‘Parasite people’ are essential for corporate – HR message from nature

Parasites are good or bad for the corporate? The simple answer would be bad. But are they really bad? What is the true biological meaning of a parasite? Parasites are defined as living organisms that takes partly or fully all its requirements such as shelter, water and nutrients from other living organism. In turn, the parasites offer no benefit to the host but would cause malnutrition and or other health risks to the host.

No one would ever say that they are not aware off or familiar with the term parasite. Whether in the plant kingdom or animal kingdom, one can see parasite infestation predominantly from the insect world. Various parasites like ticks, mites, mosquitoes, different intestinal worms etc., are some of the common parasites that all of us know.

Question under the present debate is about ‘parasites’ in the corporate world and whether they are good or bad to the organization.

Evolutionary scientists may have many postulates to offer for the evolution of ‘parasites’ in nature. If the corporate observe closely about various parasites that exist in nature, would certainly understand the fact that some parasites are ‘inevitable good’. Hence the corporate should ‘inculcate’ a special culture and support system to ‘encourage and grow ‘such parasites’ in the organization.

Sandal wood, botanically called Santalum album is indeed a root parasite in nature. The sandal plant can grow only at the expense of other plants. The roots of sandal plant pierces the roots of its host plant and collect all its required nutrients from the host plant. Horticulturist and agriculturalist create a facility for root parasitism for the sandal plant to cultivate them in large scale. The economic value and advantage of ‘sandal’ overweigh its parasitic nature and hence people facilitate its growth/cultivation through ‘root parasitism’.

The lesson for corporate is to look at the parasitic employees not just from the definition per se but from the utility, value and advantage per se. Some employees can be super performers, but they do not have the ability to function as individuals. They can exist only as parasites. Do not look at them as parasites but what best they can contribute to the organization if they are allowed to remain as parasite should be the fact the organization must consider.

Nature takes care of both the parasite and the host equally. The most common host plants of sandal are tall trees with great root system. Since the host plants are quite large and have great root system, the parasitism of sandal is likely to cause least to no harm to the host plant. This essential equation the corporate and its HR must learn from nature.

Corporate must support ‘some’ parasites as they can remain only as parasite. Great value and economic advantage such parasites can however offer to the corporate. Corporate and its HR should not simply get lost in the ‘definition’ but should understand the different ‘hidden’ meanings and management messages within the main definition.

Corporate needs both parasite and host. Only point is that it must know what type of parasite and host it needs and also must learn how to make it possible for the total advantage.

Dr S Ranganathan