Indian Leadership Culture
Indian Leadership Culture
Indian culture is a curious conglomeration of beliefs, some which are religious, and some which are demographic in nature. The challenge is to strike a balance between the seemingly conflicting demands of the various groups of people. The composition of the Indian Armed Forces in general and the Indian Navy in particular, reflects India's diversity. Any ship or establishment, irrespective of size would invariably have personnel hailing from diverse religious, linguistic, ethnic and regional backgrounds. The need therefore is to understand this cultural diversity, the factors which bring about unity in this diversity and the appropriate means to harness it in order to enhance effectiveness.
All sailors from Bengal want to celebrate Durga Puja and all sailors from Kerala want to be home for Onam. In between there are the agonistic few who seem to be happy to perpetually remain on board ship. The Divisional Officer is on the first rung of the decision making process. It is his decision of recommending or not recommending a sailor's request that will decide how strong the fabric of camaraderie is woven in the ship. In the strictly hierarchical structure of the Navy, a tremendous authority is vested in the Divisional Officer to take decisions and subsequently demand subordinates to implement them. The Indian culture is one such culture where there is a inherent reluctance to question decisions and authority. The immediate task is to convert this resigned acceptance into tacit approval of authority.
Every individual looks for achievement, recognition, advancement and growth. Basically everyone wants to do a job well in order to satisfy the ever-present inner urge of being accepted by the society in general and the peers in particular. The behaviour of every individual is strongly influenced by what he believes. Optimal results can be achieved by bringing about a confluence of the righteous and the desired. Righteousness in Indian culture is
Indian culture is a curious conglomeration of beliefs, some which are religious, and some which are demographic in nature. The challenge is to strike a balance between the seemingly conflicting demands of the various groups of people. The composition of the Indian Armed Forces in general and the Indian Navy in particular, reflects India's diversity. Any ship or establishment, irrespective of size would invariably have personnel hailing from diverse religious, linguistic, ethnic and regional backgrounds. The need therefore is to understand this cultural diversity, the factors which bring about unity in this diversity and the appropriate means to harness it in order to enhance effectiveness.
All sailors from Bengal want to celebrate Durga Puja and all sailors from Kerala want to be home for Onam. In between there are the agonistic few who seem to be happy to perpetually remain on board ship. The Divisional Officer is on the first rung of the decision making process. It is his decision of recommending or not recommending a sailor's request that will decide how strong the fabric of camaraderie is woven in the ship. In the strictly hierarchical structure of the Navy, a tremendous authority is vested in the Divisional Officer to take decisions and subsequently demand subordinates to implement them. The Indian culture is one such culture where there is a inherent reluctance to question decisions and authority. The immediate task is to convert this resigned acceptance into tacit approval of authority.
Every individual looks for achievement, recognition, advancement and growth. Basically everyone wants to do a job well in order to satisfy the ever-present inner urge of being accepted by the society in general and the peers in particular. The behaviour of every individual is strongly influenced by what he believes. Optimal results can be achieved by bringing about a confluence of the righteous and the desired. Righteousness in Indian culture is