Businesses are going global but tribal instincts prevail

Who knows who still matters but we must break out of closed networks for ethical and economic wins

- SRINATH SRIDHARAN

In a world bursting with tech, talent and transformation, what still governs trust? A good old-fashioned, "Do you know someone who knows him?"

At a recent high-powered board meeting, a CEO joked that between LinkedIn, family WhatsApp groups, golf circles and London holidays, there were barely any outsiders left in the room. Everyone laughed. The truth is, in India Inc, the lines between professional networks and personal affiliations are blurrier than ever.

The more populated and connected the world becomes, the more our behaviour resembles that of ancient tribes huddled around campfires. We have satellites in the sky, but still whisper in closed circles. Social media boasts of billions of users, yet we function in cliques tighter than village gossip chains. Globalization may have turned geography into history, at least online, but in many ways, it has amplified our instincts for hierarchy, kinship and belonging.

I find myself increasingly puzzled by this paradox. Over the past three decades, my career has wandered across industries, geographies and generations. The number of people I've worked with, advised, partnered, competed against and occasionally dodged at conferences could fill a small stadium. Yet, the world feels like a surprisingly small cohort. Everyone is somehow connected. An investor in Singapore knows your schoolmate from Pune. A client in London seems to have had dinner last week with your old colleague from Dubai. This is not six degrees of separation. It's two, even on a bad day.