Dr S

1. The life span of indoor and outdoor cats has an interesting management message to
convey to the corporate world. It is reported that the indoor cats could survive
nearly 14 - 16 years as against 3 - 4 years of survival chance of outdoor cats. Why
the survival chance of cats is very short ‘outdoor’?
All domestic animals are supposed to have risen from the wild. Animals, especially
the cats, prefer to be ‘free roamers’. The interesting question is why the cats with
such instinct for ‘freedom’, fails to live long in outdoor environment. The distinction
between domestic versus wild can be understood but not between ‘indoor and
outdoor’. If the survival chance of domestic animals are argued to be long as against
their wild counterparts can be fully accepted. But why the distinction exists within
domestic as ‘outdoor and indoor’?
Chance for getting exposed to various diseases, predation, accident etc., is some of
the recognized reasons for the short survival of cats in outdoor environment. The
question is why the cats exhibit such high susceptibility/vulnerability? Are they not
immune or resistant to these problems? Is domestication the cause for the above?
If so, are all domestic animals lives short in outdoor habitat?
In fact ‘domestication’ includes both indoor and outdoor surroundings of human
beings.
All the domestic cats are hybrids. Hybrid cats need best care and protection. They
are highly susceptible to various problems in outdoor habitat, hence fails to live
long.
Fate of the hybrid cats and their vulnerability in outdoor environment essentially
reflects the plight of many employees in the corporate world. Many employees have
transformed as ‘hybrids’ and may not survive anywhere else than the organization
where they work. Even if they leave the corporate, will comes back the same
corporate due to the above reason. Due to the corporate reality and compulsion,
most employees loose their ‘originality’ and become the mere ‘by-product’ of the
corporate.
Domestication is relatively less dangerous than becoming ‘hybrid’. ‘Get used to’ is
different ‘getting conditioned’. If one feels comfortable to work in one corporate is
fine but if the same thinking reach the proportion of they cannot live anywhere else
other than the said corporate is detrimental.
Introspect deeply to understand whether you exist like an indoor cat in the
corporate. Learn your vulnerability, compulsions and learn how to overcome them.
Help yourself if possible and be successful. Nature, with its full of management
wisdom is there to enlighten you.
Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai
Learn more from the following management books

2. 1. Jungle wisdom for corporate management – lessons from the university
of nature by Swami Sukhabodhananda and Dr S Ranganathan
2. Nature – The Entrepreneur by Dr S Ranganathan