It is trendy to talk of road maps. However, roads maps by themselves cannot deliver, they need delivery vehicles. To operate delivery vehicles a core competency is needed so is the skill to prevent road jams. Unless this is clear at a foundational level, all talk of eliminating/mitigating corruption, however, well intentioned, will achieve only limited success.
One of the major contributors to the phenomena of corruption is the aberrations of the system itself. Under such circumstances punitive possibilies, at best, serve only as a deterrent to those who are anxiety prone. The lives of others, especially of the honest and the diligent gets incrementally complicated with spending more and more time on answering a geometrically rising set of complex questions. Their life gets carved out to filling out repetitive details, providing photocopies, overlapping affidavits and multiple copies of attestations. This in turn provides a spur for off-the-record networking to lubricate wheels of decision-making.
To make the system work, therefore, becomes a common concern. To keep the system going sensibly, organisation structures and processes are needed. This is at the core of creating efficient delivery vehicles. Taking this further, not just to the issues of governance, but also to the concerns of corporate functioning: No strategy can be implemented unless there is an operational frame of delivery. Indeed no marketing can be done in the absence of such a frame work. Market relationship requires proper organisation structure.
No mitigation of the graft regime or corruption will effectively happen unless the system meets with the customer’s requirements. A situation must prevail where the customer does not have to attempt to ingratiate with the system to get a response to his requirements including that of time. The environment is an important component of the discourse. In an era of ‘retail corruption’ deep-rooted remedy is required.
Yet, a beginning need not be marked somewhere. The current debate seems not to be so much whether something can be done but rather where to begin. A multi-pronged strategy is needed. Illustrations from marketing may serve the purpose of an analogy.
If the purpose of any system is to serve the organisation. Mahatma Gandhi with typical wisdom indicated that the customer is the prime reason for the existence of an organisation. If the organisation exists for him then we need to put the proposition of corruption into his speech, to get its import. It needs to be recognised that if the system does not help the customer; and the vested interests keep distorting it, a radical cleansing will have to be the long term goal of change. Lokpal Bill — however, it may develop — marks a useful awareness campaign and makes the point to the effect that the concept of immunity is now dated, the popular will is no longer willing to grant privileges.
Then there is a problem of competitiveness and investment and drawing people to work not only in India but to work with India. Liberalisation itself would be a half way house if customers are given the short end of governance system or business deal. This is specially so in domain where there is no competition eg there can be no competition in mounting security checks at entry points or providing access to justice. Thus it is that a basic efficiency has to be brought within the system for corruption to be controlled. Understanding the requirements of the customer may be another entry point into the problem.
It will also be necessary not to confuse palliatives with solution. Solution is very different from immediate response which often enough is a fire fighting measure. Celebratory and self-congratulatory drumming up of interventions such as different regulatory regimes and ‘competitiveness’ is bound to confuse issues. The touch stone has to be the user needs.
The situation is made more complex because there is a discontinuity in the environment not to talk of multiple level of sophistication and varying needs of customer groups. Discontinuity comes out of sharp changes either because of technological development or realignment of forces well beyond the control of governance. Hence the assumption that the future can be planned only when there is a continuous environment, becomes passé.
The truth is, systems and governance have simply been unable to keep pace with this changing environment. This discontinuity when coupled with technological possibilities of Internet not to forget Twitter, Facebook and more is something which leaves many powerful of the preceding generation, out of depth.
Source: Pioneer
To make the system work, therefore, becomes a common concern. To keep the system going sensibly, organisation structures and processes are needed. This is at the core of creating efficient delivery vehicles. Taking this further, not just to the issues of governance, but also to the concerns of corporate functioning: No strategy can be implemented unless there is an operational frame of delivery. Indeed no marketing can be done in the absence of such a frame work. Market relationship requires proper organisation structure.
No mitigation of the graft regime or corruption will effectively happen unless the system meets with the customer’s requirements. A situation must prevail where the customer does not have to attempt to ingratiate with the system to get a response to his requirements including that of time. The environment is an important component of the discourse. In an era of ‘retail corruption’ deep-rooted remedy is required.
Yet, a beginning need not be marked somewhere. The current debate seems not to be so much whether something can be done but rather where to begin. A multi-pronged strategy is needed. Illustrations from marketing may serve the purpose of an analogy.
If the purpose of any system is to serve the organisation. Mahatma Gandhi with typical wisdom indicated that the customer is the prime reason for the existence of an organisation. If the organisation exists for him then we need to put the proposition of corruption into his speech, to get its import. It needs to be recognised that if the system does not help the customer; and the vested interests keep distorting it, a radical cleansing will have to be the long term goal of change. Lokpal Bill — however, it may develop — marks a useful awareness campaign and makes the point to the effect that the concept of immunity is now dated, the popular will is no longer willing to grant privileges.
Then there is a problem of competitiveness and investment and drawing people to work not only in India but to work with India. Liberalisation itself would be a half way house if customers are given the short end of governance system or business deal. This is specially so in domain where there is no competition eg there can be no competition in mounting security checks at entry points or providing access to justice. Thus it is that a basic efficiency has to be brought within the system for corruption to be controlled. Understanding the requirements of the customer may be another entry point into the problem.
It will also be necessary not to confuse palliatives with solution. Solution is very different from immediate response which often enough is a fire fighting measure. Celebratory and self-congratulatory drumming up of interventions such as different regulatory regimes and ‘competitiveness’ is bound to confuse issues. The touch stone has to be the user needs.
The situation is made more complex because there is a discontinuity in the environment not to talk of multiple level of sophistication and varying needs of customer groups. Discontinuity comes out of sharp changes either because of technological development or realignment of forces well beyond the control of governance. Hence the assumption that the future can be planned only when there is a continuous environment, becomes passé.
The truth is, systems and governance have simply been unable to keep pace with this changing environment. This discontinuity when coupled with technological possibilities of Internet not to forget Twitter, Facebook and more is something which leaves many powerful of the preceding generation, out of depth.
Source: Pioneer
