Work Smart:Not yet in India

Thanks to the mid-week break, she said walking into the office appearing rejuvenated and revved up for the tasks that lay ahead for the rest of the week. My colleague was completely immersed in her work the rest of the day; calling people, prioritizing meetings, delegating work and responding to mails. Unlike other days, there wasn’t any time for long coffee breaks or catching up on trending topics. And, unlike other days, she appeared cheerful carrying out the tasks. More importantly, she seemed to get charged up as and when she completed a task and moved to another one. It really made me wonder if there was any correlation between work hours and productivity. I got my answer when I read Anjana Menon’s article in Economic Times - work less to work better.

I was pondering over the benefits of the concept and thought of collating some stats to back it up. But then there was this lingering uncertainty to key in specific views favouring the article lest the naysayers go for my throat. “As if he is always working hard,” would be a snide remark. We are people who innately believe in following traditional and well entrenched framework of carrying out work. Anything outside this would affect productivity or so is the belief. Experts are still mulling over the efficacy of extending workplace flexibility in India and a work-less work-better policy would be a little early as they continue deliberating on what’s best for corporate India.

The topic however is not put to rest. Media has already come out with counter arguments on the topic. See what the experts have to say

End of Programmers

The advances in technology witnessed exodus of unimaginable number of workers, especially amongst renowned automotive manufacturers. That was couple of decades ago. And, when the industrial age workers paved way for the emergence of knowledge workers, the job losses and sufferings of those deprived of work were relegated to the annals of business history with the stamp of unskilled workers. And, of course the subsequent progress in computing and widespread automation ensured continuous focus on companies in the realm of technology.

Sometime during this phase saw the emergence of India as a knowledge factory, essentially a coding hub for the world. Blue-chip companies, Indian as well as foreign, established base in India to leverage cost arbitrage, which was set as a differentiator by early movers. Young engineers and graduates with no inclination to coding could find high-paying jobs as the industry matured. No one was bothered about the growing similarity of the Indian IT industry to the famed auto industry in the west that let go off thousands of workers.

A recent report in Economic Times could perhaps awaken the thousands of software engineers from their comfort zone. It is obvious. Many in India would soon be rendered jobless.  Anyone who has been watching the transformation in the travel industry would note the rapid changes owing to the burgeoning online travel portals. It was just an indication that automation and software can change our lives. It is also an indication that technology can replace people. There are two key factors that would prove to be a death knell for the once in vogue Indian programmers. One is the rapid technological change we are witnessing everyday over the last couple of years, which is forcing businesses to rethink and re-engineer their business and operating models. Secondly, the advancement in technologies is also forcing businesses to realize more value from their workers. In other words, there is now increased focus on improving productivity more than ever. Time for programmers to ask - What can I do, right now that would be the most powerful use of this moment?

Associative Barriers

I am reading 'Medici effect,' by Frans Johansson. One of the topics in the book particularly interested me. Associative barriers - how we assume certain things with a given set of information without opening our mind to the broader possibilities. Take the test from the book. Susan is twenty-eight years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in biology and minored in public policy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of sustainable development, global warming, and overfishing, and is politically active. Which statement is most likely to be true?

A.–Susan is an office manager.

B.–Susan is an office manager and is active in the environmental

movement.

If you answered B, you are in good company; most people would give that answer. But the correct answer is A. In most instances it would make sense to infer that Susan is active in the environmental movement. 

Therefore we are more likely to make assumptions about who Susan is as a person, rather than maintain a mind open to possibilities. 

Well, why am I posting something like this? It is because I keep hearing people passing judgement about others or events without delving into details. For instance, if India is playing cricket, the comment I hear is, "why watch a stupid game like this. Anyway, we will lose." Being quite tolerant, I just dismiss such statements. What's intriguing, however, is the obsession for winning. Winning by definition is 'beating' a set of people slotted as competitors. 

It is very common to see young kids being pushed to be winners. They go for tuition's, music lessons, cricket coaching to name a few activities - all aimed at winning. I could hear one of my neighbours questioning her son, "oh! 89? How much did Rohan score?" It was certainly not something a third standard boy was expecting. The silence said it all. As Tony Schwartz, President and CEO of The Energy Project said, "What winners recognize, above all, is that the ultimate goal is never to vanquish an opponent or to prove something to others, but rather to more fully realize their own potential, whatever that may be."  Feel, teachers and parents should open up their mind and allow kids to unleash their true potential. The only way to do that is by redefining the word winning. Go back in time to check what Charles Darwin observed.  When the environment is changing rapidly, it is neither the strongest nor the most intelligent who survive — it is the ones who are most adaptable. Well, the first step towards winning is to accept the world's changing.