An early emerging butterfly – A corporate and HR messenger

Adversity/difficulty should make people to be extra responsible in their duties and responsibilities in corporate. When the market situation is in a state of flux, filled with uncertainty and unpredictability, the people in corporate must develop an extraordinary sensitivity and resilience and perform accordingly and must ensure success. This should be one of the primary focuses of HR training.

Perhaps nature might know well that if the above ‘phrases’ were just told to the corporate people, it may appear ‘superfluous advice’ holds no worth and value. Hence the nature has created the best example for the corporate man to learn.

The scientists in Australia have discovered the early emergence of the species of butterfly - Heteronympha merope due to the climatic change, especially due to increased temperature. The emergence time of the butterfly gets reduced by 10 days from its earlier recorded period.

The management message is clear. When there is an adversity, the insects immediately emerge to limit its suffering/threat to its life. They reduce their incubation period during such occasion.

It has learned the art of how to increase its success chance and that is how it emerges early. By early emergence, not only they could overcome the possible death due to the climatic factor, also could ensures the important biological purpose of ‘procreation’. Perhaps, early emergence would have been the ‘strategy’, gifted to the butterfly by nature.

The corporate people have to wakeup and emerge soon when there is an uncertainty. Unless they become extra responsible, extra effort centric, commitment and passion oriented, the corporate cannot overcome the adversity.

The butterfly has neither accepted the climate change nor did it venture to challenge the same as it knows it cannot. But smartly it learned to be extra responsible and emerge early.

The management trainers must train the people how to be extra responsible rather than teaching how one has to be responsible, especially when the corporate is facing greater challenges. Unless they show such sense of urgency and responsibility like how the early emerging butterfly species - Heteronympha merope, they cannot achieve success.

The corporate people have to be extra-responsible ‘when the corporate is facing a challenge’ and it is not mere an advice as nature has created some best examples for the corporate man to learn. But instead, most corporate people tend to leave the organization during such occasions. Or some might accept the same and blame the fate and stars and live.

The management message of Heteronympha merope to the corporate is that one has to be smart and wise in dealing the adversity if the same cannot be challenged. The climate change and warming of the environment cannot be prevented or changed by the butterfly, but they can shorten their pupa stage and can emerge early. The same way, when the uncertainty and unpredictability at the market place cannot be challenged, however, the people can show greater commitment and sacrifice under such circumstances and achieve the result.

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd, Chennai