Is the concept of employee a result of methodical conditioning? Or Independent Boutique Business Unit (IBBU) is how it should be?

After over three decades of navigating the corporate landscape, spanning the post-liberalization era of Indian markets, spearheading over 500 music and cinema-driven team synergy sessions with top-tier corporations and institutes in India and the Far East, 11 years in hardcore maritime marketing & operations with global giants, 10 years as an active executive / creative thinking coach with an existing established clientele, 12 years of entrepreneurship, a dozen years of pioneering sonic branding in India, and 40 years in the worlds of music, cinema, theatre, I’ve reached a firm conclusion about my perspective of an 'employee'.

The above is not a pitch for business but an introduction for people who are not aware of my struggles, failures, some glory and tumultuous journey in life.

First let's understand who is an employee ?

An employee is an individual hired by a company or organization or an individual to perform specific tasks or duties in exchange for compensation, typically in the form of a salary or wages.

Employees are bound by a contract or an agreement to adhere to the rules, policies, and directives set forth by their employer. In a broader sense, an employee contributes to the organization's goals and objectives through their skills, knowledge, and labour while receiving benefits such as job security, healthcare, and other perks, depending on the terms of their employment.

A well-packaged system called 'employee interventions and productivity management' does little beyond providing temporary ripple. It's a process that drives conditioning called, 'Being an employee & thinking like an employer'. And mostly it's driven by 'corporate trainers' who never had a day's experience in a corporation!

Not much different in concept when Macaulay laid the foundation of Indian education to create clerks for their administration. One who was trained to serve them the best!

So, before we proceed, allow me to highlight my mind on employee development programmes often called corporate training.

The Genesis of Corporate Training

Corporate training, as we know it today, has roots in the early 20th century when scientific management theories like Taylorism introduced structured employee training programs.

The idea was simple: optimize human labor for efficiency. Over the years, this evolved into more sophisticated models, driven by pioneers like Dale Carnegie, who emphasized soft skills, and later by Peter Drucker, who introduced management by objectives (MBO).

However, what started as a genuine effort to enhance productivity and develop talent has morphed into a superficial exercise, often detached from real-world needs. The old guard—Carnegie, Drucker, and others—would likely cringe at how their principles have been diluted into buzzwords and PowerPoint slides.

The Illusion of Quick Fixes

Reliance on two-and-a-half-day strategy interventions that promise to raise and solve complex organizational issues is now an old game that mostly ends with DJ playing popular songs and people drinking to glory as if this was the last party on Gaia.

These sessions are often high on theatrics and low on substance, leaving participants more fatigued than inspired. The idea that a quick workshop can shift an organization’s culture or drive meaningful change is not just naïve—it’s a waste of time and resources.

I have been amazed to see how half-baked information on The Enneagram, often reduced to a simplistic personality test; which has its roots in profound Hebrew wisdom preserved in the Tanakh, drawing from ancient sciences like Gematria.

Its deeper essence is intertwined with Kabbalistic teachings, encompassing over 5,000 years of insight. These concepts, when understood through the lens of Merkaba, reveal layers of wisdom that far exceed their modern 45 minute interpretations. I say this as a qualified Kaballah student myself.

Or you'll have me driving an 'Anthems 4 Teams' season. All ending in a well-curated offsite party and fat invoices! Suddenly what was one team can be seen drinking and 'strategizing' in small clusters of power and high net worth in the evening. It's the same last party on Gaia I wrote above.

Independent Boutique Business Unit (IBBU)

A real human-level shift is needed to redefine the traditional employer-employee relationship. Employees no longer can be seen as mere resources; they are Independent Boutique Business Units (IBBUs) with specialized skills. Just as businesses choose vendors for their unique expertise, employers engage with employees for their distinct contributions.

Each employee operates as an independent boutique, delivering tailored expertise that aligns with the company’s goals.

The illusion of ownership within teams?

It's as real as a unicorn. Employees fundamentally are entrepreneurial consultants or skilled and/or non skilled workers, offering value until their services are no longer required.

Its time we imagine a corporation, not as a factory of human labour but as a network of these boutique units, all aligned to achieve the each others' dream and that of the founders' .

Its not about a single story of mass labour contributing to the stake holders' vision but innumerable stories helping build a single brand story.

The notion of ownership is a façade; it’s time to acknowledge that employees are essentially vendors contributing to a larger mission that is NOT theirs.

A Paradigm Shift: Re enforcing Employees as Boutique Service Providers

To foster genuine engagement and productivity, we must remove a few layers of conditioning:

1. Recognize Each Employee as an Independent Boutique Business Unit (IBBU) : Understand that every employee brings a unique set of skills and perspectives. Their value lies not just in their output but in the specialized expertise they offer.

2. Align the Employee with The Most Important Relationship: Help employees cultivate a deep, authentic relationship with themselves; which in most cases is the most neglected. Self-awareness and personal alignment are crucial for their personal effectiveness and personal satisfaction. I am not talking about MIndfullness sessions, which again is a super sham ! I'm open for a debate. This is such a lift-off from Vipassana.

3. Connect  Independent Boutique Business Units (IBBU) with Self-Purpose First before tranquillising them with Organizational Goals : Start by aligning personal purpose. An IBBU isn't just a revenue generator for themselves and the company; they're a unique entity with a clear "I AM." Help them understand their deeper motivation, qualify their choices, and ensure they connect their personal purpose with their current role

4. Move Beyond Ownership Illusions: Embrace the reality that employees are like vendors, offering their services as long as their expertise fulfils a need. Or their Self Purpose. Recognize that their engagement is a two-way street, where mutual benefit drives success. These sessions about driving the sense of ownership and layers of conditioning to the level of feeling tranquillised is such counter-productive.

Start by aligning personal purpose. An IBBU isn't just a revenue generator for themselves and the company; they're a unique entity with a clear "I AM." Help them understand their deeper motivation, qualify their choices, and ensure they connect their personal purpose with their current role.

And please let's not give a few large Blue Chip companies as examples. I am keen to witness this beyond a chosen few!