Dealing with Avadi horse syndrome

The Avadi horse syndrome is the least known, and hence, the least discussed, topic in management literature. It takes its name after a horse of an intriguing character and temperament which one also comes across among human beings in organisations all the way from governments down to the level of families. Since it is an unfamiliar concept, which cannot be understood except in its Indian setting, its origins need some explanation.

A century ago, almost the only means of transportation within and between towns and cities was the horse-drawn carriage. People covered long distances sitting on a sackcloth spread over a bed of grass meant to be fed to the horse during free hours, while the driver sat on an elevated part in front, constantly ‘tcha-tcha'-ing and cracking the whip.

Most horses did not deserve such harsh treatment since they were familiar with the customers and the terrain well enough to proceed to the intended destination without any further prodding.

For instance, my father, who was a lawyer, for years, used the same horse-carriage owned (or leased) by the same person to go to the court. The horse knew my father and his profession well. The moment he got into the carriage, the horse, on its own, sprang forward and took him on a mild trot to the court complex without having to be prompted or directed in any manner along the way. Even so, the driver kept on making his guttural noises and kicking and whipping it all the time, compelled by an irresistible itch of a habit.

The Avadi horse, named after a place close to Chennai, was a particular favourite of carriage-owners because it was docile and submissive, giving the least indication of a capacity for spirited resistance to any pressure that crossed the red line it had drawn for itself. And that resistance took the unique form of the horse coming to a dead stop and just sitting down in the middle of the road, determinedly refusing to get up, however much it might be kicked and beaten, daring the driver to go to Hell and do his damnedest.

The Avadi horse syndrome is the reaction to the application of pressure or coercion that the targeted person finds unbearable, and so, he decides that the consequences of standing up to it will not be any worse than those of putting up with it. Actually, he may reason that a ‘thumbing the nose' posture has every chance of getting the troublesome monkey off one's back.

Midnight attack

For instance, the Avadi horse syndrome is what the Government at the Centre has got into vis-à-vis the crusaders against corruption. Up to a point, it played along, showing deference to them, seemingly yielding to their demands and proclaiming to be equally zealous in fighting corruption. But faced with mounting pressure to toe the crusaders' line, accompanied by their repeated threats of agitations and fasts, the Government has not only dug in its heels, but even gone on the offensive, the extreme form of which was the midnight attack on sleeping men, women and children on June 4 at the Ramlila grounds.

What is the best way to deal with the Avadi horse syndrome? More pressure will only result in more obduracy. In the case of an Avadi horse in real life, I have seen the driver pacifying it by disengaging it from the carriage and coaxing it to get up. He then takes it to the side of the road with the offer of a bundle of grass and a pail of water — in short, making it feel wanted and at ease.

As a technique it is good in the organisational context also. Flexibility, accommodation and empathy have seldom failed in making an intransigent person responsive. The gains one makes by reaching out without standing on one's prestige are truly immeasurable.

Disclaimer : This column has nothing but high regard for Avadi and its horses!