The Hindu Business Line : Big idea? Big deal!

Most newly-minted MBAs who join are raring to change the old order. And then, they encounter the undeniable fact that this is not exactly how life turns out.

"It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new one." — Machiavelli

WHEN I did an MBA, many, many years ago, there was an elective course called `management of formative years'. I didn't take the course, but when I heard about it later, I wished it had been compulsory. The course outline, with case studies and feedback by alumni of the campus, was designed to prepare students for leaving the artificial, protected ecosystem of the campus and encountering the big bad world of life. A reality check, in a sense.

In the days before emotional quotient (EQ) entered our language, it was a sobering reminder that careers are not moulded by pure IQ. It wasn't a very popular course — why would a bunch of self-assured young know-it-alls believe that our formative years needed managing? My own belief that it should've been made mandatory was born much later, out of maturity and experience.

I was reminded of this course recently, when I met a young MBA student, a year or so into his career, clearly disgruntled at the way things turned out. "I came up with this great project plan," he complained, "and no one in the organisation appreciates the fantastic ideas I have." He was so hassled, that I didn't have the heart to confront his angst with a "did you expect to be a change agent so soon" kind of reaction.

But then, that is the first nasty lesson most MBAs face when they graduate — and the more prestigious the institute, the ruder the lesson. By the time an MBA has graduated from one of the top institutions, s/he is feted and wooed by some of the best organisations in the world.

Entire magazine articles are devoted to examining which institute is still on top, which organisation had the privilege of being a `Day One' choice for campus placement, and the stratospheric levels touched by the top salary package. The placement season is, after all, the final test of any institute's brand value. So by the time this is over, you have a student with a sizeable bank balance and an ego to boost.

Most newly-minted MBAs suffer from an unquestioned belief that they are the cat's whiskers, and join their new organisations raring to change the old order, with the power of their indubitable intellect and energy. And then, swwooosh... (That's the sound made by rapidly deflating self-esteem) they encounter the unpalatable, but equally undeniable fact that this is not exactly how life turns out.

Imagine this: You're sitting in a high-level strategy meeting in which your seniors and maybe your boss, have put up longwinded presentations outlining the challenges facing the organisation. The MD looks around and asks for suggestions. Your hand shoots up and you rattle forth a laundry list of possible solutions. Those of your ideas that are not well thought through (after all, you may not have been there long enough to have thought through all the ramifications) could meet with some sarcastic putdowns. Those of your ideas that actually look good, have the immediate effect of making the others look bad. Don't be surprised if you get some stony looks and cold shoulders at the office canteen.

Resistance to new ideas can take may forms, but the subtext is almost always the same — resistance is a message telling you that your idea for change is not acceptable to the listener. It would be a good idea to understand why this happens, so you can plan how to sell your idea more effectively.

The "Duh?" response

Perhaps, they just don't understand your idea. Take this very seriously. If they don't comprehend how it works, why will they support it? Are you too close to the idea to see it clearly? Have you communicated it with clarity, or are its benefits only obvious to you?

The "Not now, I'm busy" response

Quite simply, the manager who is being seen as idea-resistant, could be too overwhelmed by routine fire fighting to welcome another new thought. As Theodore Levitt puts it, in his trenchant article: "Creativity is not enough. Advocates of creativity must once and for all understand the pressing facts of the executive's life: Every time an idea is submitted to him, it creates more problems for him and he already has enough... The `idea man' must learn to accept this as a fact of life and act accordingly."

Tip: Don't spout half-baked ideas.

Instead, take the trouble to detail them out so that the benefits and costs of implementation are clearly obvious. To do this, you need to understand the business imperatives clearly, and more important, be open to changing the shape of your idea based on feedback from others.

The turf protection response: If you are an idea hoarder, with the expectation that when you put up your hand at a meeting you will gain brownie points with the CEO — well, here's a wakeup call — you aren't at college or school anymore, where individual brilliance and creativity is rewarded. In most organisational situations needing innovation and change, it's all about teamwork. It is extremely unlikely that your idea can impact no one but yourself — there will be stakeholders all around you, resisting the impact of your idea on their lives. It would be a good idea to share your ideas when different people, touching levers of influence where you can. The more people you share the idea with, the more people you bring on board. This also surmounts all the overt resistance on a one-on-one basis, which enables you to flesh out your idea or modify it, so when you are ready for a public hearing, you've already thought through the ramifications from many angles. Equally, if not more, important, your colleagues would have been introduced to the idea, smoothening the path to their buy-in.

Tip: Network, network, network.

Organisations want ideas. Organisations want intrapreneurs. Yet, ideas offered by new recruits at the bottom of the pecking order often do not meet with the kind of reception expected by their hopeful creators. It is true, the onus of creating an organisational culture that fosters creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation, lies squarely on the shoulders of the top management team. Remember, when the top team wants to effect change, it has the ammunition of authority and control to power its intentions. On the other hand, as a young manager who desires to be a change agent, you have no resources other than enthusiasm and gusto. It would increase the chance of success of your ideas if you understand the dynamics of change and resistance. Often, it is how you sell the idea that can determine success during those early formative years.

(The writer, an alumnus of IIM-A, is a Chennai-based management consultant.)

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