The Battle of Plassey (1757 AD)
Throughout history, wars have left an indelible mark on human psyche. Serious debates have been held on the morality of and the strategic necessity for war. And yet, like every dark cloud that has a silver lining, wars too at times leave a society wiser.
India is no stranger to wars. And there are many lessons to be learnt from each of those battles — management lessons, to be precise. Here we present the fourth in a series of articles on management lessons drawn from Indian history. This one looks at the Battle of Plassey. Read on. . .
The Battle of Plassey (1757 AD)
Mir Jafar, alias Sayyid Mir Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan, is to India’s history what Benedict Arnold is to that of the United States.
Mir Jafar came to Bengal as a traveller and took up a job in the army of Ali Vardi Khan, then Nawab of Murshidabad (near Kolkata). He fought many successful battles for the Nawab. This earned him a promotion and his career saw a meteoric rise under Khan.
Apart from showering many favours on Mir Jafar for his service to him, Nawab also married off his half-sister to him. This helped him gain an important position in the Nawab’s court.
But Mir Jafar’s thirst for power was not satiated by this ‘meagre’ progress. He had his eyes on the Nawab’s throne. Ali Vardi’s state had weakened considerably because of its constant conflict with the Marathas.
Mir Jafar wanted to make the most of this situation and conspired to murder and overthrow the Nawab. But unfortunately for him, the Nawab came to know about his plan and stripped Mir Jafar of all his powers.
Lesson: No management should let an incident of misconduct or treason pass. Unethical conduct by any person warrants eviction. A routine step like job rotation or transfer doesn’t help. An immediate disciplinary action, on the other hand, sets a precedent for others. No organisation should tolerate any behaviour not aligned with its policies.
After having his wings clipped, Mir Jafar concentrated on rebuilding his career. He now worked hard to earn the confidence of the Nawab’s grandson Siraj-ud-Daulah. His toil paid off. For, when Siraj ascended the throne of Bengal after Ali Vardi’s death, he made Mir Jafar head of his army.
Lesson: Mir Jafar followed the much talked-about maxim of life: ‘when one door is closed, look for another’. A setback should not stop one from pursuing one’s dream. One should be open to explore all opportunities at hand and try to capitalise on them. Perseverance always pays.
The ancestral throne that Siraj sat on was a thorny one. He was constantly involved in warfare with the British. Initially, however, he overpowered them and even won Fort William in a battle against the British. The fort was christened Alinagar by him.
Soon after, the British were forced to sign a pact, the Treaty of Alinagar, with the Nawab.
In the meantime, Siraj had appointed one Mohanlal as his diwan, much to the chagrin of Mir Jafar. Being below Mohanlal in the hierarchy displeased him and this feeling of dissent fuelled his latent intent of overthrowing Siraj.
Now, Mir Jafar gradually embarked on a journey of deception and conspiracy. He joined hands with some other dissatisfied people in the Nawab’s court and started strategising a ploy.
Lesson: Any leader should weigh the pros and cons thoroughly before deciding on any promotion or demotion. The question that arises in this context: was Mohanlal’s promotion essential?
In case a promotion/demotion is decided upon, a leader should have a well thought-out strategy to deal with others aspiring for the same position.
A leader should have a clear idea if the management’s step would hinder or improve team work. He should also know for sure if it is the right time to announce the promotion/demotion or if the same should be deferred.
Needless to mention here, the British wanted to have more sway over the Nawab’s regime so that they could make the trade from Bengal more profitable.
They were also unhappy over the new Nawab’s affinity towards their archrival, the French. The British, therefore, asked their representative Robert Clive to find out who could be their aide in their conflict against Siraj.
The British sent feelers to a disgruntled few in Siraj-ud-Daulah’s court and tried to lure them with a promise of handsome rewards. It was also assured that whoever helped the British would be granted the title of Nawab. Mir Jafar fell for it.
On getting the hint of revolt brewing in his court, Siraj had Mir Jafar removed from the post of army head immediately and his place was offered to Mir Madan. Siraj, however, did not take any extreme step against Mir Jafar, fearing an uprising. Mir Jafar escaped severe punishment, yet again.
Lesson: In an organisation, a leader should be firm in the affairs of the state and should not tolerate any indiscipline even if the same is committed by a top ranking executive.
In an age of high attrition, a leader needs to ensure that his dependence on key resources is minimal. Even if one act of treason may be forgiven, a repeat act should never ever be tolerated upon and should be punished with expulsion.
The deposed army chief Mir Jafar now decided to join hands with the British. He sent message to Clive and had a clandestine meeting with him. He signed a pact to help the British in their war against Siraj in lieu of the throne of Bengal.
Thereafter, Nawab’s army and the British troops assembled at Plassey for a test of their strengths. Siraj-ud-Daulah’s army being huge had all the potential of defeating the British troops and a win seemed a foregone conclusion for the Nawab.
But, destiny had something else in store. Mir Madan was soon overpowered and killed by the British, which in turn deflated the morale of the Nawab’s troops.
Nawab’s soldiers put up a brave fight initially but a brief spell of rain and a lack of gun-handling skills soon dampened their spirits. They had no choice but to surrender to the the British.
Lesson: Lack of proper training was a major disadvantage for the Nawab’s men. An organisation that plans to roll out a new tool or technology should test and pilot it properly prior to implementation.
During the initial hours of the battle, British troops performed better. Though the Nawab repeatedly asked Mir Jafar to launch an attack against the British, he not only refused to budge but after a while, along with his aides, moved over to the enemy’s side.
As Mir Jafar and his aides controlled more than half of the Nawab’s army, their revolt dished out an easy victory to the British.
Lesson: Mir Jafar should never have been allowed a position in the battlefield. While building a team, a manager should assign critical tasks to those who are skilled as well as trustworthy. Meetings are necessary to identify simmering issues if any.
Meetings help to ensure that people are aligned towards company goals and that they are not blindly following their managers.
If the Nawab had got the hint of dissent among his commanders, he could have built a rapport with them. That way, Mir Jafar would have never got a chance to make those commanders dance to his tune.
At the end of the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-ud Daulah was captured and executed. Mir Jafar was made the Nawab of Bengal. His long-cherished dream thus fructified. Not for long. Soon, he realised he was nothing but a puppet in the hands of the British.
Mir Jafar protested and tried to assert himself. As a result, the British removed him and made his son-in-law Mir Qasim the next Nawab. Mir Qasim did not bow to British demands either and the latter reinstalled Mir Jafar to the position of Nawab in no time. He retained his throne till death.
His treachery helped the British gain first major victory in the Indian soil. It assisted them get a foothold in a country they ruled for 190 years.
Lesson: In the long term, unethical actions always fail, their short-term gains notwithstanding. At times, people take wrong steps, lured by chances of quick benefits. Though they realise their follies in the end, very few have the courage to admit that.
First Published in Rediff.com