SAGE India - Timeless Management

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Copyright SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd, 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First published in 2021 by

SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd

B1/I-1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area

Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044, India

www.sagepub.in

Published by Vivek Mehra for SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd. Typeset in 11/14 pt Sabon by Fidus Design Pvt Ltd, Chandigarh.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021940687

ISBN: 978-93-91138-06-6 (ePub)

MOID SIDDIQUI AND R.H. KHWAJA

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Andr Gide

(A French writer)

Source: http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/1420

In my school days, we were taught a poemThe Scarecrow. It was the story of a gardener who was disgusted with the crows who used to spoil his crops. The gardener would run around the entire day throwing stones and cursing the crows. It was a very tiring exercise, but he had no other option but to continue with this exercise. By the end of the day he would be very tired. One day his friend suggested him a trick and he made a scarecrow. It was so nicely made that it looked like a real man. Once it was erected, the problem was solved. The crows were scared and did not come anywhere near it. The gardener heaved a sigh of relief and decided to take a break and went to his village with his family. But when he returned after a week, he found that his vegetable garden was completely spoiled by the crows. The crows had eaten the seeds and spoiled the vegetables by poking at them with their beaks. What amazed him most was that the crows were sitting on the head and shoulders of the scarecrow. He also found a nest under the hat, which was earlier worn by the scarecrow. So, the trick failed! Trickery doesn't work long, explained the teacher.

I understood the moral of the poem, and our teacher explained it to us verse by verse. But what my young mind was not ready to accept was the twist of the storywhen the scarecrow scared the crows earlier, why could not it do so later? After all, they were birds; no one can explain the trick and guide them to work smart. Either the crows shouldn't have got scared in the first place but if they were fooled once, how could they outsmart the gardener later? I thought, argued but refused to accept. Finally, I consoled myself by treating it as only a work of fiction and left it at that.

Today, when I look back, I just laugh at my innocence. What did not appeal to my logic then is clear to me now. Trickery alone or any new thing or device is effective for a short time. It loses charm after some time. What worked yesterday may or may not work today. The reason is simple: What was applicable yesterday may not be appropriate today and, for sure, will not be relevant tomorrow. This mantra is the seed of change. This explains the need of change for change.

In the context of business, change is necessary because it relates to the future, where the managers shall live forever during their corporate life. It is easy to advise managers, Look into the Future because that is your constituency! But when it comes to reality, managers do not find any crystal ball. They always look for one. Tell them, we do not have crystal balls, but we do have some mantras: The most reliable way to look into the future is by understanding the present!

But unfortunately we tend to look into the future while still living in the past, without even wanting to know the present!

Change and future are twins. They resemble each other so much that one is mistaken for the other. Sometimes it is difficult to make a distinction between the two. To understand the need for change, one must understand fully the cut of time, what we call future. What leads us to the future can also guide us in managing change.

There is another mantraI call it Gayatri Mantra of change the Bellwether approach. It is simple: In the corporate world, corporate America's yesterday is the today of the advanced European and ASEAN countries and shall be the tomorrow in the context of developing countries like India. Hence, Indian entrepreneurs and managers are lucky. They can always learn their lesson, good and bad, and make midcourse corrections keeping an eye on those who are ahead of them.

Yet, another golden mantra! There are two ways to manage change: (a) inside out and (b) outside in. They are not buzzwords; they are the untold reality in change management.