07 Dec
Dust seems to have settled on the furious debate that was triggered by the statement of Sri Narayan Murthy that the Indian youth needs to put in seventy hours of work every day if India is to realise its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The intent behind what Mr. Murthy said is quite clear and I agree with his thought process. Nothing in life is achieved without persistent and dedicated hard work and if India is to keep its date with destiny then its leaders, managers and officers have to put in a lot of effort.
Many leaders from the corporate world came out vociferously in support of the statement made by Mr. Murthy. On the other side of the spectrum a lot of young managers were critical of this comment as they felt that this kind of a work schedule will not leave any time to do anything else and completely destroy the work life balance. Incidentally, I was addressing students at a reputed management institute and I deliberately raised this issue about the statement of Mr. Murthy. I was surprised to find that the students were almost in unanimous agreement that seventy hours of work every week is neither possible nor desirable. They felt that this would seriously undermine the concept of work life balance and lead to early burnout and disruption of family life and even lead to physical and mental health issues. On the other hand I had a discussion with some senior level corporate managers who not only strongly agreed with Mr. Murthy but also were very critical of the younger generation’s attitude towards work.
I feel the statement has not been appreciated in its proper context. Seventy Hours was just a number indicating that a lot of hard work has to be put in by the youth. It does not in any way say that one has to ignore one’s responsibility to the family or health or any other aspect of life. It is simply talking about having a commitment to one’s work and emphasizing a truism that there is no substitute for hard work if an individual or a nation has to progress at a rapid pace. It is true that average working hours per week in the western nations is lesser than that prevailing in India. In fact a country like France works 35 Hours a week whereas the corresponding figure for India is about 48-49 Hours. It is thus true that Indians are working harder than their western counter parts. However, it is also a fact that the productivity of the Indian work force is much less and also that we are, as a nation, at a different level of economic development. The managers in developed countries assign great value to leisure whereas India has not reached the stage where it can factor leisure as a necessary part of life.
Having established the significance of putting in hard work I must point out that it is important not only to work hard but to work smart. If the time is not managed properly and the work is not efficiently organized then any number of hours will not lead to better results. The idea is to get the maximum out of the effort made because this is the only way to enhance productivity which is the essence of the problem facing India today. This requires a culture of developing leaders and not only managers. Of course, efficient management of human, financial and technological resources to achieve the desire goals is necessary but the current disruptive environment requires all our corporate managers and civil servants to perform at a different level and with a far greater degree of dynamism and responsiveness. They must inculcate the qualities of leaders. A leader must have a vision for the organization or his department and have the capacity to align all members of his team with the goal. She should have the ability to motivate and inspire her team members to a higher level of performance. A culture of prompt decision making is the need of the hour and the capacity to translate vision into reality. All this is possible only if the leader possesses excellent communication skills and has positive problem solving approach. The leader must be willing to take initiative to drive new ideas and encourage creativity in her team members. The leader today must not only be aware of the rapid technological changes taking place around her but also be able to understand them and harness them for the benefit of her organization. The leader to be more productive must realise that it is people who should use technology and the fact that people skills are of paramount importance for the leader to be able to promise a better future for all. This requires the human resource in the organization to be motivated and happy.
Happy employees are always more productive and this is where it is necessary to see an employee not merely as a human resource but in a holistic manner as a human being. Qualities of emotional intelligence and, in particular, those of empathy and compassion are required to make each member of the team feel valued and given the self belief to perform at his best. This means that the issue of work life balance needs to be addressed in a positive manner because a human being can not be made to perform like a machine. There is a trend in many organizations to put excessive pressure on the managers by setting impossible deadlines and creating a toxic work culture. This leads to mental health issues due to stress and anxiety and eventual burn out which is detrimental not only for the manager but also for the organization. Besides, an organization must give time and space for a manager to grow by developing his innate strengths and learning new things. The time must be given to sharpen the saw for better results. Moreover, creativity requires a manager to be away from the constant pressure of daily work and think freely. This is possible only if the work environment is conducive to development of new ideas and the manager also is feeling inner peace and harmony to be able to think creatively.
The question, then, is not about the number of hours of work put in but the results that you get out of the work. Greater and better results are possible if the work culture is participative, creative and non-hierarchical. India has a young work force and it must reap the demographic dividend if it has to join the group of developed nations. It must get the best performance out of its youth. This is possible only if the work culture is congenial and work force enthused about its work. We need a happy work environment to make the work force more productive and propel the organizations and the country to a faster and higher track of growth.
