Dr Madhav Mehra is a unique management visionary and a futuristic thinker. He is the founder of India's Institute of Directors and is Chairman of World Quality Council and President of UK based World Council for Corporate Governance. He speaks to The Asian Age in a candid interview.

What led to the birth of a premier organization called IOD?

I believe corporate leadership has a tremendous role to play in the economy of a nation. In today's economy it is the business that drives the government. According to a Chinese proverb if you wish to clean a staircase, you have to begin at the top. Studies have revealed that 85% of the organisatioal problems are due to poor management. Only 15% due to poor workers. Founding of IOD coincided with the beginning of India's economic reforms. We thought the best way to improve the competitiveness of India's companies is to upgrade professional skills of the directors. Institute of Directors was founded fifteen years ago with the aim of improving competitiveness of Indian leadership. In 1990, we held the first World Congress on Total Quality and this created a platform for exchanging experiences on quality problems with international experts. We also had pre congress and post congress tutorials on leading edge business topics. Today's best performers ONGC, Reliance, Ranbaxy have all participated in our training programmes.

The 14th world congress on total quality focuses on the theme of Corporate Social Responsibility. Can you please elaborate on this?

The theme of this year's Congress is "Triple bottomline approaches for building corporations that last". The concept of quality has moved from just products or services to new areas encapsulating people, society, environment and governance. The success of a company stems from focus on three things- profit, people and planet. This is called the triple bottomline approach. The Congress is unique in the sense that it is dealing with all the three issues that are driving today's business i.e. quality, environment, corporate social responsibility. It is also the first time that a Six Sigma program has been organized by internationally renowned faculty at such a cost effective manner. Six Sigma training and consultancy has hitherto become highly elitist due to astronomical fees being charged by consultants with the result that small and medium size companies cannot afford it. These workshops are being held at very nominal fees specially designed to benefit SMEs.

What has been your vision & how far have you been able to achieve and give to the society in your capacity?

I believe that managing diversity and bridging disparities are the two greatest challenges of our time. These require a cross-functional approach integrating quality, environment and governance. In the knowledge economy value comes from sharing. The gain depends on the degree of diversity. Greater the diversity more is the gain. Diversity in disciplines, experience, ethnic, religious, geographical and social background as well as age and gender brings differing view points resulting in a clash of ideas which fosters innovation, the key to economic success today. It was 150 years ago that Darwin showed how sowing a variety of crops can enhance the yield. We have yet to apply it for humans. Widening social and economic disparities are time bombs waiting to explode. People will not accept a second-class status in the new economy. Corporations, therefore have a role to ensure that they engage with all stakeholders to ensure that the communities in which they operate participate in the company's growth to make globalization work for everyone. I think that greed does not have to be the sole driver of human agenda. Through my involvement with the organizations you mention and several other voluntary sector organizations, I am currently in the process of building networks that will leverage human diversity in all its forms and help bridging the yawning economic and social gap.

The Golden Peacock Awards announced for Quality & Innovation annually has become a benchmark. What led to introduction of such a platform?

Humans by nature are highly competitive. Their adrinalin works only when they find someone else has done better. Recognition through an award, which is based purely on merit, can be a tremendous morale booster. Golden Peacock Awards have given a huge boost to Indian industry. One can fairly assert that India's manufacturing success today is, to a great measure, due to the learning experience provided by the self assessment model on which the Golden Peacock National Quality Award is based. The awards provide a check list for improvement and self assessment in areas of quality, innovation, training, governance, environment management and corporate social responsibility.

What do you envisage for the future?

A lot of good work is being done currently at various levels by a whole lot of organizations. Unfortunately most of it is compartmentalized. There is little cohesion, integration or holistic approach so vital for improving human situation. I am a staunch believer that issues of quality, environment and governance need to be looked at in an integrated way to enable corporates adopt a triple bottomline approach focusing on people, profit and planet-. We are living through highly exciting times. Never before in human history the space between what can be imagined and what can be achieved has been narrower. India has achieved a lot in the past few years but the ground to be covered is enormous. Despite all the economic glory, India's position in human development remains 127th among 175 nations. The fruits of the current glory are being enjoyed only by 6% of its urban middleclass. My vision is to use the power of training and networking to extend it to the balance 94%.