Gravity Magazine_Final - Great Lakes

PERSPECTIVES
37
Masters of
Business Readiness
A poet once said “A rose is a rose is a rose”. So does
experience show that a manager is a manager is a
manager ? Not really !
Another poet said “A rose by any other name would
smell just as sweet”. A manager by any other name
is still a manager ? If you answered “Of course”,
you already know what I am talking about, if not,
buckle down for an interesting time !
A rose has a form with a color, but is recognized by
its fragrance. Similarly an MBA has an Institute
with a pedigree but is remembered for the results
produced ! Just like roses with no fragrance are used
for ornamental use, companies too have a collection
of ornamental managers who we will call
Administrators.
Companies that recruit MBAs are essentially
looking for results, but end up picking candidates
based on institute and pedigree with the added
qualification of marks and ability to talk.
Essentially, they hire the degree plus the ability to
talk smoothly. Therefore, in the effort to get them a
Butterfly, they get themselves a Pupa.
Most managers are formally created from ordinary
mortals by putting them through a course called
“Masters of Business Administration”(MBA). The
mindset that produces MBAs essentially believes
that business is an ongoing function and that the job
of an administrator/manager is to keep the business
rolling on at a steady clip. This mindset will teach
you the nuts and bolts of a business to ensure you
can keep the engine of the business going. If you
think through this paradigm, you will see that an
administrator is focused on the business and the
primary aim is to keep it running. This running of
the business on an even keel is “results” for most
companies!
A few bright sparks in these administrators get to
ask themselves the question “What purpose does
this business serve ?”. If they come to the answer
“To meet customer needs” they trigger a
metamorphosis! Suddenly, the butterfly that is the
manager is triggered in the pupa called the
A Need of the Hour?
administrator! Let me take you to the classic case of
IBM - the quintessential well run company, running
itself to business oblivion! It had stars, great
products, great processes, everything that was
needed to stay at the top forever! It was a well
administrated company as exemplified by the
words “well run”. It was well on its way to
becoming an “also ran”! It was Louis Gertsner who
asked the golden question and the rest is History!
MBAs are the ornamental roses and Pupae. The
roses and butterflies are what we refer to as Masters
of Business Readiness (MBR). Readiness to do
Business is the willingness to engage with the
Customer!
Why an MBA is referred to as a Pupa is because the
MBA is focused on the Business (internal) and
builds a mental cocoon against customers and
change. An MBA by definition has to consider
himself separate from the business to “maintain
perspective”. A MBR on the other hand is like a
butterfly that goes to the customer, gets the honey
and meets the Customer Need for pollination!
Masters of Business Readiness are people who
consider themselves as a part of the business not
above it, who put customers first and are ready to
change themselves and their organization to meet
customer needs and expectations better than
anybody else. MBRs will focus on the Values of the
organization as it is key to the sense of belonging
that is so essential to an MBR. Since he is not above
the Business, he remains humble, since he allows
the customer to teach him, he never becomes
arrogant, since he feels every bump on the road, he
is innovative, since he feels the pain of the
organization, he remains fair and develops a
concern for his fellow humans.
Great Lakes is an Institute that seeks to build
Business Ready Managers through a set of inputs
and concepts painstakingly put together by
Dr. Bala V Balachandran. He is called Uncle Bala
by all of us. Does this tell you something ?
– B Ramakrishnan, PGPM Class of 2006