Problems should produce problems or solution? Management lessons from flowering plants

Problems should produce problems or solution?   Management lessons from flowering plants
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When passion and commitment for success becomes the guiding principle of life, limitations and adversities becomes null and void. This is not just a proverb, but a great management message every corporate must learn from the flowering plants.

When passion and commitment for success becomes the guiding principle of life, limitations and adversities becomes null and void. This is not just a proverb, but a great management message every corporate must learn from the flowering plants.


The evolution of flowering plants from non flowering plants (?) itself has occurred in nature is only to facilitate segregation and mixing of the genetic materials during pollination and seed formation. Thereby, an improved variety of plant is produced. This is all about evolution of flowering plants.

Procreation through pollination and seed formation is more advantageous to all flowering plants than by other means like vegetative reproduction.

But unfortunately, many flowering plants do suffer from problems like parthenocarpy and stenospermocarpy. The parthenocarpy is nothing but the formation of fruits without fertilization. On the other hand, the stenospermocarpy is a state where fruits are formed without seeds.

According to botany, many reasons can be cited for the above situation in flowering plants. The parthenocarpy and stenospermocarpy, both can eliminate the plant population in no time from the biome. But nature has never allowed such event to occur without any foresight. Nature has given an alternative method of vegetative propagation to some plants that are frequently affected by the above problem.

Most of the flowering plants produce large number of flowers for the purpose of competitive propagation. In the sense they are ‘super performers’ as far as their propagation instinct is concerned. But remember, the super performers do suffer the worst in nature.

Instead of worrying or blaming the fate or destiny, the plants do switch to other mode of reproduction under certain situations.

Another important insight one must grab from the plants affected either by parthenocarpy or stenospermocarpy is that they do produce fruits. Although such fruits (fruits without fertilized seeds or fruits without seeds) will not support or fulfill the ultimate purpose of the plant i.e. formation of new plants, it does support the very existence of the pollinators by fulfilling their food needs. Although the plants may fail in their purpose or the cause for which they flower due to some unavoidable ecological reasons, they do not fail to support the existence of the pollinators.

If the life and existence of the pollinators are in jeopardy, plants may suffer further in the next breeding season and thereby the saga of disaster would continue. Nature has taught the plants not to allow the problem of parthenocarpy or stenospermocarpy to extend beyond i.e., even if you fail, do not fail those who work for your cause.

The problem has to be limited, diluted, confined and fixed and should not be allowed to spread its kingdom of dismay. A great management message one need to thread from the above event in nature.

One of the reasons for the problem of parthenocarpy and stenospermocarpy is pollination failure. Pollination failure is mainly due to the lack of effective pollinators. In order to be successful in pollination event to occur at least during the next breeding season, the plants has to keep the pollinators in good humor. That is why we have fruits without fertilized seeds or without seeds.

A problem should never be allowed to multiply into another problem as problems. Problems should breed only a solution is the message nature conveys. On the basis of this cardinal management essence only the entire creation has been made.

Corporate must learn that nature has lot of offer to their ‘organic’ growth if not for the ‘commercial’ growth. Only the sensitive HR can learn such insights and revolutionize the culture.

Dr S Ranganathan
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