A huge lesson for corporates

A lower court in Delhi denied bail to five corporate honchos involved in 2G scam. It's definitely a strong blow to corporates, but on the contrary it's certainly life-time lesson for those big-time corporate executives who always believed that “all is well if end is well”, which is a partial truth. To ensure a successful ending, people choose various means, and the key differentiator of success lies in the means chosen, not the end achieved, and this is quite evident from today's court verdict.

In corporates, smart executives often believe that they can influence the policy of this nation for the benefits of their company and forget for a moment that a business run ethically has a longer sustainability. Quick bucks, instant success and false bravado delude them to cross the wrong side of the fence and then they shun the primary principles of professionalism. A thorough professional always emphasizes on the principles and practices adhered during execution, leading to a successful mission. However, in today's world where everything is available instantly, some corporate houses believe in the fact that faster market turn-around time is more critical than anything else. And this thought process trickles down in the hierarchy affecting the collective thinking channel of the organization.

Now it's the learning time for those high-flying professionals who believe that everything is fair in business is just another myth and fundamentally wrong. What's already in practice that's yielding results doesn't necessarily mean full-proof and one should delve deeper to find out whether a popular perception or theory can withstand the litmus of ethical test. The yesteryear's recession in the USA is a classic instance of the larger fallout of ethical violation and extreme human greed. And both these evils are serious blockade to the sustainability of an organization.

And equally it's a primary task for B-schools to concentrate more on the business ethics and business sustainability. Apart from engaging in the critical functional skill development for students, the institutes should never undermine the legality of any practice or method used to achieve a certain business objective. This is a serious drawback in Indian mindset that going through a legal way will kill their business competitiveness and they should engage in policy manoeuvrings and turn the game to their side. There are ways, and more specifically, ethical ways, to achieve a business goals faster, but again it's a matter of continuous propriety that very few people believe in, and they are the real winners in this world of competition – they always succeed with a differentiating tag.