When we say that certain phenomena in nature are complex, we point at the difficulty in understanding the underlying drivers of the phenomena. Curiosity, research and perseverant efforts have led the human race to explore the unexplored and come up with extremely simple causes leading to enormous effects. The most popular of course is the butterfly effect, which says that a fluttering of the butterfly wings in one corner of the world could amplify into a devastating hurricane somewhere else. Though the hurricane seems a complex phenomenon to fathom, deep thinking, experiments and research do lead to one concluding that the butterfly effect could indeed be a reality. In this whole game of complexity the striking feeling is the basic simplicity that builds up into a complex exterior. Researchers have said that most of the systems in the world are complex systems implying that they are by the very definition, implicitly simple.
This makes me ask a question - are there phenomena that are apparently simple? Well, there seem to be simple systems too. An example that occurs to me is the concept of job rotation at work. When in school, I was taught in the course of management that too much work in a single role makes one bored and job rotation facilitates dealing with the problem of boredom due to monotony. I thought of this one as a fairly simple comcept. It is definitely not rocket science and it certainly doesn't require a behavior scientist to tell us this. But behind this simple term of job rotation lies an entire gamut of problems. An employee might like the job and might not want to take up some other job. Another employee might want to leave the organisation. There might be a newcomer who would want to learn his first job before moving on. All might not want to change jobs and above all, business continuity could be adversely affected. Job rotation therefore is a concept with a great deal of complexity involved.
We thus see that complexity brings with it underlying simplicity and so does simplicity bring complexity with it. The feeling of complexity or simplicity is therefore a result of our knowledge of the system. The limits of our knowledge about certain phenomena make certain aspects of systems apparent and certain aspects hidden. Just like the simple fluttering of the butterfly wings can cause a hurricane, it might also be possible that a hurricane somewhere might lead to a simple cool breeze elsewhere. It's difficult to say what is the cause and what is the effect. Systems therefore are not simple or complex. They are a fraught with both simplicity and complexity. It all depends on our perception and the limits of our understanding.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Brand Anna - My Thoughts
It was no surprise when I read that Anna Hazare has now become a case study in brand management in B-schools in India. As quoted in the TOI, Prof. Harsh Verma (he taught me Marketing Startegy too) says
"What has this simple man, who otherwise may fail to attract attention on the street, appropriated? If Anna has caught the imagination of people, which is visible wherever he goes, what is it? Anna's brilliance lies in his ability to sense the void (latent need: freedom from corruption) and respond to that by creating a product accordingly (Lokpal). Some needs are so obvious (patent but relegated to dormancy) that they escape attention. Anna has lent voice to a murmur which political establishment knowingly ignored. He converted that into a war cry. Anna brand stands for a 'promise' (India liberated from corruption) which connects people,"
Well, these words are an important learning. Anna no doubt addresses an unmet need, a demand, the collective anger of the masses. But, in my opinion, the more important question that we need to answer here is this. Could any other person have managed to garner this kind of overwhelming support from the masses? The above passage is restricted to a diagnosis of the context in which Anna is acting. It articulates that Anna was able to bring the attention of the people to a dormant need of a corruption free society. It further says that Anna could successfully create a product called Lok Pal to address this need and that struck the chord with the masses. At all stages in the passage, there is heavy emphasis on the context - that of a corrupt establishment, a dormant need of a corruption free India and the creation of the Lokpal bill as a product. The contribution of Anna is restricted to his ability to sense the need and creating the product. Unfortunately, the passage somehow seems to give little credit to Anna in this whole movement against corruption. Again, the question of whether any other person could have garnered such support from the masses remains unanswered.
The need for a Lokpal was felt 42 years ago. If so, why this mass support only now? Corruption had been at seemingly high levels in the 80s and 90s too. In fact there were more scams in the 90s than there are today. I can atleast talk of 5 scams - the Stock Market scam , the St. Kitts scam, the urea scam, the JMM bribery case, the telecom scam (the Sukhram one). Even then, the then PM was pointed fingers at. Despite the fact there was no mass agitation then. Why only now?
I feel that a brand can be built regardless of the context. A young Anna Hazare, a soldier contemplated on committing suicide thinking that ultimately everybody has to die without taking away anything from the Earth. However, he realised that life is best lived if it is spent in serving human beings and society at large. He returned to life and what a life he led!! He brought greenery back to his drought stricken village, he educated his fellow villagers, he reformed the village convincingly dissuading people from drinking and consequently creating a model village. He led a spotless life with wealth not being able to touch him at all. He led a life full of austerity and service and he understood the ground realities. He is neither qualified, nor a glib talker, neither a style icon, nor is able to speak in English. He is merely a rustic human being charged with the idea of service. He is upright and stands on a moral ground that is above the rest, yet is an humble down to earth human being. He has had a history of facing challenges and has emerged victorious. His impeccable track record and his qualities of simplicity are what make the people believe that Anna can address the need of creating a corruption free society. None would believe in a politician if he said that he would rid India of corruption, because the political class has created a brand for itself of being corrupt by its track record. The actions of the individual are the ones that ultimately make the difference.
If the context would have been something else, Anna would have probably worked in that direction, the reason being that he has a mission of performing social service and that aspect is the one that strikes the chord. Like Rome was not built in a day, strong brands too are not built in a day. But if the intentions are right, if the actions speak for themselves, if there is consistency in delivering what is said, then packaging is not so much of a problem. That I think is the secret behind Brand Anna!!
"What has this simple man, who otherwise may fail to attract attention on the street, appropriated? If Anna has caught the imagination of people, which is visible wherever he goes, what is it? Anna's brilliance lies in his ability to sense the void (latent need: freedom from corruption) and respond to that by creating a product accordingly (Lokpal). Some needs are so obvious (patent but relegated to dormancy) that they escape attention. Anna has lent voice to a murmur which political establishment knowingly ignored. He converted that into a war cry. Anna brand stands for a 'promise' (India liberated from corruption) which connects people,"
Well, these words are an important learning. Anna no doubt addresses an unmet need, a demand, the collective anger of the masses. But, in my opinion, the more important question that we need to answer here is this. Could any other person have managed to garner this kind of overwhelming support from the masses? The above passage is restricted to a diagnosis of the context in which Anna is acting. It articulates that Anna was able to bring the attention of the people to a dormant need of a corruption free society. It further says that Anna could successfully create a product called Lok Pal to address this need and that struck the chord with the masses. At all stages in the passage, there is heavy emphasis on the context - that of a corrupt establishment, a dormant need of a corruption free India and the creation of the Lokpal bill as a product. The contribution of Anna is restricted to his ability to sense the need and creating the product. Unfortunately, the passage somehow seems to give little credit to Anna in this whole movement against corruption. Again, the question of whether any other person could have garnered such support from the masses remains unanswered.
The need for a Lokpal was felt 42 years ago. If so, why this mass support only now? Corruption had been at seemingly high levels in the 80s and 90s too. In fact there were more scams in the 90s than there are today. I can atleast talk of 5 scams - the Stock Market scam , the St. Kitts scam, the urea scam, the JMM bribery case, the telecom scam (the Sukhram one). Even then, the then PM was pointed fingers at. Despite the fact there was no mass agitation then. Why only now?
I feel that a brand can be built regardless of the context. A young Anna Hazare, a soldier contemplated on committing suicide thinking that ultimately everybody has to die without taking away anything from the Earth. However, he realised that life is best lived if it is spent in serving human beings and society at large. He returned to life and what a life he led!! He brought greenery back to his drought stricken village, he educated his fellow villagers, he reformed the village convincingly dissuading people from drinking and consequently creating a model village. He led a spotless life with wealth not being able to touch him at all. He led a life full of austerity and service and he understood the ground realities. He is neither qualified, nor a glib talker, neither a style icon, nor is able to speak in English. He is merely a rustic human being charged with the idea of service. He is upright and stands on a moral ground that is above the rest, yet is an humble down to earth human being. He has had a history of facing challenges and has emerged victorious. His impeccable track record and his qualities of simplicity are what make the people believe that Anna can address the need of creating a corruption free society. None would believe in a politician if he said that he would rid India of corruption, because the political class has created a brand for itself of being corrupt by its track record. The actions of the individual are the ones that ultimately make the difference.
If the context would have been something else, Anna would have probably worked in that direction, the reason being that he has a mission of performing social service and that aspect is the one that strikes the chord. Like Rome was not built in a day, strong brands too are not built in a day. But if the intentions are right, if the actions speak for themselves, if there is consistency in delivering what is said, then packaging is not so much of a problem. That I think is the secret behind Brand Anna!!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Where will all this take us?
Billions pocketed and stashed out,
Trillions to be made and sent out.
Oil and gas, telecom and games,
Leaders playing dirty games,
Oil for food, cash for votes,
Offices of profit and fake notes,
Where will all this take us?
Flora and fauna, the tribals worship,
But wealth in it is what we sip.
The hills and vegetation may be their God
But the mine is mine says the new landlord.
Kill the forests, kill their beliefs,
Set up the plants and be the chief.
Where will all this take us?
Seismic sensitivity – doesn’t matter,
Effluents in the Ganges – doesn’t matter,
Green house gases – do not matter,
Power and ports – yes they matter!
Dirt in the river and smoke in the air,
A little here and there is always fair.
Where will all this take us?
Traffic violations and bribes at airports,
Copying in exams and doping in sports,
Qualifications horribly mistaken for education,
Making misguided men and a corrupt nation.
The system’s corruption is the mind’s first,
Missing values causing a never ending thirst.
Where will all this take us?
Trillions to be made and sent out.
Oil and gas, telecom and games,
Leaders playing dirty games,
Oil for food, cash for votes,
Offices of profit and fake notes,
Where will all this take us?
Flora and fauna, the tribals worship,
But wealth in it is what we sip.
The hills and vegetation may be their God
But the mine is mine says the new landlord.
Kill the forests, kill their beliefs,
Set up the plants and be the chief.
Where will all this take us?
Seismic sensitivity – doesn’t matter,
Effluents in the Ganges – doesn’t matter,
Green house gases – do not matter,
Power and ports – yes they matter!
Dirt in the river and smoke in the air,
A little here and there is always fair.
Where will all this take us?
Traffic violations and bribes at airports,
Copying in exams and doping in sports,
Qualifications horribly mistaken for education,
Making misguided men and a corrupt nation.
The system’s corruption is the mind’s first,
Missing values causing a never ending thirst.
Where will all this take us?
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