New knowledge versus existing knowledge – HR message from Fish biology

Fishes do not add a number of scales with age. It means, the scales that are present in the body of the fishes remain unchanged in the fishes from birth to its fullest growth. What really changes or happens is that the existing scales grow larger and larger vis-à-vis the growth of the fishes. The scales grow bigger (larger in size) to cover the body of the fish than any new scales getting formed.

Nature allows the existing scales to grow and become bigger to meet the need. Growing bigger is easier for the scales than the formation of newer scales, which is always costly. If the latter were to happen, the growth of the fishes and the growth of the scales must fall under the equal measure.

The corporate leaders have to learn the important lesson from the above phenomena. With age, it is generally believed that people also must learn and acquire newer and newer knowledge and skill. It means the fishes must add a newer number of scales with age. But fishes do not add newer scales. What the corporate people and leaders must learn is not to gallop to learn newer and newer things, but must expand the base knowledge that they have already learned.

It is not learning anything new makes the difference but expanding, re-understanding and re-positioning the existing knowledge is important and such knowledge is only called as ‘experience’. But people seldom understand the above. With time, most senior people in corporate see the younger generation as a threat to their existence. Due to the above fear, they gallop continuously to acquire newer knowledge. At the end, they will only create a mess for themselves and to the corporate as a whole.

People need not search for newer knowledge or skills. With time, all they need to do is to grow their existing domain knowledge, upgrade it and understand its newer applications and utility value. Searching for newer and newer knowledge can never end anywhere because the knowledge system is constantly expanding much faster than the rate of multiplication of rats.

Look at the growing fish. The fish that grows from inches to a foot will have only the same number of scales in its body. The only pronounced difference in the architecture of the scales is that the scales of the growing fishes will be bigger in size as the scales do grow along with fishes. Similarly, expand your existing knowledge and expertise and never try to acquire newer ones.

Look at the marvel of nature around you. You can learn a meaningful management lesson from fish biology that you can never learn from any management school in the world.

Therefore instead tempted to acquire newer and newer knowledge, develop your core competency and your domain knowledge. Learn its newer application as well.

Dr. S Ranganathan