From Command to Empathy by Avik Chanda and Suman Ghose

From Command to Empathy by Avik Chanda and Suman Ghose has been published by Harper Collins.

Blurb:

As the world witnesses high levels of levels of world witnesses high levels of levels of witnesses high levels of levels of globalisation technological disruption and transient customer needs, organisations are struggling to keep pace with the change. Coupled with that the workforce is increasingly dominated by millennials who seek purpose and empathy- a phenomenon top management grapples with. Most employers’ understanding of this change is restricted and traditional strategies used to address challenges often overlooked human element.

What is the connection between empathy and leadership? Canon empathetic approach to our relationships are the workplace help us achieve more? Does the onus of creating and sustaining a supportive culture lie only with the management? There is an urgent need to move away from traditional command and control style of Management towards and organisational culture that is inclusive, fosters trust and focuses on employee empowerment.

Avik Chanda and Suman Ghosh draw from real life examples and the deep industry experience as well as research on organisational behaviour and neuroscience to arrive at a framework of EQ suited to the the Indian workplace. From command to MP3 demonstrates how to inculcate and use emotional maturity in workplace situations, with the help of anecdotes case studies questionnaires and self scoring scoring exercises to enable readers achieve both professional and personal goals.”

 

My Take:

As someone who has been studying business communication and corporate relations for the last two years, this book has given a fascinating perspective into the world of management-employee relationship.

There is so much to learn here, there is knowledge to absorb, and embrace a new perspective if you are open to it. One has always looked at management from a top-down, hierarchical order. This book offers another viewpoint. While the case for emotional quotient has been made before, From Command to Empathy brings to the table the Indian perspective.

The book has multiple case studies detailing the manifestation of different work-related problems or tricky situations in the Indian context. This feature can help the modern Indian employee and management to steer out of problematic situations with relevant tools and coping information.

Beyond the management perspective, the book also provides an informative outlook towards the ethics of an employee. It is a goldmine for a new employee or first-time employee trying to navigate volatile waters. From Command to Empathy provides a set of situations and reasons out the occurrence of various workplace differences which can be sorted with self-awareness and empathy towards the parties involved.

As a reader, I also appreciated the sheer effort that has been put into making this book a good reference point for those from the management background, students as well as those who wish to simply study the subject in an Indian context. The difficulty level is therefore not that high, From Command to Empathy is a comfortable read.

Thank you for reading the review!