Posts Tagged ‘promotion’
August 21, 2014
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: MILITARY LEADERSHIP – CAN GOOD FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD LEADERS – “YESMANSHIP” versus LEADERSHIP.
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The article is also posted below for your convenience:
Link to my original post in my blog: MILITARY LEADERSHIP – CAN GOOD FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD LEADERS – “YESMANSHIP” versus LEADERSHIP
“YESMANSHIP” versus LEADERSHIP
HOW CAN GOOD FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD MILITARY LEADERS ?
Ramblings of a Retired Mind
By
VIKRAM KARVE
LEADERSHIP IN UNIFORM
THE “OFFICER LIKE QUALITIES” (OLQ) NON SEQUITUR
If you wonder why, at times, the military leadership seems clueless on taking decisions well within it purview and seeks “guidance” from politicians and bureaucrats, maybe the answer lies in the promotion policies of the Military Human Resource (HR) Management System.
The promotion policy of the navy (and army) is based on the premise:
“Good Followers make Good Leaders”
Yes, promotion in the military is based on absurd logic, a contradiction in terms, on the non sequitur:
“You have to learn how to follow in order to lead”
Is this statement not an incongruity in itself?
How can the ability to lead depend on the ability to follow ?
It is just like saying that the ability to swim depends on the ability to sink
Good Followers carry out decisions made by others.
Followers are required to blindly obey orders without questioning.
Good Followers are not expected to use their own ingenuity.
They must simply “do what they are told”.
Good Followers must never act on their own initiative or “make waves” or “rock the boat”.
Good followers are “yes-men”.
The basic hypothesis of the military promotion system is: “good followers make good leaders”
Hence, in the military, it is mostly “yes-men” who rise up the promotion ladder and get catapulted to leadership positions.
Ideally, in theory, “officer-like-qualities” like professional competence, integrity, patriotism, honesty, straightforwardness, single-mindedness-of-purpose, brashness, and the ability to call a spade a spade by bluntly speaking out your mind, are desirable in combat officers.
However, in practice, especially in peacetime cantonment soldiering, these very same idealistic “officer-like-qualities” may adversely affect the career prospects of an officer in comparison to his more “tactful” morally-pliable peers who “ego-massage” their superiors, practice “yes sir yes sir three bags full sir” yes-man-ship and grovel with sycophancy in front of their seniors.
Well, I have seen this happen in the military services, but when I see so many“yes-men” masquerading as leaders in the civilian world too, especially in politics and bureaucracy, it seems that this absurd non sequitur paradox“Good Followers make Good Leaders” is universal in nature.
“YESMANSHIP” versus LEADERSHIP
ONCE A “YES-MAN” ALWAYS A “YES-MAN”
In his book “On The Psychology of Military Incompetence”, Norman Dixon quotes Liddel Hart:
“A lifetime of having to curb the expression of original thought culminates so often in there being nothing left to express”.
Similarly, after grovelling and bootlicking for 30 years to “earn” his promotion to high rank, how can you suddenly expect an officer to instantaneously metamorphose from “a dog in obedience” to “a lion in action”.
With continuous dedicated practice of good “followership”, meek obedience becomes your trait and subservient yes-man-ship becomes your nature.
Once “yesmanship” becomes your natural trait, you will continue to be a good follower irrespective of whatever rank or level of authority you attain.
There is truth in the saying: Once a “yes-man” always a “yes-man”.
Good followers are competent at carrying out orders, while good leaders are competent at making decisions and giving orders.
Yes, a leader is required to take decisions.
“Yesmanship” stifles decision making ability.
In the long term, continuous practice of “yesmanship” kills leadership qualities.
Thus, when a yes-man is promoted to a leadership position he cannot take decisions himself and hence he keeps running to his superiors for even the smallest of issues though these may well be within his purview.
Is this not visible in the senior military leadership of today who keep running to their political and bureaucratic masters seeking advice for decisions which may well be within their scope or may be purely tactical or military in nature?
Do you see this lack of good decision making capability in the political and civilian leadership as well?
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Many of the greatest military leaders throughout history, who achieved success on the battlefield and victories in war, were notoriously poor followers, especially in peacetime soldiering.
In fact, in many cases, had it not been for war, many of them may not even have been promoted.
(One such example in India is Field Marshal Manekshaw who may have retired as a Major General had it not been for the 1962 war).
Let me end with a quote:
Thousands of moralists have solemnly repeated the old saying that only he can command who has learnt to obey.
It would be nearer the truth to say that only he can command who has the courage and initiative to disobey.
~ William McDougall, Character and the Conduct of Life (1927)
Dear Reader: What are your views on “YESMANSHIP” versus LEADERSHIP – CAN GOOD FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD LEADERS?
VIKRAM KARVE
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All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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This article first posted by me Vikram Karve on 28 April 2013 at 4/28/2013 02:35:00 PM in my blog at url: DO GOOD FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD LEADERS – Absurd Logic – The Promotion Paradox
Posted by Vikram Karve at 8/21/2014 01:55:00 PM
Posted in ethics, management | Tags: air force, armed forces, army, blog, bureaucracy, bureaucrat, career, careerism, civil, civilian, command, cronyism, culture, defence, HR, human, humor, humour, india, indian, management, military, naval, navy, nepotism, officer, officer like qualities, officership, olq, political, politician, promotion, qualities, resource, services, sycophancy, writing |
October 19, 2012
Click the link above to read the original post in my journal
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: The 6 P’s – HOW TO ENJOY LIFE.
Click the link above to read the original post in my journal
The article is also posted below for your convenience
The 6 P’s – HOW TO ENJOY LIFE
The 6 P’s
HOW TO ENJOY LIFE
Musings
By
VIKRAM KARVE
http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/10/the-6-ps-how-to-enjoy-life.html
On page 58 of his war memoir “Himalayan Blunder” (The Curtain Raiser to the Sino-Indian War of 1962) Brigadier John Parashuram Dalvi narrates an amusing story pertaining to the ill-fated “forward policy” which happened in NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh) sometime in 1960 when Indian Army Troops were being hastily rushed up into the mountains towards the China Border without any administrative or logistic arrangements.
A Commanding Officer of an Infantry Battalion, a Lieutenant Colonel famous for his pungent wit and sense of humour, got so fed up with the absence of any sort of supply system that he decided to use some heavy sarcasm and act in a facetious manner. He is reported to have sent one of his monthly routine reports on a “chappati” (a flat unleavened Indian Bread).
This caused some consternation in the Rear Head Quarters and the officer was asked to forward his “explanation”.
In reply, the Commanding Officer sent the now classic retort: “I regret the unorthodox nature of my stationery, but “atta” (wheat flour) is the only commodity available for fighting, for feeding and for futile correspondence”.
I cannot recall exactly who told me this story, but I remember someone once saying that the officer who sent this hilarious reply was none other than General Eric Vas [Lt Gen EA Vas (15 May 1923-18 Aug 2009)] and if my memory serves me right, I think it was the very same General Eric Vas who, in one of his pep talk speeches, told us that if we wanted to enjoy service life we should not bother about three things:
PAY
PROMOTION
POSTING
(He called them the 3 P’s).
I think this dictum of the 3 P’s applies across the board, to all careers, including those in the private sector. But it certainly applies to the services, military and civil.
Many of us focus too much on money and perks (pay or salary or “package” – call it what you like).
Nowadays, most elite educational institutions boast of the high salary packages their students are offered in campus placement interviews and it seems that pay is the primary consideration for selecting a job.
In my time too I found many of my colleagues comparing their PAY with others.
Comparing your pay and perks with others is a sure shot formula to feel miserable, because it is natural tendency to compare with someone better-off than you.
If you want to feel unhappy and frustrated all you have to do is to live a comparative and competitive life.
So, like an ambitious careerist, make sure that you get into an all-out no-holds-barred competition for PROMOTION.
And to further add to your misery, don’t forget to compare your POSTING with your more fortunate colleagues
(By “Posting” I mean not only the geographical location but also the type of appointment and designation).
So tomorrow, when you go to office, remember not to bother about the 3 P’s.
If you are obsessed with the 3 P’s, it is a guaranteed formula to make you frustrated and stressed out at work.
And if you want to enjoy your work and career, you know what to do – don’t bother about the 3 P’s – for it is a fact that if you live a non-comparative and non-competitive life you are sure to be happy and content.
Okay, so you did not bother about the 3 P’s (PAY, PROMOTION, POSTING) and enjoyed your service life, but one day you will retire and then you will have three more P’s which you should not worry about.
Yes, if you want to enjoy your retired life don’t bother about these 3 P’s:
POWER
PELF
PATRONAGE
When you retire you lose your “position power” – the higher you are the greater the loss of power. Many take it in their stride and enjoy their retirement, but some individuals who get addicted to power refuse to let go and cannot cope with the loss of power and keep hankering after it and make their lives miserable trying to get power.
I think this is the main reason why some people never retire and want to keep on working till their death.
And it is “patronage” that gets you those plum post-retirement assignments.
That is why you see so many senior persons behave in a most obsequious manner in the last years of their service – toadying and fawning to cultivate people and obtain their patronage.
Another reason why individuals cannot enjoy their retirement and want to keep working after retirement is “pelf” – these greedy money-minded individuals are never content with their savings and pension and want to keep on acquiring wealth till their death (though they know that they cannot take their wealth with them to heaven or hell after their death). In extremis, such pelf-oriented persons may even be ready to take up dubious wheeler-dealer jobs with euphemistic titles like “consultants” or “advisors” which sometimes can prove counter-productive and ruin their reputations forever.
Retirement is Bliss – if you can forget about the 3 P’s (Power, Pelf and Patronage).
In conclusion, I would like to say that your life boils down to 6 P’s.
Yes, if you want to enjoy life just don’t bother about the Six P’s –
The Three P’s while in service (PAY, PROMOTION, POSTING)
and
The Three P’s after retirement (POWER, PELF, PATRONAGE).
Dear Reader (Serving or Retired): Try it – stop worrying about these P’s and see for yourself how you can enjoy life. It works – you can take my word for it.
Please comment and tell us your views. As always, I look forward to your feedback.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Did you like this post?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
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COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
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SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
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http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
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Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
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Posted in anthology, art of living, creative, education, ethics, guide, happiness, health, Health and wellness, humor, karve, leisure, life, management, non-fiction, pune, stories, story, storyteller, storytelling, stress, symbiosis, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, weblog, work, writer, writing | Tags: 1962, air force, anthology, apocryphal, army, author, blog, blogger, career, children, china, civil, cocktail, content, education, family, fiction, happiness, health, Himalayan blunder, history, humor, india, indian, internet, job, karve, life, management, military, money, naval, navy, officer, officer like qualities, olq, online, patronage, pay, pelf, posting, power, promotion, prospects, pune, rank, relationship, relocation, retired, retirement, self help, service, services, stories, stress, transfer, vikram, vikram karve, war, wealth, web, writer, writing, yarn |
September 3, 2012
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: HUMOUR IN UNIFORM – PEACETIME SOLDIERING – The ACR Dinner.
Click the link above to read the story in my journal
The story is also posted below for your convenience
HUMOUR IN UNIFORM – PEACETIME SOLDIERING – The ACR Dinner
HUMOR IN UNIFORM
THE ACR DINNER
A Pongo Style Naval Yarn
Short Fiction Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
ACR – acronym for ANNUAL CONFIDENTIAL REPORT
Disclaimer: Please read this only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof. So first convince yourself that you have a sense of humour and only then read the yarn and have a laugh.
This happened sometime in the 1980s.
I happened to walk into the office of one of my Pongo colleagues for some work.
I saw a total of six Pongos, including my colleague, sitting around the table engaged in an animated discussion, so I excused myself and told my colleague that I would come later.
“No, No, please come in,” my friend said, “in fact you can help us solve our problem.”
“Problem?” I asked.
“Yes, its about the ACR dinner,” he said.
“ACR Dinner?” I asked perplexed.
“You don’t have this in the Navy?” they all asked.
“Well, at least I have not heard of it,” I said.
“Our ACRs are due to be written in a month,” my colleague said, “and all of us are expected to invite our boss and his wife for dinner – and of course all the other officers and lady wives are invited.”
“Are you telling me that your performance appraisal will be done based on a dinner?” I asked, genuinely baffled.
“Well, I really don’t know, but then these are the hazards of peacetime soldiering,” commented my friend, who was a battle-hardened soldier, looking at me wistfully.
“Anyway, what do you want me to do?” I asked.
“Pick lots,” they all said.
“Pick lots?” I asked, totally at a loss.
“Yes,” my friend explained, “we have to decide the sequence of the ACR dinners. You know about the halo effect, don’t you? There is a big advantage in giving the dinner last, just before the ACR date.”
“Sometimes it is good to host the first dinner too – the first dinner sets the standard, and is also remembered,” said another Pongo sitting in the room.
So I did the honours and picked the chits and the ACR dinner dates were decided.
Of course, my wife and I, were invited to all the ACR dinners.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Posted in karve, management, pune, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, writer, writing | Tags: anecdote, army, career, deemed, diat, girinagar, HR, humor, life, management, military, naval, navy, officer, officer like qualities, olq, promotion, pune, social, stories, story, university, yarn |
August 24, 2012
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: HUMOUR IN UNIFORM – A CLASSIC NON SEQUITUR – FLEXIBLE HUMAN RESOURCE HR MANAGEMENT.
Please click the link above to read the original article in my journal
The article is also posted below for your convenience
HUMOR IN UNIFORM
SHOW ME THE FACE AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE RULE
Flexible HR Management
A CLASSIC NON SEQUITUR
A Naval Yarn
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Disclaimer: Please read this only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof. So first convince yourself that you have a sense of humour and only then read the yarn and have a laugh.
Sometimes, when I hark back to my glorious days in the navy, I recall such hilarious instances that I burst out laughing.
Here is one such amusing episode – I think the year was 1989.
I was very keen on doing the staff college course so I studied sincerely, prepared well, and qualified my staff college exam with flying colours at the first opportunity in 1986. Though a merit list was not declared, I had written all papers in the exam so well that I was sure that I was somewhere on the top of the merit list.
Thereafter, I completed my “sea time” and in 1989 I thought I would be sent for staff college but to my surprise, and dismay, I found that my name did not figure on the list.
So I wrote a personal letter to the concerned person and received a classic reply whose gist was as follows:
1. Yes, I had qualified the staff college entrance exam in the first attempt which was quite creditable.
2. However, a few years back, I had been selected for an M. Tech. (Master of Technology) course at IIT Delhi and I had successfully completed my M. Tech. in 1983.
3. As per the existing policy, M. Tech. qualified officers were not eligible for staff college. This was in order to give equitable opportunity to all officers in training courses and also because an M. Tech. degree from an IIT was considered a higher qualification than the M. Sc. Degree given after staff college.
4. Hence, I was not being sent to staff college in the current year.
So far, the logic given was perfectly fine, but what followed was a classic non sequitur:
5. However, this policy (of not sending M. Tech. qualified officers to staff college) may be reviewed and it is quite likely, that in the future, M. Tech. officers may be considered eligible for staff college. But even if the policy is changed in the future, I would not be eligible for staff college, as at that point of time I would be out of the “seniority bracket”.
I showed this letter to my ship’s captain who had a hearty laugh and said: “Looks like they want to send some ‘blue-eyed-boy’ who is junior to you, and who has done M. Tech., to staff college.”
Sure enough, two years later, an M. Tech. qualified officer was sent to staff college (looks like the “policy” was changed).
There was a saying in the bureaucracy: SHOW ME THE FACE AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE RULE
A witty friend of mine who also was once a victim of another such selective interpretation of “flexible” HR Policy had even coined the acronym for this phenomenon. He called it DRDO – Different Rules for Different Officers.
But one thing is sure. Whenever you feel aggrieved by favouritism and some injustice has been done to you, instead of becoming bitter, it is best to look at the funny side, since humour is the best antidote to frustration and a hearty laugh is an excellent safety valve to dissipate hurt, pain and anger.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Did you like this story?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
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http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o
About
Vikram KarveA creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram Karve has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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April 24, 2012
Is One Rank One Pension a good idea?
Click the link below and read my views in my journal
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: ONE RANK ONE PENSION.
Click the link above and read the post.
Posted in blog, india, indian, karve, non-fiction, pune, vikram, vikram karve, vikram waman karve, writing | Tags: ACP, army, assured, band, career, civil, commission, ex, ex servicemen, HR, india, indian, integrated, life, management, military, musing, navy, officer, pay, pension, progression, promotion, prospect, rank, retire, retired, retirement, running, salary, scale, service, serviceman, servicemen, veteran, war, welfare |
January 5, 2012
HOW TO ENJOY YOUR CAREER
THE 3 P’s
By
VIKRAM KARVE
If my memory serves me right, I think it was General Eric Vas [Lt Gen EA Vas (15 May 1923-18 Aug 2009)] who, in one of his pep talk speeches, told us that if we wanted to enjoy service life we should not bother about three things: PAY, PROMOTION and POSTING (The 3 P’s – as he called them). I think this applies across the board, to all careers, including those in the private sector.
Many of us focus too much on money and perks (pay or salary or “package” – call it what you like). Nowadays, most elite educational institutions boast of the high salary packages their students are offered in campus placement interviews and it seems that pay is the primary consideration for selecting a job.
In my time too I found many of my colleagues comparing their PAY with others. Yes, this is a sure shot formula to feel miserable – compare with someone better-off than you.
If you want to feel unhappy and frustrated all you have to do is to live a comparative and competitive life.
So, like an ambitious careerist, make sure that you get into an all-out no-holds-barred competition for PROMOTION.
And to add to your misery, don’t forget to compare your POSTING with your more fortunate colleagues (By “Posting” I mean not only the geographical location but also the type of appointment and designation).
So tomorrow, when you go to office, remember the 3 P’s.
If you are obsessed with the 3 P’s, it is a guaranteed formula to make you frustrated and stressed out at work.
And if you want to enjoy your work and career, you know what to do – don’t bother about the 3 P’s – for it is a fact that if you live a non-comparative and non-competitive life you are sure to be happy and content.
Bye for now. I think I will elaborate on this subject a little later right here in my Blog. But before I say good bye, let me remind you – Remember the 3 P’s.
VIKRAM KARVE
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
vikramkarve@gmail.com
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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November 28, 2011
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: MORAL PLIABILITY – The Key to Success.
Click on the link above and read the article in my journal.
I have also posted the article below:
Monday Morning Musing
MORAL PLIABILITY
The Key to Success
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Look around you, in your workplace and outside, and you will realize that the most “successful” persons are those who are morally pliable.
In my early days of my career, when I was young and full of idealism, I used to wonder why so many professionally competent, talented, efficient and diligent persons do not get the success they deserve in their careers.
Now it is quite clear to me – they lacked that key ingredient which is the sine qua nonto reach the top of the ladder: MORAL PLIABILITY.
Yes, if you are morally pliable you will develop the ability to unquestioningly obey orders from your superiors without suffering qualms of conscience. Your bosses will feel comfortable with you and you will go a long way in your career – yes, proficiency may take you to a certain level but to rise beyond that you need that decisive ingredient in the recipe for success – moral pliability.
If you are honest, straightforward and upright you may even be labeled as an “idealist”, impractical, conceited, dogmatic, or even worse, if you stand by your principles you may be branded as a difficult person, as someone who cannot get along with others, and your career may be written off and you may be cast away by the wayside.
If you flow with the tide, bend your principles as the wind blows, you will be appreciated as a “practical” person, tactful manager, a great team player – after all, everyone loves an adaptable person with a flexible personality. This is true in most organizations – at work and also in personal relationships in a family.
Of course there is a danger in being too flexible. Once you practice moral pliability for a long time and make it a habit to compromise your principles as the situation demands, you may reach a stage where you have no principles left to compromise.
So, Dear Reader, on this Monday morning, look around your workplace, observe your colleagues, especially the eager beaver go getter “successful” types.
Reflect for a while and ask yourself:
Is better to be morally rigid and ethically steadfast or is it better to be “malleable” and “ductile” and practice “situational ethics”?
When I see the number of morally pliable people achieve great “success” I wonder whether this African saying is relevant here: “The wind does not break a tree that bends” or maybe the Ancient Chinese Wisdom “The tree that does not bend with the wind will be broken by the wind”.
Or should you stand by your principles as John Quincy Adams says: “Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone”.
Or is it wiser to follow the advice of Thomas Jefferson: “In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock”.
Think about it and you decide for yourself what is right for you.
As an afterthought, let me add that there is a flip side to moral pliability too. Sometimes these morally pliable persons who reach the topmost positions in the hierarchy may bring disrepute to themselves and tarnish the reputation of their organizations owing to this very quality of moral pliability that catalyzed their ascent to the top. Quite a paradox, isn’t it?
Enjoy your work and have a great week.
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
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Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
vikramkarve@gmail.com
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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February 10, 2011
Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: The Six P’s and Three Q’s of Marketing.
THE LAW OF THE HAMMER, The SIX P’s and THREE Q’s of MARKETING
By
VIKRAM KARVE
(An abridged and revised version of my paper TECHNOLOGY MARKETING – New Issues by Vikram Karve published in INDIAN MANAGEMENT Vol 37 No. 1 January 1998 pp 39 – 42)
“Give a child a hammer, and the child will use it on everything encountered.”
This is the law of the hammer and this seems to be the leitmotif of the technology marketing scene in the Indian context today. And, in many cases, this approach seems to be succeeding, at least in the short term.
The premise is that the customer is buying technology for technology’s sake, simply as a gimmick or to satisfy a perceived hedonistic need for novelty.
Addressing the human need for novelty is just one aspect of technology marketing, albeit an important one, and may yield rich dividends in the short term. However, a technological marketing strategy based solely on this approach is likely to be characterized by short market cycle, fast but unpredictable market penetration, and quick product obsolescence.
Success with high-tech products requires a confluence of technical understanding and marketing skills.
The P’s and Q’s of Marketing
Marketing is something which the producer or manufacturer has to do, or get done; it is not conferred on his product as if by right.
Marketing can be defined as “getting into the heads of your customers, identifying what they want, and giving it to them”.
Marketing, therefore, is addressing a need or a desire.
In the case of conventional products, the general need or desire is well known.
With new technological possibilities, the need or desire that is addressed is not always obvious. Therefore, in the care of new technology products, the technological marketer may have to take one step backwards to identify the fundamental role that his product can fulfill in the marketplace.
This fundamental approach can be modeled as “The P’s and Q’s of Marketing”.
The Six P’s are: People, Product, Place, Price, Packaging, Promotion.
The Three Q’s are: Quality, Quantity, Quickness.
The first step in technological marketing is to identify the role of technology in the new product, and hence how the PRODUCT relates to PEOPLE.
Technology can have four roles in new products. It can be the product itself, it can increase availability, can enhance distribution, and it can be present in the promotion.
• The technology can be the Product itself. Technological inventions or innovations may lead to a revolutionary or exclusive which creates a dominant niche in the market [Examples: Mobile Phones (cell-phones), PC, Laptop, Walkman, Radial Tyre, Digital Technologies]
• The technology can be in the Availability. A historical example is the gramophone record, which made available to the masses the virtuoso performance of the musical masters. People bought music. The technology is simply an enabling mechanism. Previously, the masses could have had access to some of the music only by attending live performances which was neither always feasible nor affordable. A more recent example Direct to Home (DTH) Television services. Thus, modern technologies make available desires that previously could not be met economically or practically.
• The technology can be in the Distribution. For example, Internet has revolutionized the whole approach of marketing, banking [with instantaneous electronic transfer of money], with increasing online sales. Hence, it is imperative today that manufacturers design their marketing strategy keeping the Internet in mind.
• The technology can be in the Promotion. The image of a traditional product can be subtly changed by the means of presenting it, using modern packaging and design technologies, combined with high-tech advertising, promotional, marketing and sales techniques.
THE THREE Q’s
The Q’s relate to the ways in which technology can transform the availability and distribution of products aimed at fulfilling existing human needs.
• For example, in the Indian context, the advent of Japanese and Korean technology made possible greatly increased QUALITY of automobiles and two wheelers (motorcycle, scooters) and therefore has expanded the availability of efficient quality cars and two wheelers in the Indian Market. The same is the case with most consumer, entertainment and household items. The technological marketer can often identify an existing need or desire for quality goods, and use technology to develop a quality product for this wider market.
• The QUANTITY of attractive jewelry has been expanded with technological developments in the production of diamond simulants like cubic zirconia. Other examples include Digital Storage Technologies, Digital Quartz Watches, Automation Technologies, Agriculture, Dairy and Food Processing Technologies. Technology can often make possible products for that mass market that emulate up-market consumption without threatening the elite market place.
• Today, satellite technology allows sports events to be simultaneously observed on television throughout the world; in fact, it facilitates instantaneous worldwide video, telephone, or data transmission, which evidence the way in which technology can improve QUICKNESS. At first, messages could be transmitted and received by the postal service (transportation technology), then telegram (telecommunication technology) and now Satellite and Information and Communication technologies [ICT] have made the communication process instantaneous [real-time]. Microwave Ovens are another example of how technology can improve QUICKNESS.
A Model For Technological Marketing
Technological Marketing focuses on inducing substitution, or seducing the buyer to purchase the new product or service.
However, it would be wise to remember that seductive propositions can cause unplanned babies. In the technological marketplace unplanned babies take the form of unexpected outcomes that offer new and potentially exciting product and service opportunities.
“Unplanned Babies” come out of using technology to ‘modernize’ something that has a well-established place in everyday life. One very common example is the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). The original idea was that machines would carry out the age-old cash dispensing function more efficiently [The initial aim of the ATM was to use new technology to automate an old function carried out manually by bank tellers – cash dispensing].
A new way of doing things is always subtly different from what has been done before.
ATMs changed two things – where the cash was available, and when. These two aspects caused a fundamental change in the utility of the service received by customers. For the first time they could get cash 24/7 round the clock, off working hours, and away from bank premises. This indeed was a major new bank service. The customers were so delighted, demanded more and more and the banks were totally taken a back – they had not foreseen that automated cash dispensing machines could in fact produce a new service and they kept on enhancing value-added-services to the ATMs.
ATMs are now seen to be more than mere cash dispensing machines. Customers use ATMs to recharge their mobile phone pre-paid connections, pay their utility bills, even mutual fund transactions – making them at par with flexibility given in internet banking – only more secure.
This is an example of a new technology used for the old purpose giving rise to a new market situation. Microprocessor technology, VLSI and Nano Technologies are other examples of unexpected multi-dimensional changes leading to a large range of new products embodying multifarious market desires.
The progressive marketer stands back, looks at such a situation from a distance and reappraises it objectively, since it gives him the opportunity to get a much deeper understanding of the real needs and desires of the market-place.
In a nutshell, technology marketing comprises analyzing existing market demands, addressing these existing demands through technology, reappraising and redefining market needs and desires in the light of response to new technology, and accordingly fine tuning products for the developing market-place.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this book review.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop’s School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. He has written a foodie book Appetite For A Stroll and a book of fiction short stories which is being published soon and is busy writing his first novel. Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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October 28, 2009
THE “WHY” QUESTION
HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR VALUES and LIVE IN HARMONY WITH YOURSELF
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Values are core beliefs which guide and motivate attitudes and behaviour.
When you value something you want it (or want it to happen).
Values are relatively permanent desires.
Values are answers to the “why” question.
You keep on asking “why” questions until you reach a point where you no longer want something for the sake of something else. At this point you have arrived at a value.
Let’s take an example – I was once teaching a Post Graduate Professional Programme at a premier university, a centre of excellence, and I asked a student, “Why are you doing this academic course?”
“To gain qualifications,” he answered.
“Why do you want to gain qualifications?”
“To succeed in my career.”
“Why do you want to succeed in your career?”
“To reach the top.”
“Why do you want to reach the top?”
“To get power.”
“Why do want do you want power?”
“To control people,” he answered.
“Why do you want to control people?”
“I want to control people.”
“Why?”
“I like to control people.”
“Why?”
“Just for the sake of it – I like controlling people,” he said and further why’s elicited similar responses related to control. [Control for the sake of control – that’s when you discover your value!]
I realized that control was one of his values and maybe he was a future megalomaniac in the making!
The same line of questioning of persons undergoing higher education may reveal values like knowledge, money, status, standard of living, ambition, achievement, growth, reputation, excellence, fame.
Values are our subjective reactions to the world around us.
They guide and mould our options and behaviour. Values are developed early in life and are very resistant to change.
Values develop out of our direct experiences with people who are important to us, particularly our parents.
Values evolve within us not out of what people tell us, but as a result how people behave toward us and others.
Remember, there cannot be any “partial” values.
For example: you cannot be 50% honest (half–honest) – either you are honest or you are not honest!
Are you doing you MBA?
Keep asking yourself why you are doing it, and you will ultimately arrive at your value.
“Why are you doing your MBA?”
“To learn the art of management.”
“Why do you want to learn management?”
“To get a good job in a top firm as a manager.”
“Why?”
“To make more money.”
“Why?”
“To have a high standard of living.”
The person I was talking to re-iterated here, again and again, since standard of living was his value but you can go on and on till you find your true core values.
In one case I was surprised to find conformance as a prime value in a student of MBA – she was doing MBA because everyone else, especially most of her friends, were doing MBA!
With the rise and predominance of the utility value of education, the most important criterion for ranking B-Schools is the pay-packet their students get and not other factors like the quality of faculty and infrastructure, academic achievements and ambience etc.
That’s why there is a rush towards IT and Computer Science as compared to other more interesting and challenging branches of Engineering and Technology – money seems to be the cardinal value amongst students these days!
Some do prefer the civil services even after completing their Engineering from premier institutions as, for these individuals, things like status, service, power, and maybe, patriotism may be important values.
- Is a high salary important to you?
- Is it important for your work to involve interacting with people?
- Is it important for your work to make a contribution to society?
- Is having a prestigious job important for you?
It is most important for you to find out your own values (by the “why” method) to avoid value mismatch.
Value mismatch is at the root cause of dilemmas in your life.
Even when you plan to marry or have a relationship you must look out for value mismatch.
A conflict between your personal and organizational values may result in ethical dilemmas at the workplace, while value mismatch between two persons may sow discord and cause stress and turbulence in a relationship.
Your values are possibly the most important thing to consider when you’re choosing an occupation or workplace.
If you do not take your values into account when planning your career, there’s a good chance you’ll dislike your work and therefore not enjoy it.
For example, someone who needs to have autonomy in his work would not be happy in a job where every action is decided by someone else.
It is important to distinguish between values, interests, personality, and skills:
- Values: the things that are important to you, like achievement, status, and autonomy.
- Interests: what you enjoy doing, like reading, taking long walks, eating good food, hanging out with friends.
- Personality: a person’s individual traits, motivational drives, needs, and attitudes.
- Skills: the activities you are good at, such as writing, computer programming, and teaching.
Of these, interests, skills and personality can be developed, but values are intrinsic core beliefs inherent within you. You have to look inwards, analyse, introspect, reflect and endeavour to discover your own true values.
Whether it is your work or relationships, value congruence is of paramount importance – your values must be in harmony for the relationship to tick.
Value Dissonance due to mismatch between individual values and organizational values can cause great strain and trauma at the workplace.
Even within yourself, in order to avoid inner conflict there must be no confusion about your true values.
Remember the saying of Mahatma Gandhi: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”.
Dear Reader, please sit down in a quiet place all by yourself, introspect, ask yourself the “why” question and find out your own values.
First know yourself. Then know others.
Try to ascertain your and their values (personal values and organizational values too!).
Avoid value-mismatch and value-dissonance to the extent feasible.
The extent of mutual harmony in your values should determine your choice of work, activities, relationships, friends and partner.
Is freedom an important value for you?
Is the career or job you are considering (or the person you want to marry or have a close relationship or friendship with) going to give you enough freedom?
Do you value leisure?
Oh, yes! Leisure is not only an important value but also a determinant of character – If you want to know about a man find out how he spends his leisure.
It’s true in your case too – If you had a day off what will you do?
Would you read a book, write a story, go hiking outdoors, play your favourite sport, adventure sports, chat with friends, picnic, see a movie, eat your favourite cuisine in a restaurant, or cook it yourself, socialize in your club, spend the day at home with your family, study, play with your pet dog, or see TV at home, or just spend the day in glorious solitude enjoying quality time with yourself?
Or would you rather not “waste” your leisure time and spend the day doing something “useful” connected with your work, career or advancement towards “achieving” your “goals”?
How you spend your leisure reveals vital clues about your values too!
Do you value humour, fun, pleasure, food, enjoyment, sex, family life, quality of life, status, money, success, fame, power, prestige, security, nature, loyalty, love, affection, independence, privacy, togetherness, tranquillity, adventure, leadership, followership, competition, contentment, creativity – look within, reflect, find out for yourself, and the values of others too who you want to relate with – match and harmonize your values, and be happy and fulfilled in your work and your relationships.
Remember, at any important milestone in your life, when you have to make a vital decision, whether you are on the verge of selecting a career, a job, a house, or a marriage partner – trust your sense of values!
In conclusion here is a quote from the German Philosopher Friedrich Hegel: “A man who has work that suits him and a wife whom he loves has squared his accounts with life”
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2009
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Appetite for a Stroll
vikramkarve@sify.com
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