Bosses and the itch to punch the top
Imagine this: You are holding a steaming cup of tea while a sneeze creeps up from within your nostrils. You know, of course, that the sneeze will not be denied, and the tea, likewise, is in no mood to be spilled. This is the condition of the freshly minted manager, standing with a revolutionary idea in his mind, only to have his boss interrupt him mid-bubble.
In an instant, he’s stuck wearing a frozen grin while anger bubbles up. He has to keep his docile deer face on while every nerve in his being is restraining the urge to roll his eyes like a wild buffalo. In Indian corporate life, hierarchy is the governing principle, and respect is an elusive currency—especially for those at the bottom. Call it the anarchy of hierarchies, if you will.
What was the divide between top and bottom management? Think of a T-20 cricket match. You have the boss at one end of the spectrum—wielding the bat like Chris Gayle in championship form. And at the other end? The intern, or the entry-level manager, playing the part of the unfortunate cricket ball, subjected to a relentless barrage of smacks and wallops, only to be tossed aside as a worn-out piece of leather once he’s had his innings. If you’re at the bottom, you have suffered the sting of tags, titles, and top-down talkathons. You’re defined by the size of your cubicle and that unforgiving pecking order.
But let us turn our attention now to the changing winds. Enter NR Narayana Murthy, the IT world’s icon and sage, urging the youth to embrace the 70-hour workweek. Tell that to the fresh grads who value work-life balance more than their paychecks. Their reply? “Wake up bro! Kaun Banega Narayana Murthy? Dude, how uncool is dat!’’ This is the ‘chill-pill’ generation that spends lunch breaks on Instagram, debating whether they’d rather be sipping smoothies on a beach or sapping energy writing code in an office cubicle.
And then, there is the dreaded Town Hall. The boss, standing at the podium, surveying a sea of disenchanted young faces. Some are coughing with a frequency and fervour that suggests a coordinated protest. He locks eyes with the silent ones, perhaps believing they’re his supporters. Meanwhile, those very people are grimly checking the time on their Apple Watches, waiting for the speech to end.
Then comes the notorious performance review season. A few decades ago, employees were expected to sit quietly and nod, perhaps nervously fiddling with a paperweight. But these days, the tables are turning. The disillusioned intern might twirl his moustache and look his boss square in the eye. He might say, “You know, morale’s never been lower, but congrats on your fat bottom line.” And in a fantasy scenario, he might even imagine fastening the paperweight to a yo-yo, allowing it to thump the boss squarely three times in rapid succession.
Hierarchies are crumbling everywhere. The once lowly bottom manager has gone past trying to make a difference. Now, he’s aiming straight for the corner office. He says, “The bottom is overcrowded, but with the kind of talent I have, there is always room at the top.” In the changing world, when the bottom feels pinched, the itch to punch the top has never been stronger.
Debashis Chatterjee
Author, Professor & Director, IIM Kozhikode
successsutras@gmail.com