A fresh pair of eyes reviewing the operations of an organisation can help spot red flags, says Professor Ranjan Paul

When I landed my first job, on the first day itself I was handed a piece of paper that outlined my activities for the next three months. It included a month on the production floor interacting with workmen and understanding the intricacies of manufacturing in the rubber industry. The smell of chemicals was nauseating, and the powder dust-covered me from head to toe and all other body parts by the end of the day. Also at the end of my stint at each department – material procurement, production planning and scheduling, manufacturing, quality control, packing and despatch – I had to pass a stringent test and get approval from the concerned departmental boss that I had a basic understanding of the functioning of the department. But at the end of that month, I had a fairly good idea of the entire production process that helped me immensely during the thirteen years that I spent in the Marketing & Sales department of the organisation. Besides, I built up a strong bond with a whole lot of people that I could call on for help when I needed to.

My training continued in the same rigorous manner in all the other departments and the insights helped me in developing and implementing new products & processes not only in that organisation, but during the rest of my carrier.

I have carried forward this process in my consulting practice too. I spend time at the ground level trying to understand the processes and procedures that give me a ring-side view of the problems bothering management. The insight is invaluable while developing solutions for problems that currently ail the organisation. A fresh pair of eyes reviewing the operations of an organisation/ department can help spot red flags that would be otherwise missed because of Weber’s Law.

For anyone who wants to grow into any leadership position, it is extremely important to understand the workings of each functional area – people, process, product, procurement, marketing and sales, customers, finance et al. Without this it is next to impossible to rise to the top. In case someone does manage to jump the ladder and reach the top, his stay there is probably going to be a short one.

One might say I will hire the best for these other areas where I am not an expert. And you must do that. But when your team makes suggestions or plans, how do you decide which one is the best feasible plan and good for your organisation? How do you provide directions to every departmental employee? And what do you talk to a banker about, assuming your area of competence is not finance?

The insight is invaluable while developing solutions for problems that currently ail the organisation. A fresh pair of eyes reviewing the operations of an organisation/ department can help spot red flags that would be otherwise missed because of Weber’s Law.

Whether you are a one-man enterprise or running the corporate race, your goal is to be at the top. I hope. Assuming that this is what you want to do, you need to pick up new skills from an early stage for your roles later. This not only gives you a different perspective but can be a great motivator too.

From an organisation perspective, it builds a flexible workforce; allows them re-allocate work at the time of a crisis and get in-house support at not much of an additional cost should the business situation so require. An employee with cross-functional skills will probably survive many rounds of job cuts during a downturn. In short, he/she becomes a prized employee that many employers are reluctant to let go.