Chief Value Officer- Vinod Kumar

“Chief Value Officer – Vinod Kumar”-Unique Times

This is about two profiles of sample audiences. In the first case, they had dropped out of classroom and school when they were twelve, thirteen or may be even fourteen. They were just disinterested in education at that time. My friend Khalid studies their life style and body language. He makes inferences from his sixteen friends who assemble at his residence on the festive occasion. In the second case, he repeats the sharing of festivities during another occasion every year. Here, he invites those friends who have completed their management education from fancy universities and colleges. They have fancy jobs. Khalid makes inferences from their non – verbal communications. He makes comparisons between the two groups. All his friends, like him, are in the age group of mid forties.

 The first group of drop outs seem to be very happy, contented and has had harmonious family relationships. They all had vibrant social involvement and activities. They maintained very healthy relationship with parents, grand parents and all elderly people of their family. In the group of the ones who excelled in management education, the inferences were different.

 Relationship with family and elders were not as harmonious. These ladies and men were isolated from many social and cultural events. Their body language communicated that they were less flexible and not very happy individuals.

Does our management system need introspection? Tens of thousands of colleges in India and others outside India claim to graduate people as bachelor or master of business administration. So we have streams such as human resource, finance, marketing and others, under the roof of business administration. No doubt, the curriculum and syllabi are designed after much consultation and consideration. One would think that Business administration colleges must bring solutions for attritions, unemployment and training of talent.  Competition, cost reduction, profit enhancements, economical intelligence, persuasive selling and other forms of wealth creation are the chief objectives of this education on business administration.

If you research the results, you will discover the gap. Inability of two sets of people, the MBA graduate who finds it difficult to succeed, and the non-MBA, who is a school drop out, succeeds and is also happy. So what is the missing link of management system of companies? Is it worth to discuss this gap in management education?

A trendy name for this filler is called ‘human values’. We saw a decade of corporate social responsibility. Many companies were compelled to share a small percentage of their profits for social development. But there too became visible their vested interests. It is alleged that many companies used corporate social responsibility to enhance their image and reputation among recipients of the doles. These subsidies could not have been called as generosity. Under a federal law that compelled to give away donations, how can the ‘generosity’ become evident? Generosity is the human value, and not a compulsion.

Happiness in people is expressed in their philanthropy for the public. A set of personal austerities must be encouraged. How can we operationalize the value of caring and sharing if it does not become included in the curriculum of the books of Business administration?

It is the parents who influence the students, as they grow up in the houses. Most of the human values are incorporated in to the person at the time of his upbringing. Though management education must bring focus on the human values, yet, the parents are accountable at the time of upbringing. It is the ‘home values’ that the graduates will then express as ‘human values’. Every research has shown that unethical chase for profit is very costly. Social development is certainly linked to the upkeep of any business. It has become imperative that one subject in human values must be of credit in the MBA curriculum.

 Encouraging people to improve their human values quotient alone can bring excellence in the product that they manufacture. But how to increase the capacity of people, so that they can endure more load on their performance? How can people learn to exert a bit more without stress? How to persuade the work force to stretch their capabilities? It is essential that everybody is socially responsible and functional at productivity.

Many human resource experts have introduced breathing techniques, stretches for the body and other exercises as part of employee welfare practices. Many experts and thought leaders vouch to the effectiveness of yoga and meditation for their       well being. Management and business administration will become complete only when business has a holistic approach. The transformation of a mind that has fixation on rights and demands must convert to the fresh approach of contribution. This will be the new definition of success.

 The visit of the U.S president Barack Obama to India and his meeting with Narendra Modi has produced new narratives of business. But a run away optimism devoid of the values of sustainable generosity may not bring long-term gains. The camaraderie of the two leaders is laced with charitable views on friendship. But it is in the heart felt value system of the work force in each country, that must convert this opportunity into an actionable reality.

Dignity to the management and business administration education will come, only if they establish themselves on human values, personal capacity building and social reforms. Perhaps the dropouts had to output the work of five people, as they had to swim against the current. Our transactions and interactions are like an ocean. In effect we are exposing ourselves to the surface and the depth of this ocean.

If the transaction is an ocean, then trading and ethical working is like the act of swimming.  If you do not swim in the ocean, then the only other way is to sink. Similarly ethics and human values must become embedded in business, so that business can stay afloat.

 A certificate of graduation from a reputed college may give you a work style that is an envy of many. But the company with the Chief Value Officer (C.V.O) will ensure a good life style for you and all the members of your community.

Welcome to the new member of C.X.O family. He will be called the Chief Value officer

Vinod Kumar