Ask a group to put its point of view on the above mentioned word and 95% shall jump off their chair to tell you that the state of affairs of this country’s governance is extremely poor. Now often I am made a part of this kind of communication, though I play a role of a mere listener, as my brain is a small piece of flesh that doesn’t reacts to issues relating to something as complex as quality of governance, but every time am exposed to such predicament I resort to sublime thoughts about the state of affairs of negativity in people.
How a mere road could be related to the government being a bunch of non performers? Ok let’s try and make it a little more complex. How could a mere road be related to the state of affairs of the country’s tax money being flushed down the drain? Now as u can see, when I tried making things a little complex I floundered.
For the ease of brains which can’t withstand complexities, let’s start by defining “Road”. A Road, technically, is an identifiable route, way or path between two or more places. Roads are typically smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel; though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or maintenance. In urban areas roads may pass through a city or village and be named as streets, serving a dual function as urban space easement and route. Economics and society depend heavily on efficient roads.
Now if you have a re-look at the definition you would find that “historically” roads were “simply recognizable routes”. This means that roads were constructed to facilitate the movement of men, material and machines. Its actually a “dry” piece of land cleaned from all smooth covers of grass, being colored in a depressing color of “black” rather then being a green colored patch (had it not been a road!!). While we often relate the road to the state of affairs in government. Actually, we all need to understand, its not the Road that is bad, its material that its constructed with, which was a bad quality material.
If it’s on me then according to my understanding of the subject, in more then one ways I relate “A Road” to “Way of being alive”. To me a road is the best depiction of ones doings and happenings in life. Let me elaborate on my thought, quiet similar to road all of have a “free way” of living for a time, and then we hit may be a “curve” or two before getting into a “single” lane from a “multi directional lane”. Often we all come across “breakers” or barriers (as we call them!!) in life, and just before the final halt in front of the house we all feel delighted.
As you go through the above paragraph am sure you would like to sit back and relate to it. I agree that state of a road often tells you the way of governance but, “A Road” tells you much more than that, and often we, by virtue of our single directional negativity, forget to try and learn things out of a piece of land that chose to be facilitator in our life over being dressed up in the most beautiful way.
(The Author is working as a Project Manager in INI Consulting P. Ltd, Mumbai)
Team Dynamics
Team: - As per the definition, it’s a group of people who aspire to successfully complete an assigned task. Obviously, a team comprises of people with varied backgrounds and hence by virtue of their basic difference in nature, they tend to act or react on each other based upon their inter-personal interactions. In broader terms it’s this action and/or reaction on each other that is defined as “Team Dynamics”. Now, I being an optimist by nature can write at length about the good aspects of team dynamics and what every one involved learns out of this, but here I shall only deal with the negative aspects of the so called Team Dynamics.
I happen to be a part of two distinct teams. I call them distinct as one of them is a set of highly educated and matured individuals while another one is a set of technicians who barely have completed their basic education. And hence there exists a considerable difference in the level of complexity at which these dynamics operate. Also, in one of the teams I am taken in as a member/partner in thought process, while the same myself happens to be a leader of the other. So, I am a part of two separate scenarios and hence have the privilege to be a part of two separate kinds of dynamics.
First, let me tell you about the team that comprises of highly educated and matured individuals. As far as my understanding goes, the level that includes people with high education backgrounds, team dynamics have key element as “Power” (Here money may or may not be important- This is a hypothesis and holds no claim.). I say this particular statement for my understanding says that in the set of highly educated people, everyone is equally experienced in the work arena. Everyone is earning more or less the same “figure” salary. Everyone has more or less same “amount” of work. Everyone has more or less same “comforts” of life. Now if you have a close look at the words that are mentioned in double quotes, you would agree with me that its these that makes a person aspire for more. But despite all these parameters being same team dynamics still do come into picture. For educated people are often found to have key interest as the “Leadership”. I don’t blame people for this, for it’s got to do something with the history.
History tells us that in almost all the cases, it’s the leader that gets the medal for the victory while the war is primarily fought by the soldiers. It’s the leader that is most charming, most dynamic and obviously most intelligent of the people around. Now, most of us presume that intelligence is a by product of perseverance and effort, and since I am educated, intelligence is something that I obviously have. And then, the result is that each one of us presumes that I happen to be the best one for the post of leader. Hence, we try to work “Hard” towards that achievement.
Most often that not, creating your way up to the corporate hierarchy, in the most honest way is quiet demanding and requires a lot of patience. Easy way is to “prove” that I am the best “frog” amongst all the frogs. Now I compare people to frogs for a self defined situation. I have always seen frogs hopping with other frogs to prove that they can hop more length. Often all they end up is in a pool of mud, nevertheless.
So, what do I do in such a situation? I start doing two things, one I create an “aura” around me by spending more time with my boss. By keeping him pleased at all cost!!! And by making him believe that I can get him the best of all the worlds. At the same time, I keep telling him in the most humble way that the team considers him nothing more then a buffoon and then slip in a few names who happen to be my neared competitors.
Also, if I am decent enough then I shall wait for the “right time”. By virtue of Jack Welch’s feedback system, every company has now decided to have a feedback (they call it 360 degree!! Something, I am often left to wonder what would happen if it’s only a 180 degree or may be a meager 90 degree…nonetheless….). In this feedback system it’s essentially grading on some scale, it can be a scale of 5 or 10 based on the convenience of the capacity of the brains of the final score keeper. Here everyone sends grading for the piers and hence can decide on “valuation” of them. So, what do I do if I want to prove that am the best amongst all, I simply de-grade others in terms of the grades? Often people who collect the grades and make the final assessment forget to check the trends in a sheet.
Things are totally different when the same term “Team Dynamics” is to be defined and explained for less educated people or the technicians in our case. Here no form of feedback works except for a monetary loss I am yet to find a more saddening factor for them. Am also sure the GEs and HPs of the world have not believed that Team Dynamics can exist at this level for am yet to come across some work done for these technicians and their problems. I guess people aren’t interested in knowing what goes in the minds of the people below a certain level. This can be a reason as am yet to come across a fat technician and a slim and fit manager. Now you might be wondering from where this concept of a fat technician being compared to a slim manager. Our managers are presumed to be best brains and hence are a pampered lot; there by being fat is something that is inevitable. While our technicians are kept on a whip, poor guy can’t be fat for with every stroke the whip keeps taking fat off him.
Nevertheless coming back to the dynamics factor. In case of technicians or people with lesser amount of education, as per my understanding, the sole motivation factor is money that comes in their pocket. My experiences have given me enough samples on which I can place my theories. They have a few simple definitions, e.g. Team Lead according to them is someone who is most experienced “and” earns maximum in the team. Here “cash” determines the dynamics. Amount of cash determines complexity of the dynamics, more cash most certainly makes things more complex. My project makes me work in areas where regular interaction with the hi-tech banks is not possible, so we carry for a day or two along. The person who has the cash (other then me!!) is default taken to be the “leader”. And based on the personal chemistry, the dynamics to prove that he is gambling with company’s money begins.
Also, one more findings with the team of technicians is that the dynamics are only important when the work is not happening and team is idle. So long as work is happening they aren’t bothered about anything.
Now, if you go through the above debate, its quiet clear that people with lesser amount of education are easy to handle then people with decent amount of education. We tend to “believe” that education imparts wisdom. I agree that it does impart wisdom but at the same time it also does impart selfishness, hunger for power and greed to be on top. People in corporate world are rather funny; they call this greed, selfishness and hunger for power as “Competitiveness”. And my small brain refuses to understand, but do I make any difference? I don’t think so, for me people who are poor and believe that work is the only source of their bread, are way too comfortable to work with and are the people who impart you indefinite peace of mind.
(The Author is working as a Project Manager in INI Consulting P. Ltd, Mumbai)
I happen to be a part of two distinct teams. I call them distinct as one of them is a set of highly educated and matured individuals while another one is a set of technicians who barely have completed their basic education. And hence there exists a considerable difference in the level of complexity at which these dynamics operate. Also, in one of the teams I am taken in as a member/partner in thought process, while the same myself happens to be a leader of the other. So, I am a part of two separate scenarios and hence have the privilege to be a part of two separate kinds of dynamics.
First, let me tell you about the team that comprises of highly educated and matured individuals. As far as my understanding goes, the level that includes people with high education backgrounds, team dynamics have key element as “Power” (Here money may or may not be important- This is a hypothesis and holds no claim.). I say this particular statement for my understanding says that in the set of highly educated people, everyone is equally experienced in the work arena. Everyone is earning more or less the same “figure” salary. Everyone has more or less same “amount” of work. Everyone has more or less same “comforts” of life. Now if you have a close look at the words that are mentioned in double quotes, you would agree with me that its these that makes a person aspire for more. But despite all these parameters being same team dynamics still do come into picture. For educated people are often found to have key interest as the “Leadership”. I don’t blame people for this, for it’s got to do something with the history.
History tells us that in almost all the cases, it’s the leader that gets the medal for the victory while the war is primarily fought by the soldiers. It’s the leader that is most charming, most dynamic and obviously most intelligent of the people around. Now, most of us presume that intelligence is a by product of perseverance and effort, and since I am educated, intelligence is something that I obviously have. And then, the result is that each one of us presumes that I happen to be the best one for the post of leader. Hence, we try to work “Hard” towards that achievement.
Most often that not, creating your way up to the corporate hierarchy, in the most honest way is quiet demanding and requires a lot of patience. Easy way is to “prove” that I am the best “frog” amongst all the frogs. Now I compare people to frogs for a self defined situation. I have always seen frogs hopping with other frogs to prove that they can hop more length. Often all they end up is in a pool of mud, nevertheless.
So, what do I do in such a situation? I start doing two things, one I create an “aura” around me by spending more time with my boss. By keeping him pleased at all cost!!! And by making him believe that I can get him the best of all the worlds. At the same time, I keep telling him in the most humble way that the team considers him nothing more then a buffoon and then slip in a few names who happen to be my neared competitors.
Also, if I am decent enough then I shall wait for the “right time”. By virtue of Jack Welch’s feedback system, every company has now decided to have a feedback (they call it 360 degree!! Something, I am often left to wonder what would happen if it’s only a 180 degree or may be a meager 90 degree…nonetheless….). In this feedback system it’s essentially grading on some scale, it can be a scale of 5 or 10 based on the convenience of the capacity of the brains of the final score keeper. Here everyone sends grading for the piers and hence can decide on “valuation” of them. So, what do I do if I want to prove that am the best amongst all, I simply de-grade others in terms of the grades? Often people who collect the grades and make the final assessment forget to check the trends in a sheet.
Things are totally different when the same term “Team Dynamics” is to be defined and explained for less educated people or the technicians in our case. Here no form of feedback works except for a monetary loss I am yet to find a more saddening factor for them. Am also sure the GEs and HPs of the world have not believed that Team Dynamics can exist at this level for am yet to come across some work done for these technicians and their problems. I guess people aren’t interested in knowing what goes in the minds of the people below a certain level. This can be a reason as am yet to come across a fat technician and a slim and fit manager. Now you might be wondering from where this concept of a fat technician being compared to a slim manager. Our managers are presumed to be best brains and hence are a pampered lot; there by being fat is something that is inevitable. While our technicians are kept on a whip, poor guy can’t be fat for with every stroke the whip keeps taking fat off him.
Nevertheless coming back to the dynamics factor. In case of technicians or people with lesser amount of education, as per my understanding, the sole motivation factor is money that comes in their pocket. My experiences have given me enough samples on which I can place my theories. They have a few simple definitions, e.g. Team Lead according to them is someone who is most experienced “and” earns maximum in the team. Here “cash” determines the dynamics. Amount of cash determines complexity of the dynamics, more cash most certainly makes things more complex. My project makes me work in areas where regular interaction with the hi-tech banks is not possible, so we carry for a day or two along. The person who has the cash (other then me!!) is default taken to be the “leader”. And based on the personal chemistry, the dynamics to prove that he is gambling with company’s money begins.
Also, one more findings with the team of technicians is that the dynamics are only important when the work is not happening and team is idle. So long as work is happening they aren’t bothered about anything.
Now, if you go through the above debate, its quiet clear that people with lesser amount of education are easy to handle then people with decent amount of education. We tend to “believe” that education imparts wisdom. I agree that it does impart wisdom but at the same time it also does impart selfishness, hunger for power and greed to be on top. People in corporate world are rather funny; they call this greed, selfishness and hunger for power as “Competitiveness”. And my small brain refuses to understand, but do I make any difference? I don’t think so, for me people who are poor and believe that work is the only source of their bread, are way too comfortable to work with and are the people who impart you indefinite peace of mind.
(The Author is working as a Project Manager in INI Consulting P. Ltd, Mumbai)
Labels:
competitiveness,
corporate world,
Dynamics,
frogs,
Team
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