The director's cut After being wrongfully convicted of the murder of hiswife and her lover, banker Andy Dufrense is sent to the unforgivingShawshank Prison, where he befriends Red, the gaol's fixer. Red'sfriendship, however, is not enough to save Andy from the brutalisationat the hands of a group of inmates known as the 'sisters'. But Andy putshis financial nous to use, sorting out the guards' taxes, which saveshim from further assaults. Soon, he is helping the crooked warden tolaunder skimmed monies. But when a prisoner who can prove Andy'sinnocence is killed, he realises his usefulness means he'll be insideforever. At the end, it is revealed that Andy has spent years chippingthrough the wall allowing him to escape after withdrawing the warden'smoney. He is then reunited with Red, who had been freed earlier.
The HR director's cut Andy finds himself in a situation where all theold certainties no longer hold true; it is perhaps analogous to doingbusiness in a country with a very different culture. Initially, he makesclumsy mistakes and suffers for them, but Red teaches him a little ofthe behavioural norms and soon he starts to feel his way. Eventually herealises that his banking knowledge is just as useful inside, showing usthat non-transferable skills are a rare thing. His escape comes fromthinking outside the box and realising that a stone wall and 500-yardsewer pipe aren't problems, they're opportunities.
HR star While Andy is an organisational superstar and, unusually, onewho enriches the lives of those he works with, Red is probably a betterpeople manager. It is Red who keeps Andy going when he despairs andkeeps him focused when he's been demotivated by a month in the 'hole'.Of course, the relationship is a symbiotic one with Andy ultimatelyrepaying the investment. But few would be prepared to wait so long for areturn.
KEY LESSONS
The Shawshank Redemption is an elegant essay on the making and breakingof employee bonds and the alliances one must form to get on in anyorganisation. Perhaps what it teaches us overall though is thatembracing the negative in any workplace can only work in the short term.Sure, by helping the warden's crooked schemes, Andy is saved from thesisters' attentions, but it exposes him to even greater risks. It alsoteaches us the value of empathy and soft skills. For while manygenuinely believe that books like The Art of War and Machiaevelli's ThePrince have all the wisdom needed to succeed, as the Shawshank prisonofficers show, there is a practical limit to diktats such as: 'Myenemy's enemy is my friend.'
