Triggering Butterfly Effect

Musings 2 Minutes

Guess where I captured the picture of this beautiful butterfly?

Right in my balcony, in the heart of a concrete jungle heart. Not just butterflies, different species of birds like tailor, wagtail, parrots also grace us occasionally.

It’s the magic of a tiny patch of greenery we nurtured in our 5 by 20 feet balcony. I see a rub-off effect, several families in our apartment block have started to create green patches.

This perfectly embodies one of the core philosophies of Organizational Development (OD): small changes can make a big impact. It’s amazing how even the tiniest shifts, initiated by employees and managers at a local level, can create waves of change, regardless of what’s happening on a broader scale. This is also called the butterfly effect: butterfly flapping its wings and causing a tornado on the other side of the world.

Here are a couple of examples to illustrate this point:

“Health is wealth” isn’t just a saying; it’s a way of life for a few members in this team. These folks were the epitome of healthy living, gently nudging others toward mindful eating habits and sharing nutritious recipes during team lunches. Their infectious energy and glowing vitality sparked curiosity in others, leading to a ripple effect. Before we knew it, most of the team had hopped on the healthy eating bandwagon, and even neighboring teams followed suit. Eventually, the cafeteria caught on, offering more nutritious meal options.

Sexism at workplace is a big challenge. It’s not sexual harassment; however the seemingly harmless comments can be demeaning. Few women in the plant got tired of hearing sexist remarks like, “Women shouldn’t be hired; they get distracted by personal matters, especially after marriage,” or ““Rina, you should go to the CEO for approval, you are looking stunning today, he will not be able to say a no to you.”

Next time a colleague passed a sexist comment, they

  • Confronted him in a calm and assertive manner.
  • Explained how it made them feel, why it was disrespectful and against the organization values
  • Asked them to stop such comments

It helped, few other women mustered the courage to speak up and in a matter of few months, sexism reduced drastically. The momentum has been created!

What momentum would you like to create at your work area? What butterfly effects can trigger it?

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Published by Padma Rajeswari

At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog. I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’. Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations. On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on. I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe. On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you!

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