Extreme advances in media management are urgently required
It is ironic that the Congress is facing a perception management crisis when it was this very aspect that was its biggest strength in the past two terms. See, there are a few facts about day to day life that one must come to terms with in modern day India.
A few decades back, the prerogative and ability to communicate with the masses rested with the party in power. There was no other way one could get one’s message across without being in favour with the centre. But the explosion of news media and its inexplicable mass popularity in India today has changed that. Today, one can reach most of the country’s population without taking the nod from the government at the centre. So, in essence, a group of people subscribing to a particular school of thought can have a strong dialogue going with most of the country’s population by completely bypassing the central government of the day.
The Congress Party must realise this. For all of Rahul’s tireless touring into the heartland, all those people who come to listen to him eventually go home and watch TV and listen to news anchors more often and for longer than he can ever manage.
So firstly, extreme advances in media management are urgently necessary. Because as far as its public image goes, I feel (and this may largely be the choice of its spokespersons), the increasing barrage from over-articulate, jargon-spewing spokespersons is beginning to give the party an argumentative tinge. So ‘glib’ is not very far off. Mrs. Gandhi should speak to the people once in a while. She is in danger of being seen as insensitive rather than stoic & calm, which I suppose is the current intention. Secondly, in the spotlight that most world governments operate in today, one needs a combination of real reform and perceptual reforms. Real reforms may not have a clearly visible, tangible effect on the country. But perceptual reforms do. The Congress should look at large, symbolic reforms at a ratio of 1:4 to real reforms. It’s like any organisation, a spot bonus for employees or a river rafting, team bonding trip can sometimes work better than progressive HR policy changes that may perhaps have more long term results. And lastly, the party should set a steroid shot, immediate short term objective perhaps even at the cost of some more genuine long term ones. And that is the quickest, fastest path to a fall in inflation and prices. This single act will address almost all of what I have said here.
To borrow a cricket analogy, what the Congress needs right now is not a century off 100 balls or even a fifty off 40 balls but a quick 25-30 additional runs in about 17 balls. After that, every one else can go back to a run-a-ball without sticking their neck out too much. The issue is, they have Rahul Dravid and V. V. S. Laxman at the crease and one of them needs to get run out so a pinch hitter can come in. That’s what MSD would do.
It is ironic that the Congress is facing a perception management crisis when it was this very aspect that was its biggest strength in the past two terms. See, there are a few facts about day to day life that one must come to terms with in modern day India.
A few decades back, the prerogative and ability to communicate with the masses rested with the party in power. There was no other way one could get one’s message across without being in favour with the centre. But the explosion of news media and its inexplicable mass popularity in India today has changed that. Today, one can reach most of the country’s population without taking the nod from the government at the centre. So, in essence, a group of people subscribing to a particular school of thought can have a strong dialogue going with most of the country’s population by completely bypassing the central government of the day.
The Congress Party must realise this. For all of Rahul’s tireless touring into the heartland, all those people who come to listen to him eventually go home and watch TV and listen to news anchors more often and for longer than he can ever manage.
So firstly, extreme advances in media management are urgently necessary. Because as far as its public image goes, I feel (and this may largely be the choice of its spokespersons), the increasing barrage from over-articulate, jargon-spewing spokespersons is beginning to give the party an argumentative tinge. So ‘glib’ is not very far off. Mrs. Gandhi should speak to the people once in a while. She is in danger of being seen as insensitive rather than stoic & calm, which I suppose is the current intention. Secondly, in the spotlight that most world governments operate in today, one needs a combination of real reform and perceptual reforms. Real reforms may not have a clearly visible, tangible effect on the country. But perceptual reforms do. The Congress should look at large, symbolic reforms at a ratio of 1:4 to real reforms. It’s like any organisation, a spot bonus for employees or a river rafting, team bonding trip can sometimes work better than progressive HR policy changes that may perhaps have more long term results. And lastly, the party should set a steroid shot, immediate short term objective perhaps even at the cost of some more genuine long term ones. And that is the quickest, fastest path to a fall in inflation and prices. This single act will address almost all of what I have said here.
To borrow a cricket analogy, what the Congress needs right now is not a century off 100 balls or even a fifty off 40 balls but a quick 25-30 additional runs in about 17 balls. After that, every one else can go back to a run-a-ball without sticking their neck out too much. The issue is, they have Rahul Dravid and V. V. S. Laxman at the crease and one of them needs to get run out so a pinch hitter can come in. That’s what MSD would do.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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