Financial Times

To know and to do: The knowing-doing gap
By Random Access Memory (RAM)
Are we to think that it is pure stupidity that prevents our leaders and politicians from doing what is best for our country and her people? Do they lack knowledge of the aspirations of the people in not caring who does what for them, as long as the right things are done, to make a better life for them and their children?

Is it a lack of information and knowledge on the part of our leaders of the feelings of the majority of the people of Sri Lanka, who want them to work together in unity, to solve the national issues that we face, such as the ethnic question, economic and social development and the provision of better education, health services etc.? Or is it the result of what is now known in corporate management circles as the Knowing-Doing Gap?

The Knowing-Doing Gap is the title of a book published by the Harvard Business School Press, authored by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton. Some of the content headings itself say a lot about what ails our body-politics as well as our body-corporate. They run like "Knowing 'what' to do is not enough", "When talk substitutes for action", "When memory is a substitute for thinking", "When fear prevents acting on knowledge", "When measurement obstructs good judgement", "When internal competition turns friends into enemies" and "Turning knowledge into action".

This indeed is a book written targeting the corporate sector, which tells us that all is not well there as well. In finding an analogy of what is presented there, within the context of the relationship Sri Lanka's private sector 'engines of growth' have, with her leaders in the political arena, we can see clearly where we have miserably failed. What do we in the private sector do, when we have blatant knowledge that our political leaders engage each other in useless exercises of battling for supremacy without focussing on productive pursuits, making non merit- based appointments to positions of responsibility in spite of declarations of doing the right thing?

Is it not that we cheer from the sidelines most of the time? Is it not that we engage ourselves based on the loyalties we have for our friends, school chums or even support our lineage links? Is it not true that we do not reflect the genuine will of the people, acting with a true sense of social responsibility? Is it not true that we issue statements of substance on national agenda, but do not follow-up on them to make sure they are acted on? Is it also not true that most among us say things our friends in politics like to hear, preventing them the knowledge of the stark realities of needs and feelings of the people and issues that need resolution? Is it not true that we ourselves do not do much, to turn the knowledge we have of what is right and wrong and do the right things with brevity, conviction and courage?

The last Chapter of the book 'The Knowing-Doing Gap' is titled 'Turning knowledge into action". It falls on those that profess to have knowledge of things to turn it into meaningful and courageous action.

That means having to stand up for what is right, acting with a deep sense of social responsibility. The clarion call is to work towards uniting those that are divided in the body polity, without seeking to benefit ourselves from the divisions.

Apart from having the satisfaction of bridging the knowing-doing gap, we can also be profound contributors to nation building not merely as cheering sideliners but as active participants.

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