Pyramids

If you think that pyramids were of interest to only the stiff-necked Pharaohs who believed in 'life after death' (mannnn.....human beings love to live forever......even if that life is after death!!!!!!), then think again......and you need not think hard. 

Pyramids have attracted almost everyone, from historians, to physicists, to mathematicians, to archaeologists, to tourists, to students, to film-makers, to photographers (professional or freelance) to international bodies (desperate to put the Pyramid of Giza on the list of the Seven Wonders of the World), to management gurus.

Not really sure about the life of the Pharaohs but the pyramids are surely going to live on in the minds of the generations of people forever. I sometimes wonder how on earth would it have been possible for the management gurus to explain the basic theories of their respective subjects. From Maslow's hierarchy of needs of a person, to the Consumer Based Brand Equity model, to the Pyramid sales concept, to the relatively new strategy of targeting the bottom of the pyramid etc; we have pyramids all over the place. Sometimes, we even show the hierarchy of the managerial levels in terms of a pyramid. Then, we have the inverted versions of these diagrams as well. 

It seems as though we are not specializing in marketing or finance or operations or strategy, but we are all generalizing in Pyramid management. And if that is the case then I would like to take the liberty of describing a situation which is “universal” across the length and breadth of India and according to your truly, is not in sync with the concept of a welfare state.

The situation I am referring to is the distribution of the number of students as per their grades in the academic exams. The figure proposed by me would be a diamond.

I will just broadly divide the diamond into 3 parts horizontally. The top part is that of the top scorers, who are few in number. The second part is that of the above average and the average scorers who are in the sheer majority. Then comes the bottom part which houses the not so average and the casual scorers, who are again few in number; maybe this time it’s even fewer.

However, the number of job opportunities follows the inverted pyramid format (whatever happened to the equitable distribution of wealth and resources?) Not only does the number of job opportunities fall as we move down the figure but also the quality of the jobs (judged on three parameters: brand-name, profile and pay).

A job opportunity enters the inverted pyramid at the top, goes through the perusal of the “achievers”, if not found suitable by them, it slips into the purview of the “competitors”. If it’s not found upto the mark even by these “competitors”, then it percolates down to the group of “strivers/freelancers”.

For generations together, people have spoken large-heartedly, rationally and with concern that grades are not indicative of how much knowledge and applicable talent a person possesses. But no concrete action has been taken in this direction till date and neither does it seem to be a likely scenario in the near future.

Well, each view has its own set of advocates who have vowed to safeguard the opinion they stand by steadfastly. Whatever people might say or do, we can rest assured that if this predicament is not treated properly and in good time, many of us would see their dreams and aspirations being mummified, time and again, and put in these pyramids for good. And believe me when I say that these mummies wont “rest in peace".