The case of an intuitive writer

R. Gopalakrishnan’s “The Case of The Bonsai Manager” uses Nature to teach lessons on management

Photo: S. S. Kumar

The art of management J.J. Irani (right) director, TATA Sons, releasing the book “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”. Jaya Krishnan receives the first copy, while author R. Gopalakrishnan looks on

At a time when you can’t throw a Blackberry without knocking out an MBA, perhaps it’s inevitable that books on management are being released with all the regularity of board meetings.

But who can resist one that uses the ‘march of the penguins’ to show how groups are wiser. Or the ‘birth of the butterfly’ to describe the inevitable pain of change within an organisation. And the ‘eye of the fly’ to demonstrate why effectiveness is more important than efficiency.

‘The Case of The Bonsai Manager’ by R. Gopalakrishnan, which was released recently at the Taj Coromandel, uses Nature to teach lessons that aren’t on the syllabus at Management School. Written by a successful manager — Gopalakrishnan worked at Unilever, and is now executive director of Tata Sons, Mumbai — it discusses how qualities such as intuition, instinct and inventiveness are as essential as theoretical knowledge.

At the book release function, JJ Irani, director, Tata Sons, spoke about how there is a danger of all managers thinking along the same lines, because of pressure and competitiveness. “I asked five graduates from one of the top management schools the same questions. All five gave the same answer. And it wasn’t arithmetic,” he said, asking, “Is the management profession so stereotyped?” He then added with a laugh, “I have never been to a management course so maybe it’s a case of sour grapes.”

Calling the book “Unputdownable, if there is such a word,” Irani said, “The last unputdownable book I read was ‘The Da Vinci Code’,” adding unlike that, this book can be opened at any point and read. Talking about what makes a successful manager, he said, “The Tatas bought an unused repair shop of the Railways 50 or 60 years ago. They have turned it into one of the largest truck manufacturing units in the world. It’s about seeing an opportunity when others pass it by.”

Logic and analysis

Although Gopalakrishnan deadpanned, “If I give you all the examples, then you won’t buy the book. I must be careful how much I reveal. This is like a strip tease act,” he did give the audience a fairly comprehensive idea of what differentiates a remarkable manager from one who is merely good. Saying he wrote ‘The Case of The Bonsai Manager’ after a “10 year journey of enquiry and contemplation,” he said he eventually realised that logic and analysis are important, but they aren’t everything. “Jamsetji Tata would not have set up a steel plant if he had followed logic and analysis,” he stated, adding, “And if he had hired a couple of MBAs, he never would have.”

Following the ripple of laugher from the crowd, he grinned, “Sorry for the MBA bashing. I’m not one.”

Going back to the importance of intuition, he said, “Analysis and logic can be taught. But how do you learn intuition?” Well, apparently, “knowledge is what you know you know. Intuition is what you don’t know you know. Wisdom is a combination of the two.”

To underline the point, he showed a video clip of Sourav Ganguly being interviewed on a particularly spectacular catch. When asked how he did it, Ganguly blithely said, “I really did not realise it was so good till I saw it on TV.”

Using a dramatic clip of the baby Olive Ridley turtles shuffling towards the sea, Gopalakrishnan talked of how their mothers simply laid eggs and swam away, leaving them to fend for themselves. Saying that it could be because turtles have been known to live for a hundred years, he said senior managers too can be like the mother Ridleys. “If you do not expect to retire, you do not nurture talent.”

Going on to discuss the importance of mentors, he quoted the example of Arabs and their falcons, the emotional connect between them, and the importance of trust, commitment and faith in the relationship.

Concluding with a warning against becoming too mechanical, he underlined the fact that “there is a place for emotion. Allow yourself the luxury of not falling prey to your Blackberry, PDA, mobile phone and telephone... That’s aimed at the younger managers. The older ones don’t use so many gadgets!”

-SHONALI MUTHALALY

(The Hindu, Metroplus,Chennai-29:05:2007)

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