Thursday, April 26, 2012
Entrepreneurial Education
Entrepreneurial Education
Authors
nitieprasad prasad
Published
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Version 4
Last edited: Aug 15, 2009
Exported: Apr 26, 2012
Original URL: http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/34ayebwg5hz0t/5
Effective Education - Through Entrepreneurial way
Dr T Prasad, Associate Professor and
Fauclty Adviser, NITIE Center for Student Enterprises (NCSE), Mumbai – 87.
Effective Education is the central issue in any kind of education. This article tries to explain what what is effective education and how this can be achieved through entrepreneurial way. The article is an outcome of the practice that we at NITIE, Mumbai as developed and practicing for some time.
I. There are THREE constituents in any educational system
· Content: Educational content
· Process: Curriculum Consisting of Pedagogy, Evaluation etc.
· Outcomes: End results – Learning and Earning
When this is applied to educational system the resulting will be following three constituents are depicted in the above diagram in three circles coalescing each other. Relationships among these three constituents are discussed as following.
II. Above THREE components are interrelated and interdependent, happen concurrently and not sequential manner. None of the constituents exist without the other two.
(Education – Enterprising – Learning and Earning)
· 1. 0 Education – Enterprising : 1.1 Any system of education must be enterprising. This question is not a matter of desirability but it is a matter of necessity. It is necessary, feasible. When the present generation is referred to as ‘Gen E’ ( Generation born in most enterprising times) education cannot be but enterprising. 1.2 Any system of education is equally amenable for practice in an enterprising way. Here, there is need for ‘Innovation’ that can show a way to solve this . 1.3 There is two way relationship between education and enterprising which reciprocally support each other. When present System of education in practice is evaluated against this parameter, it is big failure..
· 2.0 Education – Learning and Earning : 2.1 Once again, Any educational system result in Effective learning only when it results in EARNING. Here there is strong relationship between Learning and Earning. All educational systems which creates earnings are necessarily deemed to be effective. Further, otherwise, is not true.
Unless, otherwise, it can not survive. Earning outcome fuels the sustenance and helps in growth. Once again this is a necessary condition for an educational system to be effective, particularly to reach large masses in a developing country like India . In reality, it is the earnings that provide life blood for educational system in developing societies like India. 2.2 Masses, Poor and down trodden in developing societies are not embracing the existing educational process.... not because they are dis - interested and cannot understand the fruits of education. The real reason is... masses cannot get in to it in the present system due to the reason that educational system does not have Earning potential. 2.3 Any kind of external funding to educational process is suicidal for the educational system itself. Lethargy, unaccountability creeps in the moment the educational system is put on external support and cannot be effective. External funding in no way match the intensity, ingenuity and superiority of internally ( self supporting ) nature of an educational system. Self help is the best help. 2.4 There is two way relationship between education and earning which reciprocally support each other. 2.5 So far no educational system in the world is being designed on the important criteria of Earning...
· 3.0 Enterprising – Learning and Earning : 3.1 Enterprising process when applied properly to educational system leads to earnings concurrently. Once again innovation that comes in to effect for this to happen. 3.2 There is two way relationship between enterprising and earning which reciprocally support each other.
III. Education – Enterprising – Learning and Earning :
4.1 Creating a balance and harmonious relationship among these THREE constituents is a matter of out most importance for attaining excellence in education. It is here that an element of innovation that comes in to effect. 4.2 Appropriate educational system is an outcome of an interaction between the three constituents on one hand and the given situation ( Socio cultural and economic context) in terms of time and space on the other hand. This kind of system fits in the given socio cultural, economic environment of developing societies like India. Educational system if at all it wants to make a headway in developing socialites, we need to opt for such an ‘Entrepreneurial Educational system’.
IV. Effective Educational System : Effective education system is an outcome of perfect combination of these three elements of educational system. There is path for the educational process to take so as to become effective. In the below given table there are six stages in the path that are enshrined for the educational system to take so as to become effective educational system and attain educational excellence.
Each of the component is categorized on two point method
Path
Content
Process
Outcomes
Education
Enterprising
Learning
Earning
End
Result
Stages 1
Max.
Zero
Max.
Neg.
In effective
2
Max.
Opt.
Max.
Zero
3
Opt.
Opt.
Max.
Pos.
4
Opt.
Max.
Max.
BE
5
Max.
Max.
Max.
Max.
Effective
6
Opt.
Max.
Max.
Max.
Ideal
Stage 1. Education = Max. : Ep = Zero; Eg = Neg.
Stage 2. Education = Max. : Ep = Opt. ; Eg = Zero
Stage 3. Education = Opt. : Ep = Opt. ; Eg = Pos.
Stage 4. Education = Opt. : Ep = Max. ; Eg = Break Even.
Stage 5. Education = Opt. : Ep = Max. ; Eg = Max.
Stage 6. Education = Max. : Ep = Max. ; Eg = Max.
Leadership Development Course @ NITIE
Leadership Development Course @ NITIE
Welcome to Leadership Development course at NITIE. This knol gives you the course outline for PGDIM 17 batch at NITIE Mumbai.
Authors
Leadership Development @ NITIE for PGDIM PROGRAM
Customer : Waiter, do you serve pigs?
Waiter : Sit down sir, we serve everyone .. ( One of my NITIE students has sent me. This can be good beginning to understand the and develop LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT..)
If you study mathematics, you become a mathamatician ;If you study history, you become a historian;If you study swimming, you drown.— Anonymous
Instead of thinking of improving the world, let us concentrate our attention on self-improvement. We can scarcely find out if the world is on the right or the wrong path. But if we take the strait and narrow path, we shall find all taking it too or discover the method of inducing them to take it . To know oneself is to forget the body or to reduce oneself to zero.
- Mahatma Gandhi..
Objectives of the course
· Developing leadership through the processes of exploration, reflection, understanding, and integration. Present Course try to use what all the students have learned and try to ask the students develop their own leadership THROUGH PRACTICE . All this being done with reference to the YOU ALONE..
Course contents
· Personal leadership – ( Personal Health, habits, values, beliefs, thinking and action orientation )
· Interpersonal leadership
· Business ( Task ) leadership ( achievement of targets and challenges )
· ( Social leadership and spiritual leadership - not included in this course)
Essential Books for Reading
· 1. Seven Habits of highly effective people - Covey: have a reading of the book..... try to read the book to practice. and change yourself.. It is suggested that you dont read the book for getting a grade..
Seven Habits – Some important concepts that must be understood in toto ( Page number in the book and the concept )
18 Paradigm
29 Paradigm Shift
34 Principle Centered
47 Habits
52 Effectiveness
70 Proactivity - S R Model
81 Circle of influence
97 Begin with end in mind
103 Rescripting
122 Principle center
145 First things first
186 Dependence, Independence, Inter dependence,
188 Emotional bank account
197 Apologizing sincerely
205 Win win
219 Abundance mentality
239 Empathetic listening
245 Autobiographical response
· 2. My experiments with truth – M K Gandhi.. again read the book.. identify which parts of the book impressed you most.. why..? which are close to your heart? what are the parts you want to make part of you.. work on..
· In this book each student is expected to pick up at least TEN INSTANCES ( out of many 50 or 60 instances that exist ) where Gandhiji demonstrated seven habits as he reported. Purpose here is to understand the concepts of 7 habits through the case of Gandhi autobiography.. Towards this it is expected that each student will read, identify and pick up such instances and report an analysis of such instances on the 7 habits framework.. COME FOR DISCUSSION IN CLASS .. DONT COME FOR LISTENING. The sessions are not meant for listening..
Pedagogy adopted
· Learning by Earning; Field based learning mode; Reading, knowing, and doing, becoming..
- Sessions will be conducted in such a way that students are facilitated for developing leadership on their own..
Compulsory Field Assignments ( All assignments are essential part of learning process. )
· 1. Reading, understanding and practicising the habits that are given in the book 7 Habits
2. Reading, understanding 7 Habits through the lense of Gandhiji's autobiogrpahy book. For this students must read the book, understand the contents and practice the principles.
3. Write FIVE knols related to the above work... Knols will be considered for course evaluation..
OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE STUDENTS
· 4. Conducting Shanthi Eva Jayate – program - In this program each of the students with an objective to experience their own leadership competencies through the medium of an assignment called ' Canvassing Gandhian literature' in market place. Each of the students will organize sales counters in one of the corporate premises. Students will be given an introduction letter to approach and seek permission from the corporate for selling Gandhi books. . Students as part of learning will share about Gandhian values to the prospects in the market. Through this process students are expected to imbibe appropriate leadership competencies. This assignment will be used for demonstration of and assessment of Task leadership competencies by each of the students. .
· 5. Students operating their own companies ‘ Hamara Dhandha ’.
Course Assessment
· Final exam – 60 %
· Field Assignments and quiz programs – 40 % ..
As part of the class room learning students will be given quiz tests covering essential readings mentioned earlier.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Internet Sources for Student Enterprises
1. http://www.studententerprise.ie - A Swwedish website gives information on student enterprises in Sweeden.
2. ICICI 'sme toolkit' website provides best of information on launching and running the enterprises.
3.
2. ICICI 'sme toolkit' website provides best of information on launching and running the enterprises.
3.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Narayana Murthy Cheif mentor Infosys - Lessons on effective Communication
Effective Communication ? : An Analysis of Narayana Murthy’s Letter of Resignation of the Chairmanship of Bangalore International Airport Limited
Dr T Prasad
Assistant Professor
National Institute of Industrial Engineering ( NITIE)
Mumbai – 400 087, tprasad1961@yahoo.co.in
Tel. 022 28573371 – 232: Fax. 022 2857 3251
Abstract
An effort is made in this article to critically analyze the effectiveness of the communication Mr. Narayana Murthy has used for resigning the chairmanship of BIAL. The author opines that communication can be made effective provided certain principles viz., Being Proactive, Open, Supportive, Empathetic, Positive and Equitable are practised by the communicators. To illustrate the point, the author quotes benchmark communications from the past involving great personalities like Gandhi.
Profile of author
Prasad, T is Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai. He received his Ph.D. (Business Management) from Osmania University, Hyderabad. Before joining NITIE, Dr. Prasad was on the Faculty of Commerce of Osmania University and a visiting faculty member at XLRI Jamshedpur. He has presented papers on innovative teaching methods at annual conferences of ABSEL, USA. Dr Prasad’s areas of interest include Leadership Development, Organizational Culture and Innovative Teaching Methods.
Effective Communication ? : An Analysis of Narayana Murthy’s Letter of Resignation of the Chairmanship of Bangalore International Airport Limited [1]
Background
In the month of October 2005, Narayana Murthy, the Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited, resigned from the Chairmanship of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). The issue came into focus as the former Prime Minister Deve Gowda made comments referring to Mr. Murthy’s contribution as inadequate for the development of BIAL. The Finance Minister Mr. Chidambaram and the state Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Dharam Singh were reported to have attempted to persuade Murthy to withdraw the resignation. But Murthy did not change his mind. Many people were surprised at Gowda’s allegations about Murthy who is known for upholding values and principles in business. Omkar Goswami, noted economist, posed an open question: Who will history judge to be a more capable leader of people: Narayana Murthy or Deve Gowda? (Business World, 21st Nov 2005 p. 26).
It is unfortunate that a controversy like this should have arisen, involving two such eminent individuals. At one level the quarrel between Murthy and Gowda may be viewed as a personal encounter but considering their status in society, the case has enormous learning value for one and all. The case analyzed properly can help us to understand many important issues like leadership in general, the role of business leaders in social development projects and effective communication in such domains. The present article focuses on the last-mentioned theme - effective communication.
More specifically, the article analyses the effectiveness of Murthy’s communication. For this, the content of the resignation letter that Murthy had sent to the Chief Minister Dharam Singh, is taken as the basis. The reason for this is that the resignation letter revealed Murthy’s mindset in general and his feelings in the matter in particular. While analyzing the effectiveness of Murthy’s communication, no attempt is made to bring in the Deve Gowda factor. Considering the involvement of a successful business leader like Murthy, the present case is relatively a rare incident in professional management circles. Hence, the present case is considered worth analyzing exclusively from the point of view of Murthy. A copy of Murthy’s letter to Chief Minister Dharam Singh is provided below.
Copy of Narayana Murthy’s Resignation Letter to the Chief Minister
Dear Mr. Dharam Singh,The media reports of October 17, 2005 refer to your coalition partner, Mr Devegowda, speaking to the press about lack of my contribution to the Bangalore International Airport Limited during the last five years.I wish he had asked me personally before going to the press, or talked to you or ascertained it from members of the board. I am disappointed that a former Prime Minister did not accord me this basic courtesy.I am pained, more so, that leaders in the Government like you did not even clarify my role in the company and the work that has been done. I have spent enormous amount of time and energy in interacting with the Government in New Delhi and the Government here to make this work. The records prove themselves.Therefore, I am resigning the chairmanship of BIAL effective Thursday, October 20, 2005.I thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve the people of the state.Best regards.
Yours sincerely,
In nutshell, the following are the specific feelings that Mr. Murthy holds with respect to Gowda’s allegation as mentioned in the resignation letter;
Gowda’s remarks that Murthy has not done enough for BIAL are baseless.
Gowda should have extended the basic courtesy of taking the trouble to ascertain Murthy’s contribution before going to the public.
At least, the Chief Minister should have clarified to Gowda about Murthy’s contribution.
He felt pained and disappointed over the above things.
Discussion on each of the points follows.
Murthy feels that Gowda’s remarks about his inadequate contribution towards development of BIAL were untrue. He claims that he had spent enormous amount of time and energy in interacting with the Government in New Delhi and the Government in Bangalore to make the things at BIAL. He also claims that there are records available to prove the this . In such a case, Murthy should have simply exposed the falseness of Gowda’s allegations by means of facts and figures and educated everybody else including Gowda on the effort Murthy had put in for the cause of BIAL. This he could have done with all humility and openness and without any ill feelings towards Gowda. Of course, it might be argued that Gowda was making such allegations with an intention to malign the image of Murthy. But Murthy is such a towering personality that nobody will ever believe those allegations, even if a former Prime Minister like Gowda is making them. Above all, as claimed by Murthy himself, there are records to prove the facts.
It is important to bring to the notice of the readers that the real issue involved here is not - Who made the allegations. If one carefully observe, the real issues involved are whether the allegations are taken them in his stride, and answer those allegations with a positive mindset. Such a response may be considered to be the hallmark of effective interpersonal behavior. Further, if an important individual like Gowda makes the allegations, then it is all the more imperative that those allegations need to be refuted with greater caution so that the issue will be drawn to its logical end. Even otherwise, Murthy in the role of a public servant, as the Chairman of BIAL, is obliged to respond to the remarks made by any other person.
Murthy expects that Gowda should have sought the facts related to the case before making such allegations against him and going to the press. Further, Murthy feels that it is the basic courtesy a former Prime Minister like Gowda could have accorded him. The problem from the point of view of Murthy is how it could happen that a person who was a former Prime Minister, was not courteous in his response to him. It is expected that such a courtesy needs to be extended when one important / eminent person, none other than the a former prime minister is making such allegations against another important / eminent person like Narayana Murthy. But, given the situation where-in Gowda has not extended such a basic courtesy, the issue is, what is that Murthy ought to do?
Considering the matter further, it is possible to pose a question to Murthy - Why does Murthy expect such a courtesy to be extended to him by the former Prime Minister? Murthy may expect such a courtesy but it is Gowda who decides whether to extend such a courtesy or not. Murthy should have realized that expecting such a courtesy from Gowda might be a reasonable demand but that need not necessarily mean that Gowda is obliged to act upon it. Once again the issue is what Murthy ought to do in such a situation.
By the same token, Murthy also has the similar responsibility to reciprocate the basic courtesies of consulting Gowda and clarifying matters to him before he went to the press with his resignation. The moot question is what made Murthy not extend a similar basic courtesy to Gowda when he himself went to press with BIAL resignation letter? The whole controversy could have been averted if Murthy had approached Gowda and refuted the allegations with an open, positive and objective mind.
Effective communicators do not attach importance to the discourtesies the opponents have inflicted on them. At the same time they receive those discourtesies politely and reciprocate many more courtesies in response to the opponents with an objective to bridge the gap between themselves and the opponents. Individuals who function effectively reciprocate such noble gestures towards their opponents with humility, love and respect. It is important to note that the individuals who function effectively walk the extra mile towards their opponents, not as a short-term tactic but as a principle for which they live in this world. For normal people to engage in such behavior may be difficult. But a distinguished individual like Narayana Murthy cannot afford not to adopt such behaviour..
Murthy also blamed the Chief Minister Dharam Singh for not clarifying to Gowda his role and his contribution for the development of BIAL. It is not at all clear why Murthy expects Dharam Singh to advocate his (Murthy’s) contributions? Speaking in lighter vein, how far is it possible for a Chief Minister to educate a former Prime Minister about someone else’s (here it is Murthy’s) contribution to BIAL? The readers must remember the fact that Gowda’s political party – Janata Dal was extending support to Dharam Singh’s government in the state of Karnataka. In reality, Dharam Singh’s government was at the mercy of Gowda and his political might[2]. Instead, Murthy expects Dharam Singh to educate Gowda on his contribution to BIAL. Why not Murthy himself explain his contribution in BIAL to Gowda rather than blame the Chief Minister for not doing it on his behalf? The issue is whether the ‘blame game’ played by Murthy can really make for effective communication.
Murthy’s description of his own feelings repeatedly mentioned in his letter is also an important thing to pay attention to. Murthy emphatically mentions ‘I am pained more so ’ ‘ I am disappointed’ ‘therefore I am resigning’. It seems that the emotions and frustrations felt by Murthy in view of the criticism by Gowda led Murthy to resign the chairmanship of BIAL. The pertinent questions are ; If a communication carries such emotions as part of it, can it be effective? Will such an attempt help to develop ‘trust and understanding’ between the parties engaged in quarrel? According to Stephen Covey’ author of ‘Seven habits of highly effective people’ all these emotions are negative in nature. These negative emotions reflect an individual’s helplessness, a blaming mentality leading to a reactive mindset. The essential thing for a communication to be effective is - the level of trust and understanding between the parties. Blaming others, sharing frustrations and expressing negative emotions will lead to further mistrust and misunderstanding among the parties. The need of the hour in such situations is ‘Empathy’ and not blaming others. At this juncture, the readers must note that effective communicators always extend such noble gestures towards their opponents despite their opponents not ‘deserving’ them. It is because of the fact that the communicators realise the fact that it is only by being empathetic and loving that they can make the communication effective. It is interesting to note that ineffective communicators respond on the basis of what their opponents ‘deserve’, whereas effective communicators design their communication focusing on the ‘ real needs ’ of their opponents.
The important issue for us here is how to evaluate a communication as effective or ineffective. A simple criterion for this is whether the communication has the potential to make a positive impact on the target audience. Coming back to the present case, did the resignation letter have the power to help either Gowda or Dharam Singh to realise their mistake (if any !!) and help them to educate themselves successfully? Going by the contents of the letter, there is little hope that the feelings of Murthy as expressed in the letter can help the parties to develop understanding, mutual trust and respect. Rather Murthy’s communication will lead to further widening the misunderstanding between the parties.
Communicating effectively when one is fully engrossed in a conflict situation is an arduous task. But effective communicators have the competence to treat the hard stones thrown on them by their opponents as if they are scented flowers showered on them. Effective communicators convert every criticism they receive a great opportunity to educate and reform their opponents. There are instances wherein effective leaders have demonstrated their wisdom at the right time so that their opponents learnt the best lessons . Those instances have become the legends in the history of mankind. It may be apt to recall the words of Christ referring to his betrayers ‘Father – Forgive them, for they know not what they do’.
The other example that is worth quoting as a benchmark for effective communication relates to a conflict situation involving Winston Churchill and Gandhi (Fischer, 1962). Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, was aghast that Gandhi expected the British to simply pack up and leave India after the war. On November 10, 1942, Churchill made his famous statement on maintaining the British Empire.
"I have not become the King's First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." In addition, Churchill vowed to "Crush the naked fakir." Gandhi replied:
"You are reported to have the desire to crush the "naked fakir," as you are said to have described me. I have been long trying to be a fakir and that, naked -- a more difficult task. I therefore regard the expression as a compliment, though unintended. I approach you then as such, and ask you to trust and use me for the sake of your people and mine and through them those of the world. Your sincere friend."
One can understand the extent of vengefulness that Churchill had shown for Gandhi in the words ‘ crush the naked fakir’. However, Gandhi’s response to such malicious remarks on him was qualitatively different. The response of Gandhi in this context truly reflects the effective communication adopted by leaders. It is generally believed that after listening to Gandhi’s response, Churchill was left with no choice other than respecting Gandhi and his approach. Even after many decades, Gandhi ‘s response to Churchill is still quoted as one of the finest examples of effective communication that mankind ever happened to come across.
The response by Gandhi highlights many things:
· Readiness on the part of the communicator to receive the criticism by others without any hesitation
· Withstanding and overcoming one’s own negative emotions while reacting to the criticism of others
· An expression of respect, humility, generosity and love for the other party despite the other party’s ill feelings
· Genuine attempt of the communicator to develop trust with the other party
· Genuine interest of the communicator to target the opponent with an intention of making him a better human being
· Lastly, the most important thing to be noted is that the desire of Gandhi in responding to the other party in such a generous fashion is not to show himself as a Mahatma, but rather to liberate the other party from a spiteful level of consciousness and starts to work on the ‘ Self Devised and declared agenda of transforming the opponents from that moment itself ‘.
In a world that is becoming increasingly interdependent almost every interaction across people holds potential for possible conflicts. Effective communication plays an important role in solving such conflicts that arise every time and all the time. As can be seen in the present case, effective communication is an outcome of managing one’s own emotions while communicating with others. At least, eminent individuals when involved in conflict situations cannot ignore the importance of effective communication. Otherwise ineffective communication by distinguished individuals may result in corporate quarrels, national fights and world wars. Effective communication requires characteristics: viz., Openness, Empathy, Supportiveness, Positiveness and Equality (De Vito, 1983). Awareness and consistent practice of these characteristics of effective communication are indeed essential for all of us, eminent or not so eminent, to live in peace and amity in the modern, interdependent world.
REFERENCES
De Vito, J. (1983). The Interpersonal Communication Book, New York, Harper & Row, Publishers.
Fischer, L. (1962). "Quit India," The Essential Gandhi, , New York, Vintage Books.
Covey, S R. (1989). Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, Fireside Book.
[1] The author is grateful to Mr. Narayana Murthy for kindly going through and commenting on a draft of this article.
2. This article was published in VISION: Journal of Business Perspective, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2006 P. 53- 56.
[2] By the time the article was sent for publication, Mr. Dharam Singh, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, had already resigned from the Chief Ministers hip.
Dr T Prasad
Assistant Professor
National Institute of Industrial Engineering ( NITIE)
Mumbai – 400 087, tprasad1961@yahoo.co.in
Tel. 022 28573371 – 232: Fax. 022 2857 3251
Abstract
An effort is made in this article to critically analyze the effectiveness of the communication Mr. Narayana Murthy has used for resigning the chairmanship of BIAL. The author opines that communication can be made effective provided certain principles viz., Being Proactive, Open, Supportive, Empathetic, Positive and Equitable are practised by the communicators. To illustrate the point, the author quotes benchmark communications from the past involving great personalities like Gandhi.
Profile of author
Prasad, T is Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai. He received his Ph.D. (Business Management) from Osmania University, Hyderabad. Before joining NITIE, Dr. Prasad was on the Faculty of Commerce of Osmania University and a visiting faculty member at XLRI Jamshedpur. He has presented papers on innovative teaching methods at annual conferences of ABSEL, USA. Dr Prasad’s areas of interest include Leadership Development, Organizational Culture and Innovative Teaching Methods.
Effective Communication ? : An Analysis of Narayana Murthy’s Letter of Resignation of the Chairmanship of Bangalore International Airport Limited [1]
Background
In the month of October 2005, Narayana Murthy, the Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited, resigned from the Chairmanship of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). The issue came into focus as the former Prime Minister Deve Gowda made comments referring to Mr. Murthy’s contribution as inadequate for the development of BIAL. The Finance Minister Mr. Chidambaram and the state Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Dharam Singh were reported to have attempted to persuade Murthy to withdraw the resignation. But Murthy did not change his mind. Many people were surprised at Gowda’s allegations about Murthy who is known for upholding values and principles in business. Omkar Goswami, noted economist, posed an open question: Who will history judge to be a more capable leader of people: Narayana Murthy or Deve Gowda? (Business World, 21st Nov 2005 p. 26).
It is unfortunate that a controversy like this should have arisen, involving two such eminent individuals. At one level the quarrel between Murthy and Gowda may be viewed as a personal encounter but considering their status in society, the case has enormous learning value for one and all. The case analyzed properly can help us to understand many important issues like leadership in general, the role of business leaders in social development projects and effective communication in such domains. The present article focuses on the last-mentioned theme - effective communication.
More specifically, the article analyses the effectiveness of Murthy’s communication. For this, the content of the resignation letter that Murthy had sent to the Chief Minister Dharam Singh, is taken as the basis. The reason for this is that the resignation letter revealed Murthy’s mindset in general and his feelings in the matter in particular. While analyzing the effectiveness of Murthy’s communication, no attempt is made to bring in the Deve Gowda factor. Considering the involvement of a successful business leader like Murthy, the present case is relatively a rare incident in professional management circles. Hence, the present case is considered worth analyzing exclusively from the point of view of Murthy. A copy of Murthy’s letter to Chief Minister Dharam Singh is provided below.
Copy of Narayana Murthy’s Resignation Letter to the Chief Minister
Dear Mr. Dharam Singh,The media reports of October 17, 2005 refer to your coalition partner, Mr Devegowda, speaking to the press about lack of my contribution to the Bangalore International Airport Limited during the last five years.I wish he had asked me personally before going to the press, or talked to you or ascertained it from members of the board. I am disappointed that a former Prime Minister did not accord me this basic courtesy.I am pained, more so, that leaders in the Government like you did not even clarify my role in the company and the work that has been done. I have spent enormous amount of time and energy in interacting with the Government in New Delhi and the Government here to make this work. The records prove themselves.Therefore, I am resigning the chairmanship of BIAL effective Thursday, October 20, 2005.I thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve the people of the state.Best regards.
Yours sincerely,
In nutshell, the following are the specific feelings that Mr. Murthy holds with respect to Gowda’s allegation as mentioned in the resignation letter;
Gowda’s remarks that Murthy has not done enough for BIAL are baseless.
Gowda should have extended the basic courtesy of taking the trouble to ascertain Murthy’s contribution before going to the public.
At least, the Chief Minister should have clarified to Gowda about Murthy’s contribution.
He felt pained and disappointed over the above things.
Discussion on each of the points follows.
Murthy feels that Gowda’s remarks about his inadequate contribution towards development of BIAL were untrue. He claims that he had spent enormous amount of time and energy in interacting with the Government in New Delhi and the Government in Bangalore to make the things at BIAL. He also claims that there are records available to prove the this . In such a case, Murthy should have simply exposed the falseness of Gowda’s allegations by means of facts and figures and educated everybody else including Gowda on the effort Murthy had put in for the cause of BIAL. This he could have done with all humility and openness and without any ill feelings towards Gowda. Of course, it might be argued that Gowda was making such allegations with an intention to malign the image of Murthy. But Murthy is such a towering personality that nobody will ever believe those allegations, even if a former Prime Minister like Gowda is making them. Above all, as claimed by Murthy himself, there are records to prove the facts.
It is important to bring to the notice of the readers that the real issue involved here is not - Who made the allegations. If one carefully observe, the real issues involved are whether the allegations are taken them in his stride, and answer those allegations with a positive mindset. Such a response may be considered to be the hallmark of effective interpersonal behavior. Further, if an important individual like Gowda makes the allegations, then it is all the more imperative that those allegations need to be refuted with greater caution so that the issue will be drawn to its logical end. Even otherwise, Murthy in the role of a public servant, as the Chairman of BIAL, is obliged to respond to the remarks made by any other person.
Murthy expects that Gowda should have sought the facts related to the case before making such allegations against him and going to the press. Further, Murthy feels that it is the basic courtesy a former Prime Minister like Gowda could have accorded him. The problem from the point of view of Murthy is how it could happen that a person who was a former Prime Minister, was not courteous in his response to him. It is expected that such a courtesy needs to be extended when one important / eminent person, none other than the a former prime minister is making such allegations against another important / eminent person like Narayana Murthy. But, given the situation where-in Gowda has not extended such a basic courtesy, the issue is, what is that Murthy ought to do?
Considering the matter further, it is possible to pose a question to Murthy - Why does Murthy expect such a courtesy to be extended to him by the former Prime Minister? Murthy may expect such a courtesy but it is Gowda who decides whether to extend such a courtesy or not. Murthy should have realized that expecting such a courtesy from Gowda might be a reasonable demand but that need not necessarily mean that Gowda is obliged to act upon it. Once again the issue is what Murthy ought to do in such a situation.
By the same token, Murthy also has the similar responsibility to reciprocate the basic courtesies of consulting Gowda and clarifying matters to him before he went to the press with his resignation. The moot question is what made Murthy not extend a similar basic courtesy to Gowda when he himself went to press with BIAL resignation letter? The whole controversy could have been averted if Murthy had approached Gowda and refuted the allegations with an open, positive and objective mind.
Effective communicators do not attach importance to the discourtesies the opponents have inflicted on them. At the same time they receive those discourtesies politely and reciprocate many more courtesies in response to the opponents with an objective to bridge the gap between themselves and the opponents. Individuals who function effectively reciprocate such noble gestures towards their opponents with humility, love and respect. It is important to note that the individuals who function effectively walk the extra mile towards their opponents, not as a short-term tactic but as a principle for which they live in this world. For normal people to engage in such behavior may be difficult. But a distinguished individual like Narayana Murthy cannot afford not to adopt such behaviour..
Murthy also blamed the Chief Minister Dharam Singh for not clarifying to Gowda his role and his contribution for the development of BIAL. It is not at all clear why Murthy expects Dharam Singh to advocate his (Murthy’s) contributions? Speaking in lighter vein, how far is it possible for a Chief Minister to educate a former Prime Minister about someone else’s (here it is Murthy’s) contribution to BIAL? The readers must remember the fact that Gowda’s political party – Janata Dal was extending support to Dharam Singh’s government in the state of Karnataka. In reality, Dharam Singh’s government was at the mercy of Gowda and his political might[2]. Instead, Murthy expects Dharam Singh to educate Gowda on his contribution to BIAL. Why not Murthy himself explain his contribution in BIAL to Gowda rather than blame the Chief Minister for not doing it on his behalf? The issue is whether the ‘blame game’ played by Murthy can really make for effective communication.
Murthy’s description of his own feelings repeatedly mentioned in his letter is also an important thing to pay attention to. Murthy emphatically mentions ‘I am pained more so ’ ‘ I am disappointed’ ‘therefore I am resigning’. It seems that the emotions and frustrations felt by Murthy in view of the criticism by Gowda led Murthy to resign the chairmanship of BIAL. The pertinent questions are ; If a communication carries such emotions as part of it, can it be effective? Will such an attempt help to develop ‘trust and understanding’ between the parties engaged in quarrel? According to Stephen Covey’ author of ‘Seven habits of highly effective people’ all these emotions are negative in nature. These negative emotions reflect an individual’s helplessness, a blaming mentality leading to a reactive mindset. The essential thing for a communication to be effective is - the level of trust and understanding between the parties. Blaming others, sharing frustrations and expressing negative emotions will lead to further mistrust and misunderstanding among the parties. The need of the hour in such situations is ‘Empathy’ and not blaming others. At this juncture, the readers must note that effective communicators always extend such noble gestures towards their opponents despite their opponents not ‘deserving’ them. It is because of the fact that the communicators realise the fact that it is only by being empathetic and loving that they can make the communication effective. It is interesting to note that ineffective communicators respond on the basis of what their opponents ‘deserve’, whereas effective communicators design their communication focusing on the ‘ real needs ’ of their opponents.
The important issue for us here is how to evaluate a communication as effective or ineffective. A simple criterion for this is whether the communication has the potential to make a positive impact on the target audience. Coming back to the present case, did the resignation letter have the power to help either Gowda or Dharam Singh to realise their mistake (if any !!) and help them to educate themselves successfully? Going by the contents of the letter, there is little hope that the feelings of Murthy as expressed in the letter can help the parties to develop understanding, mutual trust and respect. Rather Murthy’s communication will lead to further widening the misunderstanding between the parties.
Communicating effectively when one is fully engrossed in a conflict situation is an arduous task. But effective communicators have the competence to treat the hard stones thrown on them by their opponents as if they are scented flowers showered on them. Effective communicators convert every criticism they receive a great opportunity to educate and reform their opponents. There are instances wherein effective leaders have demonstrated their wisdom at the right time so that their opponents learnt the best lessons . Those instances have become the legends in the history of mankind. It may be apt to recall the words of Christ referring to his betrayers ‘Father – Forgive them, for they know not what they do’.
The other example that is worth quoting as a benchmark for effective communication relates to a conflict situation involving Winston Churchill and Gandhi (Fischer, 1962). Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, was aghast that Gandhi expected the British to simply pack up and leave India after the war. On November 10, 1942, Churchill made his famous statement on maintaining the British Empire.
"I have not become the King's First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." In addition, Churchill vowed to "Crush the naked fakir." Gandhi replied:
"You are reported to have the desire to crush the "naked fakir," as you are said to have described me. I have been long trying to be a fakir and that, naked -- a more difficult task. I therefore regard the expression as a compliment, though unintended. I approach you then as such, and ask you to trust and use me for the sake of your people and mine and through them those of the world. Your sincere friend."
One can understand the extent of vengefulness that Churchill had shown for Gandhi in the words ‘ crush the naked fakir’. However, Gandhi’s response to such malicious remarks on him was qualitatively different. The response of Gandhi in this context truly reflects the effective communication adopted by leaders. It is generally believed that after listening to Gandhi’s response, Churchill was left with no choice other than respecting Gandhi and his approach. Even after many decades, Gandhi ‘s response to Churchill is still quoted as one of the finest examples of effective communication that mankind ever happened to come across.
The response by Gandhi highlights many things:
· Readiness on the part of the communicator to receive the criticism by others without any hesitation
· Withstanding and overcoming one’s own negative emotions while reacting to the criticism of others
· An expression of respect, humility, generosity and love for the other party despite the other party’s ill feelings
· Genuine attempt of the communicator to develop trust with the other party
· Genuine interest of the communicator to target the opponent with an intention of making him a better human being
· Lastly, the most important thing to be noted is that the desire of Gandhi in responding to the other party in such a generous fashion is not to show himself as a Mahatma, but rather to liberate the other party from a spiteful level of consciousness and starts to work on the ‘ Self Devised and declared agenda of transforming the opponents from that moment itself ‘.
In a world that is becoming increasingly interdependent almost every interaction across people holds potential for possible conflicts. Effective communication plays an important role in solving such conflicts that arise every time and all the time. As can be seen in the present case, effective communication is an outcome of managing one’s own emotions while communicating with others. At least, eminent individuals when involved in conflict situations cannot ignore the importance of effective communication. Otherwise ineffective communication by distinguished individuals may result in corporate quarrels, national fights and world wars. Effective communication requires characteristics: viz., Openness, Empathy, Supportiveness, Positiveness and Equality (De Vito, 1983). Awareness and consistent practice of these characteristics of effective communication are indeed essential for all of us, eminent or not so eminent, to live in peace and amity in the modern, interdependent world.
REFERENCES
De Vito, J. (1983). The Interpersonal Communication Book, New York, Harper & Row, Publishers.
Fischer, L. (1962). "Quit India," The Essential Gandhi, , New York, Vintage Books.
Covey, S R. (1989). Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, Fireside Book.
[1] The author is grateful to Mr. Narayana Murthy for kindly going through and commenting on a draft of this article.
2. This article was published in VISION: Journal of Business Perspective, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2006 P. 53- 56.
[2] By the time the article was sent for publication, Mr. Dharam Singh, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, had already resigned from the Chief Ministers hip.
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