Recently in a seminar about Youth and Ethics, Christoph Glaser (trainer) began with a pragmatic example illustrating the significance of formal vs informal authority in a leadership position. He stood tall enough in a confident posture to drag attention of about 60 youths from different walks of life. He accompanied there as a formal authority to conduct the session. However he tried to achieve informal bonding with participants before he could start the session effectively. His conclusion was that in order to be successful in a leadership position, a person should not only possess a formal legitimate authority but more importantly a respectful informal authority.
By formal authority we mean duties and responsibilities that a person in a status accompanies as a result of being in a position. Formal authority provides the person with a limited jurisdiction under his/her arena. Whereby by informal authority we mean a informal respect and recognition that a person gains by the virtue of his/her personality and the long term practices. Such authority is bestowed upon person if only the ideal and principles followed by him compliment with that of vast majority of people.
Well that was some sort of analysis. I was pondering about these things and recently got confronted with a heated dilemmas in Nepalese medical sector. The background is that most of the public institution in Nepal face political appointment of the head of such organization. Under political influence most of incompetent and less competent make it into the helm of those organization. Similarly Dr. Sashi Sharma was appointed as Dean of Institute of Medicine (Tribhuwan University) by the Vice-chancellor of the university. Nepalese medical sector at present is going through different malpractices. It is often said that there is mafias of people who lobby for such political appointment to get their vested interest executed. Providing legality to Proposed Medical college without appropriate infrastructures, appointment of incompetent people in top portfolios, using undue pressures in selection of medical students etc is common. Having a strong opposition to these malpractices, Dr. Govinda KC launched a sit-in protest of fast-unto-death in-front of IOM demanding the immediate removal of Dr. Sharma who is said to have been no. 38th in the merit list for the position of Dean. The cause of Dr. KC was fair enough: to free medical sector from political interventions. After some days of protest, the public support engulfed in such a way that the case become a heated one in Nepalese socio-Political arena. After facing lot of pressure from different sectors and public, the government finally decided to nullify the decision of the TU board to appoint Dr. Sharma as a Dean. (Read here about the case)
My conclusion here is, Dr. Kc advocated for a ethical practice: to free IOM from political intervention. He had a clean image of helping people in need, regardless of country, be it in Uttrakhand natural calamity (India), or in devastating earthquake in Bhuj(India), Burma after cyclone Nargis in 2008, earthquake in 2008 in Haiti and so on, all of which were self-sponsored trips. Over the time period Dr. KC had gained so much of respect and recognition in his profession because of which his informal authority had elevated. And finally he was able to prove it, even if you have informal authority and are supporting something ethical, the chances are high to be in your favor even if the formal authority is against you.
Well that was some sort of analysis. I was pondering about these things and recently got confronted with a heated dilemmas in Nepalese medical sector. The background is that most of the public institution in Nepal face political appointment of the head of such organization. Under political influence most of incompetent and less competent make it into the helm of those organization. Similarly Dr. Sashi Sharma was appointed as Dean of Institute of Medicine (Tribhuwan University) by the Vice-chancellor of the university. Nepalese medical sector at present is going through different malpractices. It is often said that there is mafias of people who lobby for such political appointment to get their vested interest executed. Providing legality to Proposed Medical college without appropriate infrastructures, appointment of incompetent people in top portfolios, using undue pressures in selection of medical students etc is common. Having a strong opposition to these malpractices, Dr. Govinda KC launched a sit-in protest of fast-unto-death in-front of IOM demanding the immediate removal of Dr. Sharma who is said to have been no. 38th in the merit list for the position of Dean. The cause of Dr. KC was fair enough: to free medical sector from political interventions. After some days of protest, the public support engulfed in such a way that the case become a heated one in Nepalese socio-Political arena. After facing lot of pressure from different sectors and public, the government finally decided to nullify the decision of the TU board to appoint Dr. Sharma as a Dean. (Read here about the case)
My conclusion here is, Dr. Kc advocated for a ethical practice: to free IOM from political intervention. He had a clean image of helping people in need, regardless of country, be it in Uttrakhand natural calamity (India), or in devastating earthquake in Bhuj(India), Burma after cyclone Nargis in 2008, earthquake in 2008 in Haiti and so on, all of which were self-sponsored trips. Over the time period Dr. KC had gained so much of respect and recognition in his profession because of which his informal authority had elevated. And finally he was able to prove it, even if you have informal authority and are supporting something ethical, the chances are high to be in your favor even if the formal authority is against you.
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