Adding Value to Price

If you were to dig down into the core of the recent demonetization initiative you will discover that it turned out to be an exercise in devaluing something of value . In a matter of hours, those powerful bills in your wallet became just pieces of paper.

We grow up learning to value things that are or become special. For a toddler his mamma is extremely valuable . For a school going child , parents are of great value at the PTA. For a couple dating one another , every flower and gesture occupies a place of great value in firming up their feelings for one another. For the newly married couple, the ring on their fingers and the gifts from near and dear have enormous sentimental value . A new graduate hold his/her certificate with great pride as it holds years of hard work . It is shown to all, photocopied and framed to adorn the walls of his/her home . VALUE !!! Antiques are preserved at great cost in museums and art galleries only because of this abstract thing called VALUE .

The truth is, we live in a world that is losing the VALUE of VALUE . Values of honesty, transparency, openness, friendship , truth are all serially being sacrificed at the alter of convenience . End justifying means is the new mantra in almost everything in life - personal, professional and political. On television , I watched the recent spate of defections from one political party to another and realized that there are no qualms in public life anymore. As long as an action achieves the desired outcome , it is deemed justifiable.

Then there is materialism. The abundance of material things that inundates our life has surely replaced the more subtle and sublime values of life. Today we find parents substituting their time with children using digital toys. We ourselves are guilty of being pre-occupied with social media while remaining disengaged with people around. The value of real communication is no longer felt against the backdrop of virtual communication.

Value deficits are being increasingly seen in our institutions too. In business organizations, the balance sheet is becoming more important than the value of employee welfare. Graphs, deadlines and dividends have gained supremacy over staff happiness . In academic institutions, professional agendas are beginning to overlook the value of friendships. Come to think of it , there are several moments in life when we indulge in the same devaluing exercise , but which have far greater impact on life than currency notes .

If our organizations have to grow we must re-learn the art of Valuing Value in our personal and corporate life. In so doing , all the rest will fall in line .