Overcoming the Cost of Indifference
(Hindu Dharma and Management: Article 1)
Dr Satish Modh
A set of habits and practices cultivated over a period of time has shaped the performance of individuals and organizations in independent India. Procedures and systems have developed in a way to sustain inefficiency and a casual way of looking at things. The behavior of Indian people in modern India gives an impression that Indian thought system has no idea of economic and social development.
Indian business is mired in mediocrity. It has built no defense against the tidal onslaught of global business organizations. The mediocrity, the casualness manifests virtually every where; it shows on every shop floor, in every factory, in every assembly line in the country. Breaking out of the barriers of bad products and services will not be easy as long as the attitude of indifference is there. Adding a new plant every time you want to increase your output is worthless if your plant is running at sixty per cent capacity. It is better to re-examine work processes and discover hidden capacities that are lost beneath layers of indifference.
The all-visible indifference is pushing its way through goods and services designed, manufactured, marketed, and sold using old technologies and without any thought for quality. Millions of dollars worth of products end up on the scrape heap even before they leave the factory gates. Looked at from a different perspective, consumers pay an additional amount to compensate business for such losses.
Indifference is sucking away corporate profits and destroying government offices. Consider the amount of money government spends in flood relief and cyclone relief measures. Consider the amount of money an airline has to spend on passengers who are stranded at the airport because of restlessness of their employees. Consider the amount of money a company spends on the inspection of finished products to make sure that they conform to specifications. Add the sums spent on repairing and recalling defective products from customers. Add the cost of advertising to offset such negative publicity and add the cost of indifference if all this is not done.
Indian companies, with the present work culture of indifference, are finding themselves unable to compete with European, American and Japanese manufacturers who are re-engineering their manufacturing processes to produce just what the customers need.
The cost of indifference is causing colossal losses to Indian nation. Strikes by engineers, pilots, doctors, nurses, teachers, postal staff, and municipal workers, cause heavy losses to the society. They occur either due to the indifferent management attitude or casual approach of union leaders.
In the race to succeed people seem to have lost sight of all ethics and morality. Post - Independence, the attitude of indifference has invaded the country. This is some thing, which pervades the whole of India. It is visible everywhere; in government offices, in manufacturing facilities, in post offices, at railway stations and airports, in public toilets and in the markets. Indians seem to have lost all civic sense despite the claims of being oldest civilization in the world.
There is no sense of personal accountability. Let somebody else is held accountable for something going wrong. Loyalties are for individuals, who can protect them, who can safeguard their interests, and not to the organization, or society or the nation. Government services in stead of becoming a model for others to follow face the largest number of criticisms. Sab Chalta Hai has become our Rasthra - Mantra and No Problem, Sir our constant refrain.
How long can Indian people tolerate such terrible indifference? How long will it take Indian companies to be elbowed out altogether by multinationals that use management principles, which we have not yet even begun to grasp? How long will it take for all our systems to collapse?
What can India do to change the perception that 'Indians just don't care'?
Unfortunately, Indians have understood freedom as the right to stand in the middle of the road without caring about their own safety. This whole definition of freedom has to change to an attitude of discipline, conformance and care. Indians need to think about changing their attitude of indifference and accept conformance as a part of life.
It is possible hundreds of years of suppression and struggle has created certain deformities in the Indian society. It is likely that the history of not having been forced to compete may have created a mind set in Indian establishments and business organizations that is opposed to embracing customer care. The question is how significant a hurdle could such a mind set present?
Japanese had exactly the similar reputation about the quality of their products. Sure, Japan's self-transformation from a producer of shoddy goods into the world's best manufacturer is a role model. But remember Japan's quest began with a fierce determination to be the best. Japan's culture had discipline, which they used effectively to achieve quality.
Just as individuals learn to strengthen their weak points and take advantage of strong ones, so too must nation learn to do that? Every nation has in built advantages and disadvantages built around its culture, resources availability and geographical situations. The elements of a culture are developed for logical reasons to create a rule of law, to explain mysterious things, and to defend society from adverse ideas. These elements have value and therefore they are perpetuated.
India has a culture that, in many respects, has sharp differences with the West to the point that many outsiders are absolutely mystified by some of them. One of the strong points India has is its past tradition of concern for others embedded in Hindu Dharma and the Hindu way of life. There is tremendous concern and sympathy for the underdog, for the downtrodden. A sadhu with nothing on his body commands more respect than a person alighting from a Limo.
The truth, simply, is that Indians need to bring their family values of caring attitude across departments and functions, across companies, across industries, across business, and ultimately, across the fabric of the country - including the state. Caring will create an engine of benefits for all of them. Every powerful change, whether political, social, or economical is the result of a movement. The Indian economy, including all its components- industry, government, bureaucracy and agriculture- will have to gear for this change. The caring attitude will help cleanse the inefficiency, the indiscipline and the immorality that characterize the mediocre business. For this to happen business in India will have to evolve indigenous management theories and practices. Re-engineering the corporation and Quality revolution are attractive management concepts but to implement them one needs to overcome the indifferent and I don't care attitude.
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