The Hindu Business Line : Details, the key to implementation

There is a humorous story of a grasshopper yearning to become a cockroach. As every schoolboy knows, the cockroach is an insect that has held its own on this planet the longest, some say since life appeared, in conditions bordering on the unlivable, such as extreme cold and heat, setting at naught any man-made devices or concoctions to exterminate it.

The grasshopper too wanted to set up a similar record of survival. It approached a cockroach and asked for its secret formula. The cockroach said, "Simple: Turn into a cockroach!" The grasshopper persisted: "That's precisely the issue: How do I become one?" The cockroach twirled its long moustaches disdainfully and retorted: "I am only concerned with giving you the policy. You will have to work out the details yourself!"

Gatherings of government officials, corporate executives, academics or brainstorming groups of any kind are wont to reverberate with the cockroach's dictum, making a distinction between `the broad sunlit uplands' of policy and the dark, dingy nether world of details. That is what is at the root of floundering of most policies on the rocks of ground realities. Policies are nothing but functions of details. No policy stands the chance of effective implementation unless all the details have been thought through while formulating it.

Watch the big boss talking to men at work in the field and you will understand what I mean. He will briskly walk past them asking breezily, "Is everything all right?", without even waiting for the answer. Going patiently into all the conceivable details and helping in finding ways of overcoming possible bottlenecks is the hallmark of effective leadership. Frequent, say, weekly, monitoring and review meetings in which everyone down to the lowest level functionary participates and is allowed to have his say frankly is one way of achieving the targets in time and within the expected estimate of resources.

Secret of achievements

Most heads of organisations, including governments, consider it their job only to approve the outline of policy and think it below their dignity to get enmeshed in details. If only they make it known that they are watching the details of implementation, it can work wonders. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Kamaraj, Rajaji, B. C. Roy, C. Subramaniam, and R. Venkataraman were among the few great personalities who were just not content laying down policies, but made them take off by the simple process of being on top of details.

The secret of achievements of the West Bengal Left Front Government is attributable to the almost daily meetings of Mr Jyoti Basu with his Ministers and officials on the details of how the schemes were faring. One spectacular outcome of his style is the transformation of West Bengal from being plagued with hours of power cuts every day to a power-surplus State helping out the neighbouring Assam, Bihar and Orissa.

Those, like myself, who have worked closely with Shastri, B. C. Roy, CS and Jyoti Basu used to enter their rooms with great trepidation, whenever called, arming ourselves with all the facts and figures lest we arebe caught fumbling when they put us through their pointed grilling.

A Chief Minister can give a powerful push to the working of the policies by putting his weight and authority behind the process of implementation. For instance, suppose he personally launches a drive against the system of mamool in the police department, the oppression of the people in government hospitals and primary health-care centres, the malfunctioning of ration shops, the excesses of autorickshaw drivers and other such basic aspects of service delivery, what a relief it will be to the long-suffering people!

B. S. RAGHAVAN