The Tata Imbroglio: VUCA Claims Its Latest Victim

The Tata Imbroglio: VUCA Claims Its Latest Victim

VUCA has claimed yet another victim in the form of the Tatas. Just as before every great change there is great chaos, the Tatas may emerge from this stronger and more adaptable. To expect that they must retain the same old values that got them here could get relegated to the category of `romantic fantasy`. After all, what got them here won't get them there.

Few days back, moving out of a cliche, there was genuine Breaking News. The Tatas did a typical Corporate America – they sacked Cyrus Mistry in a swift move and dropped a bombshell on the media. The announcement was LOUD AND CLEAR, very unlike the traditionally suave and soft approach they had taken thus far. Even the common man on the street, who has little or no knowledge of corporate boardroom battles, was taken aback by the news, not because yet another honcho had lost his seat, but because the Tatas, known for better things than mudslinging in public, had done it.

Generations spread over almost one-and-a-half centuries have grown up admiring the Tatas. The Tatas have always stood for words that define character - like trust, integrity, culture, employee friendliness and dignity. Yet, in a matter of minutes, `dignity` was perceived to have been thrown out of the window and the steel-to-salt conglomerate had become the butt of jokes on social media.

It is incredible that a group known for its tolerance had acted in a manner very unTata-like. As Harsh Goenka in his article in The Times Of India on October 28, 2016, titled `Recipe For Conflict: Mistrust, leadership style and ambition` says: “When Mistry was appointed as chairman four years ago, he was lauded by India Inc as someone who understood the group's culture and was ready to lead it into the 21^st century. But it now seems apparent that some of his recent decisions jeopardised what the board of directors considered its “long term interests”. A question that I find hard to answer is that even if his recent decisions went against the Tata heritage, why was it so imperative for the trusts to go against their own traditions and dismiss him so summarily?”

In this VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous – world, not just for individuals and families, even a hardened value- and culture-driven group like the Tatas is finding it difficult to hold on to tradition. This is almost like Test Cricket – the purest and most traditional form of the game – being forced to adapt to the dynamics of the 20-20 format. The Tatas, in a way have sounded the culture-shift bell, indicating that performance in this VUCA world has to take precedence over softer issues like caring, nurturing and mentoring.

We live in a world where no one is spared the performance stick – be it individuals, families or organisations. Ironically, while we have more convenience, that has added to the complexity; while there is lot of information, there is dearth of quality content; while there are many friends being made everyday, relationships are becoming more and more hollow. The external environment today has a far greater say in our lives than ever before. It's no longer about being able to keep one's counsel despite external circumstances. The mind is bombarded with so much information and irrelevant content today that it has severely dented the discriminative faculty. We live in a hyper technology-driven world, which is threatening the relevance of human emotions and one's intellectual width.

The rise in business options and opportunities has also resulted in immense bottomline pressure on companies. Even conglomerates like the Tatas, which set the corporate cultural tone in India, cannot remain immune from the economic and business dynamics. Long-held values are changing colour at the speed of light. Long-held beliefs are getting redefined or diluted. Earlier, it was about change. Now it is about constant change and continuous reinvention.

VUCA has claimed yet another victim in the form of the Tatas. Just as before every great change there is great chaos, the Tatas may emerge from this stronger and more adaptable. To expect that they must retain the same old values that got them here could get relegated to the category of `romantic fantasy`. After all, what got them here won't get them there. 

Leadership And The Reality of Illusion

Leadership And The Reality of Illusion

BIG IDEA: The `Consciousness Leader` is the next step
in the evolution of leadership in the 21^st century

Tagline: It is an interesting phenomenon that while the leader must grasp the illusory nature of his role to make it real for his people, many team members may operate from a `reality` that they can independently define their space and the leader can be `managed`. What is illusion and what is reality itself is debatable, but adopting an `illusion model` to leading makes leaders more adaptable to the variables and realities of human behaviour.

Leadership is a deep subject. There are many models that provide a framework for leaders to operate from. However, the real test lies in having the ability to move beyond the frameworks and operate real time amidst the complexity that people create.

Great leadership hardly flows from one's technical expertise. The technique to handle people rises way above technical skills. The best part about technical skills is its relatively static nature, but people throw up variables which can surprise the most competent leader in the world. The leader of course must display decent technical skills to earn the respect of his team, but it is people handling skills that tower above any other dynamics in a leadership role.

The toughest thing about handling people is that they cannot be conditioned beyond a certain timeframe. One of the great differences in training animals and people is that the former get conditioned and stay conditioned, whereas the latter have reasons to get conditioned, yet find ways to break free. Animals are instinctive; so when the instinct is reined in, they give in, but people carry instincts along with a host of ohere emotional dynamics like ego, rationality, sensitivity, aspiration, etc.

A leader has to deal with all this, besides his own personality, complexes and complexities. A leader must possess great self-awareness and also have the ability to navigate through complex personalities in his team. Unlike animals, who, once trained, revel in being obedient, human beings can break off long-held relationships in a matter of minutes. This could result from a bad experience, a misunderstood communication or withering trust.

Human beings function from a complex set of factors and are governed by an abstract yet fundamental phenomenon called Consciousness. The nature of consciousness is such that it makes people oscillate between reality and illusion. A leader's great challenge is to grasp this crucial dynamic in a team's psychology. People fundamentally don't like to be led, they like to lead. The team may perceive the leader's role to be illusory and their own perspectives to be real. This has a major bearing on how they behave and respond to a leader's presence and personality.

It is an interesting phenomenon that while the leader must grasp the illusory nature of his role to make it real for his people, many team members may operate from a `reality` that they can independently define their space and the leader can be `managed`. What is illusion and what is reality itself is debatable, but adopting an `illusion model` to leading makes leaders more adaptable to the variables and realities of human behaviour.

Context plays a very critical role in a leader's life. With diminishing age for leadership positions in teh corporate world, the lack of experience can be made up only through well-built perspectives and a spiritual-intellectual approach to the role. It will help leaders to internalise the ephemeral nature of life, which will play out in their interactions with team members. No behaviour or relationship is permanent and no emotional connection beyond reach.

A leader must work not just on his competencies, but also on his consciousness. A leader's life is defined by the extent of complexity he has to handle. Complexity can become overbearing and at times impossible to manage. It is therefore imperative for a leader to be both a learner as well as a meditator. He must not just meditate on leadership strategies, but also practice meditation as a habit, as that will create within him magnificent detachment combined with emotional engagement with his team. Meditation will help him balance the illusory and reality forces that will confront him frequently and substantially. Meditation will help him come to terms with the `illusion of reality` as well as the `reality of illusion`.

Elevating leadership to a level of consciousness will make the leader approach the role with spontaneity and tenacity. A leader must `belong` and not just `be`. For this, it is imperative that he masters the art of adapting to people's behaviors and their varying levels of consciousness. A leader therefore has to manage the `clash of consciousness` and not just the clash of temperaments.

The `Consciousness Leader` is the next step in the evolution of leadership in the 21^st century.