1. 11/20/12 THE FINAL ACT?
Publication: The Economic Times Mumbai;Date: Nov 20, 2012;Section: ET High Flier;Page: 6
THE FINAL ACT?
Will the modern-day leader drop his/her solo act and adopt a more
collaborative leadership style, asks Sheetal Srivastava Reddy
Leadership has for long been regarded as a norm wherein one person takes charge of the entire function in the organisation
and the rest follow the league. However, as the world is evolving and businesses are expanding across the globe, the essence
of leadership is developing rapidly. Leadership is no longer about a 'one-man show', but a more collective effort where each
person takes the onus of his/her job. What is the reason for this shift? Smita Affinwalla, head of consulting, DDI India affirms,
"Yes, there is a shift happening in terms of responsibility being given to more individuals at an earlier stage of their careers.
However, conversely, in terms of accountability, the parameters seem to be moving in the opposite direction with the span of
accountability for senior leaders only increasing rapidly. Since very often accountability happens without direct control, the
level of personal influence required by senior leaders today is rapidly increasing."
N. Chandramouli, CEO, Comniscient Group feels that leadership is going through a paradigm shift. "By saying this, I mean
that now there are no specific roles for a leader and they have to pave their path as they traverse it. The shift is
largely due to the fact that the times we do business in are extremely fast-changing. And in such times, the role of an
organisational leader has become precarious. To seek opportunities and avert threats in such an environment is no easy task.
Therefore, adaptability has become one of the biggest needs of the current leader."
Given the present economic scenario, should leaders operate individually or work as a collective team where each person
gets to take charge of his/her job? "Every organisation today is built on a collective team effort, since no one individual can
know or do everything. Also, organisational structures are getting more complex and getting matrix-oriented as opposed to
simple, linear structures of the past. This, in itself, necessitates collective team work," shares Ashish Bhasin, chairman India
and CEO South East Asia, Aegis Media.
The present economic scenario is peppered with stress and turmoil. It is very challenging to work alone in a situation that
demands so much of you. "Expertise is now a necessity, and that narrows down the pool of common knowledge even further.
It is therefore highly necessary that leadership over nuances be shared, as not everyone can make sense of every bit of
information," reveals Rajan Kaicker, executive chairman and managing director of FranklinCovey India.
"The top rung leaders are definitely ready to give up - the question remains, whether the second rung is ready to think
beyond the obvious, equip themselves enough, and build a framework of success," says Rinku Basu, head, Geometric
Learning Institute & organisation development, Geometric.
Thus, effective leadership is no longer the job of a single leader; it is more a collaboration of teams to form the 'leadership
pillar'.
ethighflier@
indiatimes.com
For editorial queries/
feedback, get in touch:
Viren Naidu (viren.naidu@timesgroup.
com)
epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrint_ETNEW&Typ… 1/2

2. 11/20/12 THE FINAL ACT?
epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrint_ETNEW&Typ… 2/2