PUBLISHED IN INDIAN EXPRESS,PUNE (03/09)

THE PERFECT BLEND

There's no doubt that the greatest heart-wrenching moments have emerged from many a scintillating fights and fight-back on the sports field. But only a few films in the history of cinema have been able to capture those nail-biting finishes, seconds that defined success and failures, moments that separated gold from the silver. Chariots of Fire was surely one such film. It was based on a true story of British athletes preparing and competing in the 1924 Antwerp Olympics. The film bagged seven nominations and won four Oscars in 1982. Chak De India may not be in the league of Chariots in terms of cinematic capabilities, but emerges every inch a great effort in capturing the sporting capabilities of Indian field hockey, particularly women's hockey. And it certainly deserves a true honour for trying to portray the much neglected Indian sport, hockey and worse still women's hockey. It's every inch gratifying. Chak De India is all about team spirit. There is no romance, but passion. There are no glamorous women but sixteen girls with bucket loads of grit. There are no songs but a title track and background score that will stir your soul. There is no violence but bloodstained knees and elbows. There is no love triangle but love and emotions among the players. It is about hockey. It's about getting beaten and bruised. Importantly, it is about rising to the big occasion and beating the opponents at their own turf.
The movie under consideration can justifiably be taken up as a scintillating example by the corporate world so as to reach their predetermined goal through an immensely focussed team effort of its employees. In their anxiety to hold individuals accountable for results, organisations are fighting shy of using team goals even when the job design calls for a high level of collaboration.
As a result, organisations pursue the path of individual goals and end up in a situation where all the individuals claim individual success while the team itself fails to accomplish its overall goal. Here, team goals become relevant. Goal setting is certainly the way to go. But to get it right, the manager needs to go beyond the numbers and measures and focus on helping define "how" his team member will actually get it done. If the employee does not know the "how", he will have to rely merely on luck, prayer and maybe good monsoon!
The art and science of goal setting is still a mystery to the average manager. As a consequence, there is often lament about managers not adhering to the process in spirit, and, more importantly, the lack of excitement among employees in using it as a performance enhancement tool or technique.
A goal is an end toward which you direct specific effort. Goals are an essential part of successfully conducting business and living a rewarding life. Well-defined goals allow you to choose, design, and implement important targets (objectives) necessary to achieve overall desired results (missions).

Goals:

➤ Establish direction for ongoing activities
➤ Identify expected results
➤ Improve teamwork through a common sense of purpose
➤ Heighten performance levels by setting targets to be achieved

Goals provide the motivation and direction necessary for growth and success in many important areas. In business, for example:

➤ If you or your organization never sets goals for direction, how will you
know where you are headed?
➤ If no goals exist for progress, how will your organization know how it is
doing?
➤ If there are no goals for achievement, how will the organization know
when it succeeds?

Question: Would you get on an airplane if you didn’t know where it was going to land?
Answer: Of course not.

Throughout Chak De, the game's essentially Protestant ethic comes to the fore. Using complex characters, the film-maker sets as rivals several versions of the ethic against each other, and then reveals how these are refashioned as the players learn to labour mutually towards a common goal. For example, both Preeti and Komal, the team's leading strikers, are unwilling to concede ground to one another. In the end, however, the team ethic triumphs with Komal passing the ball to Preeti to score the all-important goal in the final, and Preeti doing her bit in letting Komal take her penalty stroke.
The movie in a way brings into light the perfect blend for Organisational Success. To name a few: goal, team effort, focussed strategy towards attainment of goal, strong determination, preference to the organisational preferences, motivation etc. An organisation which aims high to compete with the players at the apex must try and inculcate the apt blend of managerial features in its system so as to gain an edge over the other competitors.
Follow the saying of Swami Vivekanand who aptly said: “Arise awake and stop not till the goal is achieved.”



ABHISHEK RANJAN
IMED, PUNE.