top of page

By:

Rahul Kulkarni

30 March 2025 at 3:32:54 pm

Psychological Safety, The Prerequisite for Modernisation

If people can’t tell you the truth, your dashboards will lie for them. So now you finally have what most leaders think they need: a system. And yet… the system still doesn’t show the truth. Numbers look “clean”. Reports look “reasonable”. Problems show up late. Bad news arrives only when it becomes a fire. This is where many leaders get fooled. They look at the dashboard and think, “Great, we’re improving.” And then reality punches them. A shipment fails. A customer escalates. A vendor...

Psychological Safety, The Prerequisite for Modernisation

If people can’t tell you the truth, your dashboards will lie for them. So now you finally have what most leaders think they need: a system. And yet… the system still doesn’t show the truth. Numbers look “clean”. Reports look “reasonable”. Problems show up late. Bad news arrives only when it becomes a fire. This is where many leaders get fooled. They look at the dashboard and think, “Great, we’re improving.” And then reality punches them. A shipment fails. A customer escalates. A vendor refuses. Cash gets stuck. Quality blows up. The issue is not your tool. The issue is fear. Which Seat? Inherited seat: people fear disappointing you, so they hide issues until they’re unavoidable. Hired seat: people fear you’ll judge them, so they show you what looks good. Promoted seat: people fear the relationship has changed, so they become careful and political. Different seats. Same outcome: silence. Doctor-Patient Problem Think about a doctor. The doctor can be brilliant. The hospital can be world-class. The tests can be advanced. But if the patient hides symptoms, the diagnosis will be wrong. Not because the doctor is bad. Because the input is false. That’s what modernisation looks like without psychological safety. You can buy software. You can design processes. You can set up dashboards. But if people can’t tell you the truth, your “data” will become polite fiction. And you’ll make confident decisions on top of fiction. What Is Safety? People hear “psychological safety” and imagine a soft HR concept. It’s not soft. It’s operational. Amy Edmondson, who researched this deeply, describes it simply: a climate where people feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, ask questions, and raise bad news without being punished or humiliated. In MSME language, it means: “If I report a problem, I won’t be insulted.” “If I admit a mistake, I won’t be made a permanent example.” “If I raise a risk early, I won’t be told I’m negative.” “If I tell the truth, I won’t lose my standing.” If those beliefs don’t exist, people will still “cooperate” but it will be theatre. Hidden Blocker Low-data firms don’t naturally produce truth. They produce stories. Why? Because stories protect people. A late dispatch becomes: “customer changed plan”A defect becomes: “labour issue”A missed purchase becomes: “vendor problem”A cash delay becomes: “accounts is slow” Each story may contain some truth. But the function of the story is usually protection. So when you introduce digitisation, something changes: Now the story has to match a number. And if the number can expose someone, the system will do the only thing it knows: It will manage the number. That’s how dashboards become lies. Not because people are dishonest by nature.Because honesty has become unsafe. The Signs Bad news comes late, always. Meetings are full of explanations, not facts. “No issues” is the most common update. Problems are discovered by customers, not internally. People speak more in corridors than in review meetings. Everyone looks busy, but nothing is owned. If you see these signs, your modernisation effort is at risk. Because the system will look healthy until it breaks. Most leaders don’t wake up and say, “Let me create fear.” They kill safety through small habits: Sarcasm in meetings Public scolding Reacting emotionally to bad news Asking “who did this?” before asking “why did this happen?” Using pilot data for appraisal Praising only “good numbers” and punishing messy truths One harsh moment teaches the room a long lesson. After that, people stop volunteering reality. They start managing perception. Field Test Pick one recent failure. Not the biggest scandal. A real, medium-sized problem. Gather the involved people for 30–45 minutes. Then follow three rules: Start with the line: “This is not a blame meeting. This is a learning meeting.” And mean it. Ask only these questions: What happened, in sequence? Where did the handoff break? What made the wrong action feel reasonable at the time? What one change reduces the chance of repeat? No names, no insults, no ‘how can you’ If someone makes it personal, you bring it back to the process and the moment. Now the most important part: Track whether people volunteer issues unprompted in the next two weeks. That is the real signal. If people start bringing small problems early, safety is rising. If they stay silent and “all good”, your system is still running on fear. (The writer is a Chartered Accountant based in Thane. Views personal.)

Hindu aspirations and the BJP's test of governance

New Delhi: The recent electoral outcomes in West Bengal are more than mere numbers, but they carry a clear message that Bengali Hindus are now openly voicing their demands for security, dignity, and a future of young and next generation. For the past fifty years, and especially over the last fifteen, the Hindu community in the state has often been treated as second-class citizens. Their lands have been encroached upon, their homes and families threatened, and their social, cultural, and religious rights repeatedly violated.


For the BJP, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in whether it can truly secure these rights for Hindus, while the opportunity is that the model established in West Bengal could serve as an example for the entire country. Bengali Hindus no longer wish to hear mere promises, but they seek tangible results, as seen in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. They demand governance and administration like Bulldozer Baba.


Over the last fifteen years, Bengali Hindus have faced numerous hardships. Bangladeshi infiltrators have seized land and created an atmosphere of fear, particularly for women. Incidents in places like Sandeshkhali, Murshidabad, and Basirhat highlighted how perpetrators often enjoyed political protection until intervention came from the central government. Cultural events like Durga Puja have sometimes been marred by stone-pelting and vandalism of idols, denting the morale of the Hindu community.


Bias within the state administration has also been a persistent problem. Preferential recruitment, from sub-inspectors to DSPs, often favored certain communities, including officers who supported antisocial elements that harassed Hindus. In this context, the BJP government will need to implement administrative reforms to restore law and order at its core. The police must be removed from serving political interests and tasked with protecting the public.


Political Arm

Accusations have long been made that West Bengal police have effectively functioned as the political arm of the TMC. The fact that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, while holding the office of Chief Minister, staged a sit-in protest when the CBI was interrogating the then Kolkata Police Commissioner, Rajeev Kumar, serves as proof of this. Reports of violence against Hindus, sexual offenses, attacks on BJP workers, and assaults on political opponents' homes underscore the need for a law-and-order system free of leniency toward criminals.


Additionally, for the sake of security and justice, it is imperative to expedite the NRC process in the state, identify illegal immigrants, and enforce strict deportation policies. The BSF should be empowered with authority similar to that in Jammu-Kashmir to prevent cross-border infiltration, including the right to use lethal force if necessary. Furthermore, their operational jurisdiction should not be restricted to a 50 km border zone but extended across the state to curb illegal entry comprehensively.


Safeguarding the religious rights of Hindus is equally crucial. Measures should include preventing attacks on temples, enacting strict non-bailable laws against those who vandalize Durga Puja and other religious events, and rigorously removing illegal encroachments to secure Hindu land and temple property.


Social Pressure

The BJP faces the challenge of fulfilling the aspirations of Hindus in the state by providing them with security, dignity, and employment. Economic and social pressures over the past fifteen years have forced many Hindus to migrate. Districts like Malda and Murshidabad witnessed a near-control over Hindu economic activities, resembling an economic siege. The BJP must craft proactive policies to ensure the Hindu community can once again feel secure and self-reliant.


Strict implementation of the CAA, handing pending cases to the CBI for resolution, and protecting Bengali Hindus' land and rights is not merely a religious issue, but it is a matter of national security. The violations of Hindu rights in Pakistan and Bangladesh stand as grave warnings. Preventing such infringements in India is now the responsibility of West Bengal's new government.


By voting for the BJP, Hindus in West Bengal have sent a clear mandate. They have not merely changed the government, but they have demanded protection of Indian civilization, as well as cultural, social, and economic security. The BJP now has the opportunity to demonstrate that Hindus have the right to live in a safe, dignified, and law-abiding society. Failure to deliver will invite the same political criticism faced by Congress and other parties that pursued appeasement policies. It is worth noting that Kashmiri Pandits, displaced from Jammu-Kashmir, have still not been fully rehabilitated.


Meeting the aspirations of West Bengal's Hindus will be the BJP's greatest test. This is not just about political success, but it is about safeguarding Hindus, protecting Indian culture, and securing the future of young and next generation. The outcome of the BJP's actions will send a nationwide message that Hindus can live safely and with dignity in their own country.

Comments

bottom of page