Every species must adapt or face extinction. While adaptation allows survival, it does not remove the original fear or trigger that caused the adaptation. Adaptation only minimizes risk, not overcomes the threat. For example, prey adapting to run faster only escapes the predator, not overcomes predation. Similarly in organizations, bosses expect subordinates to adapt but do not adapt themselves. Subordinates acquire new skills but bosses do not update, causing conflicts over time. When organizations do not provide opportunities to use new skills, adapted employees rightly leave to find opportunities elsewhere. For long term success, both employees and organizations must adapt together, not separately.

1. Every species adapt or adjust or show some level of flexibility or compromise to
survive. The fear of loosing life if it fails to exhibit the above traits only makes
different species of animals and plants either to adapts, adjust, compromise or be
flexible. The question is when one adapts due to a strong trigger or cause then it is
supposed to over power and over come fear about the same cause/trigger that has
caused such changes. But most animals, even after their adaptation, continue to be
in scared and fearful state. The question is why adaptation and fear go together?
Shouldn’t adaptation in fact remove fear?
The management truth is different. Adaptation or adjustments or flexibility are
meant only to minimize the risk/danger and not overcome. It means, if the prey
animal has adapted to run faster than its predator, it has only developed the
capability to over speed the predator to escape and not to overcome predator.
The adaptation of prey species to run faster than its predator cannot change the
predatory behaviour or instinct of the predator. It means, your adaptation is ‘you’
specific and it is nothing to do with others. Similarly, the predator too would adapt
to overcome its prey.
It is like I will change because you and you change because of me. Then we both
shall continuously change because of each other and let such process continue.
Because of the above, the balance of ecosystem is maintained and both the prey and
predator enjoys equal right and justice.
The unfortunate part in most corporate is that the bosses would expect their
subordinates to change. When the subordinates change for the sake of the bosses,
bosses would continue to feel happy and proud initially as they have successfully
changed their subordinates. But that would never solve the problem because the
bosses would remain unchanged. In due course of time, boss-subordinate conflicts
become acute.
The bosses always want their subordinates to learn newer techniques, skills,
knowledge etc., but the bosses never update and become contemporary. That is
how most corporate functions these days. When people who have developed newer
skills and techniques unfortunately find no utility value in the same organization,
naturally they would leave their organization. The organization and the bosses
would call such people ungrateful, thankless etc., as they have developed all such
skills and techniques only at the expense of the organization and once they have
learned, they wants to join another organization. The truth is that the organization
never finds any value for such people.
When the organization has made its people to adapt and acquire newer skills, the
organization and bosses also must adapt and create sufficient opportunities to fully
‘use’ the newly acquired skills of the people. If such scope is not there, then the
people should not have been made to adapt and acquire new skills.

2. Philosophy of ‘you change’ because of me and ‘I change’ because of you, the
corporate must follow. It means, both the people and the organization must evolve
together and not separately.
S Ranganathan