Culture Shock Challenges – Liluah to London Syndrome

Culture issues are the utmost critical challenges for all the Industry in this world of globalization and most of the companies are taking several measures to address them. However it’s got a different dimension for the IT and the ITeS companies who have a unique challenge of employing fresh engineering/science graduates out of college in large nos.

With my personal experience in both IT/ITeS space I have seen companies recruiting fresh engineers/science graduates etc who are brilliant in their studies and have been extremely competent in terms of knowledge and skills as required for their jobs.

However many of the fresh recruits have grown up in small town and villages from where they moved out to Engineering Institution/Colleges at Kolkata and other big metros for their professional studies. Upon completion of their course they have been recruited in large IT/ITeS companies and within few months they were given overseas assignments of importance based on their technical skill and initial performance at work.

This makes absolute business sense for the company considering the candidates potential to deliver and career sense for the individual as this opportunity will surely add immense value to his/her profile. However in this perfect win-win situation lays a challenge which I call “Liluah to London syndrome”

To explain this better lets take an example of a situation where the employee happens to be a bright student studying in any of the good district schools and cleared the State Joint entrance examination successfully to get through in any of the leading Engineering Institution in the city for his/her BE/BTech degree.

In this entire process he was primarily restricted to his village or town and might have traveled from his home town to the city by local train or bus. In cases of exception he might have traveled by express train but surely have not availed high end express trains like Rajdhani or Satabdi and certainly not the domestic airlines to visit other places far off.

The reasons are clear and more or less the same where the employee’s family could not afford to go for intermittent vacation due to financial constraint.

With this backdrop he is now being suddenly asked to board either British Airways/Lufthansa or Singapore Airlines to leave for London/New York or Singapore on official assignment for a reasonable period of time. This is actually a huge paradigm shift for someone who was never been exposed to adequate domestic traveling which is usually the basics and foundation for an overseas travel.

This situation or the (so called syndrome) is unique for the industry and creates major culture shock challenges which leads to initial confusion, misunderstanding, apprehension, adjustment problems which might lead to attrition, dissatisfaction, unhappy and disillusioned employees.

Most of the companies have realized this (I am not sure about syndrome :)) in different form and shape and today several organizations have a well placed grooming session for all employees leaving for overseas assignment. However keeping in mind that on the job exposure is better than classroom learning it would be a wonderful suggestion to make people travel first to domestic destinations before asking them to leave for overseas locations.

It is always better to hop onto Lucknow in between before leaving for London from Liluah !!!

Contributed By:

Mr.Ranjan Sarkar

(Associate Vice President-HR, Acclaris)

Creative Touch

Contributed by:
Dr Meenakshi Khemka
Globsyn Business School

Managerial Functions

Dear Students,

Quite often we use the words: Management, Manager, Managerial Effectiveness.

You will find tomes of literature to elucidate each of the above.

In simplistic terms, what does each of these actually mean? Here is a succinct connotation.

Management: Management is the art of directing, conducting and administering the work of others to achieve desired objectives.

The Manager:

1. A manager must plan – decide the goal, forecast, scan the environment analyze problems and evolve strategies, review/evaluate the efficacy of strategies, modify strategies in the light of the feedback received.
2. A manager must organize – decide what activities are required to achieve the desired results. Classify activities into different categories, divide the task and assign specific tasks to groups and individuals.
3. A manager must motivate – enthuse the staff working under her/his control to give their best for the achievement of goals/objectives. Create a sense of loyalty and belonging to the institution. Communicate effectively with staff and influence them to work well.
4. A manager must control – check performance against plans, measure performance and extend guidance and counseling and set high standards of excellence.
5. A manager must lead – constantly endeavor to bring out the best in them, help them to strengthen their integrity, sense of devotion to duty and urge for excellence.
6. A manager must develop – improve the capabilities of systems, processes and people –constantly.
7. A manager must have a self-concept – ambition, enthusiasm, achievement, growth and self-development.

Managerial Effectiveness: The effectiveness of a manager can be measured in terms of her/his success in optimum utilization of all available and potential resources – material, human and financial –towards their sustained, long term functioning.

Look around and study the achievements of people who have been successful in management and you will find the above conspicuous in them.

With best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Conflict Management

Each individual is unique. An individual’s thoughts are guided by his/her past experiences, education and culture. These bring distinctiveness in the thought-process as well as in the behavioral expressions of the individual. In present organizations we have workforce hailing from diverse backgrounds and they are required to leave behind all these differences and work in teams to achieve organizational objectives.

No two individuals will have the same opinion on a common topic. But if one has to work in teams one is expected to sort out the differences and come to a consensus.

But, how to sort differences?? For this, one needs to develop certain skills for handling differences of opinion. This in management language is called “conflict-management techniques”. This kind of skill is not restricted to working professionals only. It is an essential pre-requisite for each and every person or else we need to develop the skill.

Herein are 4 fundamental things you are required to do to improve your conflict management skills:

• Understand yourself .


• Manage yourself


• Understand others.


• Manage others.

The more you reflect on these will help you to be a better individual. You will be able to tackle situations and handle people effectively and thus contribute towards your growth as well as the growth of the organization.

Ms. Ipsita C. Patranabis
(Globsyn Business School)

HR Manager as Business Manager

In today’s business, people are the key differentiator and sourcing right quality human resources and retaining them have assumed greater significance in all the performing organizations. The organization with long term vision and commitment for step change growth must have capable talent pool to actualize the vision.

Belief of profitable and sustainable growth stems from the strategic intent of the organization and must form an integral part of the business strategy. In order to make indelible mark in the society, apart from earning higher profits and growth, the organization has to be well respected institution. An organization’s reputation is understood by its value propositions and employee behavior in keeping with those value propositions.

Role of HR professional is therefore central to achieving this. He must be able to understand the key business processes, challenges and opportunities and deliverables. HR has to take keen interest in understanding competition, environment in which business operates, technology need for the future, labor market, both at global and local level, innovative compensation structure and retention strategy. Should be able to forecast talent requirement based on the growth plan and devise sourcing strategy. All these would be possible if and when HR fully align itself with the business and understand the underlying processes.

Having recruited the right people and created talent pool, HR must embark on retention strategy where organization values the employees and provide them with challenging and meaningful task. A new entrant must be able to sense that the organization walking the talk in terms of its value. It treats its employees with dignity and ensures highest level of transparency.

HR must foster a culture of performance orientation where individuals and groups are rewarded and appreciated openly for their superior performance. There should be feedback mechanism where both the boss and subordinate understand each ones expectation.

In today’s highly competitive world, job satisfaction comes from the knowledge and skills offered in the workplace and opportunity to acquire superior knowledge. In a fast changing demographics of the workforce, we have more and more knowledge workers whose motivation do not really rest in year end performance appraisal but in opportunity in learning new skills and developing capability. Satisfaction of having made worthwhile contribution in the organization and celebration of success through timely and competitive rewards. Hence it is of paramount importance to have individual development plan of the employees along with performance appraisal. Career development and performance appraisal can be more meaningful for organization and employees when each one draws on the strength of the other.

In any high performing organization there is high employee engagement and the job of the manager is to identify the strengths in employees and move them in the right job.

HR has to act as catalyst in this process and inculcate this performance culture in the fabric of the business where each manager has to play his role in the development of his people.

HR, therefore, need to focus more on transformational issues and less on transactional one.

Contributed By:

Mr.P.K.Chatterjee

President-HR,
Duncans Industries Limited

Quotable Quotes

Not one to mince words or hide behind a façade, read up on Charlie Chaplin’s views on life, his acting and more…

• Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.
• A day without laughter is a day wasted.
• We think too much and feel too little.
• Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.
• The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.
• I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the make-up made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked onto the stage he was fully born.
• I am for people. I can't help it.
• I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.
• I went into the business for the money, and the art grew out of it. If people are disillusioned by that remark, I can't help it. It's the truth.
• All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.
• Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles.
• To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!
• To help a friend in need is easy, but to give him your time is not always opportune.
• It seems our laws are always telling us what not to do - are always keeping us from enjoying ourselves. Human beings are made just as much for having fun as goose-stepping and sweating in factories.
• I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. Make everything a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large.

Contributed by:

Rupee RoyChawdhury,

Wipro -HR (TED:Talent Engagement Development)

GBS Alum

The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

Hi

A nice speech by Ms. J.K. Rowling, novelist, at Harvard University earlier this month. I tend to agree with her on the positive features of failure in life.

( http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html )

Happy viewing

Dr Meenakshi Khemka

Globsyn Business School

Rethinking Leadership

Conventional definition defines a leader who is charismatic, powerful, and overpowering enough so that he could drive the millions behind him. However such a narrow conceptualization of leadership cannot sustain itself in the contemporary competitive scenario.

Leadership is a much more complex concept that moves beyond the margins of “driving millions behind”. It is neither the physical assertion that “I am the leader”.

In true essence a leader is one who does not have to say, “follow me”, but still millions are “with” him. A true leader radiates energy, enthusiasm, positivities which magnetizes his personalities and automatically attracts all around him. He is an embodiment of devotion, intellectuality, service and energy. However alone with these four components one may not become a leader. These are the ingredients which needs to be blended with the most essential component of leadership- that of social compatibility. Infact, scholars discuss the nature of leadership in terms of the “interaction” among the people involved in the process: both leaders and followers. Thus leadership can be redefined as the “process of interaction”. It is a process because true leaders and true followers are not made in a day: infact they are evolved over a period of time. Thus leadership is not a one sided effort; instead it is a “collective endeavor” among group members. Thus the essence of leadership is not the leader; instead it is a bond of faith, trust, and mutual respect that is established by the process of moving forward collectively.

Contributed By:

Richa Shukla

(Globsyn Business School)

Corporate branding – Need of the hour

Corporate branding is like any other product or service branding. As part of the branding process, 3 important HR initiatives which are usually highlighted in today’s knowledge industry are as follows:

• Leadership Skills
• Learning and Development
• Empowerment Development/ Employees manage their own careers

All of the above do fall under People Leadership Skills.

It’s not the cash that fuels the joining to the firm but the emotional and intellectual energy of every employee – Hamel and Prahalad.

1. Star performer are scare in the current economy (It’s hardly 10-20% of the total workforce).
2. Your best talent is competitor’s target (Attrition rates have doubled).
3. Talent is increasingly becoming more mobile (Average durations of tenure of executives is around 2-3 years).

Short Supply is highest in the Leadership skills –

• Best employers have 50% of talent shortage.
• Other employers have 80% of talent shortage.

Today’s some hard facts:

• Talented people need Organization not less that the Organization need talented people.
• Only thing with tangible meaning today is “Cash”.
• Leaders seek loyalty but unwilling to grant them.
• Fostering engagement is huge challenge.
• The employees have more information about employers.
• The emerging workforce challenge is the looming war of talent especially with the increasing focus on individual employee attention.

Attraction = Retention (These are two sides of the same coin)

Top REASON for Attrition in India with weightage factors:

Top Retention strategies:

Anatomy of an employer brand!!!

Employee Value proposition:

• Functional Benefits – What is this job like?
• Economic Value – How will I be rewarded?
• Psychological Benefits – What will I be part of it? What will I belong to?

Eg: Ritz Carlton – “Ladies and Gentleman serving Ladies and Gentleman”

• Functional Benefits – I will be serving the world’s elite.
• Economic Value – Market value compensation.
• Psychological Benefits – Part of the world’s elite hotel group.

Benefits:

• Retention of employees - 93%
• Increase employee satisfaction - 91%
• Attracts Job Candidates - 90%
• Motivates employees at work - 79%

Best Employers –

- have well articulated Employer Brand (83% of them have it)
- employers attracts more people
- employees are retained for a longer period

If we commoditize the talent market then the only differentiating factor would be - PRICE !!!

CVP (Customer Value Proposition) should GO with EVP (Employee Value Proposition)

Some Eg:

Four steps in building an employer brand:

1. Understand the Context.
2. Create the value Proposition.
3. Commit with the employees.
4. Deliver the value.

For Organization its 2 type of audiences are as follows:

Internal – Internal employees/Ex employees/Prospects/Recruitment Partners

External – Customers/Suppliers/Investor and General Public

Employer branding usually touches all the area of HR activities as right branding is equally important for attraction as well as retention. However do we give more importance to attraction rather than retention? – It’s a good food for thought.

BTW, Jack Welch said – “Lifetime employment is not endangered, its extinct.”


Contributed By:

Mr.Ranjan Sarkar
(Associate Vice President-HR, Acclaris)

Key to Effective Communication: Neuro Linguistic Programming

Dear Students,

We all appreciate the need to communicate effectively.

However, there is a myth that effective communication hinges on the power of speaking alone. Though there are no qualms to the fact that one should be articulate, impact of communication would depend on other factors too. While this is more of a topic in class-discussions, I would like to introduce you all, to the concept of NLP which stands for neuro linguistic programming, proposed by Richard Bandler & John Grinder.

NLP suggests, there are 5 modes of communication as under:

Auditory: through the ears (can be achieved when the sender speaks & the receiver listens).

Visual : through the eyes (can be achieved when the sender shows & the receiver sees).

Olfactory: though the nose (can be achieved when the sender generates fragrance & the receiver smells).

Gustatory: through the tongue (can be achieved when the sender offers a recipe & the receiver tastes).

Tactile: through the skin (can be achieved when the sender touches & the receiver feels).

So, next time when you plan to communicate by way of delivering an effective presentation, remember the 5 media above.

After all, in communication, the basic purpose is to achieve closeness: the sender & receiver need to be in congruence in the wake of the communication. This is evident when we trace the lineage of the word communication which has been derived from the Latin word ‘communis’ which means commonness.

Be an effective communicator through NLP.

Best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Core of Leadership

Dear Students,

Ken Adelman mentioned, “ A leader knows what’s best to do; a manager knows how best to do it’.

Today, I wish to share with you two anecdotes I read, which bear out two points of leadership as under:

1. A leader is not hellbent to hog the limelight; rather, teamwork is considered to be important.
2. A leader strives to conceive innovative ways to make things happen.

Anecdote to prove the first point above:

A little child was trying out for a part in a school play. His mother knew that the child had set its heart on being in it. On the day the parts were awarded, she went to collect the child after school. When her child’s name was not announced, she was distressed. She was wondering what to tell her disappointed child. To her surprise, the child came rushing to her, his eyes shining with pride and excitement. “Guess what, Mom.” He shouted, “ I’ve been chosen to clap and cheer.”


Anecdote to prove the second point above:

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him shovel dirt into the well.

At first when the donkey realized what was happening, it cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later when the farmer looked down into the well, he was astonished at what he saw.


When each shovel of dirt hit its back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step on to it. As the farmer’s neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would go on shaking it off and take a step up. Pretty soon everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off !


The core of leadership, therefore, as evident from the above fables, is never to stop with setbacks but be courageous and take one step at a time.

Best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Work-Life Balance

My Dear Students,

When one enters the corporate world the toughest situation one faces is not just complying to the job needs but to strike a balance between the personal and professional life. This is the time the person realizes that there are so many variables in one’s life and each one has its own significance.
The major identifiable variables are:
Self
Family & Friends
Work
(Not in specific order)

Work-Life Balance is not only a matter of concern for the employees but also for the employers, as it has become one of the important tools for employee-retention. With the changing economic scenario the social-fabric is also undergoing a radical change and so also the workforce composition is changing. This is posing pressure on organizations to meet the demands of the new generation recruits.

Presently, the concept of work-life balance is changing to work-life effectiveness. But changing the name does not affect the impact of the idea. It’s only a matter of perception of individuals’ vis-à-vis organizations.

It is essential for both managers and employees to develop their knowledge and skills to craft their own best life work effectiveness. If so happens then the employer can realize a constructive impact on the growth of the organization and individuals will also have a better understanding of a satisfied and balanced life. They can sustain the job-stress and this will be reflected in their increased productivity and better interpersonal relationships both on and off the job.

(Adapted from Work-Life Balance.Com)

All the best,
Ms. Ipsita C. Patranabis
Globsyn Business School

Managing Your Promotion

Dear Students,

There are trade-offs and payoffs to every career decision. Moving up is a challenge you must be ready for.

Take stock of the 6 principles Edward Betof and Frederic Harwood suggest in, “Just Promoted ! How to Survive and Thrive in your First 12 Months as a Manager”. (McGraw Hill Inc. New York 1992).

Principle 1: Personal wellness, family health, and work effectiveness are highly interdependent. Understanding how personal/family/and work systems interact will help you better manage the process of moving up.

Principle 2: Major job changes often can trigger major life changes. The impact of these changes is best addressed through careful individual and family reflection, communication, and clarification of personal and family priorities and values.

Principle 3: Managers who are moving up are in a state of transition. The process of transition can be understood and effectively managed by individuals and by families.

Principle 4: Health and well-being in one’s personal, family, and work life affects and is affected by levels of stress and distress.

Principle 5: Mutual understanding, support, fairness, and responsible collaboration within dual-career families are essential for leaders on the rise.

Principle 6: The goal is to achieve a new life balance.

Best of luck in working upwards in your career !

Prof.D.P.Chattopadhyay

(Globsyn Business School)

Overview of Efficiency & Effectiveness

Dear Students,

We often say that a manager should be ‘efficient’ and equally ‘effective’.

While efficiency means ‘doing things right’, effectiveness means ‘doing right things’.

However, how can a manager strive to do both? Below is a checklist in this direction.

An efficient & effective manager is one who:

• Understands, respects and acts in accordance with the mission of the organization.
  Conveys, and clarifies the organizational mission to his team members and enlists their commitment.
• Understands his own role and that of his team members and the relationship between them.
• Conveys & clarifies to his team members their roles and role expectations and enlists their commitment.
• Sets goals and priorities of the team and of each member through consensus.
• Sets up systems and procedures to monitor own performance and that of team members.
• Teaches guides and counsels his team members to achieve highest levels of performance.
• Believes in and exhibits a personal stake in the development of his team members.
• Understands environmental factors, foresees threats and opportunities and initiates action to deal with the situations.
• Has the ability to identify opportunities and convert them to organization’s advantage.
• Understands the value of resources and uses them effectively and optimally.
• Obtains willing co-operation of team-mates in the performance of tasks and achievement of results.
• Is sensitive to other people’s feelings and points of view, makes own points logically and persuasively and shows fundamental respect for human beings.
• Willing and capable to appropriately and effectively share information, thoughts and feelings, both oral and written.
• Responds to the needs of other individuals and functional groups in the organization and obtains response from other individuals and functional groups.
• Identifies potential, strengths/weaknesses of subordinates judiciously and plans for their development.
• Encourages subordinates to take initiative and make decisions.
• Is capable of identifying and analyzing problems, develop and evaluate alternative courses of action and takes sound practical and timely decisions.
• Has concern for economy.
• Has knowledge of the environment.
• Is free from biases and prejudices.
• Is capable of adapting himself to different environments.
• Has a vision of own career and an orientation to growth.

- Capability as a virtue has no intrinsic value. Its worth depends on how it can be applied in a given situation. Application skills are of paramount importance. This, to be developed will call for an in-depth appreciation of your play field. This appreciation is available only when one seeks it, consciously.

- Organizations look not to people who can just perform. This is efficiency alone. Rather, they look for those who can also transform-themselves and the organization. This is the hallmark of effectiveness.

Remember, conditioning oneself to fit into specific environments may provide short term bliss: this is working hard, being reactive. . What is needed is therefore a play which value adds to oneself and the organization: this is working smart, being proactive.

Best of luck in your endeavors to be equally efficient and effective,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay

(Globsyn Business School)

Human Resource Accounting (HRA)

Gone are the days of silos…what is needed today is an effective interface between different disciplines. A very good example is the emergence of Human Resource Accounting.

Human Resource Accounting (HRA) as an approach was originally defined as the process of identifying, measuring and communicating information about human resources in order to facilitate effective management within an organization. It is an extension of the accounting principles of matching costs and revenues and of organizing data to communicate relevant information in financial terms.

Until recently, the "value" of an organization as measured within traditional balance sheets, e.g. buildings, production plant, etc., was viewed as a sufficient reflection of the organization's assets. However, with the growing emergence of the knowledge economy, this traditional valuation has been called into question due to the recognition that human capital is an increasingly important part of an organization's total value.

To do this, an understanding has to be created for:

• Assessing the value of human capital in addition to an organization's tangible assets and
• Improving (and quantifying) the development of human capital in organizations

Under human resource accounting, a value is placed on people based on such factors as experience, education, psychological traits, training, commitment, and, most importantly, future earning power (benefit) to the company.

The idea has been well received by human-resource-oriented organizations, such as those engaged in accounting, law, and consulting. Practical application is limited, however, primarily because of difficulty and the lack of uniform, consistent methods of quantifying the values of human resources.

Dr. Meenakshi Khemka

(Globsyn Business School)

Characteristics of a Successful Executive

Dear Students,

There is always a debate on the characteristics of a successful executive.

The list below brings this out aptly:

1. Strong drive to get ahead.

   
   

2. Ability to take sound decisions.

   
   

3. Willingness to move in conditions of uncertainty.

   
   

4. Respect for others’ drives to achieve.

   
   

5. Ability to aim, plan and organise, involving others in ways which achieve commitment of all concerned.

   
   

6. Ability to explain his / her ideas with clarity and confidence, retaining willingness to listen to others.

   
   

7. Some fear of failing which makes him/her plan and work in ways that will prevent failures.

   
   

8. A strong reality orientation.

   
   

9. Loyalty to overall goals of the organization.

   
   

10. Social skills to work both with groups and individuals.

    
    

Cultivate the above characteristics as you march ahead in your career.

Best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

How to make tough decisions

Dear Students,

If you have a tough decision to make, consider these suggestions from Dr. Barbara Varenhorst, a psychologist and Daralee Schulman, a career and stress management consultant.

• Be aware that you can’t control the outcome of a decision. All you can do is control the decision-making process.

  
  

• Start the process by identifying your wants and needs. Jot them down on paper-even if they are contradictory.
  

• Rank the things you want and need. If you spot contradictory needs, ask yourself, “Which would I choose?”
  

• Gather all the information necessary to make that decision. Look at alternatives, consequences, advantages and disadvantages. Don’t let your emotions interfere with this process. Be as objective as possible.
  

• Determine how much of risk you are willing to take. Once you have done this, consider these strategies:
  
  - Choose the safest alternative , the one that can’t fail.
  
  - Pick the option with the best odds for success.
  
  - Select the alternative with the most desirable outcome, despite high odds for its success.
  
  - Picture how you would deal with negative consequences.

Be effective in making tough decisions !

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay

(Globsyn Business School)

The Importance of Responsibility

Dear Students,

Responsibility is a great teacher. It sharpens the intellect, improves the power of judgement and promotes creative thinking. It develops new capacities and capabilities while bringing out the best in you. It improves efficiency and effectiveness.

Responsibility strengthens determination and stability and enhances experiences. It generates far-sightedness. It keeps you busy and eliminates wastage. It makes you active, alert, accurate and ever-ready. It is a constant source of zeal and enthusiasm.

Responsibility means taking initiative and facing challenges. It wins you the co-operation of others and earns you their respect, honour and goodwill.

Let Responsibilty be an important resource in your day-to-day activities.

Best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)