When I started my professional career I believed that hard work and integrity are some of the few critical qualities for growth in any organization . But if I look back now at my professional career serving the Indian as well as the global organizations, I find that the most fitting & universally perceived mantra for corporate success by some of the employees is to “suck up” to one’s superiors, to say the convenient things, to appease and please them lest they give them a meagre salary increment or overlook them for that next promotion .This tribe of employees are willfully ready to sacrifice their soul trying to appease or grab the next available opportunity to prove their worth to their superiors. This behavior can be explained if seen through the eyes of employees being goal oriented whether professional or sometimes personal , but I reckon this phenomenon may have a lot to do with our country’s chequered past .
The grandeur of Indian civilization
What we need to understand is that unlike most of the countries in the west and elsewhere, our nation is part of an old and continuing civilization, it has a history , its present culture is rooted in its values and a gloried past. Our way of life has a scientific and spiritual dimension to it and is not merely an imported concept from elsewhere.
In fact, India has always been the source of knowledge to the world since recorded history thru early medieval times. Its contributions in areas like architecture, science, mathematics, literature, philosophy and on and on has remained unparalleled largely acknowledged by scholars and scientists globally. Some of the earliest architectural feats in the form of Hindu temples of Thanjavur & Mahabalipuram in India to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia and other temples in Bali, Indonesia bears a perfect testimony to our sophisticated and golden past .
Indian universities like Takshila and Nalanda were akin to some of the ivy league universities of today like Harvard or Princeton as they were considered prestigious centers of higher education that attracted the cream of foreign students from Eurasia .In fact Nalanda University attracted scholars from different parts of the country as well as world. The Chinese scholars I-Qing and Xuan Zang who visited Nalanda in the 7th century have given vivid accounts of the discourses which happened on a daily basis, primarily through the methods of debate and discussions which was the considered an effective method for their quest for knowledge during this period .^1
The 8th century AD Indian philosopher & theologian Shankara ( also known as Adi Shankaracharya ) attempted to unite the fragmented land of India at the time through his famously revered debating methods covering the topics around philosophy, poetry and pilgrimage . He’d win over his spiritual opponents by challenging them , understanding their perspectives and responding with logic and merit ! Some of the events and teachings in Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic which still holds relevance today in our lives, is filled with provocative and uniquely disruptive concepts that are antithetical to the convenient human thought of today . It presents ideas which in today’s parlance could be considered so confrontational and rebellious that it keeps one wondering how the inheritors of such a civilization today are so complacent, risk averse, disoriented and unwilling to fight for a cause , both in their social as well as in the work life.
In the last century , Steve Jobs challenged the way people used computers and phones, he radically shifted the perception of a computing machine to a desirable object . Which is why people line up outside Apple stores to buy their newly launched products in spite of hefty price tags . The transformation of the global automotive industry led by the industry’s efforts to mitigate effects of Climate Change and the way the hegemony of fossil fuel powered vehicles have been challenged by the recent popularity of electric vehicles , or the way mainstream on-premise computing has been challenged by the scalability & accessibility of cloud computing which is radically transforming the business processes of thousands of companies , are some of the other examples where the incumbent business models have been challenged already by disruptive forces .
Why Employees do not stand up to their corporate masters
It takes courage to stand up to any incumbent leadership or challenge the efficacy of an existing business model or an organizational culture. If there is some merit in analyzing the latest trends mentioned above, challenging and creating controversy is required to achieve greater impact and realizing some of the greatest industry transformations. But in spite of this employees do not stand up and say the “Right’ thing ? Sadly, as we learnt through the written records that, though India once known for its debating tradition and using it as an effective tool for learning and knowledge dissemination, it has been very conveniently dispensed with in present times. Its history of colonization by foreign powers completely transformed its culture, its belief system and most importantly its way of life. Through numerous tomes and treatises we learn about the loot and plunder of its wealth by various invaders and colonizers either by use of force or by manipulation & guile. Though India attained freedom in the mid-20th century, this colonial era left an indelible mark on people’s minds which still shapes their behavior and ideology both in public and private life. The 'Mai Baap' culture as an aftermath of the colonial Raj has deeply scarred the Indian society. We are too eager to please ‘others’ than say the right things, making us more or less ‘Escapists’ than “Challengers’ , ‘risk averse’ than ‘risk takers’. We’re too micro-optimized to make our own lives comfortable at the cost of undermining our culture, values and principles. This might closely explain to a certain extent why people in the corporate world easily crumble under the weight of social and peer pressures to give in and conform to their superiors . They do not want to challenge anything which appears powerful as they see it as a threat to their little comfortable corporate lives, or their well-guarded public image or sometimes fear of reprisals. They easily consider a battle ‘lost’ without even trying. Because years of slavery & subjugation have taught us that challenging our superiors would create controversy and controversy can lead to punishment and in an ideal world punishment is best avoided.I strongly believe that contrarian and dissenting views should be rewarded NOT punished. But contrary to my belief , we are seeing that , even with all our history and troubled past if at all few people with contrarian views muster up courage and stand up for the ‘right’ thing they are either punished heavily or blatantly ostracized . Idioms like “My way or the Highway” Or “ Boss is always right” have inadvertently entered the corporate lexicon not without a reason and are fluidly used because employees have allowed themselves to get subjugated by their superiors .Corporations too encourage transformational initiatives to the point where it does not challenge the status quo or the convenient zones that the executives have built around them . Mostly they remain a matter of appearing ‘too cool’ in the eyes of fellow employees or in the public domain. In some cultures ,when confronted , the incumbents and influential people within an organization can form a clique and hence operate like a single unit since they do not want to get challenged or be told the 'right' thing .And if some employee(s) do speak up either they are blatantly ignored or detested or taken to task within the bounds of organization's policies .An organization with a toxic culture may find ways & means to reprimand an "outspoken" or a ‘whistleblower’ employee which mostly explains the reason for the employees' convenient silence! Largely employees would not risk their jobs to defend their uniquely radical and provocative themed point of views. The fear of losing their jobs or impeding their career takes over their hearts and minds. As the famous Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthy once said that " One is never afraid of the unknown ; one is afraid of the known coming to an end ! " Needless to underline the importance of the “known” here !
This hypocrisy to say the “convenient” things , to not create a controversy and remain popular in the eyes of the superiors only builds conformity and linear thinking , but it also hampers the development and refinement of the human spirit .
But sadly even employees have learnt to stay on the sunny side of things. They’ve learnt the art to exploit the vagaries of the corporate world and make things work in their favor . They also know that grabbing eyeballs are more important than achieving something on the back of hard work and integrity , that in today’s corporate world charisma outshines competence in most of the cases . In a research it has been studied that irrelevant attributes such as employees’ attractiveness, his physique, skin color, height etc in reality makes him more relevant in the corporate world and very likely to help him advance his career faster than his peers. This is noteworthy as notwithstanding a raft of research by management schools , it is very clear how easy it is to influence people in the corporate world . ^2
Conclusion
In fact, India has always been the source of knowledge to the world since recorded history thru early medieval times. Its contributions in areas like architecture, science, mathematics, literature, philosophy and on and on has remained unparalleled largely acknowledged by scholars and scientists globally. Some of the earliest architectural feats in the form of Hindu temples of Thanjavur & Mahabalipuram in India to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia and other temples in Bali, Indonesia bears a perfect testimony to our sophisticated and golden past .
Indian universities like Takshila and Nalanda were akin to some of the ivy league universities of today like Harvard or Princeton as they were considered prestigious centers of higher education that attracted the cream of foreign students from Eurasia .In fact Nalanda University attracted scholars from different parts of the country as well as world. The Chinese scholars I-Qing and Xuan Zang who visited Nalanda in the 7th century have given vivid accounts of the discourses which happened on a daily basis, primarily through the methods of debate and discussions which was the considered an effective method for their quest for knowledge during this period .^1
The 8th century AD Indian philosopher & theologian Shankara ( also known as Adi Shankaracharya ) attempted to unite the fragmented land of India at the time through his famously revered debating methods covering the topics around philosophy, poetry and pilgrimage . He’d win over his spiritual opponents by challenging them , understanding their perspectives and responding with logic and merit ! Some of the events and teachings in Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic which still holds relevance today in our lives, is filled with provocative and uniquely disruptive concepts that are antithetical to the convenient human thought of today . It presents ideas which in today’s parlance could be considered so confrontational and rebellious that it keeps one wondering how the inheritors of such a civilization today are so complacent, risk averse, disoriented and unwilling to fight for a cause , both in their social as well as in the work life.
In the last century , Steve Jobs challenged the way people used computers and phones, he radically shifted the perception of a computing machine to a desirable object . Which is why people line up outside Apple stores to buy their newly launched products in spite of hefty price tags . The transformation of the global automotive industry led by the industry’s efforts to mitigate effects of Climate Change and the way the hegemony of fossil fuel powered vehicles have been challenged by the recent popularity of electric vehicles , or the way mainstream on-premise computing has been challenged by the scalability & accessibility of cloud computing which is radically transforming the business processes of thousands of companies , are some of the other examples where the incumbent business models have been challenged already by disruptive forces .
Why Employees do not stand up to their corporate masters
It takes courage to stand up to any incumbent leadership or challenge the efficacy of an existing business model or an organizational culture. If there is some merit in analyzing the latest trends mentioned above, challenging and creating controversy is required to achieve greater impact and realizing some of the greatest industry transformations. But in spite of this employees do not stand up and say the “Right’ thing ? Sadly, as we learnt through the written records that, though India once known for its debating tradition and using it as an effective tool for learning and knowledge dissemination, it has been very conveniently dispensed with in present times. Its history of colonization by foreign powers completely transformed its culture, its belief system and most importantly its way of life. Through numerous tomes and treatises we learn about the loot and plunder of its wealth by various invaders and colonizers either by use of force or by manipulation & guile. Though India attained freedom in the mid-20th century, this colonial era left an indelible mark on people’s minds which still shapes their behavior and ideology both in public and private life. The 'Mai Baap' culture as an aftermath of the colonial Raj has deeply scarred the Indian society. We are too eager to please ‘others’ than say the right things, making us more or less ‘Escapists’ than “Challengers’ , ‘risk averse’ than ‘risk takers’. We’re too micro-optimized to make our own lives comfortable at the cost of undermining our culture, values and principles. This might closely explain to a certain extent why people in the corporate world easily crumble under the weight of social and peer pressures to give in and conform to their superiors . They do not want to challenge anything which appears powerful as they see it as a threat to their little comfortable corporate lives, or their well-guarded public image or sometimes fear of reprisals. They easily consider a battle ‘lost’ without even trying. Because years of slavery & subjugation have taught us that challenging our superiors would create controversy and controversy can lead to punishment and in an ideal world punishment is best avoided.I strongly believe that contrarian and dissenting views should be rewarded NOT punished. But contrary to my belief , we are seeing that , even with all our history and troubled past if at all few people with contrarian views muster up courage and stand up for the ‘right’ thing they are either punished heavily or blatantly ostracized . Idioms like “My way or the Highway” Or “ Boss is always right” have inadvertently entered the corporate lexicon not without a reason and are fluidly used because employees have allowed themselves to get subjugated by their superiors .Corporations too encourage transformational initiatives to the point where it does not challenge the status quo or the convenient zones that the executives have built around them . Mostly they remain a matter of appearing ‘too cool’ in the eyes of fellow employees or in the public domain. In some cultures ,when confronted , the incumbents and influential people within an organization can form a clique and hence operate like a single unit since they do not want to get challenged or be told the 'right' thing .And if some employee(s) do speak up either they are blatantly ignored or detested or taken to task within the bounds of organization's policies .An organization with a toxic culture may find ways & means to reprimand an "outspoken" or a ‘whistleblower’ employee which mostly explains the reason for the employees' convenient silence! Largely employees would not risk their jobs to defend their uniquely radical and provocative themed point of views. The fear of losing their jobs or impeding their career takes over their hearts and minds. As the famous Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthy once said that " One is never afraid of the unknown ; one is afraid of the known coming to an end ! " Needless to underline the importance of the “known” here !
This hypocrisy to say the “convenient” things , to not create a controversy and remain popular in the eyes of the superiors only builds conformity and linear thinking , but it also hampers the development and refinement of the human spirit .
But sadly even employees have learnt to stay on the sunny side of things. They’ve learnt the art to exploit the vagaries of the corporate world and make things work in their favor . They also know that grabbing eyeballs are more important than achieving something on the back of hard work and integrity , that in today’s corporate world charisma outshines competence in most of the cases . In a research it has been studied that irrelevant attributes such as employees’ attractiveness, his physique, skin color, height etc in reality makes him more relevant in the corporate world and very likely to help him advance his career faster than his peers. This is noteworthy as notwithstanding a raft of research by management schools , it is very clear how easy it is to influence people in the corporate world . ^2
Conclusion
Employees are not expected to be undaunted rebels , challenging their corporate masters and treating them the way revolutionaries in the past have treated dictatorial and autocratic forms of govt in a coup d’etat or people’s revolution. But it is very important that they feel safe to stand up and defend their values , their point of views , stand up against any malpractice or discrimination at workplace. As shared previously , India achieved excellence in various fields like architecture , sculpture, literature in the early medieval period as it was free from any existential threat posed by foreign colonizers and enemies . There was no risk to its culture or identity and as a result this period filled with creativity ,imagination & ingenuity led people to create some remarkable works in myriad fields . Though History cannot be rewritten and we cannot obliterate our past , but the learnings can be adopted mainly in the corporate world . They should reflect on this phenomenon and human behavior to provide an environment to their employees free from any reprisal threats or retribution. It is important to understand the value of freethinking and an unfettered mind , a mind which is not engulfed by fear or colonized ideologically or intellectually . Only then , they would be able to foster a culture of creativity and prepare their employees to embrace challenges in the wake of any unforeseen or natural adversities . Courageous employees should be given comfort levels and encouraged to voice their dissent as they can come up with innovative business strategies or creative solutions to various problems. The freedom, frankness and fearlessness of employees should receive an honest pat and rewarded accordingly. It’s the employees who should be at the heart of any organization, any brand or a business conglomerate and not physical offices , digital assets or manufacturing set ups . It’s employees who can drive passion , they are the ones who can inspire and crystal ball gaze to prepare an organization for the future, they are the ones who can build shareholder value on stock exchange and above all respect for an organization. All this would be possible only if the same employee feels fearless and psychologically safe while serving his organization .
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.
^1
https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/heih111.pdf
^2 Persuasion—and Resistance by Eben Harrell From the Harvard Review Magazine (November–December 2019) ; Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why, by the consultant Stephen Martin and researcher Joseph Marks
