7/29/2019 Harsh Chopra's Interview on Internal Organisational Disintegration

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'India has to be viewed as a continent and not as a country...' :

By THF Team , October 13, 201140Share

Mr. Harsh Chopra

Mr. Harsh Chopra (Country Manager & Founding Partner, Adizes

Institute, India) talks to Srishti Malasi about how lack of internal

alignment can result in organisational disintegration, and explains

how Adizes methodology could facilitate an ideal work environment.

He will be presiding over the webcast on Internal OrganisationalDisintegration at www.thfdigital.com on Oct. 20, 2011.

Q- How would the webcast on Internal Organisational Disintegration benefit people; and

who should participate in this event?

Adizes Group has concluded from its study of thousands of organisations worldwide that asignificant amount of energy of organisations is dissipated in Internal Marketing this means

internal politics, bureaucracy and cross functional friction thereby reducing the energy available

to address external customer needs. Adizes Institute has developed a structured methodologyover the last 30 years which cuts down this internal noise and develops a culture of mutual trust

and respect by aligning the key decision makers. This has enormous implications for

organisations which witness a quantum improvement in performance. The book by Dr.Adizes

Mastering Changewhich has been translated in 30 languages explains how this can be done insimple terms.

CEOs, Business Heads and HR Heads should participate in this event. Those companies which

have just been merged or acquired suffer an internal paralysis for the first few months whenemployees waste their time in speculation and rumours. In the best of companies there is a flight

of talent as cultural incompatibility takes its toll. Family concerns in which the next generation is

being groomed but the older professionals do not accept them is another example of companieswho will benefit from this webinar. Then there are large family run conglomerates where an

unofficial organisation structure exists within the official organisation structure and professionals

hired from outside tear their hair out trying to figure out the real power structure. Another case is

that of companies who have scaled up fast and now brought in a set of professional managerswho are a different breed from the old timers who have worked with the founder during his

formative years. Inevitably a turf war breaks out between the old guard and the laptop wielding

new professionals with MBAs from prestigious schools. In such cases the CEO does not knowhow to address this internal paralysis or even where to start, and he often abdicates the entire

responsibility for internal integration and assigns it to HR and shifts his focus other morepressing matters.

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Q- Corporate India works on dynamics that are very different from those of the western

world. What specific strategies have you formulated keeping the Indian market in mind?

Work culture varies dramatically across countries. In Japan the work style is consensus driven

and they carry everyone along, although the decision making process is slow. Japanese nod

politely and smile no matter what the speaker says. They take a long time to come to a consensusbut then implementation is fast. Italians are aggressive, passionate and articulate and meetings

appear chaotic to an outsider. In Russia executives never publicly question anyone in authority.

In Israel authority gets challenged and everything is questioned. Scandinavians work well inteams and are united on most issues. American culture promotes individualism and the export of

American management practices come loaded with cultural nuances and a touch of arrogance.

American management practices, like American fast food, cannot be cut and pasted in allcountries.

India is diverse and has to be treated as a continent, not a country. In general Indian managers are

articulate, open to new ideas, comfortable with complexity and able to handle uncertainty but

poor in teamwork and integration. Internal organisational alignment is poor and especially familymanaged companies are riddled with internal dissention and split vertically based on personal

loyalties to different members of the ruling clan.

Even at the country level Indias biggest challenge is internal disintegration. The overwhelmingmajority of problems are internalnot external as our political leadership would like to have us

believe. India has one of the most over-regulated economies in the world with excessiveGovernment controls which have sapped the vitality of the nation and stifled entrepreneurship.

The path breaking IFC report Doing Business in 2010 which compares regulations in 183

countries has documented how India ranks when it comes to starting a business, dealing withconstruction permits, paying taxes and enforcing contracts. Excessive regulations have also

resulted in large scale corruption. This has reached endemic proportions and corroded the very

foundations of civil society to the point that you cannot run a business without managing the

regulatory system.

Q- A chemical engineer by qualification, and having been the CEO of organisations like

Intertek, Rayban and Baush & Lomb India, what prompted you to switch to management

consulting and management education in this niche area ?

After 30 years of doing budget versus actuals in an operational role across diverse industries,when I met Dr.Ichak Adizes last year in Chennai over lunch, I was convinced that this a natural

fit for me and one that will be professionally rewarding.

Q- What is your personal leadership style, and who is your ideal leader ?

I follow the employee empowerment and engagement philosophy and delegate almost to the

point of abdication. This is probably a reaction to my belief that Indian companies are

overmanaged. I admire several Indian corporate leaders. Ratan Tata for his value systems andvision in creating a cohesive conglomerate despite its diversity. Kishore Biyani for kick starting

a retail revolution in the country.

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Q- Are you good at maintaining a work-life balance? How do you de-stress yourself amidst

a demanding work schedule?

I love reading, travelling and trekking and believe in maintaining a work-life balance. I have

taken a conscious decision to prioritise family commitments and health even at the cost of careeror business growth once I crossed 50 in age.

Q- Do you think that as enterprises are busy cashing in on the growing Indian economy,

they are ignoring vital issues pertaining to internal management?

Yes, absolutely! Most companies are simply unaware of the potential that can be unleashed byreleasing the energy and resources that are consumed in internal organisational conflict. It is only

by building a culture of mutual trust and respect inside the organisation that this energy can be

released to address external customer issues.

India has to be viewed as a continent and not as a country...

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