This is a simple idea I felt very useful in the management system.
In the nature, until the matter is there it has no freedom and it is only there as long as it exists. However, the case is not same for the plants for the simple reason plants are having life and therefore they have to organise self for the existence. Actually, the first form of life is the plant. The moment life is there as a part of its need for survival it has to organise itself for the survival.
If you watch in order to see that, the work to take water from the earth in order to survive the plant sends its roots into the soil and sends its flowers and foliage into sky in order to spread itself into sun. We see in this arrangement also certain differences. Some plants have roots in the shape of our hair namely there is one stem and further there are several hundreds of small roots hanging from the stem itself. Where as there are some others plants and trees, which have one main stem which branches itself into two, root branches and they further divide into sub-sub branches into sub-sub branches.
In these, also we can see two varieties. One variety is where the stem of the tree branches itself into a number of final sub branches. An example for this is the Tulsi plant. There is hardly any intermediate structural detains in between. This is sufficient for the Tulsi plant to live. This is a small plant. Its life is less than ten seasons. By that time, the plant will give seeds and these seeds will help further propagation of these plants. The life of this plant is like five years max.
Another variety is where the root structure of the tree is different. The tree has a huge stem, which is known as trunk of the tree and it has several layers of branches and sub branches etc as you go deeper and deeper and spears itself far and wide. It has huge wide ad deep base this is necessary so that the tree can with stand storms and droughts and will stand firm on winds bowing from time to time. It not only stays but it also provides shelter to others. Such a tree lasts for several hundred years. Thy help you not only the human beings but they also provide shelter for animals and birds.
When I looked at this difference and as I was thinking of this I felt some idea based on the fact that god is the best manager and best planner and we need to lean from his creation!
When we compare this scenario and take the organisation is as lively and not as simple mechanical structure which many people give theories about, I felt that if we want an organisation to live like a tulsi plant all it requires is one intelligent person whose original and beautiful ideas are implemented by all others. In this we do not require the big structure. All that we need is one intelligent person and several assistants for him and who take instructions from him for all activates. This management structure has one main person and all others are his assistants who do not have any decision taking power or responsibility. But we should also understand that such an organisation could live for five or ten years like the tulasi lives.
If we want an organisation has to live for several hundred years then the organisation should think and to be like a banyan tree, which lives for hundreds of years. The essential characteristic is that the structure of the tree depends on roots which are distributed very beautifully like main stem followed by main root branches which in turn will divide into sub roots and sub- sub roots.. that will provide the needed stability and also there is this possibility to go deeper and deeper in to the ground. The same way an organisation whose goal is that it should serve humanity in a vibrant way, then it should think of the structure of the management as stem, roots, sub roots and sub sub roots, this is the reason we have hierarchy in the management. There is the main visionary but he or she will be assisted by a properly educated, experienced and motivated team to carry on this. These people should be assisted by several intelligent people and thus we require like in the plant several levels these people who are competent. When the structure is that way then there as several advantages.
1. Every decision anybody takes the blame is always passed on to the head of the institute.
2. Every decision is based on personal ease and comfort. One should not have therefore surrender one’s doership!
3. This gives us the training that how can we do some little activity and later on engage in total personality development!
4. Burden is not there on the top person all times so that some times he can devote innovative activity and not on routine maintenance activity.
5. Like a pyramid, the activity should be distributed in such a way that ordinary people who are associated with activity for the sake of simple joy will be plenty but as we reach top there are only very few who are interested in this. We cannot deny this proportion.
6. Like the way the activity is in the pyramidal form, the responsibility also should be clearly defined and divided in pyramidal form, that way even the growth also takes place in pyramidal form.
7. This will automatically addresses the issues of continuation plan for the organisation.
