10 Management Lessons from Delhi Elections

10 Management Lessons from Delhi Elections

Delhi elections will provide many lessons to many people and organizations. In order to understand the outcome of the elections, I was visiting few places to understand the mood of people at least cost and with less efforts. 

It was clear that AAP will get majority but no one was sure what will be margin.

 

My Survey Locations:

To understand the mood of people I was frequently visiting and interacting with people at railways stations, bus stands, airport tax stand, subji mandies, footpath markets, metro railway stations and also traveled in metro train and DTC buses. 

I also interacted with people during conferences in Five start hotels and inside air-crafts and airports, TV studios and friends in media houses.

You must be think why I visited this. The logic is very simple. These are the places where diversified people from various walks of people come and go. The best part is people at these places come from various location and they have no social status or mask to protect. They views are unbiased and impulsive from sub-conscious level. In my view, these makes response more honest and convincing. 

Another set of quick survey was party booth manager's tables outside election booths.

Let me confess, people from lower section of society were more open and clear in political thinking, where as people in five star hotels, at airports and in upmarket were more circumspect in their response. It will be interesting to know the psychology of both sections of society, why this happens? 

No doubt, the outcome is in line with what was shared means AAP will win, but let me confess, no one predicted this outcome. 

So, what are the management learning for all of us. 

1. Market Intelligence is vital, not just secondary market survey: AAP used volunteers were going door to door and sending the feedback on regular basis to top management. Top management was chaining the message on real time basis. On the other side BJP and AAP were having structures response. Approach was "Boss is always Right" and no scope for adjustments for local feedback and aspirations.

2. Too much centralization is not good for organizational growth and effectiveness:  BJP is no doubt big party with huge organization but internal communication within BJP was almost defunct. This was clear when I met people from BJP in TV studios. They knew that things are not right on ground but they were feeling helplessness because no one was having courage to tell the top management to relook at ground reality.

3. Communication should be effective and realistic: Direct, simple and meaningful communication makes the difference. Audience should prefer to relate the message with their personal experience. Dream and big hopes can be counter productive. Talk with facts and with positive tone and avoid mentioning your competitor all the time.

4.  Branding cannot be alternate close reach, accessibility and servicing: Modi is big brand in Indian politics but door-to-door campaign of AAP volunteers were able to make bigger difference due to direct connect. It seems RSS workers were not active this time in Delhi elections. It seems BJP forgot the lessons of 'India Shining' campaign disaster and ignored field force.

5. There is no alternate to effective and motivated organization: Entry of outsiders at top level, without any special skill sets and capability, had killed the moral of the existing and loyal workers of BJP. This has shaken the party cadre and their commitments towards party. This is the common mistake even in corporate world when they pick-up business managers without understanding their competency. Many times top managers are hired without realizing they do not come with organization with them. 

6.  Emotional connect is vital between audience and concept : Proper homework is vital to ensure whats are the priorities of audience, design message and deliverable accordingly. Just look around and identify when many products failed in markets. 

7. Capacity Building is vital: Old tricks and old messages should change with time. Team and message should be relevant to the contemporary situation. This cannot happen without regular and relevant capacity building of field forces and also team leaders.

8. Leaders should be able to earn respect by commitment not by arrogance and branding : Everyone in the organization, system and in market place would like to know the person driving the show and what is his message. People will evaluate consistency between words and actions. You can't hide this fact and you can's change opinion by changing statements because actions speaks louder than the words. 

9. Leaders have to change with time: Electronic mode of communication will force the managers to adopt to new reality; they have to reorient themselves or vacate the positions in the interest of organization.  Electronic media, Internet, social media will ensure faster and effective communication. Managers must learn to adopt this new world of personalized communication, in place of mass communication. 

10.  Effective follow-up and Action Plan : Constant review of the ground reality, regular feedback from field teams and deliver as per commitments to remain relevant to the audience with changing time. 

There can be many more lessons for all of us.

It was great learning time for all - political as well as non-political audience. 

Let us keep close eye on commitments made.