Building Strong and Successful Organisations: Lessons from the Human Body

To build a strong and successful organization, we can take inspiration from the human body, mind, attitudes, and culture. An organisation is much like a giant human being a powerful entity made up of thousands, or even millions, of individuals. For instance, a political party with three million members functions as a collective body. By understanding the similarities between an organisation and the human body, we can appreciate how an organisation, created by humans, can function like a giant robot, powered by laws, guided, and driven by human effort.

The Anatomy of an Organisation

An organization, like a human body, has different parts that play vital roles in ensuring it functions effectively:

The Head:

• The head houses four critical functions.

• Brain (Foresight): This is the primary function of the top leadership, responsible for vision and strategic direction.
• Eyes and Ears (Information and Feedback): These represent the channels of communication and data flow, crucial for decision-making.
• Mouth (Communication and Income): This is where communication and revenue generation occur—key responsibilities of the leadership.

The Limbs:

The hands and feet represent the workforce. The hands symbolize skills, while the feet represent hard work and execution. This is where operational tasks are carried out, following the directives from the top.

Vital Processing Organs:

• Heart (Finance and Cash Flow): Just as the heart pumps blood to the entire body, the financial system sustains the organization, ensuring it remains operational.

• Nervous System (Auto Control and Feedback): This is the internal control system, including audit functions, that ensures smooth communication between different levels and alerts the organization to any issues.
• Respiratory System (Legal Framework): The legal system is vital, just like breathing is to the body. If blocked, the organization can become paralyzed, similar to how a body can die if deprived of air.

The Organisation as an Artificial Human

Organisation’s or parties can be seen as artificial legal entities “Legal Human Beings.” God’s creation, the human body, is perfect, with a well-structured system where everything functions autonomously. In contrast, organizations, being man-made, require careful design and structure. We can’t create living humans, but we can study the science and art of being human to replicate the best aspects in the form of a robot or an organisation a giant artificial being. Unlike humans, organisations don’t possess senses or automatic functions. They need to be meticulously designed and built based on human knowledge and expertise.

Success Through Structure and System

The success of an organisation depends on how well it is structured, the systems in place, and how effectively it functions as a cohesive unit. In both politics and business, large organisations hold immense power due to their size and reach, sometimes even surpassing government institutions in terms of workforce and revenue.

It’s essential to remember that it’s the organisation itself that delivers goods and services not the leaders or workers individually. Leaders and employees are simply serving the organisation, not owning it. The true owners are the shareholders who might not even be involved in the day-to-day operations.

Respecting Hierarchy and Roles

Outside the organisation, I respect individuals according to their status and position in society, just as one would in a family hierarchy. For instance, within a family, respect is shown according to lineage, from grandparents to parents to grandchildren.

Conflicts often arise when there’s a misunderstanding of these structures and roles. This misunderstanding can lead to a breakdown in the organisation. Large political organisations like UMNO can falter because many fail to grasp the true function of the organisation and their role within it. They act based on personal likes and dislikes rather than following the organisation’s structure and rules. Titles and positions from the past no longer hold the same weight in today’s context.

Moving Forward with Wisdom

Now, as an individual with knowledge, experience, and a proven track record, I understand that my time and opportunities are limited due to age. I may no longer hold a position of power, but I am still eager to contribute voluntarily. The goal is to do our best as individuals and as part of a group, following the proper rules and structures. By doing so, we ensure that we have no regrets in our efforts.

In conclusion, building a successful organisation requires understanding and implementing the principles we can observe in the human body structure, systems, and roles all working together in harmony. This approach can guide us in creating strong, resilient organisations capable of thriving in today’s complex world.