Learn the HR value of Compensatory Investment from Zebra finch

Learn to be like a ‘female Zebra finch’ incorporate is the management message, nature is sending to the corporate leaders across the globe. The meaning of ‘Compensatory Investment (CI)’ hypothesis, the small passerine bird knows well. The corporate leaders and the HR function must know the definition of ‘CI’ hypothesis and also must know how important it is for corporate governance.

During breeding season, the female zebra finch will look for a healthy and attractive male to mate so that she can produce the fittest offspring. This is true with most animals. They will never rush to mate but select the best and the fittest partner and only then they go for mating.

The female zebra finch if doesn’t get an attractive male to mate, she would prefer to mate with the not so attractive male and will still produce eggs. Interestingly, the eggs will be much larger in size when she mates with such an ugly husband and the eggs will be smaller if she mates with an attractive husband.

When the husband is not that attractive, she invests ‘more’ from her end to compensate and hence the eggs are larger in size. Both the egg yolk and other nutrients will be more in the eggs produced by the female after mating with an unattractive male. Such process is called ‘compensatory investment’ in evolutionary biology.

The message to be drawn by the corporate is somewhat similar. When the corporate leaders assign the task to the right and competent people, naturally the output quality will be good and expected. If the people with whom the task is assigned are not competent and right, the leader/the boss have to re-check the output and must compensate sufficiently from their end to minimize the inadequacy.

Always getting right and duly competent people to do the job may not be possible for any corporate. Under such circumstances, the corporate leaders must know the importance of ‘CI’ hypothesis and must do the needful before accepting the output.

In many occasions, the bosses in most corporate never ever add values to the work of the subordinates and do not also understand what the subordinates are doing? The CI hypothesis inevitably mandates everyone in the hierarchy to add values and only then the corporate will grow.

Look at the beauty of a female zebra finch. She knows the importance of producing fittest offspring. It can be easily achieved if she mates with the fittest male. If it is not available, still mate but adds ‘extra values’ from her end to compensate and ensures the offspring produced are always fittest.

The corporate bosses, instead of blaming the subordinates for doing things wrongly, must think that they also have a role and must add value. The corporate leaders should either add values to the work of the subordinates and must ensure the quality output or should hire right people and assign right task is the message loudly the female zebra finch speaks to the corporate.

Dr S Ranganathan