Corporate insight from Cassava

Oct 4
16:49

2013

Ranganathan

Ranganathan

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The corporate leaders must learn the important management insight from the plant - Cassava....

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Only the adversity,Corporate insight from Cassava Articles threat, sense of insecurity or difficulty makes people to be dangerous.  They are so because, only by being dangerous and offensive, can deal any further threat.  The message is that the corporate leaders needs to understand the ‘dangerous’ behaviour of people in the context of the existence of a real threat or difficulty/sense of insecurity in the corporate ecosystem.

 

The cassava plant is a root vegetable.  The root of cassava contains deadly toxin – cyanide.  Interestingly, if the root is properly cooked after removing the thick skin of the root, becomes very delicious dish.  Further, Cassava is the staple food of people in many countries. 

 

For the proper growth of cassava plant, adequate rain is essential.  This is true for all plants.  However, cassava can withstand dry soil, devoid of any water.  The accumulation of toxins is recorded to be higher in cassava roots that are grown especially during drought season.  During drought, when the soil is devoid of water, the plant will definitely face severe challenge for its survival.  The existence itself is difficult for the cassava plant during drought season.   If they are subjected further to predation during such period, naturally the predation or infestation would eliminate them forever.  Hence they accumulate severe toxins in their root during drought.

 

The management message is that when the opportunity is limited, insecurity is high and prospects for growth and development are remote, the cassava plants become more toxic. 

 

The more toxic cassava roots grown during drought reveals two important dimensions of corporate management viz.,

 

  1. People become dangerous when they face challenges to their basic existence
  2. Lack of opportunity for growth also makes people dangerous

 

Proper understanding of the corporate culture is therefore important than blaming such people.  Blame them or punish them, but correct the defects, otherwise the ‘drought in the corporate ecosystem would makes many more toxic and harmful cassava roots. 

 

The HR function must learn to decode the message of why some or more people in the corporate are dangerous and unpredictable.  If the HR culture is supportive really supportive, the people have no reason to be ‘so indifferent’.    When drought makes the survival of cassava plant difficult, sensing the problem, the plant may be accumulating toxins to protect itself from further predation or attack.  The same way, when people find hard to keep pace with the corporate, they become ‘harmful’ to their fellow colleagues and or to the corporate so that no one dare to create any new problem to them.

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai   

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