Comments on "IISC incident shows Indian Sciences's Succes"-headlines of Business Line

The attack at the IISc does not appear to have been targeted at any scientist but generally at the IT industry for which Bangalore is best known. If, as is suspected, a jihadi group is involved, it could be, besides political and religious reasons, with an economic angle. Perhaps, the attack is symbolic — at an important source of foreign exchange earnings, keep foreign IT companies away from India and impact the stock market, which attracts considerable overseas funds.

It is a symbol of the success of Indian science and technology, of our emergence as a knowledge power that the symbols and temples of our knowledge society, are today being targeted by terrorists

The question is not what needs to be done in IISc or other such strategic or symbolic places in India. The question is does India have a comprehensive Counter Terrorist policy in place. All arms of the government needs to co-ordinate and appropriate measures taken, this will include our diplomatic efforts, our intelligence gathering policy, intelligence sharing, and communication to non-government agencies, apart from stricter measures in security. Counter Terrorism is to be viewed as a whole, and not as a function that is to be discharged by mere security agencies.

Why did the persons responsible for the December 28 incident target the scientists attending an international conference? It does not appear to have been a targeted attempt to kill any particular scientist though media reports speak of the presence of some space scientists at the conference. South India, in general, and Bangalore, in particular, not only have a large concentration of IT experts, but also famous scientists.

The attacks show that Bangalore, Hyderabad & Chennai are the prime targets of the attackers because they are the symbols of the India’s technological might.

The country is waking up to a new reality - its success in IT and concomitant economic boom has excited malice in certain quarters, who would like to attack symbols of that success.

Adaptability and Understanding

Adaptability is becoming a hallmark of effective performance at all levels and types of organizations. As complexity rises within the internal and external environments that organizations operate within, it is no longer acceptable to be able to perform well when things go as expected; instead individuals, teams, and organizations must be able to continuously adapt their knowledge and skills in order to remain competitive in environments which are fluid, often ambiguous, and where multiple pathways to goal attainment exist. Adaptability is not limitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation.

Effective performers in today's organizations are those who anticipate future needs and adapt to changing job requirements by learning new tasks, technologies, procedures and roles

Acting with planfulness, whether in the face of discontent or not, decreases the likelihood that one will feel a sense of personal crisis when experiencing a career transition.

Career-resilient people are likely to engage in self-development activities that will enable them to take advantage of opportunities .And success in managing role changes, aided by development activities. May it be at any level individual, team or an organization of a whole, Understanding is what is needed at any stage of career for the better of it. It is noteworthy that they emphasized that transition and change should be viewed as natural and inevitable, not as detours in one's life.

During periods of discontinuous, abrupt change, the essence of adaptation involves a keen sensitivity to what should be abandoned - not what should be changed or introduced. A willingness to depart from the familiar has distinct survival value.

Occupational problems have negative consequences across life domains, yet relatively little research addresses the psychological resources necessary for the adult career transition.