THE PARADOX : EXPECTING COCKROACHES TO METAMORPHOSE INTO ANTS OVERNIGHT
Its ironic indeed to expect our professionals who have spent 20+ years in the academic rat race to become team players overnight
We do and act as we have been taught and practised over long periods of time, not something contrary what our bosses and leaders or coaches and facilitators in our organisation tell us to do.
Organisation members therefore are more a cacophony of cockroaches rather than a colony of ants
Individualistic glory, Individualistic pursuits, outshining and out sprinting the competition is the staple we were fed with, since childhood...the only antidote being the stray team sport some of us may have pursued with passion. As youngsters growing up through the academic labyrinth in India, we were always set targets to shine individually by outwitting our classmates. Our pedagogy never focused on group learning, group assignments etc. while we were in school. Even though during our MBA we were required to make presentations on topics as part of a group, the focus still remained on individual brilliance rather than harnessing the exponential dividends of teamwork.
This may indeed be the root cause why many organisations are not able to create disproportionate value despite being layered with top talent.
The winning organisations are those who are able to induct laborious ants who have neurons are wired for teamwork rather than those who fall for flashy flyin' cockroaches who can create a mess by pulling each other down.
Torcad Limited, Etobicoke
1 个月I believe in Indian culture, Ants like approach could not be easily achieved. Even in 3 idiot movie, the professor (Virus) emphasis on to come first because no one recognized the second one. Team working approach in Indian society will never happened overnight since our education system has never taught us of its importance compared to western education system. I have never experienced any group activity or task given by my immediate manager in any company. It happened only in mandatory training even where everyone wants to prove himself as a best in his team. There are certain factors behind this: 1. Annual performance rating that engaged the employee to prove himself best among his colleagues. 2. Lack of transparency in one's department and the company. 3. Company itself promote this kind of culture. For example, company organized competition to make poster on safety week and who comes first, he would get reward rather than giving such activity to respective departments and give reward to winning department. Recognizing and transforming cockroaches (who creates toxic work culture in organization) and ants ( who believes in teamwork ) is difficult task and termination of them is the best solution of it.
Former General Manager HR at ONGC , writer & Author
1 个月Well described ! In team work always try to create win win situations for all!