Ant, the best management teacher

Ants are the best ‘management model’ available in nature for the corporate world to learn about the ‘social organization’ ‘commitment for the cause’ and the ‘division of labor’. The well disciplined social ‘sense’ and respect for the institution (colony) by every ant will certainly amaze the corporate if it is willing to learn from ants.

The ant’s body is divided into two parts viz., head and abdomen and interestingly the abdomen of the ants contains two stomachs.

Out of the two stomachs, one holds the food for itself and the second one is to store the food that is to be shared with other ants in the colony. Even in the anatomical architecture, the ants are made to serve the ‘self’ and ‘others’. Ants know it better that respecting and serving the colony is inevitable if one wants to live in a colony or social setup.

The message is that every employee in the corporate must remember that they have to serve the corporate sincerely and only then they can ‘serve’ the self. By neglecting the ‘corporate wellness’ and corporate goal, the corporate employees can never find any success either to their life or to their career.

Though the ants are too small, but nature has never failed to code this cardinal management message that is inevitable for ‘group’ success, even in ants, the smallest life for on earth.

Every ant is not ‘just’ work in the colony in which they ‘live’ but they also for the colony as well. This exemplary commitment and professionalism only has made the ants to be one of the most successful insects in the world.

While gathering and eating food, they eat for themselves and also store the same for others in the colony. To do the above job judiciously only ants have two stomachs viz., one for itself and the other to store food for others.

Many corporate employees are utterly greedy and selfish these days and are interested only in ‘self promotion’ and serving to their selfish interest. Hardly these employees care about the organization they work. When such people come to the helm of affairs, they ruin the culture of the corporate and destroy the faith and creativity of the employees.

Generally such selfish employees largely roost in corporate that are run by the owners directly. The human resource (HR) function and the top management must know the management insight of nature’s creation - the ants. Train the employees to live for the organization while living for the self and vice versa. Mutual care, support and sacrifice are inevitable for total and collective growth.

Dr S Ranganathan