In search of a leaderless society

Consider this! A trail of ants heading in a particular direction is interrupted. What happens? A new trail begins from the point of interruption. You pick up the lead ant and put him at the end of the trail, or somewhere in the middle. What happens? They re-adjust, dress- up the order and continue. The next in the order assumes the lead. No questions asked, no answers given. Consider again! Waves breaking against the shores. The leader wave hits the land and gets subsumed followed by the next, the next and the next again. Which one of them is the leader? The question of leadership never arises in the nature. It’s the function that is important. If the function of the waves is to bring large volumes of water to the shores, so be it. There is never a doubt about who would carry out the task. i.e. every one does. Every element, every functional unit performs what is expected and the order of the nature continues unabated, whether it’s the waves, ants’ a formation of birds, winds or what have you.

Now look at the human angle. Plans, actions, execution, performance, appraisal, feedback, and the end result! Given the probability of two mutually independent events, Success or Failure. Success followed by celebrations and failure to accomplish, achieve, deliver, so on and so forth, responsibility fixing.

A closer look at the above statement brings home a valuable input. All human actions or most of them are driven by the object of a result. There is a degree of individuality, a selfishness in every human action. This is different from the degree of oneness which is otherwise manifest in naturally occurring phenomena. Whereas nature is inclusive in its approach such that the elemental functioning becomes ‘the driver’, the result is a convergence of all elemental functions put together. Since human functioning is not as selfless, it attempts to use the perceived weaknesses of co-performers as a means of self projection. While it is linked to the attainment of the result, it thrives in the non-attainment of it as well. The relationship between the result and the element is a one to one relationship to the extent of area of responsibility. Beyond which the element distances itself from the overall objective.

Why does it happen in the human world like this??There is an innate desire in humans to prove they are better than the other. The desire to control, the desire to exercise power over others or over situations, events etc. brings in a competition which becomes the driver. The desire to achieve become primary than the means used. Means become meaningless and consequently any of them can be deployed. They are mostly the harsher and damaging ones. Contrary to this, in nature competition is not the order of things beyond a certain stage. A very ordinary and crude example is that of a stray female dog in heat. There remains a certain degree of competition among the prospective stray males of the specie during the spotting stage which lasts a few days. Once the right one has been identified, others stay away and stray away.

This brings me to the talking point of this article. “A leaderless society”! What is that? A leaderless society is one where individuals, families, groups of people assume certain roles for themselves as felt appropriate and function towards performing those roles without being interfered with. (I will now refer these individuals as elements) It means, that every element elects itself for a certain role which that element considers appropriate and within its capability and capacity. This assessment of one’s capability and capacity is perhaps the best form of assessment because the element is expected to be the best judge of its limitations as well.?Nobody elects a leader, no one contests for elections, no false hopes and promises and no going back on assurances. There is no imposition of a leader since the roles assumed by individual elements are out of self appraisal. The format is based on personal satisfaction scale which is devised by the individual. The element then works to derive satisfaction, may upgrade or set a higher goal once initial satisfaction level is achieved. Since every element is functional in its own domain, there is no inter-domain competition. The competition is only within.?Depending on individual capacity and capability, some would assume more demanding roles, responsibility oriented ones, some would assume lesser depending upon what offers an individual element its desired satisfaction. Since the roles are of one’s choosing, there is no challenge, nor hatred, nor ill will.

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Role assumption for higher achievements as a measure of individual’s effectiveness in unfamiliar military situations is also used as a tool in talent identification in some military selection systems. But it stops at that. There the aim is to identify self-start type personalities who would assume challenging assignments in the event of military conflict and hopefully deliver victory. This happens with the application of certain psychological principles tailored to study behaviour under simulated conditions. But the author’s intent is not to raise an army. On the contrary it is to look for a self actuated, and evolved social class, a civil society which is responsible to itself about its own well being while remaining alive to and in sync with its environment. This can only happen when satisfaction of the self is derived out of one’s own functioning rather than an aped response. Much of today’s leadership is the result of aping. To the extent that even ‘Apes are gaping’ in wonder as to what has gone wrong with humans. But the way human development has taken place, (with due apologies to Darwin & other evolutionists) there are hardly any signs of evolution in them (Us to be more appropriate).

The larger objective of this article is to invoke and infuse among the readers a degree of concern about what we were intended to be by mother nature, what we have become, and to also give a thought to where we are heading.

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The author is a Naval Veteran, student of ‘Group Behaviour in Humans’, Counselor & Psychotherapist and a professor of Human Resources at Dayanand Sagar University, Bengaluru.