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.

Cross-Functional Training not only improves workforce efficiency but also fosters a collaborative culture and creates an agile organization. An organisation with a large number of cross-trained employee pool can easily cope when a key employee in the functional area becomes unavailable for whatever reasons.

The benefits of Cross-Functional exposure are many. But even then, practising managers resent when employees are pulled out for such training. Primarily because it generally is the top-performing employee who is offered this training. And pulling out a top performer even for a short period always creates a trough no matter how shallow.

Cross-functional knowledge and skills are a great advantage for placements to happen easily. A fresh graduate who has a good understanding of not only the industry, but intricacies and functioning of the organizations and can demonstrate this at a placement interview, has a better chance at landing the job, all other things being equal.

The benefits of Cross-Functional exposure are many. But even then, practising managers resent when employees are pulled out for such training. Primarily because it generally is the top-performing employee who is offered this training.

So how does a student develop these skills? Internships (paid or otherwise) is a great way to expose oneself to the nuances of the real world of business. Never mind if the offered role does not match your primary job goal. The opportunity itself is of immense value.

Volunteering for charitable work or projects is another way to build skills. Remember to collect a letter of recommendation or a certificate of work done from the concerned organisation. But don’t let that piece of paper be your end goal.

Another option is temp jobs. Be it a call centre or selling door to door, it builds up not only your confidence and dignity, it allows you a rare insight into people behaviour that allows you to develop the most important skill of all – ‘people skills’.

Understand that the future of work will rely big time on technology. So whether your career plan is in areas of medicine, engineering, finance, literature, hospitality or wherever, do embrace technology value creator and differentiator.

I for one will always root for cross-functional training and skill development both for the sake of the employee and ultimately the organisation. Because it is the employee who builds the organisation.

About the author:

Ranjan is a seasoned business professional with over 40 years of experience in setting up, leading and managing multinational businesses in India & Asia Pac Region. He graduated from St. Xavier’s College with a Commerce degree and later acquired an MBA in Marketing. He started his career with Duckback, then spent time with Kodak & NIIT in various marketing and operation roles. He is presently a Professor at  YMCA (Young Men Christian Association) also the Co-Founder of The Open EdWork at TheOpenEdWork.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha