<\/p>\n
Amidst a vast retinue of designations that already prevails in corporate circles (albeit with little regard to the actual job profile), here is a fervent plea for a new one to be introduced into the mix. The CSO: Common Sense Officer.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Look no further. There is a huge Blue Ocean<\/em><\/span> opportunity for corporates. Probably even a Green Swan<\/em><\/span> opportunity. Where Common Sense<\/em><\/span> is the next big\u00a0 Competitive Advantage<\/em><\/span>. With deep respect to a certain Michael Porter<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We have seen so many companies fall prey to fancy sounding management fads while ignoring obvious solutions. Missing the wood for the trees<\/em><\/span>. Corporate jargon <\/em>is like a <\/span>buzzword bingo <\/em>where the <\/span>cherished prize <\/em>is <\/span>complete waste of time<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then there are those Meeting About The Meeting About The Meeting<\/em><\/span>. In the time that it took to align 12 executives schedules for a meeting to solve the crisis<\/em><\/span>, the problem solved itself. If there is anything that defies common sense with a vengeance is the corporate meeting culture<\/em><\/span>. Platforms like WhatsApp, Linked In<\/em><\/span> etc are considering to have default settings for its users that state ” in a meeting “<\/em><\/span>. So that you don’t have to offer any status update<\/span><\/em>s. Status quo<\/em><\/span> will do just fine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cubicle Logic<\/em><\/span> is always at loggerheads with Real World Logic<\/em><\/span>. In the real world if something is broken, we fix it. In the corporate land, a committee is formed to discuss the implications of acknowledging its brokenness<\/em><\/span>. Then, you also have the 27 point approval process needed to change one word on the corporate website.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some of the things you see, ie a collection of bizarre contradictions, you are tempted to call it the Corporate Paradox Zoo<\/em><\/span>. The rallying cry is KISS(Keep It Simple Stupid<\/em><\/span>)- Come see our exotic exhibit: the annual ‘Simplification Initiative<\/em><\/span>‘ that requires 87-page implementation guides. CEO: ” We are establishing a Task Force<\/em><\/span> and going in for a complete de-bureaucratization<\/em><\/span>. Three new departments are being set up and twelve additional forms are being brought in to minitor and implement this”.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These are the settings where your onboarding and orientation include knowing ” How to nod thoughtfully while someone explains why a simple email requires six weeks<\/em><\/span> “. And taking translation classes<\/em><\/span> that will tell you what implementing<\/em><\/span> agile methodology<\/em><\/span> is (read “we realised that we should have talked to our customers”). Where “Leveraging existing capabilities for strategic advantage<\/em><\/span>” simply means “Using what we already have<\/em><\/span>“.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What comes with the territory in corporate environments include corporate bureaucracy, legacy systems, red tape, and mindset issues.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mindset traps<\/em><\/span> allow smart( really smart at that) people to make dumb decisions. A brand like Apple<\/em><\/span> removing the headphone jack on iPhones<\/em><\/span> \u2013 forcing customers to buy expensive accessories, despite clear user inconvenience. Common sense signals that don’t fix what people love. But arrogance finds a way to over ride logic<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are fixated to past decisions<\/em><\/span> than we would like to admit. And therefore companies love doing the same thing, over and over and over again. Blockbuster<\/em><\/span>(the pioneer in DVD rental<\/em><\/span> business) rejecting Netflix<\/em><\/span>‘s offer of buying them for US$50 Million because they believed that people would always prefer DVD rentals<\/em><\/span>. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Corporate Legacy<\/em><\/span> is another Graveyard of Common Sense<\/em><\/span>. Eg Nokia<\/em><\/span> remaining adamant and sticking to hardware dominance<\/em><\/span> while the world was moving towards software-driven smartphones<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you ask me what is the rarest resource<\/em><\/span> in boardrooms<\/em><\/span>, my resounding response would be common sense<\/em><\/span>. Coca-Cola<\/em><\/span> ignored decades of brand loyalty<\/a> <\/span>and market intelligence, only to backtrack within months after its New Coke<\/em><\/span> disaster of 1985. Blind spots created by over complication.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Common sense<\/em> <\/span>says(actually shouts) that if you don’t disrupt yourself, someone else will. Look no further than Kodak<\/em><\/span>. It invented the digital camera<\/em><\/span> in 1975 but refused to commercialise it because film was their cash cow. Common sense would have dictated towards pivoting to the future but Kodak<\/em><\/span> wanted to continue its romance with film. Clinging to film showed their corporate inertia9towards innovation) as they took the first step towards writing their own obituary.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Red Tape<\/em> <\/span>should be the Red Flag bearers and considered a devout enemy of common sense. The Volkswagen<\/em><\/span> emissions scandal, where internal bureaucracy and a focus on short-term gains overrode common-sense ethical considerations, leading to massive reputational and financial damage. In India, the delays in implementing GST<\/em><\/span> due to excessive red tape and political bureaucracy, could have been streamlined with a common-sense approach to collaboration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tata<\/em><\/span>\u2019s launch of the Nano<\/em><\/span> car, which initially failed due to a lack of common-sense marketing<\/em><\/span> (positioning it as a \u201ccheap\u201d car instead of an affordable, innovative solution.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leadership<\/em> <\/span>has a key role in promoting common sense within organisations. Once Satya Nadella<\/em> <\/span>took over at Microsoft<\/em><\/span>, he moved it from a know-it-all organisation to a learn-it-all organisation<\/em><\/span>, an organisation that thrives on empathy and common sense<\/em><\/span> rather than cut-throat competition.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Common sense<\/em><\/span> is a powerful ammunition in crisis management<\/em><\/span>. Very evident in Toyota<\/em><\/span>‘s handling of the 2010 recall crisis where it relied on complete transparency and customer safety rather than aim for short-term profits, showcasing common-sense leadership<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zomato<\/em> <\/span>in India focused on addressing key customer concerns through features like live order tracking and instant refunds, simple, logical solutions that have fostered customer loyalty and growth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, what is the CTA( Call to Action)?<\/em><\/span>: Building a University of Common Sense<\/em><\/span>. Where employees are trained to think logically, challenge defaults, and prioritize simplicity. This is a Blue Ocean<\/em><\/span> opportunity beating the next best by several nautical miles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If this is a subject that strikes a chord, I will encourage you to watch the interview in BrandKnew with Martin Lindstrom<\/em><\/span><\/a>, author of the seminal book ” Ministry of Common Sense<\/em> <\/span><\/a>“.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amidst a vast retinue of designations that already prevails in corporate circles (albeit with little regard to the actual job profile), here is a fervent plea for a new one to be introduced into the mix. The CSO: Common Sense Officer.\u00a0 Look no further. There is a huge Blue Ocean opportunity for corporates. … Continue reading “Common Sense as a Competitive Advantage? Makes Sense?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1916"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1920,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916\/revisions\/1920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}