Boardroom Squabbles: Is it not time to redefine what Sikhs should mean by success?

Success and Sikhism in the next decade...

We all know a little bit about what this means. Do we indeed? I have been looking into decision making processes of two major Sikh Temples and note that they are not very different from the boardroom ‘ousters’ in business or corporate life. Many a chief executive or chairman is asked to leave (to use polite language during this Holy Season of Christmas) when they least expect to be served notice.

Are Temple ‘politics’ driven by different agenda? Are these politics in the true sense? One would like to think so but err…the answer is ‘no’. The sources of conflict do vary significantly and indeed the drivers for change are mostly different. But people in contention believe that they have better solutions to offer and in some cases change is imposed by leaning on ‘external factors’ – power and wealth, which have nothing to do with offering subservient service to a place of worship. While the process of prolonged consensus creation, in some cases, may challenge the stamina and resilience of some members of the community, it seems to be a healthy way to resolve issues. The alternatives can be horrendous; especially where people resort to ‘strong-arm tactics’ (Do you get the gist of my point?) and the emerging solution appeals to no one, especially those who may spend a few days in the cooler...

In the main, while conflict can be constructive, it must also be managed creatively. Many people claim to ‘hate’ conflict when in many cases they have a problem of dealing with it. In a recent case, the causes of conflict were trivial and its resolution did not require a mastery of rocket science. The essence of the conflict was to use it as a lever to challenge authority or credibility of the incumbent committee. That was clearly wrong because neither side was willing to identify the real problems and to address them openly without resorting to personality bashing.

As 2009 draws to a close it is important to put all this debate into perspective. The first important lesson is that Sikh institutions are doing well by most standards; there is no common standard and perhaps there is not a place for one. The second major outcome is that Sikh communities continue to achieve if not survive in different conditions throughout the world. More and more temples are being built and new facilities are being added. For some, this is a measure of success but for increasing number of Sikhs, investment in infrastructure must be realigned with the development of the Temple as a multidimensional community organisation. While religious or pastoral issues must prevail, the Sikh community needs to invest in succession planning; bringing in young talent and new energy to deal with the non-religious agenda as a starting point. There is a strong body of knowledge and expertise relating to the preaching and dissemination of the religious doctrines of the Sikh faith. There is also substantial consensus - the religion is not torn by accrimonious debate relating to its fundamentals. There will be more focus on this aspect later.

There is a view that the Sikh religion is a great religion but it is in the hands of wrong people. This is grossly untrue as the management of the religious protocol or 'maryada' of a temple does not need the same type of skills that are required for community advancement, leadership training for women or critical issues in health and welfare. Where the people with religious duties do not have the skills to manage the broader agenda of community development other people with relevant expertise need to be brought in. There must be a duality of roles and functions and where these roles can be carried out with sincerity and caution, the whole Temple will be judged to be ‘successful’ or ‘progressive’. The issue is therefore about defining what we mean by success. Temple managements can be very good, resourceful and adept in the planning and delivery of religious programmes. The same cannot be said about their ability to envision, plan and deliver the community action programmes which will draw in young people, the mainstream community and growing number of professional Sikhs who also expect to see growth and development in the broader 'community development' aspects of Sikh life in the UK.

These are the real challenges for the next decade….economic success needs to be realigned with community empowerment in a changing society. How is this going to be achieved? Sikh infrastructure must equally be used for new and more challenging community development objectives, the successful resolution of which will bring more Sikhs to the Temple...