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Reminiscences of a rare researcher
Posted By bandara On May 12, 2014 @ 12:00 am In Ajantha Dharmasiri,COLUMNISTS,OPINION |
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[1]
One year has passed after the demise of Prof. Sudatta Ranasinghe. I feel the loss dearly in
missing an inspirational icon. It is a tale of a tall teacher. What I mean by tall is in terms of
academic achievements whilst being a genuine human being. Todays column is an effort to
recap the reminiscent memories of Professor Sudatta Ranasinghe.
Demise of a prolific author
I wrote two columns in the past highlighting two publications of Prof. Sudatta Ranasinghe.
One is Research Methods in Management, which he co-authored with Prof. Mangala
Fonseka. The other is Managing in the Developing Context. The last book he co-edited with
me is The HR Challenge. I had a stressful time finishing and publishing it after his untimely
departure.
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Our experience as
teachers of management as
well as supervisors and
examiners of research
undertaken by
postgraduate students in
management is that the
quality of research can be
improved substantially by
providing a simple, yet
comprehensive guide to
research in management,
particularly for the student
engaged in postgraduate
studies in management.
Thats how Prof.
Ranasinghe stated the
intention of writing such a
needed book.
In his next book, he drew
our attention to the
problems and prospects of
managing in a developing context. Managerial capacity of a nation is a critical factor that
affects the quality of life of the people as well as the freedom of choice they enjoy as
citizens, said Prof. Ranasinghe.
How a nation manages its resources is a factor that determines her ability to be competitive
in a sustainable manner in the global market. In a broader sense, the quality of governance
at national as well as corporate levels influences the choices made with regard to resource
allocation and utilisation, which impacts the level of growth, productivity and the distribution
of income having implications for the extent of self-reliance achieved by a nation.
Prof. Ranasinghe was of the view that though socio- political and economic issues of
development have been addressed in contemporary literature, the managerial issues of
development have not been addressed sufficiently in the Sri Lankan development
discourses. Hence our capacity to address critical issues of management in a proactive
manner has been limited. In this setting, the present volume intends to make a modest
contribution towards addressing selected issues of management from the perspective of a
developing country that has been going
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through a process of transition economically,
socially and politically during the past three decades.
Sri Lanka has a rich cultural heritage spanning over 2,500 years that has been nurtured
largely by the teachings of the Buddha, a great philosopher and a social reformer, observed
Prof. Ranasinghe. The Buddhist values of management such as commitment to a cause,
autonomy and responsibility, mutual respect and tolerance have had a profound effect on
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the way of life of our people. Over generations, these values have
influenced the thinking and actions of the people and their participation in
collective efforts.
Illustrious career
Starting his career as a research officer Marga Institute way back in 1972,
he reached the position of Senior Professor of Management (OUSL) working
for over 30 years in the university system in Sri Lanka. I met him first as a
beloved teacher in the MBA program of the Postgraduate Institute of
Management. His insightful and thought-provoking sessions kept us going
forward in the MBA studies.
He was a former Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the
Open University of Sri Lanka, from October 2004 to October 2007. In this
position, his main responsibilities involved providing academic and
administrative leadership to the faculty comprising of four academic
departments and assisting the Vice Chancellor in the management of the
university. It was a time of renewal with ample use of his refreshing
thoughts.
He served as a Senior Lecturer Grade 1, Postgraduate Institute of
Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, from 1 October 1992 to 1
June 2004. As a regular lecturer for the business and public administration
programs, he got heavily involved in curriculum development, teaching and
student assessment in the MBA/MPA programs, research supervision and
evaluation and assist the institute in the conduct of management
development programs for the private sector.
Another role he played well was as the Coordinating Consultant in Public Administration,
Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, from 1 August
1988 to 1 October 1992. He was instrumental in program coordination, developing the
curricula of the MPA program, conducting lectures, student assessment, research supervision
and evaluation.
Among the other jobs Prof. Sudatta Ranasinghe handled were training planner, Janatha
Estates Development Board, Colombo, from 1 July 1986 to 31 July 1988, Senior Training
Specialist in Management, National Institute of Plantation Management, from 1 March 1984
to 30 June 1986 and Senior Lecturer, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, from 1 June 1979 to 1
March 1984.
His candid views
As Prof. Ranasinghe opined in his usual lucid style, the colonial legacy of the dual economy
characterised by an export-oriented plantation sector and subsistence-oriented indigenous
agricultural sector had continued for generations despite changes in the political system
brought about by constitutional changes of 1972 and 1978 respectively. These changes
paved the way for establishment of the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972 and moving on to the
Executive Presidential system of governance in 1978.
Notwithstanding the changes in the politico-administrative system, the national economy
continued to be dependent on imports of food, medicine, intermediate goods and capital
goods and export of commodities and non-competitive manufactured items such as
readymade garments. At the same time the unprecedented growth in domestic and foreign
debt had made the countrys economy more vulnerable to external shocks.
Since gaining political independence in 1948 Sri Lanka had treaded on a path of development
following the welfare state model which lasted for several decades. According to Prof.
Ranasinghe, a paradigm shift in the policy regime that took place in the late 1970s marked
the end of the welfare state model of governance and the birth of the market-led growth
model. This important policy shift also posed the managerial challenge of balancing welfare
and growth in an economy that has been exposed to the winds of globalisation.
In the post-liberalisation era, the State assumed the role of a facilitator of development
while the private sector had been assigned the role of the engine of growth. Against this
backdrop, it would be important to probe whether Sri Lanka has been able to deal with the
managerial challenge of balancing welfare and growth to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
After the lapse of one decade of the new millennium, a significant proportion of the countrys
population continues to live in a state of poverty and share less than 5% of the national
income, observes Prof. Ranasinghe. This reflects social inequalities and poor human
development, which is no doubt an indicator of the poor state of management of national
resources.
The persistence of poverty in rural and estate sectors and wide disparities in the quality of
life of the people seem to suggest that development policies have not brought about the
desired results. Thus, it reinforces the need for good governance and effective management
practices.
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Unfinished work
He was battling cancer. Yet, as a true embodiment of optimism, he was looking forward to
much more writing. His last response to me last week was I will give you detailed feedback
on your Introduction to the book once I can do some work. He was not complaining but was
committing to tasks despite difficulties.
In writing on HR Challenge, he stated: The students as well as practitioners of HR are
convinced that there is a dearth of research-based literature on theory and practice of HR in
the context of development challenges faced by Sri Lanka. In particular, issues pertaining to
performance management and rewards, employer- employee relations, attraction and
retention of competent people, carrier opportunities for women, employee motivation and
commitment, etc., which affect peoples productivity and organisational performance are not
sufficiently researched and discussed.
In HR Challenge, he further discusses key people challenges faced by Sri Lankan business
organisations in the post-war economic reconstruction phase. Several challenges of HR-
based on seven case studies have been elaborated whilst identifying the multiple roles HR
professionals are expected to play in order to handle key HR challenges effectively in the
present context.
Way forward
Life is not only to live but to leave a legacy. Prof. Ranasinghe has aptly done that in his
knowledge-creating and knowledge-sharing life. In order to succeed, people need a sense
of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and
inequities of life, said Albert Bandura, the most admired living psychologist of our times. This
was very true of Prof. Sudatta.
He had a purpose to live and it was indeed a purpose-driven life. His thoughts will spark our
minds for a long time. I am proud to be one of his management students. Even after one
year, his worthy contribution continues to cater to countless learners. Goodbye my dear
teacher.
(Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri works at the Postgraduate Institute of Management. He can be reached
on ajantha@pim.lk or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.)
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