Violent clash between the Army
soldiers and officers at Merrut cannot be ignored as an one-off incident.
Neither should it be read as an impending mutiny. But definitely the times are
changing and Indian army seems to be a ‘generation’ behind!
The Incident
The incident happened during a inter-company boxing match. One version says that a solider tried his best but lost a
friendly boxing match. One of the officers confronts him after the match,
publicly ridicules him and thrashes him. The soldier does not take the insult
lying down and retaliates. A prolonged physical clash ensues between soldiers
and officers. The ugly incident leaves army red-faced and embarrassed.
As expected a committee has been set-up to inquire
into the incident. And in all possibility the erring soldiers and officers will
be reprimanded and punished. But will that really put an end to what seems to
be a systemic issue brewing inside the organization.
This is not the first ofsuch incident in recent times. In the last two years this is the fourth suchincident where soldiers have
given back a fist for a fist. Although the
top brass of the Army have come down heavily against such errants and have
handed them exemplary punishments, the question is will that suffice. The
repetition of such incidents, nevertheless, indicate that the problem may be
lying elsewhere.
Gen Y Soldiers
Gen Y is populating the Indian Army, like many other organizations in
big numbers. If reports are to be believed then the new
age soldiers are not only better educated but also more aspirational.
This also confirms research literature on Gen Y. A more educated, aspirational
and high on self-esteem Gen Y soldier may be expecting more respect from their
officers.
In fact research literature indicates that Gen Y employees do not
accept authority by the virtue of organizational hierarchy. They accept
authority by example and for a limited time-frame. In other words, the superior
gets respect not for his position but for the exemplary performance that he/she
puts forth. The respect lasts as long as the such behaviour of the superior
lasts. In the coming years, as more Gen Yers will enter the Indian Army,
managing this new generation soldiers will be a challenge.
Structure and Leadership
Officers and soldiers are not only differentiated by rank but also by
class within the organization. A clear class system seems to be prevail within
the organization and treatment is not equal for the soldiers. A highly hierarchical structure ensures that soldiers at the bottom of the
pyramid are only supposed to listen and follow. The power
is highly centralized at the top.
Culture
A rigid culture of command and control is highlight of the army. The
same has been followed since the British Raj and this is perhaps one of the
very few institutions that has been untouched by changes in past 65 odd years
of Indian independence.
Control Systems
Carrot and stick in the all practical sense, the latter being used in
both letter and spirit for managing the soldiers, as is evident from the recent
incidents.
Such organizational structure, culture and control systems seem
totally incompatible with the new generation inducts in the Indian
Army. Organizations all over the world are experiencing the phenomena of
multi-generations at work. The increasing tension between Gen X bosses and Gen
Y employees is not only the problem of the Army but of
many organizations around the world. The organizations that
are able to recognize the fact are trying to decipher Gen Y and in the process
trying to find out newer and better ways to manage and engage them. The others
are blissfully unaware and completely in dark.
A seminal work highlighting the need to change the organizational design
of the Indian Army was recently done as a Manekshaw Paper titled ‘Staff System
in the Indian Army, Time for Change’ by P.K. Mallick, Centre for Land Warfare
Studies, New Delhi (2011), and published by Knowledge World, KW Publishers Pvt
Ltd, New Delhi. (article link).
There are enough indicators to show that the Indian army's ability to
attract quality officers has declined sharply following the globalization of
the Indian economy. Another seminal paper titled ‘The Indian Army Officers’
Crisis’ by Indian journalist and scholar, Dinesh Kumar, in the an issue of the academic journal, South Asia (vol. 33, no. 3, December 2010) is a
must read to know the shrinking talent pool for the Indian Army. (article link)
Perhaps it’s time for Army to recognize the new generation at work and
re-design a new internally strong and
united army.
3 comments:
There is an additional cause. The instructors for the Gentleman Cadets in the military academy are officers with limited experience. Their ACR’s depend on how the cadets under their charge perform- called a company. In my fathers’ time as a cadet and officer the ACR of these officer instructors did not matter. And they looked down stiffly on misbehavior. One fellow cadet of my father was suspended and punished just for unsportsmanlike behavior. He kicked a fellow cadet in the bottoms when the latter out-dribbled him in a soccer match repeatedly.
My brother was sent to the IMA with the picture of a strict yet just organization. Hard life but sense of fairness. The picture as it emerged was more of a shock. There were instructions given to break the legs of cadets from other companies in the event of a football match- so that the winning teams instructor would get a good grading. In one boxing match, my brother won. The boy who had the misfortune of losing was of course from a different company and was punished- so I guess only those who win have a right to life with dignity. All our lives we were told winning and losing were a part of life.
One wonders what kind of lessons people will learn in this environment but the trend looks worrying. Of course there is a shortfall in officers always but this is due to a policy of having fewer good officers than having more incompetent officers. The training regimen is rigorous and hence the selection process is such that mental toughness is a must. That process seems to work as most normal soldiers will not be able to cope with the training regimen- a fact even drill ustaads who are from the other ranks admit. The few who have officer like qualities can graduate through the SSB process but they first go to the army cadet college.
The shortage of potential officers is thus a fallout of both the new age companies taking away what may be potential entrants as well as the rigorous selection process. But the unbridled competition without teaching people that t is graceful to win may well be a cause for such rowdy behavior by officers. Worrying
I agree with what you refer as to re-design the work culture of the organisation as per the Gen Y, but I also think that Gen Y should be more motivated by providing them proper feedback, giving deadlines for work and flexibility and expect high-maintenance workplace preferences. This generation is no doubt more unique, ambitious and passionate than Gen X whom they work for, so there is an immediate requirement of solving this tiff and making a better relation amongst them by simply understanding from both the ends.
There is definitely a need to restructure the work culture with respect to Gen Y, but in case of Indian army is it going to be an easy task? Indian army and many other government bodies are stuck with there age old hierarchial work culture, now with the infusion of Gen Y there is a change in dynamics. In the next 15 years india will be having the highest workforce with Gen Y as major percentage, engaging this Gen Y will be the winning factor for any firm or company.
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