Memories are made of this

The first cup of coffee taken early in the morning is a great moment for me as I guess it is for many people. At moments like this when we are at peace with the world, memories have a wonderful way of conjuring up vivid images from the past. I had one such moment recently.

Traditionally, coffee is served in tumblers in South India and one such humble piece of crockery set me off on a nostalgic trip that day. Up until the 1970s stainless steel used to be called eversilver in honour of its capabilities to retain its shine without having to be polished.

Stainless steel utensils used to be expensive and made for favourite gift items. My mother had given us a set of tumblers when we set up home for the first time. Each one was a precious possession to her and they all carried her initials carved in artistic calligraphy on the side. Over the years, a couple of them got lost and that morning, one of the remaining tumblers took me back to my carefree teenage years … I was sunk in a pleasuarable nostalgic trance for a while, basking in parental love. The phone's shrill ring and the dream ended.

Memories as anchors

In today's corporate world, when companies are constantly buffeted by turbulent currents, positive organisational memories can be powerful anchors. They can help recreate major successes in the organisation's journey as also serve to recall individual achievements inscribed in its annals. Traditionally, events are held where company achievements are lauded and individual achievements are rewarded. This helps spread the feel-good factor in the system, but then such cheer is short-lived. In order to achieve long-term impact, we need visible symbols such as commemorative days and prizes named after individuals who hold a special place in the organisation's history.

Even more critically, at a subliminal level, it is important for the organisation to have systems by which the multiplicity of daily, mundane heroics by a large number of people can be captured and preserved in their essence. This is akin to creating a fabric where the interplay of warp and weft form the large canvas and the big events stand out like the boldly embroidered patterns.

The question arises as to what happens when things that show up the organisation in a bad light happen and bad memories are created. My mother had an answer to that. When she did not want to keep anything gifted to her, she would have a flower engraved around the initial in that tumbler and regift it! In an organisational context, this would probably translate to putting the bad memories away into a memory vault and closing the door firmly on them.

Potent symbols

The issue of developing visible symbols is comparatively easier to accomplish. In addition to events and trophies, the company logo can also be a potent symbol. The logo and certain key attributes of the company which are often captured in the form of words and phrases that are regularly used in communications can serve as triggers at both the visual and emotional levels. The induction process can be suitably designed to introduce these potent symbols to the new joinees.

At a deeper level, the fabric has to be woven out of the actions that are performed at a more mundane plane and on a regular basis by the mass of people in the system. Capturing them, extracting their essence and embedding them in the company's DNA as a collective memory is a Herculean task. This requires a lot of work from the senior management team that includes: adequate appreciation of their criticality, identifying such activities, appreciating the authors and rewarding them and cascading these activities throughout the system.

Much of this will never be visible unless we go looking for it and that is the best way to do it. If done sincerely, this will become a powerful grassroots phenomenon and can benefit the system immensely. Leading from the front by setting an example at all times, by living such actions and encouraging others to do so as well, will help multiply the impact many fold.

In today's context, when geographies are shrinking, the rate of change is accelerating and rapid globalisation of enterprises is on the rise, it is indeed a challenge to figure out how to create this fabric; getting it embroidered will probably be easier. What is most critical is for the senior management to inscribe those initials on every individual, lead by example and to create those visual and emotional triggers. I certainly agree with Dean Martin who crooned Memories are made of this way back in 1956!

The writer is corporate advisor to 3i Infotech and Manipal Education and Medical Group. He can be reached at >mcshekaran@gmail.com

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