Delay in sharing the result – HR message from the breeding magic of animals

Embryonic diapause is considered to be one of the important reproductive strategies found in many animals and such strategy helps the animals to increase the breeding success.

The embryonic diapause is a state where the fertilized embryo doest not get immediately implanted or get attached to the uterine wall and develop further. It undergoes a state of dormancy and develops only when the favourable condition returns. This is considered to be an important evolutionary mechanism that supports many animals like rodents, bears, marsupials, etc., to have the rights to choose the right time to deliver the young ones. These animals have the above ability only to avoid the risk of giving birth to the young ones at wrong season/time where safety and food availably shall be scarce.

The embryonic diapause is not an alien strategy or leadership style in the corporate world. Many employees do use this strategy although many may not be employing such strategy ‘knowingly’ and ‘consciously’. The corporate people do follow the strategy of ‘embryonic diapause’ only with the clear intent to enhance success out of their performance.

Many employees after completing the task/project will not disclose all the results to the corporate/their bosses. Some important results, they will not share immediately and will disclose the same only at an appropriate time. Until they get the right time and occasion, they carefully and secretly keep the result in a state of ‘dormancy’.

It is a well carved management strategy in the corporate world that the employees never share the findings of their work completely as soon as they obtain such results. While sharing, they want to ensure that the timing is perfect and are duly rewarded as well.

For example, the formulation chemists in most personal care R&D’s usually develops different options of the formulations with superior or unique benefits. While sharing the formulations and its superiority to the top management, the cost effective options they cleverly hide from sharing in the first instance and would share the cost effective only in the subsequent occasions deliberately to show their work acumen and intelligence to work further to reduce the cost. Always the cost effective options they will release slowly.

Look at the amazing insight of nature. What is followed by most people in corporate is known to nature during creation of many species and the same strategy, the nature has given to some animals like rodents, bear, marsupials etc to experiment and be successful.

Success lies not just in doing the job successfully, but knowing the right time to share the same. That only would ensure the success is what the nature conveys to the corporate through the strategy of ‘embryonic diapause.

Dr S Ranganathan