To capitalize on the liberalisation
of the 1990s, many multinational organizations sent in their ‘Indian’ Managers
(PIOs who were Indian by name only) to plant their company’s flags. It was
assumed that an Indian heritage would make them culturally familiar with the
country. To be able to successfully navigate their way. Unfortunately, the
mysterious sands and shoals of India breached their boats. Balance Sheets were soon stained with red ink.
In fact, one wag inelegantly described them as ‘Red Indians’.
On the other hand - there
were (and are) bands of Indians who set course the other way. Successfully breaching the organizational shores of
European and American academia and business. Many of them are too well known to
be mentioned; and even the not so well known are doing very well thank you!
Why this difference? Where do
they come from? How do they do it? What do they ‘eat for breakfast’?
In their new book* - R.
Gopalakrishnan and Dr. Ranjan Banerjee - both having made their mark in their
successive fields - delve into this subject to enable an understanding of the
pressure cooker environment, the background,
culture, ecosystem and assorted other inputs - that create behaviors which lead on to
success. They put this ‘made in India manager’ under a microscope and
leveraging their experiences, learnings, insights and behaviors they make a
number of observations.
To wit - Indians grow up in a
‘crushingly competitive, highly aspirational environment’ which leads from ‘the
high standards of the education system in India’. And that they have ‘exposure
to extraordinary setbacks that accelerate personal learning’.
Building on that stress -
‘parental influence and support through the Indian family system’ is given its
due. They aver that Made in India Managers have ‘the ability to work hard along
with intuitive adaptability and creativity’. Western environments certainly
seem to have provided the right soil for this talent to flower. Plus the profit
which accrues – as they point out ‘It becomes evident then, that when
made-in-India managers work in Anglo-American environments, the dissonance
between the thinking vector and action vector is reduced. Being analytical
thinkers and generally highly engaged employees, they implement ideas and
solutions with commitment, sensitivity and efficiency. It is no wonder that
their contribution is noticed and applauded within their organizations’.
This book is not a ‘how to
become successful’ book. An important caveat at this point is that the Authors
are not making a generalization.
Their observations are an analysis of the ‘made in India’ Indians who have
succeeded out there. They obviously exhibit certain common characteristics or
‘secret sauce’ which make for success.
For sure, this tribe belongs
to the great Indian Middle Class. Defined as high in values & aspirations;
just ok in money (after taxes are paid!). Families to whom education matters
more than holidays. The kind of salaried employees who serve diligently and
invest in their children getting ahead. You would know dear Reader – you are
part of them.
This
book serves Commercial and Academic Top Management and HR Heads of multi-national
organizations by painting this multi-dimensional portrait.
Having put that in context
the Authors then add more for Young Managers who wish to emulate these
champions. They spend the next few chapters with advice, culled from interactions
with other (successful) managers and their own successes. Specifically for all
those 100,000 students per year, who gain a diploma or degree in Management in
India. They describe the ‘workplace of the future’ in a VUCA world (though
anyone who has worked in India from the time of Kautilya would be familiar with
this word - which has so recently been annunciated by the west!).
Of the many - three very fine
mantras from the book stand out – ‘Be your own best teacher’ and ‘Accept
responsibility; blame no one’ and “reflect on your experience’. Tough advice
but worth the practice.
By convention - marketing
messages must be directed with a singular purpose to one stated audience to be
most effective. True as that may be, the Authors of this book show how two
dissimilar audiences but with similar wants can be the target of one message.
And they do so with felicity!
Finally, there is an
imaginary that if one can drive in India, one can drive anywhere in the world. The
lesson is – if you drive in the US the way you drive here you will never be
given a driving license. In real life using skills developed from survival you
learn to make the rules! That is how the ‘Made in India’ manager lives and
leads.
*The Made In India Manager. R
Gopalakrishnan and Ranjan Banerjee. Published by Hachette India.
Rajesh Pant
Pune, March 23, 2019
