HOW TO FORM A PRODUCTIVE GROUP !

Earlier I had described you about the compulsive decision maker, a species that exists between the No-No and the Yes-Yes. I had also described you how the productivity of the compulsive decision maker can be enhanced by making a judicious mixture between efficiency and effectiveness depending upon the market you operate. The human resource configuration of an organization should be carefully defined to make people complementary to each other. The configuration is just like a mouth-watering fruit salads having a right mixtures of all varieties. Hence the compulsive decision maker in an organization should be blended with that character that shall just fill in the gap of demerits that exist between the merits of compulsive decision maker. The group dynamics teach us that assembly of similar characters in a group pulls down the productivity of that group. Think of a group comprising of all No-No characters or all Yes-Yes characters or for that matter all compulsive decision makers. I am sure you do not require further examples to comprehend the scenario.

Diametrically opposite characters also do not form a great group. Think of a group comprising of the Yes-Yes and the No-No. Only divine intervention can bring out the productivity from that group. Thing will be stretched between Yes-Yes and No-NO, beyond the plastic limit.

I remember once incidence regarding divine intervention that happened almost one and half decade back. It has nothing do with the group dynamics of course. In those days Indian market was dominated by a particular brand of scooter. It was considered as a superb brand but for two minor (?) demerits. Minor demerit one, the headlight does not work and minor demerit two, the braking system does not work. See carefully what I wrote. I have not thought it proper to use “properly” after “work”. What works then? My Indian friends who are contemporaries to me know ‘what works.’ For rest of my friends let it be a cerebral exercise. Me and one of my seniors, one fine night, were coming back from work site. My senior was the driver of that scooter and I was enjoying pillion riding. You must be a thinking how good was my senior because he allowed the junior to relax while he was driving the scooter. No, it was not exactly that way. My senior did not allow me to drive, as he had not taken any life insurance policy for him. Now, you had a glimpse of my another talent too. Just we are about to reach the traffic signal when the scooter front wheel fell on a pothole, my senior lost the balance and the scooter dashed against the traffic post. By God grace and surely by divine intervention nothing happened to us, not even a minor scratch. The traffic police was aghast and demanded to know, “Can’t you see?” My senior replied nonchalantly, “Head light does not work.”

“Can’t you apply the brake?” the traffic man raised his voice. My senior replied in same affable manner, “That does not work too.” The traffic man, by then, had lost his cool. In the first place his traffic post has been damaged and here is a guy, cool as cucumber, replying as if nothing has happened.

“How do you drive”, the traffic man raised his voice further.

“By following the traffic rules”, cool answer from the cool guy, my senior.

We observed a sudden change in the face of the traffic man. He held his head in both hands, squatted in the side of the road and burst into laughter.

Coming back to topic of the today is that we are looking for an ideal combination of personalities in a group which makes a productive group. Let us look for an ideal partner for a compulsive decision maker. Have you seen a silent man who answers one question to ten questions you ask? He never rushes into a yes-yes or no-no and weighs each word you pronounce or he pronounces. He wears you down with his silence, a weighty face with too few words.Oh my God, real difficult man. Nobody knows what he wants. Leave him alone he will make a slightly delayed decision, but he will often make a qualitative decision by weighing the pros and cons of the issue and by going into every minors details of the issue. Here lies the ‘catch’, the minor details. Is it required to go into all the minor details which carry a minuscule probability of making the thing sour? But there is no doubt that he is a qualitative decision maker but often he delays the thing by habit of studying minor details and making lot of analysis. In optimization grid he fits into “high effectiveness but low efficiency” group. Whereas the compulsive decision maker who often neglects important information in the name of efficiency falls into “high efficiency but low effectiveness” group. I will end up today’s topic on productive group formation by giving an example how a compulsive decision maker do not check for the vital information before making decision and how damaging that can be in practical life?

This is a story from the MAHABHARATA, the longest poem in the world comprising of 220000 lines and divided into 18 sections. The ‘MAHABHARATA’ is written in old Indian language of SANSKRIT and VED VYAS is the author. The ‘MAHABHARATA’ describes the war between KOURAVAS comprising of hundred brothers and PANDAVAS comprising five brothers. The war was supposed to have started on 16^th October 5561B.C. Though Drone was common teacher for both Pandavas and Kouravas, in this war he was supporting and fighting on behalf of Kouravas. Drone was a master in archery and on that eventful day he was in a killing spree. Pandavas knew that somehow they have to kill Drone. But how? The third brother of Pandavas, Arjun, though a great archer and the number one disciple of Drone, is no match to Drone. But Drone has to be killed. Pandavas knew that Drone liked his son ASVATHAMA too much. They thought of floating a rumor that Asvathama has been killed in the battle, the news of which shall subdue Drone. But they had also guessed that Drone will definitely check the veracity of the rumor with YUDHISHTHIR, the eldest Pandavas. Yudhishthir was known for his honesty and truthfulness. But other brothers of Pandavas tried to convince him to tell the lie. After much deliberation Yudhishthir agreed but he said that he would say something abstract, something like data which need to be processed for information. Then Pandavas killed an elephant, also having the name as Asvathama and floated the rumor that Asvathama, the son of Drone has been killed. The rumor floated in the battle field and Drone heard the soldiers of Pandavas shouting and rejoicing that Asvathama has been killed. Drone could not believe it. He knew Yudhishthir though enemy now will never tell lie. Drone went to Yudhishthir and asked him about the truth behind the news that Asvathama has been killed. Yudhishthir with all respect to Drone pronounced.

ASVATHAMA HAS BEEN KILLED. BUT IT COULD BE AN ELEPHANT OR HUMAN.

But in the cacophony of the battle field Drone could not listen to the second sentence pronounced by Yudhishthir. He was totally overpowered by the sad news. He threw away all his arm and ammunition in sorrow and frustration. He was then killed by Arjun, his number one disciple and the third Pandavas while he stood unarmed in the battle field.

Now let us analyze the story.

Drone despite his reputation had made a hasty conclusion and decision.

True he could not hear the second part of Yudhishthir pronunciation but he was and should be aware that Yudhishthir did say something after the first sentence. Or should we conclude that he was not observant enough. At least he should have looked for the dead body of his son. Vital information neglected.

Most important, Yudhishthir may be a person who does not tell lie, but here they are fighting for each other life.

Hence analysis clearly shows that Drone has just behaved like a compulsive decision maker. He has neglected many vital information before making a crucial decision. A silent counsel would have been of great help to him in that juncture.

Hence the crux of today’s Munna Bhai’s management theory is that look for complementary characters when you intend to form a productive group.