Shift from 'People as a Resource' to 'People as a Source'

As we gather for another enriching People Matters TechHR India Conference this week, I am thrilled to meet many of you in Gurgaon on 3rd and 4th August to keep advancing our transformative journey in the People & Work space. For a decade, People Matters TechHR has been a space of collaboration, connection, and learning enabling the advancement of people and work practices. Your support has made this journey possible, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to each one of you. (You can see my short video about TechHR)

This year's theme, 'The Art of the Possible', calls upon us to break free from limiting beliefs and embrace innovation for a higher impact. It invites us to reimagine the way we approach our teams, organizations, and communities and recognize the untapped potential within each of us.

A few weeks ago, I attended the European Conscious Leaders Summit facilitated by Konstantin Mudrack , mansi jasuja ? ????? ????? , Xavier Farrés , Montse Mir Martin , Claudia Lepori , Hendrik Jan van Es , Tim Eaves , Laura Grassi , Stephen Karbaron - Speaker, Leadership, Communication Sebastian Ross and many other leaders associated with the conscious capitalism movement initiated by Prof. Raj Sisodia Author of 'Conscious Capitalism'.? There are multiple lessons from the event, and I will dedicate a newsletter to them, soon.

For today’s newsletter, I would like to share an instance that created deep clarity for me about the work we do at People Matters. Narrating the moment we are experiencing at an organizational level, Raj referred to the current organizational shift from people strategy as the shift from looking at 'people as resources' to understanding 'people as sources'.? Such a beautiful way to express something we have deeply understood and worked on for years.

At the core of this transition lies the realization that our teams are not "resources" to be "managed" or "monitored," but they are powerful "sources" of innovation, growth, and impact to our business and our society.

In the emerging system, people are not resources to be managed; they are powerful sources of innovation and impact.

Companies like Patagonia exemplify how organizations can prioritize purpose beyond profit and create positive change. Patagonia, quoted to be 'a cause disguised as a company,' quadrupled its revenue in the last decade while actively fighting consumerism.

Purpose-driven organizations like Patagonia prove that doing well by doing good is not just a slogan, but a reality we can all embrace.

For example, Patagonia’s provocative ad in the New York Times on Black Friday, Do Not Buy This Jacket, reminded people to buy only what they truly need. This itself led to the "recommerce" movement and worn wear segment that incentivizes customers to trade in old gear, not only promoting a sustainable planet but also expanding their loyal customer base to different price points.

Closer home, in India, Jaipur Rugs , founded by Nand Kishore Chaudhary (NKC) , known as the "Gandhi of the carpet industry," has impacted the lives of 40,000 rural artisans, with a focus on doubling their wages while increasing profitability. By putting the well-being of their artisans first, Jaipur Rugs has created a thriving business that serves a greater social purpose.

Nand Kishore Chaudhary was our keynote speaker at People Matters TechHR 2022 (read the story here)? and shared how by extending the value created in the community you can make tremendous social impact. “The more profit you make, the more social impact you will have,” he shared.?

These stories represent the emerging system that understands that businesses are a channel to improve our societies; they understand that people are "sources" of positive impact. In this system, people don't need controls, they don't need to be managed, and they don't need to be constrained by processes and policies.

In this journey, each of us plays a role in shaping a better world. Margaret Wheatley & Deborah Frieze from the Berkana Institute define the following roles.?

Pioneers are trailblazers who embrace uncertainty, experiment with the future, and create new paths, like Yvon Chouinard or Nand Kishore Chaudhary (NKC) in their contexts.

Hospice/Special care are leaders who compassionately attend to the decline of the old system, offering care and support during the transition, as the new system matures to become available to all, the special care looks at finding ways within the system to temporarily make things better and making the transition less painful.

Illuminators are the ones who shine a light on the efforts of pioneers, telling their stories and making the possibilities in the emerging system visible.

Protectors are the ones who use their power and influence in the old system to create spaces and opportunities for innovation and support the shift to healthier systems, working with pioneers, and illuminators to accelerate the shift to the emerging system.

I personally see People Matters work as a contributor to channelize the energy of this change. We identify and nurture the pioneers, we illuminate so others can get inspired and become aware of the possibilities. We have benefited from so much support form the protectors that continue to encourage us and make our work possible, and the more we grow the more deeper the impact we can have.?

At the conference, we will be inviting you to embrace the Art of the Possible and recognize your potential to contribute to this shift. We will welcome the leaders that are transforming our system and together we will accelerate our impact as a community. ? Dr. Shashi Tharoor , Author, Politician; Dave Ulrich Co-Founder & Principal, The RBL Group | Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business; Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic -Premuzic, Author & Chief Innovation Officer, 万宝盛华 ; Vineet Nayar , Former CEO HCL & Founder & Chairman, Sampark Foundation ; Brian Sommer, MBA , Founder & President, Techventive? ; Vijay Yalamanchili , CEO, Keka; C.K. Venkataraman Subramanyan , MD, Titan Company Limited ; Shraddhanjali Rao , Head HR, 谷歌 ; Dr. Ritu Anand ? ? Former Chief Leadership & Diversity Officer; Manas Human, Co-founder, Custodian of Entrepreneurship in the Organization, Nagarro ; atul satija , Founder & CEO, The/Nudge Institute ; Ankit Agarwal , Founder, Phool.co

As we celebrate a decade of impact through the People Matters TechHR community, let's come together to explore the possibilities, break free from the constraints from the past, and create a more inclusive, fair, and sustainable future.

As with every edition of the newsletter, we will love to hear your views too. What possibilities could we unlock if we stopped seeing our teams as resources and started recognizing them as powerful sources of creativity and growth??

See you all at People Matters TechHR India this week!