<p>Renowned philosopher Thoreau remarked long ago; ‘Things don't change, we change’. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’. Change is inevitable part of life-cycle which is always welcome as it leads to growth. Best growth is one which can be sustained in the long run. As noted poet Tennyson once wrote: ‘The old system changes, yielding place to new. God fulfils himself in many ways, lest one good custom corrupt the world.’ In <italic>Brihadranayaka Upanishad</italic>, there is famous verse 1, 3.28 which says, ‘Lead me from unworthy to those with substance and merit, from darkness to light, from inactivity to ever widening thought and action <italic>(Asto ma sat gamaya, tamso ma jyotir gamya, mrityo ma amirtam gamyo).’</italic></p><p>A change whether it is deliberate or unexpected is always challenging. Viewing adversity as change, not loss or failure, is reflection of empowered and positive thinking. Individual develop flexibility through change, both physiologically, and emotionally. ‘Adversity is an inescapable performance indicator, a frequent reminder of our up-coming 360 degree review in how we handle the bumps. We are meant to be stronger, more insightful each time we get walloped’ (Charlene Proctor, Embrace Change, <italic>The Times of India</italic>, June 18, 2006).</p><p>Change management is not mere instructions to follow a set course. As changes could widely vary, there are no standard solutions which will always work. As art of change management is situation and context specific and standardized approaches may not always work, it is leader who can apply situation and context specific course corrections. To be effective at leading change, a leader needs to exercise <italic>flexibility</italic> to customize to scale up change management efforts based on his intuitive judgment.</p><p>Leadership role in managing change is crucial as it is business leaders who have right answers to business problems than managers who can effectively implement good ideas. It is precisely a leader's competency which drives change. Project teams that introduce change but do not have effective project leaders at the helm may run the risk of missed project objectives, unmet deadlines, productivity losses, and time overrun costs. It is a leader who enhances an organization's ability to be flexible, improves adaptability to the market needs, and enhances scalability and responsiveness to customer needs (Roethe).</p><p>A leader utilizes his intuitive power in managing change. He has cognitive flexibility that provides him decisive insight to act. After a fairly accurate assessment of situation even based on ‘soft’ facts, he can take a decisive step without loss of time. It occurred to the former IBM CEO, Watson, that as earlier computers were built one at a time and were incompatible from one another, computer incompatibility could be a future constraint, accordingly, he initiated steps for developing business machines which were compatible that eventually brought tremendous economic gains to the organization.</p><p>A leader's role in change management involves taking timely action for facing future challenges different times and circumstances create different situations. A leader often regards economic hardships as driver for change, not loss or failures. Engineers India between 2001 and 2004 in wake of worldwide recession in petroleum industry faced tight job order position and accordingly the company leadership initiated several cost containment and downsizing initiatives. However, later when the boom returned the organization following initial contraction consolidated by expanding again in strategic areas of growth.</p><p>In other words, leaders are always <italic>flexible</italic> and <italic>proactive</italic> who act appropriately before the events happen. Benjamin Disraeli said, ‘We are not creatures of circumstance, we are creators of circumstance’. Leaders also possess high degree of intuition and courage to act based on their convictions. Leaders see what others miss, provide strategic directions, and secure employees commitment in meeting deadlines. In an oft-quoted study of CEOs of healthcare systems in US where key decisions about future alliances, mergers and acquisitions, etc. were to be made, the most successful CEOs cancelled deals that they felt included some conditions they were not comfortable with, even though due-diligence had indicated that they could go ahead with the deal.</p><p>There are also situations when leaders despite their possessing all needed competencies may fail to perform and deliver. This may happen when employees trust and commitment is not first secured. This may more happen when leaders frequently move from one organization to another or from one culture to another but may not be in firm command to make any discernible impact.</p><p>Leader's ability lies in making right commitment of resources. Resource commitment need not be full and final in one go but can be stagewise as in case of Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB). A multistage commitment may build responsiveness as a one-time commitment may often lead to unnecessary risk. Stagewise commitment of resources enables executives to determine most appropriate level of investment for a particular task. Entrepreneurs generally prefer outsourcing initially instead of first owning service providing facility entirely. Hiring instead of owning a resource reduces the cost of pulling out of a project should such a need arise.</p><p>Innovation determines the cutting edge of a business. Innovative employees can act as ‘business transformation agents’ who bring innovative solutions that can transform the business. It is the leader who himself may not be know-it-all, but can make his team innovate as innovation is a culture and not one person activity. Innovation is essentially an out-of-the-box thinking that has potential to bring extra-ordinary gains to an organization. Mr. Ratan Tata's Rs. 1 lakh car project under his dynamic leadership is essentially an innovative plan which if successful can bring economic wonders to the Tata Group.</p><p>Some large companies seem to believe that they can handle all opportunities with the resources and expertise they have behind. This, however, may not always be the case. It is much easier and safer for companies to stay with the area of core competence than to search new territories. For instance, Tata Industries, once picked up sizeable equity in Haldia Petrochemicals in West Bengal but later pulled out as petroleum industry was never their forte. On the other hand, Reliance Industries Ltd., whose core competence has been in petroleum sector since beginning, gained greater and greater heights in this area.</p><p>In the globalization era, leader needs to change their mindset from always local to a mix of local and global what some call ‘glocal’. Leaders should see opportunities even beyond country's borders. The word ‘selfreliance’ needs to be redefined in wider perspective. However, this requires that country's products and services should be of global standard and they should be of ‘global brands’. Only by encouraging change and experimentation can companies of all sizes adapt and grow. Leaders have to be comfortable not only in embracing change but also in acting as catalyst of change in the midst of all uncertainty.</p></sec></body><sub-article><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">MC</journal-id><journal-title>Management & Change</journal-title><issn pub-type="ppub">0972-2149</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Institute for Integrated Learning in Management</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="other">mc-10-1-fed</article-id><article-categories><subj-group><subject>Environment Ethos in Indian Culture</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Kalidasa and environment</article-title></title-group><pub-date pub-type="ppub"><month>1–6</month><year>2006</year></pub-date><volume>10</volume><issue>1</issue><counts><page-count count="1" /></counts></article-meta></front><body><sec id="sec002"><title /><p>Kalidasa, the great Indian poet often remembered as the ‘The Shakespeare of India’, was essentially a man of culture, nature and fine arts. His works run a potent characteristic, a wonderful, all-surpassing power of description and glorification of nature, of the beauty of forest, field and sky. <italic>Abhigyan-Shakuntalam, Meghadoota, Malvikagnimitra, Kumarsambhava</italic>, etc. are all manifestation of his love of nature and fine arts. As an example, Shakuntala was a sister to <italic>navamalika</italic> creeper which was named as <italic>Vanajyotsna</italic>. The girls spoke to plants, animals, trees and flowers as if they were human beings.</p><p>Kalidas created awareness towards environment by appreciating its beauty and emphasizing its conservation. In his poem “The Seasons”, six seasons and Indian year’s different periods are described with meticulous details in six books of one hundred and fifty-three cantos. Clouds swoop down to caress the mountain rocks, creepers clinging arms, jasmine petals flashing teeth, etc are symbolic description of nature and their interface with living beings.</p><p>He vividly described <italic>tapovana</italic> where the Indian culture was known to flourish. It provided an environment where all men and animals lived in perfect harmony and bliss. This blissful state was a source of all values and philosophies based on the basic principles of sacrifice, detachment, renunciation and all that is necessary in this life and beyond. His vision of <italic>tapovana</italic> had all desirable environment features such as peace, harmony, tranquility and divinity, where one could experience eternal joy, <italic>anandam</italic>, and at the same feel part of the wide and infinite universe. <disp-quote><attrib>—Editor</attrib></disp-quote></p></sec></body></sub-article></article></article></body></html>

Management & Change

0972-2149

Institute for Integrated Learning in Management

mc-10-1-fed

FROM THE DESK

Change management, flexibility and leadership

Mital

K.M.

IILM, New Delhi

1–62006

101

<p>Renowned philosopher Thoreau remarked long ago; ‘Things don't change, we change’. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’. Change is inevitable part of life-cycle which is always welcome as it leads to growth. Best growth is one which can be sustained in the long run. As noted poet Tennyson once wrote: ‘The old system changes, yielding place to new. God fulfils himself in many ways, lest one good custom corrupt the world.’ In <italic>Brihadranayaka Upanishad</italic>, there is famous verse 1, 3.28 which says, ‘Lead me from unworthy to those with substance and merit, from darkness to light, from inactivity to ever widening thought and action <italic>(Asto ma sat gamaya, tamso ma jyotir gamya, mrityo ma amirtam gamyo).’</italic></p><p>A change whether it is deliberate or unexpected is always challenging. Viewing adversity as change, not loss or failure, is reflection of empowered and positive thinking. Individual develop flexibility through change, both physiologically, and emotionally. ‘Adversity is an inescapable performance indicator, a frequent reminder of our up-coming 360 degree review in how we handle the bumps. We are meant to be stronger, more insightful each time we get walloped’ (Charlene Proctor, Embrace Change, <italic>The Times of India</italic>, June 18, 2006).</p><p>Change management is not mere instructions to follow a set course. As changes could widely vary, there are no standard solutions which will always work. As art of change management is situation and context specific and standardized approaches may not always work, it is leader who can apply situation and context specific course corrections. To be effective at leading change, a leader needs to exercise <italic>flexibility</italic> to customize to scale up change management efforts based on his intuitive judgment.</p><p>Leadership role in managing change is crucial as it is business leaders who have right answers to business problems than managers who can effectively implement good ideas. It is precisely a leader's competency which drives change. Project teams that introduce change but do not have effective project leaders at the helm may run the risk of missed project objectives, unmet deadlines, productivity losses, and time overrun costs. It is a leader who enhances an organization's ability to be flexible, improves adaptability to the market needs, and enhances scalability and responsiveness to customer needs (Roethe).</p><p>A leader utilizes his intuitive power in managing change. He has cognitive flexibility that provides him decisive insight to act. After a fairly accurate assessment of situation even based on ‘soft’ facts, he can take a decisive step without loss of time. It occurred to the former IBM CEO, Watson, that as earlier computers were built one at a time and were incompatible from one another, computer incompatibility could be a future constraint, accordingly, he initiated steps for developing business machines which were compatible that eventually brought tremendous economic gains to the organization.</p><p>A leader's role in change management involves taking timely action for facing future challenges different times and circumstances create different situations. A leader often regards economic hardships as driver for change, not loss or failures. Engineers India between 2001 and 2004 in wake of worldwide recession in petroleum industry faced tight job order position and accordingly the company leadership initiated several cost containment and downsizing initiatives. However, later when the boom returned the organization following initial contraction consolidated by expanding again in strategic areas of growth.</p><p>In other words, leaders are always <italic>flexible</italic> and <italic>proactive</italic> who act appropriately before the events happen. Benjamin Disraeli said, ‘We are not creatures of circumstance, we are creators of circumstance’. Leaders also possess high degree of intuition and courage to act based on their convictions. Leaders see what others miss, provide strategic directions, and secure employees commitment in meeting deadlines. In an oft-quoted study of CEOs of healthcare systems in US where key decisions about future alliances, mergers and acquisitions, etc. were to be made, the most successful CEOs cancelled deals that they felt included some conditions they were not comfortable with, even though due-diligence had indicated that they could go ahead with the deal.</p><p>There are also situations when leaders despite their possessing all needed competencies may fail to perform and deliver. This may happen when employees trust and commitment is not first secured. This may more happen when leaders frequently move from one organization to another or from one culture to another but may not be in firm command to make any discernible impact.</p><p>Leader's ability lies in making right commitment of resources. Resource commitment need not be full and final in one go but can be stagewise as in case of Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB). A multistage commitment may build responsiveness as a one-time commitment may often lead to unnecessary risk. Stagewise commitment of resources enables executives to determine most appropriate level of investment for a particular task. Entrepreneurs generally prefer outsourcing initially instead of first owning service providing facility entirely. Hiring instead of owning a resource reduces the cost of pulling out of a project should such a need arise.</p><p>Innovation determines the cutting edge of a business. Innovative employees can act as ‘business transformation agents’ who bring innovative solutions that can transform the business. It is the leader who himself may not be know-it-all, but can make his team innovate as innovation is a culture and not one person activity. Innovation is essentially an out-of-the-box thinking that has potential to bring extra-ordinary gains to an organization. Mr. Ratan Tata's Rs. 1 lakh car project under his dynamic leadership is essentially an innovative plan which if successful can bring economic wonders to the Tata Group.</p><p>Some large companies seem to believe that they can handle all opportunities with the resources and expertise they have behind. This, however, may not always be the case. It is much easier and safer for companies to stay with the area of core competence than to search new territories. For instance, Tata Industries, once picked up sizeable equity in Haldia Petrochemicals in West Bengal but later pulled out as petroleum industry was never their forte. On the other hand, Reliance Industries Ltd., whose core competence has been in petroleum sector since beginning, gained greater and greater heights in this area.</p><p>In the globalization era, leader needs to change their mindset from always local to a mix of local and global what some call ‘glocal’. Leaders should see opportunities even beyond country's borders. The word ‘selfreliance’ needs to be redefined in wider perspective. However, this requires that country's products and services should be of global standard and they should be of ‘global brands’. Only by encouraging change and experimentation can companies of all sizes adapt and grow. Leaders have to be comfortable not only in embracing change but also in acting as catalyst of change in the midst of all uncertainty.</p></sec></body><sub-article><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">MC</journal-id><journal-title>Management & Change</journal-title><issn pub-type="ppub">0972-2149</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Institute for Integrated Learning in Management</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="other">mc-10-1-fed</article-id><article-categories><subj-group><subject>Environment Ethos in Indian Culture</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Kalidasa and environment</article-title></title-group><pub-date pub-type="ppub"><month>1–6</month><year>2006</year></pub-date><volume>10</volume><issue>1</issue><counts><page-count count="1" /></counts></article-meta></front><body><sec id="sec002"><title /><p>Kalidasa, the great Indian poet often remembered as the ‘The Shakespeare of India’, was essentially a man of culture, nature and fine arts. His works run a potent characteristic, a wonderful, all-surpassing power of description and glorification of nature, of the beauty of forest, field and sky. <italic>Abhigyan-Shakuntalam, Meghadoota, Malvikagnimitra, Kumarsambhava</italic>, etc. are all manifestation of his love of nature and fine arts. As an example, Shakuntala was a sister to <italic>navamalika</italic> creeper which was named as <italic>Vanajyotsna</italic>. The girls spoke to plants, animals, trees and flowers as if they were human beings.</p><p>Kalidas created awareness towards environment by appreciating its beauty and emphasizing its conservation. In his poem “The Seasons”, six seasons and Indian year’s different periods are described with meticulous details in six books of one hundred and fifty-three cantos. Clouds swoop down to caress the mountain rocks, creepers clinging arms, jasmine petals flashing teeth, etc are symbolic description of nature and their interface with living beings.</p><p>He vividly described <italic>tapovana</italic> where the Indian culture was known to flourish. It provided an environment where all men and animals lived in perfect harmony and bliss. This blissful state was a source of all values and philosophies based on the basic principles of sacrifice, detachment, renunciation and all that is necessary in this life and beyond. His vision of <italic>tapovana</italic> had all desirable environment features such as peace, harmony, tranquility and divinity, where one could experience eternal joy, <italic>anandam</italic>, and at the same feel part of the wide and infinite universe. <disp-quote><attrib>—Editor</attrib></disp-quote></p></sec></body></sub-article></article></article></body></html>