Contribution through independence - HR message from Green sea slug

Be independent/self-supportive is the hard management message every corporate trainers try to imparts upon the people whom they train in corporate in order to develop them as an excellent managerial leaders. Only the managerial leaders really ‘makes’ the corporate and contributes to its success.

The question is how the term ‘independence’ is defined or understood or wants to be. When such definition is not clear, how the same can be achieved. Only to clarify such doubts of the corporate and the HR trainers, nature has created the unique species – Green sea slug, which is scientifically called as Elysia chlorotica. This is a small to medium sized sea water gastropod mollusc, a member of oyster and snail.

This small sea animal is also heterotrophic by birth like other molluscs, eats small algae and other phyto planktons and zoo planktons in the sea as its food. The green sea slug largely eats the algae and interestingly the chloroplast of the algae, the green sea slug integrates with its own cell and such phenomenon is called as Kleptoplasty. By using the ‘fused’ chloroplast of the algae and with the help of the solar energy, the green sea slugs at times do synthesize its own food like any other green plants. That is how they have earned the name – green sea slug.

The green sea slug has born as dependent, but become independent by establishing ‘sub-cellular endo-symbiotic’ relationship. Be independent does not mean, do not be dependent upon others. Your dependence should be limited but simultaneously should be supportive to the entire ecosystem. This is possible only when one acquires many unique qualities and capabilities and thereby become ‘independent’.

When an employee join the corporate, must acquire knowledge, integrate them and become independent to develop him or her further and thereby should continuously contribute to the corporate. Imagine, if the green sea slug were ever dependent upon algae, they remain as predator and algae, the prey. From the rank of predator, they elevate their status and become ‘independent’. Thereby they contribute to the marine ecosystem by being non predators of algae.

Management message of the green sea slug is indeed amazing. The HR trainers who sermon to people must use this wonderful example of nature and must acknowledge the plethora of management insights of nature. By just looking at a green sea slug, the corporate can learn the definition of ‘independence’ which is otherwise used rampantly (the tern independence) without knowing the real meaning.

The definition of the word ‘independence’ should never be misunderstood as ‘non-dependence’. Depend to a limited extent and continue to contribute to the ‘total’ is the real meaning. Unless right example is told / used, right response cannot be evoked.

By Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai