My stints with three public
sector organizations, spanning almost a decade have made me experienced enough if
not exactly wiser. Reinforced I am definitely with the thought that PSU’s have an
inherent strength that other commercial organizations devoid of governmental
backing apparently lack, yet the thought that if left free and with an absolute
clarity of goal and purpose, conquering the skies would indeed be a child’s
play always lurks at the back of the mind.
Very early forties is a fairly young
age to be a public sector chief but that is what I was when asked to take over
the reins of the mammoth tourism conglomerate, the Indian Tourism Development
Corporation. Faced with a loss making entity on one hand and a system hell bent
on getting rid of commercial entities from its fold, the job on hand was
definitely not an easy one. Yet gaping mouths is what we encountered when the
entire team rose as a goliath to rid the entity of its loss making traits. The
spectacular growth, almost impossible to achieve even in the best of the
private sectors left almost everyone speechless. And then I paid the price.
Then came the three stints with
the tourism major of the wonderful state of Madhya Pradesh. While the state
rose over all others in its successful quest for being the numero uno, the
rapid turnaround of the commercial properties, and there were many, surprised
almost everyone including myself. The ferocity with which the men (and women) of
the state tourism development corporation shrugged off the cloak of ignominy and
inefficiency made even the private sector speechless. Ofcourse the proactive
support of the entire state machinery made the job easier, yet the fact remains
that what really happened was our dipping into the inner strengths of the
public sector that was almost given up as an also ran.
And now the third and the most
challenging, the national carrier that also appears keen to shrug away its
cloak of years of rot and neglect. It is now also certain that this entity
would soon surge ahead of all its competitors in the not so distant future.
Towards the end of all my postings, I am often
asked to put in place systems that would last forever and in the process enable
the organization to keep its head above water perpetually and one always remains
at pains to explain that such a system is not yet born, nor it shall ever for
leadership is a role that can never be substituted by systems or inanimate
objects. Yet the expectation of utopia remains.
Yet some stability can be brought
about in the functioning of the public sector undertakings only if the dragnet
of vigilance, audit and complex processes in the garb of transparency are
loosened. The fear of committing a mistake and then getting mauled by the
machinery is what keeps most of the public sector mandarins away from the path
of decision making and even bringing clarity in their desires. And if decisions
are not made in a commercial organization, or if safe play is always resorted
to, the outcome can be easily fathomed by even a grocery shop owner.
Why performance or the end result
alone should not be a criterion to judge an organization or its mandarins is
what amazes me. Why even petty decisions or acts are microscopically examined
without a speck of a concern for the overall performance is beyond
comprehension especially for those whose primary concern remains overall growth
and results. And finally why should one’s actions be subject to examination by
someone who may be less competent, less honest and less committed really foxes
me.
While beginning my career, the
professor of finance at the staff college professed the canons of financial
propriety, the foremost of which was – spend government money as if it is your
own. And since then I have been wondering why a tender process has to be
initiated for purchasing a sofa for the office whereas one simply makes the
best buy off the shelf for a requirement at home.
As long as our focus remains on
the process coupled with a thought process that everyone is dishonest unless
proven otherwise, we shall remain where we are and shall keep on cursing all
public organizations. The focus has to firmly shift to delivery if we do not
desire to perish. Mere utterance of words “Perform or Perish” will never be enough.
