Captain Raghu Raman highlights four diseases killing organisations at PS26

In a wide-ranging talk titled, Four Diseases Killing Organisations, Captain Raghu Raman drew on his experiences in the army, the corporate world and government to warn that established organisations risk slow decline unless they change how they lead, communicate and collaborate.

Speaking to a packed NCPA hall during Print Summit 2026, Raman framed organisational decline as four progressive maladies. Arthritis, coronary hardening, Alzheimer’s and toxic build-up, he said, tend to afflict institutions as they grow. Through metaphors and examples, he argued that leaders must move away from command-and-control thinking and instead, build trust, tell compelling stories and cultivate diverse teams.

On organisational sluggishness and indecision, he said many institutions are “spending more fuel per kilometre of progress than what they used to spend five years ago, eight years ago, ten years ago.” He used the analogy of a ship encountering an iceberg to explain delayed decision-making. By the time senior leaders align in direction, he said, the window to turn successfully is already shrinking, which leads to late and expensive corrective action.

Trust, he stressed, is the glue that holds teams together. “The most important aspect of getting any team, any organisation, working together, is for people to know their back stories,” he said. Recalling his time in the armed forces, he described how personal trauma and shared hardship create bonds that last for years.

Raman encouraged leaders to think of themselves as gardeners rather than controllers. “A gardener knows that his or her job is to ensure that there is the right environment for plants to flourish,” he said. A gardener, he added, never expects every plant to perform the same function. Diversity of background and skill creates fusion, which in turn leads to richer products and experiences. He pointed to Apple as an example, where design, craft and retailability come together to create distinctive value.

Storytelling, in his view, is a strategic leadership tool. Organisations must consciously build and share stories so that values are understood without constant instruction.

Looking ahead, Raman warned of two major disruptions. One is the rapid advance of artificial intelligence. The other is the cultural shift led by younger generations. “They will question every old rule, every old belief, and rightfully so,” he said, urging leaders to stay intellectually humble and open to ideas from unexpected sources.

He also shared practical prescriptions. Build a speed of trust across silos to improve decision velocity. Teach institutional backstories so new leaders understand the struggles that shaped the organisation. Use stories to simplify complex ideas, as he once did when explaining data volumes to policymakers using everyday analogies. And actively flush out organisational toxins through rituals and honest conversations that clear grudges and rivalries.

Raman closed with a reminder that leadership is visible behaviour. “You will not do what I tell you to do, you will do what you see,” he said, underscoring that transformation follows example more than instruction.