By Indira J. Parikh

India is a country with a rich trading heritage. Indian society was agrarian for 2,500 years, industrial for between 50 and 100 years, and global for just about 10 years. In the last 5 decades of the previous century India witnessed a transition in 7 major areas. India moved from:

• An ancient civilisation of vast richness and contrasting poverty followed by 100 years of extreme scarcity, to the present experience of plenty and multiplicity and, thus, alternatives, and choices.
• An idealistic socio-political system 5 decades ago, to a self-centred socio-political system anchored in individuals obsessed with power, greed and a personal agenda.
• Industry and corporations which began with the idealism of manufacturing products and delivery services for the nation to organisations growing into sellers of shabby goods at their terms at the cost of consumers.
• The partnership of socio-political systems and Indian industry focusing on employment, growth, productivity, and production to a partnership of the licence raj, control and governance through corruption.
• A society with rigid social structures and boundaries to possibilities of freedom.
• Communities and families deeply embedded in role definitions, anchored in duty, loyalty, obedience, and conformity to possibilities of giving expression to one's own identity, creating one's own path of education and occupation and speaking up in one's own voice.
• From a workforce of un ambitious individuals to one of individuals educated and equipped with competencies and capabilities held dreams, hopes and aspirations to achieve and excel across the world.

Thus, Indian corporations have emerged from a continuously transforming socio-cultural milieu and industrial environment. The open economy, revolutionary changes in technology, and the changing aspirations of individuals have made existing organisation structures, ways of managing people and measuring their performance-redundant and obsolete. Today, organisation structures will have to be re-designed and operationalised taking into account the reality of the organisation, the transforming business and people environment. These organisation structures will need to be aligned with technology, business strategy and policies, tasks and people requirements. Organisation and individual performance variables and measurement systems will need to be based on factors other than loyalty. People's roles, locations and life spaces will need to be included as part of the organisation's living reality.

Within the organisation, 3 things will change. In the previous century, individuals lived in a community and worked alone. Now, people live alone or in small nuclear families but at least some of them will be required to work in teams and groups. At the same time, the Internet explosion will create opportunities for other men and women to work alone and from within their homes. A whole mass of people who were once service-brokers and interfaced with seekers of service will be eliminated as inter-dependent transactions will be made directly on the Net. This will free many people to engage in other activities. Companies, then, will have to design structures and processes where many employees may not be physically present in the work space, while there may be those who engage with tasks within the organisation which would require group and team work.

The second factor of change will be the entry of women. For decades, women managed home and family relationships, while men managed and interfaced with the external environment. Now, qualified and competent women are entering work spaces even as they strive to discover the uniqueness of their identity. They aspire to climb the corporate ladder. The shift in the role of women requires a change in the existing structures of relationships within the home and in the workplace. As women opt for working long distances, and single parenting becomes an acceptable reality, there will be a shift from a need for physical presence and togetherness to emotional relatedness and commitment in binding the relationships together.

These processes will move organisations towards investing in educating people, and in fostering mature relationships across genders in terms of work and performance. Gender issues will impact organisations in terms of work allocation. A large number of women will choose to work out of home. Many others will join the workforce and aspire for growth. Organisations will have to facilitate resolutions of personal and professional dilemmas of both women and men.

The third critical factor of change will be the concept of life space. Many people will search for humane organisations where the dignity and sanctity of human beings is valued. For individuals to be responsive to the present and the future, their dreams will need to be anchored in reality tempered by hard work, self-and systemic-discipline, involvement and commitment to systems, along with a sense of belonging and pride in the nation. Unless each citizen feels proud of his country and his work space, the nation as well as the corporation cannot do well.

Corporations will have to design organisational structures which are sensitive to human existence. Their vision will need to include issues regarding the growth of their people. They will need to value the contribution of each shareholder and every employee. Moreover, companies will need to provide life-support systems such as time for family or physical living accommodation, in addition to creating challenges and opportunities, and providing a good and healthy working environment. They will need to address issues related to the emotional and physical health of employees. The system in which companies operate is so entwined with socio-political systems that companies, societies, and nations will need to create new tenets that they live by. New landmarks and laws of the land will also need to be designed.

As corporations hire less and less people, what are the others going to do? Corporations will need to facilitate and capture the Indian spirit of adventure and encourage entrepreneurial energy to spin off localised enterprises in manufacturing, service or infotech-related activities. These enterprises would multiply the opportunities of the larger numbers and harness their energy for growth.

Indira J. Parikh is a Professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

Issue Contents  Write to us   Subscriptions   Syndication 

INDIA TODAY |  INDIA TODAY PLUS | COMPUTERS TODAY
TEENS TODAY | NEWS TODAY | MUSIC TODAY | ART TODAY

© Living Media India Ltd