Creating a Unique identity
It is a truth universally acknowledged that every human being in possession of a rational mind would be in want of an individual USP. What can help create this is the entrepreneurial spirit. Management Compass finds out how…

By Jyoti K. Singh
Entrepreneurship means different things for different people but as a concept it implies undertaking innovations for gains not only interpersonal but also financial ones. While talking about first generation entrepreneurs, a name that can never be missed out by most of us is Prof. Kandarp Mehta or KK. KK is a well-known and respected behavioural scientist who has spent a lot of time in the industry working with Tatas, Salgaonkar, and DCM etc. He then became a full-time behavioral consultant who was actively (and still continues to be, at 80) involved with organisations such as ISABS, ISISD etc. A pioneer of HR function in India; KK’s ability to facilitate HR labs is unsurpassed - with depth, precision & perceptiveness in abundance, which is brought home more closely by his book Human Resource management – Indian Realities, which is a compilation of real time corporate case-studies. When probed about what inspired him, this is what he shared with us -

What does ‘entrepreneurship’ mean to you.
An entrepreneur has written her own script built around her identity of uniqueness, creating a space for her to move around freely, pushing her own boundaries further outwards as she progresses. In her uniqueness she has perceived a vision to make contributions/offerings to the society. She is anchored in core values of Self-reliance, Risk taking, Openness, Trust, Mutuality and Human dignity.

As she travels in her journey of uniqueness, all the processes of values and social relevance get questioned, identified, addressed, articulated, crystallised and often times changed. Her passion, drive and belongingness to her space get manifested in her offerings/contributions and she becomes more relevant to society. Her space and life canvas become larger and she gets co-travelers, co-owners, and co-creators. Her presence as well as absence is felt as a leader.

To me, businesswomen/men or industrialists per se are not necessarily the only entrepreneurs. Leaders like Gandhiji, Martin Luther King, Nelson, Ghanshyamdas Birla, Navroji, JRD Tata, Vasudev Salgaocar, Indira Gandhi, and Narendra Modi are all entrepreneurs. Their presence/absence makes a difference, although one may not agree totally with their philosophy/methodology.

When did you realise your entrepreneurial spirit?
In the description above, I see my journey, with my script of uniqueness; my values of Autonomy, Self-reliance and Human dignity making my contributions/offerings.

I have struggled with my dream of being unique/non-stereotype son, sibling, husband, father, grandfather, unique corporate manager, professor and human process worker. In this journey, I discovered newness and more-ness in my surroundings and me. So, it is difficult to say “When”, but let me trace my journey in this context.

I started my professional career with Tatas and later joined DCM (Dr. Bharatram/Lala Charatram) moving on to Management Institutes. During my stint of teaching OB at Management Institutes (IIM (A), NITIE and Bajaj Institute for about 12 years, the Corporates invited me for conducting Management Development Programmes (MDP’s). During this time, my uniqueness, identity and the need to contribute got identified more clearly and I discovered both the Corporate Manager & Professor got integrated within – complementing each other. So, when I was with the Corporates, I continued Teaching and while at the management Institutes, I accepted invitations from industry. And now I do both.

So, while it is difficult to trace birth of the entrepreneurial spirit, I can trace the gradual process of birth and it’s visibility during my journey.

What does a human process lab mean and why is a workshop called a lab?
A brief historical track down: Some of the behavioural scientists working at IIMs and some other reputed institutes came together and created a non-profit institution known as ISABS (Indian Society of Applied Behavioural Sciences) in 1972. The purpose was to spread applications of behavioural science in the corporate world and at multiple levels of society at large. ISABS believes in a tested philosophy of Experiential learning also known as Sensitivity training and Laboratory training. It is called so because a small group of about 10 to 20 participants come together, without a structure or an agenda for 5 and half days, in the presence of a facilitator. This facilitator is a professional trained and accredited by ISABS. Within the agenda-less, structure-less framework, the participants interact, reflect, explore and experiment on their experienced and observed behaviour. The facilitator facilitates this process of experiencing and learning by sharing the behaviour patterns of the group/individuals such as leadership struggle, interpersonal conflicts, relatedness etc. that happen in the group. At the end of the 42 hours of work, the participants go back with some amount of self-awareness to their behaviour in the context of interpersonal relations. But for offices that find it difficult to release people for 5 and a half days at a stretch, but insist that they need the Lab, we have shortened the duration to 3 days. Thus, a series of THEME based Labs got started. The themes have been synergy building, integration, transition management, role making, institution building, and entry labs. These labs are semi-structured where the group goes through a series of activities designed by me and in the process they re-locate themselves having reflected, explored, and experimented with self awareness, insight of discoveries, relating and reaching out.

On your work assignments, you must be meeting different people everyday. Do you ever face any difficulty in managing Difference?
I have always worked by trusting others and myself and it has always resulted in a Win – Win situation. I have made offers for senior positions without appointment letters and these people have joined the company, subsequently getting their letters at the agreed terms. However, the sailing is not always smooth and there have been instances with clash of values of trust and human dignity as well.

A Pharma MNC invited me in 1973 for a 3-day workshop. On the second day, the CEO, without informing me came and sat in my session with his senior managers saying “All my managers have been praising your first day, so I wanted to see for myself”. After the session, during the break he came to me, held my shirt collar and said, “From tomorrow Professor, put on a tie here”. I felt very indignified in presence of the participants and removing his hands told him “I had worn a 3 piece suit yesterday for the inaugural function, but now it is the business of learning. I am not doing this programme any further, I quit”. So, I discovered my strength of fighting for my dignity.

I don’t subscribe to the stereotype that the corporate world is non-human as some frustrated managers tell me when they come to me for counseling. I have seen the human face of the Corporates and have also contributed to it.

Does ‘Individualism’ as a concept rule all your workshops. What does this assertion signify?
No, it is not the concept of individualism that my labs are supposed to spread. The emphasis/focus is on SELF AWARENESS about one’s own behaviour.

• How does my behaviour impact others; how am I impacted by others’ behaviour. How/Why do I block myself/ block others;
  
• How/why do I fail/succeed in reaching out;
  
• Am I available to others; and
  
• What's relationships' relevance?

Based on these specific data - “what shifts do I want to make”. Some of the most common blocks that participants realised are ‘ I can’t say NO’ or ‘I can’t open up because of my fear of being ridiculed/rejected’ or ‘I can’t say NO or show disagreement to my parents, my boss or my colleagues’.

Any interesting experience you would like to share with us?
An experience – One participant always sat a little away from the rest of the group on the first day. I shared this observation and asked her to reflect as to “Why am I not in the group, not heard, not seen?” She shared that she does not feel equal to the others and this happens in the family as well as at the workplace. She realised that she was holding herself as “Lesser me” and “Poor me”. The change – She was flowing freely with the group for the next 2 days.

Another experience – One male participant was always sitting amongst other male members. While talking about a female participant, he would not look at her and speak. I shared this data and asked him to reflect/explore. He shared his cultural/moral norms and the fact that he was always told to be averse to touch, feel and share with females or for that matter be averse to any human touch – the classical “gender divide”. He also then spoke of his sense of deprivation. Having shared this with the group and hearing other group members talk and debate this issue, he changed his perspective. He also accepted the responsibility of monitoring his boundaries. He left feeling enriched, free human being.

Wonderful is the only word that I could gather as response from varied groups who attended your workshop at some point in their career. What do you do to people that makes them over brim with fervor?
I don’t expect nor do I ask people to change/make shifts in a specific direction. The choice to change is left to individuals/groups based on the Lab experience. The Lab at its core is non-directive. I sit in the lab as a non-judgmental person, not slotting people. I respect every individual and hold him or her in dignity. I acknowledge every positive aspect of an individual/group and give negative feedback also with humility and love thus helping groups to unfold with faith.

Who has been the guiding force/inspiration for KK – the magical man?
I find it difficult to zero down to a single guiding inspirational person. My need for uniqueness evolved gradually having seen so much negativity in families; the chauvinist husband; powerless women while at the other hand the autonomy, trust and openness that I was brought up with. I feel grateful to the Corporates and management institutes that let me experiment with my roles. My exposure to sensitivity training (The Lab) added a new flavour and created a sense of wholesomeness and love for SELF. My sources of growth are Prof. Douglas McGregor and Prof. Pulin Garg.

What all are the programs that you offer?
I offer semi-structured Workshops/Labs as well as non-structured theme labs for ISABS, IIMs and Corporates.

What message would you like to leave for the budding entrepreneurs?
Rather than advising the youngsters all I can do is to make a statement for myself:“I am responsible for what I have and what I don’t have; Choice making is Life making.” Having said all the above, let me conclude saying – As I struggle and get liberated from my blocks and the backlog of the past; I liberate others from theirs.