Changing contours of enterprise security

D.C. Pathak

(The writer is a former Director Intelligence Bureau)

COVID has affected the lives of individuals, organizations and nations alike but it is the world of business at large that has taken a hit because of curtailment of 'demand', 'jobs' and 'transportation'. Since the security function in an enterprise envelops all its facets – physical assets, manpower and operations including those designed to protect sensitive information – the paradigm shifts in business management caused by the pandemic are leading to a corresponding change in the approach and responses of the security management as well.

It may be mentioned that business enterprises have generally found in their security set-ups a source of strength in dealing with a contingency of large magnitude since security was now established as a mainstream function – not a peripheral standalone work assigned to a few hired hands. Cost effectiveness, a desirable principle for business, is consciously practised in security for it adds to efficiency – this together with the spirit of multi-tasking that security personnel carry with them, makes them an asset in a crisis like what Corona has created.

Some illustrations of how the evolution of business management triggered by the pandemic has also made the function of security a more challenging one can be noted. The paradigm shifts taking place in the world of business relate to work methodology, human resource deployment and arrangements made by the enterprise for evaluation of opportunities. Security is making a stellar contribution in all these spheres. Moreover, in regard to the quality of 'leadership' in the enterprise, security management is in a position to advise on how to strengthen it for the cause of the organization.

In business, there are three distinct changes in work methodology. One is the sublimation of the concept of 'work place' – that was pivotal to any enterprise – from a point in the clutter and din of a 'business headquarters' to a virtual location at a quiet table at home. With no pressure of working hours, preparations for setting out to work or the hassles of transport, the relative peace around allows for greater concentration and hence greater efficiency. Since efficiency can be defined as a measure of output per unit of time, the methodology of working from home is a productivity enhancer and might come to stay as a new feature of business management. Of course, the 'assembly line' cannot be remotely handled and that is why the pandemic has caused a crisis of production – this needs to be resolved through specific measures.

For security handlers, the added challenge is to ensure confidentiality of communication and make the cyber security protocols more stringent at the new work place. Also, there will be a need for introducing special briefings for all personnel concerned operating from numerous locations, on prevention of breach of 'protected' information.

A second factor relating to work methodology is that the pandemic has come as a reminder about return to a 'flat' organization that did not have the heavy load of vertical hierarchy. Thomas Friedman's 'World is flat' was about the impact of globalization but it has underscored the merit of a relatively 'flat' organization achieving greater efficiency, quicker decision making and cost effectiveness too. Finally, another distinct change in work methodology compelled by the crisis is the greater need for delegating the decision taking power even as the accountability for any failure would still be on the top management or the owner of the enterprise. This is an extremely positive management trend.

For the security set up all this works well because it consciously worked on its own as a 'flat' organization that was also used to the tradition of delegated responsibility- its personnel often run into situations where they would have to take a decision without prior approval from the authority above. These changes in the business management are therefore welcome to the handlers of security who might in fact be able to counsel the enterprise on these crucial matters.

As regards human resource deployment, the pandemic is bringing home the point that the 'hire and fire' policy of the capitalist economy could not be blindly followed. The first rule should be that the enterprise would avoid laying-off in favour of retaining the employees at reduced perks. This will add to the loyalty of the work force in the long run. Secondly, the experience of economic downturn has brought out the importance of 'up skilling' and 'reskilling' for improving the output, making an upward shift to fill in a slot easier and facilitating 'multi tasking' that is an instrument of cost effectiveness as already mentioned. And thirdly, a deep understanding of how the organization is run must exist amongst all members high or low, if the delegation of decision making was to work and execution of policy was to be perfected.

Now, as far as security is concerned, anything that strengthened organizational loyalty made the job of security handlers that much easier. Security management that intrinsically works on the principle of cost effectiveness could assist the enterprise in looking into things from that angle.

Further, since security managers know all about the organization and its operations across the length and breadth of the organization – security being now regarded as a mainstream function – they are well placed to share the work of briefing all employees on the functioning of the enterprise for creating a grid of understanding for delegated decision-making.

On the question of improving the evaluation of opportunities, the enterprise has to look into three things. First, a robust system of garnering Business Intelligence on market conditions and investment climate has to be created. Organized study and competent analysis of information available in the public domain has to be made. This is required for exploring options of partnership, merger or diversification. Secondly, it is now extremely important that the 'tacit' knowledge available with the work force of the enterprise is mopped up – nobody knows everything but everybody knows something.

Finally, it is the supply chain and the delivery cycle that are to be closely studied and evaluated for reviving the business bottom up. Indian economy characteristically has a large indigenous base – this is what had helped the country in the economic downturn of 2008 – and that is why 'vocal for local' is a wise call.

Security set-up can lend a helping hand in collation of business Intelligence because of its outreach beyond the organization. Security handlers can help the process of garnering 'tacit' information from within the organization. They are specially trained for this kind of work that would involve subtle interviewing. Security managers can contribute to the study of supply chain and delivery issues as they have a good idea of what impediments other business entities were facing – it is in their mandate to study the competitors. On the whole, security set-up has the advantage of being able to join up in the quest of the enterprise for business opportunities.

A subtle transformation is occurring in the business world in the domain of 'leadership' itself. First, the mandate of the Age of Information is that the leader has to be well informed because leadership is now tested for the ability to take knowledge-based decisions. A leader cannot claim leadership on the strength of inheritance or charisma. Being well informed means having the right information at the right time, having the information that makes a difference between a decision and a guess and having complete information as far as possible, with the awareness that knowledge comes in 'integral' packages. An employer today, for instance, must know of the legal requirement of providing for women's safety at the work place.

Secondly, the COVID crisis has tested if a leader could not only face a crisis but would, in fact, 'ride the challenge' to take the organization past it and ensure continuing progress. The pandemic has been called 'unprecedented' which, by definition, means that contingency plans of the past would not help. All leaders are on equal turf and success will come to those with mettle and imagination. It was Albert Einstein who famously said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

The third and perhaps the most striking upshot of the Corona crisis in the area of leadership is that the text book divider between a 'leader' and a 'manager' has been erased as the leader in these difficult times has to take responsibility for seeing a decision or a policy through to the last point of implementation on the ground. The leader has to sort out any impediments to production or delivery in a situation where there is a disruption of the human chain involved – any technological hiccups are on a different footing.

Coming to the role of security set-up, it goes without saying that it knows the importance of information. It plays the crucial role of presenting the top leadership with the risk profile facing the enterprise and thus completing the knowledge base of the latter. It can take a hand in sharing with the leader its own evaluation of what lies ahead using its imagination and also help in the monitoring of the implementation of projects on the ground – it is the "eyes and ears" of the business entity available in every nook and corner of the organization.

In the final analysis, the evolution of business management in this crisis has brought out the security set-up as a great problem solver for the enterprise. (IANS)