Two faces of truth…a HR message

Existential and experiential truths, the definition and its consequences, every corporate and its HR must be aware of while dealing with people of different profile and responsibilities.

Most people in the corporate known to speak only the contradictory truths mainly due to the mismatch between the operating zone and their actual state of being. Only when the difference between ‘existential’ and ‘experiential’ truths are understood, a proper resonance between what people speak and what is true can be clearly established.

All animals are believed to have understood the distinction between the ‘existential’ and ‘experiential’ truths far clearer than man. Hence, all animals function either from the premises of ‘existential’ or ‘experiential’ truth at any given point in time. Hence they are always guided by their ‘innate intelligence’.

Contrary to the above, man is the only species always live in between the ‘existential’ and ‘experiential’ truth. Since he always opt to be in a ‘quincuncial’ (half in and half out) state, he swing either of the sides frequently. During such swing or in a state of flux, people from most corporate often speak truth as what they experience than what really is.

In the corporate world, such confusion is very common. For most corporate employees, the definition of truth is nothing but what they experience than what is real. Only a very sensitive HR knows how to separate the truth from the ‘ore’ of their description.

Fear of the ‘possible existence of a problem’, the corporate employees narrate and describe as if such problems they are experiencing. In corporate, every one needs to sense the existential truth ideally from non-experience zone. Such people are only called ‘sensitive’. The other group of people who knows only to experience the ‘existential’ truth and they cannot sense it by any other means. Such people often turned out to be ‘victim’ thinkers.

One needs to careful in reading this group of people. Sometime they may superimpose their imagination over the ‘existential’ truth and may present the data in the most exaggerated manner. It is not the mere understanding of what people speak, but from which domain they speak only would help one to understand the real meaning from such verbose.

None of the animal exhibit ‘dualism’ like man. They are always alert with the ‘existential’ truth in the jungle ecosystem and hence are very sensitive. The existential truth makes the animals very alert and assertive in the jungle space while acceptance comes with experiential truth. Learn the difference, teach others and together, build a successful organization.

Dr S Ranganathan