Political Business Transformation in India and role of Information Technology

An Essay By: Amit Bhushan Date: 13th Feb 2014

Governance of India for the first time seem to be in' for a change and the impact of this; seems to be making itself evident initially, at the very top i.e. at political level wherein politicians of all hues and colour seem to be increasingly glued to social media using it as a listening post as well as small chat forums for engaging with prospective voters. The many-to-many' communication technology of internet seem to be achieving a change for the people that was yearned for years but was not being delivered via any other mechanism so far even with private and independent' mass media or any other.

This transformational change firstly touched' its competitor i.e. mass media' who was pushed to respond since it was no longer possible for it to ignore without significant impact in terms of credibility as well as acceptability. Well reasoned perspectives as well as issues and reasoning in social media with its potential to reach masses; i.e. should any particular idea becomes a hit, poses threat to the mass media which derives its bed and butter basis propagation of the same in slightly more professional and calibrated manner. This pressures the mass media to adopt and assimilate such ideas floating around in social media circles in order to remain contemporary with its educated viewers, who are increasingly active on both platforms. Having a host of free flowing ideas on domestic web

or on sites increasingly popular with a youthful crowd coupled with inability of journos to come up with a more engaging agenda for their primetime, the only route available for competition (mass media) was to assimilate social media by creating journos own blogs and social sites and following up on issues and ideas that are trending' well on social media. With the forth pillar of democracy humbled, the social buffs now seem to be in command to steer the national debate with their sprawling ideas and reactions, at least in most of the urban areas with neo-liberal, progressive, service class and business minded people. Their impact in large ramparts of rural India as well as moffusil towns is yet not known.

Those political classes which are able to assimilate and respond to the Tech challenge' as well as those who have a flexible persona/image seemed to be doing well in this era. However, in so far as the government bureaucracy as well as most executive heads (of various departments and ministries) is concerned, they first remained in denial (of the social technology phenomenon and its reach), then they moved in to pose challenges and restrictions and are now finally staring at an imminent defeat. There seems to be little understanding and appreciation of the need for an agile bureaucracy (as well as that of an agile political organization) where in processes and procedures are made more responsive and transparent in the view that each failure at customer contact or the moment of truth will have multiplier impact due to its freewheeling communication through social media channels. Also, the public have become more activists due to low cost as well as more interventionist due to better information. In such environment, response to such change are required to be tackled at the highest level i.e. PM or Cabinet Secretary level which

continuously review process and procedure for their adequacy basis complexity and impact so that ordinary people are not impacted negatively. There can also be a permanent process and procedure commission' which advices process and procedure for all levels of bureaucracy be it Center or State or local bodies or even advice procedure and documentation for corporate sector' for their dealings with public. This may be required to mitigate the impact and ensure that a mechanism is available for concerned officers to defend' themselves for decisions that are under challenge with a burning need' for change amongst larger society. Not many in social media are sure if the political class as well as bureaucracy has been able to import this lesson even in the face of such tough times.

Instead of a proper institutionalized response, the government and political parties seem to be responding to symptoms rather than the cause. Take the case of the slang match between the newbie and the principle opposition party. The newbie party with its inexperienced and activist leadership is trying to champion a host of public issues'. The principle opposition seems to be attempting to block those issues raising the garb of constitutionality. Some of the business are also following suite by raising legal blockade on demands being put forth to them. While they may all be correct in their assertions however it must be analyzed that the newbie is merely responding to public sentiments being expressed in social/mass media and this needs a more institutionalized response from government as well as businesses in the form of greater transparency of their functioning/decision so that their actions meet the public/consumer expectations. A failure

on this count may only yield temporary victory bound to be over run over the longer term since the impact of social media to raise public concerns in manner which resonates in mass media and political levels cannot yet be overcome' in present circumstances. By ignoring this fact, all people are merely responding to symptoms rather than the cause, while true leadership demands that leaders' understand and address core causes' rather than react to mere symptoms. This maturity seems to be a long way from getting sinked-in with businesses, political parties or their leaders.

Also, the politicians who have been thrown to the crest by the social tech phenomenon are doing very little to promote this change apart from lip service. Like none of the politician is worried about taking this change to village level in the hinterland of rural India. Possible reasons could be that they just want to ride the wave for the elections and dump the change later since this media may prove to be providing the same challenges to their administration as it has been providing to the current dispensation. The businesses also seem to believe that the social technology phenomenon is just a prop by the politicians which will pass over' as soon as the elections are over. Therefore none of the businesses seem to be planning a more agile and transparent business process so far. This approach of politicians as well as businesses seem to be defeatist and is likely to pose severe challenges since the march of technology, its adoption as well as acceptance by people is unlikely to change. With increasing penetration of smart' mobile and computing devices as well as heightened social awareness and appreciation of its usage, the phenomenon is like to further deepen in the society.

It is therefore incumbent upon political class who want enduring leadership to push for assimilation of the technology by the rural followers so that they are better positioned in this as well as any subsequent elections. This can be done so by popularizing the Points person in each village through social media and display of awareness about the village as well as the issues' of villagers. It is possible to have many more such ideas. The businesses on their part must make sincere attempt to be more transparent regarding their dealings and ensure fair deal rather than shortcuts. The businesses should note that their capabilities and experience to deliver choice services to customers with a fair return has not been targeted by social technology enthusiasts, so far. So their reluctance to assimilate the change is without any basis thus far. As the growth ideas start flourishing on the social media, there is a likelihood of abundance of opportunity for businesses that are seen to be fair, to grow their businesses harmoniously with society.