Dear Sgforumites,
Below is an article i had copied from the NTU tribune paper. The
tribune paper is a publication from the NTU Students Union.
please comment kie thanx..
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Process Orientated or Result Orientated?
By Ahmad Azizul April 6, 2007 10:04 pm
No doubt the saying teaches us: the process is always more
important than the end result. However we abide so strictly by
this rule of thumb that many a times we fail to holistically assess
the situation and let our better judgement elude us. We need to
open our eyes and rethink our mindsets.
We live in a result orientated culture, well, we and almost
everybody else in the world. It is a world where the person who
puts in the most effort does not necessarily win. In addition to
the fact that we were all created unequal.
One clear illustration we surely can relate to would be for example
two students disparity in their GPAs. Ceteris paribus, surely the
one with the higher GPA would be attributed more success and its
relevant sweet rewards, while the other will receive
correspondingly less success. One may say, perhaps the former was
blessed a genius and the latter to be less well endowed, but the
latter tried his very best and surely deserves praise. Im all for
it, however this praise doesnt manifest itself in any tangible
form of rewards; it merely reassures us of our mediocrity.
In my opinion, what matters at the end of the day is that work gets
done. Imagine your electrician says he did his best to fix your
lightings but failed to in the end, during your examination period.
Would you still want to pay him? I mean, try convincing your
girlfriend that you put in a lot of effort but got her nothing in
the end. (I sure dont understand the concept of effort often.)
Effort that produces no result is termed futile.
With that, we should all re-examine the concept of work ethics.
Effort is the formative stages of result. And so there is usually
little result without effort yet more so effort doesnt guarantee
result. The reason we put in effort is to achieve a purpose and
thus this purpose is the aim. We are taught to focus on effort
because of softer human traits and everything that makes us a
harmonious society so that everyone can be pacified, and its makes
us all a little more human.
Effort is important but in my opinion, maybe we should assess the
situation more completely and notice that results sometimes is more
so too. Effort is associated with qualities like hard work and
punctuality. And in many cases, such qualities have been magnified
to end up have more weightage than any worthy productivity in the
end. And that mindset is what I believe should be reassessed. Many
a times, we can and perhaps should give and take on some aspects of
effort and cut down on stereotypes of how people who are often late
are definitely tardy in their work, etc.
It is clearly illogical to penalize a person, who produces good or
excellent work, due to his lack of a punctual trait. I mean after
all, in a corporate setting, you hired him for his work, not his
punctuality. And having amazing work ethics does not mean hell
produce better work. Have you heard of the saying that good guys
finish last? This new mindset is slowly being adopted and adjusted
in certain innovative companies right now.
Its just a rethinking of another customary school of thought we
have subconsciously ingrained into ourselves. Let us question
concepts we are familiar with and have blindly adopted. Let us form
our own thoughts, whether right or wrong, and become truly become
Thinkers, I mean, after all that is what were here in university
for.