There is one ubiquitous entity we find in India which is quite difficult to find in most of the other countries and that is trash, dirt and heaps of garbage lying around. This is something which we have learnt to live with. Everywhere we go the dirt follows us faster than the Vodafone network!! Many people who take great pride in having a bath two times a day and boast about their hygiene practices dont hesitate littering their surroundings at all. Dont worry I am not going to preach about the "benefits of cleanliness" but rather trying to present a different perspective to it.
What I observe from my little experience is that hygiene is not a 'hygiene factor' in India. Sounds confusing or weird? I am talking about the 'hygiene factor' as explained in the two factor theory by Herzberg during my Organizational Behaviour(OB) classes of MBA. For those of you who dont know about this theory and those who have forgotten, let me state it right away. Hygiene factors are those factors which demotivate people when they are not present in a situation but do not motivate when present. e.g. job security, salary etc. In other words these are the essential factors and must be present. Therefore, they are generally taken for granted and can be assumed to be present. Just notice the term coined for these factors namely "hygience" which implies that hygience is something which can be taken for granted and there is nothing great or motivating about it. But the definition fails miserably here in India. Herzberg should have visited the subcontinent before coining the term for these factors! Probably the poor fellow never got a chance to do that or never had the time!
Now there are motivating factors which form the other side of the theory. As the name suggests these factors motivate people if present in a situation. For us, hygiene seems to have slipped in this category. It cant be taken for granted but certainly it motivates us in a sense that it makes us feel good sending positive signals all around. As motivating factors are not easily achievable and always come at a cost, so is the case with cleanliness in India. Cleanliness is a rare sight in India and comes at a premium if it exists at all. All of us have the experience of shelling out those extra bucks in places like shopping malls and multiplexes. We become ready to spend some extra amount so easily for experiencing the pleasure and sight of a clean ambience. This is entirely because we take cleanliness as a luxury and not something as normal or basic and hence dont take it for granted. Experiencing some eye soothing environment without paying any premium definitely makes us feel lucky!
It needs a fundamental shift in our thought and culture for bringing hygiene under the purview of 'hygiene factors'. Only we can make it happen. Trash belongs to the trash can and not on the roadside.
Now there are motivating factors which form the other side of the theory. As the name suggests these factors motivate people if present in a situation. For us, hygiene seems to have slipped in this category. It cant be taken for granted but certainly it motivates us in a sense that it makes us feel good sending positive signals all around. As motivating factors are not easily achievable and always come at a cost, so is the case with cleanliness in India. Cleanliness is a rare sight in India and comes at a premium if it exists at all. All of us have the experience of shelling out those extra bucks in places like shopping malls and multiplexes. We become ready to spend some extra amount so easily for experiencing the pleasure and sight of a clean ambience. This is entirely because we take cleanliness as a luxury and not something as normal or basic and hence dont take it for granted. Experiencing some eye soothing environment without paying any premium definitely makes us feel lucky!
It needs a fundamental shift in our thought and culture for bringing hygiene under the purview of 'hygiene factors'. Only we can make it happen. Trash belongs to the trash can and not on the roadside.
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