Human Factor Analysis: Development Is Dynamic

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p><p align="justify"><span class='dropthecap'>H</span>ere is a great story about how managing for the present can be at the cost of foresight. There are two things that have occurred. First, a customer (Ken West) reserves the right to hand over their business to another organisation that is seen to have the greater capability. Second, there are clear rumblings from a customer on the delivery front. The two events have a common thread that of losing business (now or in future) as a result of customer dissatisfaction or even evolving customer needs. Both have acted in tandem to hit SysTech hard and that too when the overall global scenario is itself compressing business opportunity. <br /> <br />Context is ever changing. Needless to say, what we do under a given set of circumstances cannot be the same when the situation has evolved or morphed into something else. The advantages of price arbitrage can never remain. Early benefits last only for a short time. Some focus needs to be on the changing nature of things. Markets, technology, you name it, they are all rapidly evolving. The name of the game is anticipation without losing focus on the present, one cannot be at the cost of the other. In the absence of anticipatory thinking one is forced to look at the reality only after the event. Vital time may be lost. But what's new? Is that not the nature of things as we look all around us? The most glaring is our government which manages the past, not even the present! <br /> <br />The moment we enter the anticipatory space we get into approximations, the grey area. Perhaps it is a combination of some facts, some intuition, some conjecture and so on. Not all are comfortable with being in that space and therefore tend to move away from it perhaps towards a more conservative approach. However, does one really have the luxury of choosing whether to anticipate or not? I believe we have no choice because if we do not anticipate what was hitherto our strength can suddenly become our weakness. But at the point of ‘retooling' or ‘re-configuring' there is going to be a frustrating time perhaps full of a lot of inter personal differences and so on. The way these covert processes are handled will determine the strength that emerges and the manner of dealing with the anticipated situation.<br /> <br />Devdutt Behl, Head of Operations, says "When you are in the driver's seat running the show in a certain way for 10 years, and the winds suddenly change, what do you do? Steer in a different direction? No. No! You first try and stay the course. You try and figure out what is going wrong and how to keep the boat steady and deliver the same numbers quarter after quarter…" while there is some truth in this, do we need to adapt differently? Are there a set of things we can do which will better be able to cope with the changes taking place? There could be a tacit warning that something in the context is changing and we will have be mindful of these and determine the future course. The polarization is between those who try and maintain the responses that have worked in the past and those who believe that the responses have to change.<br /> <br />The second issue that is embedded in this case is not about anticipation and thinking about the best course for the future, but how are we managing even the present. SysTech's customers are not happy. Middle management is being held responsible by seniors. Looks a bit like passing the buck. Has complacency set in? How? What was the role of their managers? Did nobody see the writing on the wall? Can we even begin to look at the future when basic stuff in the present is not happening? This is perhaps a challenge – of dealing effectively with the present and simultaneously steering for the future.</p> <script type="text/javascript"> var intro = jQuery.trim(jQuery('#commenth4').text()) var page = jQuery.trim(jQuery('#storyPage').text()) if (page.indexOf(intro) < 0) { jQuery('#commenth4').attr('style', 'display:block;') } </script> <p><p align="justify">The discussion between the senior leaders of Systech is reminiscent of the six blind men who are trying to understand what the elephant really is, each is clearly on to some aspect of the truth but what they do to each other is not try and integrate and build from the separate perspectives. It seems more like "The way I see things is the only truth." The MD finally sums up in an over generalised way and suggests further talk, which doesn't seem to integrate and build a consolidated view. <br /> <br />Development is a dynamic process and needs to be recognised as such. Whether at a collective or an individual level, the context is ever evolving. What one needs to keep a focus on are the following if one is to be relevant and meaningful in future:</p><ul><li><div align="justify">Strengths may become weaknesses: SysTech had a large work force capable of handling the eventualities of earlier times. When technology requirements change those capabilities can suddenly become obsolete. Hardeep observes - "We are heavy on people; our middle level is the one which services projects, no doubt but 200 VPs and GMs? Look at the mix; For every good manager we have three that are not so good. It worked earlier because our ‘3' were cheap and expectations were lower and we wanted to always have extras in case of sudden jobs…" The danger is to believe that once a strength always a strength.<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">Flaws may suddenly matter: The ‘bulky' middle management now suddenly feels heavy and begins to make its presence felt in a negative way. And, as Tarik says of the caterer, "their whole system is based on low cost resources who are not great on quality or drive." These flaws perhaps could be easily overlooked in the past, but over time they cannot be swept under the carpet and need to be addressed, albeit belatedly.<br /> </div></li><li><div align="justify">Current strengths can be less important for the future: SysTech needs to anticipate how their client needs are evolving. Indeed they have to know their customer inside out. Only if they are able to read the signs will the recognition develop that we in the organization do not currently have the capability of delivering their clients evolving need.</div></li><li><div align="justify">New skills may be required: Consequently the search will need to start for obtaining the requisite skills. From this point of view learning — consolidation — relearning is an evolving spiral. The moment one begins to think otherwise, that what got us here will get us there, trouble can be round the corner.<br /><br />Therefore, with great humility one needs to be able to see what is going on and what the response may need to be for the future. Not to be aware could mean the difference between survival and oblivion.<br /> <br /><em>Kaushik is an independent consultant. His focus is on individual and organisation development. He can be reached on </em><a href="mailto:kaushikgopal01@gmail.com"><em>kaushikgopal01@gmail.com</em></a> <br /></div></li></ul></p> <script type="text/javascript"> var intro = jQuery.trim(jQuery('#commenth4').text()) var page = jQuery.trim(jQuery('#storyPage').text()) if (page.indexOf(intro) < 0) { jQuery('#commenth4').attr('style', 'display:block;') } </script>