Are you aligning or agreeing in corporate?

Oct 2
18:18

2011

Ranganathan

Ranganathan

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The word alignment is widely used in most corporate but the question is do they follow? In most corporate, instead of alignment agreement between boss-subordinate or or among peer groups is only ........

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Many corporate although speak a lot about the very famous 5A’s management concept or principle but in reality do they follow the same is a million dollar question.  The five important leadership dimensions so described in the 5 A’s are

  1. Attention
  2. Affection
  3. Appreciation
  4. Acceptance
  5. Alignment

Attention seeking or attention longing behaviour is very common in corporate world.  Most employees are desperate and busy in getting noticed by others in the organization.  They also believe that nothing like ‘show business’ sold well.  They do everything possible just to ensure that their work and identity are well recognized or noticed by their subordinates,Are you aligning or agreeing in corporate? Articles superiors and peer group.

As a result of attention seeking, the affection remotely only happens in the corporate world as everyone are seeking the same in the corporate ecosystem.  Anyone who reach a noticeable proportion in the corporate would receive only jealous & wrath from others and never an affection.

How the culture of appreciation is present in the corporate?  Certainly, genuine appreciation is a rare commodity in most organization because every one are longing for appreciation from others.   None really recognize or feel that they are worthy of their own appreciation first.   

Acceptance, on the other hand, seldom happens among corporate employees.  Always they refuse to accept the facts and accept only things that suite to their logic and justifications.  Until the job is done all the above techniques are used and once the result is achieved, their role cease to exist and their contributions naturally becomes events of past or last and the least.

What about alignment?  In truth, it is not alignment, agreement only happening among employees and between the boss & subordinates.  Alignment occurs as a result of collective responsibility and understanding whereas agreement is formed when both parties consciously agree to derive some benefits by working together.  The personal goal or agenda drive agreement to happen and the responsibility and understanding never seem to catalyze the alignment possibility. 

How well we can find the management principle of 5A’s in animal world or in nature?  Existence of the true management principles of 5A’s the corporate and management students should learn from animal world or from nature.

It is not always seeking the attention, not seeking attention is also a very valuable management principle most animals know and follow.  The precocial or altrecial young ones know how to seek the attention of their mother and also when to refrain or abstain from getting noticed by others (both predator and prey) is a finest example for how animals follow the above principle. 

Also see how nicely coloured flowers are produced by the trees to seek the attention of the pollinators.  Most of the plants also know until the fruits ripe, the colour of the young fruit should remain green so that it will not get noticed. When it becomes a fruit, it needs to get noticed and hence it turns to into attractively coloured.      

True affection can be seen only in animal world.  Affection born out of responsibility and not out of any expectation or possessiveness can be seen only in nature.  Parental care in animal world is the best example for what true affection means.  Animals nurse the young ones and once they grow up, they ensure that all the young ones are free and independent.  Only when no reward or expectation is in the bag, such true affection can be expected. 

Appreciation and acceptance are never seen as ‘trade tactics’ or ‘bribe’ by the animal world.  The acceptance and appreciation are very spontaneous and transient in animal world.  Well calculated and continuous pattern of appreciation and acceptance has to be seen as an act born out of selfishness and that is what is seen in most corporate. 

The meaning and essence of the word alignment is well understood by animals than the corporate man.  When a pack of wild dogs or a pride of lions strategize their hunt, different animals in the pride or pack nicely align to ensure the hunt to become a success.  They show their total and unconditional commitment to the team as a whole while aligning.

The above comparison is not meant to hurt the corporate employees but to wake them up to reality and to help them to see the nature to learn.     

Swami Sukhabodhananda, the maestro in the filed of corporate management teachings taught the essence of 5A’s to his students in his famous ‘LIFE’ programme.