Let greedy rats have their place in corporate ….but

Nature has never favoured or supported the greedy, either to reign, rule or ruin the nature. However, the due respect what is deserved even to the greedy animals also, the nature has never denied. The corporate leaders and the HR function must remember this management message while developing/mentoring people.

Rodents and other small mammals like shrews if we analyze them from the point of view of biology are definitely ‘greedy’ animals as they have very high rate of metabolism and hence have to continuously eat and they are indeed voracious eaters. They also have ‘continuously growing teeth’ and the same is only to help them to eat continuously. This is only to prevent the wear and tear of the teeth due to continuous eating, the teeth grow continuously. Further, the heart beat of rodents in general is extremely high when compared to other mammals. The high heart beat help quick distribution of the food eaten by the rodents and shrews.

The digestive, circulatory and dental anatomy of rodents and shrews have evolved in unique way not just to support these animals, but only to support their greedy eating (gluttons). The reproductive system of these animals is also another best example of how these animals have evolved to be successful in nature. The gestation period of these animals ranges from a few days to just a month.

Despite all the above ‘supreme specialties’ offered to these animals, nature has never allowed them to remain greedy and ruin the nature by living long years. Nature has given only very short life to them. Most of these animals in general live only for 2-3 years. Further, nature also has created several predators to rodents and made rodents their favourite food. Imagine a shrew or rat if lives for 50 years and every year a single animal produce nearly 13 pups in single litter, what would have been the plight of this planet? The same story would continue from each animal. If the same were allowed for 50 years, the earth would have broken into pieces due to the weight of rodents.

The management message of nature is strong and clear. It has supported the greedy only at the level it requires and not beyond. Some people in corporate also are ‘as greedy as rats and shrews’. Unless nature has the complete and total understanding of its business, the greedy would not have been wisely supported and simultaneously also contained. The same wisdom, the corporate also must inculcate in knowing people. While developing people in corporate, the core behavioural traits of people have to be studied to see whether they would match to the vision of the corporate in totality and only after ascertaining the above fact, people should be allowed to continue.

Just because plenty of opportunity is available, people should not be allowed to continue, their behavioural traits like whether are they ‘greedy’ or ‘deadly’ etc., has to be understood. The nature has never appeared to have taken a careless approach that the rats as very small animals and need only small quantity of food and hence how much they can eat etc. Nature has seriously considered the ‘cumulative’ harm the rats can do to the ecosystem and how their reproductive, circulatory, digestive and dental biology are likely to support them etc.

Appointing and developing people, the corporate must be always done with due care. Many aspects of the behavioural biology of people must be studied in order to understand the true nature of people.

The corporate that is governed by single owner has to remember the above carefully as bias is likely in such corporate due to high level of subjectivity and sycophancy.

Dr S Ranganathan