Essay: How can sociology help business leaders?

Sociology is the study of human behavior, interaction, social communities and how humans act in different groups and environments.
Being a business major I feel that sociology plays a diverse set of roles in my career and I feel that it is something that will be affecting everything in our surroundings, as eventually, we are surrounded by humans.
Business is a sensitive matter, as it has a multitude of variables that affect it, human behavior being one of the most important.
A good business leader must be able to keep certain factors in mind and try to Excel in business by analyzing their society and other societies around them.
To excel in business, you need more than just a solid grasp of math and economics, Business requires an understanding of people, large populations in particular. Sociology provides the educational background needed for managers to understand their employees and customers. Business leaders that understand sociology are able to anticipate customer needs and respond to employee problems in ways others cannot.
A background in sociology gives business leaders and human resource managers an advantage when dealing with employees in the workplace.
Sociologists understand that certain phenomena create conditions that influence groups of people.
Those in business with sociology backgrounds can identify such factors and the opportunities created within a population.
We live in a very limited perspective of the world and I feel that especially in a country as diverse as ours, India, we as Indians should try to understand how to deal with people from different cultures, how people who are from a different “class” or “caste” may perceive what we say in a different way and how to be able to understand the world from their viewpoint, may it be as subordinates or as customers. At the end of the day a business is only as successful as the people in it are. Being a part of a diverse environment is out of our comfort zone, and by having a good understanding of sociology I feel it will be applied in business at any point of time, even as small as talking to someone from a small town or village who may be working with you.
A background in sociology gives business leaders and human resource managers an advantage when dealing with employees in the workplace. Sociologists study (and are often aware of) the cultural and social aspects that shape an individual. With this background, those in business can avoid alienating employees or hurting company loyalty.
Sociology is also fundamental to the public relations department of any major company. A person’s background in sociology tells them that certain actions by the company will affect its customers based on their cultural and economic backgrounds
A great man once said that humans are the greatest resource to any business, and I am just saying that it is extremely important to know how to manage those resources in order to run a successful business, especially if they are from different regions and cultures.
The thing that makes or breaks a business are its stakeholders, and in order to satisfy them, we must learn how to understand their behavior, lifestyle, background all of which wouldn’t be possible without the study of sociology.
We live in a sensitive day and age where you can’t afford to hurt anyone’s feelings or hurt them emotionally or mentally, sometimes when different people from different cultures meet, they embrace their obdurate stereotypes and prejudices and already know what to think of a person without meeting them. A common example is how north Indians view south Indians and vice versa, it’s sad but true. But smart people should have an open mind towards all sections of society and learn to accept it and further on prosper as a whole.
Many famous leaders of the businesses such as Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and many more foreign top businessmen as well as Indian Businessmen such as Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Rahul Bajaj and many more have learnt to adapt to sociological reforms and changes in order to be able to cater to them, and that is one of the main reasons for their successful performance. Many companies who haven’t adapted according to sociology, can and have gone down simply because of their inability to understand and implement the means it effectively. A few companies that were made in or came to India and failed are Danone, Bisleri, NOKIA, Kingfisher etc.
At the end of the day business is about learning the problems around you and trying to solve it and cater to peoples wants and needs, but if you don’t understand the people, how will you understand what business you can make out of it.
Especially in a competitive age like today, where 100 companies gratify the same want or need, even though there are so many diverse and untapped portions of market in a furthermore culturally enriched society.
Whatever we do, wherever we see, we are surrounded by many different societies and rather than running from it or not facing it, we should learn to accept and adapt.
Learning Sociology will be essential as a future business leader, as there is a whole world out there about which we do not know, and what better way to expand a business than being able to understand its customers, employees and other stakeholders whilst accommodating to their ever changing needs.
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