Akshay Mathur
There is an underlying reason as to why India's anti-corruption movement has garnered immense support in such a short span of time: it is a highly-efficient management model. The right mix of marketing, motivation, operations and service is spearheading the process, reports Gateway House
It is not often that you can draw lessons in management from a mass public initiative. I went to Azad Maidan in Mumbai in August to join the thousands others in the fight against corruption.
But the business analyst in me couldn't help marvel at the management spectacle that was on display. The mission, operations, communications, enrollment, marketing, motivation and customer service of the movement were being managed in a way that would put most business school case studies to shame.
The field had roughly a thousand people, including a hundred volunteers and a few dozen policemen. One corner of the field had covered seating (it had been raining all day).
Those fasting were sitting on stage facing the myriad television cameras at the opposite end, separated only by enthusiastic supporters. On the mike were organisers, community leaders and sloganeers from different walks and religions of life -- Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs -- alike.
Outside the covered area were groups of protestors in circles doing their own sloganeering. The crowd was mostly lower middle class educated, passionate, decent and downright patriotic.
The older men were in office-going cotton pants with shirts, and the women in salwar suits. The younger crowd was in jeans and tee-shirts, holding up the Indian tri-color with pride.
Both the young and the elderly were protesting side-by-side, reflecting the gravity of the cause that had transcended the generations.