From the Argumentative Indian of the Amartya Sen fame to the sentiments and emotions so blissfully displayed election after election, we find an Indian who is completely uncomfortable with complexity in the brick and mortar way. What is the modern definition of simplicity in operational terms? It is not the antithesis of simplicity. While all love and respect for Steve Jobs, we don’t elaborate what that simplicity was for him. It can very easily be explained as intensely understanding the complexities of technological, professional and personal life and then handling it in a simple plain way. Making the complex simple is the name of the game. Tryst with complexity is our fate, trying to change the destiny of the nation, is not going to happen otherwise. There are no examples anywhere.
”It takes a lot of hard work,’ Jobs said, ”to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions.” As the headline of Apple’s first marketing brochure proclaimed in 1977, ”Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Simplicity in operations / execution is most difficult to achieve, but it you can, you can move mountains. That is what Apple is all about. The most fascinating thing which comes out is the fascinating relationship between complexity and simplicity. We stand at the very other end of the trajectory where we are not even ready to accept the complexity of the present age. If that was the complexity in 1977, what would be the complexity now?
The concept of simplicity has been turned on its head and so is the concept of complexity. It has become an already proven formula. If you can’t practice it, it is your incapability. So, the world known linear progression between the simple to the complex and more complex does not work. It is nearly the other way round; from the most complex to the complex to the simplicity concept, execution and operation. This is the filter which the world is trying to master. This is the filter which differentiates between failure, success and super success. The capability to master this processing power to make it simple first from any level of complexity and then execute it as a project or a series of activities and make it successful.
Does the law makers in India understand the complexity of law making and the impact an enactment would bring about? We are not talking of the depth of the domain of that enactment, which is again a must. What entails in the enforcement of the particular enactment in the super complex Indian enforcement world. What has ailed the enforcement ecosystem? This would give you a clear connect as to where we are and where we should have been, in the complexity game the country is facing. Everything is not a yes / no game. Complexity not understood finally transforms professionals into opinionated individuals. It is like being in a mental state of being nowhere. With the underlying challenges unknown, the very first step to find elegant solutions seems to be world away.
RUNNING AWAY FROM COMPLEXITY WILL NOT BRING DOWN THE COMPLEXITY.
Sanjay Sahay