Aesopica – Zoomimg in for Stories and Analogies and Management Strategy
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General Management Aesopica – Zoomimg in for stories and analogies and management strategy Vidya Wankhade B.sc, B.Ed, MPM, NET(Mangaement) Email- [email protected] Contact – 9867962423 ABSTRACT :- “….like those who dine well of the plainest dishes ,he made use of humble incidents to greater truths and after serving up a story he adds to it an advice to do a thing or not to do a thing” -Philostratus ,Life of Apollonius Tyana book V:14 Aesopica is a collection of fables credited to Aesop a short teller believed to be lived in ancient Greece divers origins of the stories have been associated with Aesopian names and they have been descended from various resources. They continue to be reinterpreted in different verbal as well as artistic mediums. Aesop fables have an Indian connect which id represented by the Buddhist Jataka Tales and the Hindu Panchatantras. Aesop is read by all of us a number of times and quoted in our daily lives, but they also contain various management lessons if read from a different point of view. Management studies/colleges focus on producing top grade mangers who have knowledge, ethics , cultural values along with adaptations to change management .Most of the students are raw and lack experience .They also lack the background of management studies as they come from a heterogeneous crowd .In such cases they often struggle to relate and grasp the management concepts and symbiotically associate them with their real life situational experiences. The author advocates that the Aesopica i.e the Aesop fables provides straightforward and very simple food for the minds of this future generation. These fables can be useful to the teachers “training tools and stratergies” for teaching the management concepts like stress management ,change management , risk management ,leadership ,training & development , quality management etc to name a few . the paper focuses on management essentials which are embedded in these age old fables . They could be used as analogies for workshops and training programs for the management in the modern era. The paper also contains descriptions and their relevance for better grasp of the knowledge and its assimilation with the modern life synergy. The author concludes that the classical fables may be applied to the management field and its implications for the classroom usage. “…. Its apt to delight a child ………….… yet afford useful reflection to a grown up man . ” - William Coxton Keywords :- Fables , Change management, Performance management, Risk management Intro :- Animals' behavior can so often mirror that of humans. Our realization that we could use these behaviors for management stories was serendipitous. The original Aesop's fables were a collection of stories attributed to the Greek slave Aesop who lived around 600BC. Most of the characters are animals that talk and act like human beings and illustrate the failings and virtues of human nature in a simple, often humorous way. Perhaps the best known of Aesop's fables is 'The tortoise and the hare'. ‘The tortoise and hare’ has been interpreted and reinterpreted in many different ways needless to say it has many lessons from many perspectives . Another very famous book based on management is ‘ Frog Manager’. In a nut shell the book provides with management mantras for the managers also adopted from the Aespoica . Following could be the gist of the book ‘Frog mangers’ ISSN : 2230-9667 Chronicle of the Neville Wadia Institute of Management Studies & Research 27 General Management In the short term Use the 5WH technique (5'W' questions and one 'H' (how) question) when faced with a decision: • What information do you need? • Why do you need it? • Where will you get it from? • Who will get it? • When do you need it? • How will you get it? In the longer term Get into the habit of: • Setting aside time to read, research and be aware of the latest developments in your field • Allocating time to meet with others to learn what they are thinking and planning • Considering what information you should share with others to foster a good information flow • Consulting key stakeholders on any projects to ensure that their concerns and ideas are taken into account before any decisions are made. Thought for the Frog Manager Prevention rather n than cure Reduces the stress you need endure. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy ,you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” ...Ronald Reagan Companies have risen and fallen because they have entrusted the wrong CEOs and successors with the management duties. Many great family businesses had been ruined at the hands of the children or grandchildren who took over the helm, based on who they were rather than what they could do. When businesses failed, CEOs rightfully took the brunt. The people responsible for delegating the management duties should not be spared either. A proper delegation should be viewed as a sharing of responsibility, and not a passing of the baton. When a leader assigns tasks to the other team members, it remains his responsibility to monitor and ensure that the members complete the assigned tasks. Along the way, when the members face difficulties and hurdles, the leader should step in to assist and advise. Of course, for any delegation to be effective, the leader must empower the members and confer on them a certain amount of authority and resources necessary for the tasks at hand. What we are saying is that the leader cannot assign all his functions, powers and authority, and still expect to be called a leader. He would be a consultant and not the person-in-charge. A skillful delegation should therefore lead to a happy solution for everyone. The CEO has time to look at the overall direction of growth, strategic plans and policies of the company, while retaining the top spot and top salary. The deputy CEOs and departmental chiefs have the necessary powers and authority to run the show, and make decisions within their portfolio. The middle managers, supervisors and heads take charge of the day- to-day operational activities, and are empowered to make decisions within their scope of work. Since delegating work plays such an important role for successful CEOs, why are most of them not doing it, or not doing enough? Why do we see CEOs attending to routine low-level tasks and even chairing meetings on totally operational matters? There are various reasons why we - CEOs, leaders and managers – avoid delegating our tasks and responsibility. Here are some reasons and the ways to get around them:- 1. Do not trust employees with the responsibility. 2. Only we know best. 3. Work faster on our own. 4. We lose our control. 5. We lose our authority. ISSN : 2230-9667 Chronicle of the Neville Wadia Institute of Management Studies & Research 28 General Management 6. We lose credit and recognition. 7. Employees are not committed. 8. We cannot keep track of developments. Performance Management in connection with Aseop fables There is no indefinite job security. Market conditions fluctuate so fast that workers would rather play it safe by working into the good books of the employer. What better way to do that than to be the first person to step into the office and the last to leave. What started out as pure work enthusiasts end up being workaholics. Workaholics' lives center around work and nothing else. Workaholism was a topic we used to joke about, but as people became more conscious of leading balanced lifestyles, it had changed it status to a medical problem and was labeled Work Addiction. Work addicts are in a different class. Many do not work for the monetary rewards, promotion or recognition; they work because they just cannot stop working. Bosses naturally love to employ these people since their engines can run even without fuel. The problem is that their engines don't last. Like a machine, they lose touch with the social aspects of life and have little regard for friends and family. They 'burn-out' at an early age, and are often ill and depressed. How do we tell that a person is addicted to work? What can we do to help them lead a balanced life? The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog One winter's day, during a severe storm, a Horse, an Ox, and a Dog came and begged for shelter in the house of a Man. He readily admitted them, and, as they were cold and wet, he lit a fire for their comfort, and he put oats before the Horse, and hay before the Ox, while he fed the Dog with the remains of his own dinner. When the storm abated, and they were about to depart, they determined to show their gratitude in the following way. They divided the life of Man among them, and each endowed one part of it with the qualities which were peculiarly his own.The Horse took youth, and hence young men are impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining his own opinion. The Ox took middle age, and accordingly man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted to labor, and resolute to amass wealth and to husband his resources. The Dog took old age, which is the reason why old men are so often peevish and ill tempered, and, like dogs, attached chiefly to those who look to their comfort, while they are disposed to snap at those who are unfamiliar or distasteful to them. Moral: Man's life is predestined. Man by nature loves to work. The social problems arising out of this compulsive behavior are plenty.