Technology makes communication less personal, says business psychologist
Business psychology trainer, author and teacher Rozaine Cooray is launching her book "From Crisis to Character' on November 12 in Colombo. Most of the articles were based on a column she writes for the Business Times. Here are excerpts of an interview with Ms. Cooray: What made you consider writing on workplace issues and the problems/concerns faced by both management/workers?
The question is, is WORK just a four letter word? I always felt that work is much more than what we think it is. We spend close to 35 per cent- 45 per cent of our time per day at work. For some of us this is even more, if you consider the amount of time we spend on the roads. Organisations are complex clusters of humans beings who work towards a particular vision, mission and some set tasks. Even though not everyone understands the purpose behind their day to day work, what they do and how they do it make a difference, not only to the organisation, but also to each and every individual employee.
My career, here in Sri Lanka and also abroad, entailed looking into both personal issues of the individual, organisational issues in the larger context, and how these two interact with each other to produce the final outcome. In my job, I get to hear, observe and study what really matters to people. I wanted to use these real life anecdotes and make it available to the public, so that more awareness could be raised amongst both employers and employees on psychology in the workplace.
Well that was the start, but what kept me going was the feedback given by my readers on in column in the Business Times, from organizational heads to young executives who are starting off their careers.
There's always much more to what we see behind performance, power, leadership, conflict, be it good or bad , there are certain dynamics that operate that need to be understood in order to optimise what we do. My focus has always been to encourage the reader to be more aware so that we can change the way we see things, to bring more meaning, engagement and fulfillment at work. The subject of your specialty is not a familiar/popular field of study. Is this a new area of study/research that is gaining credence in the global context? The field of Industrial/ Organisational Psychology has been there for a long time and the first studies of Industrial/Organisational Psychology date back to the late 1800s, when scientists tried to understand the psychology behind advertising and worker efficiency. During WW1and WW2, in the recruitment of soldiers and pilots, and designing of air crafts and equipment, scientists used the psychology of work and personality. The same assessments that were used during the WWs, was subsequently used in organisations in their selection procedures. So no, it is not a new field, but the importance of it, is more and more highlighted in the workplace now in Sri Lanka than ever before. There is a misunderstanding that psychology is the study of mental illness, which is not the case. Studying mental illness is only one area.
Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and thinking processes whatever the context maybe. What made you select this for your degree and forward process?
First, I was interested in working with people. Then came the desire to understand how we can push our limits to really unearth the potential within us, so we can prove our fears wrong. I wanted to see how an average performer can be raised in skill capacity and character to step up to challenges, and I felt that the field of Industrial/Organisational sychology opening up many avenues for me to explore this concept. Have human/face to face relations and contact between workers and their bosses collapsed and communication is now more artificial/through networks/letters/circulars, etc? Given the new age of technology and the ease of communica- tion without meeting someone, what we see as a problem, is also the reality. As a result of technology, globalisation, expansion of businesses, communication has inevitably become less personal. You may be in Sweden reporting to a boss in Sri Lanka, whilst working with a team of individuals scattered around Europe, working towards the same outcome. To a lesser degree of separation, in an organisation, employees may sit side by side but still having very limited contact, due to over reliance on technology, preference of social media for breaks, or simply procedural reasons (eg: having to put everything down in writing) Also, with the increasing workload, people may find themselves, absorbed to the computer, trying to finish their work, rather than interacting with their teams. But I must say that is this not the case all the time; there are instances when managers find it difficult to get employees to stop talking and to take their work more seriously.
This book talks about the importance of communication and technology, both, as it addresses both the modern day advantages and disadvantages that technology has introduced, not only to an organisation but also to society as a whole. Technology has introduced a dynamic that has also altered how we raise kids, how we educate, how we train and do work, hence altering the expectations of the younger generations related to work. The businesses need to be more equipped in receiving the new millennials whose attitudes and values has been inherently altered due to exposure to technology at a very early age (i.e. availability of a multitude of options through technology resulting in lack attention span, patience, loyalty and increasing individualism).
The book discusses different generations that now work together to achieve the same goal. Why 'From Crisis to Character'? Explain to us the title.
Most of the time we see crisis or conflict as something negative. But is this the case always? More often than not, crisis precedes growth or development. Be it personally, or collectively in a family or organisation.
Crisis is a part and parcel of life, both internal and external. Some form of crisis and conflict is inevitable in any form or system. However, the problem lies less in the inherent nature of conflict but more in our response to it. If the crisis is faced with a willingness to preserve, one can gain an advantage, when working with the crisis rather than against the crisis. Perseverance with awareness brings about character that we normally, don't pay much attention to, because a tangible outcome for us may be more important that what is being added to our experience in the process. Crisis is a good time to identify the greater potential you have and the great character that you can grow in to. It is a time where you test what you think you know. However we have a choice to leap through the waves of calamity or to quit, because quitting is in fact easier.
Finally on writing: How did you develop/acquire this skill, at what age and what do you hope to achieve through your writings? (1) As a writer of fiction (2) As a (more serious) writer on issues in the workplace?
If my memory serves me right, I became increasingly interested in writing at the age of 13. I have always loved writing even though my greatest desire is to travel and write stories about people and their journeys. I am also passionate about raising awareness on human behaviour; why we behave the way we behave. Awareness brings about understanding, and when we understand, we can always choose to become better. The core of what I do is the vision to be a growth catalyst to people and organisations. So yes, writing about my subject area is as important as being a novelist to me. Even though this may not be always possible, through my writing I aspire to bring something new, to inspire and to challenge the reader to see things differently from a new perspective.
(The book will be available for sale at Vijitha Yapa, Lakehouse, Sarasavi, Odel and Barefoot. Alternatively readers could contact Rozaine directly through the facebook page (From Crisis to Character) and through the website www.forte.lk or www.forteconsultancy.org)