Balancing The Work Life - National HRD Network
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| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 2|
Vol - 23 June 2007 Issue - 3<br />
Editor<br />
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Features<br />
4 ........................... President’s Message<br />
4 ......................................... Editorial<br />
5 ............ Mr. Aquil Busrai, Our New <strong>National</strong><br />
President<br />
46 ................................. Chapter News<br />
50 ............................... Cartoon Corner<br />
Column<br />
7 .................. Spare a Thought for Thinking<br />
–– Madan Srinivasan<br />
8 .............................. Supply Side Of HR<br />
–– A.Thothathri Raman<br />
Interview<br />
10 ............. Dr. Udai Pareek and Dr. T V Rao<br />
Lead Feature<br />
14 ....... Attrition and Retention - <strong>The</strong> Way Out<br />
–– Hari Nair, Abhishek Gavane<br />
Case Study<br />
45 ........ Performance Appraisal and feedback<br />
–– R. Dharmarao<br />
Articles<br />
16 ............. Changing Attitude Of Employees<br />
–– Prof. Shyam Shukla<br />
17 ... Employee Engagement - Key to Retention<br />
–– Vikas Chawla and Sandeep Banerjee<br />
18 .................. Hrd - Lessons From Cricket<br />
–– S.Balachandran<br />
19 .......... <strong>Work</strong> <strong>Life</strong> And Stress Management<br />
–– C Lalitha and Dr. Sapna Singh<br />
20 ... Organizational Climate through Leadership<br />
–– J Arpan Kumar·<br />
22 ........................................... Trust<br />
–– Sumathi Annamalai<br />
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37 ............................ Time Management<br />
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38 ....... Performance Appraisal - A Case Study<br />
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39 ............... Corporate Stress Management<br />
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40 ............... Importance Of Human Relations<br />
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41 .... <strong>The</strong> thinking human or the behavioural man?<br />
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| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 3|
From<br />
All of us at some point in our lives have<br />
been inspired by people who by sharing<br />
their knowledge or experience with us, have<br />
earned our respect and followership. In<br />
today's environment, organizations are<br />
witnessing a shift from 'Learning<br />
Organisations' to 'Teaching Organisations'.<br />
A 'Teaching Organisation' comprises<br />
leaders who willingly share their knowledge<br />
with others Just as a leader needs<br />
constantly to learn, to upgrade skills, and<br />
to add to his or her knowledge base, a leader<br />
also has to be a constant teacher. Too many<br />
leaders make the assumption that there is<br />
an unbridgeable gulf between themselves<br />
and their followers. <strong>The</strong> best course of action<br />
for a leader is to make every effort to keep<br />
followers informed and then to teach them<br />
new skills whenever possible so that the<br />
organisation can benefit as a whole. This<br />
will allow it to reduce costs and, perhaps,<br />
become more profitable. In today's limited<br />
resource environment, it is essential for<br />
organisations to explore it as an option.<br />
One of the challenges of knowledge<br />
management is that of getting people to<br />
share their knowledge. In some<br />
Editorial<br />
This editorial is long. It is a narrative. I<br />
am about share something about<br />
'certificates'. What I share could significantly<br />
alter how we relate to 'certificates' and the<br />
enormous impact that alteration could have.<br />
In the Symphony Services' corporate<br />
university (Symphony University), we<br />
decided to institute the practice of giving<br />
certificates to the participants of all our<br />
learning programs. I asked my team to come<br />
up with samples of certificates from which<br />
we could choose. One of them came up with<br />
a few samples that we decided to review in<br />
the next weekly team meeting.<br />
She showed us the samples. Each one had<br />
different graphics, but essentially conveyed<br />
that this was a "Certificate of Participation"<br />
and "This is to certify that…" Even as I was<br />
eyeing these samples, something within me<br />
wanted something different from this kind<br />
of a certificate. (Later I realized that this<br />
'something within me' was an element of<br />
my identity of having to do something<br />
different.) So, I asked the team, "What is it<br />
that we really want to convey through the<br />
certificate?" Before I asked this question, I<br />
had no answers, but even as I asked this<br />
question, something very exciting (to me)<br />
came up. <strong>The</strong> team members looked baffled<br />
<strong>National</strong> President's Desk<br />
organizations, sharing is natural. In others<br />
the old dictum "knowledge is power" reigns.<br />
Barriers cited include functional silos,<br />
individualism, poor means of knowledge<br />
capture, inadequate technology, internal<br />
competition and top-down decision making.<br />
How can we overcome such barriers?<br />
Understanding these barriers and individual<br />
motivations is the first step towards<br />
implementing cultural changes in the work<br />
setting.<br />
Create Involvement - some of the best<br />
knowledge sharing cultures are where<br />
everybody believes that their knowledge is<br />
respected, valued and used to inform<br />
decisions. Use Role models - identify those<br />
people whose behaviours are an example<br />
to others. Celebrate and publicize them.<br />
Involve them with other groups. Align<br />
rewards and recognition to support<br />
appropriate behaviours - too many schemes<br />
are based on seniority or individual<br />
expertise, rather than team effectiveness.<br />
Compete, not against other people or teams,<br />
but set goals vs. challenging targets or<br />
external competitors.<br />
Several organizations have used methods<br />
to promote Knowledge Sharers and<br />
Knowledge Sharing.<br />
l At GSK Consumer Healthcare a<br />
by this question - what else should a<br />
certificate convey other than that the one<br />
whose name was written on it participated<br />
in such and such program that was<br />
conducted on such and such date/s!<br />
<strong>The</strong> discussion that followed produced<br />
amazing results, and I want to narrate that<br />
discussion in gist.<br />
I asked, "What does the University exist for?"<br />
"To train employees," said one. Another<br />
noted, "To develop competencies in our<br />
employees." Nothing wrong in these. "Ok," I<br />
said, "and who are the participants for us?"<br />
Employees, customers, clients - these came<br />
without any hesitation from the team. Nothing<br />
wrong in these either, they were facts.<br />
I wanted them to focus on 'for us' in the<br />
above question, and so I reworded the<br />
question, stressing on these words: Who are<br />
the participants for you? Nothing more than<br />
what they said earlier came up. But after a<br />
bit of prodding, the participants had become<br />
'employees interested in their development';<br />
'those who are keen on their career growth';<br />
and of course 'reluctant participants who<br />
were nominated by their managers'. Now we<br />
seem to be getting somewhere…<br />
I continued, "So, if people did not participate<br />
in our programs, what will happen to the<br />
University?" That was simple! "We won't be<br />
l<br />
l<br />
competency called 'Develop Self and<br />
Others' was instilled through various OD<br />
interventions. Moreover it was also<br />
incorporated in the Company's Reward<br />
& Recognition scheme.<br />
<strong>The</strong> World Bank uses electronic bulletin<br />
boards focused around relevant topics,<br />
but which cut across organizational<br />
boundaries<br />
AT NASA Knowledge Sharing initiative<br />
focuses on promoting Leadership<br />
Development by capturing and<br />
communicating Knowledge and<br />
Wisdom from the best program/project<br />
engineering leaders and through<br />
building and supporting NASA<br />
Communities of Practice.<br />
l A reputed US Business School calls<br />
Business Leaders to become<br />
"Professors for the Day" in an initiative<br />
to gain experiential learning from<br />
reputed business professionals.<br />
You can change organizational culture and<br />
individual behaviours such that knowledge<br />
sharing, rather than knowledge hoarding,<br />
is the norm. Culture change is never easy<br />
and takes time. But cultures can be<br />
changed. Particularly, when these changes<br />
are made by leaders.<br />
P. Dwarakanath<br />
doing what we<br />
were supposed to<br />
be doing." "And, if<br />
we don't do what<br />
we are supposed to<br />
be doing?" "We<br />
won't exist." <strong>The</strong>se<br />
bunch of questions<br />
and answers were<br />
all from the brains,<br />
and it does require<br />
a lot of brains for this exchange to take<br />
place! presented the team the following view<br />
- the view that had me all fired up with<br />
excitement: So, here we are as a part of the<br />
company with the purpose of developing<br />
competencies in our employees, and if we<br />
don't serve that purpose, we don't have a<br />
life. If you see the participants from<br />
Symphony University's life, what do you see<br />
them as?" That as it…five jaws dropped, but<br />
still managed to chorus, "<strong>The</strong>y give us life!"<br />
"Yup, and what will you want to convey to<br />
those who give you life? Will you tell them,<br />
'This is to certify that…'?" "Not at all! We<br />
will thank them," said one. "From the depths<br />
of my heart," said another. "I will convey my<br />
deep gratitude," said the third.<br />
"How about conveying that, then?" I asked,<br />
"our gratitude to the participant for giving<br />
us life?"<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 4|
Our New <strong>National</strong> President<br />
Dear colleagues<br />
It gives me a great pleasure to<br />
introduce you to the next <strong>National</strong><br />
President of <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>,<br />
Mr.Aquil Busrai (Currently Executive<br />
Director-HR, IBM India).<br />
Aquil has been a very vibrant<br />
member of the HR fraternity and a<br />
very active contributor to the cause<br />
of <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>. Aquil has a rich<br />
experience working with some of<br />
the Global organizations like<br />
Unilevers, Motorola & Shell prior to<br />
IBM, wherein he was instrumental<br />
in setting up great HR Practices.<br />
Aquil is acknowledged for his<br />
contribution to HR recent being<br />
Pathfinders Award for Year 2006. His<br />
ability to relate well with fellow HR<br />
professionals, accessibility and<br />
responsiveness, especially to<br />
Aquil Busrai graduated in Commerce with<br />
a Distinction. He obtained his MBA from<br />
Xavier Labour Relations Institute where<br />
he was awarded the J M Kumarappa<br />
Gold Medal for ranking First. He later<br />
passed LL. B and an Advanced Diploma<br />
in Training and Development. A University<br />
rank holder, he was awarded the<br />
Bharucha Gold Medal for academic<br />
excellence.<br />
Mr Busrai has had 34 years' experience<br />
in Industry. He has worked in various HR<br />
roles with Unilever in India and Kenya<br />
and was responsible for HR for Motorola<br />
Profile of Mr. Aquil Busrai<br />
operations in South Asia and Software<br />
Group in Asia Pacific. He joined Shell<br />
Malaysia in 2002 as Director Human<br />
Resources, Shell Malaysia and Managing<br />
Director of Shell People Services Asia Sdn<br />
Bhd. He has recently returned from Kuala<br />
Lumpur and joined IBM India Limited as<br />
Executive Director Human Resources.<br />
Mr Busrai has been actively associated with<br />
Management movement in India having<br />
been the President of Delhi Management<br />
Association; Vice Chairman for All India<br />
Management Association's Northern<br />
Region and Northern Region President for<br />
younger managers, has endeared<br />
him to the HR community and has<br />
made him a role model for many<br />
aspiring HR professionals.<br />
Aquil is a Gold Medalist from XLRI<br />
Jamshedpur.<br />
I am personally very happy to handover<br />
this responsibility to a dear<br />
friend and a trusted colleague. With<br />
his active participation and<br />
dynamism, Aquil will take this cause<br />
further and strengthen the legacy<br />
with focus on the Road Ahead.<br />
Your sincerely<br />
P. Dwarkanath<br />
<strong>National</strong> President, N<strong>HRD</strong>N<br />
Director, Group Human Capital,<br />
Max India Ltd<br />
Director (Non Executive)<br />
GlaxoSmithkline<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>. He is on the<br />
advisory Board of several education<br />
institutes. At the November 2006<br />
Convention of <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>,<br />
he was awarded the "Pathfinder Award"<br />
for being selected as Outstanding<br />
seasoned HR Professional. This month,<br />
he has been appointed President of<br />
<strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>.<br />
Mr Busrai is a keen student of non-verbal<br />
communication and is authoring a book<br />
on 'Body Language'. He is an ardent wild<br />
life enthusiast and a serious wild life<br />
photographer.<br />
(Editorial Contd... from previous page)<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were so visibly excited by this new view<br />
of a certificate, a view that none of us had<br />
at the beginning of this conversation.<br />
At the same time, I sensed that something<br />
was jarring for them; something like, "How<br />
can we convey gratitude in a certificate?"<br />
'Certificate' and 'gratitude' didn't seem to jell,<br />
didn't seem to synch up. One of the team<br />
members said, "Why don't we give the<br />
'regular' certificates, and then convey our<br />
gratitude in speaking?" I wanted to handle<br />
this 'jar' - bringing about authenticity was<br />
important.<br />
I said to myself, "May be, these people have<br />
some meaning about certificates which is<br />
leading to this discomfort. All of us have to<br />
have the same understanding of the word<br />
certificate." So I invited, "Let's google to find<br />
what the dictionary meaning of certificate<br />
is." So one of them googled . And opened the link<br />
to "the free dictionary". <strong>The</strong>re were, at http:/<br />
/www.thefreedictionary.com/certificate, four<br />
meanings of 'certificate'. One of them was<br />
"1. A document testifying to the truth of<br />
something: a certificate of birth." Wow!<br />
<strong>The</strong>re it was - a document testifying to the<br />
truth of something. I also want to draw all of<br />
your attention to the numerical that's there<br />
before the stated meaning - "1" - that was<br />
the first meaning!<br />
<strong>The</strong>n how to handle this 'jar' became<br />
obvious and simple. I asked my team<br />
members, "Isn't it true that we experience<br />
enormous and deep gratitude when through<br />
participating in the University's learning<br />
events the participants are giving us our life?<br />
Isn't it true that we are thankful to them? Don't<br />
we want to express what is true for us?"<br />
In one voice, "Yes, of course."<br />
That was it! We now have ready certificates<br />
from Symphony University that express our<br />
gratitude to every participant for giving us<br />
our life: Dear
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 6|
Spare a Thought for Thinking<br />
<strong>The</strong> human brain has been a constant<br />
source of awe and wonder for<br />
generations. <strong>The</strong> organ with grey matter and<br />
reins for the human body is like the sea or<br />
the universe, in that each time one unravels<br />
a small aspect of its mystery, it gets even<br />
more fascinating. Of the multiple amazing<br />
functions performed by the brain, few have<br />
generated so much excitement and intensive<br />
research in both the scientific and<br />
management community alike as the faculty<br />
of thinking.<br />
Needless to say, the thinking process is a<br />
vital part of any organization and builds up<br />
to the nerve centre with its complex crisscross<br />
of interactions and workplace action<br />
and behaviors that in turn form the<br />
organizational personality and culture.<br />
Today, we'll explore to some degree the<br />
interplay of the individual and organizational<br />
thinking processes.<br />
Let's first scan around us for the various<br />
thinking types that we believe exist today.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are several that would be familiar to<br />
us e.g. logical, analytical, creative, linear,<br />
lateral, strategic, convergent, divergent, etc.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are also relatively less known types<br />
e.g. radial thinking pioneered by Tony Buzan<br />
who developed Mind Maps - an effective<br />
method of note-taking and useful for the<br />
generation of ideas by association. <strong>The</strong>n<br />
there's Matrix Thinking, a term coined by<br />
Roger Le Salle known as 'Australia's<br />
Innovation Guru' to describe thinking that<br />
tries to look at a situation from multiple<br />
points as a complex but not necessarily<br />
analyzable Matrix and where there will be<br />
no starting point or clearly laid logical path.<br />
At a fundamental level, the above describe<br />
thinking processes; the categorizations are<br />
largely based on which part of the brain (left<br />
or right) is being used, for what purpose and<br />
in which situation. An organization needs<br />
all these thinking types at some stage or<br />
the other. If a company wants to chalk out a<br />
Blue Ocean Strategy, it will need divergent<br />
and lateral thinking to begin with, and<br />
convergent and analytical thinking towards<br />
the end. For simple trouble shooting,<br />
analytical thinking will be needed<br />
predominantly, and so on.<br />
Organizations make the thinking process<br />
Column<br />
more meaningful and relevant to the<br />
individual employee by defining it in their<br />
competency models, e.g. in the Leadership<br />
Competency Model used till recently by a<br />
reputed global organization, Thinking Skills<br />
was one of the three Competency<br />
Dimensions under 'Planning'. Thinking Skills<br />
was defined by three behaviors such as<br />
"Sees connections in data, trends…",<br />
"Quickly analyzes complex problems…" and<br />
"Makes the right decisions…". <strong>The</strong>se<br />
descriptors are helpful in setting<br />
expectations with the employee, such that<br />
if the person needs to demonstrate Thinking<br />
Skills at work, she will know that she'd need<br />
to exhibit these articulated behaviors. (A<br />
word of caution here is that one must keep<br />
in mind that there may be descriptors for<br />
other competencies that can also be related<br />
to thinking processes).<br />
Now, if the organization has set such<br />
expectations, how does it go about the<br />
difficult task of harnessing the thinking skills<br />
of its employees? For this, one needs to<br />
understand the important fact that the<br />
thinking process is a product of natural and<br />
environmental forces. Our thinking styles are<br />
influenced not only by who we are (our<br />
genetic constitution or DNA), but also our<br />
experiences as we grew up. By the early<br />
20's when we begin our careers, we'd have<br />
evolved a preferred thinking style that we<br />
would find difficult to break away from.<br />
Let's illustrate this through an example.<br />
Breathing is one of the first bodily functions<br />
a baby performs when it is born. How does<br />
it know how to breathe? Through the intrinsic<br />
genetic code that has been accumulating<br />
this knowledge in human cells since man<br />
first came to earth. Breathing as a process<br />
is so intuitive and inborn in us that we<br />
seldom take notice of it unless we have been<br />
subjecting ourselves to physical exertions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next time we begin to notice it is several<br />
years later when we enroll ourselves for<br />
yoga and discover to our chagrin that our<br />
breathing technique all this while has been<br />
far from perfect. When we discover that our<br />
abdomen swells when we exhale, we find it<br />
difficult to change the way we used to<br />
breathe overnight. It takes lots and lots of<br />
practice. Even in the end, we are not sure<br />
we've perfected the art of breathing? Why<br />
Madan Srinivasan is based at Gurgaon. He can be reached at: Madan_sri@yahoo.com<br />
– Madan Srinivasan<br />
does this happen? Because breathing is a<br />
naturally learnt process and we have been<br />
required to unlearn a wrong technique. Not<br />
impossible, but slow and maybe painful too!<br />
Changing/adapting/switching one's thinking<br />
style is not very different. Like all naturally<br />
learnt processes, it is intuitive and gets<br />
conditioned in the environment we grow up<br />
in, but it would not make fundamental pathbreaking<br />
changes under normal<br />
circumstances.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, organizations resort to specific<br />
interventions e.g. Six Thinking Hats<br />
<strong>Work</strong>shops, Seeds and Catalysts for Matrix<br />
Thinking, use of Mind Maps and appropriate<br />
coaching and support. In the process,<br />
employees not only learn and experiment<br />
with new thinking techniques, but also<br />
increase the probability of developing<br />
effective solutions for improving business<br />
performance.<br />
How can one be sure when to use what<br />
thinking style, when most of us have a<br />
preferred style? <strong>The</strong> first thing is to be aware<br />
of one's own predominant style. In any given<br />
situation, one needs to assess and define<br />
the situation and apply the appropriate<br />
thinking style. Easier said than done, but<br />
then it's all about PRACTICE!<br />
Of course, this is not to say that<br />
organizations require all of us to think alike.<br />
In fact, we should guard ourselves from<br />
getting into a Groupthink mode, as that<br />
would make us nothing better or worse than<br />
frogs in the well. We should preserve our<br />
diversity of thinking styles and processes,<br />
while complementing it with different thinking<br />
tools & techniques. A cross-functional team<br />
will be more effective if it has members who<br />
have complementary thinking styles as<br />
these, when used well can yield a higher<br />
quality solution/plan.<br />
So when you are next working on a<br />
presentation for a cost savings project,<br />
making a sales call to a prospective<br />
customer or resolving a conflict with your<br />
colleague, you can pause and ask yourself<br />
which thinking style you are using, and if it<br />
work in this situation. Adapt your style<br />
accordingly and see the results for yourself!<br />
<strong>The</strong> wins will be for you to experience. I've<br />
already got a penny for your thoughts!<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 7|
Supply Side Of HR<br />
Column<br />
<strong>The</strong> supply side of HR, is in a serious<br />
shape and the effects of which the<br />
industry will feel in another two to five years<br />
unless they get around to doing something<br />
drastic soon. Ironically this will happen at a<br />
time when India is swelling in its ranks of<br />
the youth with the possibility of 70 per cent<br />
of Global youth population being seen within<br />
the borders of India in the next one decade!<br />
"Most of the nation's job and economic<br />
growth has been generated by family-owned<br />
Indian enterprises and multinationals in<br />
industries such as information technology<br />
(IT), telecommunications, business process<br />
outsourcing (BPO) and pharmaceuticals.<br />
Maintaining high growth rates is a high<br />
priority for these industries because they<br />
face increasingly stiff international<br />
competition, most notably from China. But<br />
sustaining growth may be difficult, dueironically-to<br />
a lack of qualified people "<br />
SHRM article<br />
HR crisis: People think there is a spark but<br />
there is an absolutely forest fire out there in<br />
terms of HR. <strong>The</strong> crisis of confidence is the<br />
result of an historical neglect of the<br />
education by industry and its failure to<br />
provide leadership to the former! Now that<br />
education itself is being seen as much a<br />
business as a social obligation and the need<br />
for the industry to have diversified talent, it<br />
is time industry stepped in to take more<br />
proactive role in the material that is being<br />
churned out of our school system.<br />
We need to take into consideration the<br />
following<br />
1. Education supply chain: <strong>The</strong> education<br />
supply chain has changed dramatically and<br />
there is no credible quality benchmark or<br />
visible industry participation in any<br />
significant node of this supply chain. An<br />
opportunity <strong>The</strong> number years of school<br />
education has gone up by three years (12<br />
years to 15) as the entry age has come down<br />
from 6 years 3 with possible early rise in<br />
stress levels.<br />
In contrast the format of college and<br />
professional degree as well as higher<br />
education has remained static<br />
One year professional MBAs are getting<br />
popular only now and so are the three year<br />
parttime degrees in higher education for<br />
working professionals.<br />
2. Privatisation of education: Education is<br />
no longer charity but is considered as a<br />
business opportunity with the average<br />
returns of 20 per cent in the initial five years<br />
going up to 40 per cent in the later period.<br />
Since it is the ultimate cash and carry<br />
business there is incentive for people to<br />
invest in it. Large industrial group still<br />
consider education as a charitable activity<br />
and as such indulge in it selectively which<br />
means the field is open for some<br />
enterprising few to develop large identifiable<br />
chain of institutions with a clearly discernible<br />
mark of quality.<br />
3. Investments in education: Because of<br />
the confusion about the status of education<br />
whether it is a charity or business, normal<br />
investment route is shut for education and<br />
it is dependent by and large on the largesse<br />
of a Trusts or personal funding of the<br />
promoter groups and its running expenses<br />
are completely self financed with bank<br />
funding limited to building construction. This<br />
shuts out professionals and well meaning<br />
industry to enter the education field.<br />
4. Management education: Management<br />
education in India is primarily driven by the<br />
government through its six IIMs, IITs,<br />
management departments of universities,<br />
professional institutions like NITIE. Private<br />
players of significance are few even though<br />
their number in Tier II and Tier III are very<br />
high and it is growing.<br />
5. Education leadership: Education<br />
leadership is abysmal mainly because of the<br />
weakness in the supply side which<br />
comprised in the past of a few government<br />
owned institutions and it is also dictated by<br />
the new set of owners who have little<br />
understanding in fostering professional<br />
leadership. A clear opportunity exists for<br />
developing an institution for preparing<br />
leadership for the industry like the Tata<br />
Management Training Centre (TMTC) of<br />
Education Leadership!<br />
6. Faculty Shortage: Single biggest<br />
problem facing the education industry today<br />
is faculty numbers and quality which is also<br />
due historical reason of neglect and poor<br />
6 Testing services<br />
Thothathri Raman is Consulting Editor, Business India based at Delhi E-Mail: atraman@gmail.com<br />
– A.Thothathri Raman<br />
visioning. <strong>The</strong> PhDs of value are few and<br />
the capacity in the industry to produce PhDs<br />
in a hurry is very low.<br />
7. Softskills for Faculty quality: <strong>The</strong><br />
industry intervention like finishing schools,<br />
softskills training in campuses is usually<br />
aimed at students but the weakness lies in<br />
the area of faculty whose profile has also<br />
changed over the years , especially in<br />
engineering colleges where the average<br />
experience of any faculty is now two to three<br />
years! Faculty needs a structured training<br />
programme. An academy for faculty training<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N Institutional response<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> existing scope of CompMod can be<br />
expanded to develop a faculty<br />
competency model at entry level<br />
incorporating leadership, training skills<br />
and consulting<br />
2. A Learning Centre in HR to help the<br />
medium and smaller member<br />
enterprises to complete their induction<br />
programmes<br />
3. A HR leadership Assessment Forum as<br />
a research body that will go into<br />
leadership aspects and research into<br />
succession planning, leadership<br />
compensation and such other issues<br />
4. A Faculty training Academy for<br />
engineering and management schools<br />
which will run distance education cum<br />
contact programmes in HR leadership<br />
on one year, two year and three year<br />
modes<br />
5. Centres of Excellence supported by<br />
select individual industry membership<br />
of N<strong>HRD</strong>N in the areas of<br />
i. compensation<br />
ii. mergers and acquisitions<br />
iii. leadership<br />
iv. integrating family business<br />
v. sectoral HR<br />
vi. training youth (this is a partial list<br />
and it can grow!)<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 8|
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 9|
<strong>The</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> We Dream(t)!!!<br />
Interview with :<br />
Dr. Udai Pareek and Dr. T V Rao<br />
Dr. Udai Pareek and Dr. T. V. Rao are two<br />
former IIMA professors are legendry HR<br />
men who pioneered the concept of <strong>HRD</strong> in<br />
India when it did not exist in 1974 while<br />
consulting with the L & T. <strong>The</strong> twosome<br />
professors have since done path-breaking<br />
work in by dedicating themselves to the<br />
profession for over three decades. It is<br />
thanks to their effort that the <strong>HRD</strong> as a<br />
concept has evolved distinct from the<br />
Personnel Function which the corporate<br />
were used to in the past. Prof T V Rao like<br />
his counter part Dr Pareek, had spurned<br />
opportunities to go abroad and stayed<br />
behind to found <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
(N<strong>HRD</strong>N) in 1985 and Academy of <strong>HRD</strong> in<br />
1990. Between them the professors have<br />
consulted some of the best Indian and global<br />
companies and also UNESCO in the area<br />
of HR and leadership.<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N interviewed both the professors on<br />
a range of issues allowing them to revisit<br />
their work over the past decades and also<br />
giving them an opportunity to vent their<br />
feelings about the growth of HR movement<br />
in the country. In the excerpts that follow,<br />
the professors express their satisfaction as<br />
to the scale and size of the HR function in<br />
India while they are also unhappy at the fall<br />
in ethical standards and adoption of<br />
unhealthy industry practices by the industry.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y also lament the absence and sense<br />
of purpose for the HR professionals and their<br />
inability to groom hardcore HR professionals<br />
to look after the human resource related<br />
aspects in the industry. <strong>The</strong>y recommend<br />
transformational leadership among the HR<br />
personnel and rededicating of the industry<br />
to the core values of the HR community.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y also exhort the educational institutions<br />
and the industry bodies like N<strong>HRD</strong>N to take<br />
a more proactive role in promoting HR as a<br />
concept.<br />
Q1: What is your feeling about HR in the<br />
country to day? Do you think <strong>HRD</strong><br />
has come to stand on its own as a<br />
profession? Are HR managers<br />
getting their respect they deserve?<br />
Are they living up to the standards<br />
and expectations they are expected<br />
to maintain?<br />
TVR: Our feeling about HR in the country is<br />
one of both satisfaction and disappointment,<br />
hope and apprehension. I will explain all<br />
these mixed feelings as follows: Satisfaction<br />
is due to the fact that we have progressed a<br />
lot from the days of apprehension about<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> as an old wine in new bottle to the<br />
level where we are constantly discovering<br />
more solutions to new problems and<br />
challenges. We acted with the belief that<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> is the soul of personnel function.<br />
Remember Udai Pareek’s address in late<br />
seventies to NIPM on “Personnel Function<br />
in search of a soul” And <strong>HRD</strong> was given the<br />
status of the soul of HR function by Udai.<br />
We suggested to CEOs beginning mid<br />
seventies to accept <strong>HRD</strong> as a philosophy.<br />
Our argument was that every employee<br />
spends a large part of his or her waking life<br />
for the company, with the company and in<br />
the company. <strong>The</strong> organization is the first<br />
family and therefore it is in the interests of<br />
the organization to take good care of the<br />
person, provide right conditions for him,<br />
direction for his growth and ensure growth<br />
of the company. We suggested critical<br />
attribute analysis (now a days called as<br />
competency mapping), identification of<br />
KPAs, performance analysis and coaching,<br />
career and succession planning, HRIS, OD<br />
and many such interventions to promote<br />
capacity building of individuals, teams and<br />
the organization. We promoted HR as a<br />
philosophy and not as a technique to get<br />
things in return though we hoped that<br />
returns will come on their own. In fact we<br />
promoted <strong>HRD</strong> as a responsibility of the top<br />
management and of all senior managers.<br />
Recognizing this L&T even trained a large<br />
number of their line managers in 1975-76<br />
as <strong>HRD</strong> facilitators and used to call them<br />
selves as L&T University. We are<br />
establishing corporate Universities to do the<br />
same things L&T has done in mid seventies.<br />
Holk Larsen, NM Desai, SR Subramanian<br />
supported it and Dennyson Pereira<br />
spearheaded the movement. <strong>HRD</strong> was an<br />
act of faith and not based on any research.<br />
<strong>The</strong> research findings from the US that have<br />
come in the last one decade have supported<br />
our philosophy and assumptions<br />
scientifically. <strong>The</strong>re are studies that proved<br />
in the US that HR interventions have<br />
enhanced a share holder value by several<br />
percentage points. <strong>The</strong> fact that we<br />
promoted a philosophy which has<br />
scientifically been supported latter and the<br />
way many corporate have been taking these<br />
interventions and constantly trying to<br />
implement them is a matter of satisfaction.<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> has definitely added to the quality of<br />
work life in industry. It has come of age. It is<br />
no more taken for granted. T is a part of life<br />
of any corporation. While we can’t take credit<br />
for all that happened to is not happening in<br />
the HR we are satisfied that we originated<br />
and promoted a concept and philosophy and<br />
pursued it for the last three decades<br />
relentlessly.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dissatisfaction is out of the fact that<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> also got diluted in some ways and in<br />
some of the organizations. HR managers<br />
have not been doing right things though<br />
some of them are doing whatever they are<br />
doing well. <strong>HRD</strong> has not yet established its<br />
credibility fully with the line managers and<br />
particularly in the new economy industry. It<br />
pains us deeply when we hear rumors like<br />
that in a particular city HR managers are<br />
even going to the extent of helping candidate<br />
to write or rewrite their bio-data in ways that<br />
get them selected – for a fee! <strong>The</strong> news that<br />
ethical standards and values are not being<br />
followed by some is painful. Some of the<br />
HR managers have reduced themselves to<br />
be “dalals”. By this I am told that their main<br />
job is to contract and subcontract. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
busy locating recruitment agencies to whom<br />
they can subcontract their recruitment,<br />
training agencies to subcontract their<br />
training and consultants to subcontract their<br />
competency mapping and performance<br />
appraisals is very disappointing.<br />
Q2: What is wrong with that? <strong>The</strong><br />
requirement of industry is huge and<br />
the personnel in HR function small,<br />
oursourcing is the only way out!<br />
TVR: <strong>The</strong>re is nothing wrong in using<br />
recruitment agencies and outsourcing<br />
training. I am not against these as and when<br />
needed. I am concerned about outsourcing<br />
as a way of life and as a substitution to<br />
learning and managing your corporation.<br />
What is wrong is the way you do it and the<br />
purpose for doing it. <strong>The</strong> purpose should not<br />
be to show to the top management<br />
quantitative results in terms of costs saved<br />
and the number game to show the number<br />
recruited. Some <strong>HRD</strong> managers don’t do<br />
their own basic work of profiling the job<br />
properly through competency mapping and<br />
the like and ensure that scientific recruitment<br />
is followed. I am told they even make false<br />
promises and get wrong people in order to<br />
fulfill their targets and shoe cost savings to<br />
their top. That is why many candidates leave.<br />
So instead of contribution to retention HR<br />
is designing attrition from the very beginning<br />
by not doing their job properly. <strong>The</strong>re is no<br />
research and there are no basic questions<br />
like what competencies are needed, what<br />
we can offer to the candidate in terms of<br />
the career etc. <strong>The</strong> attitude of Dalalgiri is<br />
what pains us. Some of them ask us to<br />
submit tenders even without understanding<br />
the organization. Submitting the tender<br />
document following all norms is more<br />
important than understanding their problem<br />
and addressing the problem. <strong>The</strong>y are not<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 10|
willing to spend their own time and effort to<br />
understand the issues. <strong>The</strong>y lack required<br />
qualifications and competence. Any one with<br />
a master’s in any subject is being taken for<br />
HR in some of the companies. We are also<br />
dissatisfied that after three decades of the<br />
evolution of this function we have not<br />
influenced companies to recruit<br />
professionally qualified <strong>HRD</strong> professionals.<br />
A master’s in Social <strong>Work</strong> does not ensure<br />
that you are professionally qualified HR<br />
person. Many HR professionals lack the<br />
basic HR knowledge. This is a big<br />
disappointment for us. <strong>The</strong> N<strong>HRD</strong>N has<br />
made some moves in this direction but it is<br />
no where near the solution. In sum I am<br />
disappointed with the poor quality of HR<br />
professionals, lack of understanding of the<br />
CEOs and other top management of the<br />
need for having professional trained if not<br />
qualified managers as HR managers, lack<br />
of identification of the required skills sets,<br />
inadequate supply of professionally trained<br />
HR managers, not intone with curricula of<br />
schools that prepare HR managers, and<br />
eroding ethical values , slow work and<br />
Dalalgiri of HR managers, and not raising<br />
up to the occasion with speed of<br />
professional bodies is disappointment to me.<br />
In sum, in my view the knowledge base of<br />
HR in India is tremendous. <strong>HRD</strong> has come<br />
to stand on its own as a profession. However<br />
we have done very little to consolidate our<br />
gains. It is high time that this is done with<br />
focus on <strong>HRD</strong> for this region -India and the<br />
Asia pacific. Good HR managers are getting<br />
the respect they deserve but there are many<br />
bad HR managers whoa re spoiling the<br />
profession and its image. <strong>The</strong>y are not living<br />
up to the standards and expectations they<br />
are expected to maintain. In my view jobhopper<br />
HR managers are doing a lot of<br />
damage to the profession. Changing the job<br />
in a short time is like shifting your dispensary<br />
or clinic suddenly in the middle of treatment<br />
to your patients. I think HR managers need<br />
to set right examples of sticking to their jobs<br />
for longer periods. <strong>The</strong>y should not enter the<br />
profession if they are only commercial in<br />
outlook and the main purpose in life is to<br />
become a millionaire soonest possible.<br />
Q3: What is your feeling about HR in the<br />
country to day? Do you think <strong>HRD</strong><br />
has come to stand on its own as a<br />
profession? Are HR managers<br />
getting their respect they deserve?<br />
Are they living up to the standards<br />
and expectations they re expected<br />
to maintain?<br />
UP: I am happy to see HR increasingly<br />
occupying key position in organizations.<br />
Several organizations have inducted HR<br />
Heads in their Boards recently. This shows<br />
the growing realization of the importance of<br />
HR. In several organizations HR is fulfilling<br />
the expected role. However, in most<br />
organizations HR continues to function as<br />
old-time personnel department. HR<br />
managers are not getting the respect, and<br />
in many cases, the HR function is<br />
responsible for this sorry state of affairs.<br />
Unfortunately HR has not yet achieved the<br />
level of the profession, which it deserves.<br />
By and large, HR is not living up to the<br />
standard expected of it.<br />
Q4: What do you feel when you look<br />
back at the <strong>HRD</strong> departments and<br />
the institutions you both have<br />
started or are associated with?<br />
Specially the L&T, SBI, Crompton<br />
Greaves, BEML and other<br />
organizations? Do you look back<br />
with satisfaction?<br />
TVR: <strong>The</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> departments of these<br />
organizations specially L&T, SBI, CGL and<br />
the like have done marvelous job until late<br />
eighties. Somewhere in late eighties the<br />
people who succeeded the early <strong>HRD</strong> chiefs<br />
have not been able to build on the past. <strong>The</strong><br />
growth of the <strong>HRD</strong> and it impact has to been<br />
of the same magnitude as it was a decade<br />
before that. For example assessment<br />
centers were introduced in CGL in mid<br />
eighties. SBI struggled a lot with its<br />
performance appraisal. Job rotation, skill<br />
inventory and the like. L&T went of<br />
incorporating quality and such other<br />
concerns into it <strong>HRD</strong>. <strong>The</strong>se organizations<br />
have done a good job. <strong>The</strong>y could have been<br />
much more of role models than what they<br />
are today. Also today there are many other<br />
corporations especially from IT and other<br />
new economy industry who have come up<br />
with innovative HR practices. <strong>The</strong> failure of<br />
organizations like L&T, SBI, CGL and the<br />
like is in terms of lack of innovativeness and<br />
inability build on the past. This needed<br />
strong <strong>HRD</strong> managers and unfortunately it<br />
is what they lacked. Mr. Naik the current<br />
CEO is one of those whom I have personally<br />
interviewed in mid seventies. He had a lot<br />
of HR ideas even in those days. So there<br />
were HR practitioners in CEOs but not<br />
supported bys strong <strong>HRD</strong> managers. For<br />
me the only satisfaction with these<br />
corporations is out of history we created and<br />
not out of what they have been able to do<br />
subsequently. Some of them have built on<br />
the work we did, others did not.<br />
UP: I share TV Rao’s sentiments. <strong>The</strong> great<br />
organizations that pioneered HR in the<br />
country have on the way gone astray in<br />
relation to the spirit of HR. In my opinion, the<br />
main reason is undue reliance on foreign<br />
consulting groups, who, without much<br />
experience in India, and without intimate<br />
knowledge of the organizations, are<br />
recommending structures and processes that<br />
are anti-HR. It is a pity that some excellent<br />
HR practices in the organizations have been<br />
discontinued. Several years back D.M. Silvera<br />
had independently visited several<br />
organizations, and had documented some<br />
innovative HR practices based on the Indian<br />
cultural orientations. While some new<br />
organizations have been designing innovative<br />
practices, the older organizations, which<br />
pioneered HR function, have lost interest.<br />
Q 5: What do you think about the<br />
direction in which HR is headed in<br />
this country? Does it have a bright<br />
future? Do you think it has created<br />
the right image? Will it evolve<br />
as an honored profession like<br />
Medicine, Engineering, Chartered<br />
Accountancy and the like?<br />
TVR; I definitely think that HR has bright<br />
future. <strong>The</strong> way HR I s headed in the country<br />
is both good and bad. Don’t take my criticism<br />
as an indication of the state of affairs in HR<br />
in the country. Perhaps the malpractices and<br />
in competencies in HR are more an<br />
exceptions than a rule. However the<br />
magnitude of these exceptions is good<br />
enough to pay attention and to be warned<br />
about. <strong>The</strong>re is a lot of dilution. <strong>The</strong>re is also<br />
a lot of purposiveness in HR today. In most<br />
cases HR has become HR administration<br />
rather than HR development. What is<br />
needed in future knowledge society is<br />
continuous development of its people and<br />
their competencies. People and their<br />
competencies are going to be business<br />
drivers in future. Share holder values can<br />
be enhanced by right HR practices. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
is no sub statue for competency building and<br />
commitment building. <strong>HRD</strong> defined as the<br />
three Cs – competence, commitment and<br />
culture building- had become more critical<br />
today than before and it is going to become<br />
even more. As technology, money, and<br />
systems lose their competitive advantage<br />
by virtue of their easy accessibility of all<br />
people and their competencies or ‘Talent”<br />
is going to become scarcer and hence gain<br />
a strategic advantage. If HR can realize their<br />
and <strong>HRD</strong> managers prepare themselves to<br />
this changing role, then <strong>HRD</strong> will have bright<br />
future. If HR fails to recognize this other<br />
functions will take charge and new titles get<br />
created like “performance manager” “People<br />
processes manager” “OD expert” etc. I have<br />
mentioned a few of these in my book on<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Future of <strong>HRD</strong>”. <strong>HRD</strong> has still a long<br />
way to go to be accepted fully as profession.<br />
It has the knowledge base and it should draw<br />
from psychology of learning, personality<br />
theories, Social psychology, assessment,<br />
measurement, competency mapping etc.<br />
We have the required disciplinary<br />
background but no body that can put them<br />
together. Bodies like N<strong>HRD</strong>N have a long<br />
way to go. Unfortunately over last one<br />
decade they have alienated the<br />
academicians slowly and to day it is filled<br />
with people who often have little thirst for<br />
theory and knowledge. Professional bodies<br />
not having such academic rigor will have<br />
difficulty establishing professional<br />
standards. Commercial minded<br />
management schools and consultants<br />
cannot do full justice to help is evolve as a<br />
profession. We have a long way to go.<br />
UP: I am an optimist and believe that HR<br />
has a bright future. It is certainly on way to<br />
become a business partner, and acquire<br />
professional status like other professions.<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 11|
Certainly it will be necessary for academic<br />
bodies (Universities and Management<br />
Institutes), Professional bodies (N<strong>HRD</strong>,<br />
A<strong>HRD</strong>), and work organizations to do a lot<br />
of work in this regard. HR Journals have also<br />
to play an important role in this regard. I am<br />
quite impressed by Human Capital, which<br />
has spread the message of innovative<br />
practices in HR, and has become a good<br />
forum for sharing of experiments and<br />
experiences. We need more such journals.<br />
Q6: What is your message for the future<br />
HR professionals and others who<br />
are likely to man HR positions in<br />
organizations and professional<br />
bodies like the <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong><br />
<strong>Network</strong>?<br />
TVR: Learn, relearn and learn. Continuous<br />
learning is the only way. Learn from all<br />
sources. Respect and be sensitive to your<br />
inner world, neighborhood and global<br />
scenes. If you learn only from overseas your<br />
HR will be baseless. If you stick only to<br />
indigenous and inward learning your<br />
learning will be shape less and only will be<br />
a foundation. Hence you need to learn from<br />
all sources. You need to be a relentless<br />
learner. Regarding N<strong>HRD</strong>N the main<br />
message I like to give is don’t make means<br />
as ends. Conferences, seminars and such<br />
other Events are means and the moment<br />
they become ends it is he end of a<br />
professional’s body. Similarly<br />
Presidentships, Secretary Ships and other<br />
positions are means to save the profession<br />
and not your self not the body you manage<br />
at a give point. Don’t miss the forest for the<br />
trees or the trees for the wood. Don’t cling<br />
on top positions. If you cant give time for<br />
the profession make way for others and not<br />
outsourcing agencies. Don’t try to do in<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N what your own employer does not<br />
allow you to do. Don’t spend a penny of the<br />
body without being accountable for that<br />
penny and demonstrate return on every<br />
single penny you spend in the same year<br />
you are office bearer. Respect the history<br />
and learn from it.<br />
UP: A large number of young persons are<br />
preparing themselves to enter HR<br />
profession. I would like these bright young<br />
people to be more serious about their<br />
preparations. HR will not be able to fulfill its<br />
role unless HR people know the business,<br />
and have insight into various aspects of the<br />
business they are associated with. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
should equally be adept in the understanding<br />
of organizational processes. Increasingly HR<br />
will be required to play the role of internal<br />
consultancy in the organizations. <strong>The</strong> skills<br />
of change management will be essential for<br />
success of HR people. <strong>The</strong> institutions and<br />
professional bodies have the responsibility<br />
of helping young budding professionals to<br />
become more efficient to play this required<br />
role.<br />
Q7: In your opinion what roles should<br />
be played by the academic<br />
institutions like the management<br />
schools and professional bodies<br />
like the N<strong>HRD</strong>N and research<br />
centers like the academy of <strong>HRD</strong> to<br />
shape the future of <strong>HRD</strong>?<br />
TVR: Management schools should<br />
innovate, train and recruit competent faculty,<br />
Use increasingly practitioners from industry,<br />
build theory of <strong>HRD</strong> that can take the<br />
country and the profession forward.<br />
Professional bodies like the N<strong>HRD</strong>N should<br />
focus on establishing standards, enforcing<br />
them. Promote research in Universities, fund<br />
research and establish standards of <strong>HRD</strong><br />
education. For that they need to have<br />
enough academies and theoreticians in the<br />
body. It should be managed like a<br />
professional body and not like a corporation.<br />
This is what we owe to our profession.<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N and A<strong>HRD</strong> should take the <strong>HRD</strong><br />
beyond the corporate sector and come up<br />
with innovations in <strong>HRD</strong> for NGOs followed<br />
by the Government and close with <strong>HRD</strong> for<br />
communicates. <strong>The</strong> success of <strong>HRD</strong> is when<br />
it becomes a part of life and a part of every<br />
one and every process. <strong>HRD</strong> is learning and<br />
instituting processes that facilitate learning<br />
and grown and make work and life healthy<br />
and happy for all.<br />
UP: HR will become a valued profession<br />
only if all concerned with this function<br />
Vasudevan's Feedback on this Month's Editorial<br />
contribute to its effectiveness. In the first<br />
place, HR must be value-based. As in our<br />
original concept, HR should be concerned<br />
with all the units of the organsiation, from<br />
individual employees to the total<br />
organization. It is time that we distinguished<br />
between transactional HR and<br />
transformational HR. <strong>The</strong> transactional HR<br />
would include functions like recruitment,<br />
induction, performance management,<br />
development system, career development,<br />
separation etc. However, while these are<br />
important functions to make organizations<br />
effective, they cannot take the organization<br />
to a higher level of greatness. For that they<br />
need to pay attention to transformational<br />
HR, which may include functions like talent<br />
management (identification, nurturing and<br />
mentoring talent), culture building (trust,<br />
equality and involvement), change<br />
management (including mergers and<br />
acquisitions and their processes),<br />
leadership development, reward system,<br />
and very importantly, ethics and social<br />
responsibility. While some of the<br />
transactional functions of HR may be<br />
outsourced, transformational aspects need<br />
to be strengthened in the organizations. For<br />
this all concerned agencies need to play<br />
their roles. Educational institutions, where<br />
HR people are being prepared, need to<br />
orient their training to include significant<br />
work on the transformational aspects.<br />
Professional bodies like N<strong>HRD</strong> should take<br />
the responsibility for accrediting individuals<br />
and organizations on rigorous professional<br />
criteria. In fact, they can also publish ranking<br />
of organizations and management institutes;<br />
this will help in raising professional<br />
standards. Research is extremely important.<br />
We need to generate new knowledge in HR.<br />
While A<strong>HRD</strong> and N<strong>HRD</strong> have done<br />
commendable work in publishing in some<br />
good experiences and case studies, more<br />
rigorous standards are needed to search<br />
and publish material based on significance<br />
experiences in Indian organizations. While<br />
we can know everything about Western<br />
organizations, we don’t have information<br />
about our own innovations. This lacuna<br />
needs to be filled up.<br />
u H<br />
Dear Balaji,<br />
Thanks for the treat.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process of discovery you narrate is indeed a breakthrough in consciousness. <strong>The</strong> key points in the editorial is to focus on the Power<br />
equation between the giver and receiver, and that is essence of adult learning where value add is mutual. I am amazed at that which<br />
made you raise the fundamental question, and make the team revisit the obvious. What came out was the reverse of Guru paprampara,<br />
where we are all comfortable when we receive from the Guru. What you are ushering is a new wave of andragogy where there is Sishya<br />
parampara for the Guru's to transcend. Partly the group got energized because of your ability to ask the 'rightful' question to to help<br />
them make meaning intuitively and thus weave around the conversations, like truth etc. However it is worth while to examine your life<br />
scripts. Do you run a script that defy conformity!<br />
<strong>The</strong> brain storming pattern is similar to the GODS facilitation when members looked at the need for Asia OD network and something<br />
similar you probed in Christ College Seminar. Sishya the Guru receives the gift of thankfulness and playfulness from the Guru and<br />
acknowledges the same.<br />
Greetings,<br />
Vasu, Hosur<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 12|
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 13|
Employee attrition is a costly dilemma for<br />
all organizations. In today's taxing<br />
business climate, managing company's<br />
competent and skilled human capital is vital<br />
for success. Is your approach to recruiting<br />
and retention aligned with your company's<br />
strategic goals? This article explores the<br />
prime factors for employee attrition and<br />
some retention strategies and processes<br />
that will help drive long-term tangible<br />
business benefits.<br />
Companies usually turn to increasing the<br />
compensation for employees to retain them.<br />
This however is no longer helpful in solving<br />
the problem as the skilled work force has<br />
many opportunities which masses of them<br />
give predilection to. Employee attrition costs<br />
12 to 18 months' salary for each leaving<br />
manager or professional, and 4 to 6 months'<br />
pay for each leaving Management or even<br />
hourly employee. According to a study by<br />
Ipsos-Reid, 30% of employees plan to<br />
change jobs in the next two years.<br />
Most leaving employees seek opportunities<br />
that allow them to use and develop their skills.<br />
Leaving employees want more meaning in<br />
their work meaning challenging the<br />
challenges. <strong>The</strong>y often indicate that they want<br />
to use their qualities and skills in challenging<br />
teamwork led by capable leaders.<br />
CASE STUDY: A Major Auto Component<br />
Manufacturer<br />
<strong>The</strong> Exit Interviews for key performers of<br />
the organization were analysed through<br />
language processing tools. <strong>The</strong> results were:<br />
v Overall, job dissatisfaction levels are<br />
high at all facilities, in all job<br />
classifications and among both new and<br />
lateral recruits.<br />
v Employees between 2 to 5 years of<br />
service and more than 10 years of<br />
service have higher dissatisfaction<br />
levels than those with less than 2 years<br />
of service.<br />
v Pay, work schedule, mandatory<br />
overtime, designation levels,<br />
opportunities for advancement, and<br />
Attrition and Retention<br />
- <strong>The</strong> Way Out<br />
Lead Feature<br />
benefits were most frequently cited as<br />
issues the key performer's wanted to<br />
change about their jobs.<br />
v When asked what incentives motivated<br />
them, pay and benefits was not<br />
frequently cited but majority of the<br />
respondents said that the liking for their<br />
work and the interest.<br />
v Respondents also frequently cited<br />
communication as a significant factor.<br />
Many key employees expressed a<br />
desire for more two-way flow of<br />
information and a voice in decisionmaking.<br />
v <strong>The</strong>y wanted a forum for sharing their<br />
ideas for system improvement. Some<br />
expressed the perception that inmates<br />
have a voice in the system but the staff<br />
does not, and expressed a desire to see<br />
administrative staff make a visit the<br />
facilities during second and third shifts.<br />
v Perceived lack of recognition was also<br />
cited as a contributor to low job<br />
satisfaction. Some respondents<br />
described a climate where bad<br />
performance was recognized but good<br />
performance was not. Several<br />
employees expressed a sense that their<br />
work is not valued, nor is it considered<br />
a skilled role. Other workplace climate<br />
issues that were often cited as<br />
contributing to poor performance were<br />
lack of teamwork, back biting and<br />
favoritism. <strong>The</strong> phrase "good old boy<br />
system" came up in several narrative<br />
responses.<br />
v Though job dissatisfaction seems to be<br />
the norm, there was considerable<br />
variability among facilities in terms of<br />
the issues that were cited as<br />
contributing to job dissatisfaction,<br />
especially compensation.<br />
If you are a boss, the following statistics<br />
should give you nightmares! However, here<br />
is a list of the most common `personality<br />
wrongs' that many managers commit that<br />
have to be corrected for the managers to<br />
succeed.**<br />
– Hari Nair and Abhishek Gavane<br />
Boss's always right<br />
Most frequently the senior managers deem<br />
themselves too great to consign mistakes,<br />
simply because now they have a<br />
designation that deceives them into<br />
believing that they are perfect and incapable<br />
of any faux pas. Such notions can be<br />
dangerous and prove an obstacle to learning<br />
and improving.<br />
Me and Only Me<br />
<strong>The</strong> most common mistake a senior<br />
manager makes is to think of himself, and<br />
not involving his subordinates when taking<br />
decisions. Authoritarian leadership is not<br />
appreciated in today's corporate world. Most<br />
of the present day employees can and do<br />
think for themselves and do not appreciate<br />
any dictatorial control.<br />
Forever and for always<br />
Senior managers must not take their<br />
leadership for granted. Many senior<br />
managers believe, `Once a leader, forever<br />
a leader'. <strong>The</strong>y forget that the title is only<br />
temporary and that true power does not lie<br />
with them but with the employees.<br />
Black-and-white pictures<br />
If a senior manager sees the world and all<br />
the situations in it clearly demarcated as<br />
black or white, it will be difficult to be<br />
subjective. He should know that there are<br />
lots of gray shades too and judging everyone<br />
by one's individual standards is surely not<br />
the best thing to do. Every person has<br />
distinct individual characteristics.<br />
All-knowing<br />
This epithet is for the Power above us all,<br />
though some senior managers would love<br />
to use it for themselves! Considering one<br />
above any fallacy is indeed the biggest<br />
fallacy in itself Good senior managers<br />
understand that they are people of average<br />
knowledge and intelligence. <strong>The</strong>y know<br />
there is still a lot to learn. <strong>The</strong>y hire the best<br />
people to acquire this knowledge. Such<br />
leaders succeed and the organization of<br />
such leaders succeeds, too.<br />
Hari Nair is with Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd, Gurgaon as its Assistant Vice President - Human Resources. He can be reached by<br />
e-mail - hari.nair@sonagroup.com; harinair64@gmail.com<br />
Abhishek Presently working at executive level in Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd, Gurgaon and can be reached by e-mail<br />
abhishek.gavane@sonagroup.com or abhishekgavane@gmail.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 14|
Sorry, no sorry!<br />
Accepting one's mistakes and apologizing<br />
for it, is a sign of healthy self-worth.<br />
Unfortunately, some senior managers get<br />
embarrassed about their mistakes and do not<br />
acknowledge it, in an attempt to cover it. But<br />
remember that acknowledging a mistake is<br />
the first step to finding its solution and makes<br />
one appear humane too. Similarly, taking<br />
criticism positively is also an endearing<br />
quality in a senior manager. Making changes,<br />
as suggested by employees, increases the<br />
trust they establish in you.<br />
Permanency<br />
Leaders who are unreceptive to change will<br />
find it difficult to survive in this dynamic<br />
world. Senior managers must be open to<br />
taking risks and judge the pros and cons of<br />
every opportunity that comes their way. Old<br />
habits die hard and one's `character'<br />
mistakes are the most difficult to correct<br />
Nevertheless, a true desire to change and<br />
a little determination will make you the<br />
perfect senior manager.<br />
Recruiting and Retention for the<br />
<strong>Work</strong>force<br />
<strong>The</strong> need to increase recruiting and<br />
retention effectiveness is a flaming issue<br />
worldwide. <strong>The</strong> business benefits of these<br />
approaches are reaching into the developing<br />
world-an encouraging sign that the<br />
learning's of human capital management<br />
can help raise global workforce standards.<br />
Compensation<br />
<strong>The</strong> Issue: While just 31 percent of<br />
respondents indicated making more money<br />
was their primary reason for job hunting, it's<br />
evident that paying proactive competitive<br />
salaries is MUST.<br />
(Carried from 18)<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> - Lessons From Cricket<br />
Mr. Greg Chappell was making the same<br />
mistake. <strong>The</strong> rest of the world, BCCI and<br />
the media included, thought that he will<br />
transform the team. It was the wrong way to<br />
start, even if a major change was called for.<br />
Greg Chappell is now criticized for his<br />
failure, which is the natural result of his<br />
attitude, but the surviving managers have<br />
not learnt the lesson. <strong>The</strong>y keep saying how<br />
the ones dropped are no good (in fact, they<br />
may be called back again, like in the case<br />
of VVS Laxman), that there are not enough<br />
capable cricketers to choose from (implying<br />
that those selected are only compromises)<br />
and so on. None of these observations do<br />
justice to the decision makers of the past or<br />
the ones assigned the roles now.<br />
No manager or leader will have the best<br />
resources at his disposal. His skill lies in<br />
getting the best out of what he has, aware<br />
that every person has some skill and lots<br />
of potential that is not yet expressed.<br />
Blaming, accusations and threats do not<br />
What We Can Do:<br />
Use of Industry Surveys and other data tools<br />
to stay informed on wage trends.<br />
To benefit both company and employees,<br />
tie increased one time performance pay to<br />
meeting specific goals aligned with business<br />
objectives.<br />
Collect data from exit interviews to<br />
document trends from your departing<br />
employees, and then use this data to make<br />
a business case for increasing salaries<br />
across the board.<br />
Conduct ESS to find out what perks,<br />
benefits and forms of compensation other<br />
than money will help keep them motivated.<br />
Let employees decide their own<br />
compensation package / reimbursements<br />
once the quantum is fixed.<br />
Management and Retention<br />
Improve managers' leadership,<br />
communication and interpersonal skills<br />
through coaching, training and feedback.<br />
Rate these key skills in their evaluations,<br />
and tie compensation to performance.<br />
Create a safe environment and process for<br />
employees to bring up concerns with their<br />
managers. Address problems quickly.<br />
Communication:<br />
Provide clear vision, brawny and consistent<br />
communication, teamwork and respect for<br />
workers' efforts.<br />
Share the company vision/mission clearly<br />
and regularly.<br />
Collaborate, communicate and listen.<br />
Contented employees achieve amazing<br />
things.<br />
bring out the best. <strong>The</strong>y inhibit even the<br />
normal capabilities. <strong>The</strong> public can indulge<br />
in what they want to and ask for 'heads to<br />
roll'. <strong>The</strong> ones responsible for performance<br />
cannot join the crowd, because if some<br />
heads roll, other heads have to found as<br />
substitutes. <strong>The</strong>se new heads will also be<br />
affected by the same dynamics of fears and<br />
be required to roll sometime later. When the<br />
leader, who is looked upon for support, also<br />
leads the blaming game, accusing players<br />
of attitudes and resistance to change, the<br />
team ceases to function.<br />
While past performances are necessary<br />
indicators of capabilities, they are not<br />
determinants. Critics may comment adversely<br />
about the selections made, for example, into<br />
the national team of someone who has not<br />
even played a Ranji Trophy. Forming opinions<br />
about potential is the selector's job and not<br />
every media person can agree on that. <strong>The</strong><br />
selector has to stand by his judgement and<br />
not falter when evidence of potential takes time<br />
Organization Culture:<br />
Culture is reflective of senior leadership.<br />
Being dissatisfied with senior leaders is one<br />
of the seven reasons people leave jobs. For<br />
IT people, it may be a culture that doesn't<br />
communicate. If the culture doesn't care for<br />
people, you have to go after what they do<br />
care about, which is the bottom line.<br />
To the extent that an organization over time<br />
develops uniquely shared norms we can<br />
distinguish organizations by its culture. <strong>The</strong><br />
people in the organization create<br />
organizational culture. He models this<br />
process as a cycle of Attraction- Selection-<br />
Attrition (ASA)<br />
Attraction: People seek a "fit" with their own<br />
personality in their choice of career and<br />
employer.<br />
Selection: Organizations recruit and select<br />
people that are compatible - they "fit" in.<br />
Attrition: When incompatible people join a<br />
company, they tend to leave seeking a "fit"<br />
with another organization. This leaves the<br />
organization with more homogenous group.<br />
This tendency towards homogeneity<br />
reinforces common shared norms of<br />
behavior or culture.<br />
**Reference: Article on "Employees leave<br />
boss's not their jobs" published in "<strong>The</strong><br />
Hindu"<br />
Employee attrition rate can be never being<br />
entirely eradicated. It can only be influenced<br />
to keep it in control. <strong>The</strong> business model on<br />
which a subsidiary operation runs is<br />
significant in achieving this. Outsourcing<br />
higher end responsibilities that offers<br />
challenging tasks to the employees goes a<br />
long way in helping.<br />
u H<br />
to emerge. It is the job of the coach and the<br />
captain to get the best out of the person<br />
selected and to help him overcome any<br />
problems he may have. It is not the job of the<br />
coach or the captain to publicly announce that<br />
his men have problems.<br />
It is said that in 2005, when the Indian coach<br />
was being chosen, one of the members in<br />
the selection panel asked Tom Moody how<br />
he could compare himself with Greg<br />
Chappell, who had played more tests and<br />
scored more runs. In April 2007, the BCCI<br />
is said to be wooing the same Tom Moody,<br />
in Barbados and Jamaica, because of his<br />
outstanding job with the Sri Lankans. Making<br />
selections of personnel, including cricketers<br />
and coaches, requires observation of not<br />
merely objective data, but making inferences<br />
about capabilities not yet demonstrated..<br />
Those inferences may not seem to be quite<br />
rational. Managers know that skill and<br />
potential are not established by past<br />
performance or qualifications Good tennis<br />
coaches are not Wimbledon champions.u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 15|
Attitude & Behavior<br />
Attitude is a way we feel about something,<br />
It can also be said as it is a predispositions<br />
toward given aspects of the world. Let us<br />
understand what is the root of one's attitude.<br />
<strong>The</strong> root of attitude are the sensations.<br />
Sensations are the ongoing process in<br />
human body at sub conscious level. One<br />
has no control as to what kind of sensation<br />
will arise at particular moment. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
sensations may be the result of contact of<br />
physical senses like, hearing, vision, taste,<br />
touch or smell or past accumulated<br />
experiences, associations, peer-group,<br />
family etc. When the senses come in contact<br />
with the organizational atmosphere some<br />
kind of sensation arise at subconscious level<br />
which will be perceived by the conscious<br />
mind as per its past experiences. <strong>The</strong><br />
perceived notion takes the form of attitude<br />
and in turn that attitude converts into the<br />
behavior of the employees.<br />
ATTITUDE IS A RESULT OF:-<br />
A long affect of the change attitude may take<br />
shape into the habit pattern of the<br />
employees. At this juncture it becomes more<br />
difficult to change his attitude and break his<br />
accumulated habit pattern. <strong>The</strong> attitude of<br />
one can be changed at perception level. It<br />
is difficult from the conscious level of mind<br />
to perceive differently however, it is easier<br />
to perceive neutrally at sensation level.<br />
However, realizing the subtle or gross<br />
sensations may require some expertise. It<br />
is essential for the supervisors to notice any<br />
change in attitude of the employees. It can<br />
be for shorter duration, however, when it<br />
remains constantly for a longer period it<br />
needs to be addressed or corrective<br />
measures will be required. Alternately the<br />
output given by the employee may be<br />
affected. HR Department should be vigilant<br />
for such kind of employees. <strong>The</strong> few of the<br />
cases are discussed below:-<br />
Dealing with absenteeism<br />
Many a time an employee starts making<br />
himself absent due to certain organizational<br />
perceptions made by him. At such a juncture,<br />
he need to be understood as a whole person<br />
as an employee, an family head, a society<br />
member. He should be communicated<br />
immediately and any stimulant found for his<br />
absenteeism should be dealt with promptly.<br />
This may help him to become as earlier and<br />
stop absenting himself.<br />
Dealing with change in attitude due to his<br />
peer group well placed and earning more.<br />
Friends provoke many a times an employee<br />
when they are placed and earning more than<br />
him. At such a time, he should be realized<br />
about his surroundings, his capabilities and<br />
Changing Attitude<br />
Of Employees<br />
– Prof. Shyam Shukla<br />
his earning at local level. Many times there<br />
has been cases, the employee who have<br />
been dealt properly at the time when they<br />
were leaving the organization due to<br />
underpayment have joined back after some<br />
times on realizing the factual.<br />
Dealing with alcoholism/intoxications<br />
Such cases are to be dealt with more<br />
carefully as this may not be possible to<br />
correct him simply by counseling, as it is<br />
difficult to change his attitude at conscious<br />
level. It may be endeavor of the organization<br />
to grant him leave or some concessions for<br />
the cause of going to some meditation/deaddiction<br />
centers to help him to see himself<br />
at subconscious level & get rid of such habits.<br />
Dealing with cases of unwanted tour<br />
billings/expenditures quoted by the<br />
employees<br />
Under such circumstances, instead of<br />
pointing out the same, clear-cut policies are<br />
to be issued, keeping a level of flexibility to<br />
accommodate the real kind of expenditures.<br />
This will directly or indirectly clarify the<br />
perception of the employees to manage their<br />
expenditures with in those limits.<br />
Dealing with cases of change in attitude<br />
of old employees.<br />
In case of changes in attitude of old<br />
employees to be noticed promptly to find out<br />
stimuli for the same and deal it accordingly.<br />
<strong>The</strong> older employees should be trained by<br />
their bosses to work even in adverse<br />
conditions too. This will make them realize<br />
that he is in a team for achievement of certain<br />
objective, it will make him more tougher as<br />
well as a good team player.<br />
u H<br />
Prof Shyam Shukla, Corporate Relations Manager, Central Institute of Business Management Reseatch & Devlopment & Tresurer<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N Nagpur Chapter and can be reached at cibmrdadm@rediffmail.com).<br />
(Carried from 24)<br />
SENSATIONS<br />
PERCEPTATION<br />
ATTITUDE<br />
Organisational Stupidity means bad<br />
response towards change. In order to<br />
remove the pattern of stupid behaviors from<br />
organization, an intensive strategy plan has<br />
to be created, so that unpredictable and<br />
uncertain forces from the environment would<br />
be answered smartly and Intelligently.<br />
<strong>The</strong> characterstics of such organization<br />
should be:<br />
l Learning Culture: <strong>The</strong> ambience of<br />
organization should generate, exchange<br />
and sustain learnings.<br />
Organisational Intelligence: A systematic Perspective<br />
l<br />
l<br />
l<br />
l<br />
Continous Learning: Learning should be<br />
an integeral part of any organization and<br />
at the same time it should be perpetual.<br />
Knowledge Generation: Organisation<br />
should empower the people and bring<br />
everybody on board.<br />
Critical System thinking: Analytical and<br />
logical thinking should takeover stupidity<br />
as a system in organization.<br />
People centered: OI is people centeric<br />
because the foundation of any form of<br />
intelligence is Indiviual IQs.<br />
l A spirit of flexibility: A flexibility is the<br />
only key factor of creating and<br />
sustaining intelligence.<br />
In the end I would like to conclude that<br />
Organisational Intelligence is the mode of<br />
improving the relevance and effectiveness<br />
of an Organisation so that the resistance to<br />
change can be minimized. Thus expressing<br />
the reaction and response to uncertain<br />
variables will be intelligent rather than<br />
stupidity.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 16|
Employee Engagement<br />
- Key to Talent Retention<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hospitality Industry has been<br />
growing at a tremendous rate over the<br />
last few months and the exponential growth<br />
is going to increase. After a five-year<br />
downward spiral starting 1997-98, the<br />
hospitality industry in India witnessed a<br />
visible revival only by the second half of<br />
2002-03, thanks to strong domestic travel<br />
trends and a positive economic and<br />
investment environment. <strong>The</strong>re is a huge<br />
domestic tourist market in India, including<br />
business and leisure travellers. This is<br />
estimated at some 300 millions tourists or<br />
tourist trips a year, which may also include<br />
those travelling for social and religious<br />
purposes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> industry, despite being an important<br />
component of the economy, contributed only<br />
2% of the GDP in 2003/04. According to<br />
recent estimates of the WTTC (World Travel<br />
and Tourism Corporation), Indian tourism<br />
demand will grow at 8.8% over the next ten<br />
years (from 2005-15), which would place<br />
India as the second most rapidly growing<br />
tourism market in the world. This is expected<br />
to result in a growth of 7.1% in total travel<br />
and tourism GDP. Based on the forecasted<br />
growth in demand we expect that another<br />
1,00,000 to 1,25,000 rooms will need to be<br />
added, across the country, in the next five<br />
to seven years, to be able to meet the<br />
increase in demand, but less than half of<br />
that is under different stages of planning and<br />
construction.<br />
Demand has outstripped supply and the<br />
need for more rooms and for more qualified<br />
manpower at the supervisory cadre, the<br />
assistant manager level and department<br />
head levels is increasing. <strong>The</strong>re is a dearth<br />
of management-oriented trained people in<br />
the industry. We started seeing a brain drain<br />
from this sector to banks and multi-national<br />
companies 4-5 years ago and this has only<br />
increased. <strong>The</strong> salary structure in the hotel<br />
industry is not inspiring either. 10-20% of<br />
the graduates from hotel management<br />
institutes are now taking up jobs in the<br />
financial services sector. <strong>The</strong> problem<br />
becomes more acute at the midmanagement<br />
level, with over 50% choosing<br />
to opt out in favour of other service sector<br />
jobs, such as BPO's, IT companies etc. <strong>The</strong><br />
hospitality sector is one of the few industries<br />
not to have raised salary levels in a big way<br />
over the last few years, but that would have<br />
to change.<br />
Also, a fatter pay package is not the only<br />
attraction. Better work conditions in other<br />
industries, particularly in banks where most<br />
employees enjoy a five-day week and a 9-6<br />
job have become a big draw for employees<br />
moving out of the hospitality industry. <strong>The</strong><br />
attrition rate in the hospitality industry is<br />
around 30% and according to HVS<br />
International, a hospitality constancy,<br />
branded hotels in the top 10 hotel markets<br />
(cities) will need about 94,000 employees<br />
in the next five years, more than twice the<br />
existing requirement. According to WTTC,<br />
the Indian Travel &Tourism (T&T) Economy<br />
employment is estimated at 25,607,000 jobs<br />
in 2007, 5.5% of total employment. By 2017,<br />
this should total 28,322,000 jobs, 5.2% of<br />
total employment.<br />
Keeping this in mind, it has been difficult to<br />
retain talent but, we have been doing the<br />
best we can. Below we have highlighted<br />
some of the initiatives we have. By and large<br />
we try to engage the employees to create a<br />
fun atmosphere and to ensure that they are<br />
satisfied. This is going to be the key for an<br />
employer to retain an employee apart from<br />
ensuring that the compensation and benefits<br />
are in par with industry standards of not only<br />
hospitality but pan industries. A lot of hotels<br />
are trying out different ways, such as<br />
Employee Stock Options, SAP<br />
Implementation, opportunities for<br />
International exposure etc.<br />
New comer's High tea is a novel concept<br />
we have of welcoming the new employees<br />
to the our Family. This happens once in a<br />
quarter where the employees along with<br />
their parents are invited over a High Tea.<br />
<strong>The</strong> General Manager addresses the<br />
employees and their parents saying how<br />
good it is to work for the group. <strong>The</strong>n the<br />
parents are also allowed to speak and ask<br />
questions. <strong>The</strong> senior most employees of<br />
the organization also share their experience<br />
with the new comers. This has been a<br />
successful initiative as the Tata Group and<br />
Sandeep Banerjee, Area Head - HR, Taj Coromandel, Chennai Region, E-Mail: sandeep.banerjee@tajhotels.com<br />
Vikas Chawla Asst. Manager - H R, Taj Coromandel, Chennai E-Mail: vikas.chawla@tajhotels.com<br />
Vikas Chawla and Sandeep Banerjee<br />
Taj Group has had a heritage and are trusted<br />
brands. Through the high tea we try and win<br />
the confidence of the parents and family that<br />
Taj is a great place to work at.<br />
Another concept is that of the Birthday Bash<br />
where all the employees celebrating their<br />
birthday in a month would be invited by the<br />
G.M and the staff cafeteria is decorated to<br />
a specific theme with special sumptuous<br />
food planned by the Chef is served. <strong>The</strong><br />
function starts off with games for the<br />
birthday babies and it is fun to watch the<br />
employees playing games like passing the<br />
ball, Musical chair, etc. It is followed by a<br />
cake cutting along with the birthday song.<br />
We also go out of the way to receive<br />
feedback from employees about cafeteria<br />
food, about various activities that we have<br />
and also to give their suggestions. We also<br />
try to entertain our employees during our<br />
Movie day which is an ideal concept for the<br />
employees to have a break and an<br />
entertainment from their usual work routine.<br />
It is decided in the Town Hall meeting as<br />
which movie to screen and right at the mid<br />
way of the month the movie is screened<br />
during the Tea break with special snacks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> movie is screened in the staff cafeteria.<br />
On occasions like Independence Day,<br />
republic day, Valentines Day, New Year<br />
appropriate movies would be screened as<br />
on the theme.<br />
Considering that a lot of our employees work<br />
long hour we also have Yoga classes. This<br />
is an innovative and a highly effective<br />
practice to help the employees to vent out<br />
their stress and make the body and mind<br />
calm. This has a great influence on the<br />
executives too for whom the classes are<br />
conducted. Sports Activities are also<br />
conducted once a year which involve games<br />
like Table Tennis, Cricket, Carom, Volleyball,<br />
Chess, Shuttle, Tennikoit and Throw ball.<br />
Ladies also participate in the same. Apart<br />
from this we also have a All India Taj Cricket<br />
Tournament and all units take part in the<br />
same making it an competitive and fun filled<br />
event.<br />
As a welfare initiative we started an<br />
Employee cooperative store and has<br />
(Contd.. On Page 44)<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 17|
<strong>HRD</strong> - Lessons From Cricket<br />
When the Indian cricket team returned<br />
from the West Indies in the very first<br />
week of the World Cup competition, the<br />
reactions ranged from the logical and the<br />
analytical to the utterly senseless violence<br />
against the players' homes. Some officials<br />
of the BCCI expressed their anger by<br />
suggesting that contracts and payments<br />
should be withheld or at least curtailed.<br />
Many others asked for a complete<br />
revamping of the system of team selection.<br />
This entire episode provides an interesting<br />
case study for management of Human<br />
Resources. .<br />
<strong>The</strong> simple facts are that a group of persons<br />
selected after trials over long periods of<br />
time, in camps, and in action in the field,<br />
failed to perform, even at the minimal level.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se persons had superb credentials,<br />
having experience and records to their<br />
credit, as good or better than any other so<br />
far in the history of the game. Individually,<br />
their skills were proven. When selected, they<br />
were hailed to be the best team ever from<br />
India. Expert commentators, even from<br />
abroad, saw the team as strong contenders<br />
for the title. Few had doubts about the team<br />
reaching the semi finals. Yet it fell at the first<br />
hurdle. Two 'minnows' had made the grade<br />
ahead of India.<br />
How could such a powerful team, consisting<br />
of experienced and proven players, fail so<br />
badly? It is common knowledge that skill<br />
does not always result in corresponding<br />
performance. <strong>The</strong>re are mediating factors,<br />
variously described as concentration,<br />
application, enthusiasm, etc which affect<br />
sharpness of reflexes and coordination of<br />
the various limbs and organs in use. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are all functions of the mind. <strong>The</strong> mind<br />
provides the energy that converts the skill<br />
into performance or withdraws the energy<br />
and then, the skill is not available. This<br />
phenomenon, may be referred to as 'being<br />
in form' or 'out of form', by sportsmen, 'mood'<br />
by ordinary people and 'morale' by<br />
managers. This is the same phenomenon,<br />
which enhances performance in front of<br />
cheering supportive crowds and kills<br />
performance before booing crowds, or<br />
raises levels of performance after every<br />
success, like a goal or a wicket. This is the<br />
area to explore to understand the reasons<br />
for failure and the corrections that may be<br />
required.<br />
Any manager, familiar with the behaviours<br />
of people as individuals and as groups,<br />
would know that outstanding individuals, put<br />
together do not become outstanding groups.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y have to gel and become cohesive as<br />
teams, before high performance team-work<br />
can happen. Cohesion is the result of the<br />
interactions within the group, across all<br />
levels. <strong>The</strong> major responsibility for making<br />
this happen remains with the leader. In this<br />
case, the leaders are, the captain first and<br />
the coach next. <strong>The</strong>y have to be seen and<br />
accepted as leaders. Acceptance comes<br />
from their behaviours within the group.<br />
'Being seen' happens as a result of the way<br />
they relate to the world outside, particularly<br />
their bosses.<br />
In this case, the controversies about the<br />
team began with the South Africa tour. A<br />
few setbacks and the captain, the coach and<br />
the players were subjects of discussion in<br />
the media and the public. As one columnist<br />
wrote, 'the media was in a frenzy of<br />
flagellation and wanted to wreak some<br />
mayhem on someone'. Even some<br />
parliamentarians thought it proper to raise<br />
the matter. <strong>The</strong> President of the BCCI<br />
announced that he was sending the Chief<br />
of the Selection Committee to South Africa.<br />
Mr. Dilip Vengsarkar went. <strong>The</strong> message to<br />
the team clearly was that the local<br />
management, including the captain and the<br />
coach, were not good enough for the task<br />
and Mr Vengsarkar was coming to take<br />
charge.<br />
When any person, individual or collective,<br />
performs or fails, it is alright for the public to<br />
be stringent in its criticism. But the person<br />
in question, will be looking forward to his<br />
leader for understanding and support. If that<br />
does not happen and he also joins the public<br />
bandwagon, the extent of demoralization is<br />
high. <strong>The</strong> action of sending Mr. Vengsarkar<br />
to South Africa had this effect. Whether Mr.<br />
Vengsarkar interfered with the captain and<br />
the coach or not, is irrelevant. His travel to<br />
South Africa was adequate to undermine<br />
the authority of the leaders in the perception<br />
of the team. Every member felt let down by<br />
their own bosses. <strong>The</strong>reafter, neither will<br />
S.Balachandran<br />
authority be exercised, nor will it be<br />
accepted, by anyone. <strong>The</strong>re will always be<br />
the super boss in the background. <strong>The</strong><br />
morale of the team had been damaged. <strong>The</strong><br />
blame game had begun. <strong>The</strong> team selected<br />
for the two home series, against the West<br />
Indies and Sri Lanka, although performing<br />
well, was still subject to controversies about<br />
the inclusion of one or another.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Times of India carried in its edition of<br />
the 23rd April 2007, an interview with Johnty<br />
Rhodes, the legendary fielder and currently<br />
the fielding coach for the South African team<br />
in which he is quoted as saying "Five World<br />
Cups is a long time. But it doesn't make me<br />
the expert. It might well be that AB de Villiers<br />
might need some advice from Graeme<br />
Smith who has played in one-and-a-half<br />
World Cups. Just because I am the senior<br />
guy in the team, doesn't mean that I know<br />
everything. All the guys are pretty focused<br />
and are comfortable with their roles." This<br />
is an attitude that respects the competence<br />
of the individuals who are assigned various<br />
roles. That is the attitude that gets the<br />
individuals to respond with enthusiasm. <strong>The</strong><br />
opposite attitude "I know better. I will tell you<br />
and you do that" will get the opposite<br />
response of fear, hesitation and frustration,<br />
conditions in which performance will be less<br />
than optimal.<br />
Indian managers, by and large, have<br />
assumptions of superior competence and<br />
do not easily recognize or respect the<br />
competence in subordinates. This is so<br />
despite loud public assertions to the<br />
contrary. This is true of politicians who<br />
become ministers. Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyer<br />
is an example. He did not hesitate to<br />
denigrate his subordinates, be it Mr. Raza<br />
of the ONGC or Mr. Kalmadi of the Indian<br />
Olympic Association. Many managers, while<br />
taking charge of new responsibilities, have<br />
the habit of proclaiming that their duty is to<br />
clean up the establishment, as if all the<br />
predecessors, have done all wrong. .This is<br />
the best way to alienate the members of the<br />
group. Even if they do not sabotage, their<br />
cooperation would be minimal. <strong>The</strong> new<br />
officials of the BCCI, (after Mr. Dalmia) and<br />
Mr. Vengsarkar together contributed to this<br />
(Contd.. Page 15)<br />
Mr. S Balachandran is MD and CEO of Achievers Spectum, Mumbai. E-Mail: s.balachandran@vsnl.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 18|
<strong>Work</strong> <strong>Life</strong> And Stress<br />
Management<br />
As modern organizations are growing<br />
and becoming complex entities<br />
because of organic and inorganic growth,<br />
the animate human resources of the<br />
organization are more at the receiving end<br />
in terms of stress.<br />
"Everybody knows what stress is and yet<br />
no one knows what it is"<br />
Today stress is omnipotent irrespective of<br />
age, sex, education or status it affects our<br />
life the most. It is just not a phenomenon of<br />
today, but was existent since time<br />
immemorial. Right from the beginning of the<br />
civilization human organisms are subjected<br />
to stressful events like birth itself, crying,<br />
crawling walking etc. Today the transition is<br />
that modern stressors have increased so<br />
also the manifestations of stress have<br />
increased.<br />
Stress is any condition that disturbs normal<br />
functioning. It is difficult to define stress, as<br />
there is no satisfactory definition of stress<br />
that encompasses the social, psychological,<br />
biological, organizational issues, which have<br />
an impact over an individual. <strong>The</strong>re is no<br />
single level of stress that is optimal for all<br />
people. We are all individual creatures with<br />
unique requirements. As such, what is<br />
distressing to one may be a joy to another.<br />
And even when we agree that a particular<br />
event is distressing, we are likely to differ in<br />
our physiological and psychological<br />
responses to it.<br />
Stress broadly can be looked as an<br />
Anticipatory, Current and Residual Stress.<br />
Anticipatory stress: It is in response to<br />
expected Stress a person might give more<br />
attention" what might happen" than to what<br />
is happening.<br />
Current stress: This occurs during the<br />
experience for e.g. - a person in the midst<br />
of an activity experiences this, job<br />
assignment etc<br />
Residual stress: This occurs after the<br />
experience has passed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> causes of work related stress are:<br />
1) <strong>Work</strong> Overload: Either you have got too<br />
much to do and too little time to do or<br />
job is very difficult and complex you feel<br />
you cannot handle it.<br />
2) Poor relationship with bosses, or<br />
subordinates.<br />
3) Lack of autonomy. Having no control<br />
and participation in decision making it<br />
is one of the main reasons of stress.<br />
4) Role conflict: sometimes one feels<br />
caught in between conflicting demands<br />
from superior and subordinates that can<br />
be stressful. One particular experiences<br />
conflict between organizational and<br />
personal roles.<br />
Individual Role Organization<br />
An organization has its own structure and<br />
goals; the individual has unique personality<br />
and needs. <strong>The</strong>se interact and become<br />
integrated to some degree in the role.<br />
Otherwise, neither the organization nor the<br />
personal goals will be realized.<br />
5) Hardiness: Hardy people tend to involve<br />
themselves in what is going on rather<br />
than feeling alienated from it they feel<br />
and act as though they are influential<br />
rather than helpless in face of ups and<br />
down of life and they see life as a<br />
challenge.<br />
6) Organizational climate: with<br />
organization and human resources<br />
becoming multicultural individual could<br />
experience organizational climate which<br />
cause of lack of adaptability. Sometimes<br />
stress arises when employees do not<br />
possess the necessary skills to carry<br />
on with the work assigned to them. <strong>Work</strong><br />
stress can also be over the uncertainty<br />
of the sufficiency of their tasks in<br />
relevance to their position and role<br />
7) Bullying or Harassment: Bullying is the<br />
willful, conscious desire to hurt another<br />
and put him/her under stress.<br />
8) Lack of job security: In the era of pink<br />
slips job security is always a question<br />
mark giving rise to ample stress.<br />
9) <strong>Work</strong> life Imbalance: use to long erratic<br />
work hours working against the<br />
biological clock and especially in the<br />
B.P.O and ITES and because of<br />
spending excessive time away from<br />
home and family.<br />
C Lalitha and Dr. Sapna Singh<br />
10) Office Politics and conflict among staff.<br />
Also induces stress<br />
<strong>The</strong> ASTRA SHASTRAS of modern<br />
Stress Management are:<br />
1) Proper planning and realistic goal<br />
setting in life.<br />
2) Controlling anger and anxiety.<br />
3) Developing positive thinking.<br />
4) Effective management of time.<br />
5) Good manners and developing good<br />
habits.<br />
6) Practicing yoga and regular physical<br />
exercise.<br />
7) Relaxation and taking breaks.<br />
8) Balanced and good diet is the guru<br />
mantra for physiological Stress<br />
Management'<br />
9) Finger Magic: massage,<br />
aromatherapies are rejuvenating for<br />
mind and body.<br />
10) Yoga is also greatly beneficial to a<br />
stressed mind and Soul.<br />
Organizational techniques:<br />
Organizations should encourage employees<br />
to undergo periodic physical and<br />
psychological examinations and personal<br />
surveys to ascertain current stress levels.<br />
Personal counseling should be provided by<br />
organizations to identify undue stress levels<br />
and then identify any corrective measures<br />
for the individual.<br />
<strong>The</strong> organization should promote a climate,<br />
which actively assists employees to<br />
minimize their stress.<br />
Summary:<br />
Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies<br />
experience as we adjust to our continuously<br />
changing environment; it has physical and<br />
emotional effects on us and can create<br />
positive or negative feelings. <strong>The</strong> modern<br />
organizational work life is prone to stress.<br />
Individuals should learn to manage stress<br />
and develop coping strategies for<br />
themselves. Organizations should also work<br />
towards providing a stress free environment<br />
that can go a long way and become a winwin<br />
strategy for all.<br />
u H<br />
C. Lalitha, Assistant Professor, with Sister Nivedita College of Professional Studies E-Mail: channalalitha1@yahoo.co.in<br />
Dr. Sapna Singh, Head, Dept. of Business Management, RBVRR College, Hyderabad E-Mail: sapnasingh66@yahoo.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 19|
Organizational Climate<br />
through Leadership<br />
J. Arpan Kumar<br />
Prologue<br />
<strong>The</strong> work place is constantly changing.<br />
Corporate mergers, down-sizing, rightsizing,<br />
budget cut backs, employees/publicignited<br />
law suits, changing technology and<br />
ongoing regulatory compliance issues have<br />
forced many organizations and government<br />
bodies to rethink the way that they operate.<br />
Additionally managers and supervisors are<br />
forced with new challenges in motivating<br />
employees while addressing work place<br />
violence, employees/public safety, sexual<br />
harassment, discipline/firing issues and<br />
dealing with troubled employees. Research<br />
conducted by Harvard Business school<br />
unfolds that conducive organizational<br />
climate is a sine qua non for organizational<br />
effectiveness in this highly turbulent and<br />
tumultuous business environment.<br />
Organizational climate is the perception of<br />
how it feels to work in a particular<br />
environment. It is the atmosphere of the<br />
work place, including a complex mixture of<br />
norms, values, expectations, policies and<br />
procedures that influence individual and<br />
group patterns of behavior. It is, in effect<br />
people's perceptions of "the way we do<br />
things here".<br />
Elements of Organizational Climate<br />
Organizational climate is the atmosphere of<br />
the work place, including a complex mixture<br />
of norms, values, expectations, policies and<br />
procedures that influence individual and<br />
group patterns of behavior. It is, in effect<br />
people's perceptions of "the way we do<br />
things here". <strong>The</strong> study of the climate is very<br />
important. It provides for an individual to<br />
interpret and give meaning to his or her<br />
environment, which will have immense<br />
implications upon the formulation of<br />
expectancies, instrumentalities and affective<br />
reactions. As per the study of Harvard<br />
Business School the following are the<br />
dimensions, which in general are measures<br />
to organizational climate and these are<br />
Clarity: Purpose, goals, roles, clear<br />
procedures.<br />
Flexibility: Unnecessary rules are minimized<br />
and creativity is encouraged.<br />
Standards: Setting challenging goals and<br />
improving performance is emphasized.<br />
Responsibility: Initiative and risk taking are<br />
encouraged. <strong>The</strong>re is accountability at all<br />
levels.<br />
Rewards: Recognition is directly related to<br />
levels of performance and expectations.<br />
Team commitment: People work<br />
cooperatively, trust each other and are proud<br />
to be a part of the organization.<br />
Climate through Leadership<br />
According Tom peters" Leadership is<br />
emerging as the most important element of<br />
business-the attribute that is highest in<br />
demand and shortest in supply".<br />
Leader's total commitment is common<br />
prescription for success of organizational<br />
climate. Leaders need to maintain<br />
disciplined attention to create climate and<br />
influence climate. Peter Senge has adopted<br />
the definitions for leadership; in the abstract-<br />
"Leadership is the capacity of a human<br />
community to create its future". In operation-<br />
"Leadership is the ability in an organization<br />
to initiate and to sustain significant change,<br />
to work effectively with the force that shape<br />
change". <strong>The</strong> important point about this<br />
definition is the emphasis on collective<br />
capacity. In the organization people have to<br />
work collectively for the growth of<br />
organization. One person cannot handle and<br />
change a system. But the actions and<br />
statements of a company leader will<br />
influence people. In a study carried out in<br />
UK it was found that, there are few words/<br />
phrases mentioned or frequently used in<br />
respect to leadership and which in turn<br />
create/influence the climate of the<br />
organization. Those are leader/leadership<br />
Skills, communicator/communication skills,<br />
interpersonal skills, influencing skills, proven<br />
track record, inspiring skills, motivational<br />
skills, strategic thinker. Such wanted skills<br />
come out with certain actions and<br />
statements, and these actions and<br />
statements influence or create the climate.<br />
When employees accept actions and<br />
statements of leaders then it is reciprocal<br />
and collective. This is what synergy. <strong>The</strong><br />
nature of the climate in any organization<br />
finally depends upon the synergy levels that<br />
exist in, and these levels are to be created<br />
and maintained by leaders through their<br />
extra-ordinary skills. A true practice of<br />
leadership for the best climate is<br />
demonstrated most authentically in the<br />
leadership moment. According to Jan<br />
carlzon the legendary CEO of Scandinavian<br />
airlines system "people are not born with<br />
self confidence. Even the most selfconfident<br />
people are broken; self-confidence<br />
comes from success, experience, and the<br />
organizations environment. <strong>The</strong> leader's<br />
most important role is to instill confidence<br />
in people. <strong>The</strong>y must dare to take risks and<br />
responsibility. You must back them when<br />
they make mistakes". This strengthens the<br />
argument of creating the best climate where<br />
employees dare to learn the bits and bites<br />
of self-confidence. One of the most<br />
significant strengths of an effective and<br />
efficacious leader is his ability to create a<br />
positive climate with his actions and<br />
statements. Effective and efficacious<br />
leaders use a repertoire of style to create<br />
positive work climates in the areas they<br />
manage. In the recent past Kirkpatrick and<br />
Locke of UK developed a specific model in<br />
which they identified several traits that are<br />
consistently associated with effective and<br />
efficacious leadership and can institute<br />
amicable climate. <strong>The</strong>y are Drive, leadership<br />
motivation, honesty and integrity, selfconfidence,<br />
cognitive ability, and knowledge<br />
of business. Running through all these<br />
theories, themes, traits which emphasize<br />
the importance of values, integrity,<br />
truthfulness and morality, and with where<br />
leadership is now being scrutinized and<br />
discussed in terms of ethical leadership,<br />
authentic leadership, spiritual leadership,<br />
and servant leadership. Leadership when<br />
described in these terms is based on a<br />
moral foundation centered around a selfawareness<br />
of ones behaviors where<br />
authenticity is practiced, ethics are adhered<br />
to, learning, growth and the development of<br />
others are encouraged. <strong>The</strong>se all talks, talk<br />
in perspective to climate through leadership.<br />
J. Arpan Kumar is Faculty and Head of the Department, C. Malla Reddy Institute of Management, Hyderabad.<br />
He can be reached by arpankumarj@gmail.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 20|
Proven leadership principles to strengthen<br />
and stabilize organizational climate<br />
l Attitude of "It could be done"<br />
l Willing to change mind when require<br />
l Following and doing things decisively<br />
l Maintaining of enthusiasm between<br />
failures<br />
l Demonstrating 100% corporate<br />
commitment<br />
l Exciting, adventurous, new and even<br />
risk-taking<br />
l People stay when leaders who take<br />
them in directions that are interesting,<br />
Impact of Organizational Climate<br />
Glamorous globalization has changed the<br />
life styles, mind styles, position styles and<br />
efficiency styles of the people. All these have<br />
changed the culture of the organization<br />
accordingly and in turn the climate of the<br />
organization has been affected. <strong>The</strong> climate<br />
of organization depends upon various factors<br />
and changing factors. <strong>The</strong> satisfaction levels,<br />
motivational levels and above all acceptance<br />
levels of all employees across the globe have<br />
changed and increased. <strong>The</strong>re is an<br />
increasing amount of circumstantial evidence<br />
to suggest that the globalization of business<br />
is generating similarities in the ways in which<br />
firms manage their employees. For example<br />
the factors like salary and job security<br />
became primary factors for almost all global<br />
companies to maintain good organizational<br />
climate. Even in developed countries like<br />
USA, UK, Germany etc., people are rating<br />
these factors as primary. Countries like china,<br />
South Korea, Japan, India are no exception.<br />
Across the corporate globe there are many<br />
companies which strive hard to establish<br />
decent climate. At Southwest Airlines to<br />
nurture, stabilize and standardize<br />
organizational climate the top management<br />
is committed to provide their employees a<br />
stable work environment with equal<br />
opportunity for learning and personal<br />
growth, creativity and innovations are<br />
encouraged for improving the effectiveness<br />
of the Southwest Airlines. Above all<br />
employees will be provided the same<br />
concern, respect and caring attitude within<br />
the organization that they are expected to<br />
share externally with Southwest airlines<br />
Customers. Southwest airlines pride it on<br />
being a fun place to work, having amazingly<br />
low turnover rate and a highly productive<br />
workforce in the industry. <strong>The</strong> reason, its<br />
workers are highly motivated. Southwest<br />
airlines climate also de-emphasizes<br />
hierarchy. Elitism is not "looked upon very<br />
highly here, titles are not that important,"<br />
says its CEO. <strong>The</strong> unique about southwest<br />
airlines is its profit sharing plan and this plan<br />
has led number of employees to become<br />
millionaires after eighteen or twenty years<br />
of service. Such are the efforts made by<br />
Southwest airlines to stabilize and<br />
standardize their organizational climate.<br />
Changes in society, markets, customers,<br />
competition, and technology are forcing<br />
organizations to clarify their values, develop<br />
new strategies, and learn new ways of<br />
operating. <strong>The</strong> success of any company<br />
depends upon in handling these issues<br />
successfully. During 1980s, then chief<br />
executive of British airlines Colin Marshall<br />
clearly recognized the need to transform an<br />
airline nicknamed bloody awful by its own<br />
passengers into an exemplary of customer<br />
service. Marshall felt an organization whose<br />
people clung to functional silos and valued<br />
pleasing their bosses more than pleasing<br />
their customers couldn't become the world's<br />
favorite airline. For this he understood the<br />
need to strengthen the climate of the<br />
company in respect to changes in values,<br />
practices, relationships, creating trust,<br />
respecting individual and making teamwork<br />
happen through out the company.<br />
Education is the other important factor,<br />
which contributes ample for the climate to<br />
be healthy. <strong>The</strong> significance of education<br />
and training is growing day by day<br />
unchallenging. Companies like IBM,<br />
Motorola, Xerox, and Du Pont are training<br />
and educating their employees on various<br />
subjects like diversity, Leadership,<br />
Empowerment, Stress, Gender<br />
discrimination, Knowledge management,<br />
Risk taking, creativity, emotions etc. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
elements do contribute a lot for the success<br />
of organizational climate. Today across the<br />
globe diversity has become subject of<br />
concern. As the working population<br />
becomes more diverse and an increasing<br />
number of young and old people from both<br />
genders and from different regions, religion,<br />
race, caste, language seek employment,<br />
business firms are trying to be sensitive on<br />
this issue. Now managing diversity is issue.<br />
Multi cultural organizations must be<br />
developed and will be thoughtful. Business<br />
firms are wrestling with diversity that has<br />
previously being over looked and now<br />
demand careful attention. <strong>The</strong> proper<br />
handling of this sensitive issue will promote<br />
team spirit. One is good and one plus one<br />
is best. One is individual and one plus one<br />
is a team. One is energy and one plus one<br />
is synergy. Synergy strengthens the climate<br />
of organization. Today most of the corporate<br />
minds are reeling around the concept<br />
synergy. This is the very strength for<br />
dignifying the climate of organization. <strong>The</strong><br />
other seemingly sensitive issue for the<br />
balance of organizational climate has been<br />
the new theory work-life balance. This theory<br />
is assuming greater significance and<br />
cracking the corporate minds. Hewlett-<br />
Packard has created a new designation by<br />
name work life manager to assist every one<br />
from the CEO to down in handling the issue<br />
work life balance. <strong>The</strong> climate of the<br />
organization mostly depends on the warm,<br />
support, standards, responsibility, reward,<br />
clarity, and identity. In the process of<br />
strengthening the organizational climate,<br />
Cathay Pacific Airways is committed to take<br />
a positive approach to human resources<br />
management by recognizing people the<br />
company's most valuable asset.<br />
A healthy organizational climate is<br />
indispensable for the success and<br />
sustenance of modern organizations as<br />
evident by the above-cited cases.<br />
Consistency and continuity are the<br />
hallmarks of a robust organizational climate.<br />
A journey with good elements will fetch the<br />
consistency and continuity over complexity.<br />
Once a monumentally successful company,<br />
Philips lost its competitive edge in the mid -<br />
1980's and even came close to collapse.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chairman and president of Philips Jan<br />
D. Timmer (and many observers) attributed<br />
much of the company's troubles to its<br />
corporate climate. Climate bolsters a<br />
company's identity as one organization.<br />
Conclusion<br />
<strong>The</strong> progress and prosperity of any<br />
organization depends upon the mental<br />
balance of its people. When the state of<br />
minds of people working for the organization<br />
is balanced, the success of the organization<br />
is assured. Success depends upon the<br />
"balance of mind" Balanced minds will<br />
create Balanced climate. <strong>The</strong> unbalanced<br />
minds in the organization will knowingly or<br />
unknowingly, consciously or subconsciously,<br />
disrupt or dilute the activities<br />
of the organization. F.W.Taylor the father of<br />
scientific management has advocated<br />
"mental revolution" to workers and<br />
managers. Mental revolution states about<br />
"integration of interests" and this will be<br />
achieved when people think balanced. When<br />
the minds of people are balanced they are<br />
not biased and will create balanced climate.<br />
Climate reflects the state of minds of people.<br />
Global competition and the ever-increasing<br />
speed of technology change have altered<br />
the rules of the game and have forced<br />
corporate planners to seek new solutions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> climate of organizations depends upon<br />
various factors. Organizations must control<br />
those factors in order to shape their climate<br />
and to remain competitive in this dynamic<br />
business environment characterized by<br />
intense competition coupled with towering<br />
customer expectations. Leaders play a<br />
critical role in the development of climate.<br />
Leaders shape climate by their behavior, by<br />
what they pay attention to, by what they<br />
measure and control, and their reactions to<br />
critical incidents and crisis for environment<br />
of openness, transparency, mutual trust and<br />
admiration.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 21|
TRUST<br />
That's ultimately what relationships are<br />
built upon.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was a flimsy bridge and a small girl<br />
and her father were crossing the bridge. <strong>The</strong><br />
father asked his daughter to hold his hand<br />
so that she does not fall into the river. <strong>The</strong><br />
small girl said, "No, father. You hold my hand."<br />
<strong>The</strong> father was puzzled and asked what<br />
difference does that make. <strong>The</strong> girl replied,<br />
"<strong>The</strong>re is a big difference. If I hold your hand<br />
and something happens to me, chances are<br />
that I may let your hand go. But if you hold<br />
my hand, I know for sure that no matter what<br />
happens, you will never let my hand go."<br />
That is trust. Not only in this anecdote, but<br />
also in any relationship, the essence of trust<br />
is not in its bind, age, caste or creed but in<br />
its bond. What is trust? It is the firm reliance<br />
on the integrity, ability, or character of a<br />
person or thing. Trust indicates a willingness<br />
to become vulnerable to another based on<br />
confident positive expectations of their<br />
conduct. In the words of Rousseau and her<br />
colleagues "Trust is defined as a<br />
psychological state comprising the intention<br />
to accept vulnerability based upon positive<br />
expectations of the intentions or behavior<br />
of another". Trust is an individual's belief in,<br />
and willingness to act on the basis of, the<br />
words, actions, and decisions of another.<br />
Trust in Interpersonal relationship<br />
Trust is compared with "glue" that holds our<br />
relationships together and enables us<br />
individuals to perform more efficiently. <strong>The</strong><br />
need for trust arises from our<br />
interdependence with others. We often<br />
depend on other people to help us obtain,<br />
or at least not to frustrate, the outcomes we<br />
value (and they on us). As our interests with<br />
others are intertwined, we also must<br />
recognize that there is an element of risk<br />
involved in so far as we often encounter<br />
situations in which we cannot compel the<br />
cooperation we seek. <strong>The</strong>refore, trust can<br />
be very valuable in social interactions.<br />
Building Trust<br />
Trust building is a bilateral process that<br />
requires mutual commitment and effort.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are several ways we can act on their<br />
own to initiate or encourage the trust building<br />
process. This is accomplished by taking<br />
steps to minimize the risk that the other<br />
party will act in untrustworthy ways, or by<br />
policing our actions to ensure they are<br />
perceived as evidence of trustworthiness.<br />
Communication<br />
We have to communicate accurately, openly<br />
and transparently if we are interested in<br />
building trust. In addition, we should act<br />
openly--that is, be clear about the intentions<br />
and motives for our actions. This helps the<br />
other party calculate our trustworthiness<br />
accurately, because we are willing to act<br />
transparently and to be monitored for<br />
compliance.<br />
Behaviour<br />
Our trust in another individual can be<br />
grounded in our evaluation of his/her ability,<br />
integrity, and benevolence. That is, the more<br />
we observe these characteristics in another<br />
person, our level of trust in that person is<br />
likely to grow. Ability refers to an assessment<br />
of the other's knowledge, skill, or<br />
competency. This dimension recognizes that<br />
trust requires some sense that the other is<br />
able to perform in a manner that meets our<br />
expectations. Integrity is the degree to which<br />
the trustee adheres to principles that are<br />
acceptable to the trustor. This dimension<br />
leads to trust based on consistency of past<br />
actions, credibility of communication,<br />
commitment to standards of fairness, and<br />
the congruence of the other's word and<br />
deed. Benevolence is our assessment that<br />
the trusted individual is concerned enough<br />
about our welfare to either advance our<br />
interests, or at least not impede them. <strong>The</strong><br />
other's perceived intentions or motives of<br />
the trustee are most central. Honest and<br />
open communication, delegating decisions,<br />
and sharing control indicate evidence of<br />
one's benevolence.<br />
Emotional sensitivity and Empathy<br />
In a relationship, you have to express<br />
concern for others. <strong>The</strong> trust others have in<br />
you will grow when you show sensitivity to<br />
their needs, desires, and interests. Acting<br />
in a way that respects and protects other<br />
people, and refraining from engaging in selfinterested<br />
pursuits to the detriment of others<br />
will also contribute greatly to the trust others<br />
place in you. When you violate someone's<br />
trust, they deem that you are acting in your<br />
own self-interest.<br />
Sumathi Annamalai<br />
Consistency<br />
While building and maintaining interpersonal<br />
relationships, you have to establish<br />
consistency and predictability. You can<br />
enhance the degree to which others will<br />
regard you as trustworthy when you behave<br />
in consistent and predictable ways. Every<br />
effort should be made to ensure that our<br />
word matches with our action and that we<br />
honor pledged commitments. Our integrity<br />
is reinforced to the extent that we do what<br />
we say we will do.<br />
Problems when there is no trust<br />
Trust violations occur when a person's<br />
confident positive expectations of another<br />
person get disconfirmed. <strong>The</strong>se violations<br />
result in lower subsequent trust, and may<br />
reduce the extent to which victims of these<br />
violations cooperate with the offender.<br />
Research within organizations has shown<br />
that trust violations affect mutual support and<br />
information sharing, and even produces<br />
negative effects on organizational citizenship<br />
behaviors, job performance, turnover, and<br />
profits. <strong>The</strong> experience of a trust violation is<br />
likely to result in the trustor making (1) a<br />
cognitive appraisal of the situation and (2)<br />
experiencing a distressed emotional state.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Interpersonal Trust is very essential for<br />
achieving high performance within any<br />
organization. Once the trust is lost, rebuilding<br />
trust is not as straightforward as building trust<br />
in the first place. After trust has been<br />
damaged, two things have to occur<br />
(1) Dealing with the stress the violation<br />
imposed on the relationship, and<br />
(2) Determining if future violations will occur.<br />
Effective trust repair is often necessary to<br />
resolve conflicts. Although this process is<br />
difficult, there are steps the offender can<br />
take to enhance the likelihood of stimulating<br />
the victim's willingness to reconcile, and<br />
further the trust rebuilding process.<br />
However, we stress that rebuilding trust is<br />
a process, not an event. As such, it is likely<br />
to consume a lot of time and resources. And<br />
I would like to conclude with a quote,<br />
To be trusted is a greater compliment<br />
than to be loved.<br />
GEORGE MACDONALD u H<br />
Ms. Sumathi annamalai is asst professor with school of management studies, Bharath university Chennai She can be reached on her<br />
E-Mail: swahini_a@yahoo.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 22|
Stress And Strain:<br />
<strong>Balancing</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Work</strong> <strong>Life</strong><br />
Stress and Strain are the buzz words in<br />
today's corporate culture. Whether it is<br />
in knowledge based industry or<br />
manufacturing or service industry, it gives a<br />
lot of importance to retain the employees and<br />
to stop attrition rate in employee turnover in<br />
any industry. To reduce the stress levels in<br />
employees, all the CEOs are giving much<br />
importance and working for building like Yoga<br />
Centre, organizing Pranayam within their<br />
compounds, Prayer Halls, constructing<br />
temples, ZIM clubs, swimming pools, and<br />
meditation centres, conducting cultural,<br />
musical and spiritual Programmes to their<br />
employees. All these help to the employees<br />
to make their working life balanced, enjoy with<br />
their work and live for a happy life. What is<br />
happy and how it balances the people? What<br />
are the HR practices to make them happy?<br />
Happiness is the foremost desire in every<br />
one's life. It is a natural instinct in all living<br />
things in nature. Contrary to this, most are<br />
found unhappy, depressed and<br />
discontented. Why so? Truly, happy people<br />
are very few. Most probably, their perception<br />
of happiness is mis-understood or their<br />
search for it is in wrong direction or they<br />
might not know what happiness is.<br />
Happiness is not easy to define or express<br />
in words. It is a state of mind, a feeling and<br />
more of an experience. When your mind is<br />
perturbed, disturbed, you experience<br />
restlessness and when it peaceful, you feel<br />
happy. In clinical terms, happiness is the<br />
hormone ETHYMIA that maintains your<br />
mood. If its level is low, you feel depressed<br />
and it is high, you feel happy. Various<br />
psychological and biological factors<br />
influence the hormone level with the mind<br />
acting as a catalyst.<br />
Reasons for unhappiness: <strong>The</strong>re can be a<br />
number of reasons for unhappiness, but the<br />
basic factors are.<br />
Unending desires for material comfort:<br />
Money may bring material comforts. But can<br />
it buy happiness? At levels of dire poverty,<br />
money certainly matters because it is<br />
necessity for survival. Beyond that, the<br />
impact is minimal. Wealth is like health. Its<br />
absence breeds misery, but having it does<br />
not guarantee happiness. Unending desires.<br />
<strong>The</strong> question is, should we give up desires<br />
to be happy? If we do, there would not be any<br />
progress in individual, organizational and in<br />
national development. Shunning of desires<br />
enables a detached outlook. Detachment<br />
doesn't mean denying yourself of possessions.<br />
It means your mind is tuned to transcend that<br />
deprivation realizing that happiness lies not<br />
in its pursuit, but within you.<br />
Inability to accept failures: Expectations are<br />
quite natural. But not getting what you<br />
expect, the mismatch between giving and<br />
getting, causes unhappiness.<br />
It works wonders if you follow the golden<br />
rule propagated by Gita:<br />
"KARMANYA VADHIKARASTE,<br />
MA PHALESHU KADACHINA!<br />
MA KARMPHALHETU BHOORMATAE<br />
SANGASTAVA KARMANI!!<br />
It means, 'your right is to work, but never to<br />
the fruit there of. Be not instrumental in<br />
making your actions always bear fruit, nor<br />
let your attachment be to in action." This<br />
approach may seem difficult to practice, but<br />
if adopted in the right spirit; your life will be<br />
full of happy.<br />
Harmful emotions in human minds:<br />
Anger, greed, jealousy, ego, attachment etc.<br />
are harmful traits as they destroy your<br />
happiness. <strong>The</strong>y lurk in one form or other in<br />
every human mind and rob you of mental<br />
peace. For instance, anger often results in<br />
the collapse of a person's discriminative<br />
feeling. Similarly, jealousy, envy, ego,<br />
attachment are tenacious tenants of a<br />
person's mind.<br />
Discounting the present for a happier<br />
future:<br />
Discounting the present and plan and work<br />
to assure a happy future. That's quite natural.<br />
But ignoring the present and worry for<br />
tomorrow lead to sorrowness. To be happy,<br />
learn the art of living in the present.<br />
To be happy, consider the following steps:<br />
1. Enjoy what you do - Enjoy doing every<br />
thing you do. All work may not be to your<br />
liking, but if required to do, enjoy doing it. It<br />
will give you a lot of satisfaction and pleasure<br />
if you do by enjoying it. Feel, work is a<br />
privilege and god given gift.<br />
2 Follow a planned diet- Don't<br />
contaminate your body with toxins. To be<br />
happy, a planned diet is necessary. Health<br />
and happiness are complementary.<br />
P.R.Naidu and Dr. P.D. Raju<br />
3. Live in the present - To be happy, learn<br />
the art of living in the present. Keep your<br />
attention for the present to be happy,<br />
otherwise you will spoil the present as well<br />
as the future.<br />
4. Give love and respect - Think of others<br />
and try to make them happy by extending<br />
your hands. It will automatically make you<br />
happier. Those who give love and respect<br />
will automatically generate happiness.<br />
5. Meditation - Take time to meditate to<br />
have peace in the turbulent mind. Meditation<br />
helps to focus on the sub consciousness<br />
that guides you what is good or bad. To be<br />
happy, listen to the Inner voice and keep<br />
balance in every situation, for which<br />
meditation will be a great stimulator. Prayer<br />
purifies the mind, gives you strength to face<br />
problems and stress and helps in removing<br />
harmful emotions and negative thoughts.<br />
6. Pranayam - Pranayam, a technique for<br />
efficient breathing, aids the body in<br />
connecting its battery - a network of nerves<br />
behind the stomach, which is a store house<br />
of tremendous potential energy. Pranayam<br />
releases it for physical and mental<br />
rejuvenation. It also aids in controlling the<br />
mind, which in turn reduces stress, deepens<br />
insight, and expands consciousness,<br />
essential ingredients for happiness.<br />
7. Humour & Laughter - Humour and<br />
laghter help defend against subconscious<br />
fears, worries and other disturbing emotions.<br />
Laughter is one of the finest for many health<br />
benefits and easy to practice anti stress<br />
measure.<br />
Do the best to your ability and leave the rest<br />
to God. He will be your partner in all your<br />
endeavors and work as a force to bring<br />
happiness in your life. HR should create an<br />
environment where such value based<br />
culture inculcates in the mind of every<br />
employee to feel stress less in their working<br />
area.<br />
"Happiness depends on what you give<br />
and not what you can get<br />
From others. It is not necessary that<br />
giving should only be in<br />
Kind; even a small favour, a good deed<br />
or some sweet words or<br />
Love-loaded glance to make some one<br />
smile when in agony can be considered<br />
a valuable gift" - Gandhiji.<br />
u H<br />
Mr. P. Ramu Naidu is Sr.EA(<strong>HRD</strong>),NALCO,VIZAG. E-mail: rnpitta23@rediffmail.com<br />
Dr. P.D. Raju is Associate Professor, Dept. of IRPM, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. E-mail: dhananjaya@234yahoo.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 23|
Organisational Intelligence:<br />
A systematic Perspective<br />
Ms. Shikha Bhardwaj<br />
Organisational Intelligence popularly<br />
Known as O.I. Is composed of two<br />
constituents - one is Organization and other<br />
is Intelligence. Organization is a combination<br />
of different interdependent components<br />
working towards common goals. Intelligence<br />
means the capability and ability to solve<br />
problems.<br />
Now on the basis of these two dimensions<br />
we can understand and define O.I as the<br />
capability and competency of an<br />
organization to comprehend and conclude<br />
knowledge relevant to its business purpose.<br />
Organisational Intelligence focus includes<br />
the creation, development and Retention of<br />
Organisational competencies ( OCs). An<br />
organization works by the people, of the<br />
people and for the people. In simple words<br />
it is people management. So an organization<br />
display lots of pieces of intelligence in terms<br />
of Individual Competencies.<br />
Individual<br />
Intelligence<br />
Emotional<br />
Intelligence<br />
Spiritual<br />
Intelligence<br />
NUMBER OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE<br />
Individual Intelligence is measured by<br />
Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which broadly<br />
reflects an individual's capability and<br />
competency to understand and evaluate a<br />
problem. But by far what is more important<br />
for an organization is - synchronization of<br />
these intelligent pieces into an intelligent so<br />
as to create ORGANISATIONAL<br />
INTELLIGENCE, smartly.<br />
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to<br />
accurately perceive the emotions in one self<br />
and others, understanding emotional<br />
meanings and managing emotions. EI is<br />
measured as Emotional Quotient (EQ). It<br />
reflects an extension of self- understanding<br />
by introspection and observation.<br />
Spiritual intelligence motivates people to<br />
balance their work and family. This<br />
Intelligence creates an ability to complete<br />
oneself by fulfillment of needs. It is<br />
measured as Spiritual Quotient (SQ).<br />
Now we can say that Organisational<br />
intelligence is a comprehensive approach<br />
which is measured as a function of<br />
Individuals IQs added to EQs and SQs.<br />
O. IQ = f ( IQ, EQ, SQ)<br />
O.IQ is Organisational Intelligence Quotient<br />
which is the summation of all the Quotients<br />
which exists in its Human Capital and to use<br />
them intelligently so as to respond smartly<br />
and sharply to ever changing Environment.<br />
IQ primarily is the ability to solve logical<br />
problems.<br />
EQ allows us to judge the situation we are<br />
in and behave appropriately.<br />
SQ allows us to ask if we want to be in that<br />
situation in the first place and then finding<br />
the alternate.<br />
Organizational intelligence is an extension<br />
of Knowledge Management (KM) which is<br />
characterized by using Intellectual capital<br />
with Technical capital so as to increase an<br />
organizations immunity to sustain changes<br />
in the environment and respond in an<br />
effective manner.<br />
Organisational intelligence is focused on<br />
active and appropriate engagement in<br />
"WHAT IS GOING ON (WIGO)", both inside<br />
and outside the organization. In last it is a<br />
collection of intelligent Human resource in<br />
terms of knowledge, Skills, attitude &<br />
emotions will definitely leads to<br />
Organisational Intelligence (OI)<br />
OI is the capacity and capability of an<br />
organization to measure the structural<br />
capital which is popularly known as machine<br />
power and Human capital which is known<br />
as people power. This is distinguished<br />
perspective of managing tangible assets<br />
with the intangible assets.<br />
Elements of OI<br />
l Introspection Analysis: It is the type of<br />
analysis wherein an organization<br />
studies its Strength, Weaknesses,<br />
Opportunities and Threats internally and<br />
externally.<br />
l Comparative Analysis: How well does<br />
an organization interpret and<br />
understand itself and its environment in<br />
comparison to the industry?<br />
l Action research: Before proceeding for<br />
further action backward research in<br />
terms of thinking, process, decision,<br />
policy etc. needs to be carried out.<br />
l Knowledge Database: Creating a<br />
databank of all the information gathered<br />
and learned by means of experience<br />
l Implementation: It is the next main<br />
element to implement the learnings and<br />
knowledge to actual processing in a<br />
systematic process.<br />
l Dissemination of information: In other<br />
word communication, how do people<br />
exchange, learn, transmits and share<br />
the information.<br />
Process of Organisational Intelligence:<br />
Knowledge<br />
Management<br />
Creating<br />
Knowledge<br />
Capturing &<br />
storing<br />
knowledge<br />
Capturing & storing<br />
knowledge<br />
Step 1: Knowledge management: Acquiring,<br />
Storing & Implementing the existing<br />
knowledge.<br />
Step 2: Creating Knowledge: Creation of<br />
hidden & new knowledge<br />
Step 3: Capturing & storing knowledge:<br />
Capturing & storing the knowledge gathered<br />
in step 2.<br />
Step 4: Transforming Knowledge:<br />
Transformation of knowledge into actions.<br />
From a broader viewpoint, an organization<br />
is a composition of Individual Intelligence,<br />
Business Intelligence, Developmental<br />
Intelligence and many more …………..<br />
But ultimately all these activities are aimed<br />
to remove Organisational Stupidity.<br />
(Contd.. Page 16)<br />
Ms. Shikha Bhardwaj is Lecturer - HRM, Army Institute of Management & Technology, Greater Noida Email: shikhabhardwaj23@gmail.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 24|
Hewitt Best Employers<br />
India 2007: Economic<br />
Times article of April 2007<br />
Sanjeev Nayyar<br />
(This article is an excerpt from <strong>The</strong><br />
Economic Times article published in<br />
April and due permission has been taken<br />
by the author from the paper for its<br />
reproduction.)<br />
Summary of article are -<br />
A. Key Findings:<br />
1. Engagement Up - staff engagement<br />
rising to 82% in 2007.<br />
2. Career growth critical - career<br />
opportunities remain the biggest driver<br />
for employment.<br />
3. Leaders hold the key - quality of<br />
leadership has the biggest impact on<br />
co's performance.<br />
4. Soft skills important - esp. in customer<br />
focused sectors.<br />
5. Talent Shortage - and attrition rate are<br />
on the rise.<br />
B. Why do best employers score over<br />
others?<br />
1. Effective & committed leaders: leaders<br />
who know to walk the talk, who<br />
consistently demonstrate the<br />
organization's values in all behaviors<br />
and action.<br />
2. Astute Management of Talent: CEOs<br />
make it a point to groom leaders within<br />
the organization. That way co's have a<br />
reservoir of talent, promote from within.<br />
3. Spotting Talent: <strong>The</strong> best cos have<br />
elaborate and robust performance &<br />
competency mapping systems. Satyam<br />
has developed a Leadership Capability<br />
Model i.e. used for hiring, performance<br />
management and succession planning<br />
for leaders.<br />
4. Setting High Goals: Best cos are serious<br />
about goal setting. <strong>The</strong>y reward risk<br />
taking rather than a conservative<br />
approach. <strong>The</strong>y know how to raise the<br />
bar on performances.<br />
5. Coaching for Performance: Best cos<br />
have a cadre of managers who are good<br />
at performance coaching.<br />
6. Strong Review and Reward systems:<br />
Best cos drive performance differently<br />
through variable pay plans linked to<br />
performance (100%).<br />
7. Building Skills for the future: Best cos<br />
say they have managers that provide<br />
clear direction on skills required for their<br />
future success in the organization.<br />
8. Building growth into every job: Best cos<br />
have the tools and training to grow in<br />
their current job.<br />
C. Key points made by Mr. Kumar<br />
Mangalam Birla, Chairman of AV Birla<br />
group, the best employer.<br />
1. We are allowing employees to have<br />
more control over their careers.<br />
2. We are focusing on the quality of life of<br />
our managers esp. those who live in<br />
townships like Nagda, Chitrakoot.<br />
3. I believe in people power, empowering<br />
them within a defined framework.<br />
4. Biggest challenge is to attract and retain<br />
talent.<br />
D. What is it that gives Indian employers<br />
an edge?<br />
1. Delayered DNA: MNCs are driven by<br />
policies & practices formulated in distant<br />
headquarters with layered bureaucratic<br />
procedures. Indian cos HR policies are<br />
not tweaked for India but designed from<br />
scratch.<br />
2. Contextual Edge: Born here Indian firms<br />
have a better understanding of pulls &<br />
pressures, emotional needs & social<br />
underpinnings of executives.<br />
3. Indian MNCs: earlier MNCs offered<br />
global postings as a carrot. Indian cos<br />
with expansion plans & M & A deals<br />
have become great magnets to retain<br />
talent.<br />
4. Humility: Come to think of it engaging<br />
employees is all about managing egos<br />
and emotions as well. Despite their new<br />
found growth Indian cos have kept the<br />
humility intact.<br />
E. Key points made by Mr. B Ramalinga<br />
Raju, Chairman Satyam Computers,<br />
2nd best employer.<br />
1. We have created an organization<br />
structure that will create true<br />
entrepreneurs.<br />
2. We believe that today's structures need<br />
to be interdependent rather than<br />
monoliths.<br />
3. It is not possible to know every<br />
employee although I would like to know<br />
each of the 40,000 employees by name.<br />
4. As the business grew larger we realized<br />
the need to increase the number of<br />
leaders from 30 to 1,500 by giving<br />
managers independent businesses to<br />
run.<br />
5. Every activity was split into a business<br />
unit and then benchmarked with the<br />
best in that business for e.g. recruitment<br />
function was made into a business unit<br />
and benchmarked against the best<br />
players in that domain.<br />
6. To make sure that business and<br />
corporate objectives are in sync Satyam<br />
evolved a framework which measured<br />
all business units on a common set of<br />
criteria.<br />
7. We spend about 10% of payroll<br />
expenses on learning & development.<br />
F. Small Rewards & Incentives keep the<br />
spirits high: J W Marriott, 3RD best.<br />
1. Reward coupons are kept by the head<br />
of HR to give employees who show the<br />
extra bit of commitment to excellence<br />
during the day.<br />
2. Employees are asked to nominate a<br />
colleague who has gone beyond his call<br />
of duty. On the 25th of every month<br />
winners are declared such as leader of<br />
the month and so on.<br />
3. <strong>The</strong>re is a home drop facility for all<br />
women after 7pm and those who are<br />
pregnant.<br />
G. How do you bring voice of<br />
salespersons in the Board room -<br />
Eureka Forbes, 4th best?<br />
1. <strong>The</strong>re was a need to bring the voice of<br />
the star performers, Eurochamps into<br />
the board room. So Eurosenate was<br />
launched. Objective is to allow<br />
Eurochamps to bring issues that are<br />
Sanjeev Nayyar is CEO Surya Consulting, Mumbai. Email is sanjeev@suryaconsulting.net<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 25|
elevant to strategic development of the<br />
organization.<br />
2. Through an election 14 representatives<br />
were chosen from 56 members to form<br />
the Senate. Each candidate prepared<br />
an election manifesto (meaning<br />
business goals), solicited votes through<br />
various channels.<br />
3. Employees can now see their opinions<br />
reflected in corporate decisions.<br />
H. Freedom with accountability at<br />
Cisco, best co no 5.<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> company does not track people<br />
being at work, attendance, nos of hours.<br />
However, work pressure is intense.<br />
Weekly targets are given and those who<br />
do not meet their targets could loose<br />
their job.<br />
2. It provides employees with a lot of<br />
resources and freedom to help achieve<br />
targets.<br />
3. We are no longer running an Indian<br />
business from India but running a global<br />
business from India.<br />
I. Learning to get Young at Godrej<br />
Products, best co no 6.<br />
1. Made a conscious decision to lower the<br />
average employee's age to 34.<br />
2. <strong>The</strong> co has a Young Executive Board<br />
that reports to the Chairman. This gives<br />
exposure to young employees during a<br />
2 year stint, grooms leaders.<br />
3. Employee's gets freedom and<br />
experimentation is rewarded.<br />
4. Built two teams, red & blue that<br />
presented different views on a 3 year<br />
strategic plan for any particular<br />
business.<br />
J. Showering care in Gallons Agilent<br />
Tech, best co no 7.<br />
1. Care for their employees, always tries<br />
to anticipate employee needs and how<br />
to make working more comfortable for<br />
them.<br />
2. CEO pays great attention to fitness.<br />
3. New employees are made to feel<br />
welcome. My nameplate was there and<br />
so was my email id. I felt welcome.<br />
K. BPO with a banking edge Scope<br />
International best co no 8.<br />
1. Getting the gender ratio right has helped<br />
in man management.<br />
2. 2 way talent movement between BPO<br />
and bank i.e. Standard Chartered has<br />
resulted in common talent for the group.<br />
3. Transparency and scope of leadership<br />
has made Scope a better place to work.<br />
4. <strong>The</strong>re is a demand for a higher<br />
incremental learning opportunity<br />
considering it is a BPO.<br />
L. Chasing Growth with Care TCS best<br />
co no 9.<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> world of all the 90 group Tata<br />
companies is available on the group<br />
Intranet.<br />
2. To keep the giant function smoothly it<br />
has put Ultimatix in place. Pulse (an<br />
employee satisfaction survey), PEEP<br />
(one to one discussion with<br />
management), Icalms (career planning<br />
and learning).<br />
3. Recognition of good work is very high.<br />
M. Change job, not the company, Kotak<br />
Mahindra bank, best co no 10.<br />
1. Institutionalize HR practices that bank<br />
followed when they were smaller.<br />
2. Internal job posting is an important HR<br />
practice, now proposed to be done<br />
online.<br />
3. Elaborate reward & recognition system<br />
for its sales team which lays down clear<br />
standards of performance that puts<br />
sales executives into 4 categories:<br />
qualifiers, challengers, achievers and<br />
high fliers and maps out their career<br />
path.<br />
4. Employee appreciation system on the<br />
intranet so when an employee achieves<br />
something their names are displayed on<br />
the intranet.<br />
N. What makes a Winner?<br />
1. As business environment change &<br />
corporate strategies are tweaked best<br />
employers need to reinvent their people<br />
practices and constantly realign/<br />
reevaluate them to maintain relevance.<br />
2. Earlier best employers like TCS, Infosys,<br />
P & G did something unique, innovative<br />
at each point of time hence they were<br />
best employers then.<br />
3. Key driver to employee engagement has<br />
consistently been 'career opportunities'.<br />
It tops the key drivers list because it<br />
represents deeper, long term planning<br />
in contrast to many drivers like pay,<br />
environment which are more her and<br />
now.<br />
4. Today global mobility is longer a<br />
differentiator.<br />
5. Today career opportunity is all about<br />
multiple careers within a single<br />
organization. Its all about variety,<br />
flexibility and value add.<br />
6. Today change in the names of best<br />
employer is largely dependant on the<br />
ability of the organization to keep pace<br />
with changing employee expectations.<br />
7. In order to retain their relevance,<br />
employers have to be willing to listen<br />
and act upon feedback, create a more<br />
open work environment, be more<br />
accepting to all kinds of diversity, and<br />
enable their employees to realize their<br />
potential.<br />
O. Looking beyond Numbers<br />
1. Best employees are using corporate<br />
social responsibility to give back to the<br />
society in the process offering another<br />
platform to engage with their<br />
employees.<br />
2. One of the Dr Reddy's core values is<br />
harmony and social responsibility.<br />
3. Satyam, 10% of the organization will<br />
devote 10% of its time in volunteering<br />
for the co's social responsibility.<br />
4. CSR could involve supporting schools,<br />
working with NGO's, adopting villages,<br />
organizing healthcare camps.<br />
5. Satyam worked on toning up emergency<br />
response system in Andhra Pradesh<br />
since it is affected by cyclones.<br />
6. Agilent helped a village school with<br />
computer lab and school equipment.<br />
7. Examples are many, good employers<br />
always give back to society in one way<br />
or another.<br />
P. Living with Attrition<br />
1. Even best employers have to deal with<br />
it. Just that they know how to work<br />
around it.<br />
2. Change & Flexibility: Getting bored will<br />
happen quick & easy. Employees want<br />
to have option of multiple employment<br />
contracts - full time jobs, consultancy,<br />
project based jobs to retainer ships. Job<br />
rotation to be institutionalized.<br />
3. Dreams Unlimited: A firm's training and<br />
growth potential will be critical in judging<br />
factors for jobseekers.<br />
4. Democratic <strong>Work</strong>place: Cos can no<br />
longer be very headquarter driven. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
have multiple nodal structures with<br />
decentralized command structures.<br />
5. <strong>Life</strong> beyond work: Caring companies<br />
need to connect with their staff beyond<br />
work and be able to engage with them<br />
better. Satyam Idol, a mega show<br />
organized by the IT major encourages<br />
people to show and reinforce their talent.<br />
For children they have a 3 day<br />
residential program like Global Racing<br />
Star where 13-18 year olds are groomed<br />
in presentation, behavioral and<br />
attitudinal skills. u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 26|
Women At <strong>Work</strong>place<br />
"A woman is a full circle. Within her is<br />
the power to create, nurture, and<br />
transform. A woman knows that nothing<br />
can come to fruition without light".<br />
Women who earlier stayed at home to attend<br />
their domestic duties now maintain both<br />
work and home simultaneously, participating<br />
in the process on an equal footing with men<br />
in social and economic development.<br />
Women have moved away from their<br />
traditional roles of home worker and child<br />
rearing to social and business solutions.<br />
"Women in India today are equal and status<br />
to men. <strong>The</strong>y play a vital role in every walk<br />
of life. <strong>The</strong> women who adopt a career in<br />
life are called working women. <strong>The</strong>y work in<br />
all areas like, administration, industry,<br />
technology, education and even army and<br />
police. <strong>The</strong>y have proved themselves<br />
equally successful in all fields. Women<br />
employees today constitute a major share<br />
of the workforce. In India alone, over 400<br />
million are employed in various streams due<br />
to a combination of factors like, women's<br />
emancipation, growing economic needs,<br />
greater equality of sexes, increased literacy<br />
rate and suitability for certain soft jobs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> success stories of a few women at the<br />
top cannot be used to claim that everything<br />
is fine for women at work. It is not. It is obvious<br />
that until marriage, the career needs and<br />
preferences of women do not seem<br />
significantly different from that of men. <strong>The</strong><br />
challenge of making choices begins to set in<br />
after marriage. <strong>The</strong> biggest challenge of<br />
alignment is to do with women being able to<br />
make the trade offs and choices about what<br />
is important to them and ensuring that these<br />
choices sit well with them, not just<br />
intellectually but also emotionally. <strong>The</strong><br />
availability of huge opportunities, the upsides<br />
of significant income, the peer pressures and<br />
often the family compulsions make it difficult<br />
for women to make these choices with ease.<br />
At the root of this conflict lies the fact that in<br />
addition their role as employees, women also<br />
play the role of homemakers. This leads to<br />
significant emotional conflicts on a day-today<br />
basis, something that is seldom<br />
recognized or spoken about.<br />
Issues at workplace:<br />
l Gender Stereotypes:<br />
Gender stereotypes is defined "as a shared<br />
set of beliefs about purported qualities of<br />
females and males."<br />
Boy = strong, aggressive, the leader<br />
Girl = weak, passive, the follower<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, Girl < Boy = Girl is inferior<br />
to Boy<br />
According to a recent survey conducted<br />
among 50 management students in Kerela,<br />
they were asked to say about the roles of<br />
man and women in any context, the findings<br />
were as follows<br />
STEREO TYPES<br />
MAN<br />
WOMEN<br />
l Bread earner l Homemaker<br />
l Strong l Family caretaker<br />
l Security provider l Emotional<br />
l Ambitious l Gentle<br />
l Courageous l Cook<br />
l Entrepreneur l HR<br />
l Responsible l Reproduction<br />
Source: Women in management, Gaurav<br />
sharma and Ridhi agarwal, Spandan IIM (K)<br />
Journal, November 2005<br />
<strong>The</strong>se types of gender stereotypes about<br />
women affect their advancement at<br />
workplace, Top management's perceptions<br />
of men and women are more informed by<br />
gender-based stereotypes than facts,<br />
leading to misrepresentation of the true<br />
talents of women. Research studies<br />
document there are many negative effects<br />
of gender stereotyping in the workplace like<br />
role-status incongruence; career immobility,<br />
including recruitment and evaluation<br />
differences; power differences; differences<br />
in training and developmental opportunities;<br />
feedback differences and job segregation<br />
One of the consequences of inaccurate<br />
gender stereotyping is that women are less<br />
likely to be chosen for traditionally male<br />
positions, such as those in senior<br />
management. This<br />
Angelin Michael is Faculty with Velammal College of Management, ChennaiE-Mail: angelinmichael@yahoo.com<br />
Angelin Michael<br />
occurs because the perceived lack of fit<br />
between the job requirements and the<br />
stereotype attributes ascribed to women<br />
managers leads to expectations that they<br />
will fail. Perhaps because of the<br />
expectations that they will fail, women are<br />
less likely to be chosen for assignments<br />
involving risk or working in unfamiliar areas<br />
of the business.<br />
Glass Ceiling<br />
Glass ceiling is a word coined by Americans<br />
during early 1970's to describe the<br />
phenomena of social and organizational<br />
prejudiced attitudes that create artificial<br />
barriers preventing women reaching senior<br />
executive positions.<br />
With the kind of educational parity women<br />
achieved in the late 1960's and 70's, it was<br />
expected that women would make it quickly<br />
to the top. However such expectations did<br />
not really materialize, particularly at the top<br />
level. One of the reasons for women<br />
hindered upward movement is the<br />
prevalence of too many male executives at<br />
the top acting as a ceiling for the women<br />
reaching the top. Even in USA were working<br />
women constitute around 46% of the<br />
workforce but their occupancy at the top<br />
level was only 2%. In India women are<br />
mostly confined themselves to teaching,<br />
nursing, banking and other service sectors.<br />
Very few are noticed as director, CEO or in<br />
strategic positions.<br />
It is evident that glass ceiling exists not only<br />
because of employer's biased attitude or<br />
male domination; it also exists due to women<br />
centric time related problems and their<br />
attitudinal disposition towards their family,<br />
children and job demands.<br />
Source: Complied from Business World,<br />
Sept.2003<br />
Glass ceiling reveals three levels of artificial<br />
WOMEN IN TOP<br />
S.NO COMPANY TOTAL NUMBER NUMBER OF % OF WOMEN<br />
NAME OF EMPLOYEES WOMEN IN TOP IN TOP<br />
IN INDIA MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT<br />
1 NIIT 13457 134 3.87<br />
2 WIPRO 24000 40 0.16<br />
3 INFOSYS 15356 29 0.18<br />
4 Dr.Reddy's Lab 5062 34 0.67<br />
5 BPCL 12494 325 2.60<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 27|
arriers to the advancement of women they<br />
are social barriers, which is outside the<br />
control of business, internal structure<br />
barriers within the direct control of business<br />
and governmental barriers.<br />
l Wrong Perceptions<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a difference in the perception of<br />
seeing a women at work compared with<br />
men, to quota a few, Women are seen as<br />
emotional compared to men, women are<br />
seen to more creative, flexible, and better<br />
team players. Marriage is seen as raise for<br />
men and shift in focus for women. Minor<br />
symbols like family photo on the desk of a<br />
men is viewed as gentlemen while for<br />
women it is perceived as her life's focal point<br />
is home not career. A group of women<br />
talking in an organization is always seen as<br />
gossiping.<br />
Women continue to be perceived as weak,<br />
inferior, and second-class citizens .<strong>The</strong><br />
general perception is that women's income<br />
is supplementary. More over a casual<br />
interaction by woman with her male<br />
colleague at work place is interpreted as a<br />
date or an affair. A dogmatic belief that<br />
women are incompatible with high pressure<br />
and high demanding jobs. A woman is<br />
emotionally weak and cannot take highpressure<br />
workloads, woman cannot be a<br />
tough taskmaster, and a woman has too<br />
many priorities at home that affect working.<br />
Traveling and over night for business<br />
purposes is a constrain for women. Women<br />
are susceptible to pressures and may break<br />
down under adverse conditions.<br />
l Gender discrimination<br />
It is clear that all human beings are<br />
supposed to be treated equally, but by<br />
looking at the gender distribution in<br />
workplace one cannot escape from the fact<br />
that men and women are not treated equally.<br />
Undoubtedly the male female bias is still<br />
reported with uniformity all across the globe<br />
and at highest level in India.<br />
According to Kelly's survey with regard to<br />
gender discrimination, the following question<br />
was asked to female employees (Source:<br />
Business Manager, April 2007 )<br />
(Carried from 29)<br />
4. We are governed by this software and<br />
we also have the power to rewrite this<br />
software.<br />
5. God gives us the freedom of action and<br />
intelligence (Vivek) for deciding<br />
righteousness of action.<br />
6. All our thoughts and deeds are a result<br />
of this software.<br />
7. So all the wrongs or rights that we think<br />
or do are caused by this software.<br />
8. But we have the power to make this<br />
software to think and work as we wish.<br />
9. Use of this power is carried out through<br />
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).<br />
Question: when applying for a job in the<br />
last 5 years have you experienced gender<br />
discrimination?<br />
Women response<br />
NO YES<br />
118 231<br />
Gender gaps are close but at a slow pace.<br />
In India situation at pay to women is quite<br />
discriminating. <strong>The</strong> placement of women<br />
talents in non strategic positions unmindful<br />
of their past achievement and current zeal<br />
for more output remind about how "gender<br />
bias" takes place on ground of job profile<br />
and did not allow decent pay for women<br />
workers in may organizations.<br />
In a recent survey in India, a female<br />
employee working in a private insurance<br />
company shared her experience with regard<br />
to her first employment when the interviewer<br />
asked about her future plans of marriage<br />
and family matters he was hesitant to offer<br />
the job when she said she was going to<br />
marry within three months. Private corporate<br />
prefer males in high delivery positions.<br />
Another biased practice is to have two<br />
unwritten sets of rules for success: for men,<br />
based on performance, and for women,<br />
based on appearance. An employer may not<br />
make a woman's level of attractiveness a<br />
requirement for a particular job category. <strong>The</strong><br />
salary picture for women is even more<br />
inequitable than that for promotion. Women<br />
consistently make less money than men in<br />
almost every industry.<br />
l Sexual harassment<br />
<strong>The</strong> term "sexual harassment" was coined<br />
in 1974 at Cornell University, United States.<br />
Sexual harassment is described as<br />
harassment in subtle ways, which may<br />
include sexual innuendoes, inappropriate<br />
sexual gestures and propositions for dates<br />
or sexual favours. In more blatant forms,<br />
such harassment may include leering,<br />
pinching, grabbing, hugging, patting,<br />
brushing against and touching.<br />
Approximately 15,000 sexual harassment<br />
cases are brought to the U.S. Equal<br />
Employment Opportunity Commission<br />
"Living with sharks, yet growing joyfully"<br />
10. Thus NLP is the technique of giving auto<br />
suggestion to your mind for unlearning<br />
and relearning.<br />
11. NLP is currently being extensively used<br />
for improving well being of people.<br />
Firstly as part of NLP technique, reading of<br />
the following lines (courtesy - author<br />
unknown) "I promise myself today…."<br />
everyday in the morning and is going to<br />
rewrite our software.<br />
I promise myself today….<br />
To start my life afresh as bygones are<br />
bygones,<br />
(EEOC) each year. Media and government<br />
surveys estimate the percentage of women<br />
being sexually harassed in the U.S.<br />
workplace at 40% to 60%. In India nearly<br />
sixty percent of working women have faced<br />
sexual harassment at some point of time in<br />
their working lives.<br />
Sexual harassment is a common term today<br />
and many corporate cases related to the<br />
same have been reported in the past.<br />
However it is found that it is associated with<br />
a lack of concrete HR policies in place to<br />
tackle with the issues. This leads to a distinct<br />
subjectivity to it. Many cases go unreported<br />
and cause job switches. It is true that an<br />
employee leaves a person (boss or peers)<br />
rather than a company. To pursue the case<br />
and file a complaint is itself associated with<br />
a lot of harassment. Most women were<br />
unaware of the Supreme Court guidelines<br />
and complaints mechanism/formal<br />
institutions of redress. Many feared attitudes<br />
that would blame them for provoking the<br />
incident, or feared loss of reputation as a<br />
result of redress. Many feared attitudes that<br />
would blame them for provoking the incident,<br />
or feared loss of reputation as a result of<br />
complaining. <strong>The</strong>y also realized their<br />
relatively powerless positions and feared<br />
job-related discrimination, including<br />
dismissal and withholding of promotions.<br />
To conclude women has to learn to be<br />
independent physically, financially and<br />
emotionally. and to be self-reliant! Though<br />
we can say that today's women has<br />
traveled a lot from the domestic four walls<br />
of the house to a successful career women,<br />
but examples and exemptions cannot make<br />
history, <strong>The</strong>re is a still a lot to do and achieve.<br />
She has to take the whole society with her<br />
and the days are not far off. At the end what<br />
matters is not an individual success but the<br />
upliftment of working women and<br />
elimination of gender bias in the workplace<br />
and society as a whole.<br />
"One of the things about equality is not just<br />
that you(women) be treated equally to a<br />
man, but that you(women) treat yourself<br />
equally to the way you treat a man".<br />
u H<br />
To keep smiling and remain cheerful through<br />
out the day<br />
To remain totally positive in my thinking and<br />
deeds<br />
To find solutions to all the problems which<br />
may come across<br />
To help as many people as possible<br />
To complete all my jobs with a planned<br />
approach so as to feel satisfied at the end<br />
of the day<br />
To remain in meditative state<br />
To spread happiness and joy everywhere<br />
I promise myself today….<br />
To follow the above everyday day after the<br />
day.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 28|
<strong>The</strong> almighty sends all of us on this earth<br />
for living our life in joy and bliss and so<br />
also to achieve the ultimate goal of self<br />
realization. While self realization can be<br />
considered a distant goal, it should not be<br />
difficult to live life in joy and bliss.<br />
As a matter of fact, all of us want to be<br />
happy, tension free, relaxed enjoying every<br />
moment, if not all the time then at least most<br />
of the time. And that is the reason, we do<br />
so many things in our life, work hard<br />
sometimes even harder than hardest which<br />
may really not be required.<br />
We want to take care of our parents, give<br />
very good education to our children, have a<br />
nice living standard, give an excellent<br />
performance on the job or in the profession,<br />
do something for society and live a life free<br />
of worries and tensions.<br />
But in reality most of the time we have one<br />
worry or the other. We keep chasing the<br />
mirage called happiness, harder we try<br />
farther it appears to have gone. <strong>The</strong>refore,<br />
we try still harder and get into a vicious cycle<br />
and by the time we realize; in most cases it<br />
is rather late.<br />
We want to do so many good things, help<br />
others. But somehow the circumstances or<br />
the people around us don't respond in the<br />
desired manner and thus we fail to achieve<br />
many things and which most of the times<br />
result in frustration and stress.<br />
Thus our success or failure seems to be<br />
dependent on two factors, firstly people we<br />
interact with and secondly the circumstances<br />
and situations we face in life, most of the<br />
times on which we have no control.<br />
If we analyse, basically there are two kinds of<br />
people we interact with (1) people who are<br />
helpful to us and (2) people who are not helpful<br />
rather they constantly try to pull us down.<br />
Likewise, the circumstances we face in life<br />
are of two types (1) favourable situations<br />
and (2) not so favourable situations.<br />
So what are we talking about is the people<br />
and circumstances. If both these are OK and<br />
favourable -then life can really become a<br />
bed of roses and everything honky dory.<br />
However, in reality it is extremely unlikely to<br />
find people all the time that are helpful and<br />
the situations which are favourable.<br />
It is the "not helpful people" and "non<br />
"Living with sharks, yet growing joyfully"<br />
[Based on Emotional Intelligence (EI) &<br />
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)]<br />
favourable circumstances" which I refer as<br />
Sharks. <strong>The</strong>se sharks play havoc in our life. If<br />
we are able to manage them well, our life can<br />
really become quite joyful and blissful. On the<br />
contrary, if we allow them to take charge of<br />
our life, then our life becomes quite stressful.<br />
And unfortunately the research shows that<br />
"stress" is the biggest killer - all<br />
psychosomatic ailments such as diabetes,<br />
arthritis, spondilitis, problem of high or low<br />
blood pressure, high cholesterol,<br />
hypertension, depression that we<br />
unfortunately acquire sometimes are all<br />
mind related problems which are a result of<br />
stress.<br />
And my presentation is focused on how to<br />
survive, grow, prosper and remain happy<br />
despite these sharks.<br />
Paradoxically, there is only one kind of<br />
people in this world and that is everyone on<br />
this earth is a damn good fellow in his heart.<br />
Because, all of us are product made by the<br />
almighty and He cannot error in his creation.<br />
Yet we have some people with these shark<br />
like characteristics. Do we blame them? No<br />
we should not. Because, they are what they<br />
are as they too have their own sharks. And<br />
in the process of living life with these sharks,<br />
so much friction is generated, so much<br />
stress is created, that they became what<br />
they are. And in any case blaming them is<br />
not going to help the situation.<br />
Not all people are sharks. <strong>The</strong>re are good<br />
people as well. But we don't have to worry<br />
about them, as living with them is a joy in<br />
any case and not a problem.<br />
Yes this is what the reality is. We are going<br />
to work with these people. You cannot deny<br />
it. You cannot wish it away. <strong>The</strong> only way to<br />
live with them is to learn the art of living<br />
with sharks yet growing joyfully.<br />
For learning the art of living with sharks yet<br />
growing joyfully, firstly we need to<br />
understand emotional intelligence which is<br />
explained in very simple words in the<br />
following paragraphs:<br />
Emotional Intelligence<br />
1. We are continually encountering<br />
emotions either of our own or that from<br />
others.<br />
2. <strong>The</strong>se emotions are negative as well as<br />
positive.<br />
Pramod Jain is based at Pune and can be contacted at pramod7jain@vsnl.net<br />
Pramod Jain<br />
3. Our ability to overcome and get out of<br />
the effect of a particular emotion is<br />
known as Emotional Intelligence.<br />
4. A person, least affected by such<br />
emotions is supposed to be having high<br />
emotional intelligence.<br />
5. Whereas a person overwhelmed by<br />
emotions is one with low emotional<br />
intelligence.<br />
6. Modern research have shown that our<br />
well being is directly related with our<br />
emotional intelligence.<br />
7. Yog, Pranayama, Dhyan, Prayer,<br />
Satsang, Shravan and Seva helps in<br />
improving EI<br />
How to measure one's EI<br />
1. Getting annoyed fast<br />
2. Having a short temperament<br />
3. Getting angry fast<br />
4. Jaldi se rooth jaana- "jaiye, hum apse<br />
naraaj hain"<br />
5. Gets switched off fast<br />
6. Jaldi se fuse ud jaata hai.<br />
7. All the time passing judgment<br />
8. Get into arguments very fast<br />
9. Always trying to fool others<br />
10. Being sharks to others<br />
<strong>The</strong> above stated are symptoms of low EI.<br />
High level of emotional intelligence is good<br />
for the well being of a person whereas low<br />
emotional intelligence obstructs the process<br />
of living the life joyfully. This situation of low<br />
emotional intelligence can be helped by<br />
applying the techniques of Neuro Linguistic<br />
Programming (NLP). Both EI and NLP are<br />
not new to our country Bharat. Rather, we<br />
have contributed maximum to EI and NLP<br />
through our religious scriptures. <strong>The</strong> concept<br />
of NLP has been explained in very simple<br />
words in the following paragraphs.<br />
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)<br />
1. We all come on this earth with our ready<br />
software.<br />
2. This software is a combination of Brain<br />
and mind.<br />
3. Software is upgraded or downgraded by<br />
the environment.<br />
(Contd.. On Page 28)<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 29|
Mapping And Retaining<br />
Talent Human Resource<br />
- A Study<br />
* Dr. B. Prakash *B. Madhavi * J. Madhavi<br />
INTRODUCTION:<br />
Throughout the developed world and across<br />
large parts of the developing world, the most<br />
important ingredient in our economies is,<br />
by far, skilled workers. Right now, we might<br />
be forgiven to think it is oil or another<br />
commodity. In fact, there is enough oil in<br />
Aleberta, Canada alone to supply North<br />
American and European demand for the<br />
next 75 years. <strong>The</strong> problem is Aleberta is<br />
short at least 100,000 of the skilled and semi<br />
skilled workers it needs to extract that oil -<br />
despite offering some of the highest wages<br />
and lowest taxes in North America.<br />
<strong>The</strong> demand for talent has reached<br />
pandemic levels across much of the world.<br />
Yet, there is and will be no shortage of<br />
people. Worldwide, population growth is<br />
nearly as steep as it has ever been.<br />
According to the United Nation's mid range<br />
projections, the world will support over nine<br />
billion people by 2050. <strong>The</strong>re is an obvious<br />
but important distinction between the thin<br />
layer of talent worldwide that can contribute<br />
to our increasingly global economy and<br />
"labor". <strong>The</strong> distinction is often lost when<br />
we talk about the broad labor shortages and<br />
general demographics.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re's no dearth of human resources in<br />
the country and even as India prepares to<br />
take on a more hands-on role in the global<br />
economy, its young and vibrant workforce<br />
is raring to go. <strong>The</strong> situation is visibly<br />
different from just a few years ago, when<br />
Indians were merely relegated to the status<br />
of being the back office of the world or an<br />
even simpler, "a cheap work force". No more!<br />
Thanks to an economy growing at 9% per<br />
annum, India Inc. is expanding like crazy<br />
and seeking to become globally competitive.<br />
But every change brings with it, its share of<br />
challenges. <strong>The</strong> upwardly mobile work force<br />
is being spoilt for choice, leading to even<br />
higher attrition rates.<br />
And talent, it appears, is unable to keep<br />
pace with the blistering growth rate of<br />
Corporate India.<br />
" <strong>The</strong> biggest challenge is to cope with the<br />
increasing demand for manpower" - Ruby<br />
Arya, It's literally 'war for talent' out there as<br />
India Inc. engages in endless bidding to grab<br />
the right talent. In fact; this fight for talent<br />
has compelled companies to move beyond<br />
traditional methods of recruiting to create a<br />
portfolio of talent sourcing avenues.<br />
Companies across sectors are ramping up<br />
their operations and capacities due to which,<br />
a greater need is being felt to map the labour<br />
market from the strategic planning process.<br />
But creating strategies for sourcing<br />
employees alone is not going to work in<br />
today's business scenario.<br />
Faced with a tough proposition in attracting<br />
talent, HR Heads of companies have started<br />
applying the Segmenting - Targeting -<br />
Positioning (STP) approach of marketing,<br />
better known as 'employer branding'<br />
strategies. Observes Yogesh Gupta, Sr.<br />
Analyst with a leading KPO, "Companies are<br />
trying their best to portray themselves as a<br />
dream company anyone would vie to work<br />
for." Look up the huge recruitment ads<br />
(touting vast employee testimonials) in<br />
newspapers these days and you would<br />
agree!<br />
While opportunities are in abundance, at the<br />
macro-level, the talent pool seems to be<br />
drying up. Here's why, NASSCOM has<br />
projected a shortage of manpower by<br />
500,000 employees for the IT industry by<br />
2010.<strong>The</strong> projections for employment in<br />
retail industry - 800,000 jobs to be created<br />
by 2008. Add to that the woes of all business<br />
sectors with respect to the soaring attrition<br />
levels. Talent crunch has caused even the<br />
giants in respective industries to adopt new<br />
measures. TCS, for one, has recently<br />
launched a talent transformation initiative<br />
through which it plans to employ general<br />
science graduates and train them within the<br />
company. Explaining the initiative, S. Rama<br />
Dorai, CEO & Managing Director, TCS says,<br />
"This initiative is by and large to enlarge and<br />
develop a suitable talent pool available to<br />
the IT industry." Retention of talent has<br />
become another concern of equal<br />
importance. Facilitating consistent<br />
performance is significant enough, points<br />
out Dr. Y.V. Verma, Director - HR & MS, LG<br />
Electronics India: "LG India has an internal<br />
energy, environment, safety and health<br />
department, also there are informal clubs<br />
such as singing, games and yoga clubs<br />
which aim at de-stressing employees and<br />
building their overall personality."<br />
Guess a little singing, dancing and gymming<br />
goes a long way in engaging that talent pool.<br />
<strong>The</strong> time is ripe for HR managers to develop<br />
intelligence through continuous study of<br />
market dynamics for effective manpower<br />
planning and retention. And they have their<br />
work cut out for 2007.<br />
CONCLUSION:<br />
Today, talent management can perhaps<br />
solve many HR issues. Put simply, it implies<br />
the effective placement and optimal<br />
productivity from talent with in the<br />
organization. Surajit Banerjee, VP-HR,<br />
Spice Jet agrees when he says that,<br />
"Leadership development and employee<br />
engagement are the dominant challenges<br />
HR faces today." People are the essence of<br />
an organization. All the technological up<br />
gradation, state-of-the-art facilities, et al, can<br />
come to a naught if all the employees in the<br />
company are not performing optimally.<br />
Agree? Here are some issues related to<br />
effective talent engagement that experts<br />
point towards - employee development,<br />
performance review mechanisms, talent<br />
engagement, leadership development and<br />
facilitating productivity. Once the mapping<br />
of talent requirements is done, the next issue<br />
is employee development. Explaining how<br />
Phoenix Yule Ltd. plans to do this, J.K.<br />
Mukherjee, the company's General<br />
Manager - HR & IR shares, " Employees<br />
should be exposed to training skill<br />
orientation, over seas visits to achieve a<br />
higher knowledge grip and improve on the<br />
job performance".<br />
u H<br />
Dr. B. Prakash, Principal, Mother Teresa P.G. College, Chowdaryguda (V), Ghatkesar (M), R.R. Dist - 501 301. Hyderabad.<br />
B. Madhavi , Faculty, Mother Teresa P .G. College, Ghatkesar (M), R.R. Dist. e-mail: madhavibsr@yahoo.com<br />
J. Madhavi , Faculty, Mother Teresa P .G. College, Ghatkesar (M), R.R. Dist. e-mail: nadgavu_412@yahoo.co.in<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 30|
Knowledge Sharing<br />
And Empowerment<br />
Knowledge is the most important factor<br />
in the long-term success of both an<br />
individual and an organization. With<br />
knowledge taking on increased importance;<br />
it makes sense that there is an opportunity<br />
to create competitive advantage by<br />
effectively managing its storage and use.<br />
An effective knowledge management<br />
system creates competitive advantage by<br />
evolving the availability of the right<br />
knowledge to do the right degree in the<br />
moment of need. According to a recent<br />
industry survey (KPMG 2001), 81% of the<br />
leading organizations in Europe and the U.S.<br />
say they have, or are at least considering<br />
adopting, some kind of knowledge<br />
management system. <strong>The</strong> majority of these<br />
firms get involved in knowledge<br />
management initiatives with the goal of<br />
gaining competitive advantage (79%),<br />
increasing marketing effectiveness (75%),<br />
developing a customer focus (72%), or<br />
improving product innovation (64%).<br />
What Knowledge management means<br />
for organizations<br />
Knowledge management is a business<br />
philosophy it is an emerging set of principles.<br />
Process, organizational structures and<br />
technology applications that help people<br />
share and leverage their knowledge to meet<br />
their business objectiveness.<br />
Knowledge management is normally used<br />
to refer to those managerial practices that<br />
are implemented with the main (or sole)<br />
objective of creating, storing, disseminating<br />
and exploiting organizational knowledge<br />
Why should we focus on knowledge<br />
management?<br />
Today the creation and the application of<br />
knowledge is essential for the survival of<br />
almost all business . the term knowledge<br />
management in todays world is a tool for<br />
competitive advantage as:<br />
l Intangible product ideas process<br />
,information is taking a growing share of<br />
global trade from the traditional tangible<br />
goods of the manufacturing economy<br />
l <strong>The</strong> only sustainable for gaining upper<br />
hand in today's competitive business realm<br />
is continuous innovation or the application<br />
of new knowledge<br />
l <strong>The</strong> increasing rate of labour turnover<br />
being a night mare for all the hr managers<br />
along with the potential erosion of<br />
knowledge<br />
l Lighting changes that takes place in<br />
technology which erode our knowledge base<br />
and in many expertise of business domain,<br />
such as in IT industry where 50 percentage<br />
of what you know 5 years ago is probably<br />
obsolete today.<br />
Developing a knowledge sharing culture<br />
Knowledge sharing is not an easy to<br />
accomplish . It requires a total in many of<br />
our attitude. Till now we have lived hoarding<br />
knowledge, believing it to be power, To have<br />
a knowledge sharing mentality, we need to<br />
understand and accept than even greater<br />
value that lies in its exchange .For this it is<br />
mandatory that we work very hard and<br />
ensure the presence of a climate conductive<br />
to knowledge sharing .we will have to value<br />
and appreciate the knowledge that may be<br />
lying beyond the borders of our teams,<br />
departments, organization and borders.<br />
Above all we need to have a common goal<br />
.the betterment of not just ourselves but of<br />
our organization as well. In facts this<br />
demands a change in organizations overall<br />
culture.<br />
<strong>The</strong> knowledge pull can be defined as a<br />
related desire among the employees to<br />
tap the companies' available intellectual<br />
resources for their own as well as for the<br />
organizations betterment. Establishing and<br />
maintaining knowledge databases is of no<br />
use if the employees do not feel inclined to<br />
make use of this database for knowledge<br />
sharing or assimilation.<br />
In order to overcome this companies<br />
successful in knowledge sharing are known<br />
to be concentrating on establishing clear<br />
goals that promote knowledge pull by forcing<br />
employees to reach beyond themselves. <strong>The</strong><br />
employees are encouraged to make use of<br />
all available resources, including the<br />
corporate knowledge base to improve their<br />
changes of reaching these goals.<br />
S. Preetham Sridhar<br />
From the analysis of various real-world<br />
scenarios as well as on the basis of findings<br />
published in gurteen knowledge letter (a<br />
knowledge management newsletter<br />
distributed in over 86 different countries) the<br />
following key-steps towards implementing<br />
knowledge sharing has been identified.<br />
To create a knowledge sharing culture we<br />
need to encourage people to work together<br />
more effectively to collaborate and to share<br />
ultimately to make organizational knowledge<br />
more productive. A few things to be<br />
remembered in this context are: -<br />
l <strong>The</strong> purpose of knowledge sharing is<br />
to help an organization meet its business<br />
objectives.<br />
l Learning to make knowledge productive<br />
is as important if not more important than<br />
sharing knowledge.<br />
l Changing a culture is tough not only<br />
does it mean change, which has always<br />
been tough; it means seeing the world in a<br />
different way. It means revealing our hidden<br />
paradigms like the tacit acceptance that<br />
"knowledge is power".<br />
<strong>The</strong> organisation should focus on:<br />
Ø Rewarding and Knowledge sharing<br />
Ø Motivating Knowledge Sharing:<br />
Ø Overcoming Objections<br />
THE CONCEPT OF EMPLOYEE<br />
EMPOWERMENT<br />
It is true that employee empowerment at the<br />
individual team and organisational levels.<br />
It is true that age of empowerment has<br />
become a key rhetoric of the last decades<br />
of the twentieth century.(senge et<br />
al;1999;11)Empowerment is about<br />
achieving organizational goals; it mean<br />
getting every one involve in making the<br />
business a success<br />
According to management practitioners<br />
empowered organizations will gain<br />
commercial advantages and will be more<br />
competitive. further more they suggest that<br />
more traditional command and control<br />
structure disempower organization<br />
members. (belbin 1998).<br />
Prof. S. Preetham Sridhar is Faculty - School of Management, V.L.B. Janakiammal College of Engineering & Technology, Coimbatore.<br />
E-mail : preethamsridar_s@yahoo.com.<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 31|
In the words of Guptha, empowerment may<br />
be defined as 'the process of sharing power<br />
and providing an enabling environment (by<br />
removing hurdles) in order to encourage<br />
employees to take initiative and decisions to<br />
achieve organizational and individual goals'.<br />
Empowerment may be regarded as a holistic<br />
way of living together. As stated earlier,<br />
empowerment demands changes at three<br />
levels namely individual team and<br />
organizational levels. Any change taking<br />
place a primary level i.e., the individual level<br />
is rapidly reflected in the other two levels also.<br />
<strong>The</strong> various changes required at<br />
individual levels include<br />
l More of inward looking and less of<br />
outward looking<br />
l Shift from process orientation to<br />
outcome orientation<br />
l Taking responsibility for results<br />
l Proactively seeking information for<br />
learning.<br />
Internal satisfaction can be achieved<br />
through de-centralization of hierarchy power<br />
structures by establishing a considerable<br />
degree of participative management, by<br />
creating a high degree of participative<br />
management, by creating a high degree of<br />
autonomy throughout the organization and<br />
also by developing effective work groups.<br />
All these methods are found to be<br />
contributing towards employee<br />
FACTORS OF KNOWLEDE<br />
SHARING EMPOWERMENT<br />
1. RESPECT FOR TEAM<br />
MEMBERS<br />
2. MANAGEMENT<br />
ATTITUDE<br />
3. OPEN<br />
COMMUNICATION<br />
4. OPPURTUNITIES FOR<br />
LEARNING<br />
5. ORGANISATIONAL<br />
SUPPORT FOR<br />
INNOVATION<br />
6. RESPONSIVE<br />
SUPERIORS<br />
7. OPPURTUNITIES FOR<br />
SELF DEVELOPMENT<br />
8. PERFORMANCE---<br />
LINKED<br />
FEEDBACK<br />
9. AUTONOMY<br />
empowerment. Only a self-empowered<br />
person can empower others. Once an<br />
individual is empowered he will exhibit<br />
responsibility a sense of ownership<br />
satisfaction in accomplishments power over<br />
what and how things are done, recognition<br />
for their ideas and the knowledge that they<br />
are important to the organization. <strong>The</strong><br />
concept of empowerment in any<br />
organization should be backed by proper<br />
feedback as well as autonomy in the<br />
organizational culture.<br />
Some of the factors that directly influence<br />
the process of empowerment includes<br />
adequate respect for team members,<br />
management attitude, open communication<br />
opportunities for learning, organizational<br />
support for innovation, responsive superiors,<br />
opportunities for self development<br />
performance linked feedback and autonomy.<br />
All these variables may be regarded as<br />
empowering variables and they have a direct<br />
bearing on an individual's self efficacy,<br />
organizational commitment, role<br />
satisfaction, job involvement, team<br />
relationship, positive attitude, new outlook,<br />
competitive spirit, creativity etc. Any<br />
organisation would look forward to<br />
cultivating all these characteristics in their<br />
employees as the various empowering<br />
variables are proven factors that enable<br />
individuals to perform better. In short when<br />
the empowering variables are present to a<br />
greater extent as a consequence there will<br />
E<br />
M<br />
P<br />
O<br />
W<br />
E<br />
R<br />
M<br />
E<br />
N<br />
T<br />
EFFECT OF THE FACTOR ON<br />
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE<br />
evolve an environment highly favorable for<br />
the successful functioning of an<br />
organization.<br />
KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND<br />
EMPOWERMENT.<br />
It is found that in most of the modern<br />
organizations the role of top management<br />
is that of a facilitator. <strong>The</strong> facilitator can play<br />
an important role for the individual to be a<br />
continuous learner. This results in a cyclic<br />
transition:-<br />
1. SELF-EFFICIENCY<br />
2. ORGANIZATIONAL<br />
COMMITMENT<br />
3. IMPROVEMENT IN<br />
WORK<br />
ENVIRONMENT<br />
4. ROLE<br />
SATISFACTION<br />
5. JOB INVOLEMENT<br />
6. IMPROVED TEAM<br />
RELATIONSHIP<br />
7. POSITIVE<br />
ATTITUDE<br />
8. NEW OUT LOOK<br />
9. COMPETETIVE<br />
SPIRIT<br />
10. CREATIVITY<br />
Owner → Manager → Learner<br />
→ Facilitator → Owner.<br />
This cyclic approach will help in creating an<br />
environment favorable for knowledge<br />
sharing process. In such an organization<br />
that provides the right environment for its<br />
employees the general strategy culture and<br />
incentives constitute the basic framework<br />
of empowerment. <strong>The</strong> same factors are<br />
found framing the framework for knowledge<br />
sharing as well. Comparing the two<br />
frameworks the relationship between<br />
employee empowerment and knowledge<br />
sharing can be tagged as direct. In fact<br />
controlled employee empowerment in an<br />
organization becomes a necessary<br />
prerequisite for successful knowledge<br />
sharing. Thus when empowerment<br />
increases knowledge sharing also increases<br />
through individual performance.<br />
K<br />
N<br />
O<br />
W<br />
L<br />
E<br />
D<br />
G<br />
E<br />
S<br />
H<br />
A<br />
R<br />
I<br />
N<br />
G<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 32|
<strong>Work</strong>place Bullying<br />
Pranati Raheja<br />
Definition of workplace bullying:<br />
Bullying in the workplace can be defined as<br />
'all those repeated unreasonable and<br />
inappropriate actions and practices that are<br />
directed to one or more workers, which are<br />
unwanted by the victim, which may be done<br />
deliberately or unconsciously, but do cause<br />
humiliation, offence and distress, and that<br />
may interfere with job performance, and/or<br />
cause an unpleasant working environment.'<br />
(Based on Stale Einarson and Paul<br />
McCarthy) Or<br />
"<strong>The</strong> repeated less favorable treatment of a<br />
person by another or others in the<br />
workplace, which may be considered<br />
unreasonable and inappropriate workplace<br />
practice. It includes behavior that<br />
intimidates, offends, degrades or humiliates<br />
a worker". (Source ACTUQ/QCCI/Old Govt<br />
Dept of <strong>Work</strong>place Health & Safety) Or<br />
"Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating<br />
or insulting behavior, abuse of power or<br />
unfair penal sanctions which makes the<br />
recipient feel upset, threatened, humiliated<br />
or vulnerable, which undermines their selfconfidence<br />
and which may cause them to<br />
suffer stress" (MSF Union, 1994)<br />
Comments that are objective and are<br />
intended to provide constructive feedback<br />
are not usually considered bullying but<br />
strong management.<br />
What qualifies as bullying behavior?<br />
<strong>The</strong> bullying behavior could range from<br />
verbal abuse, blame, humiliation, personal<br />
and professional denigration, manipulation<br />
of job specifications, unrealistic workload,<br />
aggressive e-mails or notes, overt threats,<br />
harassment, sabotage of career and<br />
financial status, spreading malicious<br />
rumors, gossip, or innuendo that is not true<br />
withholding necessary information or<br />
purposefully giving the wrong information<br />
intruding on a person's privacy by pestering,<br />
spying or stalking under work - creating a<br />
feeling of uselessness criticizing a person<br />
persistently or constantly, belittling a<br />
person's opinions, unwarranted (or<br />
undeserved) punishment, blocking<br />
applications for training, leave or promotion,<br />
tampering with a person's personal<br />
belongings or work equipment overt<br />
aggression / violence etc.<br />
Profile of a workplace bully<br />
<strong>The</strong> serial bully:<br />
l Is a convincing, practiced liar<br />
l Is vile, vicious and vindictive in private,<br />
but innocent and charming in front of<br />
witnesses; no-one can (or wants to)<br />
believe this individual has a vindictive<br />
nature - only the current target of the<br />
serial bully's aggression sees both sides<br />
l Uses excessive charm and is always<br />
plausible and convincing when peers,<br />
superiors or others are present (charm<br />
can be used to deceive as well as to<br />
cover for lack of empathy)<br />
l Is unusually skilled in being able to<br />
anticipate what people want to hear and<br />
then saying it plausibly<br />
l Is self-opinionated and displays<br />
arrogance, audacity, a superior sense of<br />
entitlement and sense of invulnerability<br />
l Is a control freak and has a compulsive<br />
need to control everyone and everything<br />
displays a compulsive need to criticize<br />
whilst simultaneously refusing to value,<br />
praise and acknowledge others, their<br />
achievements, or their existence<br />
l Undermines and destroys anyone who<br />
the bully perceives to be an adversary,<br />
a potential threat, or who can see<br />
through the bully's mask<br />
l Is adept at creating conflict between<br />
those who would otherwise collate<br />
incriminating information about them<br />
l May pursue a vindictive vendetta<br />
against anyone who dares to held them<br />
accountable, perhaps using others'<br />
resources and contemptuous of the<br />
damage caused to other people and<br />
organizations in pursuance of the<br />
vendetta<br />
l Is also quick to belittle, undermine,<br />
denigrate and discredit anyone who<br />
calls, attempts to call, or might call the<br />
bully to account<br />
l Gains gratification from denying people<br />
what they are entitled to<br />
l When called upon to share or address<br />
the needs and concerns of others,<br />
responds with impatience, irritability and<br />
aggression<br />
l Is mean, stingy, and financially<br />
untrustworthy<br />
l Is convinced of their superiority and has<br />
an overbearing belief in their qualities<br />
of leadership but cannot distinguish<br />
between leadership (maturity,<br />
decisiveness, assertiveness, cooperation,<br />
trust, integrity) and bullying<br />
(immaturity, impulsiveness, aggression,<br />
manipulation, distrust, deceitfulness)<br />
Types of a Bully Manager<br />
Bullying Managers can be put into four<br />
types:<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> Bulldog Bully<br />
This is a manager who resorts to raised<br />
voices and aggressive body language to get<br />
their way and refuses to allow you to state<br />
your case often with a torrent of verbose.<br />
Other techniques include getting red in the<br />
face, using abusive language, slamming<br />
doors and banging the table a great deal.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y operate under a cloud of fear and<br />
employees are petrified of making any slips<br />
or mistakes in case they incur the boss's<br />
substantial wrath, this leads to a lack of<br />
desire to take any responsibility for tasks<br />
outside the employee's job specification and<br />
any creativity is stifled.<br />
2. <strong>The</strong> Silver Tongued Tempter<br />
This type is most skillful and cunning, not<br />
for them the crudities of the active bully their<br />
style is wholly more covert but no less<br />
devastating. <strong>The</strong>y happily promise great<br />
rewards and watch with glee at the extra<br />
activity their falsehoods generate. When the<br />
unfortunate victim realizes the full extent of<br />
the STT's empty promises and complains<br />
the STT then accuses them of negativity,<br />
because they dare to take them at their word.<br />
Often the STT will blame the withheld reward<br />
on 'situations beyond my control', 'other<br />
departments' or change the goal posts. For<br />
example an employee in a local financing firm<br />
was promised a promotion to team-leader<br />
with the associated pay rise, when the date<br />
arrived for her promotion the manager<br />
explained that the company wouldn't pay her<br />
a supervisor' s wage until she had 'proven<br />
herself'! This results in apathetic demotivated<br />
and disengaged staff.<br />
Pranati Raheja is Sr. Officer HR, Atlas Copco (India) Ltd Mumbai. She can be reached on her E-Mail: Pranati.Raheja@in.atlascopco.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 33|
3. Messrs Reasonable & Co<br />
This one somehow manages to make all<br />
your requests seem not only ridiculous but<br />
outrageous too and convince you that their<br />
interpretation of the situation is perfectly<br />
acceptable and even normal, when, in fact,<br />
the reverse is true. <strong>The</strong> outcome is staff<br />
adopting a work to rule style and rejecting<br />
any attempt to take any initiative, as the<br />
perception is that there will be no back-up<br />
or assistance.<br />
4. <strong>The</strong> Trapper<br />
Perhaps the trapper is the worst of the lot, if<br />
there is a 'worst'. <strong>The</strong>se managers will<br />
actively work to set-up the unfortunate victim<br />
by setting vague or difficult work tasks or<br />
engineering an altercation so that they can<br />
paint the employee into or corner or use the<br />
event as an excuse for trumped up charges<br />
or even verbal/written warnings. This style<br />
results in massive turnover as staff get wise<br />
to the scammer and look for more ethical<br />
managers elsewhere.<br />
How bullying affects an individual?<br />
People who are the targets of bullying may<br />
experience a range of effects. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
reactions include:<br />
l Shock<br />
l Anger<br />
l Feelings of frustration and/or<br />
helplessness<br />
l Increased sense of vulnerability<br />
l Loss of confidence<br />
l Physical symptoms such as<br />
l Inability to sleep<br />
l Loss of appetite<br />
l Psychosomatic symptoms such as<br />
l Stomach pains<br />
l Headaches<br />
l Panic or anxiety, especially about going<br />
to work<br />
l Family tension and stress<br />
l Inability to concentrate, and<br />
l Low morale and productivity<br />
How bullying affects the workplace?<br />
Bullying affects the overall "health" of an<br />
organization. "Unhealthy" workplaces can<br />
have many effects. In general these include:<br />
l Increased absenteeism<br />
l Increased turnover<br />
l Increased stress<br />
l Increased costs for employee<br />
assistance programs (EAPs),<br />
recruitment, etc.<br />
l Increased risk for accidents / incidents<br />
l Decreased productivity and motivation<br />
l Decreased morale<br />
l Reduced corporate image and<br />
customer confidence, and<br />
l Poorer customer service.<br />
Law and Bullying<br />
Law in Canada<br />
<strong>The</strong> Canadian Province of Quebec<br />
introduced legislation addressing workplace<br />
bullying on 1 June 2004. In its Act<br />
representing Labor Standards<br />
"psychological harassment" is prohibited.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Commission des normes du travail is<br />
the organization responsible for the<br />
application of this act.<br />
Under the Ontario Occupational Health and<br />
Safety Act 1979, "all employers must take<br />
every precautions reasonable in the<br />
circumstances to protect the health and<br />
safety of their workers in the workplace. This<br />
includes protecting them against the risk of<br />
workplace violence "<strong>The</strong> Act requires<br />
establishment of Joint Occupational Health<br />
and Safety Committees for larger employers.<br />
Under the act, workplace violence is defined<br />
as "...the attempted or actual exercise of<br />
any intentional physical force that causes<br />
or may cause physical injury to a worker. It<br />
also includes any threats which give a<br />
worker reasonable grounds to believe he or<br />
she is at risk of physical injury"<br />
Law in United Kingdom<br />
In the United Kingdom, although bullying is<br />
not specifically mentioned in workplace<br />
legislation, there are means to obtain legal<br />
redress for bullying. <strong>The</strong> Protection from<br />
Harassment Act 1997 is a recent addition<br />
to the more traditional approaches using<br />
employment-only legislation. Notable cases<br />
include Majrowski v Guy's & St Thomas'<br />
NHS Trust wherein it was held that an<br />
employer is vicariously liable for one<br />
employee's harassment of another, and<br />
Green v DB Group Services (UK) Ltd, where<br />
a bullied worker was awarded over £800,000<br />
in damages.<br />
In the latter case, at paragraph 99, the judge<br />
Mr Justice Owen said:<br />
"...I am satisfied that the behavior amounted<br />
to a deliberate and concerted campaign of<br />
bullying within the ordinary meaning of that<br />
term."<br />
Where a person is bullied on grounds of sex,<br />
race or disability et al, it is outlawed under<br />
anti-Discrimination laws.<br />
Law in Sweden<br />
<strong>Work</strong>place bullying in Sweden is covered<br />
by the Ordinance of the Swedish <strong>National</strong><br />
Board of Occupational Safety and Health<br />
containing Provisions on measures against<br />
Victimization at <strong>Work</strong>, which defines<br />
victimization as "...recurrent reprehensible<br />
or distinctly negative actions which are<br />
directed against individual employees in an<br />
offensive manner and can result in those<br />
employees being placed outside the<br />
workplace community."<br />
<strong>The</strong> act places the onus on employers to<br />
plan and organize work so as to prevent<br />
victimization and to make it clear to<br />
employees that victimization is not<br />
acceptable. <strong>The</strong> employer is also<br />
responsible for the early detection of signs<br />
of victimisation, prompt counter measures<br />
to deal with victimization and making<br />
support available to employees who have<br />
been targeted.<br />
Situation in India<br />
Currently there is no legislation in India that<br />
specifically deals with bullying in the<br />
workplace. Some countries have legislation<br />
on workplace violence in which bullying is<br />
included. But employers have a general duty<br />
to protect employees from risks at work and<br />
many employers choose to address the<br />
issue of bullying as both physical and mental<br />
harm can "cost" an organization.<br />
In general, there will be differences in<br />
opinion and sometimes conflicts at work.<br />
However, behavior that is unreasonable and<br />
offends or harms any person should not be<br />
tolerated.<br />
What can you do to improve the<br />
situation?<br />
If you are in HR<br />
l Define bullying in precise, concrete<br />
language with clear examples of<br />
unacceptable behavior and working<br />
conditions<br />
l Establish proper systems for<br />
investigating, recording and dealing with<br />
bullying<br />
l Investigate complaints quickly, while<br />
maintaining discretion and<br />
confidentiality and protecting the rights<br />
of all individuals involved<br />
l Take action swiftly<br />
l Create an environment in organization<br />
in which dignity and fairness for all is<br />
the norm<br />
If you are being bullied<br />
l Keep a track of all incidences with date,<br />
time, witnesses , emails , memos ,<br />
telephone calls - if need be do voice<br />
recording<br />
l Find out as much as you can about your<br />
organizations policy on harassment and<br />
bullying.<br />
l Write to the bully following any and each<br />
incidents, denying or correcting their<br />
false claims if necessary. Keep copies<br />
of any correspondence as evidence.<br />
l If the behavior doesn't stop , present<br />
your case (as factually as possible) to<br />
bully's boss and HR and ask them to<br />
take action<br />
l If no appropriate action is taken<br />
approach top-management with your<br />
case, proofs, responses from the bully/<br />
your boss/bull's boss/HR<br />
l If no action is still taken start looking at<br />
other options as it doesn't make to stick<br />
to an organization which doesn't care<br />
about its employees<br />
l Do be a part of self help groups as<br />
bullying can lower morale<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 34|
Emerging Business Scenario In<br />
<strong>The</strong> New Millennium And Challenges<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
<strong>The</strong> developments in communication<br />
technology in the last two decades are<br />
totally transforming the business paradigm.<br />
Cross- cultural encounters are ultimately<br />
creating a global culture. <strong>The</strong> shift to the new<br />
millennium is thus a quantum shift<br />
demanding a part of the global economy.<br />
With the business scenario turning into a<br />
corporate Olympiad, Indian companies have<br />
to necessarily trim their size, get more<br />
focused and be efficient in order to survive<br />
in the light of forced competition. <strong>The</strong><br />
compulsions faced by organizations at the<br />
fundamental level call for a change in the<br />
mindset and perspective and in the<br />
approach to business and people.<br />
<strong>The</strong> following inter-related phenomena is<br />
emerging and posing challenges to the<br />
corporate world in the new millennium.<br />
BORDERLESSNESS IN BUSINESS<br />
<strong>The</strong> borderlessness is evident clearly if we<br />
look the following activities and in the way<br />
various aspects of work get done in different<br />
parts of the world. With the advent of teleworking,<br />
activities like online services and<br />
software development for many US<br />
companies; medical transcription work<br />
(electronic and care technology) for<br />
American doctors and reservation and<br />
ticketing for some European airline<br />
companies, are now being done in India.<br />
Some of drug companies are planning to<br />
transfer their R&D activity to India to take<br />
advantage of the cheap skills. <strong>The</strong><br />
borderlessness in business is also reflected<br />
in the launch of products. Companies like<br />
Gillette, Microsoft and P&G launch their<br />
latest products simultaneously from multiple<br />
centres worldwide.<br />
Not only are political and geographical<br />
borders being rendered irrelevant, the<br />
boundaries of organizations are also getting<br />
increasingly porous. Now-a-days,<br />
organizations are outsourcing many of their<br />
secondary functions from different countries<br />
throughout world except their core activities.<br />
Mega corporations like ABB straddle the<br />
globe with 1,200 companies spread all over.<br />
Visa International, the credit card company,<br />
spreads across like an invisible financial<br />
nervous system ensuring smooth flow of<br />
credit across the world.<br />
Organizations are redrawing their<br />
boundaries in such a way that they are both<br />
competitors and collaborators in various<br />
markets. For instance, AT&T and Motorola,<br />
Philips and Sony, Microsoft and Compaq are<br />
all competing as well as collaborating<br />
indifferent segments of the world market.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cross-cultural and cross-border<br />
mingling has resulted in the creating of a<br />
new class of people-global citizens with<br />
global attitudes, tastes and networks. Since<br />
it unleashes multiple variables, the<br />
borderless world precludes immense<br />
complexity-complexity in the environment,<br />
in inter-organizational relationships, in<br />
modes of conducting business and in sociocultural<br />
diversity. In India, the borderless<br />
world is shaking the roots of business. While<br />
some companies are feeling the excitement<br />
and facing up to the challenges, the demand<br />
for a tilted playing field indicates the anxiety<br />
among many Indian business leaders about<br />
competition. While the borderless world is<br />
creating global citizens on the one side, it is<br />
also threatening the identities of people.<br />
INCREASED DIVERSITY<br />
<strong>The</strong> phenomenon of diversity challenges the<br />
skills of people while negotiating and doing<br />
business across cultures. Enron,<br />
McDonalds and Cargill Seeds had to face<br />
intense pressure from various lobbying<br />
groups in India. Organizations in various<br />
parts of the world are grappling with multiethnic<br />
and multi-gender work-forces. <strong>The</strong><br />
multiple perspectives and approaches to<br />
decision making and problem solving, the<br />
attitudes to work, as well as the concept of<br />
time, are some of the major challenges to<br />
be handled while managing diverse people.<br />
<strong>The</strong> differences in value systems and<br />
philosophies of life colour the perceptions,<br />
attitudes and behaviour of people while<br />
dealing with each other. It influences the way<br />
in which people approach problems, their<br />
prioritization and their methods of problem<br />
solving. Diversity would also be more<br />
pronounced across genders and with more<br />
and more women joining the workforce<br />
Dr. G. Ramanaiah is Professor, School of Management, SRM University, Chennai E-Mail: drgr2005@hotmail.com<br />
Dr.G.Ramanaiah<br />
posing a challenge for effective<br />
management.<br />
PRE-EMINENCE OF KNOWLEDGE<br />
POWER<br />
<strong>The</strong> advancement of human society has<br />
been based on knowledge power which<br />
played a critical role in ensuring increased<br />
human longevity, safety and comfort,<br />
prospecting lies in the knowledge<br />
component. Research and development has<br />
created entirely new industrial sectors-in<br />
biotechnology, polymers, plastics, software<br />
and so on. Clearly then, knowledge is the<br />
epicenter for competing effectively in 21st<br />
century. Companies have to invariably<br />
acquire knowledge.<br />
OLYMPIAN COMPETITION<br />
<strong>The</strong> emergence of a borderless world,<br />
increased diversity and the pre-eminence of<br />
knowledge power has increased the<br />
complexity of the business environment and<br />
has given rise to Olympian competition. <strong>The</strong><br />
era of stable and steady organizations is long<br />
over and survival in the Olympian era hinges<br />
on being hard nosed and fleet footed.<br />
Companies have to change gears<br />
appropriately in order to survive. If the<br />
response is slow, they are overtaken. For<br />
example, the Indian luggage industry did<br />
shift from moulded luggage to soft luggage.<br />
<strong>The</strong> complex market dynamics have thrown<br />
up immense paradoxes. <strong>The</strong> classic<br />
example is that of leading American<br />
companies like IBM, GM, Ford, and K Mart,<br />
found that their profitability was not keeping<br />
up with their superstar status in terms of<br />
market share.<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
Thus companies trapped in the old mindset<br />
collapse while those with the right mindset<br />
are able to successfully handle the same<br />
paradoxes. Due to growing competition among<br />
companies worldwide, diversity in workforce,<br />
borderless world, information availability in the<br />
advent of Internet, companies have to evolve<br />
strategies to effectively manage paradigm<br />
shifts in organizations. Organizations need to<br />
develop global vision, follow secular approach<br />
in dealings and customization in order to<br />
survive and grow in the 21st century.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 35|
Attrition - A Challenge and an<br />
Opportunity for HR Professionals<br />
P. Soma Raju<br />
Any recent meeting of HR Professionals<br />
is incomplete without discussion on<br />
attrition. This is not a new problem. <strong>The</strong><br />
challenge of attrition, as it was earlier called<br />
employee turnover, has been there in every<br />
sunrise industry, be it IT, BPO, Retail or<br />
Service sector. It is a major problem even<br />
in old economy manufacturing industry<br />
whenever they witness boom. In every<br />
industry that witness boom, the trend is to<br />
go for expansions, acquisitions and mergers<br />
and even to go for new green field projects<br />
to catch up with the market and business.<br />
Attrition is therefore no longer a new<br />
phenomena or problem. <strong>The</strong> onerous duty<br />
of every HR professional is to contain this if<br />
not control it totally, as far as possible by<br />
evolving and implementing appropriate<br />
industry and sector specific strategies. <strong>The</strong><br />
factors responsible for attrition vary from<br />
industry to industry and sector to sector.<br />
However, there are common factors,<br />
applicable to all, that contribute to the<br />
problem of attrition. While formulating the<br />
strategies to contain attrition, every HR<br />
manager should consider the following<br />
factors.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Role of Technology :<br />
Technological advancement besides its<br />
contribution to improvement in quality of life<br />
of the mankind it also played its part to<br />
disturb the human relations at work.<br />
Introduction and usage of machines and<br />
other gadgets at work place have come in<br />
the way of man to man interface and<br />
interactions. In their mad rush to compete<br />
and catch up with the business and market,<br />
employers tend to sacrifice the human side<br />
of the enterprise. Technology centric<br />
processes have started dominating earlier<br />
people centric processes in the<br />
organizations. It is unfortunate that people<br />
are forgetting that it is the men, men alone<br />
either make or break the organizations. <strong>The</strong><br />
HR professionals can no longer afford to<br />
ignore this even in technology driven<br />
companies. It will be imperative to every HR<br />
professional that people centric processes<br />
are the need of the hour and they should<br />
provide for man to man interface and<br />
interactions. As Aristotle said man is a social<br />
animal and can't operate in isolation.<br />
Leadership Factors:<br />
<strong>The</strong> employees in every emerging sunrise<br />
industry are relatively quite young. <strong>The</strong>y look<br />
for guidance and consider their leaders as<br />
role models. <strong>The</strong> real problem is only the<br />
leaders in these sectors. In many<br />
P Somaraju can be reached at Chandrasraju@gmail.com<br />
organizations leader is a person who had<br />
already changed many Jobs. <strong>The</strong> example<br />
he has already set is Job hopping is the<br />
order of the day and if anyone to come up<br />
in career, it is only through change of Jobs.<br />
Often we observe that a person who<br />
changed many Jobs is rewarded more than<br />
a person sticking to one employer. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
days loyalty to an employer is a disincentive.<br />
This reinforces in the minds of young people<br />
that they should change as many Jobs as<br />
possible to grow in their career. Slowly the<br />
initial euphoria fades away and it is<br />
ultimately proved in many organizations that<br />
existing employees proves to be better than<br />
the Job hoppers if proper training is given.<br />
Utmost care is needed while choosing and<br />
entrusting leadership roles to the people.<br />
Inter Personal relations:<br />
Interpersonal relations if not handled<br />
properly, will have a disastrous effect in<br />
organizations' working. <strong>The</strong> young and<br />
ambitious employees need to be nurtured and<br />
led in a right direction. It is often said that<br />
"employees leave the boss" but not the<br />
organization. This clearly indicates the<br />
importance and role of leader in containing<br />
the attrition. Many organizations boast of exit<br />
Interview as a tool to find the reasons for<br />
attrition. Unfortunately, very few organization<br />
use the feed back from exit interview to change<br />
or modify their policies. If the feedback is<br />
against the bosses or leaders, neither it is<br />
discussed nor it is used for change of policy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> employees are made to believe "Boss is<br />
always right". This needs to be changed. We<br />
hardly find organizations that allow<br />
subordinates appraising superiors / leaders<br />
and feed back in the process being used to<br />
reward or reprimand the bosses / leaders.<br />
HR Quick fixes :<br />
<strong>The</strong> pressure on HR professionals to recruit<br />
people on war footing to recoup the attrition<br />
is tremendous and always challenging.<br />
Quick fixes or shortcuts are thought of as a<br />
solution to tide over the problem. Poaching<br />
is one of them. "If you poach my people, I<br />
poach your people" is the method adopted<br />
by HR professionals. Often it is encouraged<br />
by the employers and we find this practice<br />
across the industry. Why can't HR<br />
professionals think of alternatives instead<br />
of resorting to shortcuts. A careful study and<br />
analysis of the trends in attrition provides<br />
an understanding to chalk out long range<br />
plans to combat the challenge of attrition.<br />
Systematic approach to recruitment,<br />
developing internal employees on a<br />
continuous basis and proper succession<br />
planning can be thought of as appropriate<br />
strategy for this problem.<br />
Employment policies:<br />
Many organizations often formulate their<br />
policies keeping the employees and their<br />
needs as individuals. Whenever employee<br />
related problems arise, HR managers tend<br />
to address Job context issues. Annual / half<br />
yearly salary reviews, ESO PS and<br />
providing good ambience environment and<br />
facilities are examples of the employers<br />
focus while attending to the problems like<br />
motivation and attrition etc. Needless to say<br />
that employees issues should not be<br />
considered in isolation. His needs and<br />
aspirations must be looked at in a holistic<br />
manner and needs of the family have also<br />
a bearing on the employee working. <strong>The</strong> role<br />
of family in individuals' life in the Indian<br />
context is known to us very well. <strong>The</strong> family<br />
of an employee also play a vital role in<br />
attrition. <strong>The</strong>refore organizations while<br />
formulating the policies, employees and their<br />
family as a unit must be considered in the<br />
larger interest. As it is said, it is easy to<br />
address the Job context factors rather than<br />
Job content factors. Any amount of efforts<br />
without addressing the Job content issues<br />
become futile in containing the attrition. HR<br />
professionals should keep in mind that any<br />
number of measures that make the<br />
employees being well of becomes<br />
incomplete without the measures to take<br />
care of the well-being of the employees. In<br />
the ultimate analysis it is clear that many<br />
factors contribute to the problem of attrition.<br />
HR professionals should have a<br />
comprehensive and well devised plan of<br />
action to tackle the problem effectively.<br />
u Human interface and people centric<br />
processes should not be given a go bye<br />
in the name of technology development.<br />
u Enough care should be taken while<br />
choosing and entrusting the leadership<br />
roles to people so as to ensure good<br />
role models for younger generations.<br />
u Extensive use of exit interview feed<br />
back and avoidance of bosssubordinate<br />
discrimination in the<br />
matters of rewards and reprimands.<br />
u Long range plans should be worked out<br />
instead of opting for quick fixes, as a<br />
measure of lasting solution.<br />
u Employment policies should take care of<br />
the well being of the employees rather<br />
than making the employees being well off:<br />
In the end attrition is really a challenge to<br />
face and an opportunity to prove for the HR<br />
professionals.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 36|
Time Management:<br />
<strong>Balancing</strong> <strong>Work</strong> and<br />
other aspects of your life<br />
N. Santhi, J. Jacinth Salome and R. Ramya<br />
Introduction:<br />
"Time, like a snowflake, disappears while<br />
we're trying to decide what to do with it."<br />
-St. Louis Bugle<br />
Manage your time well for each module of<br />
your work i.e. make sure you get a good<br />
balance between work and social life. That<br />
is vital for life in general. You need to balance<br />
time. If you are bad at balancing things make<br />
a personal timetable. Even if you are not<br />
able to stick to it, you will have an idea what<br />
you should be doing each day. This is better<br />
than trying to do everything each day and,<br />
at the end of the week, not achieve anything,<br />
which creates lot of stress leading to<br />
imbalance in work and life.<br />
Too many people are losing valuable time.<br />
Some are not using their time to their best<br />
advantage, a lot of others are wasting their<br />
valuable time, and quite a few are allowing<br />
other people to waste their time. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
only 24 hours in a day, but it seems like we<br />
already have filled all that time, how can we<br />
fit more in? How can we get more time just<br />
to relax and enjoy ourselves? <strong>The</strong> answer<br />
is through the effective management of our<br />
time. Time management is an essential skill<br />
for a success in any profession or business<br />
and to maintain balance between work and<br />
life. It is a matter of choice how we use the<br />
time we have. We can either allow time to<br />
control our activities or we can make<br />
timework for us by establishing priorities and<br />
scheduling our work. Effective time<br />
management is about getting more done<br />
with your available time.<br />
Concentrate on results, not on being<br />
busy<br />
Many people spend their days in a frenzy<br />
of activity, but achieve very little because<br />
they are not concentrating on the right<br />
things. According to <strong>The</strong> 80:20 Rule or<br />
Pareto Principle, " 80% of unfocussed effort<br />
generates only 20% of results, the remaining<br />
80% of results are achieved with only 20%<br />
of the effort". While the ratio is not always<br />
80:20, this broad pattern of a small<br />
proportion of activity generating non-scalar<br />
returns recurs so frequently as to be the<br />
norm in many areas.<br />
Time Management tips:<br />
l Set goals that are SMART : Specific<br />
(assessment task dates),<br />
l Measurable (can be checked and<br />
measured)<br />
l Achievable (can be attained)<br />
l Time frame.<br />
l Plan how the time will be used.<br />
l Learn to prioritise (do the most<br />
important tasks first).<br />
l Divide large block of task into<br />
manageable units.<br />
l Clubbing of identical work.<br />
l Delegation of authority.<br />
l Give Sufficient time to family<br />
Biggest time wasters and Strategies:<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are several aspects that waste time,<br />
a precious resource. <strong>The</strong> following can be<br />
listed as prominent time wasters.<br />
l Inadequate planning: It affects all we do<br />
both professionally and personally.<br />
Unfortunately too many of us think that<br />
goals and objectives are yearly things<br />
and not daily considerations. This result<br />
in too much time spent on the minor<br />
things and not on the things that are<br />
important to our work/lives.<br />
l Ineffective Delegation: Good delegation<br />
is considered as an important key skill<br />
required for both managers and leaders.<br />
<strong>The</strong> best manager is one who has an<br />
ability to delegate work to staff and<br />
ensure it is done correctly. This is<br />
probably the best way of building a<br />
team's morale and reducing your<br />
workload at the same time.<br />
l Paperwork: <strong>The</strong> information stored in<br />
files or papers makes our room become<br />
ruthlessly spotless. By keeping your<br />
information organized in a way that<br />
makes sense to you. We have to set<br />
paperwork priorities. Learn to reduce the<br />
amount of time spent on paperwork. By<br />
measuring the extent of the problem we<br />
have to find the physical facilities for<br />
handling paperwork.<br />
l Procrastination: Habitual procrastination<br />
is often a sign of dissatisfaction. Many<br />
people today feel that they have to<br />
accomplish everything yesterday and<br />
don't give themselves enough time to<br />
do things properly. This leads only to<br />
half finished projects and no feeling of<br />
achievement. By reducing the amounts<br />
of procrastinating you do, you can<br />
substantially increase the amount of<br />
active time available to you.<br />
l Meetings: Studies have shown that the<br />
average manager spends about 17<br />
hours a week in meetings and about 6<br />
hours in the planning time and untold<br />
hours in the follow up. It is widely<br />
acknowledged that one third of the time<br />
spent in meetings is wasted due lack of<br />
planning.<br />
l Inadequate staff: To stay on to our<br />
schedule of work and to get it<br />
accomplished we have to possess<br />
adequate staff. Learn who can help you<br />
accomplish the satisfactory completion<br />
of tasks and who can help you find<br />
resources for various tasks. Develop<br />
organizational skills - with practice<br />
anyone can learn strong organizational<br />
skills to increase personal productivity.<br />
l Inability to say "No": Such a small word<br />
but so hard to say. But first you must be<br />
convinced that you and your priorities<br />
are important. Once convinced of their<br />
importance, saying "no" to the<br />
unimportant in life gets easier. Some of<br />
the most stressed people around lack<br />
the skill to 'just say no' for fear of<br />
upsetting people.<br />
l Poor communication: Poor<br />
communication between staff and an<br />
overload of electronic information is<br />
making them less efficient than their<br />
counterparts, according to research.<br />
Develop good relationships with the<br />
parties who are providing incomplete or<br />
Mrs. N.Santhi and Ms. J. Jacinth Salome are Lecturers at Velammal College of Management and Computer Studies and<br />
Ms. R. Ramya is Lecturer Velammal College of Engineering, Chennai. <strong>The</strong>y can be reached at saneel136@yahoo.com;<br />
jsalomej@yahoo.co.in, ramya_ivar@yahoo.co.in respectively<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 37|
l<br />
l<br />
delayed information. Use good<br />
communication skills to try to resolve<br />
the issue.<br />
Travel: Try to Clarify purpose of travel,<br />
Explore alternatives to travel, Keep a<br />
folder with short task and reading that<br />
can travel with you and Confirm all<br />
appointments at planned destination<br />
before finalizing travel schedule.<br />
Telephone Interruptions: Have you ever<br />
had one of those days when you thought<br />
your true calling was in Telemarketing?<br />
<strong>The</strong> telephone-our greatest<br />
communication tool can be our biggest<br />
enemy to effectiveness if you don't know<br />
how to control its hold over you.<br />
l<br />
l<br />
Drop-In Visitors: <strong>The</strong> five deadliest<br />
words that rob your time are "Have you<br />
got a minute". Everyone's the culpritcolleagues,<br />
the boss, and your peers.<br />
Knowing how to deal with interruptions<br />
is one of the best skills you can learn.<br />
Confirm appointments before calling on<br />
clients. While waiting for an<br />
appointment, review your to-do list.<br />
Socializing: Make sure you plan time for<br />
social activities and family life. If you are<br />
busy with your work, put a friendly 'work<br />
in progress' sign on the door. If someone<br />
does interrupt you, stand up. People are<br />
less likely to hang around if you remain<br />
standing.<br />
Conclusion<br />
To conclude, to get a better grip over your<br />
time and your life. Learning how to handle<br />
your time well is an essential skill for<br />
success in any profession or business. So,<br />
you better begin managing time in your<br />
formative years itself! Resolve to pay closer<br />
attention to how you spend your time. Watch<br />
how the business professionals you admire<br />
allocate their time and emulate some of their<br />
business practices. Avoid procrastination,<br />
maintain your focus and practice good<br />
organizational skills, and you'll earn respect<br />
and recognition in your career. Success<br />
comes to those who work hard and know<br />
how to manage their time well. u H<br />
Performance Appraisal - A Case<br />
Study - A Dog And A Butcher<br />
R.A. Sharma<br />
BUTCHER'S SHOP:<br />
A Butcher watching over his shop is really<br />
surprised when he sees a dog coming inside<br />
the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the<br />
dog is back again. So, he goes over to the<br />
dog and notices it has a note in its mouth.<br />
PURCHASE OF LAMB LEG:<br />
He takes the note and it reads " Can I have<br />
12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please? <strong>The</strong><br />
dog has money in its mouth, as well."<br />
BUTCHER TAKES 10 DOLLARS:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Butcher looks inside and, to and behold,<br />
there is a Ten Dollar note there. So he takes<br />
the money and puts the sausages and lamb<br />
in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. <strong>The</strong><br />
butcher is so impressed, and since it's about<br />
closing time, he decides to shut the shop<br />
and follow the dog.<br />
DOG MOVES & LEVEL CORSSING:<br />
So off he goes. <strong>The</strong> dog is walking down<br />
the street, when it comes to a level crossing;<br />
the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and<br />
presses the button. <strong>The</strong>n it waits patiently,<br />
bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. <strong>The</strong>y do,<br />
and it walks across the road, with the<br />
butcher following him all the way.<br />
BUS TRAVEL BY DOG:<br />
<strong>The</strong> dog then comes to a bus stop, and<br />
starts looking at the timetable. <strong>The</strong> butcher<br />
is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling<br />
its left leg up and gets in it. <strong>The</strong> butcher<br />
follows the dog into the bus. <strong>The</strong> dog then<br />
shows a ticket which is tied to its belt to the<br />
bus conductor. <strong>The</strong> butcher is nearly fainting<br />
at this sight, so are the other passengers in<br />
the bus. <strong>The</strong> dog then sits near the driver's<br />
seat looking outside. As soon as the stop is<br />
in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to<br />
inform the conductor. <strong>The</strong>n, without waiting<br />
for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out<br />
of the bus and runs to a house very close<br />
to the stop.<br />
DOG REACHED HOME:<br />
It opens the big Iron Gate and rushes inside<br />
towards the door. As it approaches the<br />
wooden door, the dog suddenly changes<br />
its mind and heads towards the garden. It<br />
goes to the window, and beats its head<br />
against it several times, walks back, jumps<br />
off, and waits at the door.<br />
DOOR OPENS & A BUSES / SHOUTS TO<br />
DOG:<br />
<strong>The</strong> butcher watches as a big guy opens<br />
the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking<br />
him and punching him, and swearing at him.<br />
<strong>The</strong> butcher was surprised with this, runs<br />
up, and stops the guy.<br />
BUTCHER:<br />
"What in heaven's name are you doing? <strong>The</strong><br />
dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the<br />
life of me! " To which the guy responds: "You<br />
call this clever?<br />
DOG MISSED KEY:<br />
This is the second time this week that this<br />
stupid dog's forgotten his key."<br />
MORAL OF THE STORY:<br />
You may continue to exceed on lookers<br />
expectations but shall always fall short of<br />
the boss expectations.<br />
It's a dog's life after all….. u H<br />
Mr. R.A.Sharma is Managing Director, Master Consultancy & Productivity Pvt Ltd, Secunderabad<br />
Email : masteriso2k@yahoo.com, rasmcppl@rediffmail.com, masterios2005@yahoo.com,<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 38|
Corporate Stress<br />
Management<br />
S. Prabhakar<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
Stress is known to be a psychological<br />
phenomenon with immediate and direct<br />
physiological manifestations as well as<br />
experience of discomfort. It is defined as a<br />
response developed by the body to protect<br />
one from over work or extremely strained<br />
conditions. <strong>The</strong> stress response of one's<br />
body is meant to protect and support him.<br />
<strong>The</strong> body tries to maintain stability and<br />
adjusts with the environmental changes.<br />
Whenever this equilibrium is threatened, the<br />
body reacts in a "fight or flight response".<br />
Hence, it can be understood that stress is<br />
our body's "physical and emotional reaction"<br />
to certain circumstances that frighten,<br />
irritate, endanger or excite and place<br />
demands on the body.<br />
CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS<br />
<strong>The</strong> consequences of stress on the<br />
human body have been given below for<br />
better understanding to overcome<br />
stress:<br />
l Anxious reaction - Reacting<br />
spontaneously and unknowingly.<br />
l Difficulty to concentrate<br />
l Tensed action - Wrong sequence of<br />
actions<br />
l Distraction - Getting disturbed<br />
l Worried ness - Being upset and<br />
bothered<br />
l Uneasiness<br />
l Anger<br />
l Psycho-somatic disorders - loss of<br />
appetite, ulcer, peptic ulcer<br />
l Increased heart beat and blood<br />
pressure<br />
l Hypertension / Diabetes mellitus<br />
l Alcoholic dependence<br />
l Drug addiction<br />
l Suicidal tendency<br />
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS<br />
<strong>The</strong> symptoms of stress among<br />
industrial and corporate employees are:<br />
l Butterfly in the stomach<br />
l Sudden sweating<br />
l Giddiness<br />
l Shivering<br />
l Palpitation<br />
l Increased heart beat<br />
SIGNS OF STRESS TO BE MONITORED<br />
Organizations need to be sensitive to the<br />
subtle signs and signals that the stressed<br />
employees provide. According to<br />
"<strong>Work</strong>safe", Australia, there are four areas<br />
that may indicate that the employees usually<br />
suffer from stress which are:<br />
l Decline in performance / productivity /<br />
output with no clear reasons<br />
l Increasing error rate and excessive<br />
wastage<br />
l Deterioration in work flow and planning<br />
l Deadlines not being met<br />
l Standards of decision - becoming poor<br />
or are non existent<br />
l Decrease in motivation and<br />
commitment, morale among employees<br />
l Increase in work time with no<br />
improvement in results<br />
l Occurrence of internal sabotage<br />
l Strained relationship between people at<br />
work<br />
l Deterioration of industrial relations<br />
l Increase in vague illness<br />
l Increase in late coming and early<br />
departures<br />
l Increase in break from work and<br />
absenteeism<br />
<strong>The</strong>se symptoms are usually recognized by<br />
themselves but they do not feel that it is due<br />
to stress. In these circumstances, the<br />
Management can be of a great help in<br />
diagnosing.<br />
SITUATIONS OF STRESS<br />
Research study reveals that stress need not<br />
be only related to the work of an employee.<br />
It may be also due to other environmental<br />
situations like:<br />
l Unexpected death or disease in family<br />
l Seeing any accident suddenly<br />
l Loss of money / status / prestige<br />
l Meeting unknown persons<br />
l Deliberate blame<br />
l Being in-charge for money, jewels<br />
l Misunderstanding with others<br />
l Arranging social functions like wedding,<br />
etc.,<br />
l Goal achievement<br />
With a comprehension of knowing the<br />
consequences, symptoms and situations of<br />
stress one should be able to manage stress<br />
positively, which are discussed below:<br />
OBJECTIVES OF STRESS<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
<strong>The</strong> objectives of stress management are<br />
l To understand the mechanism of stress<br />
l Coping it positively<br />
l Prevent psycho - somatic disorders<br />
l Keep better health<br />
l Prevent hypertension, cardiac diseases<br />
l Cope up with peers, parents and others<br />
effectively<br />
l To improve oneself to be a best problem<br />
solver<br />
l For social adjustment<br />
l For successful team participation<br />
l To control emotions<br />
<strong>The</strong>se objectives of stress management<br />
pave way to overcome stress in the<br />
following ways:<br />
CONTROLLING STRESS IN NORMAL<br />
LIFE<br />
<strong>The</strong> following are the simple ways which can<br />
control stress in the normal living of an<br />
individual.<br />
l Spending time to think and relax<br />
l Reading good books<br />
l <strong>Work</strong>ing on hobby (Games, Gardening,<br />
etc.,)<br />
l Taking a walk (which is considered to<br />
be more effective)<br />
l Listening to music<br />
l Controlling Diet<br />
Mr. S Prabhakar is Asst Professor - HR, Karpagam College of Engineering, Coimbatore. E_mail: prabakarsumathi_s@yahoo.co.in<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 39|
l Performing breathing exercises and<br />
laugh therapy<br />
l Building support system (usually with<br />
family and friends)<br />
l Developing communication skills<br />
l Improving the ability to identify options<br />
for solving problems<br />
l Pre-planning effectively<br />
l Practicing Yoga and Meditation regularly<br />
CONTROLLING STRESS IN<br />
ORGANISATIONAL LIFE<br />
Management of stress in any organization<br />
can be at individual level called coping and<br />
at the organizational level through stress<br />
management interventions. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
approaches can be initiated at different<br />
levels and differentiated by the scope of the<br />
intervention, its target and underlying<br />
assumptions. <strong>The</strong> organizational<br />
interventions are hence classified in to<br />
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary<br />
interventions.<br />
Primary Interventions<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are source interventions i.e.,<br />
interventions through with organizations try<br />
to remove the source that causes stress.<br />
<strong>The</strong> aim is to reduce the number or intensity<br />
of stressors. It is proactive approach where,<br />
work environment is altered through<br />
alteration in organization structure, culture,<br />
technology and processes (Burk, 1993,<br />
Murphy, 1998)<br />
Secondary Interventions<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are moderating interventions which<br />
aim to modify individual response to<br />
stressors and enhance individual's stress<br />
tolerance capacity through unveiling stress<br />
information, stress training, etc.,<br />
Tertiary Interventions<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are damage control interventions and<br />
start when some damage has already been<br />
done. <strong>The</strong> aim is to minimize the harmful<br />
consequences of stress by helping<br />
employees to cope more effectively. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are usually done through employee<br />
assistance programmes, counseling, actual<br />
treatment, etc.,<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
It can be concluded that there is no oneintervention<br />
strategy that can work across<br />
organizations, situations and times.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, besides the need for<br />
management to be innovative and<br />
imaginative, there is a need for a constant<br />
monitoring of their employees and also it is<br />
the responsibility of the employees to<br />
monitor themselves to live a happier<br />
personal and work life.<br />
u H<br />
Importance Of Human Relations -<br />
Lessons From Vedic Period<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hindu dharma of Indian culture<br />
believes that Vedas have been<br />
generated and heard from Breathing sounds<br />
of VI RAT PURUSHA and recorded by<br />
Brahma.It is wellknown fact that the Vedas<br />
existed thousands of years much before<br />
Christian era. One of Veda-mantras says that<br />
" Braahmanosya Mukha maaseeth<br />
Baahoo Rajanya krithaha<br />
Urootha dasya edvaisyaha<br />
Padbhyagam soodro aj ayatha"<br />
<strong>The</strong> meaning of the above mantra can be<br />
stated that the entire activities of human<br />
beings are brought under four broad<br />
categories<br />
l) <strong>The</strong> learned people(born from face of<br />
VIRAT-PURUSHA) should preach<br />
goodness,skills,knowledge etc., to<br />
society as GURUs .<br />
2) <strong>The</strong> physically strong people (born from<br />
hands of VlRAT-PURUSHA) should rule<br />
the kingdoms with justice and affection<br />
towards people.<br />
3) <strong>The</strong> commercially capable people(born<br />
from upper parts of legs of VIRAT-<br />
PURUSHA) should take up trading<br />
activities.<br />
4) All other people (born from feet of<br />
VIRAT-PURUSHA) should take up<br />
industrious and trading activities that are<br />
needed by the society.<br />
This itself is the basis for Chaturvarna<br />
philosophy of Bharatiya Samskriti.<br />
Accordingly Veda Sastras developed. This is<br />
DIVISON OF WORK which Henry Fayol<br />
derived as one of Management Principles<br />
applied to single entity. But Vedas are<br />
applicable to entire Society and for that matter<br />
to entire Universe.<br />
<strong>The</strong> groups of people entrusted with different<br />
activities were named with their traditions<br />
and interestingly these names have been<br />
developed into number of caste and sub<br />
caste-systems which can be considered as<br />
Divisons and Sub-divisons existed in India<br />
from Vedic period. <strong>The</strong>re were no such<br />
number of castes in other countries like in<br />
India. For example the group of people who<br />
have taken up production of wood articles<br />
were called as "vadrangis (carpenters)",the<br />
group belonging to iron and steel industry<br />
were called "kammaris (blacksmiths)" the<br />
group involved with gold and silver industries<br />
were called "kamsali (gold smiths )"and so<br />
on.. . Thus industrial groups were identified<br />
with the work relating to caste groups. Some<br />
of these groups also built Crafts guilds.<br />
<strong>The</strong> workmen, artisans, craftsmen in these<br />
A. Madan Gopal is a consultant based at Hyderabad. Ph. 9247115098<br />
A. Madan Gopal<br />
fields felt necessity of being united for<br />
achieving their minimum requirements. <strong>The</strong><br />
description of Unions of workmen in different<br />
occupations is found at many places in vedic<br />
literature as follows:-<br />
1) GANA and VRAT in Rigveda<br />
2) SHESHTHI in Aitareya Brahmanas<br />
3) GANA and GANAPATHI in Vyasa<br />
Samhitha<br />
4) SHRENI in Artha Sastra<br />
5) PUGA, GANA, VRAT,SRENI and<br />
SANGHA used by Katyayana for groups<br />
of wokmen<br />
6) <strong>The</strong> utility of Unions has been stated in<br />
Sukla Yjurveda Samhita as "if men are<br />
united nothing can deter them"<br />
Koutilya has given good description for<br />
Unions of employees, craftsmen, artisans.<br />
According to him, "<strong>The</strong> work of Unions<br />
should be controlled by a Board of three<br />
directors. <strong>The</strong> members should pay entrance<br />
fee to the President and the profits earned<br />
by the Union should be equally distributed<br />
among the members."<br />
Thus it is evidently clear that from Vedic<br />
period the importance of industrial groups<br />
and their leaders were distinctly identified<br />
the industrial relations were recognized and<br />
managed.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 40|
<strong>The</strong> thinking human or the<br />
behavioural man?<br />
Hirak Bhattacharya<br />
Prolegomena<br />
Since my 'early retirement' from the duties<br />
of a corporate manager (in which profession,<br />
I thought, I was already in a hole and still<br />
digging!), I resolved to embark upon an<br />
undertaking to understand human<br />
intelligence beyond the 'physics' of matter<br />
and the 'psyche' of mind.<br />
I have since written a paper titled 'Is<br />
intelligence insipid?' in an effort to give<br />
shape to my thoughts. In so doing, I have<br />
drawn liberally, inputs from many a great<br />
souls, and quoted from their writings directly<br />
for preserving the solemnity and integrity of<br />
their ideas (I firmly believe that language is<br />
primarily an instrument of thought). I<br />
subjected myself to the imputation of<br />
sufficiency rather than to any reproach of<br />
redundancy. Yet, I tried to be as original as<br />
possible in the formulation of my thought.<br />
This article is a part of the aforementioned<br />
paper. Needless to mention, the article is<br />
domain neutral. It seeks to address to the<br />
dichotomy between determinism and<br />
freedom in ways that explains the 'process<br />
of thinking' more than the 'products of<br />
thinking'. <strong>The</strong> apparent deviant disposition<br />
of the article is therefore unintended.<br />
It may sound naive to say that this paper is<br />
not targeted to anyone. I shudder to consider<br />
anyone as a cocooned ideologue. But this<br />
is only half true, I have an audience in mind<br />
nonetheless, to whom it is addressed<br />
explicitly not by intent but by design. I tried<br />
to address it to those who find it difficult to<br />
extricate them from the contemporary<br />
deterministic/ reductionistic worldview of<br />
human beings.<br />
<strong>The</strong> current perspective<br />
Two types of tyrants - the ones elected out<br />
of the voters' list and the other, selected or<br />
catechized through administration of<br />
multiple-choice questions rule our world<br />
today! <strong>The</strong>y rule us from outside through<br />
promises and the worst form of tyranny is<br />
the tyranny of promises. Nothing is as<br />
compelling as the promise of spectacular<br />
results. Politicians promise that our lives will<br />
greatly improve once we vote for them.<br />
Others promise of goods and services in<br />
the same vein. Significantly, both types<br />
advocate that we would not have to selforganise<br />
ourselves. Consequently the 'tacit<br />
knowledge' (the survival kit) of our society<br />
gives way to promises of 'mental models'.<br />
Most of these 'mental models' are promises<br />
of pseudo self-organisation involving<br />
external support systems to survival. <strong>The</strong><br />
vital question is whether these support<br />
systems have sufficient free energy for<br />
enough irreversible entropy production on<br />
their own, in the first place. Can this<br />
importation be carried on forever? <strong>The</strong> flip<br />
side is that it obliterates our own tacit<br />
knowledge for irreversible self-organisation<br />
(entropy production) and makes us<br />
dependent on pseudo self-organization.<br />
Since they can't promise anything in<br />
perpetuity, they talk about relentless change.<br />
This change, they opine, must necessarily<br />
be brought about through external means<br />
and we are kind of predestined to be at the<br />
mercy of support systems forever. All our<br />
changes must be anchored in support<br />
systems. We have thus flung ourselves into<br />
the open, groping to find support systems<br />
calibrated with the precision of the science<br />
of the day and decorated with the<br />
paraphernalia of the current dispensation<br />
of change.<br />
In the kind of morass that we are presently<br />
in, hackneyed ideas are certain to remain<br />
proprietary and even, likely to perpetuate.<br />
Such fond beliefs are steadfastly nurtured<br />
and they manifest in various forms of<br />
pedagogic trickery, guile and deception. <strong>The</strong><br />
over pretentious emphasis on 'change', a<br />
potentially observable phenomenon,<br />
appears as a carefully devised entrapment.<br />
Promises easily catch the imagination of the<br />
gullible. Any pep talk on change is a<br />
contraption of high currency and contextual<br />
value today to most of us who have become<br />
inexorably impressionable. Look at the<br />
tyrants' near megalomaniac assertion of<br />
having taken unto themselves the onerous<br />
task of changing us from the cradle to the<br />
grave!<br />
It does not amuse us a bit knowing that<br />
evolution, on the other hand, never needed<br />
a helping hand to change us all! Evolution<br />
seeks to take us to the whole. It is spread<br />
over time. Indeed there are fairly distinct<br />
stages in evolution and each stage is<br />
associated with the next subsequent stage<br />
and we have to commute through all the<br />
stages without any support systems. We can<br />
neither skip nor hasten to complete a stage<br />
anytime too soon. Time has no true rational<br />
bearing, change has. And this accounts for<br />
our predilection to change. Rationality of<br />
change, thus, obscures the whole. Each<br />
such change takes us to a diversion from<br />
the main route and even before finding a<br />
parking slot, we are on to another blind alley!<br />
This is a stage of neurosis, a fond way of<br />
regarding every milepost of change<br />
engineered by us as beckons of<br />
development and progress towards the<br />
ultimate whole.<br />
We have inflicted upon ourselves much<br />
change in as much as landing ourselves in<br />
a perpetual struggle to understand, adapt,<br />
respond and manipulate the changing<br />
conditions! We find ourselves overwhelmed<br />
by the changes we initiate. And all this in<br />
the name of creating order! Our ability to<br />
create order has been confined to<br />
approaches based on causal, linear logic<br />
of mechanistic sciences, within carefully<br />
circumscribed boundaries. Can real world<br />
systems be designed, controlled, predicted<br />
or even understood completely? Have we<br />
been able to leverage complexity of real<br />
world through quantitative research and<br />
mathematical models in order to create<br />
sustainable life-style perched 'on the edge<br />
of chaos'? No doubt, the metaphors of<br />
complexity and change have usefulness of<br />
their own but too often they are applied<br />
without adequate reference to the whole.<br />
Mechanisms and models, thus formed, are<br />
inappropriately prescriptive. One of the<br />
major problems is that the whole is seldom<br />
bound by the mechanisms we rationalize.<br />
Are mechanisms that have actors endowed<br />
with free will (who are simultaneously part<br />
of and perhaps, aware of the system as well)<br />
fully comprehensible? 'Unfreeing' of free will<br />
is a dubious assumption.<br />
Relatively unfree is an assumption that finds<br />
many takers (and history is replete with)<br />
amongst best of our social scientists. This<br />
is not only convenient but gives in also to<br />
the cathexis of rationality. Nowhere is it so<br />
pervasive than the current dispensation of<br />
management science. Yet, to our dismay<br />
Hirak Bhattacharya is freelance Consultant based at Kolkata E-Mail: hirok_b@yahoo.com; hirak.bhattacharya@gmail.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 41|
and disbelief, we encounter many stubborn<br />
areas in human resources management,<br />
which resist our understanding as being<br />
rational despite many elegant theories. One<br />
of the major problems of such contrived or<br />
'get-well' theories is that they are seldom<br />
appreciated second-hand. And since they<br />
are not, Gandhi and Patton find their place<br />
in our management literature as case<br />
studies. When a case for any Patton to have<br />
pursued non-violence in British-ruled India<br />
or any Gandhi commanding Third Army<br />
during Second World War is not found, we<br />
are asked to switch contexts and become<br />
situational! <strong>The</strong> other associated problem<br />
has been seen in the difficulty of extending<br />
the 'experimental methods' used to study<br />
individuals and their decisions to aggregate,<br />
dynamic settings. Much of this malady lies<br />
in our seeking an objective definition for<br />
human resources. As 'active resources', as<br />
they appear commonly, we have attempted<br />
to rationalize them and their actions as mere<br />
objects through many a 'panhuman'<br />
deterministic models. Casting spotlight<br />
selectively on an issue, howsoever<br />
inscrutable, is easy under the current<br />
dispensation of management thinking.<br />
Unwittingly or otherwise, one is tempted to<br />
be swayed by the current thought, which is<br />
largely American. <strong>The</strong> subject has<br />
metamorphosed into a utilitarian product<br />
with more and more fashionable versions<br />
being made available everyday. We are<br />
reminded, to our dismay and disbelief, of<br />
Mark Twain's scorn that every fashion<br />
becomes ugly after 6 months! <strong>The</strong><br />
ostensible reason, as most proponents are<br />
apt to point out is that the world is changing<br />
thick and fast and hence, the need for<br />
changing antidotes. Once it is christened as<br />
science (inexact, though), there is no looking<br />
beyond the deterministic pursuit! It is no<br />
longer confined to the hallowed precincts<br />
of established pedagogy; it is there on the<br />
streets. One who has not embraced a<br />
'management theory for human resources'<br />
has not also added anything to the sum of<br />
his immortality. Courtesy the Internet, we<br />
are slowly evolving in a new incarnation<br />
called 'insta-delphians'! One is probably<br />
succumbing to the pursuit of determinism,<br />
by trying to redeem the unmanifest.<br />
Determinism we seek and above all, the<br />
lever of determinism; much rationalistic<br />
theories. It is no longer an exercise, per se,<br />
in creativity but 'recreativity'. Look at any<br />
research paper of the day! Annexed to it is<br />
a long 'bib', a kind of 'explanatory fiction' to<br />
quote B.F.Skinner, which stands guard<br />
against any inadvertent spillover! You are<br />
indeed on a busy highway, forever trying to<br />
overtake. <strong>The</strong> faster you are, the sooner you<br />
loose sight of the total reference. Ironically,<br />
the same rationality, which warns us against<br />
fast driving, does not do so with theories,<br />
with our 'Cartesian quests for the elusive<br />
straight line', with our attempts to 'fudge<br />
references in order to camouflage a lie'! <strong>The</strong><br />
other most important issue is that the lofty<br />
principles of management science are<br />
applied rather recklessly to pure economic<br />
entities or subjects without reference to any<br />
consistent sociology. Management science<br />
must attempt at convergence of people,<br />
economy and society (or at least their<br />
behaviours!). <strong>The</strong>re is no tenable win-win<br />
situation without this convergence. We err in<br />
the definition of competition. Competition for<br />
survival is not the same as competition for<br />
strategic advantage. <strong>The</strong> latter, as Michael<br />
Porter has said, is a zero sum game in which<br />
many stand to loose. <strong>The</strong>re is no win-win<br />
situation, which is integrative to the whole.<br />
This determinism was first manifest in the<br />
term 'skills' and if beauty was a promise for<br />
pleasure, skill certainly was a promise for<br />
performance. Our relentless advocacy with<br />
skill brought us to the same door wherein<br />
we went. <strong>The</strong> usefulness of skill became alledifying<br />
and remained a beauty! Isn't money<br />
more beautiful than useful to the miser? So<br />
our workers kept waiting for their pie in the<br />
promise of pleasure! We were forced to<br />
grant, probably at our own discomfiture,<br />
legitimacy to such abstractions as emotions,<br />
intuitions, judgment, creativity etc (and<br />
perhaps faith) as accompaniments. <strong>The</strong><br />
objectivity of skill was thus predicated on to<br />
the subjectivity of behaviours (objectively,<br />
though!) in an effort to psyche him up! <strong>The</strong><br />
practice of pragmatism with the tool of<br />
rationality, unless it has some relevance to<br />
the 'whole', is an exercise in disaggregation.<br />
In studying humans, this inevitably leads to<br />
groping in human vulnerabilities. Now enters<br />
emotion, for, despite its apparent lack of<br />
deducibility and tangibility; romanticizing<br />
with emotion is still better (it is aggregating!).<br />
One may call these passive resources,<br />
somewhat similar to passive earth pressure<br />
in soil mechanics. And we know, how<br />
important it is in designing retaining walls.<br />
Americans are best known for their<br />
pragmatism. Philosophy apart, they are the<br />
practicing masters of pragmatism. This one<br />
philosophy has penetrated deep into their<br />
lives in as much as a social philosophy. Truth<br />
to them is efficacy, as William James had<br />
proudly proclaimed. Test of action is all.<br />
Francis Bacon (an Englishman, though) felt<br />
that the rule, which is most effective in<br />
practice, is also true in theory. Bentham's<br />
dictum that utility is the test of all -<br />
reverberates in every American heart. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
are ready to accept an error if useful! This<br />
apart, their overtly manifest insistence on<br />
the omnipresence of 'mechanisms' in every<br />
aspect of existence borders on 'faith', a word<br />
which they avowedly denounce on<br />
weekdays! 'Mechanism is probably<br />
universal………..mechanism prevails even<br />
in the innermost recesses of the soul.<br />
Psychology graduates from literature into<br />
science only when it seeks the mechanical<br />
and material basis of every event' - that's<br />
how George Santayana echoes in every<br />
scholastic mind. He also asserts that reason<br />
is no foe to instincts, it is through their<br />
successful unison that the rational animal<br />
is created. <strong>The</strong>re is nothing beyond<br />
mechanical and material in life. Causal<br />
efficacy is all. Thought, consciousnesses<br />
are for moral and esthetic delights (meant<br />
for kindred and idealistic souls only) and<br />
have no causal relevance. To him 'value of<br />
thought is ideal not causal'. And wisdom?<br />
Well, it comes from disillusionment! Impulse<br />
and desires move brain and body (desires,<br />
adulterated or otherwise, have some<br />
efficacy nonetheless!). Reifying humans is<br />
but a corollary to this. Reasoning like<br />
instincts does err! Earlier we used to marry<br />
by instincts, suitably administered (and well,<br />
garnished and embellished!) by the society<br />
with the tacit knowledge that it acquired over<br />
centuries. Now, we marry by reason and<br />
divorce by an equally formidable reason! We<br />
know that truth is not given, but a given task<br />
to be achieved. Today, for achieving any task,<br />
we can always find a reason! It is no wonder<br />
that they discard Marxism by calling it as<br />
an 'empty epistemology' and welcome the<br />
same epistemology in studying humans! It<br />
is opportunistic determinism at its best -<br />
'man, a being of lack' is unacceptable in<br />
economics as 'naïve anthropology' but 'a<br />
man is not free' is acceptable in social<br />
science (or at least, in management<br />
science)! Personification of capital is a taboo<br />
but by the same token of dialectics,<br />
personification of behaviour is science.<br />
Lloyd Morgan proposed a 'canon of<br />
parsimony' i.e., given two explanations; you<br />
should accept the simpler one! Skinner<br />
bespoke of 'practical non-social<br />
contingencies of survival', almost in the<br />
same vein. Psychology, for it to be called a<br />
science, needed objective realities and thus,<br />
needed 'behaviours'. Behaviour of atoms is<br />
mundane, but behaviour of humans is<br />
sacred and hence, 'Behavioural Science' is<br />
now called the mother of all sciences!<br />
<strong>The</strong> general trend in management research<br />
today has been to study the grosser aspects<br />
of human behaviour. One of the limitations<br />
of such a study is that it cannot explain<br />
enough. <strong>The</strong> domain of human resources is<br />
just a part manifest and may appear<br />
deceptibly simple and amenable to<br />
sequential thinking. When overtly manifest,<br />
reasoning attempts to discover/deliver the<br />
truth. And how about truth being a sensation<br />
that is socially consistent (Philosophy tells<br />
us that socially consistent sensation is the<br />
test of truth)? In matters of life, body, senses,<br />
environment, instincts, habits, feelings and<br />
a myriad of other constituents including<br />
sociology, consistency of sensation is a<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 42|
troublesome issue. We have<br />
'schizophrenics' as some 'scheming' souls<br />
consigned to the 'phrenetic' environs of our<br />
highly socialized 'zoos'. A psychiatrist from<br />
Kansas City rues his role as the 'deemed'<br />
attorney and the consulting doctor of the<br />
patient (adult) at the same time! Our<br />
Reformation Centres are like cemeteries,<br />
'those who are already in will never possibly<br />
come out and those outside, do not want to<br />
get in'. This is the social insulation to the<br />
high-voltage vagaries of nature. Truth here,<br />
as somebody has said, is the common<br />
denominator of our delusions in which all of<br />
us agree! Our predilection towards a surfeit<br />
of statistics driven solutions to human<br />
problems reminds one of Nietzsche's phrase<br />
that truth is the most useful form of error. In<br />
recent times, Jo Owen strips bare the<br />
management of the day saying that<br />
managers use statistics the way a drunk<br />
uses a lamppost (not for illumination but<br />
support)! 'Reason when it forgets its loyalty<br />
to sensation puts a premium on subtleties<br />
rather than raw evidence. It often<br />
masquerades a desire (and an adulterous<br />
one at that)'. Interestingly, when the<br />
ubiquitous 'mechanisms' apparently fail to<br />
respond to causation, we have handy<br />
statistical tools of variance and correlation<br />
to wriggle us out before it scatters all too<br />
much.<br />
For about two centuries, Psychology tried<br />
to figure out 'what he is' and eventually, gave<br />
way to the pursuit of studying 'what he does'.<br />
"Human behaviours are known (or<br />
predicted) and can be controlled. John is a<br />
human being and therefore his behaviour<br />
can be predicted/ controlled" - is still,<br />
admittedly, a syllogism. Human Resources<br />
Management now has become more of a<br />
mental gymnastics, an endeavour to deal<br />
with our 'managerial misfortunes' rather than<br />
an activity directed with a consistent theory.<br />
Mintzberg had talked about insight and<br />
warned us against 'management folklore'<br />
almost two decades back. Well, thinking (or<br />
'insighting') is indeed a weakness for it may<br />
not earn us a living! And when your thought<br />
presides over your action, you are an<br />
introvert in Psychology and you become a<br />
spoiler of action or a Keynesian in<br />
Economics trying to figure out fullemployment<br />
when you are yet to find<br />
employment for yourself or an<br />
epistemologist in philosophy wallowing in<br />
the cobweb of reason or a roving poet in<br />
the wanderlust world of literature or a<br />
surrealist in Arts trying to perch a bird atop<br />
a nude or a cosmologist in the ethereal<br />
ambience of the Science of Cosmology or<br />
Cosmogony! Else you are destined to<br />
become a non-existentialist like Kafka trying<br />
to metamorphose into a gigantic insect.<br />
Of late, the imperatives of studying 'what<br />
he has' have suddenly dawned on us. In an<br />
effort to track 'what he has in him' we have<br />
landed ourselves into studying neuronal<br />
actions of the brain. Though the intended<br />
purpose was to track thought and action,<br />
we find ourselves tracing portions of the<br />
brain that are purported to be related to our<br />
'emotional' and 'rational' bearings. Soon, we<br />
will have emotion and rationality detectors!<br />
Neuro-HR and Neuro-marketing are already<br />
in the ramp awaiting their rambunctious<br />
entry. This again is a recrudescence of<br />
determinism. Thought or the value of thought<br />
continues to languish in the altar of<br />
determinism. However, the challenge of<br />
thought is very precise: to what do we<br />
ascribe our thought itself?<br />
u H<br />
Key Steps To<br />
Six Sigma Success<br />
Companies worldwide are turning to Six<br />
Sigma, the data-driven management<br />
approach popularized by General Electric,<br />
to help them improve performance, increase<br />
profitability and raise customer satisfaction.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process was pioneered by Bill Smith at<br />
Motorola in 1986 and was originally defined<br />
as a metric for measuring defects and<br />
improving quality.<br />
Even companies with successful Six Sigma<br />
programs often struggle with many of the<br />
routine tasks such as process definition,<br />
resource management, and project and<br />
financial tracking. All Six Sigma businesses<br />
experience the pain of managing the details<br />
inherent in the program's five-step<br />
methodology: Define, Measure, Analyze,<br />
Improve and Control (DMAIC).<br />
An integrated technology solution can<br />
streamline those tasks and support a<br />
company's Six Sigma program by enabling<br />
employees to focus on strategy instead of<br />
wrestling with the mechanics of tracking and<br />
sharing critical data. Easing the pain and<br />
increasing the rewards for companies that<br />
implement Six Sigma.<br />
<strong>The</strong> following are the key steps to six<br />
sigma get success in any organization:<br />
1. Establish Leadership Support and<br />
Engagement: When company leaders<br />
use Six Sigma language, participate in<br />
training and project updates, and assign<br />
Six Sigma goals and objectives to their<br />
direct reports, a program is more likely<br />
to succeed.<br />
2. Align Goals with Six Sigma Activities: It<br />
is absolutely critical that all Six Sigma<br />
activities contribute to corporate goals<br />
and objectives.<br />
3. Establish Six Sigma Infrastructure: This<br />
will consist of employees who are trained<br />
and certified in various Six Sigma roles,<br />
such as Master Black Belt, Black Belt<br />
and Champion, plus a training curriculum<br />
and a detailed deployment strategy.<br />
Mr. M Srinivas is Faculty in Informatics, Alluri Institute of Management, Warangal E-Mail: allurimaster@gmail.com<br />
M. Sreenivas<br />
4. Identify Opportunities to Improve: <strong>The</strong>se<br />
can fall into three categories: customer<br />
complaints; metrics that expose areas<br />
that need improvement; and barriers to<br />
achieving the corporate mission or vision.<br />
5. Match People with Projects: Matching<br />
the right people with the right projects<br />
essential. An organization should select<br />
its best and brightest to participate in<br />
the Six Sigma program, and then make<br />
sure there is clear correlation between<br />
individual skills and specific project<br />
requirements.<br />
6. Ensure Execution and Accountability:<br />
Communication is critical to executing Six<br />
Sigma and sustaining program<br />
momentum. To ensure accountability,<br />
incorporate Six Sigma deliverables into<br />
every employee's performance objectives;<br />
report project and program status<br />
routinely at all levels of the business; link<br />
bonuses to Six Sigma achievement; and<br />
make training and certification<br />
prerequisites for promotion. u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 43|
I was a college student then spending my<br />
time between either studying or running<br />
errands for home and my parents buying<br />
groceries, vegetables and other odd items.<br />
Of us four brothers, I was assigned this<br />
specific portfolio; may be because my<br />
parents had their own mechanism of<br />
identifying their children's core competence.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y reckoned that here is 'a guy who is<br />
not shy of making the best buy' by getting<br />
into daily hard bargains with the same<br />
vegetable vendors!! and striking a deal even<br />
for a few paises/anna (4, 8 annas of those<br />
days fame) here and there; made a<br />
significant difference to our family's<br />
budgeting and finance management !!.<br />
It was on one of those occasions when on<br />
my return home after the daily routine , that<br />
conversation between my parents and me<br />
which changed my native outlook to 'social<br />
responsibilities ' a paradigm shift that hold<br />
me in good stead even after decades.<br />
Well, I was rendering the account for the<br />
money advanced to me for buying of<br />
vegetables and groceries items when my<br />
mother found that the balance was short!!<br />
"By five Rupee ".On her gentle enquires, I<br />
mentioned to her" Amma round the corner I<br />
came across a beggar (who was blind) with<br />
two small children and asking for some help<br />
and feeling pity them, I helped the family with<br />
<strong>Life</strong> is like that - Corporate Social<br />
Responsibilities,<br />
a perspective paradigm<br />
five rupees. May be it will help them to have<br />
a cup of tea at least THANKS TO ME!!! ...."<br />
While this conversation was on ( and I still<br />
remember the gentle smile of<br />
acknowledgement from my ever pious<br />
mother ) that I heard those providential<br />
statement in his inimitable base voice from<br />
my father .<br />
"Look YOUR CHARITY IS FINE, NICE TO<br />
LISTEN TOO, BUT AT WHOSE COST ".<br />
Your have no right to be charitable in life at<br />
someone's cost. Tomorrow when you start<br />
earning you may even donate your entire<br />
salary I will not ask you why, but today,<br />
what you have done may be noble at one<br />
level and your mother may be impressed<br />
too but in my books, it's a violation of life's<br />
principles ".<br />
He closed the subject of discussion with the<br />
usual punch line;<br />
"WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE THE<br />
OTHER PERSONS' CONSENT FOR<br />
GRANTED, MORE SO WHEN WE ARE<br />
OPERATING FROM A POSITION OF<br />
TRUST AND AS A CUSTODIAN -<br />
ESPECIALLY MONEY"<br />
So saying he moved off to his den (the<br />
balcony) leaving my mother dumbstruck.<br />
I stood there alone vacantly staring at the<br />
Mohan M. Prasad is Head - HR with GMR Group based at New Delhi and his E-Mail: Mohanprasad04@yahoo.com<br />
Mohan M. Prasad<br />
floor and learnt from the incident yet another<br />
gospel truth, this time on FAMILY SOCIAL<br />
RESPONSIBILITIES (FSR).<br />
Well , reflecting on the daily news that<br />
certain organizations are making with their<br />
pious pouring from the prosperity of<br />
business , I somehow get an uncomfortable<br />
feeling and my thought goes back to what<br />
my dad had advised me " CHARITY, YES<br />
BUT WHOSE COST ?". <strong>The</strong> question that<br />
looms large is the value system and an<br />
ethical issue. Can donation /contribution to<br />
various charitable institutions under banner<br />
of "Corporate Social Responsibilities<br />
"become a balance sheet item?? Especially<br />
when it's done to meet more the personal<br />
agenda of the people in the helm of<br />
corporate affairs and more so to keep their<br />
social status soaring sky high in the world<br />
of " vain -vanity".<br />
<strong>The</strong> answer is begging the question, may<br />
be this article can serve some food for<br />
thought and same time provoke some<br />
internal debate for deliberation and<br />
discussion.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bottom line in my books of wisdom is<br />
that the principle of "FSR is no different from<br />
the logic of its lateral application on CSR".<br />
But then.....<strong>Life</strong> is like that, like it or leaves<br />
it. We have to live with the system.<br />
u H<br />
(Carried from 17)<br />
Employee Engagement - Key to Talent Retention<br />
general provisions. Right from toiletries to<br />
snacks such as biscuits, chips, chocolates,<br />
soft drinks are sold to the employees at a<br />
very nominal rate.<br />
We also believe in employees showcasing<br />
their talent and recently we had a singing<br />
competition for all the employees of Taj units<br />
in Chennai. This was covered by a local<br />
television network and was telecasted for a<br />
month. This concept also has many other<br />
programs which would be done in the future.<br />
Even at our Annual Day employees have<br />
the opportunity to dance, sing, act or play<br />
an instrument and showcase their talent in<br />
front of all employees and their parents.<br />
Recently we also had a fashion show titled<br />
"Walk of Pride" empowering employees to<br />
walk with pride, to be groomed and also to<br />
enjoy walking on the ramp.<br />
Apart from the same we also give monetary<br />
ways of retaining talent - through housing<br />
loans and other kinds of loans. We also<br />
provide accomodation to our executives and<br />
other employees who have relocated to<br />
Chennai from other cities. We also have a<br />
credit society which helps employees who<br />
need certain loans. All these are small<br />
advantages that an employee gets by being<br />
part of our company and in the long run it<br />
has proven beneficial for us. Ofcourse we<br />
would be affected by the fringe benefit tax<br />
on giving all these benefits.<br />
Ayudha Pooja celebrations, Annual Picnic,<br />
World Environment day, Children's Day are<br />
some of the other activities to engage the<br />
employees. We also have Recreation Room,<br />
Knowledge Centre and the Library for the<br />
employees as benefits.<br />
Summing up, it is very important to keep<br />
the employees engaged and to make them<br />
part of one family. Compensation could be<br />
one way of retaining them, but if they are<br />
not enjoying their work and do not like their<br />
work place then they will not stay in the<br />
organisation for a long time.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 44|
Case Study - 18<br />
Performance Appraisal System has been<br />
established in that firm several years<br />
ago. <strong>The</strong> Management, with the help of<br />
Consultants, conducted several innovative<br />
experiments and introduced many<br />
improvements in their existing system. <strong>The</strong><br />
Company believes that the system of<br />
performance appraisal is a strong tool and<br />
if it is wrongly rated, the results may mar. It<br />
printed on the format, a flowchart with full<br />
details mentioning dates and months for<br />
execution. It first goes to appraisee who<br />
writes down, if any, all his non-routine and<br />
excellent achievements in the self-appraisal<br />
column. <strong>The</strong>n the rater, his immediate boss,<br />
puts his remarks on this and rates the<br />
appraisee by ticking 'outstanding, good, fair<br />
and unsatisfactory' on the columns of quality<br />
of output, job knowledge, decision making,<br />
communication skills, quality of work,<br />
human relations, planning and organizing,<br />
creativity and initiative, development of<br />
subordinates or team members, leadership<br />
and motivational skill, reliability under<br />
pressure, time management, etc. <strong>The</strong><br />
reviewer thoroughly reviews column by<br />
column and gives his own opinion. Before<br />
it is sent to top management, for better<br />
transparency, the signature of the appraisee<br />
is taken. Clear guidelines for filling up the<br />
form have also been given. Personal<br />
prejudices should not influence the ratings,<br />
they should be objective to help the<br />
appraisee to improve his performance, etc.<br />
This system has been in vogue and<br />
generally satisfies all levels of executives<br />
and above. <strong>The</strong> Management takes pride in<br />
this system which results to retain the<br />
employees.<br />
<strong>The</strong> blank form was given to S.D.Misra,<br />
Manager (HR), a very sincere and a highly<br />
dedicated employee, who achieved<br />
'outstanding' rank for the last six years, for<br />
writing in the self-appraisal column. He did<br />
certain critical jobs during the year and wrote<br />
three. One - <strong>The</strong> industry suffered scarcity<br />
of water during summer which affected their<br />
industrial canteen also. Misra, who was also<br />
in charge of the canteen, went to the small<br />
dam from where they receive water. He<br />
Performance Appraisal<br />
And Its Negative Feedback<br />
found the pipe line supplying water to the<br />
industry's main sump during night time every<br />
day. On one night, he went along with his<br />
assistant and observed to his surprise that<br />
an employee of the dam closed the valve of<br />
their pipe line and opened another valve for<br />
supply of water to another industry. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
caught hold of that person who had<br />
confessed that he was doing this for some<br />
illegal gratification from that industry. He<br />
stopped this malpractice and continued to<br />
visit that place during nights for more than<br />
a week. <strong>The</strong> problem of artificial scarcity of<br />
water was solved with his initiative. Two -<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was an accident just outside the<br />
factory's gate where one of the employees<br />
was killed by a speeding lorry. It was about<br />
2-15 p.m. when Misra received this sad<br />
news. He rushed to the spot and identified<br />
the employee. <strong>The</strong> doctor of their First Aid<br />
was brought who declared the employee<br />
dead. He took the responsibility of breaking<br />
the news to his family staying at a village at<br />
a distance of 12 kms. He did this job very<br />
cautiously and delicately. He met the police,<br />
who already reached the accident spot, and<br />
completely involved himself in the whole job<br />
of police formalities, postmortem of the<br />
body, etc. Due to some politician's<br />
interference, the family members refused to<br />
accept the body till the Management<br />
promised a job for one of the family<br />
members of the deceased. Misra made<br />
successful negotiations with the family who<br />
stopped the agitation and accepted the body<br />
for cremation. He received two appreciation<br />
letters from M.D. for these two successful<br />
achievements. Three - Once Misra arranged<br />
a meeting for finalizing a three-day in-house<br />
training programme at one of their group<br />
industries, 73 kms. away. He was to go there<br />
along with his three colleagues. <strong>The</strong> Driver<br />
was told to make the jeep ready. At that time,<br />
Misra could get a signal from the driver that<br />
he was not interested to go there. Next<br />
morning, they were to start by 7 am and all<br />
four were present. <strong>The</strong> driver phoned saying<br />
that his daughter was sick and cannot come<br />
to duty. Misra told that 'Our programme goes<br />
as usual and no postponement. I shall drive<br />
the jeep'. Others said that long drive on a<br />
R. Dharma Rao, Head, HR, ICBM. He can be reached at: ravidharma_icbm@yahoo.co.in<br />
– R. Dharma Rao<br />
rough road may be tiresome and advised<br />
him to postpone the meeting. But Misra was<br />
firm and said 'One employee cannot disturb<br />
any of our scheduled programmes'. He<br />
drove the jeep to and fro and finished the<br />
job successfully. Having written these three<br />
achievements in the self-appraisal column,<br />
he handed over to his immediate boss,<br />
K.M.Singh, Sr.Manager (HR), in a<br />
confidential envelope.<br />
K M Singh, who is known to be a<br />
procrastinator and lethargic, kept pending<br />
all appraisal forms till last day. Further, he<br />
had three enquiry reports for study and<br />
comments. Out of these, one was a case of<br />
suspension pending enquiry. He had kept<br />
pending all these reports and appraisals<br />
which became urgent now. His boss was<br />
pressurizing him to complete these jobs<br />
immediately. K M Singh had decided the<br />
priorities and took up the suspension<br />
pending enquiry case first. It took more than<br />
a day. He then started rating hurriedly nine<br />
appraisals and completed the job<br />
haphazardly without any concern on the<br />
consequences.<br />
<strong>The</strong> form, with comments of the rater and<br />
reviewer, came back to Misra for his<br />
signature. He was shocked and reacted very<br />
sharply. It was an 'unsatisfactory' appraisal<br />
which he had seen for the first time. <strong>The</strong><br />
cool and gentle Misra lost all his patience.<br />
He started thinking. K M Singh wanted to<br />
promote his junior, Srivastav, and<br />
deliberately spoiled his appraisal. He<br />
wondered whether he had read the three<br />
achievements and the appreciation letters<br />
of MD. 'Outstanding' continuously for six<br />
years and suddenly 'unsatisfactory'! He<br />
understood the ulterior motto of his boss,<br />
who had also developed an inferior complex<br />
of late. What is the use of Management's<br />
mission and goals? K M Singh cannot be<br />
called a true representative of Management.<br />
What is the use of the systems and methods<br />
on performance appraisal - 360 degree,<br />
visual- analysis- scale, measurement-based<br />
appraisal process, critical incident method,<br />
etc.<br />
u H<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 45|
Chapter News<br />
AGRA<br />
Team Building out door exercise was<br />
He backed up his presentation with mind<br />
twisting exercise. Presentation was followed<br />
College represented by<br />
Shri Premraj Jain V, Hon.<br />
conducted by Col (Dr) C K Singh for N<strong>HRD</strong>N be an extensive question and answer Dr Sudheendra Rao LN, Placement Officer<br />
Agra Chapter members on 03 April 07 at session. Mr. H K Gupta introduced the<br />
Annual INSTITUTION Members<br />
Mehtab- Bagh behind Taj- Mahal. <strong>The</strong> very Speaker. Mr. Naresh Mehta. G. M. (HR),<br />
purpose was to understand and get Adani Exports Ltd. and a popular HR expert<br />
SBM Jain College of Engg represented by<br />
acquainted with one another, self gave momento to speaker. Mr. Harshal<br />
Nair VNM, Professor<br />
awareness, empathy and trust. Team Sarda, Director Synergy Agro Tech gave Sugant R, Dept. Head Management Studies<br />
building games included Siblings, Blindwalk,<br />
Symbolic Sharing, fairy tales etc.<br />
vote of thanks. He profusely thanked Mr. Odessa Technologies represented by<br />
Kailash Rathi our Permanent Institutional Priya jayakumar, HR Recruiter<br />
Student members enjoyed the maximum.<br />
Member and Sr. Gen. Manger of G.H.C. L. Ruchira Chakravarthy, HR Executive<br />
Ltd. for hosting the evening and Mr. Ashish<br />
On 13th April a meeting was held at hotel<br />
METIS Insurance Brokers represented by<br />
Agrawal, Director of Arham Petrochem for<br />
Holiday Inn Agra. Dr Naveen Gupta Chapter<br />
Bindu Sebastian, VP- Business Development<br />
organizing back up.<br />
vice president and Dean HIMCS delivered<br />
Mallika Sheth, VP Business Development<br />
Welcome to New Members<br />
a talk on human skills in organizational<br />
ESIKA INFOTECH Pvt Ltd represented by<br />
performance and assessed participants (i) Mr. Patel Vishnu Chimanlal<br />
Shivaprasad G Desai, Managing Director<br />
through psychometric tests. Besides the<br />
members the programme was also attended<br />
(ii) Mr. Gandhi Rejendra B.<br />
(iii) Miss. Pandya Monaz<br />
Abhisek Uday, Associate Vice President<br />
First Face Information Technologies Pvt Ltd,<br />
by the practicing managers, entrepreneurs<br />
represented by (1)Suresh Cavale, CEO<br />
and management students. Aims and<br />
Shirish Cavale, Head Operations<br />
objectives of the N<strong>HRD</strong>N were conveyed BANGALORE<br />
Dendrite Software India Pvt Ltd represented<br />
and participants were motivated for Welcome to New <strong>Life</strong> Members<br />
by Rajesh Bhola, Director-HR<br />
becoming permanent institutional and life Maclean S Raphael, VP-HR& Management<br />
Ravi Prasad Dasari, Manager-Training<br />
members.<br />
Support, WEP Peripherals Ltd<br />
International School of Business & Media<br />
On 25th April 07 Brigadier B P S Khati, VSM Deepak D, Chief Manager, <strong>HRD</strong>, Hindustan<br />
represented by Dr. Chethan Bajaj, Director<br />
gave presentation at the multipurpose hall Aeronautics Limited<br />
and Nandini Bajaj, Faculty-HR<br />
at BMAS Engineering College on Kaizen in Sandhya Rani G, Deputy Manager<br />
Management with special reference to Personnel, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited<br />
Annual Individual Members<br />
tourism sector in Uttarakhand. N<strong>HRD</strong>N Agra Nidhi Prasad, Personnel Officer, HAL<br />
Malini Lakshman, Manager-HR, Health Asyst<br />
chapter memento was presented to Brig. Suresh Cheluvaraj, Director, WECAT<br />
Nitha Shirali, General Manager- HR, Klueber<br />
Khati by chapter member Anshu Dawer. Management Solutions<br />
Lubrications Systems<br />
Dr (Miss) Anshu Dawer has been Pratik Kumar, Director , Wipro Limited<br />
Manjunath B Prakash, Manager_HR,<br />
designated as Agra chapter coordinator. Her<br />
Siemens Information Systems<br />
Sai Suryanarayana M, HR Manager, ITC<br />
telephone number is 09837441020 and mail<br />
Pooja Sharma, Key Accountant Executive,<br />
Romy Sahay, General Manager, TM,ITC<br />
ID is meghmanav@gmail.com .<br />
Inspire Consultancy<br />
Infotech India Ltd<br />
Welcome to new members-<br />
Abdul Gaffar Sait, Manager-HR, Basket<br />
Amitav Mukherji, D M, HR, ITC Ltd,<br />
(a) Individual <strong>Life</strong> Members-<br />
Options<br />
Balacandar S, HR Manager, ITC Limited,<br />
(i) Dr. A K Gupta, Principal, BMAS<br />
Sumana BM, Business Development<br />
Padmavothi Bharadwaj, Manager (T), QUES<br />
Engineering College, Agra<br />
Manager, Kamsro Technologies<br />
Shruti Batra, Asst Manager-HR, ITC Ltd<br />
(ii) Miss. Rupali Singh, Student, BMAS<br />
Pearl Salome Cap MS, head Business &<br />
Anand Talwar, VP Talent Management, ITC<br />
Engineering College, Agra (Converted<br />
Operations, CEO Pvt Ltd<br />
Infotech India Ltd<br />
from student to life membership)<br />
Gopaul YD,<br />
Thomas Mathew, HR Manager, ITC Ltd<br />
(iii) Miss Shefali Singh, Student<br />
Ramesh K, Manager-Finance & Admin,<br />
Arvind Raj B, Manager - H R, Wipro Infotech.<br />
Annual Individual Membership-<br />
Sudarshan Cargo Pvt Ltd<br />
Venkatesh S, President- Group H R,<br />
(a) Dr (Ms) Anshu Dawer, Lecturer, BMAS<br />
Andleeb Jain, Head CDC, GMR Group<br />
Vedantha Group,<br />
Engineering College, Agra<br />
Dr. Sridhar MK, Reader, Canara Bank<br />
Permanent Institution Members<br />
School of Management Studies<br />
Wockhard Hospital represented by<br />
Varadharaju J, Head HR, Laons Global<br />
AHMEDABAD Kumar S Krishnaswamy, Group Head - <strong>HRD</strong><br />
Poonam Sharma, Manager-HR, STS<br />
Ahmedabad chapter had a presentation on Vishal Bali, Chief Executive Officer<br />
Infotechnologies India Pvt Ltd<br />
5th May by Mr. Ashwani Kumar, Director, TATA Coffee Limited represented by Srikanthan K, Group Manager, Microisoft<br />
Mind Master India a renowned expert on Sashikala Bency, Senior Manager (HR) Ganapathi Hegde Major, Principal<br />
"Neuro Linguist Programming on Strategies<br />
of Peak Performance."<br />
Mr. Ashwini Kumar appraised the<br />
participitants with modern methods to<br />
improve peak performance of one and all.<br />
Uthra P, Deputy Manager-HR<br />
Millipore India Pvt Ltd. represented by<br />
Manjunath N, General Manager-<strong>HRD</strong><br />
Muralidhar CL, Manager-<strong>HRD</strong><br />
Sitadevi Rathanchand Nahar Adarsh<br />
Consultant, Transitions<br />
Ashwin Kumar Lunkad, Soft Engineer, HP<br />
Arindam Goswami, Manager TATA Elxsi<br />
Chandra Kumar R, HR Associate,<br />
PROLIANT & Ex- ITI Ltd<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 46|
Charitha Changappa K, Executive-HR,<br />
NOVO NORDISK<br />
Namitha appaiah, SR HR Associate, 24x7<br />
Learning Solutions<br />
Asha Kurian, Management Trainee, HRTCS<br />
Vaishnavi M, Vijaykumar, Manager-HR,<br />
Modelytics India Pvt Ltd<br />
DELHI<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N Delhi Chapter hosted the 55th<br />
Board Meeting of <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong> on<br />
May 12, 2007 at <strong>The</strong> Grand, New Delhi. <strong>The</strong><br />
full-day event was well attended by N<strong>HRD</strong>N<br />
Board members from across India.<br />
<strong>The</strong> session was convened by <strong>National</strong><br />
President, Mr. P. Dwarakanath, which<br />
commenced with the welcome / induction<br />
of new members and recitation of our Code<br />
of Conduct.<br />
This was followed by the change of guard<br />
of the <strong>National</strong> Presidency. <strong>The</strong> Board<br />
unanimously ratified the selection of Mr.<br />
Aquil Busrai, Executive Director-HR, IBM<br />
India as the next <strong>National</strong> President, to be<br />
formally installed in the next Board meeting<br />
in July. Mr. Dwarakanath was requested to<br />
continue on the Board for his invaluable<br />
guidance and support.<br />
Highlights of recent achievements and the<br />
tasks ahead were shared with the Board.<br />
Discussion on several agenda items<br />
followed, as circulated by <strong>National</strong><br />
Secretary, Mr. S. Varadarajan, including<br />
approval of accounts for the year 2006-07<br />
and sharing of highlights of activities by<br />
various Chapters.<br />
Delhi Chapter, represented by President, Mr.<br />
N. S. Rajan and Vice President, Mr. Pankaj<br />
Bansal, shared with the Board its<br />
achievements this past year and also the<br />
new project being launched by the Chapter<br />
to build an e-community of HR professionals<br />
placed globally, on the model of Web 2.0.<br />
This innovative measure will revolutionize<br />
the Delhi Chapter website and create<br />
immense potential for connectivity and<br />
networking among the HR fraternity.<br />
Post the Board Meeting, Delhi Chapter<br />
organized an exclusive special event in<br />
honour of the Board members, titled, "A<br />
Rendezvous with Harsha Bhogle". Harsha<br />
Bhogle, leading Indian cricket commentator<br />
and Journalist, shared his experiential<br />
learning and incisive observations from the<br />
world of sport and the immeasurable value<br />
of coaching for success. Coaching has been<br />
increasingly recognized to be an integral<br />
developmental intervention deployed for<br />
Leadership Capability Building.<br />
Harsha Bhogle, an extremely dynamic<br />
speaker, kept the audience enthralled by his<br />
style and substance. Eminent Heads of HR<br />
from Delhi were also invited to join the Board<br />
members for this evening session. <strong>The</strong><br />
session was followed by dinner, providing a<br />
good platform for interaction amongst all<br />
present. <strong>The</strong> program was well received by<br />
the participants and they congratulated<br />
Delhi Chapter for its constant innovation and<br />
creating a difference.<br />
HOSUR<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong> HOSUR CHAPTER organised<br />
Monthly meet - cum - Talk on 8 May at Ashok<br />
Leyland Management Development Centre.<br />
Mr V.NAGARAJAN, Deputy General<br />
Manager-HR, TTK Prestige Limited, Hosur,<br />
spoke on "BITTER & BETTER<br />
EXPERIENCES OF INDUSTRIAL UNREST<br />
& SIGNING OF WAGE SETTLEMENT" at<br />
this meet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Session witnessed a huge gathering<br />
comprising of distinguished professionals<br />
and Management students. Prof. Janaki<br />
Ramudu, welcomed the gathering and<br />
introduced the speaker to the audience. Ms.<br />
Shyamala Devi, Deputy Superintendent of<br />
Police, Hosur graced the occasion with her<br />
presence.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Speaker made a lucid presentation with<br />
appropriate anecdotes to suit issues like<br />
Communication, Interpersonal relations,<br />
good understanding, being smart in work<br />
place, etc. Drawing on his experience of<br />
handling wage settlements over three<br />
decades including a recent one, he dwelled<br />
on intricacies of handling industrial unrest,<br />
concluding a long term settlement,<br />
challenged faced by the HR and the specific<br />
role of HR team. He emphasised that each<br />
and every employee can do any work<br />
provided it is backed by conviction. This<br />
conviction alone will drive the entire<br />
organisation to achieve its objectives and<br />
goals.<br />
Mr G.Rajappa, Executive-HR and Mr. NRS<br />
Subramaniam, Officer-HR of TTK Prestige<br />
Limited, were the facilitators for the<br />
programme.<br />
<strong>The</strong> session was very lively and invited<br />
intelligent questions and comments. <strong>The</strong><br />
Chapter President, Brig KS Bhoon had to<br />
intervene to limit the questions. <strong>The</strong> DSP,<br />
Ms.Shyamala Devi participated in the<br />
session with great enthusiasm and gave her<br />
short but incisive views on industrial unrest.<br />
<strong>The</strong> session concluded with a sumptuous<br />
dinner hosted by TTK Prestige.<br />
HYDERABAD<br />
Welcome to New Members<br />
<strong>Life</strong> Members<br />
Krishna Veni P Dy Gen Manager, Megha<br />
Engg Infra Ltd<br />
Narayana Ch S S, Senior Executive - HR,<br />
Spring Board Technologies<br />
Annual Membership<br />
Harish Reddy K, HR, Consultant<br />
Satya Murthy P V V N, Consultant, V N<br />
Vision<br />
Sita Rama Swamy, Consultant, V N Vision<br />
Raju D V S S, LIC Agent, LIC of India.<br />
HYDERABAD CHAPTER PROGRAMMES<br />
June 2007<br />
07-06-07 - 6.30 p.m. Mr. Subrahmanyam A, Program Director, Physiologist, International<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
School, Will Speak on “Brain Power Utilization for better results”<br />
14-06-07 - 6.30 p.m. Mr. Muthy Kumar Swamy, Director, Root & Wings, Will Speak on<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
“Corporate Counseling How What and Why?<br />
21-06-07 - 6.30 p.m. Mr. Nagaiah Chowdary V, Manager-HR, News Time, Will Speak on<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
“Team Building”<br />
28-06-07 - 6.30 p.m. Mr. C.S. Krishna, International Transformation Coach, Nithyananda<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong> Dhyanapeetam, will speak on “Ananda Spurana Program”<br />
July 2007<br />
05-07-07 - 6.30 p.m. Ms. Mehnaaz siddiqui, Asst.Prof. Badruka College Institute Trade,<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
of Foreign Will speak on "Attrition in IT Industry"<br />
12-07-07 - 6.30 p.m. Dr. Aryasri, Director, JNTU, CMS, Will speak on<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
"High Performance work Culture"<br />
19-07-07 - 6.30 p.m. Mr. M R Shantaram, Managing Director, Intercon International<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
Will speak on "Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)"<br />
26-07-07 - 6.30 p.m. Mr. S Hanumantha Rao, Director - HR. ECIL, will speak on<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />
"Strategic Role of HR"<br />
(Contd.. On Page 50)<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 47|
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 48|
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 49|
KOLKATA<br />
<strong>Work</strong>hshop on "Fundamentals of<br />
Compensation & Benefits Management"<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>, Kolkata<br />
Chapter organized a one day workshop on<br />
"Fundamentals of Compensation and<br />
Benefits Management" at <strong>The</strong> Golden Park,<br />
Kolkata on 27th April,07.<br />
<strong>The</strong> workshop was conducted by<br />
Ms.Gangapriya Chakraverti - the Business<br />
Leader of the Human Capital Product's<br />
Solutions and Mr.Vishal Bakshi - the Deputy<br />
Business Leader of Mercer Human<br />
Resource Consulting.<br />
Around forty eight HR professionals from<br />
various industrial sectors actively<br />
participated in this workshop.<br />
<strong>The</strong> workshop started off with<br />
Ms.Chakraverti explaining the role of<br />
Compensation in Human Resource<br />
Management, Components of<br />
Compensation and the Evolution of<br />
Compensation Management practices in<br />
session I.<br />
In session II our faculty drew attention to<br />
the latest Benchmarking Process,<br />
Understanding Survey results and Basic<br />
Statistics used in Compensation surveys.<br />
Post lunch, during Session III the concepts<br />
of 3P Management Model, Understanding<br />
the Pay Structure terminology and<br />
developing a Pay Structure was discussed.<br />
This was followed by tea / coffee break.<br />
Session IV resumed with discussion on<br />
developing Salary Structures and Pay<br />
ranges based on Compensation study and<br />
Approaches to determining Compensation<br />
& Benefits of Expatriate employees.<br />
<strong>The</strong> workshop concluded with a Panel<br />
discussion on Compensation Practices<br />
comprising of Mr.L.Prabhakar, GM -<br />
Corporate HR of ITC Ltd ,Mr. Sujoy<br />
Banerjee, Senior GM - HR of Eveready<br />
Industries Ltd and Mr.Vikas Vasal - Director<br />
KPMG along with Ms. Gangapriya<br />
Chakraverti.<br />
This has been another successful<br />
endeavour of <strong>National</strong> <strong>HRD</strong> <strong>Network</strong>,<br />
Kolkota Chapter of bringing forth the<br />
evolution of Compensation Management<br />
practices.<br />
MUMBAI<br />
N<strong>HRD</strong>N, Mumbai Chapter this time had<br />
invited Dr. SANTRUPT MISRA - DIRECTOR<br />
- HR & IT of ADITYA BIRLA GROUP &<br />
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT of N<strong>HRD</strong>N,<br />
for their Monthly Evening Lecture Meet on<br />
18th May 2007, since the Aditya Birla Group<br />
had bagged No.1 slot in the "Hewitt Best<br />
Employer Survey - 2007". Dr. Misra was<br />
requested to speak on subject "<strong>The</strong> Journey<br />
to Becoming a Best Employer - <strong>The</strong> Aditya<br />
Birla Group Experience".<br />
<strong>The</strong> announcement of the session was very<br />
well received and we had a record of 300<br />
participants.<br />
Mr. Vineet Kaul, President, N<strong>HRD</strong>N,<br />
Mumbai Chapter, in his opening remark<br />
mentioned how the current dynamite<br />
business scenario is indeed putting<br />
pressure on attracting and retaining talent.<br />
In this scenario the employer's value<br />
proposition goes beyond just paying high<br />
salary. <strong>The</strong> best employer survey does look<br />
at the employer engagement and alignment,<br />
Opportunities for Growth & Development,<br />
Performance differentiation and Quality of<br />
HR practices. <strong>The</strong> Aditya Birla Group under<br />
leadership of Dr. Misra was a very good<br />
example of how this was achieved.<br />
In a very eloquent manner Dr.Misra shared<br />
the ethos and practices that have been<br />
inculcated amongst employees of the Aditya<br />
Birla Group. He rightly said that all the<br />
companies have very good HR Tools and<br />
Practices. However the real effort that has<br />
been made is to make employees have faith<br />
and live the values mainly:<br />
l<br />
l<br />
l<br />
l<br />
Integrity - Honesty in every action.<br />
Commitment - Deliver on the promise.<br />
Passion - Energized action.<br />
Seamlessness - Boundary less in<br />
Letter & Spirit<br />
l Speed - One step ahead always.<br />
Dr. Misra shared many simple but very good<br />
examples of various projects undertaken<br />
whether in the school run at their remote<br />
locations, Performance Management<br />
System, steps taken to develop learning<br />
across the organization and also all the work<br />
that has gone over decade in bringing about<br />
change in the organization. He also shared<br />
anecdotes of observation from overseas<br />
visitors and also competition in how they<br />
have experienced the different culture<br />
amongst the employees of Aditya Birla<br />
Group.<br />
<strong>The</strong> presentation was followed by very<br />
interactive Question & Answers. Overall all<br />
the participants were enriched by the<br />
session.<br />
Mr. Sanjay Muthal, Vice President, N<strong>HRD</strong>N,<br />
Mumbai chapter, did an excellent handling<br />
of Q&A session. He also proposed the Vote<br />
of Thanks.<br />
Dear Shri Dharma Rao Garu,<br />
Your Case Study "EMPLOYEES<br />
WELFARE AND THEIR<br />
ORGANISATION" in <strong>HRD</strong><br />
NEWSLETTER.<br />
It is really good sir. Especially your<br />
Explanations are good. And your wording<br />
is simple…keep writing this type of<br />
articles. <strong>The</strong>se type of articles are needed<br />
by every executive who is working in the<br />
industrial or business organizations.<br />
varaprasad from vizag<br />
Erratta<br />
Wrong Photograph<br />
of G.Rajesh Kumar was printed<br />
on Page 32 of May 2007 issue of<br />
<strong>HRD</strong> News Letter<br />
<strong>The</strong> Correct Photo of the author<br />
is placed below.<br />
<strong>The</strong> error is regretted<br />
CARTOON CORNER<br />
Yes, there may be many mistakes<br />
in that draft given<br />
by me but I have not cheated in<br />
getting this job. I<br />
would have done well in interview<br />
by HR because<br />
I had attended 'spoken English'<br />
classes, not 'written'..<br />
Col. P Deogirikar, Indore<br />
p_deogirikar@ruchigroup.com<br />
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 50|
| <strong>HRD</strong> News Letter | June 2007, Vol.23, Issue:3 51|