Changing organisational thinking

When Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said he would not like to work in an organisation like the one profiled by the New York Times in mid-August this year, he was attempting to salvage his company’s reputation, which had come under the harsh glare of NYT’s spotlight. Amazonians were reportedly encouraged to rip apart each others’ ideas at meetings; tip off colleagues perceived to be non-performers; and not expect too much sympathy if they were sick. Those working long hours, even if it meant neglecting their family, were valued more than others. Often, grown men were seen breaking down and weeping openly at their desks after meetings. The NYT story seemed to imply that the e-retail giant known for its spectacular product and sales strategies – revolutionising reading habits with Kindle and audaciously experimenting with drones to deliver products ordered by customers – was seen to be squeezing its people to push its growth story. While not a sweatshop (employees were paid well and even given stock options) it expected 101% delivery – at any cost. In today’s pro-employee world where people are valued more than profits, where organisations fiercely compete to make it to the list of best places to work in, the story did not do anything positive for the Amazon brand. The bigger the brand, the more careful an organisation has to be. One has to guard against the possibility of extreme behaviours manifesting in the fiercely competitive organisations of today, says Dr Sourav Mukherji, faculty, organisational behaviour and human resources management, IIM Bangalore. “Kindness” is an “extreme word,” for Mukherji, though he believes most organisations try to be compassionate. They would also definitely want their employees to be connected and engaged and would not overtly create a culture where people are up against each other and where their dignity is attacked. No sane CEO would do things that undermine people’s dignity. A firm believer in kindness, Zubin Zack, director and chief recognition strategist, India, OC Tanner, recalls the Kevin Spacey and Helen Huntstarrer Pay It Forward about a young boy’s quest to improve the world by asking people to “pass on an act of kindness.” Kindess has a direct impact on productivity, innovation, tenure increase, collaboration and loyalty scores. When employees feel comfortable and think that the employers are transparent, fair and genuine in shaping an environment for them to succeed; then everything simply multiplies, he says. “Feedback that is kind to employees handling a failed project (when they have tried their best to be innovative) will only encourage them to work harder and be rewarded as they will know that any failure or an effort is not looked down upon,” Zack adds. When people are positive they are willing to put in twice the effort as their leaders act as the harbingers of an encouraging environment. This behaviour then gets duplicated amongst colleagues and all efforts by employees are transformed into ‘great’ work from ‘good’ work.