person who had been there all along carrying the story in his head and not choosing to share it with the organisation which had a right to know!</div><div> </div><div>Worse. Madhur had not asked Harish why he had chosen this glorious day to reveal a dark secret. What had happened to cause him to open a locked door after two whole years? </div><div> </div><div>Rassal had been very confused. He respected Madhur as a friend and President; but professionally, he was very confused. Madhur would not press for investigation by HR saying it was Harish’s call, leaving it to HR to drum up a script to tell Atul. </div><div> </div><div>Then a note arrived from Madhur’s office: “Going by the financial breaches, I stand by Harish’s decision to ask Atul to go. Please initiate modalities and complete this by end of week. But do tell Atul he must clear out today.”<br /> </div><div>Rassal called Madhur, wishing to appeal to his sense of fairplay. “Madhur, I am concerned about our attitude to systems and process.”<br /> </div><div><strong>Madhur: </strong>What process now, Rassal? It is a financial fraud!</div><div><strong>Rassal: </strong>Exactly. What do we know about the fraud? If your concern for money is so great, as you told me yesterday, how come you are not asking for facts? How far does this fraud go? Can one man perpetrate a fraud? If he can then it means our systems are faulty and it can happen again, isn’t that so? Madhur, there is a larger organisation to consider. If more people are involved in the fraud, then we need to know how far and wide the rot spreads.</div><div><strong>Madhur:</strong> Leave that to me. I will take care... I have heard you.<br /> </div><div>When Rassal returned from lunch, Thelma, his secretary, walked in and shutting the door, said, “News has got around that Atul has been sacked. Everyone is very disturbed and disbelieving for the rumours also say that he has been framed in a fraud...” </div><div> </div><div>Rassal was deeply upset. This is exactly what he feared would happen. </div><div> </div><div>Rassal felt pushed to the wall. Once it was everyone else; now his mind was chattering repeatedly, asking, “Why are you unable to do anything, Mr Baig?” Rassal was disturbed by the change he was sensing in his relationship with Madhur and Harish. Nay, in his estimate of the relationship.... The trust quotient was now going south. All too soon he was being forced to search his heart for many answers. That was when he called his coach and mentor Cyrus Aibara and asked for a meeting. </div><div> </div><div>Cut straight to meeting... </div><div><strong>Rassal (after briefing Aibara):</strong> I feel confused at many levels...I do not want to alienate the President, but this absence of proof is also bothering me. I am now questioning my own role, my capability... <br /> </div><div>I look after the quality of people who come in; hence, I am also responsible for knowing if anyone in the company is culpable of moral breach. If Atul has been penalised for something only two people are saying he has done, and there is no proof, how do I justify it? Not just to the employees but to myself as the head of HR?<br /> </div><div>Can the CEO sack a senior or other manager without any proof of misdemeanour? Is the CEO’s ego above probity? Madhur would like me to stop pressing for proof. My need for proof is not because I doubt Harish or Madhur; I ask for proof to document moves that HR makes. I have enjoyed working with Madhur and think well of him, but this time I am very confused, Mr Aibara.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Aibara:</strong> What is the real concern you have here? Why is it important for you to have the proof ? If you were the President, what would you tell Rassal the HR head about this situation?</div><div><strong>Rassal:</strong> I would first address Harish and say, Atul came to us from a good organisation, and you, Harish, brought him in as he is your friend. Hence you should know if he is capable of fraud! If not, how did you bring him into Artemis? I believe there is a fundamental DNA and that is unmistakeable... Then again, if this fraud was committed two years ago, why was there no sharing with HR or the President? This, I need to know. <br /> </div><div>Which brings me to your first question. My real concern is I fear there is a certain casualness to managing Artemis. Madhur’s ‘allow the CEO his ego...’ I felt was misplaced. I believe employee dignity rides far above the CEO’s ego, and if that ego must be respected then he must have a track record of respecting employees...<br /> </div><div><strong>Aibara:</strong> And there is not, such a track record? So, is your concern that the President should be more involved in the decision-making process and ask for proof?</div><div><strong>Rassal:</strong> On matters that impact organisational ethics, principles, processes, I feel the President should prevail in case the CEO commits breach. Here the CEO does not want to hand the case to HR as I have requested and the President feels I must not push too hard. </div><div><strong>Aibara:</strong> Do think, what might you say or do to influence the President to take more interest in this case? Why is this important to you?</div><div><strong>Rassal:</strong> Because it concerns fairplay. I feel Atul is being victimised because the CEO now has an agenda; a JV, then a new Ops head, and now a new designation for the Ops head. And this new guy comes from the same company with with Harish has plans to collaborate for developing store brands. ... they are all adding up too neatly! As for influencing the President, I tried to make him see that process was critical. That is the only ‘influencing’ that is relevant anyway... <br /> </div><div>See, in the beginning, not once did I doubt Harish. I was only startled that he made a change to the organisation structure when I was away for a week. If Madhur had placed process above the CEO’s ego, Artemis would be a better place...<br /> </div><div><strong>Aibara: </strong>You have been at Artemis some seven years, yes? In your experience of leadership in the past at Artemis, this “casual approach” is it apparent or a perception? Does is it happen across the board or only in certain quarters and in certain cases?</div><div><strong>Rassal:</strong> No... it’s apparent. By and large, we follow rules... I am beginning to see more of the casual approach with Harish. He is a high stakes player. Madhur trusts him immensely. Yes, he has done great work for Artemis... but this collaboration with Gevore... then hiring an ex-Gevore guy, then wanting to please him to get the Gevore tie-up... is unpleasant. Harish is driving his own agenda it seems... And all this, I feel, is tied to sacking Atul. It has angered me.</div><div><strong>Aibara:</strong> And generally people feel valued at Artemis?</div><div><strong>Rassal: </strong>I think so, yes.</div><div><strong>Aibara: </strong>Please tell me, what is it that you really want to achieve in this situation, Rassal? And why?</div><div>a) I want to know what is the fraud that Harish is alluding to. So many rumours, it is affecting everyday work. At Teffer, where I previously worked, there never would have been any room for hearsay. Even the tiniest discrepancy is documented, that is how Teffer USA will have it! <br /> </div><div>Ah, yes, and b) I want Atul’s dignity restored. I think he is a decent guy and he is just mild mannered, does not have the dandy that is common among B-school grads...</div><div> </div><div>Incidentally, Atul had an interview somewhere; and Harish botched it up. Look, I want Artemis to be an organisation that is clean in every respect... that really sums it up... You know, it is common knowledge that Madhur and I were at St Stephens together. So, there is an expectation that I should be able to probe with Madhur why Atul’s case was not investigated.</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://businessworld.in/news/case-studies/analysis-a-good-struggle/1575612/page-1.html" target="_blank">Read Analysis By A.V.K. Mohan</a><br /><a href="http://businessworld.in/news/case-studies/analysis-the-hubris-affliction/1575555/page-1.html" target="_blank">Read Analysis By </a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;"><a href="http://businessworld.in/news/case-studies/analysis-the-hubris-affliction/1575555/page-1.html" target="_blank">Matangi Gowrishankar</a></span></div><div> </div><div>break-page-break</div><div> </div><div>Aibara thought for a while, staring into the distance... if people in general felt valued at Artemis, then this situation did seem to be an aberration. <br /> </div><div><strong>Aibara: </strong>I recognise that you feel a loss of power — yet this matter seems to rankle because you feel a lack of fairplay. So, my question is: what are you willing to do to make things right? What options do you have to generate the conversations that really matter. Do you feel able to reverse the decision to sack Atul? </div><div><strong>Rassal:</strong> My recourse is to Harish and Madhur, that’s it. They run the business. I now wonder if HR really stands for very much in their scheme of things. Likely, it is just a hiring facility that ensures government rules, and a department where the broom closet is located so they can get rid of inconvenient managers.<br /> </div><div>Then, he cautioned himself and said, “What am I willing to do? I think I have exercised all options. But I thank you very much. I needed to be clear that I am not led by ego... You know how it is... Thank you, Mr Aibara. Our chat helped me a lot.”</div><div> </div><div>Rassal felt a great sense of clarity as he drove back to work. He switched on his mobile phone and saw a flurry of messages from Harish.</div><div> </div><div>Rassal called Thelma and told her to let Harish know he was returning in 35 minutes.</div><div> </div><div>As he entered, Atul met him to hand his tag and swipe key. It was not how Rassal wanted this to end... On the other side were 215 employees many of whom were asking him via e-mails, what did Atul do? In fact, they were asking him, how do we trust you? Who will take up for us?</div><div> </div><div>The chat with Aibara had sorted out his head. Rassal decided to appeal once again, albeit differently. He met with the CEO and the President in Madhur’s office. Harish was telling Madhur, “ This is not a school where you try and rebuild relationships. I know he has done it and I would rather you trusted my word than his.”</div><div><img alt="" height="413" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=064b68b4-bd7f-43f4-aefa-7e29cf99ce78&groupId=222861&t=1413295179447" width="600" /></div><div><strong>Rassal: </strong>Look , by all means we should ask Atul to leave if we are clear why we are doing so. But asking him to leave just because CEO and President concur may not be enough to establish fairness. It is not about Atul. It is about our brand, our reputation. Talent brand is hugely dependant on how we handle such situations. This is a great moment of truth. If Atul’s guilt is proven through a fair process of HR being involved and independent opinion provided by HR without any pressure, that will, in fact, make our brand strong; that no one including the head of supply chain is exempt from scrutiny when it comes to matters of integrity. But if it is not, then we will have a huge negative impact. <br /> </div><div>I am not challenging the facts of the case, I am challenging the process. Due process should have HR as a part of the enquiry process, as a third party. Sacking is akin to death penalty, and must be resorted only in the rarest of rare cases.</div><div> </div><div>May I suggest that we step back and take a collective call. Since you disagree with me, may I suggest we speak to a board member on this and take his view? I will respect the board’s decision as final.</div><div> </div><div>Madhur was taken aback. He did not expect this. “Isn’t that really too drastic a measure,” he asked.<br /> </div><div>Rassal looked at Harish and saw him laughing as he talked on his phone. What a curious situation it was! Harish would not reveal what had happened, Madhur would not compel him to file proof, yet Madhur wanted Atul to go with dignity and comfort (“Pay him all his dues and anything else he needs to be comfortable for three months”)! It was this trend in decision making that was bothering him.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Rassal: </strong>If he has committed a fraud, sack him, don’t give him the option to leave. But if you choose to let him go, are you right in stymieing Atul’s interview at Wisdom Foods? Without clear answers, I am extremely uncomfortable.<br /> </div><div>Rassal left the room to return to his office. He pondered over all that was going on. I can quit and be done with all this. But Artemis will remain valueless. I must be sensible...<br /> </div><div>Back in Madhur’s office, Harish was saying, “I thought Rassal was an old friend of yours and you could have his flexibility, in a way...”</div><div> </div><div>And just then, Rassal walked in and placed two letters on the table. “One is my resignation, the other is a letter I have written to Wisdom Foods clearing Atul’s name,” he told Madhur and Harish. “Here is the deal,” added Rassal. “I stay if:</div><div>a) You will validate my letter to Wisdom clearing Atul’s name.</div><div>b) Hereafter, no sacking, appointing or changeing the organisation structure without HR’s involvement.”<br /> </div><div>And tapping his resignation with his forefinger, he moved it closer to a startled Madhur. Then, he left.<br /> </div><div>Harish knew the choice was clear. if Rassal quit, speculation would be conclusive. Madhur’s protest hung loose; he had never expected Rassal to do this... </div><div><br /><a href="http://businessworld.in/news/case-studies/analysis-a-good-struggle/1575612/page-1.html" style="line-height: 15.3999996185303px;" target="_blank">Read Analysis By A.V.K. Mohan</a><br style="line-height: 15.3999996185303px;" /><a href="http://businessworld.in/news/case-studies/analysis-the-hubris-affliction/1575555/page-1.html" style="line-height: 15.3999996185303px;" target="_blank">Read Analysis By </a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;"><a href="http://businessworld.in/news/case-studies/analysis-the-hubris-affliction/1575555/page-1.html" target="_blank">Matangi Gowrishankar</a></span><br /> </div><div>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 03-11-2014)</div>
