RENAISSANCE MANAGER.
The Freedom of Self-Expression”
An asset to oneself and the organization.
We have heard of the saying “too much of anything, is a bad thing”. Well, not in the case of knowledge. It is a double-edge sword. The more we have it, the more worth it carries. Youths today are not deprived of it, however, they lack the means of expression. In addition, everyone is probably good enough and has ideas brimming every second. The talent that was so difficult to search has actually lost its value in the sea full of talented people. The concept of renaissance deals with the expression of creativity and use of knowledge in the most humane way. Free-thinkers often are more creative and can, therefore solve problems in a better fashion. For instance, in a company scenario, every employee should be given a chance to participate in sprouting new ideas for a layout or a business plan. Whilst, some may argue that not all the employees have the required degree and expertise, it can be a surprising turn of events that an idea might be plucked out of thin air through an experienced employee or, a promising older generation. The freedom of self-expression is lacking in today’s management strategies. With too much either focussed on the rule-book, or competition. The lesser dependence on human resources and on machines might be a drawback. After all, ideas start with a human mind. The spirit of renaissance can bring about drastic changes in the management strategies. The expression of self through Art, Science or a blend can be a vital strategy for any company. One such example is sustainable development. It can be taken as a humanitarian approach rather than too much focus on science and arts, like finding a common ground to protect our present resources without compromising the needs for future. It involves working towards a common agenda which has people from different background, nationality and profession work towards contributing significantly in achieving it. This analogy can be extended to any management practice. A goal should be tied to a time-line and people having different concepts and ideas should bring about a change in coming up with a strategy, then they can actually set up the whole lay-out.
People with greater knowledge will have an upper hand in properly managing a given task .One fascinating thing about them is the different perspective about a particular topic and how different ideas might come up because of different approaches. “A renaissance manager” is someone whose perception is broader in terms of knowledge and creativity. Someone who views problem solving in an entirely different picture. For instance, if an environmental engineer pursues MBA in human resource and becomes an HR manager, not only will he be able to deal with challenges in the human resource department but as an environmental engineer, he can address the environmental issues that the world is facing today. In fact, the individual can combine the knowledge from each discipline to draft better green HRM strategies, which gives the individual an edge over the other employees. On the contrary, specialist are bound to specifically improve and contribute to a particular issue, the renaissance manager can improve on various domains of a company. Hence, it becomes a necessity to groom youths from a young age starting from elementary education. The education system should make students learn, and not study. For every group of students, a mentor should be assigned and should be taught the practicality of a concept as well as the linking of these ideas in various domains to show that a connection exists between science and arts. Every subject domain should be appreciated. In fact, the concepts are definitely analogous. It is important to teach them the value of social skills and importance of networking. The notion of self-expression and the value of an individual role in a team should also be taught. In addition, the students should be taught leadership qualities. This, in fact, improves the overall personality of an individual. The concept of “emotional intelligence” should be taught from a very early age. This is one of the quality that every employee should possess. With the rise in crippling mental health issues, it becomes an absolute necessity to raise awareness among the youth that it is as much important as productivity and performance. When self-sufficiency should be the buzz-word, why is the world constantly in a rat-race? The extremely talented workforce that we know of today are deprived of emotions and emotional well-being .When such is the case, the skill-set is of no-use. In fact, emotions play a deciding role in an individual and company performance.
There is no doubt about the talent that the “millennial-employee” possess, in addition, the definition of success is changing with generation. The constant need for validation has taken a toll on their work-life balance and stress levels. Hence, mastering emotional intelligence is the key to better management practices. This notion of combining technology and mastering emotions is the key to productivity and efficiency of a company. The thought and behavior of a team resulting from the cumulative knowledge will bring about changes in the whole work environment avoiding unnecessary drift between employees. “When the mind healthy, the body reacts positively”.
There should be a fine line between voicing up for oneself and as a team. One should keep in mind that while individual opinions matter, the key is to perform as a team player. Hence, an individual opinion should benefit the entire team. A holistic approach to management is, thus significant to developing ideas and layouts for business models to keep up with the changing face and role of business.
The theory of renaissance is still playing a significant role till date, though often ignored. All the branches of management are interconnected and inter-dependent. The relation between every department is like a thread which when interwoven becomes a visible and tangible product. Idea and thoughts shape a product. Let’s call this the “interwoven theory in business”. Accordingly, the gap that still exists between every department of an organization can be knitted using the “interwoven theory”. However, for every product to be a strong knit, every thread should be strong. The same analogy applies. The sense of freedom in self-expression, the level of confidence every individual has, the creativity are all interwoven to form a company. This is when the concept of performance appraisals comes in. Career pathing is definitely improved through performance appraisals.
Employees are an asset to the company. A valuable one at that, and should be appreciated through daily reminders. This will ultimately lead to employee retention. For instance, when a company launches a product, before marketing and the actual launch, it should be tried and tested. The product development should involve the ideas from an experienced employee who works in the different department! It can be as simple as asking “the employee” about the product. A simple feedback will do. Yes, the opinion of every individual counts. They might be specialized in the another particular domain. However, as a human being, they have gone through a multitude of experiences which actually might help in further improving the product. Who knows! Ideas might not just be restricted to the “talented millennial”.
In a nutshell, there should be a right blend of dependence on the human resources and machines for better functioning of the management organizations. Ideas are gold and everything begins with that. The freedom of self-expression should be encouraged and every opinion should be respected. The notion of renaissance is not restricted to science and technology but involves a myriad of domains woven together. This interconnection can be explained through the “interwoven theory”. Every knitted product can be beautiful resulting from the design, pattern and the type of thread we choose. The same theory applies to management. When every decision (thread) is carefully chosen, and are a result of various opinions (designs), an idea is turned into a successful business model. Similarly, every thread (employee) should be strong in order for the whole knit to be visibly strong. Different perceptions often result in different beautiful concepts and a multitude of ways to approach a problem. Analytical and problem solving abilities can greatly influence and become a deciding factor to company efficiency and productivity. The “out-of-the-box thinkers” are more creative and tend to solve problems effectively. Surprisingly, though, they are free thinkers and have variety of knowledge. In order to be creative, one should be free of constraints. Besides, mastering emotional intelligence and having a clear-cut perspective about one’s self-confidence will definitely improve on the health of the individual, the team and the company as a whole. The power of giving acknowledgement, for a work well done should not be ignored. It can help in employee retention. In a multi-cultural work environment, it becomes an obligation to respect every culture, every ideas resulting from different background and the environment that they grew up. Diversity resulting from these, changes the monotonous work routine that creative thinkers dread. In addition, it aids to the company welfare. There is an inevitable common thread that ties all the business concepts together and no doubt, will do so in years to come. However, no concept should blow out of proportion just for the sake of superiority. And it will be wrong to conclude that renaissance managers are “jack of all trades and master of none”. They are indeed, masters of some essential trades that would bring about changes that the world needs today and definitely paint a different picture!
