The Hindu Business Line : To grow organically, corporates must have ‘soul’

What is a company? Is it a building made of brick and mortar, structure, systems, plant and machinery? Or is it people? These are the questions that Moid Siddiqui asks in a recent interaction with The New Manager. And he answers: “People make a company, for this reason it is called a ‘living organisation’. If the corporate world is to grow organically, it must have a soul. An organisation without soul, without people is a dead body, and I am sure, no one would like to lead the dead ones.”

Siddiqui is the author of Corporate Soul ( www.sagepublications.com) and managing director of the Secunderabad-based Intellects Biz, an organisation into management education and consulting that he floated after leaving the Nagarjuna Group as Executive Vice-President. He has worked in senior and board level positions in BHEL, NHPC, CCI, HMT and BEML. Excerpts from an e-mail interview:

Is there any soul in the corporate world?

I strongly feel that every company has a soul. More than body, it is soul that needs healing. Today, insecurity, fear, despair, resignation and pessimism are at an all-time high. The ‘long wave’ that struck the corporate world a few years back has shown a unique tendency – recession hitting the best of talents, i.e., the committed and loyal ones. It never happened before. Companies are becoming ruthless by losing human touch, keeping focus on the bottomline. Even the best process if executed heartlessly would create a disorder. Today, the corporate world is standing on a cliff. Just a single step forward will cause a deadly fall. It cannot take a step back.

What is the solution then?

Corporate reincarnation seems to be a solitary feasible solution. What is required to be done is to unbury the ancient gold mines of wisdom, virtue and values and we will find the solutions for both personal life and the corporate world. To find solutions to the modern corporate world, excavate the ancient gold mines of wisdom. Follow the ancient wisdom to manage the new age.

Any examples of such wisdom?

There are many. Take, for instance, this from Hindu scriptures, a verse in translation: “To action alone have you a right; and never at all to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive; neither let there be in you any attachment to inaction.”

It makes crystal clear that man has no control on results. Therefore, he should keep focus on action and process rather than fruits or results. If we agree with this philosophy, KPAs, KRAs and other performance measurement tools lose their relevance to performance, as they measure results – the outcome!

Is this why you speak, in your book, of process-oriented management approach for corporate and personal excellence?

Yes. The above verse explains the entire ‘process orientation’ as followed by the Japanese and most of the South-East Asian countries. The only laudable difference between the Japanese and the Western management practices is that of ‘process orientation’ and ‘result orientation’. Unlike the Western entrepreneurs, the Japanese perfect their process and get the best yields. If you take care of the process, the results are bound to be good. There is nothing to worry about the results.

Without understanding the core difference of Western and Eastern approach, the East is rushing to catch up with the West. I don’t object to it. My concern is: ‘Is it done thoughtfully what is being done?’ The answer is: ‘Certainly not.’ The East is simply rushing towards the West, forgetting its inherent riches. Who has time to read Lao Tzu, Confucius or Chaung Tzu!

But why should we be focusing on corporates?

Because today the corporate world has become the most powerful institution and dominant socio-economical order in society. Society is governed by such ‘orders’, which are highly influential. Such orders develop the collective consciousness of the society. It is this collective consciousness of society that makes war or creates peace in society.

In fact, the influence of ‘corporate world’ on ‘common world’ is quite powerful and higher than what one sees or realises. One can influence the ‘common world’ by influencing the ‘corporate world’. And let’s not forget that the political ploy of the western world — the new world order — is being directed using ‘corporate world’ as the guinea pig. The happenings in the corporate world are not just the reflection of the happenings in the ‘common world’ — they are reflective of the planned and strategic moves. There is more to see than meets the eye!

What are the factors that determine success or failure of a company?

Lack of self introspection often is the cause of failures. People say ‘nothing succeeds like success.’ But I believe, rather strongly, ‘nothing fails like success.’ If a person or a company doesn’t self introspect they may misconstrue the real cause of success and go astray. Similarly, self-introspection helps one in identifying the real causes of failures. For this reason I often say both success and failure lie within. The internal clarity provides external solutions. Therefore, one must know how to manage from within.

Which is what companies do by announcing their values?

Most of the corporate houses claim to be value-based and announce a set of ‘core values’. If you care to see them you would find that most of them are commercial values (which have nothing to do with human or ethical values) such as high productivity, quality, growth, customer care, integrity (meaning loyalty to employer only) and so on. The focus of so-called ‘core values’ is mostly on moneymaking. Then, some business organisations and institutes feed to their respective religious faiths in the name of promoting values.

An effort to spiritualise, perhaps?

No, there is a distinction between religion and spiritualism – the latter is without any specific brand and therefore universal. For instance, if one refers to theory of ‘Karma’ or ‘Kismat’, it presupposes a Hindu brand or Muslim brand respectively. But once you refer to the universal law of energy response, it becomes a spiritual principle without any religious tag or brand.

I don’t stand for the ‘branded values’. I always emphasise more on ‘spiritual management’ rather than ‘religious values in management’. For this reason in my book Corporate Soul I have underscored spiritual management, quoting from the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Panchatantra, the Bible, Torah, Qur’an, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Confucianism, as well as from the renowned philosophers like Chanakya, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Heraclitus. You will find a variety of thoughts but no contradiction. You can see the ‘whole’ only through the lens of spirituality; religions divide, spirituality unites.

Don’t our companies practise values?

Almost all companies say they believe in ‘values’ but hardly a few practise them. There are three types of companies: some companies that claim they are value-based and they live values; most companies that claim they are value-based but don’t practise values; and some companies that make it absolutely clear they don’t believe in any values and they don’t practise them. I would prefer the third company to the second one. The real trouble starts when you claim something and demonstrate the opposite. You have written about the need for intuitive instincts? Do these help in business?

Intuitive instincts are superior to logic and reasoning. Intuition is always vague; it grows in vagueness. I believe that clarity comes from vagueness. There is no other route to reach the dawn save through a foggy silver line that appears on the horizon. Intuition is when we know, but we don’t know ‘how we know’. Sometimes, intuition speaks louder than logic. Since we don’t trust intuition, we don’t develop intuitive wisdom. We must understand that intuition is no more an illusion. For example, Jack Welch, who was the CEO of GE, was an intuitive entrepreneur. He used to believe and respect the softer aspects in business.

Unless you trust and believe in softer aspects — the intangible part of business management — you cannot develop intuitive wisdom! Secondly, you have to loosen the grip over logic and reasoning to comprehend intuition. Logic and intuition do not go together. Intuition grows as logic shrinks. Unfortunately, we trust and use only the left side of our brain, getting the right side rusted where intuition dwells. Most unfortunately we prefer to be ‘precisely’ wrong than ‘vaguely’ correct. When you start trusting your intuitive instincts they grow. Learn to trust your intuitive instincts.

Two important qualities that you’d insist on for leaders?

Goodness and generosity are highly valued virtues. Whereas self-respect and self-worth are good characteristics of leadership, glorifying the self is nothing but feeding one’s ego. In extreme cases, such managers suffer from the psychological disease known as Narcissism where a person starts loving the self, what is called ‘self-absorption’. Then, he tries to impose his personality upon others. A true leader is one who doesn’t impose his or her self on others. Lao Tzu who is popularly known as Old Master says, “A leader is best when people are hardly aware of his existence, not so good when people praise his leadership, less good when people stand in fear, worst, when people are contemptuous.”

And the one dangerous thing in the corporate world?

Comfort zone is the most dangerous zone in today’s corporate world. As ‘negation of war is not peace’, similarly ‘the negation of awareness of danger is not security’. One cannot afford to be complacent — security is not a blood proof jacket that a manager can buy and wear. In today’s corporate world uncertainty is most certain. We live and breathe amidst uncertainties. Living by complacence is living in danger.

So come out from the comfort zones first and face the realities as they are! I always tell my son and his cousins never to rely on the so-called superannuation age, for it is an illusion. Today’s companies will not allow you to superannuate if you don’t develop the required and expected capabilities. They will just pull out the plug. Obsolete skills and knowledge have no place in today’s corporate world. Thus, learning, relearning and, if need be, getting to the basics is the only way to survive and thrive in today’s corporate world.

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