Business Sutra: A Very Indian Approach to Management (41 page)

Unless we change, we cannot grow

There was once a serpent called Kaliya who poisoned a bend of the river Yamuna. No cow, cowherd or milkmaid could come near the stretch of water inhabited by Kaliya. Krishna jumped into the water and challenged Kaliya to a duel. After a fierce fight, Krishna succeeded in overpowering the serpent; he danced on Kaliya's hood until the serpent, very reluctantly, agreed to move.

"What is the problem?" asked Krishna, out of concern for Kaliya. Kaliya explained that the eagle, Garud, wanted to eat him and because of a spell cast by a sage on that particular bend of the river Yamuna, he could not follow him there. "This is the only place where I am safe from Garud. That is why I do not venture out of this place." Fear had made Kaliya cling to a location. This location was his Durga. His refusal to move made the waters poisonous and deemed him a villain in everyone's eyes, though he felt he was a victim only trying to save himself.

Kaliya feels like an abandoned child. He seeks a yajaman who will protect him. Finding none, he has to protect himself. He is the animal in the forest with no one to turn to. The bend in the river Yamuna symbolizes the organization, the role and rules that guarantee his self-image. He refuses to move on. He refuses to grow. Growth demands changing himself and the world around him. That frightens him unless it is on his own terms. He feels safe in the old familiar way and resists any attempt to make him cross over to the new unfamiliar way.

But the world is constantly changing. Things will never remain constant. If we focus only on the coming and going of fortune, we will always be anxious and frustrated. On the other hand, if we focus on learning with every rise and fall, we will keep growing and generating internal Shakti rather than depending on external Durga for our survival.

Shivkumar got transfer orders a week ago and he is upset. For years he has served the company loyally, taken not a single day's leave. He made it to office even when he had fever. All his life he stayed in Lucknow, in his family house. He walked to work and enjoyed the neighbourhood. Now this! How could they do this to him? How could they transfer him to Allahabad? Yes, the new office needed setting up, but why him? He had not taken a promotion so that he could stay here. He was even willing to take a pay cut to stay. He just did not want to go to Allahabad. But his new boss who has come from Delhi is a scoundrel and refuses to listen to reason. "You must go to Allahabad, Shivkumarji. The company needs you to do this. And I need you to do this. And it is for your own good." How can it be for his good? Moving to a new place, a new neighbourhood, a new house, the headache of school admissions, the pain of shifting furniture. And who would look after his family house while he was away? And his parents? Would they also have to move? His mother would never agree. Shivkumar believes his boss from Delhi is Kaliya who needs to be kicked back by Krishna. But in fact, he is the Kaliya himself. His boss has recognized his potential—his ability to contribute, not just to the organization but also to himself. Shivakumar sells himself short. He hides behind apparent contentment. Deep down, he is envious of the young ones in the company who have been promoted and given better bonuses and incentives. He gets upset when bosses accept transfers, when the houses in the neighbourhood are broken down to make way for new structures. Things are changing every day around Shivkumar, but he is refusing to adapt. Before him is an opportunity to experience something new, but he is afraid. Garud lurks beyond the bend of his river. He is angry with Krishna. He does not want to go. But Krishna's dance will not stop; the transfer order will not be revoked.

We will always resist change

In the Bhagavat Puran, it is said that one day a charioteer called Akrura comes to Vrindavan to fetch Krishna and take him to Mathura. As Krishna prepares to leave with his brother Balaram, the milkmaids of the village break into tears. They throw themselves before the chariot and cling to its wheels, begging Akrura not to take Krishna away. Krishna requests the women to let him go and assures them that he will come back, but he does not return.

This event marks the end of the Bhagavat Puran and the start of Krishna's role in the Mahabharat. The ranga-bhoomi of Vrindavan, full of song and dance, in the middle of the forest, is replaced by the rana-bhoomi of Mathura, Dwarka, Indraprastha, Hastinapur and Kurukshetra.

Every year, the chariot festival at Puri, Orissa, is a festive expression of the desire of devotees for Krishna to return. He does so for a brief period and then returns to his temples once again. For ultimately, the gopikas have to let go.

The gopikas had found great security in the company of Krishna. They had grown to depend on the Durga he gave them. But by leaving, Krishna compels them to grow, find Shakti within themselves. It is time for them to become Krishna for others. It is time for them to be less dependent and more dependable, move away from tamas-guna towards sattva-guna.

Krishna leaves his beloved Radha behind because duty beckons him in Mathura. By letting him go, she grows by being more independent. By letting her go, he grows by being able to bear more responsibility. But the change has consequences. Never again will Krishna play the flute as he did in Radha's presence.

We cannot stay dependent forever. We have to learn to be independent. Like Hanuman who found Ram in his heart, the gopikas have to find Krishna inside them and create the rasa-mandala, the circle of joy and security around them.

During a conference of entrepreneuers, Kalra spoke on the value of letting go, allowing people to grow up and take responsibility. "When I had fifty people working for me, I interfered in every aspect of business. When I had five hundred, I had to change and they, too, had to change. I had to let managers think for themselves, transform from being karya-kartas to kartas. And the only way to do this is by becoming a yajaman, allowing others to take the decision. Unless we let go, the dependent will never become dependable, and neither they nor we will ever grow."

Adapting to change is not growth

Animals adapt to circumstances. Some hibernate, some migrate. Humans can change with circumstances, too. Organizations have to change to keep up with the new realities of the market and the industry, and that compels people to change, learn new skills, adapt to new organizational structures. But such a change is adaptability, not growth.

Adaptability is the ability to change with the context to achieve the same end-result. Growth is change in mindset, when the same context can be seen differently. Adaptability enables the conversion of Bhudevi (natural wealth) to Shridevi (personal wealth) no matter what the context. Growth is turning Durga (dependence on external power) to Shakti (dependability by invoking internal power).

In the Treta yuga, the enemy is Ravan. In the Dvapar yuga, the enemy is Duryodhan. From a subjective point of view, neither is different from the other. Both are frightened. They differ from an objective point of view. Ravan is strong while Duryodhan is cunning. So Ravan openly confronts Ram while Duryodhan uses guile to overpower the Pandavs.

Likewise, Vishnu changes his tactics when dealing with Ravan and Duryodhan. For the rule-breaking villain, he chooses to be the rule-following Ram and for the rule-following villain, he chooses to be the rule-breaking Krishna. These tactical changes indicate adaptability, not growth.

Growth happens when Brahma's sons (Daksha, Indra, Ravan and Duryodhan) make the journey to Vishnu, when intention shifts from self-preservation, self-propagation and self-actualization to a greater concern for the Other, a greater inclusiveness. This can only happen by invoking Shakti and outgrowing fear. Such growth can never be collective; it is always individual. But the yajaman can create an ecosystem where such growth is encouraged and enabled.

A manager is expected to adapt to changes in the organization. A leader is expected to change the circumstances, have greater vision. A follower does as told.

In Jain mythology, a vasudev thinks in terms of growth and a chakravarti thinks in terms of adaptability; the tirthankar takes both into consideration for he understands the value of both adaptability to context, and growth.

Following the merger, the company's focus changed from commodity-selling to brand-creating. This meant that the sales force now had to sell concepts, not products. Everyone was expected to change. Many people who could not adapt to the change left the organization. Rajiv adapted to the situation and continued to serve as manager. Rohit, on the other hand, was curious to know why the organization had changed its strategy. He wanted to know what change in the market had prompted such a change in the company. His curiosity enabled him to expand his mind, appreciate the thought process of the company. His shift was not just behavioural. Rajiv is merely a manager, but Rohit has the potential of a leader.

he ability to see the human quest for identity is darshan. The identity of a person or sukshma-sharira is how he imagines himself. And this identity depends on brahmanda, how he imagines the world. Identity and worldview are thus manas putra, the children of Brahma's imagination.