Culture & My observations: Culturally we in India want to talk less of conflicts and try to avoid it. Be it homes, offices, large organizations or even polity. The Conflict is put under the carpet and people generally want to avoid discussing it in open. The only exception is TV Debates where people go to the extent of abusing each other, but do nothing about a conflict situation. Culturally we are also soft, tolerant and intelligent which makes it difficult to first identify the conflict as objectively as it should be and then put it on the table to thrash it.
A typical western organization will do that. I have worked both in Indian organizations as well as multi-nationals have seen the contrast. I remember that we were having a meaningful but a loud discussion and leadership went awry if the teamwork is right. Well, teamwork was right, but the discussion was leading to the root cause.
What disturbs the Harmony in any organization?
- Lack of clarity of individual or functional goals: (which can be defined and measured) and for which person is accountable.
- Dysfunctional Mechanism of Interdependence: Steven Covey in 7 habits of highly successful people talks about a migration from dependence to independence and interdependence to achieve not private victories but public victories. Now it is spoken about and high-level talk is done. Functionally it has to be brought down to interdependent goals, where there is a weight attached to my performance to my colleagues and vice –versa. Even a 360-degree appraisal could be subjective.
Very few organizations are doing it successfully.
3. Territory Management: Humans by nature have learnt to capture physical territories to show strength and feel strong. That makes them inflexible, arrogant and not mindful of their roles all the times instead of their kingdom/queendoms.
4. Security: Somehow (as I discussed in my previous article) Scarcity mindset plays a part and we find ways to make each other uncomfortable within a given situation.
5. I know more than you Syndrome: I was talking to a Greek ex-colleague of mine over a cup of coffee who had travelled to India tens of times and worked with us for several years. We also travelled to many places around the world together and he will have one observation for all cities/countries we visited together including his own. For India, he had this one ‘
“If I give an Indian an idea, he will not take a minute to tell me he has another better. “
I will say the intellect and enthusiasm of a child with it does not leave us even after growing up and every time somebody gives me an idea, I still have to try hard to remember Nikos before I think of starting. I think the growth is in working together on some good ideas in direction of our goals and realizing that let’s optimize in direction of a common big cake rather than an individual small pie.
F) Working in Sylos even in environments having processes and systems but not integrated or linked in progression: Individual brilliance somehow thrives in most of organizations and penchant for it drives both the doer and the managements.
The Solution: Is in the problem itself. The conflict has to be deliberated and not denied. Working together for more rather than competing at all times – public victories than private victories. Recognizing and creating winning teams and not just Winners. Some very matured organizations have been able to do that. Creative an individual and collective leadership and recognizing people’s contribution more than money.
It’s true for families, its true for any pair of people working together to the largest organizations. I recognize what you do and I understand your frustration and I am willing to sort it with you.