Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri
The global IT revolution has been fuelled by homegrown geeks. In Ohio, the Wright State University College of Business and Administration gets renamed after an NRI businessman. Our B-school graduates are becoming global leaders. But here we are, still borrowing management ideas and economic theory from the West Management consultant Arindam Chaudhuri (Dean IIPM) questions the ineffectiveness of this in his Theory i Management' — and no prizes for guessing that the I stands for Indian. Theory ‘i’ is about developing India-centric management styles for managing Indians at the work place, and, says Arindam Chaudhuri, is born out of a current sense of crisis in the corporate environment A sample survey he conducted of about 3,000 people reveals that over 80 per cent of the Indian workforce is completely demotivated by the hire-and-fire attitude that companies have begun to follow.
This is what the research sample had to say: Indians value bonds, emotions and long-term relationships. We value growth opportunities and commitment Our cultural roots of tolerance often make us complacent Lack of patriotism and accountability at a macro level leaves us aimless.
"If there is no commitment from the company, then likewise, there is none from the employee. The absence of caring is affecting performance,"
Arindam Chaudhuri recommends the problem be addressed by an indigenous management style. The rationale: Americans are doing well with the contract culture. Since emotional security is not something that they grow up with, this management style motivates them to work harder. The Japanese, on the other hand, have concepts like lifetime employment because their culture believes in a strong sense of family and community ties. "IBM-USA was making losses while IBM-Japan was making profits. When IBM-USA tried to adopt the Japanese management style, their losses went up. What I am trying to say is that on one hand we harp about our culture while on the other we overlook it completely when it comes to managing our people," illustrates Arindam Chaudhuri.
A local solution to our problem would mean addressing the lack of people-focused leadership, which is creating a dehumanising effect "People have no guilt anymore. We are witnessing the complete criminalisation of society. If this is allowed to continue, it will become a way of life, says Arindam Chaudhuri. He carries the leadership debate to the macro level, suggesting that since growth for both the corporate sector and the economy in the long run depends upon the purchasing power of the people in the country, companies should actively support pro-poor policies in their own long-term business interest. "Companies must do more for the poor. Sony's Akio Morita had a 200-year-vision for the company, let Indian firms start with at least a 50-year vision," he says. Arindam Chaudhuri questions the role of industry bodies like the CII and FICCI in taking initiative in this regard. He points out that China attracts more FDI because their people have purchasing power. "The World Bank says that in the history of the world no other country has brought as many people (170 million) above the poverty line in the last 20 years."
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