Is it time we changed the view- Different perspective for a different solution?



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Corporates have traditionally been seen as being in the business of maximizing output while minimizing input. This precise mathematical equation like definition of business, however shallow it may be, is still seen as the reason for businesses existence and any deviation from this definition is seen as an aberration.

It is because of this mathematical nature of business that we always rely on a particular lens of numbers to visualize any organizational challenge and then use the vision obtained through this lens, to chart out a solution to address that challenge. While letting go of this lens of numbers may seem too inappropriate because we all have been made to believe for far too long that “whatever gets measured, gets done”. But I just think that for once if we decided to look at challenges through a different lens, then we may still be able to get things done while not getting bogged down by what and how of measurement. I am totally in favor of assessing outcomes and tracking progress, but don’t you think there are far too many uncountable’s out there which impact our everyday working. Hence if we looked at organizational challenges differently, then maybe we will be tackling these same challenges very differently and probably covering a lot more ground then if we were to look at these challenges solely through the traditional lens of numbers.

Job motivation has for long been a topic of great debate and discussion and our managers have always been brought to book for not being able to impact it positively. There has been a lot of research on what factors impede or promote job motivation and how these factors should be assessed and accounted for. But if we were to just forget all of this mathematical assessment exercise for once and just look at job motivation as a state of being and a way of doing business, don’t you think we will be able to achieve a lot more whilst not limiting ourselves with a fixed set of numbers and parameters. What that means is, if we looked at job motivation as a cultural imperative of the organization and how it is important for the organization to have a motivated workforce, we may be able to achieve a lot more by way of positively impacting our people, than being constrained by a set of pre-defined conditions and parameters. As a manager if you realized how critical it is for your people to be appreciated for their work and how each member of your team likes being recognized, wouldn’t you be more successful in positively impacting their motivation levels at the workplace than if you were working with a pre-defined set of conditions which highlighted what all is wrong with your team and how “that” score on “this” parameter had to go up for you to get your year-end bonus. Bringing that cultural change and sensitizing people to each other’s needs and aspirations, while being a long drawn process, could actually be a more rewarding and long term solution to this challenge of improving job motivation.

While numbers may be critical to assess achievements and reward performance, I personally do think that creating relationships that last, be it with your employees or customers, requires a lot “more” and that “more” goes beyond numbers. The ability to appreciate others point of view, visualize the challenges that your team members will face when chasing that target and how hard it can be to be away from one’s family during festive season, may just sound too fluffy and soft to have a place in hardcore numbers driven business world of today, but it may still be more important to your team members than having that team meeting to discuss how you can improve “that” score on “this” parameter.

You may have strong opinions on how critical it is to measure to achieve results, but I personally do think that it may be helpful to change the lens to take that next leap of improvement.

Look forward to hearing your views…