IDIO | Reflective Learning Journal

  

Week 1

Today was our first class of Individual Dynamics in Organizations with Prof. Viji.(This is what she likes to be called) As soon as I entered the class, I saw some charts hung up throughout the classroom. I knew the class was not going to be like any other regular classes we have. Then, entered Prof Viji and the first question she asked us before anything else was, “What do you think this course is all about?” 

Excitement was building up…hearing all the things we had in mind about our new course named Individual Dynamics in Organizations, or IDIO as we call it in style, she asked us to get up and write answers for the question written on the chart hung all around the classroom. Excitement was soaring…The questions were quite interesting, they were quite basic yet so profound. 

What are the challenges you have faced in your work?

What do you want in life?

What skills do you want to learn? etc. etc…..

All good. We settled down again and then she started adding her charisma. She showed us a powerful 15 minute video on the 26/11 Mumbai attack. At this point, I guess everyone would be wondering why is the video of a terror attack being shown to an MBA class. Actually, it was showing a broader picture of life. The one thing I vividly remember was Karambhir Singh Kang's calm and composed face when he was speaking about his personal loss in the attack. He is a case study of Karma yoga in itself. 

Prof Viji then told us the course tagline:

“Why do people behave the way they do?”

At this point, it was crystal clear to me that this course is going to be a self journey. 

A backdrop: From the last few years, I have been working on understanding, introspecting, and building my inner self. I love reading topics like how human nature and complexities such as personality, strength, value system, decision making process, perception, etc. influences trajectory, quality, and outcomes of a person's life. At that point, this course aligned perfectly with what I was interested in and was looking forward to. Prof Viji said that we will realize the importance of this course 5 years down the line…but I think I already know the importance and want to explore its broader meaning.

Personality

Today was our second class of IDIO. Prof Viji has asked all of us to take the MBTI test and come up with our 4 letter word. The MBTI, or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, gives you a set of questions and based on your response categorizes you into one of 16 personality types based on four dichotomous pairs: 

Based on energy: Introversion (I) or Extraversion (E)

Based on how we interpret the world: Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

Based on how we take decision: Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

Based on how we structure life: Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

(Source: Freepik)

Well, I found that MBTI is a great way to learn about how we think, spend energy, make decisions, and all. Many Fortune 500 companies used MBTI in human resources to get a better picture on employee personality, improving self-awareness, and developing strategies for better communication and teamwork. 

However, it is just a part of the big picture, not the whole frame. The few insights that I got from the MBTI test were quite contradictory to the person I am. Well, but nothing is right or wrong. No personality is superior to another. 

This is what Viji rightly said, you need to adapt to the situation. Wear the personality hat accordingly. For instance, in some situations, we need to make an orderly structured decision, but in some we need to hear our intuition and trust it. The real wisdom lies in how beautifully and correctly one uses appropriate hats depending on the situation. And the first step towards it starts with understanding how we truly are.

Viji said one thing that kind of stuck with me: Instead of being cynical, try becoming skeptical. And this is what I am doing.

Week 2

Week 2 IDIO class started with the discussion on the last dichotomy of MBTI: Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). And with this we ended our personality module. 

Here are my takeaways from the Personality module: Our personality plays an important role in the way we think, feel, react or respond. Understanding it makes us self aware and better controlled. Analyze and do what the situation demands.

Perception

The Next topic on the outline was yet another beautiful topic: Perception. 

Prof Viji showed us a video and there was this line which is still ringing in my head: the person you see in me doesn't exist. How powerful, yet simple this statement is. We can be altogether different person to different people. One may see us as a good son, lady’s man, murderer, insane, hood, and the list is never ending. 

I think we can't change what other people think of us. It is not in our control and we should not even waste our energy thinking about it. However, life is not binary, it is subjective. Sometimes, we do need to talk to the person about what they feel about us and communicate what we actually are and yes live up to it as well. Doing so can save our relationship, job, and yes give us a peaceful life. Sometimes we just need to hold on, breathe in, step in another person’s shoe, and see through their angle. This will not cost anything, but can give invaluable results we can't buy with money. 

Later in this class, Prof Viji asked us to form a group of 5 and do the Johari Window exercise. This was actually quite fun. I got to know how other people think of me and how it aligns with and contrast with what I think I am. 

The bottom line is: See things as they are, not as what you think they should be. Your perception is not reality. But, it has the power to become one because perception has a great influence on how we look at reality. Therefore, choose your perception wisely.

Strength

               

Day by day the IDIO class is getting interesting and the next station on our self discovery was Strength. So, the class started with these 3 words: Being impact doings. (It is beautiful how complex life can be explained in simple words. Isn't it?) 

Our thoughts, mental makeup, thoughts, experience and belief have a profound impact on how we live our life and how we deal with people in personal and professional spaces. 

In class, we talked at length about the immersive experience we get when we do things we love doing. This is the state where we become mindless. At this stage, the activity and we become one single entity, too strongly adhesive for any distraction to enter and break the bonds. Honestly speaking, I have been trying hard to practice this state in every thing I do(I know it is quite difficult, near to impossible actually, but I want to be mindful while doing every thing, be it eating, walking, spending time with family, and work.)  

We then moved to discovering ikigai, which ask one to answer these questions:

• What i love most

• What i am good at

• Wat i can get paid for 

• What the world need

It is a great Japanese technique that helps one discover the reason to wake up every single day. 

Later we did a character strength exercise where Prof Viji asked us to stick a bingo on our back and our classmate had to tick on the strength they associate us with. Quite fun. I got many great insights about how my classmates perceive my strengths after 3 to 4 months of being together. And yes, I have to thank Prof Viji for asking the class to tell my strength which was reflected on the screen. It was really great. Today's class was fun and a lot insightful because of all these activities. 

And yes…I got to know one more interesting thing in today's class: “Ahankara” doesn't have a negative connotation. It basically means identity. (Thanks to scholar Shraddha)

Week 3

The class started at its usual momentum. But Viji can never let the IDIO class turn into a mundane tone. Little did we know that something exciting was going to happen. She told us that she is gonna take a surprise quiz today. She asked us to take a page and start writing answers for the question displayed on the screen. After 5 minutes, she went outside(deliberately) for some seconds while we were busy dwindling with the answers(and yes many of us took the advantage of the situation and started copying the answers from our neighbor). 

She came back and said, “How many of you saw the opportunity and cheated?” Turned out, many did that. And here was when she revealed her prank and introduced us to the topic for the session: Ethics.

Ethics

Ethics is what you do when no one is watching you. This statement took me back to my school days. I remember the time when my physics teacher asked our class, “What do you think a person’s character is?” When everybody was giving their answer of what they think the character is, he gave us another question to ponder upon: “Why do you think Shri Ram is called Maryadapurushottam?” 

After our many failed attempts, he said: Character is what you do when no one is watching. And I think this statement kind of stuck with me forever. Back to this class, I got to know that this is what ethics or say integrity is all about. 

One analysis found that 57% of Fortune 500 companies have integrity listed as a core value in their mission statement, making it the most common listed job requirement. Businesses are built with people and for the people, and that’s why ethics become extremely important.

A company’s success depends not just on profits but on how fairly it treats its employees, customers, and society. When businesses act ethically, with honesty, fairness, and respect, they build trust, loyalty, and long-term success. 

The people who are ethical are the ones who believe in long term implications rather than short term(The Marshmallow Experiment). They understand that integrity and honesty hold more power than temporary gains. Ethical people believe in something greater than personal advantage. They know that karma is always working, what you give comes back to you. When we live ethically, we feel inner peace, because when our actions align with our values and we don’t have to carry guilt or doubt. 

So, ethics are not just about doing what is right in front of others, but about being true to yourself. Being ethical is a choice, and choice is the only thing human beings can control. 

Week 4

Decision Making

In today’s class on Decision Making, I realized how often our choices are influenced by factors we’re not even aware of such as emotions, biases, and mental shortcuts. So in the morning we did a decision making simulation, where we were presented with a crisis management problem for which we have to make decisions. Unknowingly and intuitively, we gave in to various assumptions and biases while making decisions. 

(Source: Freepik)

Later in class, we had a good discussion about several important concepts that influence how we think and choose — biases, metacognition, bounded rationality, satisficing, and the OACTURI framework. I realized that most of the time, we don’t really think about how we are thinking. Being aware of my own thought process is the first step in improving decision making. Sometimes, just asking “why am I thinking this way?” can give one a clear picture of the situation.

A further point to be noted is that we never have complete information or unlimited time to decide. In this condition, we should always pick the best available option(Satisficing concept), instead of always trying to find the perfect solution(actually it is very difficult to find, and not at all practical sometimes)

The OACTURI framework (Outcome, Alternatives, Consequences, Trade-offs, Uncertainties, Risks, and Interests) gave a structured way to improve decision-making. I found it very practical because it forces us to look at decisions from multiple lenses and have a holistic view of the situation. 

Last but not the least, comes intuition. The gut feeling you can’t really explain but somehow trust anyway. Intuition comes from all the experiences, patterns, and small lessons we have picked up over time without even realizing it. Most people think that intuition is the opposite of rational thinking, but that’s not true. In reality, intuition and logic do complement each other. The real wisdom lies in increasing the quality of your gut feeling and knowing when to use it. 

So all in all, the discussion taught me that good decision-making is not really about choosing the best option, but more about being aware of how we think when we make those choices. Good decision-making is a mix of intuition, critical reasoning, and reflection.

Emotions

The next topic on the list was emotions. One may be faulty think about what emotions are doing in a professional course curriculum. But wait, emotions are everywhere. In today’s class we discussed how emotions affect our judgement and the role of emotions in the workplace. Understanding the human emotion helps in developing emotional immunity and physiological congruence can help individuals remain stoic and maintain equanimity.

(Source: Freepik)

No emotion is inherently good or bad. Every emotion has a role and value in shaping who we are and how we respond to the world. Discussing this in class reminded me of one of the most beautiful movies I have watched - Inside Out. 

This idea is beautifully captured in this Pixar masterpiece story. It shows how basic human emotions such as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust all work together to guide a young girl named Riley through life’s challenges. As she becomes a teenager, secondary emotions such as anxiety, boredom, embarrassment, etc. enters her life and at the end every emotion works in tandem, complementing each other, to create the best life experience for Riley. The movie shows how important it is to embrace all emotions(joy or sadness, love or hate) instead of avoiding the uncomfortable ones. Throughout the story, Riley is guided by her emotions and each emotion is trying to take control of how she feels. At the end, there is a scene when Ryle gets to choose who she wants to be, she learns that she does not have to be defined by just one emotion. 

(Source: Inside out Movie)

When we stop judging emotions and start understanding them, and yes embracing them, we build emotional strength and a deeper connection with ourselves. When we are high in emotion, the amygdala often gets hijacked, making us react impulsively rather than respond mindfully. Negative emotions spread faster and stay longer, so recognizing them early is the skill to develop. 

A wise person is the one who has learnt to practice equanimity. Emotional awareness, selective attention, developing equanimity, and conscious detachment are some of the techniques to build emotional immunity. This can be built through practices like mindfulness, journaling, deep breathing, and consciously reframing situations, allowing us to respond with clarity rather than emotional reactivity.

Week 5

Outbound Activity

We have learnt to expect the unexpected from Prof Viji and when she told us that we will be having outbound activities today, we knew that it was going to be exciting. We reached the place on time and there were 4 activities lined up for us. We were divided into 5 teams with random people. All of the four activities did exactly what they were meant to do: break the ice, taught us the importance of trust, coordination, single line of command, team work, playing to each other’s strengths and most importantly, enjoying the process. For me the game of guided blindfold navigation was out of the box. 5 blindfolded people had to score the goal from the opponent team and we all were allowed to use only two words: loo and luz. This activity taught me the importance of effective communication and the ability to filter out the noises. Effective communication is about using the right words at the right time. 

Creativity

The session on creativity was taken by Coach Shiva Subramaniam. Shiva is the co-founder of Biomimicry Compass (incubated at IIT Madras). His session was quite insightful but I couldn't attend it because of some urgent personal issues. However, I got in touch with my class fellows and got to know what he discussed. This is what i think creativity is and what the Coach Shiva discussed:

According to me, creativity is letting your brain flow the way it wants to(with positive energies). Creativity is not just about creating something extraordinary. It is the ability to see things in a better way and act upon them. Creativity feels most potent when you let the soul speak through you, unfiltered, honest, a little bold. It is not about being new or perfect, it is all about just showing up and trusting what is coming through. In my point of view, life is creation and being connected with life drives your creativity. 

Where do we need creativity? The answer is simple: everywhere. Creativity can be built and there are many tools that can help you build it: curiosity, problem solving, lateral thinking, courage, listening, experiments, discipline, self belief, dreaming, and imagination to name a few. 

Motivation

In today’s digital world, motivation is, I guess, one of the most misused words. I always believed that motivation should always be intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation may give you a good stimulus, but can't last longer. Anything that we do has a motivation associated with it. Motivation is basically the reason, the purpose, the why of something. When the motivation is clear, the why is clear, you can bear any how. That’s how powerful motivation is. It can give you the fuel and direction to achieve what you want. Everybody needs motivation and if the person is able to be self motivated, that's mastery. 

Motivation depends on how you perceive things. One of the hardest things that I have faced is, to keep yourself motivated when nothings seems to be working the way you planned, want, or were working for. When I was doing undergrad, I started a hyperlocal food delivery system, but after running it for a good 2 to 3 years, I had to shut it down. After college, I was back home, and didn't take up any placement, thinking I will do something of my own. I tried a lot, but nothing worked according to what I planned. It was really tough to stay motivated and work with full energy. But I did. I did because I thought that I am just seeing tiny percent of what is ahead of me. Honestly, for me, considering and imagining that there is a more powerful energy beyond my scope(that is God), keeps me motivated. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, now that this quarter is ending, I am going to miss IDIO classes, and especially the way Prof Viji engages the class. A good leader or manager should be capable of understanding and managing oneself and this is exactly what IDIO taught me. I always wanted to study psychology and this course was a snippet of it. I will forever cherish these discussions.

PS: It's really disheartening to hear that this will be the last time IDIO is being offered.

Self Declaration: LINK

(The AI check and plag report are attached in the link)