HUMANIZING PROFESSIONALISM – 06

Centuries back when India and China together held nearly 75% of world trade; with India having a market share bigger than that of China; the enterprises which produced objects which world desired were putting humans first. Otherwise without present day computerized Water Jet Looms, how was India producing textiles like Dhaka-ki-malmal, which would pass through a ring. How did they ensure consistency generation after generation? Certainly it was result of great orchestration which is termed as Team Work in modern management lingo. 

Also, success story of enterprises when the word CORPORATE wasn’t popular as it is now, reads like a testament of their humanized forays in manufacturing and trading alike. Enterprises like IBM, who have established benchmarks in every function of their endeavor, began by recognizing values like respect for individual, preserving human dignity and enhancing self esteem of work force in their manufacturing facilities. This helped them establish production bases which fed seemingly unending demands from their customers.

Closer home and in new millennium, Patanjali has demonstrated a growth which is envy of its rivals and eye opener for the rest. Notwithstanding the detractors harping about exploiting age old beliefs and appreciation of Ayurveda and use of herbs which is very much part of Indian Consumer Fabric, the company must have done something unique to create a miracle. Why firms like Dabur or Baidyanath who are forerunners and market leaders could not have done it earlier. After all, nothing stopped them and they had everything in place. Why they didn’t or couldn’t scale upwards?

Let us attempt to draw a few pointers for Humanizing Professionalism from Patanjali’s unique run to top. Baba Ramdev connected with masses by demonstrating healthcare through Yog and how to practice it with ease anywhere. An elitist system was suddenly available to common folk and it helped people find relief, even if it came through their own beliefs. Baba Ramdev’s care for masses read humans created a platform. Resulting bonds with millions of consumers became quick handles for Patanjali.

Baba Ramdev used his clout with masses to obtain volunteers for Bharat Swabhiman Andolan to seize the initiative of fight against corruption. But in 2011, Anna Hazare’s forays eclipsed every other independent player in fight against corruption; and everyone else joined Anna’s bandwagon. In a manner of speaking Bharat Swabhiman Andolan’s volunteers became purposeless force as they couldn’t seize the initiative from Anna Hazare’s orchestration. Baba Ramdev repurposed this force by hiring 1000 volunteers at Rs.5000/- per month and sent them to help Patanjali Ayurveda establish freelance distributors. Now these volunteers had become crusaders for Swadeshi and Ayurveda. Moral force generated by this human-like gesture helped Patanjali establish 100,000 Swadeshi Kendras, existing retail store who would provide shop-in-shop facility to Pantanjali to sell their products.

By this time Baba Ramdev too, like many Indian business houses, had a cabinet like gathering of sycophants; and perhaps due to that top management team quit suddenly in 2011. Baba Ramdev could persuade another professional S. K. Patra who managed Patanjali’s transformation from Rs. 317 Crores to Rs.2500 Crores. His work generated momentum that has taken Patanjali to present sales of Rs. 10,561 Crores, where they have surpassed giants likes of Nestle and Dabur in sales turnover.