The human resource function (HR) from every corporate must learn a bit of entomology, especially the behaviour of the tiny ants. Research studies have proved that all ants from the same colony exhibit similar behaviour. Laziness, fighting tendency, hardworking habit etc., are some of the behaviours of ants in different colonies were studied by the entomologists.
All ants from the some colonies were typically lazy and the laziness was noted in all most all members of the ants in the same colony. Similarly, the fighting trait or hardworking trait was also noticed in one ant in a colony was seen across other members of the same colony as well.
Why all ants from the same colony behave in a similar way?
This stereotyped behaviour can be seen among employees working in the same corporate as well. Despite their profile, hierarchy or rank, all the employees carry some indicator behavour that is specific to a corporate. By indexing the indicator behaviour, easily the employees can be grouped based on the corporate they work and their ‘colleague’ status can be established.
Only with some ‘similarity’, the employees identify themselves to be the members of the same flock. Dissimilarity is condemned and the employees who exhibit dissimilarity are isolated or thrown out from the corporate.
The ants from the same colony carry a specific pheromone and through the specific pheromone, ants re-establish their colony identity. The interesting question is that what way, the corporate people are different from ants? Instead of ‘pheromone’ they carry some ‘behavioural similarity/style’ to maintain their corporate identity.
Mostly, in the single man owned corporate, the employees exhibit such stereotyped pattern of laziness or level of inefficiency or praising the entrepreneur tendency (sycophancy). Survival in such corporate demand and compel the employees to be like ‘Roman in Rome’.
In a corporate where everyone when praise the boss or the owner of the corporate so loudly and lavishly, no single employee can afford stay away from the crowd. If one is away from the crowd means, he or she can be easily hunted by the predators like the fate of an isolated animal from the heard in the jungle.
This is the reason why, differentiated thinking or idea generation are not happing in most corporate. The HR function needs to understand this subtle aspect of people management. They should search for dissimilarity and people who does not carry the ‘indicator’ behaviour of the corporate. To know about the indicator behaviour, the HR must source their wisdom from entomology and ant behaviour.
Some corporate even practice wearing of uniform at least one day a week to make the people to connect with each other as they are from the same colony. At subconscious level, are they not trying to make the people to be like ‘ants of the same colony’? When people become like ‘ants of the same colony’ how they can be different either at the thinking, reasoning, articulating or working level. The corporate leaders must introspect and find an answer.
Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai
Learn more the following management books
- Jungle wisdom from corporate management – lessons from the university of nature – by Swami Sukhabodhananda and Dr S Ranganathan
- Nature – The Entrepreneur - by Dr S Ranganathan
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