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| Resistance to change endemic | | | Every time I have moved to a new assignment, I have experienced a work situation which needed an overhaul in many respects. An overhaul in respect of work culture, work processes, work procedures or lack of them, capacity of meeting the declared charter of responsibility, and the laid down targets mostly non-existent. It’s like going back to a starting point every time.
What has been common in all past experiences is the negative mindset of individuals at the helm and down the line. Both these categories create, preserve and promote work ethos. It is this very mindset which preserves and resists change. Therefore, to alter things for the better, one may not be able to replace people wholesale but would need to work through the same persons. Hence, growth and improvement involves everybody and everything — persons and processes.
Let me substantiate this. In my last assignment as Director-General Home Guards and Civil Defence, I had to be surgical selectively. This is because I had any number of complaints of corruption concerning Home Guards who had managed to return or stay in the department beyond their prescribed tenure, by bribing and manipulating their way through. This fact got exposed through my field visits and feedback.
This awareness resulted in ridding the department of all those who were the black sheep giving a bad name to the organisation. This action of ours sent a clear message that this department may be ignorable but not disposable. To do this, we did not require the intervention of the courts or the right to information notices. It was the same flock of persons which identified the wrongs and got on the correction mode.
This is just one example. Let me share one more. This is on Civil Defence. This organisation too showed a similar state of somnolence. Hundreds of persons selected or enrolled for reasons other than the spirit of voluntary service continued to be on rolls over many years despite being absent and incommunicado.
Those who could be contacted clearly said they had no time. These persons had not surrendered their membership identity card despite knowing it had to be. They wanted to enjoy benefits without obligations.
Interestingly, many also were well past their upper age limit of 60 and continued to remain in community organising and mobilising position. It took us some clear, tough and transparent decision-making to retire these individuals. Some very heavy weights and well entrenched. We retired all of them with one single order.
The organisation which was earlier claiming to have over 35,000 members (which included the absent, inaccessible and ineligible) now came down to eligible 19,000 and still needing more pruning. This overhaul too was done by the same persons who had presided over neglect and lethargy. The fact is that where the work culture of an organisation does not meet the desired goals, it takes every bit of energy and experience of a fresh incumbent to alter. (That is if the successor thinks change is called for. And is convinced it needs to be done without delay).
Naturally, it is time and energy consuming. The senior has to be on a huge learning curve for the colleagues to assist, educate, inform and brief the new comer to get advice. In other words, we may be losing time as we may be gaining in recovering through a review process. The system gives the new incumbent no time for induction.
The need for change has to be learnt on one’s own feet. (If one wants to). The colleagues and the juniors will tell you only that little or as soon as the new comer seeks. The choices are of the supervisor or the leader...
But why should one have to overhaul every time one goes to a new place of work? It can be said, because everyone has a different style of leadership. Everyone has one’s own cultivated value system; and everyone has own perceptions based on personal experiences. Hence the different responses and approaches…
I believe the real challenge before us today is how do we have or produce more young men and women who want to make the difference! Why do the persons once in government services not perform their duties on their own? Could the teachers, educational institutions and parents please tell?
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