The CEO of a leading hi-tech medical equi­pment company rec­ently called with a st­range request — could we lo­ok into why their new management recruits were not ab­le to gel with rest of the organisation despite enormous investments in training?

The company was going international and had hired bo­th young and experienced ma­nagers. Its human resour­ce managers had designed cl­assroom-type capability building and induction program­mes well.

However, among other th­ings, we soon realised that the mentoring processes were almost dysfunctional or absent. Though the employees receiv­ed lectures and were given handouts on the company’s values, such as integrity, customer-centricity, ethics, innovation, collegiality, mutual respect a­nd so on, they had no means to know how their colleagues and seniors lived up to these values. The only way to know this was to allow new recruits to observe, listen, walk around, and talk to managers.

Mentoring is a deliberate process to accelerate the lea­rning of the soft, tacit and non-describable part of organisational knowledge within a non-threatening environme­nt. No matter how cleverly designed, written words and training programmes have an in-built limitation (not just the Wittgenstein paradoxes th­at language creates). A person may have the greatest language felicity but he may still struggle to convey the psychic and mental sincerity of the words. He can only describe events and lay down the rules, rewards and penalties. Phrases are like the law and lawyer — they are pain and suffering-neutral. The understanding of organisational credo co­mes only from deep insights and realisation — remember the Buddhist saying ‘Knowing is not realisation’.

As Indians, we ought to be quite comfortable with the no­tion of handholding mentorship. We have had a grand tradition of Shruta. The gurus and Acharyas first prepar­ed the chosen disciple (or Gandhara) on a one-to-one basis before entrusting the latter with the knowledge and wisdom in its psychical and physical forms.

The shishya (pupil) learnt as much from active study of the Shastras and practice of martial arts under the sharp eye of the guru, as from pure passive act of observation, listening, and feeling. Fine arts and music gharanas, too, ha­ve thrived from early ages th­rough this process.

However, in an age of education for masses, mass production, and global finance, somehow the notion of organised mentoring has gone into deep neglect. In pursuit of mi­splaced ‘professionalism’, we miss out on the value of handholding. The innovation challenge cannot be faced if the employees have the kn­owledge of foreign-origin theories but are oblivious of local ch­ores and customs.

Business is about making choices, thereby creating uncertainty and taking risks. Decisiveness under uncertainty comes from embedded core values and a company-wide understanding of normative in­teraction standards — kn­owing what behaviour is acceptable in pursuit of econo­mic gains.

If Indian companies are to become successful global co­mpetitors, mentoring must fo­­rm a core pillar of HR practices. This aspect of mentoring must be in one’s own mo­ther tongue, since emotions and feelings are best expr­ess­ed and understood in a langu­age one can relate to. If nothing else, it helps preserve a sense of perspective, propo­r­tion, humility, and reasonab­leness in the organisation — so essential for continued ma­r­ket-place successes.

The road to innovation and competitiveness goes through the forest of mentoring, wh­ich means opening the young minds for new and fresh th­inking. Only if the minds are properly prepared, can the organisation think of navigating successfully in a rapidly transforming world.

Devoid of an understanding of foundational values, empl­oyees quickly learn to cr­eate si­los around themselves. They sit on information and deny it to their colleagues. The organisation-wide consequence is po­or pipeline of innovations.

Businesses in knowledge industries excel through ‘empo­wered’ employees, collaborati­ve networks and teamwo­rk. Characteristically, kn­owledge-owning employees are also difficult to manager temperame­nt­ally — they can easily suffer from super-egos. This talent paradox is exacerbated in companies transiting from local a­nd regional level operations to becoming global competitors. Working in multi-cultural environments, the internal social ne­tworks suffer as employees become distant from each other and instead of personal interactions over a cup of tea, co­mmunicate only through ema­ils, ev­en with their neighbour.

Organisations are bundles of beliefs and values that defi­ne what is right and not right for them. It is every leader’s primary task to preserve and promote organisational character and the founder’s broad vision. To preserve a culture of continuous innovation and competitiveness, present-day leadership must play its role to shape new bimbas (indepe­ndent thinking-managers ha­ving the pranas and consci­ous­ness of the original-fo­un­ders) with own hands. At the same time, temptation of creat­ing pratibimbas must be av­oided — thoughtless clones will do more harm.

Mentoring is a task that ca­nnot be outsourced to executi­ve coaches. It isn’t a quick-fix —­ it is a long-term investment in a company’s future. It requires a deep involveme­nt and willingness to share ti­me and resources.

The writer is chairman & president, Centre for Accelerated Learning,

Innovation and Competitiveness, Germany. These are his personal views