(part of our Spl Series ) Sunday special
Google's 20 percent Time Rule was made popular when Google went about it in 2004.
It encouraged employees to work 20 per cent of their time of 'working' on additional projects and according to their creative incentives.
The fact of the matter is Google News and Adsense mostly functioned from employees who dedicated their 20 per cent work time for these creative and new projects.
Did it change the rule of the game?
One can answer this question with usual refrain - 'Yes and No'.
First -- this applied an unwritten set of rules. The employees could focus on one or two projects of their liking and try to get a 'mastery' instead of 10 other projects as the office routine desk works would have otherwise called for.
This could 'boost' the employee's values to the company. The system also encouraged the individual employees to figure out the 'minimum benefit' even if nothing else breaks.
Learning something new or work experience with a project of your liking was always a benefit.
Let's take a 'desi' political example.
If in the Congress party there is a gradual realisation that Sycophancy too has limitation and the party actually (and even all opposition parties together) lack a grand vision //// it's because no one really has enough "time" to develop any innovative ideas or create conditions for them so that original ideas can bubble up.
The global economy and the work-atmosphere and conditions have changed a lot. The 'cushioned' jobs with no work but pay and perks just because someone had a 'Govt job' is gradually vanishing.
Individuals will have to sharpen their respective skills. Please do not misread here - no one is suggesting you to jump for Skill-India Sarkari websites. Most of you and your friends and children must be already doing that.
But we have different intention and we want to divert the discussion course to a different dimension.
In a way I am suggesting ... Please think innovative. You may not be entirely self-reliant as the 'term' is understood in a typical traditional sense. But one can emerge -- 'self-happy'.
Take a pause - and you will realise -- I am suggesting a million dollar idea. You just have to latch on to it.
My only condition is ... one cannot be lazy both in body and mind.
As we progress further in the debate in this blog ... we ought to take into account certain facts ---
* Today's working atmosphere - in most sectors are killings. Colleagues are hardly your friends. In my case - in my media - I have heard "sabka maa marten haen (Everyone loses their mother... work should go on)".
This is unthinkable for an old schools value system guy like us.
In another media organisation -- not far from Parliament - in around 2000 - I head a 'super boss' telling -- "Now, do I have to ensure that house maids also do their job properly in our female colleagues' homes"?
I was a bachelor. But unashamedly -- I quizzed the woman colleague what was her problem for 'missing' the office task that day and she gave me health reason.
Something - I saw my sister and mother whispering and something I learnt better only when I was married.
Nevertheless - such honchos thought they were being professional.
That's was Hitler for you and long before Narendra Modi became India's Prime Minister. My issue here is not that particular self-glorifying boss.
On the job front what has happened is people have given up their humane touch.
Seldom we hear people asking each other - How is you aging dad doing? And if you ask such questions - either you are old-fashioned or an emotional fool.
Problems we see around is --
* Shrinking headcounts in offices means 'road to profitability'.
** This means rising workloads -- but this is not appreciated.
** Employees and women are particularly feeling 'uncomfortable' and stretched.
*** Men will be Men or dogs --- remain an ever lasting issue in addition.
As individuals - if you are a fan of Creativity in whatever field you find comfortable - do not go for unnecessary preparation. The large labs or sophisticated rooms do not matter.
Creativity has a habit of throwing up unique outcomes at totally 'uncomfortable' situations.
Cancer surgeon Michael Baum discovered his ways of treatment to Breast cancer while watching a scene in Tom Stoppard’s play 'Arcadia' where one character explains "chaos theory" to another.
Chaos theory views cancer as a complex adaptive system where irregular, unpredictable cell growth results from disrupted internal dynamics, moving beyond simple models.
Agatha Christie used to work on murder mysteries the best while washing up and refrain used to be -- “The purely mechanical labour helps the flow of ideas".
Of course, centuries back Archimedes had his date with destiny and Eureka moment lolling in the bath.
A small checklist here on -- How You Win even You Lose:
* Think Positive. Be Optimistic.
** If someone asks - how are you ... the best answer can be "I am always better than I was in the past". -- This may give you a Flight to a greater height without you realising the same.
This can set you up for Future greater glories --- snatch victories by learning from mistakes.
Try identify something which make you Distinguish between
Hard won victories
and Easy wins.
There goes a saying - Accepting defeat gracefully builds character.
This is not ego-defeat. It's basic Humility.
Life is a Game -- Play it ... That may be vital.
Life as a game ought to be played and enjoyed and thrilled.
Life is not a rat rice -- do not go for just win.
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| Blogger .... in 'search' .... of Peace or Creative Liberty |
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