“Chanakya and Change Management” – Prof.M.S.Rao

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin

What is Change Management?

As individuals undergo change, the organizations also undergo change. For human beings, there are three stages such as birth, growth and death. However, for organizations there are five stages such as birth, growth, transformation, decline and death. Organizations are not meant for decline and death. Therefore, when the decline is anticipated, it is essential for managers and leaders to turnaround their organizations through various strategies to ensure that the organizational graph goes towards northwards.

Change management can be defined as the process of effecting changes in a systematic, structured and sequential manner for transforming the organizations from uncertainty to certainty when faced with competition, complexity and uncertainty arising out of changing times and technologies. It calls for effective leadership, value-based leadership and principle-centered leadership to ensure organizational changes smoothly and successfully.

How to Manage Change Effectively?

Usually we find three categories of people while handling organizational change. The first category of the people are known as ‘actors’ who are ready to say ‘yes’ and get into the bandwagon of change and we can calculate them approximately in the percentage of ten percent. The second category of the people is known as ‘spectators’ who are undecided whether to agree or disagree for the change. We can calculate them roughly in the percentage of 80 percent. Finally, the third category of the people is known as ‘speed brakers’ who are against change and strongly say ‘no’. The tough task here for the leaders is to persuade the spectators about the benefits of effecting change. At times the speed brakers may pull spectators backward by highlighting about the negative side of change.

There are various methods through which people can be encouraged to change effectively. For instance, leaders have to set example and have to be part of the team throughout the change process to take the team forward aggressively. Communication is the key to managing change. At times, people may have apprehensions about change. Therefore, the onus lies with leaders to clear any doubts or misconceptions or fears about change. People may have fears like loss of job or loss of facilities or incentives or fear of coming out of the comfort zone. It takes lot of efforts and energies on the part of leaders to persuade people for ensuring change smoothly and successfully. The leaders have to facilitate and coordinate the efforts continuously and constantly during the transformation process.

Chanakya and Change Management:

Chanakya states four styles in handling people viz ‘Sama’ which means persuasion, ’Daana’ which means provide incentives, ‘Bedha’ which means differentiate between the people and finally ‘Dandopaya’ which means punish people who don’t fall in line. Similarly when the change has to be effected people have to be persuaded by all means about the pros and cons of the change. There has to be effective communication and coordination between the leaders and followers. For this, leaders must build trust with their people by involving themselves actively in the change process.

According to Chanakya if the persuasion does not work, then leaders must offer incentives to motivate people to accept the change. Tell them the benefits of effecting change. The third strategy he said was to differentiate people. For instance, compare and contrast the people between who fall in line and those who don’t fall in line. Tell those who don’t accept change must be asked to emulate from others who obeys and executes change. It creates a kind of competitive spirit among anti-changers to accept the change along with pro-changers. Finally if all the three strategies don’t work out, the ultimate weapon is to use force or coercion for anti-changers about the consequences of not falling in line as it may either allow them to fall in line with pro-changers or exit. These are the four strategies to be adopted according to Chanakya theory.

However his theory has several criticisms. His theory worked well in those ancient days. Now times have changed and people cannot be controlled. They have to be persuaded as the days of ‘command and control’ concept have gone. It is the time to partner and share roles and responsibilities. It is the time to collaborate through team working. If we keep this criticism aside, overall the concept of Chanakya is fairly good enough to turnaround organizations into economic viability and feasibility.

Conclusion:

Change is inevitable. The only thing constant in the world is change. Change is the mantra for survival and success. The times and technologies are changing rapidly and the organizations need to keep pace with the same and reinvent and evolve accordingly for ensuring organizational excellence and effectiveness.

To conclude, change can be stressful, painful and helpful. It all depends on how you view change. If you accept change with optimism it can be helpful. In contrast, if you view change with cynicism it will be painful as well as stressful. Hence, welcome change wholeheartedly for achieving survival and success in all walks of your life.

Book Review by Prof.M.S.Rao – “Develop Your Leadership Skills” by John Adair (Publisher Kogan Page)

“It is easy to find a thousand soldiers but very difficult to find a general.” – Chienese proverb.

I have read the book titled “Develop Your Leadership Skills” (Publisher Kogan Page) authored by John Adair who is the first professor of leadership studies globally and is the authority in the domain of leadership development. The book provides practical tips that are easy to understand and apply for a layperson. It helps you understand the essential leadership qualities, appreciate the leadership roles and finally master the key leadership skills and abilities.

The book helps readers who like to take up leadership roles and responsibilities. It makes you an effective leader. It equips you with theoretical inputs, ideas and principles to learn leadership skills. It blends both management and leadership effectively. It provides several exercises, checklists and key questions for testing various leadership abilities and skills. It is based on author’s military experiences with anecdotes

John Adair says, “As long as the results are effective there is no point in differentiating between leadership and management.” To prove his point he quotes Chinese proverb,”What does it matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice?” Whether you are a manager or a leader you need to deliver goods which are more important than being labeled either as a manager or a leader. We shall briefly look at few more takeaways from the book.

Takeaways from John Adair:

“It is better to have a lion at the head of an army of sheep than a sheep at the head of an army of lions.” – Daniel Defoe
• If you want to become a leader you have to be clearer about the role of leadership first.
• If you really work hard at leadership, your skills will become more habitual or unconscious. Then people will call you a natural leader.
• Personality and character are integral part of leadership.
• Leadership is situational. For instance, Winston Churchill was a great leader in wartime, but not so good in peace. It is very clear that what works for an individual might not work again as the times and technologies change rapidly.
• Irrespective of the field you are into and the level of leadership, there are three things that you should always be thinking about: task, team and individual. He goes further and declares that leadership is essentially an ‘other-centered activity’ – not a self-centered one.
• Leadership exists at three levels such as team level, operational level and strategic level.
• If communication is sister to leadership, then motivation is its brother.
• Good leaders don’t blame their tools, but work with what they have and deliver results effectively.
• Leaders must always take a ‘helicopter view’ of what is going on in their organizations.
• Only leaders can grow leaders.

The author provides key principles for motivating others such as motivate yourself; select people who are highly motivated; set realistic and challenging targets; remember that progress motivates; provide fair rewards and give recognition.

He takes the quote of Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu about leadership, “A leader is best when people barely know that he exists; not so good when people obey and acclaim him; worst when they despise him. Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, thy will all say, ‘We did this ourselves’”.

John Adair coined the term ‘strategic leadership’ way back in 1970 by blending strategy with leadership. He effectively connects leadership with change management. He compares the connectivity between the both with a proverb, “The bird carries the wings and wings carry the bird.” Change always calls for leadership without which change cannot be effected smoothly and successfully.

The author opines that currently organizations provide leadership training only for senior level leaders ignoring the middle and lower levels which is a step in retrograde direction. In fact, it is the lower level leaders who are close to customers. They also need to be trained and groomed as leaders for achieving organizational excellence and effectiveness.

The author says, “Corporate culture should also encourage a climate of self-development in leadership. Organizations only have 50 per cent of the cards in their hands; the other 50 per cent are in the hands of the individual. There may be no leadership courses available to you, but you can still learn leadership.”

Although human resources or training specialists are available to assist you to formulate and implement leadership strategy, ultimately it is you as a CEO who have to take initiative for making the things moving forward as you are in the driving seat.

The author lists out 7 principles for developing leaders in organizations
• Develop a strategy for leadership development,
• Selection,
• Training for leadership,
• Career advancement,
• Line managers as leadership developers,
• Culture and
• Growing leaders if you are in the role of chief executive.

Apply all the seven principles to develop leadership talent and potential irrespective of the level of management and retain them in leadership pipeline.

John Adair concludes the book with the quote of John Buchan, “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.”

Conclusion:

The book is worth reading for all those who like to know the basics of leadership qualities, roles and skills. It provides you with tips, tools and techniques that enable you to excel as an effective leader in your field.

Publication of Prof.M.S.Rao's Article in Academic Leadership Online Journal

Dear friends,

I would like to share the successful publication of literary review in Academic Leadership online journal vide link: http://www.academicleadership.org/authors/M_S_Rao.shtml

Enjoy reading and soar like leaders.

Prof.M.S.Rao,
Chief Consultant,
MSR Leadership Consultants