The Hindu Business Line : Why little things also matter

We have always been told that it’s the big picture that matters. Given the way the economic underpinnings of the world have imploded these past few months, I would like to argue that while the big picture matters, for most of us it’s the small picture that matters even more.

The Masters of the Universe from Wall Street and their acolytes sold the rest of the world the big picture while thoroughly ignoring the many little things that underpin it. Without going into a judgemental analysis of whether it was greed or ego or a combination of both that led them to visit so much destruction and disaster on so many, it is now becoming increasingly clear that they forgot the fundamentals.

The complex algorithms and exotic structured products were indeed fancy stuff; what their creators forgot was to address the basics that dictated prudence while marketing such products and the fact that inevitably, what goes up must come down. The result is the toxic wasteland of global finance and the seemingly irreparable rents in the fabric of trust between counterparties.

We are all witness to the general tendency of the senior folk in companies to repeatedly ask the troops to focus on the big picture. A valid exhortation, but I am tempted to wonder: If the bigness of the picture has been effectively conveyed, then it becomes very difficult to ignore it; much like a movie hall big screen with surround sound, where no one needs to tell us to look at the big picture.

The proof of the efficacy of such communication is how well it has been internalised. What seems to be missing is the constant focus that is needed on the small things that come together to form the big picture.

In essence, at every level in the hierarchy, there needs to be a conscious attempt to identify the activities that form an integral part of the small picture. The next logical step will be to make sure that these activities are executed well and in time. The meshing together of many of these small pictures will start to give us an outline of the big picture, much like the pixels in our TV picture tubes come together to form a great picture. This brings us to the question that has roiled the world ever since Charles Darwin propounded the Theory of Evolution — is there a God out there or does nature help develop everything through evolution?

Insofar as companies are concerned, I feel that Darwin’s theory has very limited applicability and the need for gods is very clear. Gods of various shapes and sizes are needed in companies, but with one important caveat — their power should be used only to comprehend the big picture, realign it from time to time to address changing realities, communicate it effectively to the rest of the system and monitor the results.

The corporate gods need to behave very differently and they need to descend more often from their celestial clouds and work as one with the mortals in the system. They also need to make sure that they bless all those who work hard at executing the many tasks that form a part of the big picture. The reward systems in companies, most times, shower benefits on the stars, but ignore those who patiently work at getting the small picture right. It will do the system a lot of good to also recognise those who focus relentlessly on the small picture and consistently do it well.

If we are to shelter our companies from the storm clouds that are unlikely to go away any time soon, I would suggest that mutual respect and trust, that have taken a beating, have to be reinforced at every level in the organisation. This can be best done by remembering to recognise those who do small things well, even as we recognise those who implement the big picture well. Annual awards are great motivators for a few people, but daily appreciation will be an even greater motivator for lots more people.

They say small drops go to make an ocean. Let’s keep the big picture in mind, but let’s also make sure to remember at all times that the small pictures that are an integral part of the big picture. This will be the challenge as we all seek to rebuild trust, one drop at a time, in a world adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

(The writer is advisor to the Manipal Education & Medical Group, 3i Infotech and Blue River Capital. He can be reached at mcshekaran@gmail.com)