Viewpoint Role of the Head In IITK, the Head of a unit (be it the Institute or the Department, or the Center) provides the focal point for all administrative matters concerning that unit. He processes all papers and information from his unit to the rest of the organization through available and established mechanisms, besides performing the statutory tasks. In short, the Head is viewed as, and is expected to act as, primarily an administrator.There cannot be two opinions that efficient administering is essential for the smooth functioning of any organization. But, can an organization be vibrant and dynamic with the Head limiting himself to administering his unit? If individuals and the organization are to achieve greater heights, the goals and aims of the organization, its units, and its people must keep soaring higher, and a Head must play the role of leading his unit to the higher goals. If the performance of his unit is his primary performance indicator, then it matters less how productive a Head is himself; what matters more is how productive his unit is as a whole. Of course, it helps if the personal output of the Head is also good in that it contributes to the overall output of the unit. This also ensures his credentials to head the unit. Since an academic institute/unit is not a cohesive unit with clearly defined unit objectives, the best a Head could do is to both facilitate achieving of higher goals by individuals, as well as by groups to leverage complimentary strengths and expertise. A basic goal of an individual-oriented system should be to help individuals realize their potential through individual and group activity. There is no doubt that the IITs have faculty and staff of proven ability and calibre. But it is a sad fact that there is a mismatch between their potential and performance, glaringly visible in the output. This is less a failure of the individuals, than of the system that expects and encourages Heads to be mere administrators, rather than leaders who help individuals to raise their expectation levels and encourage teams to be formed. The biggest challenge for a Head in IITs today is to encourage individuals and small groups to dream big and then facilitate in the translation of these dreams into reality. This involves encouraging setting of high goals by individuals and groups of individuals, and then using the administrative means to facilitate achieving of these higher goals. With this, administering becomes a tool and an aid to achieve higher objectives. Without a guiding vision, administering is an unexciting chore, making the Head essentially a glorified clerk. Ultimately, the Head should be in a position where he takes pride in, and "boasts about", not what he has achieved, but what his colleagues in his unit have achieved. This is perhaps the most difficult task for a Head in an individualistic system like ours, where the individual aspirations remain the basic driving force. But given the role of a Head, the individual must rise above his self and view his success as the growth and rise of his colleagues. This brings us to the moot question, why should a Head do this? This can only be done if suitable incentives and disincentives are systematically available for a Head to perform as a leader of a group. This, unfortunately, is not easy, given that there are a few evaluative mechanisms in place, that there are no clearly assigned roles and responsibilities, and no performance indicators for different Heads, etc. Without the clarity of purpose and proper mechanisms to support them, Heads are encouraged to remain as administrators. As long as the papers are acted upon quickly and the general response time to requests is short, one is considered a good Head. This clearly will not do– it is relying too much on individuals to take the unit and the organization to greater heights. Only if the fundamental difference between an individual faculty member and a Head is perceived by most of the Heads, can this institute become one that helps individuals realize their potential, and in the process achieve greater heights.
Pankaj Jalote |
