Connecting the dots

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Mahmudur Rahman
Children are often taught to connect dots as part of the learning process. At that stage it is understandable that they are given no rationale to do so. The object is to stimulate their thinking and allow their minds to lead them to the correct procedure. It is the next phase, the why and the relevance of connecting dots that often remains a grey area.
Not surprisingly, this weakness of the education process permeates in to management as well. Basic, well thought through processes, are initially explained to managers and workforce and then progressed through. But as managers and workforce go on to the next level and new faces fill in the vacancies, the process continues but the elaboration is missing. It's almost as if the new crop is expected to work out the rationale. In management parlance "it's a challenge". Nine out of ten managers are hesitant to seek guidance simply because they are averse to being labeled as 'not having it all up there'. They as with their superiors, overlook that error is a common and natural human failing. Too often, too many managers have faced the ire of their superiors when a process has failed to deliver, not because the process was wrong but it was not understood clearly.
The issue of the environment is a classic issue. The problems are identified much clearer than the problem areas. As a result, government policies relating to environment protection exist without specific areas being specified. The case of environment pollution by industries is one in point.
Industries are not supposed to get their annual environment clearance unless they have clearly indicated how they plan to address the degradation footprint so to say. On paper, most industries that discharge their effluents in nearby water bodies or the air are in possession of treatment plants that are supposed to remove offensive material. On paper that is. But as is evidently clear, either these plants are not working effectively or are not being used. The resulting pollution can no longer be hidden.
Is it apathy, negligence or just a plain lack of understanding of how one's actions contribute to the whole problem? Or maybe, it is a combination of the three. The missing link is of course monitoring which, effected properly could well address either or all of the three negatives. The knee-jerk reaction usually is: government lacks the manpower and equipment to properly monitor, businesses lack the knowledge and training to implement. In between we have the environment protection groups crying foul, organizing the meaningless seminars and the media running short, sharp campaigns. The missing link here is the follow-up.
Every one is proud of owning up to 'learning from mistakes'. How about changing the perspective and learning from success? There are companies and industries out there that have been successful in tackling such issues and using their practical experience does make sense. Opportunity lies for proper public-private sector partnership if only each were to reach out. Short of that the obvious will continue to be obfuscated.
(The writer is a former head of corporate and regulatory affairs of British-American Tobacco Bangladesh and former CEO of Bangladesh Cricket Board. He can be reached at mahmudrahman@gmail.com)