Devi On Board
Once again she was asked if she was willing to provide her inputs to a survey on women directors on Boards. It was the umpteenth time she would be giving her inputs. Perhaps this time the flavor would be different. Perhaps this time the questions may be more innovative. Or perhaps the interviewer may just be someone more interesting for a conversation and not with a dead pan face, ticking the box on a topic that people don’t seem to get enough of. But unfortunately, there does not seem to be much moving the needle either.
The topic of bringing in more women to be part of the Boards at the helm of various listed, unlisted, private companies seems to have caught enough attention nationally and internationally. With legislations driving some of it and the intent or pressure driving the remaining. The question remains on whether the needle has moved enough or not. The answer is obvious- with data or even with simple observations of those who have the opportunity to interact at the Board level- No.
Often has the business case for diversity been made, and even more number of times has it been questioned. Data apart, the value women bring on the table is always questionable- especially because on one hand, the feminists believe in being treated at par and on the other there is the whole reality about highlighting the differences between what women bring which may in several ways be very different from what men may have brought so far. The question is whether the latter is something that is valued. Because unless it is, there is no point in driving the agenda of women, on Boards or otherwise.
Several folks in India, celebrate the festival of Navratri (the word literally translating into “Nine nights”) with much fanfare. It is a celebration of the Feminine Power (referred to as the “Devi”) which vanquishes the demons that are a bane for the universe. In fact, one can take a leaf from this festival to help understand the various skills or qualities women can bring to the table. The Devi is actually personified in various forms worshipped during this festival for the qualities she brings to our lives and the roles that she can play in the lives of humanity across its various aspects- reflected in organizations thus represented by the Corporate sector. After all, Corporate or otherwise, organizations are nothing bur groups of people, some believers in the divine feminine and some not.
Shilaputri (literally meaning the daughter of the mountain) is the one that embodies the peak of emotions. Yes, women are perceived to be more emotional in majority of cases relative to their male counterparts. Bringing more emotions to the way we deal with business decisions and matters related to the most important aspect for organizations – i.e. people- definitely leads to a much more rounded perspective for all those involved in taking or implementing the decisions.
Branhmacharini (or the one who walks in infinity) can be equated to that skill of rising above the clutter. It is about having the ability to not get stuck with small issues, but to take them into our stride and move on while looking at the bigger picture. Of course, a leadership trait, one would wonder why women would have more of it than men. The question is not about who has it more, the question is about bringing in those who so far have been assumed to perhaps not have enough of it!
Siddhidatri (or the one who gives skills) perhaps can be viewed as that power which brings fulfilment of that which may be viewed as a gap so far. Often in the conditioning that people have experienced in their professional lives it seems there is a specific way one needs to behave in a particular role. Rarely questioning the efficacy of the same and hardly reinventing oneself, this form of the Devi allows for fulfilment by driving towards that which may not have been tried so far.
Kushmanda – the one who represents creation of opportunity in every step, Katyayani – the one who dispassionately drives objectivity in decision-making when it is needed, etc. etc. Yes, Hindu mythology defines the Devi as personifying all that human kind requires in order to maintain the balance, and in order to be able to drive towards progress- growth, profits, et al. There are more forms of the Devi than one can enumerate by memory, but that exactly is what the feminine power is- unfathomable and limitless. Whatever level she resides in, she is assumed to imbibe these and several other qualities useful for the ecosystem that she influences.
Why then does it become so difficult for us, the worshippers of this Feminine Power to acknowledge the value and drive towards its inculcation into our professional spheres? The Devis were known to have vanquished the Demons in order for humanity to move on. Perhaps it is time to remind ourselves of roles played by the feminine from times of yore. Mythology may not be of interest to all, but it definitely is a reflection of a way of life and thinking which may be of much value in today’s times. Perhaps it is time to bring that which we believe in to sync with that which is our need, acknowledged or otherwise. Whether on Boards, at leadership positions or across levels of the organization, the feminine energies can bring a lot that may have been missed in driving value creation for enterprises striving to go higher, bigger and better! It is for the majority to believe in it.
Else, relegated to their original roles as the care takers of the hearth, we will, as a race perhaps continue to live without the benefits which could be ours, until of course the business case made by those who benefit in the absence of it, starts reluctantly skewing reality to a way which leaves them with no choice but to accept it!
