Swami Vivekananda

Contributor Personality Program

An Group Initiative

UNIT 11:

Practice Imaginative Sympathy

JULY 2012 BATCH

for students and faculty of Gujarat Technological University

by

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Developing a Contributor Personality

UNIT 11:

Practice Imaginative Sympathy

[Contributor Practice 5]
One of the unique qualities of Contributors is their ability to appreciate and understand others life situation, others mental condition, and others point of view. How do they do this? They have consciously developed a way of thinking called Imaginative Sympathy. In this way of thinking, they are able to give due importance to the human aspects of a situation, and not just the technical or commercial aspects. But this is not all. Imaginative Sympathy goes beyond looking at the human aspects of the situation. It also means that Contributors are able to anticipate possible interactions or reactions, they are able to take a multi-dimensional view of a situation and they are able to bring about changes or results while taking everybody along with them.
11.1 Exploring how to practice imaginative sympathy 11.2 Work place application 1 11.3 Workplace application 2 11.4 Workplace application 3 11.5 Project Work What you can do next Swami Vivekananda speaks to you: Expand your heart

pg. 2-5 pg. 6 pg. 7 pg. 8-9 pg. 10 pg. 11 pg. 12-13

UNIT 11: PRACTICE IMAGINATIVE SYMPATHY

11.1 Exploring how to practice imaginative sympathy

[CONCEPT EXPLORATION]

Non-contributors give importance only to the technical or commercial aspects of a situation. They are unable to see the human aspects of the situation. Contributors are able to appreciate and understand others life situation, others mental condition, and others point of view they then act accordingly.

Study the following examples

1. The Non-contributor Processing Officer who has no imaginative sympathy
One more proposal to be evaluated.

The Contributor Processing Officer who practices imaginative sympathy

By completing this proposal, I will be able to make one more contribution to national development.

Clearing Proposals
This Non-contributor Processing Officer sees his work as just clearing proposals and passing files nothing more. Thus, the respect, meaning, and value he has for his own work will be limited.

This Contributor Processing Officer recognizes the wider value and impact of his work he sees that by checking and clearing the proposal he will be contributing to national development. He believes his work is meaningful and respect-worthy. Thus, he is motivated to do a good job, because otherwise national development will be impacted.

2. The Non-contributor Hospital Administrator who has no imaginative sympathy

Today we processed 200 more patients than yesterday.

The Contributor Hospital Administrator who practices imaginative sympathy

Today we were able to serve 200 more people as compared to yesterday.

This Non-contributor Hospital Administrator gives importance only to the process efficiencies in the hospital. He forgets that patients are human beings whose lives are being served. To him, patients are only statistics and business numbers.

This Contributor Hospital Administrator is sensitive to the human aspects of his work. Thus more patients does not merely mean more business it means the hospital had an opportunity to serve the lives of more human beings.

3.

The Non-contributor Teacher who has no imaginative sympathy

I will give the students the list of questions to be asked in the exam. Then they will get good marks.

The Contributor Teacher who practices imaginative sympathy

Let me help the students understand the subject, so that they are able to not only do well in the exam, but also are able to do well in their future jobs.

This Non-contributor Teacher is only able to see the immediate / short-term benefits of helping her students get good marks in the exam. Thus, she tries to do whatever she can to help them do well in the exam. However, in this process, without her realizing it, many students miss out on getting true learning / education this harms them in the long run.

This Contributor Teacher appreciates the longer-term consequences of focusing too much on exams. Thus, she sees the importance of helping her students understand the subject deeper, and does whatever she can to enable this. Result - not only will her students do well in the exam, but they are more capable of earning success in the long run.
continued ...

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... continued

4.

The Non-contributor Graduate who has no imaginative sympathy

My degree gives me the power to get a job.

The Contributor Graduate who practices imaginative sympathy

My education gives me the power to transform society in my own way.

This Non-contributor Graduate sees himself and the value of his degree only in narrow terms of the job it will give him access to. Thus, he de-values himself and his degree.

This Contributor Graduate believes she has some role to play in transforming society (in her own way). Thus, she values herself and her education that gives her the power to make an impact and do something worthwhile in the world.

Group Worksheet 11.1:

Similarly (as shown in examples 1-4 above), imagine the following situations to visualize how the contributors (who practice imaginative sympathy) would respond differently from the non-contributors shown (who have no imaginative sympathy). Discuss to fill in.

1. Paresh goes to the insurance office to submit some documents for a claim.
See what happens when the insurance office has officials who dont have imaginative sympathy How would the insurance officials behave if they practice imaginative sympathy
[Visualize the situation and imagine their response to fill in]

One thing I can learn from this example, on how to practice imaginative sympathy

continued ...
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... continued

2.
The response of a Non-contributor motorman who has no imaginative sympathy
[Adapted from an article appearing in Jan 04, 2007 edition of Mumbai Mirror] On 4th January 2007, a Western Railway train in Mumbai bound from Churchgate to Virar inexplicably did not halt at a scheduled in-between station. It overshot the station and stopped 155 metres ahead of the station. Commuters who had to get down at this station had to jump off the train and tread their way back, running the risk of being run over by approaching trains. Many had to take a train back from the next station. Motorman J Ramachandran, on being questioned, responded, A motorman is running more trains now than earlier. The level of alertness required is tremendous and all the stress is telling on us. It is unfortunate that this incident happened, but we are not to be blamed.
[Visualize the situation and imagine his response to fill in]

What would be the response of the Contributor motorman who practices imaginative sympathy?

One thing I can learn from this example, on how to practice imaginative sympathy

3. Malini is on her last week of work as administrative officer with a software company. After
5 years at this job, she is now moving to a new city.
Malinis response if she is a non-contributor who has no imaginative sympathy
Malini, we will miss you. You have taken care of everything here for so many years. We are worried whether the new officer will be able to manage without you it will be chaos!

What would be Malinis response as a contributor who practices imaginative sympathy?

Malini, we will miss you. You have taken care of everything here for so many years. We are worried whether the new officer will be able to manage without you it will be chaos!
[Imagine and fill in]

Yes, I know and I will miss you all too. I hope the new officer is good.

One thing I can learn from this example, on how to practice imaginative sympathy

continued ...

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... continued

4. Dr. Shah is a famous orthopedic surgeon, known for his expertise in back-related illnesses.
See what happens in his clinic when Dr. Shah has no imaginative sympathy
These seats are so uncomfortable for the back! Hmm... sorry Im late.

How would the patients experience at the clinic be different if Dr. Shah practices imaginative sympathy
[Visualize the situation and imagine Dr.Shahs response to fill in]

We have been waiting for over 2 hours!

Take these medicines and come again in 2 weeks.

I would rather go to a lesser known doctor. My pain has worsened waiting on those uncomfortable seats!

One thing I can learn from this example, on how to practice imaginative sympathy

Reflection: What happens when people dont have imaginative sympathy in their work? Share some experiences you have come across that help you explain this.

Explore more on what it means to be a contributor who practices imaginative sympathy, on

[Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 11: Practice Imaginative Sympathy Concept Exploration]

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Foundation

C1: Why do you need to practice imaginative sympathy in your work? AND MORE ...

C2: How contributors, with imaginative sympathy, engage / go about their work

C3: How is imaginative sympathy different from empathy?

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UNIT 11: PRACTICE IMAGINATIVE SYMPATHY

11.2 Workplace application 1

[CONCEPT APPLICATION]

NEWS ANALYSIS
An Excerpt from an article in Hindustan Times, Mumbai Edition, May 21, 2011

Clean-up drive or fine collection drive of BMC

More than four months after the clean-up marshals scheme was discontinued over charges of corruption, the civic standing committee has cleared an altered version of the scheme on Friday, which drastically reduces the powers given to clean-up marshals. However, despite clearing the proposal, the corporators remain skeptical about the usefulness of the campaign. The scheme, introduced, in 2007 came under fire last year and was discontinued. Congress corporator Sameer Desai said that instead of bringing about awareness and inducing clean habits amongst citizens, the focus of the drive had shifted to collecting fines. Is this a drive to make the city clean or to earn revenue? The scheme has not even resulted in one clean street in the city, Desai had said. Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would ensure that marshals do not misuse the scheme. Also, a new clause has been introduced, wherein even the marshals or their appointing agency can be fined for wrongdoing. The chief shortcomings of the previous scheme were the approach of marshals towards people and their lack of awareness about the role of a BMC representative. said BP Patil, Chief Engineer of the Solid Waste Management department of the BMC.

Group Worksheet 11.2:

The clean-up drive of BMC started out with a vision of making the city clean. However, the Marshals implementing it lost sight of this larger vision and reduced their job to collecting fines from people dirtying the city. Thus, the drive, which was supposed to help citizens by ensuring the city was kept clean by citizens, instead became one more burden on citizens as a fine collection drive. Discuss to explore the consequences of the Clean-up Marshals lack of imaginative sympathy What is the impact of this on citizens? short-term consequences: What is the impact on the Clean-up Marshals? short-term consequences:

long-term consequences:

long-term consequences:

What is the impact on the Municipal Corporation? short-term consequences:

What is the impact on Mumbai city? On India? short-term consequences:

long-term consequences:

long-term consequences:

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11.3 Workplace application 2

[CONCEPT APPLICATION]

CASE STORY
The most important aspect while selling and marketing to rural India is to understand usage of products. Take for example, pressure cookers. In urban India, most of the cooking is done on a counter top, whereas in rural areas cooking happens at the floor level. Therefore, cookers need to have two handles to enable easy handling. Just having one handle will not work. It is a simple aspect of a product, but it makes a huge difference in terms of usage. In order to understand the needs of rural India we need to resort to what I call community embedded innovation.

PRADEEP KUMAR, FOUNDER CEO-MART

One of the things Ive always found is that youve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You cant start with the technology and try to figure out where youre going to try to sell it. Ive made this mistake probably more than anybody in this room and Ive got the scar tissue to prove it, and I know that its the case. As we have tried to come up with a strategy and a vision for Apple, it started with What incredible benefits can we give to the customer? Where can we take the customer? [Its] not starting with Lets sit down with the engineers and figure out what awesome technology we have and how are we going to market that.
In the Macworld Expo 1997

STEVE JOBS FOUNDER, APPLE

One of the creators of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, was interacting with wordpress users... The media library in WordPress was discussed. A man in the audience brought up a technical issue he had with the library. Mullenweg explained that you could actually do what the man wanted to in WordPress, but stated: The software is wrong, not the people.
MATT MULLENWEG, CEO-WORDPRESS

Mullenweg could have just told the man that youre doing it wrong before telling him the right way to work with WordPress. Instead, the fact that users had problems with the media library told him that the software needed to be improved.

Group Worksheet 11.3:

In the above 3 case examples, observe how practicing Imaginative Sympathy is very important if you want to create / design / develop user-centric or customer-centric products and services. Discuss to write of 3 practices of imaginative sympathy that you can learn, that will help you be more user-centric or customer-centric in your thinking

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UNIT 11: PRACTICE IMAGINATIVE SYMPATHY

11.4 Workplace application 3

[CONCEPT APPLICATION]

ROLE MODEL
Known for her no-nonsense ways, Kiran Bedi introduced a new way of policing in Tihar Jail. Once considered a hellhole, today Tihar stands testimony to the transformative intervention led by Bedi.

The jail was a mad house. Inmates were treated with no respect. I shared my cell with 25 other inmates. Fights were frequent. I did not know whether life was more miserable outside or inside. The first day Bedi walked into the jail in plain clothes. Madam asked us, Do you pray? I was surprised I did not answer. When none of us said I was surprised anything, she asked I did not answer. us, Would you like to pray?

It was accepted by all that a jail term had to be made miserable. I challenged that. Jail has to be transformative. Only then will we have reformed citizens.

I wanted to give them the message that I am here for you for a new way of life. When we finished praying there was complete silence. We had broken the ice.

Next, Bedi introduced a series of transformative measures in the jail such as literacy and higher education programs, panchayat system for self management of prison by inmates, de-addiction programs etc. Bedi and her team worked with missionary zeal to get these interventions to become an integral part of the jail. The sustained and persuasive effort started showing results after some time.

I completed my graduation from open university while in jail. This was after a break of 7 years.

We formed different committees to manage kitchen, library, sports activities, internal discipline etc. It was very satisfying to do something constructive.

In my teens I I got addicted to drugs. Here, I underwent counseling for de-addiction.

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Group Worksheet 11.4:

1. In this story, discuss to identify 3 specific ways in which Kiran Bedi practiced imaginative sympathy [HINT: For example, Kiran Bedi didnt see her role as just an in-charge of Tihar Jail, she saw her role as having
the power to transform the lives and futures of the jail in-mates]

2. Take up any 3 common professions that you and many of your classmates would consider for your future career. Brainstorm to uncover what power one can have in that profession, to touch / transform the lives of people. Profession
(eg: software developer)

What power one can have in this profession, to touch / transform the lives of people?

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UNIT 11: PRACTICE IMAGINATIVE SYMPATHY

11.5 Project Work

Field Work
Project Goal: To study how people (contributors) practice imaginative sympathy. STEP 1: Identify any one Contributor who you believe is a change-maker in his / her profession and approach to any work. It is recommended that you choose a contributor who is known to you or you can get in touch with, so that you can get a chance to interview this person. (This person may be from any field of work, and may be personally known to you OR may be a well-known person with whom you can get an interview OR someone who works in your locality eg: postman, watchman, etc.) STEP 2: Decide how you are going to present your project. As a Home-video project (recording a video of interviews etc. to make a short-film on the case), OR Slide presentation (with photographs, factual data, insights, sound / music, etc.), OR Poster presentation (with photographs, factual data, insights, etc.)

STEP 3: Interview this person and also talk to other people who know this person and interact regularly with him / her during the course of his / her work. In the interview, ask this person How does s/he see his / her work? What does s/he believe is the impact s/he can create in the lives of people through this work?

To share 3-4 incidents from his / her work-life where s/he believes s/he really made a contribution. For each incident, identify Did s/he practice imaginative sympathy? If yes, how? If no, what were the consequences of this? STEP 4: Make your final presentation by compiling the answers from your interviews / research and your observations on each of these answers, highlighting how this person practiced imaginative sympathy in his / her work. STEP 5: Present in the class.

OR do the above project (using the same 5 steps as a guideline) for any of these stories based on real cases, available on i-become [Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 11: Practice Imaginative Sympathy Concept Applications] Foundation

A1: YOGESHWAR KUMAR, THE TECHNOLOGIST WITH A HEART

A2: THE COLLEGE CLERK

A3: HOW DR.BAWASKAR BEGAN RESEARCHING THE CURE FOR SCORPION BITES

A4: THE SUNDAY POST

A5: DR.VIVEK PREVENTS A CRISIS

A6: AVERTING RAILWAY MISHAPS THE STORY OF A VILLAGER AND AN ENGINEER

NOTE: Dont just present these clips directly. Instead, study the contributors approach in the chosen clip, and then answer the questions given in Step 3 above. Compile your answers to build your presentation.

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What you can do next:

Attend the Contributor Classroom for Unit 11 (on Facebook

An online discussion session will be conducted for Unit 11, in the Contributor Classroom, to explore the practice of imaginative sympathy .

Join students and faculty from across GTU as we discuss this topic. To participate Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPP .July2012/ Log in with your own Facebook account (if you dont have one already, create new) Click on join group button to join the Contributor Classroom Once the group moderator approves, you can attend these discussions Make sure you register early enough so that you dont miss these sessions

To know the schedules for this, check your email / the i-become Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ibecomeInitiative

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Do the quizzes and practice tests to get an idea of what to expect in the examination.

To access these Log into your ActivGuide account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ Select Unit 11: Practice Imaginative Sympathy Exam Revision

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UNIT 11: PRACTICE IMAGINATIVE SYMPATHY

Swami Vivekananda speaks to you

Expand your heart

No individual can be a contributor if s/he is self-centered and uncaring about others. Therefore, to be a contributor, we must first expand our hearts. At the same time, one of the effects of contribution is that our hearts get expanded greatly.

First, feel from the heart. What is in the intellect or reason? It goes a few steps and there it stops. But through the heart comes inspiration. Love opens the most impossible gates; love is the gate to all the secrets of the universe.

Who feels there for the two hundred millions of men and women sunken forever in poverty and ignorance? Where is the way out? Who feels for them? They cannot find light or education. Who will bring the light to them who will travel from door to door bringing education to them? Let these people be your God think of them, work for them, pray for them incessantly the Lord will show you the way.

Him I call a Mahtman (great soul) whose heart bleeds for the poor, otherwise he is a Durtman (wicked soul). Let us unite our wills in continued prayer for their good. We may die unknown, unpitied, unbewailed, without accomplishing anything but not one thought will be lost. It will take effect, sooner or later.

So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them! I call those men who strut about in their finery, having got all their money by grinding the poor, wretches, so long as they do not do anything for those two hundred millions who are now no better than hungry savages!

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Feel, therefore, my would-be reformers, my would-be patriots! Do you feel? Do you feel that millions and millions of the descendants of gods and of sages have become next-door neighbours to brutes? Do you feel that millions are starving today, and millions have been starving for ages? Do you feel that ignorance has come over the land as a dark cloud? Does it make you restless? Does it make you sleepless? Has it gone into your blood, coursing through your veins, becoming consonant with your heartbeats? Has it made you almost mad? Are you seized with that one idea of the misery of ruin, and have you forgotten all about your name, your fame, your wives, your children, your property, even your own bodies? Have you done that?

Swami Vivekananda at Bhuj

Swami Vivekananda visited Kutch and met the Dewan Motichand Lalchand who introduced him to the Maharaja Rao Khengarji Bahadur III. He had long talks with both of them, upon the industrial, agricultural and economic problems of the land. He impressed upon them the need for ameliorating the condition of the masses as he had a great faith in the ability of the rulers to do good to their subjects if they could be taught about the ancient Indian ideals of civil government. The Maharaja of Kutch was one of the most cultured, advanced and enlightened native rulers of India. He took keenest interest in the subject of female education, got many standard English works translated into Gujarati and carried out considerable improvement in public works. Being three years younger to Swami Vivekananda, he must have entered into intimate friendship with him. The Maharaja was deeply impressed by Swami Vivekanandas magnetic personality and was astonished at his vast knowledge. He said : Swami Vivekananda, as after reading may books the head becomes dazed, even so after hearing your discourses my brain becomes dizzy. How will you utilise this talent? You will never rest until you have done wonderful things!

Have you never thought, of the hearts of the heroes? How they were great, great, great, and soft as butter?

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (Published by Advaita Ashrama, 5 Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata 14, India)

Source: Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot, website (www.rkmrajkot.org)

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