CHAPTER 13

A Study of Excellence as Evolved in Modern Thought

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Realize that substantial studies have happened on matters of excellence in the context of Industries.
2. The progress of the theories indicate that metaphysical aspects and intangibles better explain human behavior.
3. Modern studies seem to point out that excellence has spiritual origin.

The Disciplines that Have Inquired into Excellence

Studies about how to achieve excellence in a team have happened since time immemorial—in Greece, Egypt, India, Rome—and each civilization has come up with its own set of answers. The present civilization (scientific civilization) too has, in a similar manner, developed its own thinking as regards excellence. And it is instructive for us to observe where the thinking is headed.

The modern scientific civilization has emerged from somewhere around the middle of the second millennium ad. It finds its centre of focus somewhere between Europe and America and has now spread across the world. This civilization largely relies on the knowledge and theories that have emerged in the past few centuries through incredible amounts of structured research. It even claims to benefit from other civilizations from across the world.

We seek to deal with secular principles connected with excellence that have emerged in the present civilization. On this matter the armed forces and the industries are the two important institutions around which a majority of such studies have happened. Of these studies, we shall take up the ones centred on industry; as they are sufficiently representative of the current trends.

In the spectrum of subjects that have to do with studies about companies, there are two, which specifically deal with excellence in humans, these are:

1. Operations theory
2. Motivation theory

These topics have been studied extensively by scholars and scientists for close to three centuries now, possibly ever since the industrial revolution. One subject has tried to understand how to improve efficiency at work and the other subject deals with how to successfully motivate workers in companies. Of the large volumes of research that have emerged in both areas, we shall take a skeletal overview into consideration in order to understand how these studies have progressed.

Operations Theory

This subject deals with achieving efficient operations in companies. It results from attempts to understand how production processes can be made efficient—how there can be improved quality and quantity in production. This subject made progress over the centuries and it is usual for scholars to landmark the progress and the subject made by tagging the following theories:

1. Fredric Taylor (late 1800 to early 1900) (Father of scientific management)
2. Elton Mayo (1927) Hawthorne effect (Father of human relations movement)
3. Douglas McGregor (1960’s) (Theory X and theory Y)
4. William Ouchi (1980’s) Benevolent [Theory Y … or theory Z (Kaizen)]

The ‘Hawthorne effect’ that Elton Mayo worked upon (1927) is an interesting turning point. Till then it was considered in the academic world that the ‘worker’ was unwilling and that he had to be ‘made’ to work—which, in turn, was the basic premise on which Fredric Taylor had based his work. But in the Hawthorne company Elton found that the efficiency of the workforce went up due to a very surprising reason, because they thought they were contributing to some kind of study—and felt good about their work as a result. It was as if the attention paid to their work mattered. This was a kind of entry into the meta-physical, something unexplainable in the usual language of ‘give and take’ which, until then, was hypothesized to be the only practical way to extract good work from workers …

McGregor later proposed a combination of both the above theories (X and Y theories) suggesting both perspectives are tenable simultaneously and must be used in balance. And finally, we have the theory from Ouchi which suggests that when better control was given to workers in the areas of decision making, planning and such other, related to their work, there was greater involvement and therefore better performance … He lead the way to a concept called ‘kaizen’ and it had something to do with love for excellence inherent in the workers nature.

Note that these theories have evolved in time improving on the ones that existed earlier. Also note that the earlier theories had a very materialistic interpretation of human nature, however, the later studies have tended to show that better explanations of the realities of human behaviour can be given only when we take the metaphysical nature of man into account. If we are adventurous we could even remark that the theories have tended to shift from having to explain human behaviour on the basis of material nature to having to explain behaviour on the basis of spiritual nature.

The acceptance of the later theories as more advanced also imply that they are better tools to understand human behaviour and therefore give a better account of successful entities/companies. The consensus seems to be pointing out that excellence can be triggered in workmen not by construing them as ‘material’ beings but rather as ‘spiritual’ beings with subtle aesthetic qualities about them. Or briefly, excellence seems to be driven by the spiritual rather than the material nature of man … !

Motivation Theory

The same kind of conclusion can also be arrived at when one looks into motivation theories. The following theories can be indexed as landmarks in the subject of ‘motivation theory’:

1. Expectancy theory of motivation
2. Abraham Maslow (progressive wants)
3. Fred Herzberg (sanitary and motivating factors)
4. David McClelland (need for achievement, power and affiliation)
5. The job design model (autonomy, feedback, importance of task, ownership of task, significance of task… all these matter)

Of these the first theory, Expectation theory, is all about working with the expectation that work will give results which will in turn give rewards … therefore, rewards are considered the primary motivator. The next three theories are more or less ‘needs’ based; but they suggest that humans are ‘social’ animals and that there is need of more than the basic necessities in order to satisfy them. Maslow for instance talks about an ascendency beginning from the primary needs, to companionship, to social needs, to achievement needs and then ends at the top with ‘self-actualization’. Self-actualization according to Maslow is the highest need and it relates to his spiritual nature; but he places it last in the sequence of needs which a person is supposed to try to fulfil progressively—kind of reinforcing the statement that ‘one can think of spirituality only after his stomach is full … ’.

Finally, the ‘job design model’ talks about a distinct improvement in the quality of work of the worker when the worker has more say in the designing of his work, when the work gains appreciation outside (in society), when he has autonomy, when he receives feedback about the significance of his work. It is as if he works better when there is some meaning to it—not selfish (‘This candle I make is used by students in darkness … ’—that makes him look at his task of candle making differently).

It must therefore be evident from this progression of knowledge that the understanding about man and about his motivation to work, about what truly brings excellence out if him, has undergone change. From the initial models that represented man closer to animals which in turn work for food and to preserve themselves from harm, and the later models point out to a man who is more sophisticated and that he brings out his best when matters of the spirit motivate him …

The Metaphysical is Important

Clearly, both the subjects suggest that a better explanation of the behaviour of man can be given only when we understand his metaphysical nature. The jury seems to be out that excellence in humans can only be explained in metaphysical terms …

Now is this true? Is it true that matters of the spirit impel man strongly? Is it a fact that excellence is better addressed by addressing matters of the spirit rather than the material? The following examples seem to indicate so …

Of late, there have been examples of organizations using very unconventional methods to bring out the best from their people; Music, swings, slides, pool tables, TV, etc., in the office space (Google’s office space is a typical example)—and this seems to be working. It is as if the company’s success can be attributed by treating their employees as fun loving and work loving people rather than forced-to-work machines …

Among suzerains, though many other qualities can be reckoned as common features in all of them, it is predominantly the ones driven by higher values that truly make it large. Those who have succeeded in bringing out fabulous results through excellence in their workforce have done so not only by promising compensation for the followers’ material urges but also by appealing to their higher faculties including the followers’ sense of sacrifice …

Most amazing is the example of the armed forces, where military leaders have led their men to their death. If as earlier theories suggested, motivation is all about trade-off in the material sphere … then how can one explain soldiers’ behaviour—especially when one is aware of the impossibility of compensating a soldier who has laid down his life? This is an area of human behaviour which is way beyond the simple rudiments of arranging for material compensation for jobs done. In fact, it cannot be understood without having a grasp of the spiritual nature of man.

A very interesting related case pertains to ‘the zone’; a term used to describe the state of mind-and-being of a sports persons and an artist. When they get into the zone there is timely, inspired and creative output from them. If they do not get to the ‘zone’ then their performance is mediocre … it is said that when a sportsman is in his zone, whatever he does can never go wrong! The best of the sportsmen are known to perform from that ‘zone’ most of the time. Some athletes call it the ‘tunnel effect’; where the mind achieves a one pointed focus.

Having considered all this, it should be reasonably fair to come to a conclusion that excellence is in some manner linked with the spiritual nature of man and it remains to be seen as to how this can be studied through proper scientific inquiry.

References

The Ten-day MBA; by Steven Silbiger; first edition June 1999.

Case Studies

1. Create cases relating to the new methods used in ‘creative’ organizations; (especially in the design of their work spaces) and discuss the outcome of the approach in class.
2. Case studies of war heroes. Try and understand what inspires/motivates them. Make a probable list of causes, accept or eliminate each with proper reason.

Exercises

1. The various theories discussed in this chapter are standard fare for MBA courses. Go through each of them in original by keeping excellence as the focus of study. Study as to how far these theories go in understanding the causes for excellence; and whether or not they account for extraordinary output from workers.
2. Collect and study interviews of sportspersons and artists in which questions regarding their state of mind and being, while they are at peak performance, is discussed.