Driving Enterprise Growth Part 3

I have received more private comments on the notion that changing road use behavior can lead to changed attitudes that translate to better behavior in general and better work place behavior. Behavior, I feel, is necessary if we want to make quality products and provide world class service. Behavior, I think, that is necessary for us to have pride in our handiwork and a belief that we can make our future bright. The past, however glorious, (this is not heritage I am talking of, which is also important - but rather a finger pointed at our habit of extolling past achievements that we do not truly value but only speak of) is past. We can no longer depend on that. We must make our future.

A key thread in those comments I received is that; for good behavior there must be an expectation and a threat. This is logical since as a friend pointed out, the same person that for example, drives badly behaves better in the work place. Reason is that he/she is expected to and knows that there will be consequences of considerable magnitude.
Whilst this is correct, it cannot explain the poor work attitude that is commonplace (think not only of the starched shirt that relies on sycophancy to get ahead; but also of the carpenter who leaves a mess because cleaning up is not his job; and everything in between). In most firms it should be possible to reinforce and flood peoples minds with what is expected. This seems to work better if the leadership practices what it preaches. Also, as pointed out by a person that handles training in the work place, changed behavior lasts longer if it is properly introduced and reinforced early in the career.


So should the argument be turned on its head - reinforce better practices at work and expect them to become better road users? Perhaps, and I would like to hear your views.

For one, the solutions that can address better road use are deeper (should address more than what a company addresses). Two, they can be broader (in terms of range of people impacted - unemployed and employed). Three, they are more universal (they are transferable across job and "extra-curricular" functions and processes).

As an aside, this seems to work well even before a career starts. Get school kids to pick up rubbish as a mandatory course requirement and they are unlikely to throw their rubbish around. This experiment was tried in a small way at the University of Hyderabad and seems to work. One solution therefore is a mandatory course on good use of roads that is taught in every grade from kindergarten to the end of school with the course covering every aspect of road use - from behavior specifics to attitude to the environment and most importantly why each aspect is so important and it should include practical work as well.

This in turn raises a new argument. Should we simply focus most of the effort on school children and those that have not been able to go to school but are at the age where they use roads? Perhaps.

There is yet another argument. This has to do with my view that people in cities behave more badly than people in villages because in a city (or any crowded environment) one has to compete for resources (from bus seats to movie tickets to pavements and jobs). So if we were to provide more resources would the behavior change. For example, if we had more and better busses and roads?

An academic suggested that the problem may be because we are a collectivistic society. If I understood him right, we are expected to be responsible for not just ourselves but our families, servants etc. This could make us more aggressive in our behavior especially when it comes to "being first" for resources - be those resources movie tickets or blood banks!

For this theory, while one cannot ask people to not look after the people they are responsible for, over time we could make it easier for people to not HAVE to look after all those people. If they WANT to, fine.

My learning from the above is what I had suspected at first. There is no one solution. We should identify as many reasons / arguments as possible and then craft solutions for each. They need not be coordinated but they must be wide and sustained. Flood and flood repeatedly. There must however be only one objective: of getting us to naturally take pride in what we do and how we do it.

Look forward to your ideas. Am glad more folks are reading this and would be most appreciative if you got the message out and the comments in.

My best wishes to all, Vishnu.

Driving enterprise growth

In what follows, I could give numerous examples but the post would not end and the main purpose not served. Arguments noted are meant to support the notion that "bad behaviour is representative of bad attitude, it can be changed, it must be changed if we are to drive enterprise growth." I may add more to this post later. This is just a streaming thought kind of post.

Almost every day, and definitely every day that I am on the road, I see drivers and pedestrians that make me want to hurt them. Badly.
My reaction is not atypical of many others. Some of whom also drive badly.
My reaction is also not typical of many others.

1) People on our (indian) roads take their life into their hands. They are not even seeking divine intervention when they do that. They just seem to think they can get away with it.

Those who talk of that much-lauded Indian quality of creating something with meager resources or of achieving something in the face of daunting obstacles (often red-tape) may even view this risk-taking on the road as a positive thing. The dead or maimed person on the road being merely the object of speculation as to how they might have got hurt or died - a symbol of failed risk. After all, is not the natural order of things? Take a risk and not always succeed.

There is another dimension. The sense that "I can get away with it". Like many who indulge in a forbidden activity, getting away with a misdemeanor is a thrill. One gets a high from it. A thrill. Natural then to try one more. Pretty soon its standard practice. This is not specific to any particular socio-economic strata. This attitude is widely-accepted in India. Perhaps not when it is at one's expense but generally so.

This is the only one of the 4 aspects that can have some remotely possible positive quality - if one can call it that.

2) People on our roads are very quick to blame the other person even when the mistake was obviously theirs.

3) People on our roads are selfish. Give way to someone even when it makes perfect sense to do so and at zero cost? Of course not. Enter a road aggressively and then slow down in the middle of it so no once can safely overtake? Why of course!

4) People on our roads are slovenly. They meander, talk on their phones, think nothing of spoiling it.

There are more aspects but many fall broadly into the above categories.

Lately I have got to thinking that this is a reflection of the general attitude of the person. I cannot imagine such a person going into work and giving his/her best. Of being a good team player. Of being interested in really serving the customer. Of doing their job because it is needed to be done and done well as opposed to doing their job simply to impress someone higher up so they can move up in life. Of paying attention to detail - even when no when is watching!

Cannot resist one example. A person (not saying at which of the organizations I am/have been associated with since it is not important for this purpose) said that Google gave their staff dried fruits, fresh fruits, etc. and added that some staff misused this practice by stuffing their bags with fruit to take home to family and friends. A "senior" member of the group stated to this more "junior" person that there was nothing wrong with that. "When I give my maid left-over food I do not mind whether she eats it right then or takes it home". "Moreover, one person may eat ten apples. So why cannot one person take home 10 apples?". I was gobsmacked by what I had heard to say the least. That the "senior" could not see what was wrong with the argument was chilling. I can only hope that such logic is rare but I am afraid I am wrong.

Here is my recommendation and my challenge to people. Question my recommendation below, but also  be honest, and if you agree then rather than say "its been tried and failed" or "good theory, won't work"; apply your mind to the solution - be bold, be creative. Its far less risky than driving on our roads!! Lets start somewhere!

RECOMMENDATION
We should change peoples attitudes and behaviour at work by getting them to drive better. Get vehicle dealerships to require that every customer must see a well-made video on road etiquette; graphic images of the horrors of poor use of our roads; heavily punitive fines for over-loading, driving on the wrong side of the road etc.; mandatory inspection of vehicles more than 5 years old; muezzin, priests, god-men to sermonize on the importance of proper road usage and etiquette; frequent radio and TV shows (will beat some of the inane debates we see hosted in the name of intelligent activity). Get the picture. Flood the minds with good road use and etiquette.
My suspicion is that bad behaviour will be unlearnt, good behaviour will be practiced, people's attitudes will change (see how much they have changed towards caste or towards being rich in just the past 2 decades - so yes, beliefs and attitudes can change); they will start taking more pride in their work; and they will get to work faster and in a better mood.

If you believe this, +1 it, add to it, twitter it - go and spread the word. India will then truly be both incredible and rising! We would have, together literally driven better enterprise.

Best wishes, Vishnu.