Recently, The Conference Board came-out with The Conference Board CEO Challenge® 2013. This global consultancy firm has been
coming-out with these challenges since 1999. For the year 2013 CEOs world-over
have stated Human Capital as their top-most challenge followed by operational
excellence. I had an opportunity to attend
session by Dr. Rebecca L. Ray, Senior Vice President, Human Capital -The
Conference Board. She clearly stated that engaging human capital remained as
the top-most priority of CEOs across the globe, including India.
Interestingly to one of my questions about what she thought
was the top-most concern in engaging human capital in India, she very candidly
stated that the organizational leaders need to walk-the-talk. If a senior
leader of the organization does something that is not consistent with
organizational norms or policies, many a times he/she is let-off. Such an incident,
even if it happens only once, destroys the engagement of the employees with the
organization.
Employee empowerment is talked about by mist organizational
leaders these days. It has almost become a slogan for companies and institutions.
But ‘few’ really seem to have the gut to listen to an empowered employees’
honest feedback. For starters reportedly a professor in a prominent law school
in our country had to lose his job for challenging the decision of the senior
leadership of the institution. After the barbaric gang-rape of one of its
students in the campus premises, the management imposed a 9 p.m. deadline for closure
of the campus gates. This deadline was challenged by the adhoc-professor and he
was booted-out & his contract was abruptly terminated. But consider the
published excerpts of his letter the professor seemed to have a
point.
Consider this –
In his letter, the professor stated, “While students have been and
can be advised to avoid dangerous areas in the vicinity of the campus, imposing
such blanket restrictions is an unduly paternalistic move. There have been
numerous instances of sexual harassment and physical abuse of NLSIU staff and
students in daylight. These problems cannot be eradicated with a simplistic
measure such as constraining the movement of students after 9 pm. In fact, such
restrictions are likely to result in more students choosing to stay off-campus
in the future, thereby escalating the risks to their physical safety….
As word gets out, it may also affect our attractiveness for
prospective applicants, exchange students and visiting scholars, among others.
It is also quite foreseeable that not allowing students to enter after 9 pm may
result in numerous instances where students can be left stranded in the
vicinity. In addition to these practical concerns, there is a larger question
of the symbolism inherent in the institution’s response. Given that these
restrictions are clearly a knee-jerk response to a crime committed against one
of our students, we are indirectly engaging in victim-blaming rather than addressing
the root of the problem.”
Going by such the strategies of the institution, roads
should be shut if accidents happen instead of improving roads, lane discipline,
traffic surveillance systems and drivers’ competencies.
Leaders seldom walk-the-talk. They hate to be told that they
are wrong and worse to be challenged. This in turn breeds a flawed
organizational design that creates rigid hierarchies, a culture of intolerance
and a control system based on hire and fire. Engagement is the biggest loser in
this case.
