GBS - HR Department

Creating an Employer Brand - Critical Success Factors

2011-04-05T09:51:00.006+05:30

In reference to Employer branding, the Business Leaders are facing tough people questions and in turn looking up to HR for an answer. Some of the common questions are -

Do you have an employee value proposition to attract, retain and engage the very best?
Have you effectively aligned your EVP to your Customer Value Proposition?
Have you created a high performance culture that aligns people to execute your strategy?
How aligned is your total reward strategy to business outcomes?

It is important that each of these questions is looked into separately for an answer however creating Brand of respect is important and possibly a very common concern for most Organizations. Some of the ways to do so are as follows:

Find your USPs as an organization and as an employer; find your differentiators vis-à-vis competition
Build your organization and people practices on core values
Align your entire leadership to your culture and values
Build the EVP around your particular context – no cookie-cutter approach!
Attract the “right” talent, not necessarily the “best”
Don’t rest on your laurels; continually benchmark and improve

Some of the Pitfalls to avoid are:

An employer brand is not a mere advertisement or slogan
Do not merely replicate someone else’s employer brand strategy
Do not create an EVP merely to just attract, but also to retain

Cotributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
Senior Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication
(Acclaris Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.)

Guiding Principles for Organizations

2011-01-24T11:57:00.002+05:30

We often hear about the various terminologies which creates the guiding principles of any Organizations. It is important to understand the flow and its impact.

Vision & Mission
Core Values

Values – Personal & Cultural
Value System – Personal, Communal & Corporate
Corporate Value System – Core Values, Protected Values & Created Values

Ethical Code

Code of Ethics – Corporate or Business Ethics

Corporate Tenets

Code of Conduct – Employee Ethics

HR Code of Conduct

Code of Practice

Coming to the Corporate Value System, Fred Wenstop and Arild Myrmel have proposed a structure for corporate value systems that consists of three value categories. These are however considered complimentary and juxtaposed on the same level if illustrated graphically.

Core Values:

The 1st value category is Core Values, which prescribe the attitude and character of the Organization

Protected Values:

The 2nd value category is Protected Values, which are protected through rules, standards and certifications (usually related to Health, Environment, Safety)

Created Values:

The 3rd value is Created Values, which are the values that stakeholders expect in return for their contributions to the firm. These values are subject to trade-off by decision makers or bargaining process ( Usually explained in details under Stakeholder theory)

Coming to Ethical Code we have three distinct categories which can be explained as -

Code of Ethics – Corporate or Business Ethics:

A code of ethics often focuses on social issues. It may set out general principles about an organization's beliefs on matters such as mission, quality, privacy or the environment. It may delineate proper procedures to determine whether a violation of the code of ethics has occurred and, if so, what remedies should be imposed. The effectiveness of such codes of ethics depends on the extent to which management supports them with sanctions and rewards

Code of Conduct – Employee Ethics:

A code of conduct is a document designed to influence the behaviour of employees. They set out the procedures to be used in specific ethical situations, such as conflicts of interest or the acceptance of gifts, and delineate the procedures to determine whether a violation of the code of ethics occurred and, if so, what remedies should be imposed. The effectiveness of such codes of ethics depends on the extent to which management supports them with sanctions and rewards

Code of Practice – Professional Ethics:
- A code of practice is adopted by a profession or by a governmental or non-governmental organization to regulate that profession. A code of practice may be styled as a code of professional responsibility, which will discuss difficult issues, difficult decisions that will often need to be made, and provide a clear account of what behaviour is considered "ethical" or "correct" or "right" in the circumstances. In a membership context, failure to comply with a code of practice can result in expulsion from the professional organization

Contributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
Senior Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication
(Acclaris Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. )

Effective Learning

2010-12-14T10:43:00.001+05:30

Learning is any activity that leads to a relatively permanent change in behavior. It occurs through experience. Learning can take place through any of the four approaches:

Intuitive Learning : This takes place primarily through guesswork
Incidental Learning : This takes place through any unplanned event
Retrospective Learning : This takes place by reviewing one’s past experiences
Prospective Learning : This takes place by planning to learning ahead

David Kolb proposed the learning cycle which consists of four stages commencing from Concrete Experience leading to Reflective Observation transcending into Abstract Conceptualisation and culminating into Active Experimentation.

Peter Honey and Allan Mumford took the above findings forward and labeled the four categories of learners as under:

Activists : Concrete Experiencers
Reflectors : Reflective Observers
Theorists : Abstract Conceptualisers
Pragmatists : Active Experimenters

It therefore behoves on a trainer to appreciate that learners are not homogenous in their learning styles. Because of this heterogenecity, a trainer should tailor-make his/her presentation to match the interests of the concerned learner. So, Activists will prefer business games, outbound training, Reflectors will like case-studies, brainstorming through group discussions, Theorists will look forward to concept sharing, lecture methods, while Pragmatists will be comfortable with a blend of the foregoing techniques.

However, whatever is the technique, the following principles should be borne in mind to foster an effective training climate:

Learning takes place in a relatively relaxed and non-threatening environment
Learning takes place when a reward is associated with the learning process
Learning takes place when the learner is given sufficient time to practice the learning content
Learning takes place when the learner sees practical utility in what is being learnt
Learning takes place when reinforcement is provided to the learning process

Once the above measures are taken into consideration, it will result in a ‘win-win situation’ for both the trainer and the learner. This forms the fulcrum of effective learning.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

A Snippet

2010-11-10T18:21:00.001+05:30

A snippet from the newsletter 'Breakthrough for Managers': October, 2010 issue

One day, all the employees reached the office and they saw a big notice on the door on which it was written:

"Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the Conference room."

At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be. The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the Conference room to pay their last respects to the person.

Everyone wondered: "Who is this person who was hindering my progress? Thank God,he is no more." One by one the employees got closer to the coffin and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: "There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU."

Management Lesson

2010-08-24T09:36:00.004+05:30

When the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was speaking at Wharton India Economic Forum, Philadelphia, on March 22, 2008, he was requested to cite an example of how leaders should manage failure.Dr. Kalam mentioned, in 1979 when "Rohini" satellite went haywire, though Dr. Kalam was the project director and morally owned this failure, Prof. Satish Dhawan, the leader of the organization, as Chairman, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), in a press conference at 7.45am, 45 minutes after the faulty satellite-launch, in ISRO's satellite launch range in Sriharikota (in Andhra Pradesh) where journalists from around the world were present, took responsibility for the failure saying that the team had worked assiduously, but needed more technological support, assuring the media that in another year, the team will surely succeed. The following year, in July 1980, when the satellite lauch was successful and the whole nation was in a celebration mood, Prof. Dhawan told, Dr.Kalam,"You conduct the press conference today".

Thus the management lesson from the above was, when failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned the failure; when success came, he gave it to his team.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Pic Source: www.dae.gov.in

How to avoid being overlooked at your job

2010-07-29T19:21:00.000+05:30

Have you ever come across a situation when you were overlooked by your boss while at your job ?

Try out the following which could prove worthwhile:

Simply ignore certain things : When you ignore certain things you do not want, such an approach constitutes your self-respect.
Learn to say 'No' : This is a skill you ought to develop. Be polite, yet firm to say 'No' to things you wish to avoid as this helps to conserve your energy for things you desire to do.
Keep you temper on ice : Never allow your temper to fly. In other words, always be composed as it enhances your interpersonal relationship with others.
Be resourceful : Organizations love to have employees who can make things happen. This will increase your 'visibility'.
Set priorities : Avoid running into a stage of over-stress and 'burnout'. Yet do a little extra which others might not. This would enable you to get noticed.
Emerge as a leader: Creativity and innovation would help on this front. Ingenuity matters.
Concentrate on key issues: Do not let the trivial bother you. Once you focus on right things, you will eventually become conspicuous.
Remember the 'P-O' fit: Success results when P(for Preparation) meets O(for Opportunity). So, do not get bogged down with failuresHone you skills : Expanding your expertise makes you 'wanted'.
Learn the art of co-determination : This means to imbibe the habit of collective problem-solving.

Happy Working !!!

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Culture is the King

2010-06-24T11:56:00.004+05:30

In today’s context, Culture of an Organization is the prime differentiator between a good and not so good company, however it is the only differentiator between a good and GREAT company!!!

The reason for this is as follows:

All performance is driven by Culture
Competitors can copy Product/Services/Branding but cannot copy CULTURE (Sustainable Competitive advantage)
Convey right perspective to all Stakeholders
Help to imbibe Organizational Pride which is critical to hold on to the talents

Trust & Commitment
Loyalty & Passion
Emotional Bonding
Contribution to Success
Ability to reach out to clients
High Performance
Creativity to think differently
Sense of ownership

The best way to develop Culture in a Company is through the 4 way approach -

Awareness & Reflection – Some of the tools for doing so are as follows
- Employee Survey
- Trust Index/Trust Audits
- Benchmark Cultural Practices
- Study Missions/Awareness Workshops
- Action Planning Workshops
- Communication – Communication - Communication
- Ownership Building Events
- Stakeholders Feedback
Capability Building – can be managed through the following initiatives
- Leadership Training & Coaching
- Training of the Line Manager
- Coaching & Mentoring Skills
- HR (Gurukul/Sherpa Approach)
- People Leadership Assessment
- Incubation approach
- Rituals & Programs
- Repetition & Sustenance
Promotion & Engagement – this is important and can be facilitated through the following measures
- Vision/Mission/Core Values (Review periodically)
- Culture Alignment
- Internal Branding
- External Branding
- Leveraging Unique Attributes
- Aligning EVP with Customer Value Proposition
- EVP to Attract & Retain
- Innovation@Workplace
Institutionalization – last but not the least this approach creates sustainability and scalability

Design of People Systems & Processes
Implementation & Support
Create High Performance Culture which facilitates to execute Strategy
Align Total Reward Strategy to Business Outcomes
Establish Emerging People Paradigm – Employee as an Investor
Aligning Leadership to Culture Building

Contributed By:
Mr. Ranjan Sarkar
Senior Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication,
Acclaris Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

An Obituary printed in the London Times

2010-06-16T09:24:00.003+05:30

Interesting and sadly rather true.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: -

Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn't always fair;
and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Source: The London Times

The 5S of house-keeping

2010-05-31T09:42:00.001+05:30

This is a Japanese concept which denotes seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke.

The English versions are sorting, straightening, systematic cleaning, standardizing, and sustaining. At times, another S. safety is included.

Briefly, the implications are:

Sorting: Eliminate things which are non-essential. Keep only those things which are necessary.
Straightening: Set things in order in such a way that it is easily accessible.
Systematic cleaning: Tidiness, cleanliness are the rules of the game.
Standardizing: Consistency should be maintained so everyone observes the first 3S's through awareness of responsibilities.
Sustaining: Prevent rollback to old ways;even think of better ways

The sixth S refers to workplace safety.

5S principle is observed by companies through signs and posters which help to educate employees on the 5S's.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Cardinal Principles of Discipline

2010-05-14T18:56:00.002+05:30

Discipline is the key to success in whatever a person does. Here are five cardinal principles of discipline:

Showing respect to seniors: Talent itself will lead nowhere unless an individual is disciplined in this area. This improves one's acceptance and trustworthiness.
Commitment to work: Involvement in one's work and attention to details 'without looking at the watch for an early close' pays off phenomenally.
Punctuality: Meeting cut-off dates and setting priorities right is the rule of the game. Distinguishing between things urgent and things important is essential.
Being cooperative: Teamwork matters. It generates synergy and fosters a sense of togetherness which is necessary for mutual charm.
Ethicality in action: Rectitude 'keeps the house in order'. The voice of conscience should be listened to.This generates an atmosphere of sanctity and piousness.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

New Public Management

2010-04-22T16:02:00.000+05:30

The public sector has always been at the vortex of controversy and debate as regards its style of functioning. A management philosophy,by way of modernisation, which is used by governments throughout the world is referred to as New Public Management(NPM). The key to NPM is more market orientation in the public sector. This will lead to greater cost efficiency in governments while being devoid of other deleterious effects resulting from such an approach. Bureaucracy is less and personal characteristics of employees are more customer-friendly. Hierarchy gives rise to networkedness and political influences in decision-making are minimal.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Organizational Citizenship Behaviour

2010-04-14T16:46:00.001+05:30

One of the contemporary areas in the field of Organizational Behaviour and Development is Organizational Citizenship Behaviour under the acronym OCB.

OCB is unique in that it is non-traditional and out of the clutches of a formal reward system. Though it is beneficial to the organization,it is purely under the volition of the individual who indulges in behaviour triggered by personal choice and is non-mandatory in that it does not fetch any punishment lest such behviour is not displayed.OCB enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization and enhances its productivity.Two specific examples in point would include an employee who is apolitical by nature at domestic or social life will also act likewise in her/his professional work in the organization.;alternately,an employee who voluntarily takes part in collective decision-making process will tend to be more involved in work and perform better than those who are indifferent when it comes to joint-decision-making.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

CII National Conclave

2010-03-30T18:55:00.001+05:30

March 05, 2010. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized its national conclave on “IT for inclusive growth, at Hotel ITC Sonar, Kolkata. The event started with the inaugural session, outlining the importance of inclusive growth in a diverse economy like India; in this important era of globalization coupled with major technological changes. Mr. Tamal Dasgupta, Chairman Eastern Region, CII ICTE sub committee and Managing Director, WEBEL, mentioned the initiatives of CII member organizations in promoting inclusive growth as a point of focus among corporate India. Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman, CII National Committee on IT/ ITeS /E-commerce, and Vice Chairman & CEO, Zensar delivered the theme address of the conclave citing examples of how smart ICT interventions have led to social inclusion and how West Bengal has led the way for the rest of the nation. Dr. Debesh Das, Minister of IT, West Bengal, Mr. Siddharth, Principal Secretary-IT, West Bengal and Mr. Ashis Sanyal, Sr. Director-IT, Ministry of Communications and IT, Government of India; reiterated the various flagship programmes of the governments at the center and states, in promoting inclusive growth, including NREGA, NRHM, SSA and the role of IT in the same.

The following sessions were lively with presentations from senior corporates of KPIT Cummins, Cognizant, Beyondcore, Mckinsey, Zensar, Cisco, Canon, HP, Intel, Educomp, Deloitte, HSBC, Metalogic, Wipro, etc. the audience were appraised of the newer innovations in IT and its benefit to the masses. Mr. Arijit Sengupta, CEO, Beyondcore and Indian Ambassador to IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals) outlined the important measures taken by IAOP in certifying the aspirant organizations and individuals of outsourcing sector; hence decreasing costs of client organizations, prospective recruiters and also uplifting the employability factor. The themes hovered around India’s opportunities in leveraging its ICT potential, transforming the nation to a knowledge e-economy, etc.

A special session was focused on the improvement of the ICT scenario in the East and North-Eastern states of India. The sessions witnessed engrossing discussions, supported by thought provoking data, and the participative audience asked critical questions; thus leading to serious debates on certain issues; like “if government would incentivize entrepreneurship in underdeveloped areas for the cause of inclusive growth?”, etc. The need of using ICT for agriculture, education and healthcare were discussed in detail. The conclave ended with a lot of learning for the participants and in the concluding remarks, the chairman vowed to organize many similar events in future.

By:
Prof. Debajyoti Majumder
(Globsyn Business School)

Employee Engagement

2010-03-18T14:04:00.003+05:30

Employee engagement is a concept that is generally viewed as managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work. Engaged employees care about the future of the company and are willing to invest the discretionary effort. Engaged employees feel a strong emotional bond to the organization that employs them.

An organization’s productivity is measured not in terms of employee satisfaction but by employee engagement. Employees are said to be engaged when they show a positive attitude toward the organization and express a commitment to remain with the organization.
Organizations that believe in increasing employee engagement levels focus on:

Culture: It consists of a foundation of leadership, vision, values, effective communication, a strategic plan, and HR policies that are focused on the employee.
Continuous Reinforcement of People-Focused Policies: Continuous reinforcement exists when senior management provides staff with budgets and resources to accomplish their work, and empowers them.
Meaningful Metrics: They measure the factors that are essential to the organization’s performance. Because so much of the organization’s performance is dependent on people, such metrics will naturally drive the people-focus of the organization and lead to beneficial change.
Organizational Performance: It ultimately leads to high levels of trust, pride, satisfaction, success, and believe it or not, fun.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Tips for motivating employees

2010-03-08T09:52:00.001+05:30

Give recognition to your employees
Treat them with mutual charm, dignity and respect
Be dispassionate and objective in your actions
Do not unduly enlarge one employee at the detriment of the other
Take care of employees' career path
Applause for major accomplishments
Inculcate teamspirit
Implement contests that earn your employees time off
Observe pizza/popcorn/cookie/rose days
Spend time evenly with each team member
Give on-the-spot praise
Never howl, scream or denigrate any team member in public view

Contibuted By:
Prof. DP Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Management Lessons from 3 - Idiots Movie

2010-02-26T10:37:00.003+05:30

Never Try To Be Successful Success is the bye-product. Excellence always creates success. So, never run after the success, let it happen automatically in the life.
Freedom To Life Don’t die before actual death. Live every moment to the fullest as you are going to die today night. Life is gifted to humankind to live, live & live @ happiness.
Passion Leads To Excellence When your hobby becomes your profession and passion becomes your profession. You will be able to lead up to excellence in the life. Satisfaction, pleasure, joy and love will be the outcome of following passion. Following your passion for years, you will surely become something one day.
Learning Is Very Simple Teachers do fail. Learners never fail. Learning is never complicated or difficult. Learning is always possible whatever rule you apply.
Pressure At Head Current education system is developing pressures on students’ head. University intelligence is useful and making some impact in the life but it cannot be at the cost of the life.
Life Is Emotion Management Not Intelligence Optimization Memory and regular study have definite value and it always helps you in leading a life. You are able to survive even if you can make some mark in the path of the life. With artificial intelligence, you can survive and win but you cannot prove yourself genius. Therefore, in this process genius dies in you.
Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention Necessity creates pressure and forces you to invent something or to make it happen or to use your potentiality. Aamir Khan in this film, 3 idiots, is able to prove in the film by using aqua guard pump at the last moment.
Simplicity is Life Life is need base never want base. Desires have no ends. Simplicity is way of life and Indian culture highly stresses on simple living and high thinking, and this is the way of life: ‘Legs down to earth and eyes looking beyond the sky’ .
Industrial Leadership Dean of the institute in 3 idiots is showing very typical leadership. He has his own principles, values and ideology, and he leads the whole institute accordingly. This is an example of current institutional leadership. In the present scenario, most of the institutes are fixed in a block or Squarish thinking.
Importance Of One Word In Communication If communication dies, everything dies. Each word has impact and value in communication. One word if used wrongly or emphasized wrongly or paused at a wrong place in communication what effect it creates and how is it affected is demonstrated very well in this movie.
Mediocrity Is Penalized Middle class family or average talent or average institute is going to suffer and has to pay maximum price in the life if they do not upgrade their living standards. To be born poor or as an average person is not a crime but to die as an average person with middle class talent is miserable and if you are unable to optimize your potentiality and die with unused potentiality then that is your shameful truth. One should not die as a mediocre. He/she has to bring out genius inside him/her and has to use his/her potentiality to the optimum level.

Contributed By:
Ms. Ipsita Patranabis
(Globsyn Business School)

Pix Source: www.idiotsacademy.zapak.com

Tips for achieving real success in life

2010-02-15T17:43:00.003+05:30

Place Almighty & your family as the first priority.
Aspire for success.
Dream big, think big, and think differently.
Trust in Yourself and your dreams.
Remove fear and circumspection.
Be fully committed and determined.
Do not procrastinate.
Consider failures as opportunities for learning.
Be self-motivatedIntrospect, improve and look forward.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Seven Steps to Personal Mastery

2010-02-05T18:47:00.000+05:30

by Gary Ryan Blair

Identify Your Three Greatest Accomplishments In 2009: Even if 2009 was a challenging year for you, odds are if you look close enough there's something somewhere to be proud of.
Analyze What You Learned from Each Accomplishment: Now that you have identified your three greatest accomplishments, go back to each one. This time though identify exactly what you learned or were reminded of by each of them.
Identify Your Biggest Disappointments of 2009: Practically every company and individual resists analyzing their mistakes. That's a shame because this is where the best learning comes from.
Analyze What You Learned from Each Failure or Disappointment: No matter how great everything in life is going - we all make mistakes. The trick here is to really analyze them, what preceded them, what could you have done differently, and how can you prevent them in the future.
Identify How You Limited Yourself and How Can You Stop It: Were there certain actions you took or didn't take that came back to haunt you? In order to make sure you don't limit yourself again - you need to bring these self-defeating actions to the surface, confront them, and most importantly determine what you must do differently to make sure you don't make the same mistakes all over again.
Pragmatically Review the Information You Have Gathered: The goal of this exercise is not simply to know yourself and your business better but to actually use the information to make certain 2010 far surpasses 2009. What are the big takeaways from answering each question? What do you know about yourself or your business that you didn't realize or weren't thinking about?
Obviously, having this list isn't going to do it all, you still need to take this new knowledge and USE IT! Fortunately, that's what the last step is centered around. And here it is...
Use This Information to Astonish Yourself in 2010: The purpose here is to build in to your schedule, your interactions, your management style or whatever else you've surfaced in the previous questions and build yourself a new better approach.

Source: excerpts from: an e-journal,Trans4mind

Effective Performance Appraisal

2010-01-25T17:31:00.002+05:30

Performance appraisal is one of the best motivation techniques for creating a positive attitude in the workplace - when it is handled properly.
Here are three tips:

Have a genuine interest in the person you are appraising. Get to know what makes them tick. What is their life like outside the workplace? What do they enjoy most? what is important to them?
Really listen to what they have to say. It is so easy to make assumptions. Do you take the time to ask your employees for their opinion? Would they come to you if something was bothering them?
Stay in a constructive, positive mindset even if they are expressing a lot of negativity and treat them with respect at all times.

Always critique the performance as and when necessary, but do not critique the person.. Remember, it is easy to 'Catch people Wrong"; however, try to 'Catch people right'. Let the workplace be filled with joy and stimulate urge for achievement without hurting anyone unduly.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Seven Steps to Personal Mastery

2010-01-13T12:00:00.002+05:30

By: Gary Ryan Blair
Source: Trans4mind

Identify Your Three Greatest Accomplishments In 2009: Even if 2009 was a challenging year for you, odds are if you look close enough there's something somewhere to be proud of.
Analyze What You Learned from Each Accomplishment: Now that you have identified your three greatest accomplishments, go back to each one. This time though identify exactly what you learned or were reminded of by each of them.
Identify Your Biggest Disappointments Of 2009: Practically every company and individual resists analyzing their mistakes. That's a shame because this is where the best learning comes from.
Analyze What You Learned from Each Failure or Disappointment: No matter how great everything in life is going - we all make mistakes. The trick here is to really analyze them, what preceded them, what could you have done differently, and how can you prevent them in the future.
Identify How You Limited Yourself and How Can You Stop It: Were there certain actions you took or didn't take that came back to haunt you? In order to make sure you don't limit yourself again - you need to bring these self-defeating actions to the surface, confront them, and most importantly determine what you must do differently to make sure you don't make the same mistakes all over again.
Pragmatically Review the Information You Have Gathered: The goal of this exercise is not simply to know yourself and your business better but to actually use the information to make certain 2010 far surpasses 2009. What are the big takeaways from answering each question? What do you know about yourself or your business that you didn't realize or weren't thinking about?
Obviously, having this list isn't going to do it all, you still need to take this new knowledge and USE IT! Fortunately, that's what the last step is centered around. And here it is...
Use This Information to Astonish Yourself in 2010: The purpose here is to build in to your schedule, your interactions, your management style or whatever else you've surfaced in the previous questions and build yourself a new better approach.

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

2010-01-05T19:48:00.000+05:30

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?'He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)
'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
''I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their GOD given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under GOD, because we live in the United States of America.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.'(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) 'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?'

Contributed By:

Ms. Soma Dey

(Senior Manager-HR)
Acclaris Limited.

HR Practices that make a difference

2009-12-21T13:20:00.002+05:30

Engaging a Global Workforce through Social Media and Networking:

Bringing together a global workforce through virtual forums - Sr. Leader Blogs, Podcasts, Online live chat sessions with Sr. Staff Members, Web Jam Sessions, Facebook etc.

Enabling Career Growth which is personalized & customized to an individual’s need:

Development Programs that go beyond formal classroom training and enable Action Learning.

Creating and sustaining a Great Place to Work:

Identifying the vectors that drive greatest value for the organization – depending on the composition of the workforce.
Flexibility that enables Work-Life Balance (Tele-commute, Flexible work spaces); Benefits that support employees’ life needs; A sense of fun and community at the workplace – largely employee driven.

Tapping into the energy and the need for volunteerism!...Enabling CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ISR (Individual Efforts).

Driving sensitivity to differences while enabling a unified Organizational / Corporate Culture:

Enable Articulation and Internalization of a corporate value system.
Awareness through training, tone at the top & middle, Intolerance towards discrimination, strict action for violations.

Enabling an environment that appreciates diversity:

Diversity in gender, in unique requirements.

Creating an Open and Direct Culture through:

Multiple two-way communication channels.
Holding leaders and Managers accountable through programs, process.
HR as a neutral player that acts as custodian of the organization’s long term interests.

Contributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication)
Acclaris Limited

Encash on training opportunities

2009-11-25T17:20:00.002+05:30

Take advantage of every training opportunity you get. And when you're about to attend a training program, make sure you get the most out of it by doing some of the following:

Prepare yourself ahead of time: List at least five specific questions you want answered at the program.
Use break time to network: Talk to your peers. Find out what have been the most important things they've learned in the seminar. And make lunch and dinner plans with as many different people as you can.
Exchange business cards: When you receive a card, put a note on the card that says something distinctive about the person who gave it to you.
Collect handouts from all the speakers: That even includes the sessions you couldn't attend. You're bound to pick up a nugget or two that you would have never learned otherwise.
Read your notes: Review them on your way home, and prepare a summary of what you experienced and what you learned.
Back at work, conduct a mini-seminar: Tell your coworkers what you learned.
Keep in touch with the speakers: Write to them ... asking any additional questions you might have. And ask where you can get more information if you need it.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Organizational Justice

2009-11-03T16:56:00.001+05:30

Organizational Justice ensures motivation to employees.

There are three forms of organizational justice as under:

Distributive Justice: This ensures equity in providing recognition to deserving employees.
Procedural Justice: This ensures providing rationale in connexion with the recognition provided.
Interactional Justice: This ensures meting out mutual charm and dignity to managees by a manager.

Obviously then, the three forms of justice above will improve the employer-employee relationship and the workplace will be a better environment for one and all.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

9 Secrets of Self Confident People

2009-10-26T15:03:00.003+05:30

Take an honest inventory of your insecurities: Sit down and really listen to that inner voice. What does it say about you? From regrets, weight, poor relationships and feeling unworthy, take an inventory by writing these thoughts down. Recognize that they are just insecurities.
Do not allow yourself to feel inferior: Fight against the urge to believe that the others around you are simply better than you. They are not. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.
Nobody is perfect: No matter how confident a person seems, nobody is perfect. In fact, it is our imperfections that make us unique. Stop focusing on perfection and instead learn to love yourself for your flaws.
Celebrate your successes: No matter who you are, there is something that you are good at. Take the time to find the things that you enjoy and are good at doing and then do them. If you have a green thumb, grow a garden and allow yourself to enjoy it. If you have a way with words, write poems or cards for the people you love and don't be afraid to give them out. This is a great opportunity to explore new interests and activities.
Always be grateful: Never forget to be thankful for what you have. Taking a moment during the day to consciously think of the things in your life you are thankful for is important.
Don't be negative: Self pity just makes things worse. When you are feeling negative, make an effort to think positively. Hating yourself or your life is self defeating. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about your job, take a few minutes to think of three positive things about it. Do this every time you have a negative thought. You may be surprised at how quickly you become a positive person and thinker.
Be gracious when you're complimented: Recognize that when people give you a compliment, they mean it, so be gracious and accept the compliment. Don't just shrug compliments off.
Smile: The physical act of smiling can actually make you feel better, so smile, a lot. Smile at yourself, smile at others and smile at nothing in particular. It is a great way to feel better.
Until you feel it, fake it: Just like the act of smiling can make you feel better, acting confident and happy will help you be happy and confident. Make an effort to be the happy and confident person you have always wanted to be. In no time at all, you will notice there is less pretending to be confident and more just being confident.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Source: Trans4mind:an e-magazine

Demographic Shifts in the Workforce - So what has changed?

2009-10-13T09:12:00.002+05:30

1. A different generation at work

This generation is aggressive, energetic and ambitious – they have high expectations of themselves and their organizations.

Open and Direct Culture.
Sense of community and a fun workplace -Need to engage not just professionally but also socially with people at work .
Work-Life Balance – but not the traditional concept.
Career Growth – not bound by notions of ‘loyalty to organization’.
Commitment to CSR.
A culture of high performance and high degree of professionalism.

2. More Women in the workforce

An Environment that is
Equitable – with respect to growth opportunities, rewards, remuneration, meritocratic
Intolerant of discrimination/harassment
Sensitive to women’s needs and safety
Work Life Balance through
o Flexible work options
o Benefits like child care, extended time off, etc

3. Globalized workforce: culture, nationality, norms. Large multinationals with workforce spanning across geos and cultures need to create

Cultural Sensitivity – Understanding of cultural differences and nuances.
A Unifying Corporate Culture – That enables different people to work together based on common values.
Fine Balance of Global and Regional Programs/Processes – to address local needs while keeping intact the organization’s core.

4. Fatigue & monotony setting in faster; people looking to move on to new roles faster.

5. Ability to take risks - with careers; opportunities have increased...so has willingness.

6. Demographics impacting the dynamics at work- age issues; gender issues.

Contributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication)
Acclaris Limited

The DNA of Right Mental Attitude

2009-10-07T16:55:00.002+05:30

Decide to be positive, no matter whatever is the adverse situation.
Surround yourself with GOOD people and material.
Avoid the negative triggers.
Use realistic and positive affirmations.
Take care of your health.
Rejoice and celebrate every day for good things that happen.
Stay focused and concentrate on your goals.

Once you start complying with the above, you will discover, your attitude has improved and you become acceptable by others.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

The Hemisphere Model of our Brain

2009-09-29T18:24:00.002+05:30

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Things to avoid in the workplace

2009-09-15T19:12:00.002+05:30

Here Are 9 Symptoms of a Dysfunctional Workplace:

People say one thing and mean another.
People give lip service to new ideas, only to undercut them in private.
Defensiveness.
Saying you'll do something and then not doing it.
Chaos.
Deflection of feedback and blame.
People pretending they "missed the memo on that one".
Refusal to deal with conflict.
Gossip and backstabbing.

Source: Trans4mind,an e-magazine

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Being Effective

2009-09-08T12:07:00.004+05:30

Reduce stress and increase your energy.
Improve your health and immune response.
Release negative emotion and increase core heart feelings.
Improve your concentration and mental clarity.
Develop a greater sense of inner guidance.
Experience yourself as a part of the One Life that we all share.
Relax your Body-Mind through Conscious Breathing.
Daily, Visualize Receiving The Prosperity You Desire.

Remember the following three quotes:

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure." - Oprah Winfrey

"The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." - William James

"When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears." - Anthony Robbins

Source: Trans4mind, an e-magazine

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Human Values, Ethics, Spirituality & Corporate Governance

2009-08-31T16:56:00.004+05:30

Human Values consist of all those values that are universally applicable to all people. These values relate to truth, righteousness, peace, love, compassion, harmony, non-violence and appropriate ethical humane behavior.
Ethics is concerned with the discipline of the right and wrong conduct of individuals.
Spirituality is the ability of an individual to understand the innate divine nature of the human self that can realize its potential to reach the “Higher Self”. This is also known as the spiritual quest.
Corporate governance is concerned with a set of relationships amongst the various sections of a company’s management, which include board of directors, shareholders and stakeholders. It lays down the structure and incentives for the board and management to pursue certain objectives, in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and thereby facilitates effective monitoring of the company’s operations.

Evidently, therefore, integration of human values, ethics, and spirituality would align the interests of investors and managers and ensure that business activities are conducted properly for the ultimate benefit of all classes of investors. This is what good Corporate Governance is all about. Good Corporate Governance means the extent to which companies are effectively functioning in an environment of integrity, honesty and transparency. Such governance always creates overall market confidence, ensures and enhances efficiency of national and international capital allocation and thereby productively and efficiently contributes to the nation’s progress welfare and wealth.

Examples are galore of companies which were at one point of time at the zenith of success but have ceased to exist now. Likewise, there are companies which have stood the test of time and stand above the rest through effective amalgamation of the three virtues in question. Perhaps the subject of human values, ethics and spirituality explains why certain companies gloriously perpetuate or unfortunately petrify. This may therefore be a research question for answers to ponder upon.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

SPIRITUAL ANALYSIS OF 'NAMASKAR'

2009-08-17T12:55:00.002+05:30

The word 'Namaskar' is derived from the root 'namaha', which means paying obeisance (Namaskar) or salutation.

By doing Namaskar to a deity or a Saint, unknowingly their virtues and capabilities are impressed upon our minds. Consequently we start emulating them, thus changing ourselves for the better.

By doing Namaskar the Deity's Chaitanya is absorbed to a greater extent by the body, as compared to other methods of doing Namaskar. This gives maximum distress to negative energies. The negative energies that have manifested in a person are unable to touch their thumbs at the mid-brow region in Namaskar.

Click here to read more about Namaskar

Ethnographic & Cultural Shifts in the current workforce

2009-08-11T18:51:00.002+05:30

It is important to understand some of the major cultural shifts happening amongst the current workforce primarily comprising of Generation Y. There are differences in opinions but in general the findings indicate that PaPR researchers highlighted three socio-cultural trends –

The new WE
The new ME
Plastic Time

The new WE

Blogs, wikis, and other Web 2.0 applications are revolutionizing the social order.
- The Internet is not just personal information-finding, but a place of action.
- People are coming together on and off-line to get something done: grassroots activism is among the winners in a Web 2.0 world.
In our collective experience is that we’ve found new ways to come together, more efficient and powerful, enabled by our current technologies.
We are not just passive web surfers, but social doers on- and off-line. The powerful actors are the collective, not the individual.

The new ME

Media has become MEdia – both on-line and off, we are the creation of our own creations and consumptions.
MEdia emphasizes media “expertise” as a cultural value to be performed.
- Facebook applications, YouTube videos, playlists…are all about who you are.
The expertise in media manipulation, practice & adoption that you demonstrate is more important than the content created.
There is a shift - In particular, youth do not see technology as a special category that enables something, but one of many material possibilities to create their own selves.

Plastic Time

Research first revealed that the issue of managing one’s own personal time zones was increasingly complex and fragmented - though this occurs differently in different parts of the world.
Your time is shrinking, yet somehow, you happen to know the latest post on your favorite website; A jet setting life style – but you still keep up with your blog postings & email;
Research showed that you are experiencing “plastic time.”
The experience of "plastic time" frames modern life—it is an experience that is highly interruptible; shrinking and expanding around immediate concerns; and interleaving through multiple activities.

Contributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication)
Acclaris Limited

Excellence

2009-08-05T10:34:00.002+05:30

A Gentlemen once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?"

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I will know it."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside. Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency...

Contributed By:
Debasree Chattopadhyay
(HR Executive - Kotak Securities Ltd.)

Core Virtues

2009-07-20T10:14:00.003+05:30

The handbook of Character Strengths and Virtues identifies six classes of virtue,-made up of twenty-four measurable character strengths, as shown below:

Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective.
Courage: bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality.
Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence.
Justice: citizenship, fairness, leadership.
Temperance: forgiveness and mercy, humility and modesty, prudence, self-regulation.
Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humour, spirituality.

Foregoing will create a positive psychological capital which will rest on: resilence,optimism, self-efficacy, and hope People will thus be healthier and happier, both physically and mentally.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Appreciation of employee sensitivities by HR professionals

2009-07-06T16:39:00.003+05:30

It goes without saying that the executives of HR departments in any organization will have to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of people working in the organization. This need arises from the various departments when there are performance, attitude and disciplinary issues.

But quite often the managers of various departments like production, projects, operations, mainteanace, marketing, sales, Finance etc., who are also to act as HR managers (as every manager is an HR manager) as they are the people who directly engage the employees as action happens at their end, stay away from employee sensitivities. For example, it is easy to brand an employee to be an under performer and condemn him or her easily rather than to get into the root cause of his poor performance. It is so because it is too tedious and difficult to get into whole issue relating to its background and to do root cause analysis. It beats the logic when we accuse an employee to be a low or poor performer especially when HR people along with the concerned functional professionals quite often boast of high quality recruitment and selection. A very few HR professionals facilitate the process of making the leaders/managers of line departments to appreciate the behavioral aspects of the employees, what do they expect in turn to deliver, what is causing them to slow down or fail etc. Mostly the problem is two-dimensional, one, employee’s internal aspects (his/her assertion, interpersonal skill, personality traits like introversion, sociability etc.,) and the other the external aspect i.e. interface with his manager based on qualities of manager (like his personality traits, aggressive, no-nonsense approach, expecting employee to be totally self managed with high self discipline and self reliance, viewing employee as a ready made resource to perform at peak always and thinking that employee is paid for such position, being very logical and always expecting employee to be highly dependable etc , without even caring to ensure developing the employee’s ability).

Unfortunately neither the manager will be a person of high understanding about the employee nor the employee will be an assertive and an extravert person. Employees mostly expect their bosses to understand their feelings well and treat them accordingly. Before we look into as to which boss has that kind of time to spare we should look into whether managers have that kind of competencies to appreciate the feelings and mentor the employee. The bosses are either ill equipped to handle this or they donot have time for these issues.

Quite often the technical managers or leaders are only designated as so because of their excellence in their technical work or performance. But they really lack managerial, leadership and human relational competencies. This can be even checked by looking into as to how many soft skills and behavioral skill training programmes they attended, forget about their acquiring the competencies in those areas.The fault is not theirs entirely and it depends upon several other factors like top management’s commitment to develop leadership, the promotee’s ambition to lead etc.

Another aspect is even if the employee is a high performer his performance can be affected adversely for the reasons like,

Any personal crisis
Lack of clarity in the career growth
Lack of higher aspirations
Mismatch of personal values and organizational values
Mismatch between organizational objectives and personal objectives
Family problems
Health problems
Behavioral/psychiatric problems
Addiction to alcohol, drugs, and sex
Perceived difficulty in taking up stressful assignments though capable
Imaginative difficulties when the job demands relocation due to transfer etc.

There can be varied reasons because of which the employee may not be comfortable in the organizational environment and his/her performance may go down.

Being specialists in HR the HR professionals are equipped to go deeper into the behaviors of employees and this specialized skill should be applied without fail.

To develop these skills a high aptitude on the part of HR professional should be developed.

Hence the following approach is suggested,

HR professional’s individual aspirations should be mapped.
A strong value system has to be developed to focus on treating people with dignity, sympathy and empathy.
Effective communication skills have to be in place, with focus on the ability to listen actively and with empathy.
Strong counseling skills have to be developed.
Should also take the role of a coach and mentor.
Should be able to use Johari window to guide the employees.
To appreciate and care for the feelings of fellow humans, sensitivity training is suggested though organizations like ISABS,ISISD etc.
Out bound training to HR professionals and line managers are suggested through organizations like Pegasus, near Bangalore.
The HR professionals should use their creativity to design out bound and semi out bound exercises and games.
HR professionals within the organization should be able to conduct the learning programs and
Should take the help of eminent HR senior professionals to conduct the specialized programs.

HR professionals should be prepared to appreciate the sensitive areas of organizational working. Hence there is a dire need to make the HR professionals in the organization to be trained on the practical aspects relating to the following ares. The list is not exhaustive but indicative.

Mapping the aspirations of all the employees in each department with regard to their career and suggesting goal setting process.
Basic motivational process and goal achievement process in the organization.
Knowing blocks to the goal, appreciation of failure, frustration and defense mechanisms.
Vision exercise for each department.
Values exercise.
Principles of coaching and counseling.
Helping employees in their personal crises.
Cases for discussion.
Communication and presentation skills.
Negotiation skills.
Stress management and conflict resolution skills.
Using emotional intelligence.

In light of the current day pressures on employees due to challenging environment, appreciating the employee sensitivity and dealing with it effectively is a matter of paramount importance. Hence the HR professionals should rise up to the occasion to facilitate higher employee performance through addressing the key issues of diagnosing the pain areas of employees in behavioral aspects and help the managers and leaders of all other departments in an organization.

Contributed By:
Dr. A. M. Rao
Head – HR
Satyam Ventures Engineering Services

How Honest Are You With Yourself?

2009-06-24T09:35:00.002+05:30

By Ron Balagot

"Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise." - Sigmund Freud

Have you ever asked yourself this question: "How Honest Are You With Yourself?"

Why is it so important to ask yourself this question? Because it could mean the difference between reaching your dreams and simply going around in circles (or always being confused why you're not getting anywhere). It could also mean the difference between getting what you "really" want and getting what "you only think" you want (meaning, you only think you want it, because deep down inside, others want it for you, and you want to please them).

If you think about it, if you're not completely honest with yourself in certain areas of life, you will not have the power (or will not be in the position) to change what's holding you back from success in those areas. Basically, if you don't admit to yourself that you're living a lie, you'll continue to live a lie. If you continue to deny the fact that you're being dishonest with yourself, you will not have the power to change the things that need to be changed.

On the other hand, the moment you become more honest with yourself, things will start to change. Positive things will start to happen. And it's because you will all of a sudden have the power to change things. Besides, not being your "true self," as well as pretending that you like doing certain things even when you don't, are tiring. Living a lie simply drains a lot of energy from you.

Could you please do me a favor and try a little exercise? Take a moment to answer the following questions and see how honest you are with your answers. In fact, after every question, ask yourself: "Am I being completely honest with myself about this?"

Is the career you pursued what you really wanted to pursue? (Or, did you only go in that direction because certain people in your life expected/wanted you to go in that direction and you didn't want to disappoint them?)
Can you honestly say that what you're doing in your life right now is what you know will bring you a great sense of fulfillment? (Or, were your decisions the ones that led to your present condition... influenced by what certain people will say? By how certain people - whose approval you seek - will react?)
Are you honestly taking the types of actions that will bring you closer to your goals? (Or, are you just keeping busy with non-productive activities so you can say to yourself and others that you're actually doing something?)
Are you saying YES to requests from certain people because that's what you really want to say? (Or, are you saying yes because you're too afraid to say NO for fear of losing the approval of those people? Or, are you also saying yes because it will allow you to procrastinate... to delay what you know you should be working on?)

Now, those are only a few questions but I'm sure you can come up with a lot more questions of your own. So, how did you "feel" about your answers? Did it feel like you were truly being honest with yourself? Like every fiber of your being was saying YES (without any opposing thoughts)? Or did you have that feeling in your gut telling you that you weren't being completely honest (where you could hear a tiny voice inside shouting out "LIAR!")?

You see, when you're not being true to yourself, something inside you doesn't feel right. And this affects many areas of your life in a negative way. You feel confused a lot of the times. You tend to procrastinate a lot (and tend to find ways to justify your behavior). You lack that sense of fulfillment you so desperately want. And more.

However, when you're honest with yourself, you tend to be more decisive. You feel more motivated to take action. You think more clearly. And you feel fulfilled in general (since you are more at peace with yourself... and are doing what you are supposed to be doing).

As you can see, your progress - and ultimately, your success - will be highly dependent on your ability to remain honest with yourself. I challenge you to take a closer look at your life and see which areas you are truly being honest in... and which areas you need to work on. Then act accordingly.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Source: Trans4mind

Two People Who Love Each Other

2009-06-11T14:41:00.002+05:30

By Gary Bate

They are two people who choose to come together to share minds and thus realities: to enrich their experiences of life.

They are mindful in their relationship and find reasons to come together rather than excuses to be apart.

They are clean, meaning they are not dragging any 'old partners' around with them. They realise that everyone else in their lives are only there because they want them to be there; otherwise they would be a distant memory.

They take responsibility for themselves, individually, and care for each other: leaving behind any compromises for financial advantage.

They live for their own truth and thus are not concerned by the opinions of others.

They have a sharing attitude - 'what's mine is yours'.

They never use or abuse each other but only give to one another.

They constantly move forward in their lives, individually and together.

They trust each other because they are brutally honest with each other.

They help each other grow and encourage each other, delighting in each other's achievements.

They work at letting go of controlling one another in favour of loving one another.

They view lovemaking as the natural extension of the ecstasy they experience from sharing on all levels rather than the reason for the relationship itself.

They value their intimacy and keep it sacred, excluding all others.

They know that when one can genuinely forgive then one can always find love whether for the other or for self.

They are flexible and tolerant because they understand that becoming absolutely truthful is a journey that doesn't 'just happen' overnight.

They are two people who love each other.

Contributed By:
Prof. Debaprasad Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

(Excerpts from an e-magazine: trans4mind)

The Law of the Garbage Truck

2009-06-04T15:56:00.003+05:30

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy; and I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.

Contributed By:
Debasree Chattopadhyay
(HR Executive, Kotak Securities Limited)

Strategy and SME Growth

2009-05-25T10:39:00.003+05:30

Often it is asserted that the field of strategic management lacks coherence and it is highly fragmented. However, there is research evidence to show how companies have achieved excellent performance and sustainable competitive advantage by implementing strategic plans.

Strategy primarily deals with issues of longterm implications. In recent years, business organisations have gained the power to predict the future with reasonable accuracy using various performance management systems and harnessing the tremendous increase in computingpower and communication technology. With this power, they can exploit the potential of the emerging scenarios.

Unfortunately, most Indian SMEs are either unaware of the power of these strategic frameworks or do not show any inclination to use them for strategic planning. As the tumultuous political and economic events of the present decade have made long-term planning a much more risky business, there is a real possibility of more small and medium firms staying away from strategic planning, notwithstanding the fact that except a relatively small number of firms in the knowledge sector, a majority of the Indian SMEs are still operating in environments where robability distributions of outcomes are knowable.

Click here to read the full article

Contributed By:
Prof. Abhijit Bhattacharya
(Dean - Globsyn Business School, Ahmedabad)

Training for SME Workers

2009-05-15T17:04:00.003+05:30

By smartly exploiting the opportunities created by the process of globalisation, a large number of Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been able to sharply increase their businesses, either as original equipment manufacturers or component suppliers or business and knowledge processes outsourcing (KPO) partners for multinational corporations (MNCs) as well as large Indian companies. In a world where technology and business models are changing very fast,sustainability and growth of the Indian SME segment in the coming days will primarily dependupon SMEs’ access to education and skill upgradation. The government has a major responsibility in providing such access as the private sector cannot be relied upon for this — hi-tech knowledge and skill generation is a timeconsuming process and the return on private investment may be less than the optimum level thanks to knowledge spill-over, high rate of technology obsolescence and some other factors.

Click here to read more...

Contributed By:
Prof. Abhijit Bhattacharya
(Dean - Globsyn Business School, Ahmedabad)

Office Etiquettes

2009-05-07T10:29:00.003+05:30

Successful people display a style that oozes charisma and dressing that speaks of power, authority, dependability, and attitude.

Clothes help to get close. So, always choose the right attire that is best suited for the occasion.
Trim nails and hair as this would add to your dressing style.
Look simple, yet elegant,-this would give a classy look.
Don't use vessels and utensils which make too much sound during eating.
Do not eat while working.
Prefer getting dry food as a lunch or dinner pack, as foods with gravy tend to be messy.
While using microwaves, be conscious that you don't keep others waiting for long.
Keep the space-table or desk clean.
Avoid filling water bottles from water dispensers at times when too many people need water,say, during lunch or dinner.
Above all, be courteous at all times whenever you deal with others, remember arrogance and being haughty are attributes of a 'weak' person.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Innovation in corporate governance

2009-04-28T19:42:00.001+05:30

By Prof. Abhijit Bhattacharya

It would be a mistake to see the current crisis of corporate governance triggered by the multi-billion swindles involving some iconic companies primarily through the prism of transparency and compliance. The failure of Sarbanes-Oxley and other stringent disclosure norms to control unbridled growth of corporate greed is a pointer to this.

The problem of ensuring good corporate governance has become knottier with increasing frequency of radical or disruptive innovations, especially in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector during the last couple of decades.

In the pre-ICT era radical innovations were comparatively less frequent. Often these innovations produced a series of incremental innovations leading to smooth growth of productivity for prolonged periods.

Click here to read the full article

Prof. Bhattacharya is the Dean of Globsyn Business School, Ahmedabad

Source: The Economic Times

Top Ten Ways to Show Appreciation to Employees

2009-04-23T17:36:00.004+05:30

By Susan M

You can tell your colleagues, coworkers and employees how much you value them and their contribution any day of the year. Trust me. No occasion is necessary. In fact, small surprises and tokens of your appreciation spread throughout the year help the people in your work life feel valued all year long.

Looking for ideas about how to praise and thank coworkers and employees? Here are ten ways to show your appreciation to employees and coworkers.

Praise something your coworker has done well. Identify the specific actions that you found admirable.
Say "thank you." Show your appreciation for their hard work and contributions. And, don't forget to say "please" often as well. Social niceties do belong at work. A more gracious, polite workplace is appreciated by all.
Ask your coworkers about their family, their hobby, their weekend or a special event they attended. Your genuine interest - as opposed to being nosey – causes people to feel valued and cared about.
Offer staff members flexible scheduling for the holidays, if feasible. If work coverage is critical, post a calendar so people can balance their time off with that of their coworkers.
Know your coworker’s interests well enough to present a small gift occasionally. An appreciated gift, and the gesture of providing it, will light up your coworker’s day.
If you can afford to, give staff money. End of the year bonuses, attendance bonuses, quarterly bonuses and gift certificates say "thank you" quite nicely. TechSmith staff receive a percentage of their annual salary for their end of year bonus.
Almost everyone appreciates food. Take coworkers or staff to lunch for a birthday, a special occasion or for no reason at all. Let your guest pick the restaurant.
Create a fun tradition for a seasonal holiday. ReCellular employees draw names for their Secret Santa gift exchange.
Bring in bagels, doughnuts or another treat for staff and coworkers. Offerings such as cookies or cupcakes, that you've baked personally, are a huge hit. (Have you tried baking cupcakes in ice cream cones? People love them.) Another hit? Bring chocolate - chocolate anything.
Last, but not least, provide opportunity. People want chances for training and cross-training. They want to participate on a special committee where their talents are noticed. They like to attend professional association meetings and represent your organization at civic and philanthropic events.

These are the top ten ways to show appreciation to employees and coworkers. Stretch your imagination. There are hundreds of other employee and coworker appreciation ideas just waiting to be found. They'll bring you success in employee motivation, employee recognition and in building a positive, productive workplace.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Source: An e-magazine: Trans4mind

General Competence Development

2009-04-17T09:04:00.000+05:30

In HR it is important to have a policy for developing competencies. Dreyfus and Dreyfus have introduced a language of the levels of competence development. The levels are:

Novice: Rule based behaviour, strongly limited and inflexible.
Experienced Beginner: Incorporates aspects of the situation.
Practitioner: Acting consciously from long term goals and plans.
Knowledgeable Practitioner: Seeks the situation as a whole and acts from personal conviction.
Expert: Has an intuitive understanding of the situation and zooms in on the central aspects.
Virtuoso: Has a higher degree of competence, advances the standards and has an easy and creative way of doing things.
Maestro: Changes the history in a field by inventing and introducing radical innovations.

The process of competence development is a lifelong series of doing and reflecting. And it requires a special environment, where the rules are necessary in order to introduce novices, but people at a more advanced level of competence will systematically break the rules if the situation requires it. This environment is synonymously described using terms such as learning organisation, knowledge creation, self organising and empowerment.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Two important thoughts to remember everyday

2009-04-09T09:48:00.004+05:30

Refuse to fill your time, your life or your brain with garbage. Read the best stuff. Talk with the healthiest, wisest, smartest, most challenging people you can. Attend the seminars and learn from the experts! Listen to great music and to the whisperings of your heart. Laugh a lot. Worship often, and be grateful.
Do what you love. You will make your biggest contribution when you passionately pursue your talents and use your strengths. Martin Luther King, Jr. did many great things, but perhaps his greatest moment came in Washington when he proclaimed, "I have a dream!" We all remember that, and millions have been inspired by it. What's your dream?

"There's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen." - Wayne Dyer

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Understanding the imperative linkage between Business Strategies and HRM Practices

2009-04-06T12:16:00.002+05:30

Understanding Strategic Human Resource Management practices in emerging economies is fast emerging as an area of special importance among academicians, researchers, HR professionals and others. Current research in this area tries to examine the nature of linkage between business strategies and human resource management. Existing literature also highlights the need for the formulation of an integrated and a mutually consistent set of HR practices in consonance with the business strategy of an organization, all aimed towards achievement of organizational objectives.

Central to this area of research study is an analysis of the issue of “fit” or integration between business strategy and HRM practices of an organization. This concept of “fit” has been analyzed from different perspectives. However, studies carried out in this area in emerging economies like India are almost negligible and inadequate.

Hence it is important to investigate the nature of linkage between business strategies and human resource management practices of organizations in various Industries in an emerging economy like India with a special thrust to IT/ITeS sector. The vast contribution made by this sector in development of the Indian economy by providing employment to a large number of unemployed youth, developing infrastructural facilities, improving competitiveness etc. has made it an interesting subject for academicians, researchers and others. NASSCOM has predicted that India is going to experience a talent shortage of 500,000 by 2010 (Business Today, 2007). With the unprecedented rate of growth of the IT/ITeS sector and the turbulent business environment, the HR professionals in this sector have to grapple with several challenges of the industry and the business. As the firms in the IT/ITeS sector are confronting lots of challenges, it is high time for the HR professionals to make a paradigm shift from the conventional HR practices to contemporary HR practices to cope up with the ever changing demands of the vivacious industry. This calls for more emphasis on strategically aligned HR issues and need for a proactive role on the part of the HR professionals in the IT/ITeS Industry.

This understanding gets further validated in the recent IMA India’s Annual Human Resource (HR) Survey 2008-09 (IMA India is an Asia-focused business intelligence firm that provides enterprises with strategic research, business intelligence and market insights together with sound independent advice on various aspects of the operating environment) which came up with some startling strategic HR issues which indicates significant change in HR Paradigm -

“The role of the human resource function is defined by the environment in which businesses operate. As the global environment changes, the foremost concerns in HR in India have done a dramatic turnaround. Attrition is no longer as much of a concern as the management of talent. Managing compensation is now less of an issue than employee motivation and productivity, necessitating that corporations increase their focus on the human resource issue as one of extreme strategic importance.

Over the course of the past decade, HR and the management of talent has been identified as the greatest challenge facing businesses in the country. Going forward, the texture of this debate – as indeed, the challenges in HR – are set to change as the paradigm of operation shifts from rapid growth to sustenance mode where productivity and high motivation will be key to success. Retention strategies, the creation of leadership skills, and compensation structures linked to performance remain amongst the most important issues of focus.”

Contributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication)
Acclaris Limited

Vedanta pill for US crisis

2009-03-31T09:42:00.002+05:30

By K. P. Nayar

Houston, Feb. 4: The second fastest growing county in America, Harris County of Texas, is offering downturn-affected US corporations a model that combines Indian spiritualism and business.

A trade delegation from the Greater Houston area that visited India recently began its mission with an unusual weekend at the Vedanta Academy in the picturesque hills of Malavali, 108km from Mumbai.

Stress among CEOs and other business leaders has been identified in recent months as a fallout of the financial crisis that is threatening US businesses even as doctors and counsellors across America have reported a steep rise in their corporate clientele. More...

Contributed By:
Prof. R. C. Bhattacharya
(Director - Globsyn Business School)

Source: The Telegraph

Strategic Leadership in the Turbulent Environment: The People Management Perspective

2009-03-26T09:17:00.003+05:30

Dear Students,

NIPM (National Institute of Personnel Management) recently deliberated on the above subject in a CEO's Conclave and the following points emerged therein:

Improvement of communication to promote leadership courage and conviction by weaving a story of success.
Removing the sense of panic/fear/scare.
Keeping the morale of the employee high.
Ensuring leadership is felt/focused in all operations-HR preparedness.
Cutting down hiring/wage costs as a symbolic measure.
Restricting international mobility-resorting to video/teleconferencing.
Aligning right people for the right work.
Promoting creativity/innovation-people dimension.
Keeping the long-term strategic HR planning/vision intact.
Organizing/Training/Retraining so as to make it more useful for production.
Efficiently deploying manpower/assets.
Introducing productivity/performance linked incentive scheme-giving rewards, recognition and benefits.
Increasing per capita productivity of the employee-(Output per hour worked).
Organizing training/workshop for non-performing blue-collar workers.
Trying to decline "absenteeism" to a zero level.
Engaging People through cross-functional teams.
Injecting Talent & Succession Planning.
Hiring talent otherwise unavailable based on reality and optimism.
Becoming a True Human Being.

So, check on the above while you are at work.

Best wishes,

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

CSR – Today’s Perspective

2009-03-23T10:02:00.003+05:30

In contemporary management literature, the issue of alignment of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with the core business to ensure that the same is meaningful and sustainable on a long term basis has been highlighted. Presently, many organizations believe that CSR is the extension of their business and vice versa and that good CSR has to be sustainable and should create long term impact even in small dimensions.

It is important for Organizations to ensure that their respective CSR model are in line with the strategic initiative and should align the core business needs of the organization with a relevant ISR (Individual Social Responsibility) angle. The model should address some of the key differentiators for the Company such as Sourcing, Readiness, Cost, Retention, Redundancy etc which are the core ingredients of any business as this is the key to make it sustainable and value driven for the Organization.

To me a model is long term and sustainable only when it teaches to fish instead of giving fish as this is one of the biggest challenges with most of the CSR initiative around us. In addition a model should also help us to reach out to a larger mass providing direction in life which maybe negligible as of now but certainly rewarding in the days to come considering the impact it will have on several families directly and indirectly.

The scale of a model at the beginning can be small but it should be scalable and replicable for a large section of the society. However one should start with an idea however small it maybe as referring to what Mr. Robin Sharma said in his book “Who will cry when you die?” “The smallest of action is always better than the noblest of intention.”

Contributed By:
Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President - HR & Corporate Communication)
Acclaris Limited

5 Ways to Deal with the Negative People in your Life

2009-03-18T09:57:00.004+05:30

By Lori Radun

"It is easier to avoid the effects of others' negativity when we question if an action or attitude is appropriately directed at us. If it isn't, we can choose to sidestep it and let it pass." - Sue Patton Theole.

Dear Students,

Have you ever been faced with trying to stay positive when others around you are negative? Negative people can be a challenge to be around. They will bring you down and drain your energy. A negative person can throw your best laid plans to be positive right out the window. Whether your child or spouse has an occasional negative day or you deal with a family member, friend or co-worker that is chronically negative, there are things you can do to remain positive in the face of negativity.

Let the Negativity Pass

Whatever you do, do not argue with a negative person. Arguing only adds fuel to the fire. A negative person will feed off any negativity that will strengthen his mood or attitude. I have noticed when my children are in a crabby mood, it is best to avoid trying to convince them to analyze and adjust their attitude. As soon as I take the approach of being in opposition with them, they seize the opportunity to prove to me that life stinks. Their negativity intensifies and the situation gets worse before it gets better. Sometimes the best approach is to remain silent and let the negativity pass.

Negative People Need Love

You know how difficult it can be to give love and positive attention to negative people. Unfortunately, that is often exactly what they need. Deep inside that mean and critical person is a person that is usually afraid he or she is unlovable. It is our challenge to rise above the negative attitude and love the injured person inside. How do you show love when someone is negative? You must listen to what she is trying to tell you. Acknowledge the feelings she has by saying something like, "You sound very angry right now". Even if you don't quite understand the person's feelings, know that your reality is different than someone else's. Ask how you might help the negative person. This shows legitimate interest in her happiness. Offer a hug even if you get rejected. Remember not to take a rejection of your love personally. A negative person often has difficulty receiving love from others.

If you've ever lived with a teenager, you know it can be an emotional roller coaster. My teenager is no different. One day he is a loving and happy young man; the next day he acts mean and grumpy. On these days, his self esteem and confidence is waning. As he searches to feel good about himself, he takes his struggles out on his family. In these moments, my son needs to know he is lovable. When I acknowledge his pain, he is more apt to open up to me and share what's truly on his heart. The negative feelings inside him are released because I am able to listen and love.

Set a Time Limit with Negative People

You have two minutes to complain and then time is up. Negative people need boundaries and giving them a time limit lets them know you will only tolerate a small amount of negativity. Check your watch and allow them to vent for two minutes. At the end of two minutes, tell the person it is time to focus on solutions or stop complaining. Play a game with your negative friend. Take turns coming up with solutions to her problem. Brainstorm together until you have at least 10 solutions. If your friend doesn't like this idea, simply excuse yourself from the conversation.

Stay Away from Negative People

If you have negative people in your life that are critically affecting your mental and physical health, you need to evaluate whether or not you want these people in your life. Some people are so chronically negative that you have no other choice but to remove them from your life. It's possible to do that with friends. You can find another job if your boss or other co-workers are bringing you down. Other people, such as children and spouses, are more difficult to remove from your life. In this instance, professional counseling may be the answer. To protect your well being, you need to enforce very strong boundaries with negative people.

Keep Your Own Negative Thoughts and Behaviors in Check

If you do nothing else but focus on managing your own negative thoughts and behavior, you will come a long way towards remaining positive. A negative attitude is contagious, but a positive attitude is infectious as well. Hang out with positive people that encourage you to be your best self. Use positive affirmations to overcome negative self-talk. Express your gratitude for all the positive things in your life. Take the time everyday to watch all the beautiful things going on around you. Read inspirational material and listen to joyful music. Take care of yourself spiritually. Do whatever you have to do to remain positive and happy despite the negativity you face. The world will be a better place because of you and your attitude. And you never know; you just might help a negative person make a change to a better way of living.

Best wishes,
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Source: An e-magazine: Trans4mind

Thinking 'out of box'

2009-03-13T17:18:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

Are you keen to stimulate your 'out of box' thinking skills?

Try out the following:

Solve crosswords and puzzles within a stipulated time.
Cultivate ambidexterity. Switch hands for knife and fork.
Close your eyes, during dinner, and try to identify food on your plate only by smell, taste and touch.
Learn to mind-map.
Write down your ideas, thoughts and observations.
Play computer brain games.
Create a joke.
Keep an idea bank.
Learn a foreign language.
Spell long words backwards.
Change your physical-setting.
Start a blog.
Learn a musical instrument.
Get in touch with nature.
Relax.
Surround yourself with unlike-minded people too.
Develop your reading skills.
Find metaphors to illustrate a concept.
Manage stress.
Explore different routes to reach your destination.

Best wishes,
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Essentials of an Ideal Boss

2009-03-09T13:37:00.004+05:30

Dear Students,

I am sure all of you would like to be termed as a good boss in an organisation.

This raises the question, "What are the essentials of an ideal boss?"

Here is a checklist in terms of "Do's" and "Don’ts".

Don'ts:

Never belittle an employee in public.
Never take credit for something an employee did.
Never cause fear to employees.
Never be a " no excuse allowed type".
Never shout or yell at employees.
Never try to humiliate an employee as punishment.
Never play favorites.
Never try to meddle into everyone's work for quality.

Do's:

Correct employees in private.
Try to give employees full credit for what they do.
Start building a caring image.
Clearly define job duties and deadlines.
Speak to employees with respect.
Provide feedback and training fror problems on the job.
Treat all employees fairly and equally.

Best wishes,
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Tips on Stress Management

2009-02-27T09:35:00.003+05:30

Dear Students,

Take a time out. Walk slowly and without purpose. Don't worry about walking "to get somewhere and fast." It doesn't have to take long - but get away from the environment for a few minutes every hour or two if possible.
As always, watch your diet. Try to eat sensibly and stay away from the over processed foods that do nothing to help the body.
Use good posture. Slouching catches up with the back and the rest of the body in painful ways.
Practice deep breathing. The body needs this oxygen. This can be done anywhere and can become a great habit after awhile.
Give your fingers a break too. Stop typing - and stretch your fingers for a few seconds. Breathe in deeply, and imagine the stress leaving your body through your finger tips as you exhale.
Feeling better already? Finally, leave work at work. Trust me, it'll be there tomorrow and nothing productive will come from reliving the entire work day on your drive home. Meditate to some peaceful music instead.

Best wishes,
Prof.D.P.Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Parkinson's Law of Prof. Cyril Northcote Parkinson

2009-02-23T16:53:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

Have you heard of Parkinson's law?

'WORK EXPANDS SO AS TO FILL THE TIME AVAILABLE FOR ITS COMPLETION'

This is, in brief, Parkinson's law.

In time, however, the first-referenced meaning of the phrase has dominated, and sprouted several corollaries for example, the derivative relating to computers:

Data expands to fill the space available for storage.

A second aphorism, attributed to Parkinson and sometimes called "Parkinson's second law", is "expenditures rise to meet income".

"Parkinson's Law" could be generalized further still as :

The demand upon a resource tends to expand to match the supply of the resource.

An extension is often added to this, stating that the reverse is not true.

This generalization has become very similar to the economic law of demand that the lower the price of a service or commodity, the greater the quantity demanded.

Interesting, isn't it ?

Best wishes,

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

Avoiding Procrastination of Work

2009-02-18T12:12:00.005+05:30

Dear Students

I recently read a book on how to avoid procrastination of work and I thought it would be good to share some ideas with you.

Plan on paper – Whatever you have to do should be listed out on a piece of paper. The activity may be big or small but should be taken down in writing.

Identify the most important task – This task should be something that is very important for your career/job. Unfortunately, this is the job, which we generally procrastinate on. For students, this may be an activity like reading newspapers, being regular with studies, attending seminars etc.

Begin straight away – Without having a second thought, start working on this activity straight away. At the start, it appears very daunting. Just begin one step at a time. As you get along the flow, you will find the going much easier and smoother. The better the progress, the more energy you will have to finish it even faster.

Do this consistently every day – The more you practice this, the more you will become better at this and soon you will realize that you can get a lot of important things done fast and efficiently.

Just try this out sincerely and check out the results for yourself.

Best Wishes
Dr. Meenakshi Khemka
(Globsyn Business School)

Murphy's Law

2009-02-16T14:36:00.003+05:30

Dear Students,

In its simplest form, Murphy's Law states: If anything can go wrong, it will. However, as with many successful business theories, the original law has been extended over time to cover specialist areas, several of which are given below:

Project Planning: If anything can go wrong, it will. Usually at the most inopportune time.
Performance Management: If someone can get it wrong, they will.
Risk Assessment: If several things can go wrong, the one you would LEAST like to happen will occur.
Practical creativity: If you can think of four ways that something can go wrong, it will go wrong in a fifth way.

By applying Murphy's Law, and expecting the unexpected, you can remain in control throughout a week that would otherwise have proved to be very stressful. Try it yourself today!

Best wishes,

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

The Path of Authenticity

2009-02-10T13:36:00.004+05:30

By Melody Larson

What does it mean to live authentically? Authenticity holds a power that is almost mystical in nature. It's magnetic and we long for it now more than ever. Why? My view is that authenticity opens the doorway to a life of spirit. What does the path of authenticity look like? Let's explore the seven stepping stones that lead to a life of freedom and joy.

FIRST STONE: Be happy for no reason. There's nothing you need to become, nothing that needs to happen, in order for you to be happy. Happiness is simply a choice. Let go of the 'when/then' game: When I lose 10 pounds, then I'll be happy. When I'm in that perfect relationship, then I'll be happy. Here's the deal: Happiness doesn't come when you've achieved your goals--it's what allows you to achieve them. The happiness that you seek is not the reward waiting for you at the end of your journey. It's what makes the journey possible in the first place.

SECOND STONE: End the blame game. Do you blame others for the way your life has unfolded or is unfolding? Is it the fault of your childhood, your spouse, your boss, or the current state of world affairs that you are not happy? Are you giving away your power by seeing yourself as a victim? To become empowered you have to take responsibility for yourself and for the way your life is going. No person or event can determine the shape of your life unless you allow it. You allow it when you choose the safety of powerlessness over the risk of self-determination. The only failure in life is not choosing for yourself how you're going to live it. When you choose responsibility, a glorious thing happens: You stop living life in half measures and your life blooms in all its richness.

THIRD STONE: Simplify. Authenticity has a very hard time flourishing in the weed-strewn soil of complexity. You must pull out the weeds and make space for your soul desires to flourish. Simplifying involves ridding yourself of materials, activities, and people that drain or scatter your energy. Clutter is the most visible sign of an overgrown life. Go through your stuff and clear out everything that you don't use or that doesn't please you emotionally. After you've cleared some physical space, see if you can free up some time. Without time to slow down and connect to your heart, you won't be able to hear its whisperings. Finally, you've got to rid yourself of people who are toxic to you, who weigh you down instead of uplifting you. When you've cleared a clean, fertile space in your life you can plant the seeds of your authenticity and cultivate your passion.

FOURTH STONE: Relish being selfish. Oh no, I used the 'S' word! We've been told for so long that being selfish is bad. If you stop to think about it, anyone who says so is probably saying it out of a selfish desire for you to follow their rules! If you want to live freely you have to become selfish. There is nothing wrong with serving the Self. You have to put your own needs and desires above everyone and everything precisely in order to serve everyone and everything. It's exhausting to try to be all things to all people. You were never meant to apply your energy in this scattering way, but to concentrate your energy into the singular expansion of your own genius and uniqueness. Selfishness in the highest sense of the word is about being yourself so fully that you can share yourself fully with others.

FIFTH STONE: Do your healing work. Healing work is about confronting the habits, hurts, and fears that keep you living small. When you allow the fullness of who you are to step into the light, healing happens. The need for escapism, cures, and self-destructive habits diminishes. When you let go of any guilt, pain, anger, or unworthiness that you're experiencing you open up the channel of effortless being. Universal Energy can flow through and you become the instruments of spirit you were meant to be. There are many practices for doing healing work, from therapy to EFT to prayer. Find what works for you and commit to shifting any beliefs or feelings that are holding you back.

SIXTH STONE: Cultivate compassion. Compassion is a profound human emotion. It pulls us out of egocentrism, enabling us to experience oneness with another and with all things. This is another facet of authenticity because compassion removes the ego's false gods of competition, morality and judgment from their thrones. It allows us an expanded view of the world--as spirit sees it. There is nothing more freeing than allowing others their choices, than supporting them instead of trying to change them, or than honoring their own ability to guide themselves.

SEVENTH STONE: Hand over your keys. We've all heard the adage of surrendering to a higher power, of "letting go and letting God." The key here is to realize that this higher power is not something outside of you, it's within you. Surrender, then, is not powerlessness. Surrender is about turning over the driver's seat of your life to your soul--to the full, intelligent, powerful, creative being that is the true you. It's about freeing yourself from the reckless driving of your personality that keeps crashing you into one dissatisfying conundrum after another or that keeps speeding you right past all those lovely, magical roadside attractions. When you let your soul guide you, you surrender to the need to reach any destination, knowing that wherever you are in the moment is perfect.

The path to an authentic life is a journey inward to our inner being instead of outward into the world. It's about claiming the power within us instead of seeking our power externally. Authenticity means honoring the self, not the self-image. It means listening to soul rather than to ego. It allows our hearts, so long shushed by our intellects, to finally speak.

Contributed By:
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Source: Trans4mind

Change in Business – Implications of HR Globally

2009-02-06T10:14:00.002+05:30

The business has possibly undergone the most varied change in the recent times due to several factors which are unique and dynamic in nature. The five most important factors as identified by Prof Dave Ulrich are – Globalization, Technology, Demographics (Customer: inside and outside), Organization response and Implications of HR.

In case of Globalization some of the key indicators has been – Emerging Markets (India & China), More worry about security post (9/11), Concern about trade barriers, tariffs, exchanged rates and global information, last but not the least Global R&D, manufacturing, distribution, customers, marketing brands etc.

In terms of Technology the areas has been connectivity, accessibility, collaboration 24/7, direct channels for distribution, uncertain future. As for Demographics (inside) it is all about mobility, diversity, personalization, and aging population in west, increasing affluence in east.

For Demographics (outside) the literacy, attitude and values of customers, disposable income increasing, attitudes and expectation, value perception, “Feature Lead” upgrading and the biggest of all having greater choice.

The Organizational change has been through various factors like talent, accountability, change, service, innovation, Leadership brand, culture/shared mindset, strategy execution, integration, collaboration and speed.

With all the above changes in our business there has been a major implications on HR which are – HR is part of value equation, 80% of CEO’s role, collaborating Competence, Commitment and Contribution, transactional to transformational and thus being the only business differentiator.

The above changes have redefined the role and responsibility of HR in the over all business perspective. To be more precise the implications on HR are with the Practices, Department and Professional.

In terms of practices the key focus areas is to align HR with strategy in terms of customers and investors apart from helping in Integration and Innovation.

For HR department there are increased financial demands by investors for Organizational performance. Transaction work and Transactional work to the proportion required. To manage the above scope for practices and department the HR professionals require new competencies on a regular basis to be successful in various roles as – Credible Activist, Culture & Change Steward, Talent Manager, Strategy Architect, Operational Executor and Business Ally.

Contributed By:
Mr. Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President-HR & Corporate Communication, Acclaris)

Effective HR Due Diligence

2009-02-02T09:35:00.004+05:30

Dear Students,

It is essential that a HR Manager identifies the right issues so as to carry out effective HR due diligence in organization.

Given below are the areas which she/he can address:

Compare terms & conditions of employment and salary scales.
Understand the skills of present HR team-are they adequate to coordinate proposed changes to the business?
Understand the organizational structure.
Identify what is required in terms of manpower plan to achieve the business strategy
Identify key personnel-to what extent is the necessary knowledge & skill vested in staff critical to running the business?
Identify which job descriptions need to be changed.
Compare ways of working and identify differences which need to be addressed.
Is the organization unionized or does the employee representation group have negotiations rights, and if so, what do these rights include?

Best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay

(Globsyn Business School)

The Peter Principle in Management

2009-01-27T09:41:00.001+05:30

Dear Students,

The Peter Principle formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull is the principle that "In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence."

It holds that in a hierarchy, members are promoted so long as they work competently. Sooner or later they are promoted to a position at which they are no longer competent (their "level of incompetence"), and there they remain. Peter's Corollary states that "in time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out his duties" and adds that "work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence".

One way that organizations attempt to avoid this effect is to refrain from promoting a worker until he or she shows the skills and work habits needed to succeed at the next higher job. Thus, a worker is not promoted to managing others if he or she does not already display management abilities. The corollary is that employees who are dedicated to their current jobs will not be promoted for their efforts but might, instead, receive a pay increase.

Peter pointed out that a class, or caste (social stratification) system is more efficient at avoiding incompetence. Lower-level competent workers will not be promoted above their level of competence as the higher jobs are reserved for members of a higher class. "The prospect of starting near the top of the pyramid will attract to the hierarchy a group of brilliant (higher class) employees who would never have come there at all if they had been forced to start at the bottom". Thus the hierarchies "are more efficient than those of a classless or equalitarian society".

In a similar vein, some real-life organizations recognize that technical people may be very valuable for their skills, but poor managers, and so provide parallel career paths allowing a good technical person to acquire pay and status reserved for management in most organizations.
Interesting, isn't it ?

Best wishes,

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

How to Secure your Job during Economic Slowdown

2009-01-20T09:50:00.003+05:30

Economic Slowdown or should I say ‘Recession’, a more popular term, is the time when companies become stringent & particular about low performance or no-performance. To avoid getting axed during such rough times here are some ways one may consider:

Contribute more than what is expected. Usually, what you are doing may be an input into someone else's job. Hence, try to understand what is done by them. Add some of that to your job, so that helps the other person save some time and thereby making the team more productive. One may as well try and do a part of your boss' work that would be even better.
However if you are trying to do your boss’ job, that your boss gets the credit - and don't undermine his authority or make him feel insecure not to mention hurt his ego.
In doing so the entire concentration of an individual should be to do something that helps the organization to build business.
It is quite possible that you may not be able to do 3 in that case you need to know people who can do that for your firm.
What if you don't know such a large diverse group of people? Build your network.
What if you can't do the above? There is a way out if you are good in written communication and your company does not have a comprehensive presence online, given that scenario you can talk to the Marketing and Corporate Communications team to start a social media initiative for the Company. Of course, don't expect an additional payment for it. However, if you do get paid look at it as a bonus!!
If none of the above can be done then there is still a way out, try and be as creative as you can in discharging your current role - be an innovator and getting more out of less, this is the best skill in an employee whether it is in recession or during boom times.
Keep learning, sharpening and developing your skills. If your organization trains you nothing like that. However, if it doesn’t than take the self study route.

Hope these suggested ways would help you ride the recessionary wave rather than it drowning you!!

Contributed By:
Param Shah
(Asst. Registrar - Globsyn Business School, Ahmedabad)

RBA (Resource Based Advantage)

2009-01-15T16:28:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

Organizations strive to create Resource Based Advantage (RBA) to sustain its position and excel.
RBA should specifically include the following four things:

Value (Cash)
Rarity(not easily available to others)
Non-Imitable (not easily copy-able)
Non-Substitutable ( not easily replaceable)

In view of the above, the key emerging themes in HR today, revolve around certain areas as under:

Focus on Productivity-raising the bar substantially
Non-linearity
Focus on Transformational Capabilities
Goals & Process Congruence
Building Global Capability
Strong Middle Management Capability
Strong employee engagement and focus on "A" talent
Diversity focus

Each of the above calls for 'out-of-the-box thinking' and working assiduously without any bias on hackneyed and stereotyped practices.

Best wishes,

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

Top 25 Careers to Pursue in a Recession

2009-01-12T16:28:00.003+05:30

If you want to recession-proof your career, the key is to focus on work that continues even when most people don't have disposable income to spend. So while consumers may not hit the mall as often, you can guarantee that people will continue to get sick, pay taxes and use energy. These are just a few of the careers and industries that can be expected to thrive in a down economy.

Health Care: People will always get sick — sometimes even more so when they don't have the insurance or money to take preventative measures or eat healthy food.

Energy: Although consumers are likely to cut back, they're not going to stop using energy. In fact, this industry may grow, as companies look for more efficient ways to deliver using less energy.

Education: No matter how dire the economy is, there are always jobs for teachers. Kids will still go to school, and many out-of-work adults may decide to continue their education.

Utilities: Just like the energy sector, it's safe to assume that people are not going to stop lighting their homes. So utility administration, maintenance and other related jobs should remain intact.

International Business: Even when the economy is doing poorly in the U.S., other countries may be doing well. So if you are involved in international business, you can expect your career to stay safe.

Public Safety: Police layoffs are very rare, especially at a time where public safety is threatened by desperate criminals. A career in public safety is almost guaranteed to be secure.

Funerals: Just like people won't stop getting sick, they'll continue to die as well, so as morbid as it is, morticians will always have customers.

Accounting: Death and taxes are a sure thing. In a recession, people and companies are likely to get desperate for more deductions and a hard look at their books.

Federal Government: Most federal-government jobs end only when workers retire.
Additionally, government services tend to step up in times of recession, so your chances of getting and keeping a government job are good.

Pharmaceuticals: As long as doctors prescribe them, people are still going to take drugs. So whether you're behind the pharmacy counter or in the lab, you can rest easy.

Sales: As a general rule, anyone who is a source of income for a company will be safe, so salespeople — especially in recession-proof industries — have little to worry about.

Military: The military is always hiring, especially during wartime. Also, consider that most of your living expenses are covered, so cost-of-living expenses are not really a concern.

Gambling: When times get tough, people seek an outlet. One of those outlets is gambling, especially because it offers a chance to turn financial troubles around.

Alcohol: Alcohol is another outlet for troubled times, so distributors and manufacturers in this industry will continue to thrive.

Politics: Even in a recession, public officials are still around earning tidy sums, which are often tied to the cost of living.

Skilled Services: Hair will always grow, and drains will always clog, so you can expect steady work in skilled services like plumbing and hairstyling.

Debt Management: Recessions mean crunch time for debtors, and they're sure to need some guidance.

Consulting: Recessions are crunch times for companies as well, and they're likely to bring in consultants for advice on efficiency and squeezing the most out of their resources.

Bankruptcy Law: It's sad, but true: As companies and individuals go bankrupt, they'll need a lawyer to help them work through it all.

Government Contracting: Despite money troubles, roads must be maintained and schools must be built. Contract your work out for government functions for job security.

Food: People need food to survive, and it's not likely that anyone is going to just stop eating — no matter how bad the economy gets.

Beauty, Health and Erotic Services: Regardless of a recession, people who enjoy being pampered will seldom give up the simple pleasures in life.

Debt Collection: As budgets get squeezed, people will fall behind on payments, and companies will look to debt collectors to recoup their costs.

Ultraluxury Items: If you're in a business that caters to the ultrarich, you can expect to be safe, as this type of consumer is likely to have measures in place to weather the recession.

Multifaceted Careers: If you don't put all of your eggs in one basket, you should be able to ride out a recession by relying on secondary income. So if you juggle a career that involves a regular job, plus other sources like online income, freelancing and investing, numerous failures have to happen before you're really in trouble.

Although today's job market may be bleak, there are some bright spots if you know where to look. While recessions hit some sectors hard, others go on like clockwork — or even experience growth. So whether you're hunting for a job or still feeling ostensibly secure, now is a good time to evaluate your options and consider one of the aforementioned recession-proof careers.

Contributed By:
Sunil Sony
Manager-Corporate Finance
Microsec Capital Limited

Salary grows at snail’s pace for execs

2009-01-05T14:48:00.003+05:30

Genext is suddenly learning to live within its means. As companies start trimming salaries with a chop-chop hurry, executives scramble to stay two steps ahead of bankruptcy.

Take Ritesh Kapoor (not his real name), a finance executive with a leading bank, who has just entered the school of hard knocks. With an annual salary of Rs 20 lakh and the promise of a hefty raise every year, he didn’t think twice before taking loans for a flat and a car. Then his world fell apart. Struggling with the credit crisis, his company decided on a salary cut. Repaying the loans is today Mr Kapoor’s biggest worry.

Mr Kapoor is just one of the hundreds of executives burning in the simmering economic crisis. “Employees in real estate, financial services, IT and related services (ITeS) should prepare themselves for salary cuts of up to 15%. The first quarter of 2009 will see major cut in compensation levels and lower pay hikes,” said Kris Lakshmikanth, chief executive of recruiting firm Headhunters India. The salary growth looks worse on a global scale. The latest International Labour Organisation report forecasts that wages will grow at best 1.1% in 2009 — down from 1.7% clocked in 2008. More...

Contributed By:
Indrani Kar
(Knowledge Cell - Globsyn Business School)

The generations at the workplace

2009-01-01T10:15:00.001+05:30

Dear Students,

Demographic change is an important area to address in today's organizations.

The generations at the workplace can be broadly segregated as under:

Generation Bharat (Born 1960-1975): Characterized by collectivism, conformity, stronger family values, not to question authority, belief that higher education is the only way to success, lack of optimism, deep-seated economic insecurity, cynicism, lack of empowerment.

Generation India (Born 1975-1990): Characterized by high confidence to process information very fast, urge to develop a career fast, tendency to be given high responsibility, individualism, impatience, boldness, tendency to overestimate themselves (arrogance of ignorance), tendency to expect employer to adapt to them, roaming in cynicism-optimum paradigm, living in duality.

Generation Globalised India (Born>1990): Characterized by awareness of the world environment-consciousness, high technology – literacy, multi-tasking ability, urge to grow up fast, disrespect for elders authority, lack of proper models and reference, high self-confidence, optimist by nature and sees plurality as a way of life.

Needless to mention, the workplace will also contain ' Pre-Generation Bharat' people (born <1960).

The success of HR therefore, lies in navigating through the above sets of people effectively, integrating their "human variables" (culture, values, etc.) with "organization variables"(goals, policy, etc.) smoothly.

Best wishes & season's greetings for a happy & prosperous new year!

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

The C-LEAD Model of Leadership for Business

2008-12-29T11:13:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

Have you heard of the C-LEAD Model of leadership ?

Here it is:

C stands for Collaboration: Ability to work across boundaries, businesses, locations, engaging others, earning trust

L stands for Learn: Internally-driven & ability to see the context in which things change, develop self & others

E stands for Execute: Getting things done, demystify passion, empowering teams

A stands for Accelerate: Keeping pace, staging strategy

D stands for Disrupt: Evolving new business models by discarding old ones if these have become outdated

The above will help create a high-performing culture in an organisation.

Best wishes,

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

Talent Engagement & Development (TED)

2008-12-26T09:36:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

The acronym: TED, which stands for Talent Engagement & Development in an organisation, rests on the following 4 pillars:

Building Commitment.
Building Culture.
Building Competence.
Building Systems.
What does each of these entail ?

Given below are the ingredients:

Building Commitment:

Sense of purpose.
Competitive pay & benefits.
Rewards & recognition.
Challenging assignments.

Building Culture:

Shared values.
Performance Focus.
Communication.
Participative style.
Fun & Celebrations.

Building Competence:

Human Resource Planning.
Talent Induction.
Talent Building.
Leadership Development.

Building Systems:

Performance Management System.
IT Enabled System.
Organisation Introspection & Renewal.
Quality Systems

Foregoing will help HR in truly shaping the future of an organisation.

Best wishes,

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

Non-Financial Rewards

2008-12-22T09:31:00.004+05:30

Dear Students,

Non-Financial Rewards are excellent supplements to Financial Rewards. Such practices of institutionalising non-financial rewards provide 'psychological income' to employees and the improve their quality of work place life.

Given below are a few non-financial rewards:

Appreciation Letter.
Star of the month.
Employee of the Year.
Excel Awards.
Celebrating achievement of milestones.
National Level Awards.
Long Service Awards.
Cultural evening.
News Letter/House Journal.
Informal get-together, picnics.
Continuous training & development opportunities throughout career.
Sports Competition.
Clubs.
Medha Pratiyogita (Quiz).
Involving families ("Connect" family).
Respect & Fair Treatment.
Good working environment.
High Impact Touch Points (Birthdays).
Straight Talk.
"Buddy Program".
1-on-1 Supervision.
"Theatre" (for bringing out latent talents of employees through "fun-and-learning" on a particular theme).
Shadow Boards (young people mix-up with senior managers in formal meetings).

Remember, an organisation should be driven more on "Value of purpose" than on "Value of performance". More so, HR is the "conscience-keeper' of business. So, the onus of creating a 'value of purpose-based organisation' rests on HR.

Best wishes,

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

Degree & Type of "Fit" while Linking HRM to Strategy

2008-12-16T09:54:00.003+05:30

Dear Students,

There are 5 fits which are to be ensured while linking HRM to Strategy. This is also known as Guest's Ordering, as under:

Fit as Strategic Integration:
- Make a choice of how to respond to & interact with the environment.
- The HRM Strategy & Practice must match the response (Performance Specific & Externally Oriented).
Fit as Contingency:
- HRM Policy & Practices to be more responsive to external factors.
- Should mesh with other aspects of the organization (Criterion-Free & Externally Oriented).
Fit as an ideal set of practices:
- Criterion-Specific & Internally Oriented.
Fit as Gestalt:
- Find an appropriate combination of HRM practices.
- The whole is greater than the parts.
- If one key aspect is missing, the gestalt (an overall picture) may not exist.
- Specific architecture or culture (Criterion Specific & Internally Oriented).
Fit as "Bundles"
- These are distinctive patterns or configurations of practices.
- Determine which are the most effective (Criterion Free & Internally Oriented).

Best wishes,
Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

Thinking Out of the Box

2008-12-08T09:52:00.004+05:30

Below are the Interview Questions, which were asked in HR Rounds of real interviews:

Question 1:

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it's raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
An old friend who once saved your life.
The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first;
Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.
However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. Guess what was his answer?

He simply answered:

"I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."

Question 2:

What will you do if I run away with your sister?"

The candidate who was selected answered "I will not get a better match for my sister than you sir"

Question 3:

Interviewer (to a student girl candidate) - What is one morning you woke up & found that you were pregnant.

Girl - I will be very excited and take an off, to celebrate with my husband.

Normally an unmarried girl will be shocked to hear this, but she managed it well. Why I should think it in the wrong way, she said later when asked

Question 4:

The interviewer asked to the candidate "This is your last question of the interview. Please tell me the exact position of the center of this table where u have kept your files."

Candidate confidently put one of his fingers at some point at the table and told that this was the central point at the table. Interviewer asked how did u get to know that this being the central point of this table, then he answers quickly that sir u r not likely to ask any more question, as it was the last question that u promised to ask.....

And hence, he was selected as because of his quick-wittedness. ........

This is what Interviewer expects from the Interviewee. ....

"THINK OUT OF THE BOX"

Contributed By:
Indrani Kar
(Knowledge Cell - Globsyn Business School)

Embodied Leadership

2008-12-04T10:25:00.004+05:30

By Charlie Badenhop
(An excerpt from e-magazine,"Trans4mind" by Peter Shepherd)

If you're striving to be the kind of leader people willingly follow, you'll soon discover a purely intellectual approach to leadership won't get you the results you desire. In my experience successful leaders know how to influence the emotional experience of their counterparts in a generative manner, and there's no better way to do this than by communicating with your whole self. Having your body and your intellect communicating the same message, so that what you say matches what you do.

Becoming an embodied leader can be developed and trained for, in the same way a pianist runs through scales in preparation for a concert and a ballplayer spends time in the batting cage before a game. Through practice you'll discover wisdom is manifested through your body, breath, movement, and belief system, as well as through your verbal communication. You exude 'embodied leadership' when -

You are in touch with your body and your emotions, and gently but freely express what you feel and believe to be so.
You do your best to stay in touch with the emotional experience of your counterparts.
You realize your model of the world is not "the truth" and you thus realize your opinions and suggestions regarding a course of action, are sometimes flawed.
You recognize the accumulated knowledge and intelligence of the system you're operating in, exceeds the knowledge and intelligence of any one member or part of the system.
You believe that the system you're operating in has all the resources necessary to meet the many challenges and opportunities that are presented.
You understand each person as having positive intentions at all times. Especially when what they seem to be suggesting might lead you to think otherwise. Indeed you ask yourself from time to time, "What is the positive intention my counterpart has, that leads them to such a statement or action?"
You regularly solicit the opinions of others and ask them to correct you whenever they think it would be helpful.
You are comfortable being at the center, more so than being at the top.
You are comfortable accessing your intuition, as an alternative source of wisdom, and invite others to do the same.
You desire to collaborate rather than being in command.
That you think and feel matches your actions.
You bring your "whole self" with you to work every day, and recognize that emotional expression is crucial for everyone's health and well-being.
You recognize the onset of seeming conflict, as a positive signal, alerting you to the need for a shift in relationship.
You're able to transcend logic and verbal language, to get to the heart of the matter.
You understand that in a healthy system, emotion and logic tend to balance each other.

Here is a lovely series of quotes from Dee Hock, the founder and CEO emeritus of Visa International, and a highly regarded thinker in the field of organizational development. Hopefully what he has to say will lead you to reconsider what it means to be a leader.

"Here is the very heart and soul of the matter of leadership: If you seek to lead, invest 50% of your time (attention) leading yourself -- your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with authority over you and 15% leading your peers. Use the remainder to induce those you "work for" to understand and practice the theory. If you don't understand that you should be working for your mislabeled "subordinates," then you know nothing of leadership. You know only tyranny. Lead yourself, lead your superiors, lead your peers, and free your people to do the same. All else is trivial."

"It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom."

"Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality."

"The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out."

"What will become compellingly important is absolute clarity of shared purpose and a set of principles of conduct, sort of an institutional genetic code that every member of the organization understands in a common way, and with deep conviction."

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

Level 5 Leadership

2008-12-01T10:12:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

There is something called Level 5 Leadership as explained by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great.

Level 5 leaders demonstrate a combination of humility and will; they are shy and fearless, modest and willful.

Then, what are the other 4 levels ?

Given below is the level 5 hierarchy:

Level 5: Level 5 Executive

Builds enduring greatness through a parodoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will

Level 4: Effective Leader

Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision; stimulates the group to high performance standards.

Level 3: Competent Manager

Organises people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives

Level 2: Contributing Team Members

Contributes to the achievement of group objectives; works effectively with others in a group setting

Level 1: Highly Capable Individual

Makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills, and good work habits

So, the level 5 leader sits on top of a hierarchy of capabilities and is a necessary requirement for transforming an organisatiion from good to great. Individuals do not need to proceed sequentially through each level of the hierarchy to reach the top, but to be a full-fledged level 5 requires the capabilities of all the lower levels, plus the special charactersitics of Level 5.

Best wishes,

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

Don’t confine your Natural-self but set-free…

2008-11-25T11:02:00.003+05:30

At whatever position we are, it’s very important for us to identify our natural self and be able to distinguish it from the pseudo self. The various roles that we play in our lives, quite often than not, puts us in a position, where we fail to find our true self. We just put a mask and try to satisfy people around us. But still, we cannot give assurance, that, we have made people happy. In this situation what we assure ourselves is that we stress ourselves to the point of extinction. Then the most important query, “Who am I?”, comes back in our thoughts and we are left with no answer.
If I am neither a daughter nor a son, not a wife or a husband, not a mother or a father, not a friend or a professional then “Who am I?”
For one, it seems that the answer is very easy. But, actually, when you start pondering on this question the answers that come up all describe the various roles that individuals play and does not define the individual per se. Then the first question that may strike an individual’s mind is “Whether there is any loss of identity?” If not, then why it is that we don’t find an answer. Are we afraid to do so? Because then so may things may show-up which we have never thought, did exist. This may bring forth many of our wants and desires which we were never aware of.
The answer definitely lies in the age-old adage, “Know thyself, thou wilt know the whole world”. Knowing oneself is setting yourself free to the beauties and challenges of the world.
Thus, an optimal performer is in the process of knowing oneself and an excellent performer knows oneself, better than many things around him.
Even though, one life is too small a time, to even know yourself; break the shackles, set free your natural-self and experience the fresh breath of freedom.

Best Wishes,

Ms. Ipsita C. Patranabis

India Inc widens doors to support adoption

2008-11-24T09:27:00.005+05:30

KARISHMA Sharma, an executive with a Bangalore-based IT major, is on an adoption maternity leave for a month. Recently she adopted a girl child after doctors advised her against having a second child. And, believe it or not, her company was quick to offer maternity leave even for adoption.

This is not a one-off case. The changing dynamics of society has increasingly compelled India Inc to come up with “motherly” new initiatives to retain talent. With more new-age couples espousing adoption of children in India, employees of IBM are being offered, apart from maternity (12 weeks) and paternity leaves (five days applicable even to cases of adoption), extra maternity leaves to employees up to a month in cases of adoption. An adoption deed or order by a court, followed by an approval from a senior, would allow an employee enjoy four weeks with the adopted child to create bonding.

More...

Contributed By:

Indrani Kar
(Knowledge Cell - Globsyn Business School)

Source: The Times of India

Managing the human resource

2008-11-20T11:53:00.003+05:30

by Arvind Singhal

One of the most clichéd phrases of the last few weeks is that “current times are unprecedented in terms of uncertainty and economic turbulence.” If one were to add to the economic challenge the other challenges facing India at this time, the picture becomes hazier. These include a government that has never really governed the nation in its almost five years of existence and is now entering into the next general electionphase, one that will further stymie any determined action by the various policymaking arms of the state and central governments to provide some positive thrust to the economy. Besides, there is an environment of increasing internal insecurity and deepening social schisms.

Under such circumstances, notwithstanding the public furore on layoffs and the subsequent exchange of promises from corporate India to refrain from enforcing any mass attrition of workforce, it is inevitable that most businesses, big and small, will be looking at enforcing cuts in their overall wage bill.

More...

Contributed By:
Param Shah
(Asst. Registrar - Globsyn Business School, Ahmedabad)

Corporate Governance versus Business Ethics with particular reference to ethics of Human Resource Management

2008-11-17T10:05:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

Often we came across the terms Corporate Governance and Business Ehics and are intrigued by the question whether these two are one and the same or different and more so, what are the ethics relating to Human Resource Management.

The following lines will aptly bear this out:

Corporate governance is most often viewed as both the structure and the relationships which determine corporate direction and performance. The board of directors is typically central to corporate governance. Its relationship to the other primary participants, typically shareholders and management, is critical. Additional participants include employees, customers, suppliers, and creditors. The corporate governance framework also depends on the legal, regulatory, institutional and ethical environment of the community.

Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment.Business ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline. As a corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. In academia descriptive approaches are also taken. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflects the degree to which business is perceived to be at odds with non-economic social values. Historically, interest in business ethics accelerated dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and within academia. For example, today most major corporate websites lay emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values under a variety of headings (e.g. ethics codes, social responsibility charters).

Ethics of human resource management

The ethics of human resource management (HRM) covers those ethical issues arising around the employer-employee relationship, such as the rights and duties owed between employer and employee.

Discrimination issues include discrimination on the bases of age (ageism), gender, race, religion, disabilities, weight and attractiveness.
Issues surrounding the representation of employees and the democratization of the workplace: union busting, strike breaking.
Issues affecting the privacy of the employee: workplace surveillance, drug testing.
Issues affecting the privacy of the employer: whistle-blowing.
Issues relating to the fairness of the employment contract and the balance of power between employer and employee: slavery, indentured servitude, employment law.
Occupational safety and health.

Best wishes,

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

Our Lost Resilience

2008-11-13T09:54:00.003+05:30

I was talking about the article “Fallen Tomato Cart” by Mr. Subroto Bagchi of Mindtree Consulting, in couple of forums recently as it happened to be the best in recent times for me and I thought about some of the reasons for our lost resilience which the author mentioned, to my understanding is as follows:

Lack of early failures – With more employment opportunities and employee benefits being offered in several industries the Gen Y are less prone to failures in life to get their first break and thus are less exposed to the challenges of getting into an air conditioned office, work and take a ride back in an office drop.
Lack of Support System – With nucleus family setup we are loosing on the Support system these days. I was at the cremation for one of my relative yesterday and what I found was alarming we were just 5-6 of us to take care of his last rites (inspite of the fact yesterday was Sunday!!!) whereas we saw two other cases from comparatively lower middle class family each of them had minimum of 40-50 people to help the bereaved family members. More up in the social ladder less is your support system :).
Keeping things simple – We completely lost this in our lives!!! We like a shirt but we cannot buy it if it is not branded. We want to see a movie but we cannot if it is not running in a multiplex.
Plan to enjoy but not enjoy to plan – We need to avoid too much of planning when we are out to enjoy especially on a vacation. Recently I visited Rajasthan for a vacation and my schedule was so tight that at times I felt stressed instead of being relaxed (the main objective of my vacation :) ) Even in business if you have your clients spending 2-3 days with you, the thumb rule for good planning is to plan for 1.5-2 days and keep rest of the time available so that you can accommodate things which may come up in the course of your discussion in the first 2 days (learning from BDG).
Have the larger pic but enjoy the moments – Long term planning is good but as long it does not stresses you (Learning from Munnabhai MBBS – Jindagi me kitna pal haye is not important, what is relevant is har pal me kitna jindagi haye).
Social Networking – More people you know around helps you to create your own space which in turns facilitates self motivation (biggest of ALL motivation) The reason you will never find a politician ever feeling depressed or lost even after loosing elections or getting into a scandal :) .

Contributed By:
Mr. Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President-HR & Corporate Communications)
Acclaris Limited

Click here for the article “Fallen Tomato Cart” by Mr. Subroto Bagchi of Mindtree Consulting (Made available by courtsey & consent of Mr. Ranjan Sarkar)

CLO to CEO????

2008-11-10T09:20:00.002+05:30

Organizations these days require people, who can have a very good understanding of the way the business is headed, can comprehend the situation and understand its impact on workforce and adequately train them to deal with the same. All the organizations understand the need for a Chief Learning officer. In most of the big corporate enterprises a CLO is appointed to enhance the overall capability of the workers. The demand for such people has increased rapidly and studies show that duration of CLO’s stay with one organization on an average would be 12 to 18 months.

This exit is not only because of higher demand and more money, there is a positive and negative connation to this phenomena. CLO’s leave sometimes because they are unable to impact the culture of the organization. The C (Chief) in the work CLO is sometimes only for namesake, their role is restricted to that of a training officer. It has been observed that most often there do not have the authority to take decision or to implement it and sometimes unrealistic expectations are placed on them. A learning officer’s job is to see that he trains the people and improves each in their respective job. But they have a limit and cannot influence beyond a certain extent.

The positive side though is that there is headhunting going on to get good CLO’s and anybody who is good at his job can always move to an organization that pays more or offers challenging assignments. Another change that is witnessed is that CLOs are being promoted in the corporate level. This is because of the skills that they have, they can create strong and efficient workforce that can contribute in increasing the productivity of the organization. They can move ahead and become chief operating officers of the organization. In time they can move up and take up the role of a CEO. Even though such opportunities can arise not every CLO is equipped with the skills needed by a CEO. So there is a need for such individuals to engage in activities that would enable them to develop the required skill and also get the necessary qualification and experience that would make it possible for them to take charge of a business enterprise and run it successfully.

Contributed By:
Dr. Shalini S.
(Globsyn Business School - Ahmedabad)

Human Process Laboratory

2008-11-05T17:52:00.006+05:30

I would like to share my recent experience of attending a human process laboratory. On the lines of sensitivity training, this lab aimed to make oneself more aware of one's own behavior as well as to become more sensitive to the behavior of the people around you.

I realized how difficult it is for people to touch their real innerself. We have been so tuned to reflecting what the people around us expect that we have really lost touch with our core self. As kids, we are trained to become obedient children; as adults, we are tuned in to do what our family expects at home, friends in the society and boss at the workplace. Somewhere, we become so bogged down by the expectations of the different roles that we forget who we are. We become afraid of looking inside.. to reveal our weaknesses...after all, if others around us come to know of our weaknesses, wont we make ourselves vulnerable? We learn to avoid and avoid till the time we forget that there is another aspect of our personality waiting to be explored.

In the mechanical race for materialistic things, we somewhere forget that unless if have the courage to accept our weaknesses, we can never address them and become better.

This lab helped the participants to understand themselves better, why do people behave in certain ways, why do people respond to selective things.....

It was a self-revealing experience...
I wish we can have more and more people doing such labs so that we can have a better society around us with better organizations to work for.

Dr Meenakshi Khemka
Globsyn Business School

What corporates look for from B-school students?

2008-11-03T14:55:00.004+05:30

The fast paced growth witnessed by the Indian economy in the last decade has also seen a proliferation of B-Schools across the country. While this has made management education more accessible to a large majority of students, it has its downside as well. Except for well established B-Schools, with a reputation for both academics and knowledge delivery infrastructure, a large number of B-Schools have mushroomed to cash into the boom that the education sector is witnessing. The boom is also fast ensuring that a graduate degree is no longer the de-facto entry criteria into the corporate world and a management degree is increasingly becoming essential to achieve a toehold on the career ladder.

With an increasingly large number of management graduates being released into the market each successive year, corporations are now having to graduate to more prudent and researched hiring techniques to identify and segregate talent that they propose to hire. With the replacement of ‘managerial capitalism’ with ‘shareholder capitalism’, the traits that are being looked for in management graduates is also being looked more critically and for alignment to the growing acceptance of a 1970 declaration by Milton Friedman that "the sole concern of (American) business should be the maximization of profit". The traits that are being looked into in fresh management hires can be divided into:

a. Domain Skills and Competencies
b. Social Skills
c. Human Attributes

Domain related skills/competencies form an important part of what corporations today look for. With a shift in focus from ‘labour cost’ to ‘labour quality’, the need to identify the right ‘quality’ talent is crucial, since in this age of extreme competitiveness, the cost of error rework is extremely high with the added pressures of handling consumer complaints, loss of potential revenues and cross selling opportunities, regulatory risks etc. While this is true, corporations today are also valuing people with multi-skills and with the ability to multi-task. To work across domains with the same rigour. Thus someone with super-specialisation in only one key area may be given a miss for a person who has demonstrable ability to work across domain areas.

Apart from domain related skills one of the most looked into aspect from the social/human skills perspective is ‘attitude’. By ‘attitude’, corporations typically mean the ability to identify with and ‘live’ core values of the organization such as respect for others, being customer-driven, etc. Many corporations have concluded that it is too difficult and costly to try to change the attitudes of adults. As a result, they release those unable to work and manage according to the organization's values and replace them with those who can.

Other social skills of importance, other than attitude, that is looked into includes commitment to work, the ability to work as part of a team as well as independently, ability to motivate and lead teams, and an abiding commitment to the company’s core value system. Research has also shown corporations favourably regard traits such as trustworthiness, caring, humility, and capability in their potential hires.

In the end it is all about successful image management. How well do you sell yourself? That’s the question that you must ask. But don’t be fooled. While packaging may be important, customers (read recruiters) will quickly see through the outer package and get to know if you are holding out a false promise. Successful impression management can generate a number of important benefits, including career advancement, client satisfaction, better work relationships (trust, intimacy, avoiding offence), group cohesiveness etc.

In order to create a positive professional image, impression management must effectively accomplish two tasks: build credibility and maintain authenticity. When you present yourself in a manner that is both true to self and valued and believed by others, impression management can yield a host of favourable outcomes for you and the organization/school that you represent.

Contributed By:
Supratim Kar
(Manager - New Business)
Globsyn Group

Inner Peace

2008-10-30T08:23:00.003+05:30

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peacefully towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on the nest--in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

"When Life gives you a thousand reasons to cry, show that you have a million reasons to smile."

Contributed By:
Mary Verghese
(Manager HR - Globsyn)

Some Motivating & Inspiring Quotes

2008-10-27T09:46:00.005+05:30

"When two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as he wants to be seen, and each man as he really is." Michael De Saintamo.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller.

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." Henry Ford.

"When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when you team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing." Bo Schembechler.

"Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds." SEAL Team saying.

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." Babe Ruth.

"If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team." Bud Wilkinson.

"When he took time to help the man up the mountain, lo, he scaled it himself." Tibetan Proverb.

"In order to become a leading home run hitter, a batter must be surrounded by good hitters, otherwise, the pitchers will 'pitch around' him. Likewise, many successful people became that way from being on a good team." Laing Burns Jr.

"A group becomes a team when all members are sure enough of themselves and their contributions to praise the skill of others." Anonymous.

"Teamwork is neither "good" nor "desirable." It is a fact. Wherever people work together or play together they do so as a team. Which team to use for what purpose is a crucial, difficult and risky decision that is even harder to unmake. Managements have yet to learn how to make it." Peter F. Drucker.

"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." Napoleon Hill.

"If we were all determined to play the first violin we should never have an ensemble. Therefore, respect every musician in his proper place." Robert Schumann.

"Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story." Casey Stengel.

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." Oprah Winfrey.

Contributed By:
Rupee RoyChodhury
(Senior HR Executive - IBM Daksh)
GBS Alum

The Recruitment Paradox: Why Good People are Difficult to Find

2008-10-23T09:40:00.002+05:30

This story has its beginning in early 1999 when a front-line commercial bank in East Africa appointed a London based, globally reputed, executive placement firm to recruit a managing director and CEO for itself. Three applicants were short-listed. They were invited to visit East Africa separately, and individually meet the members of the board of the bank. One of the three, an American, was finally selected to head the bank. He assumed office in September 1999.

Within a fortnight of taking charge, an e-mail went from his desk to everyone in the bank. The subject line read: “Stop the music.” In his message to all employees, the new managing director asked everyone to refrain from making demands on him for decisions on one thing or another. Essentially – no new customers, no new business, no new advances, no new contacts, no new individual strategies and no new initiatives. He asked everyone to focus on first strengthening the foundation and gearing up its infrastructure before going out to build business.

Committees were formed to review, re-think, re-strategize, restructure, re-organize and re-build a uniform, focused corporate structure. Meetings were seen to be held every day, at almost every corner of the organization. One general manager was removed from heading operations to write operating manuals. The HR manager was instructed to come up with a totally new HR policy document for the bank. Others were similarly engaged.

So it went on for months. “No isolated, ad-hoc new initiatives till we – as an organization – are ready in all respects” was the message that went out over and over again. In one instance, the treasury was pulled up for grabbing a simple inward remittance business of around a million dollars that came their way (who could blame them!). Reason? The bank was yet to finalize and approve its marketing and business policies.

Business, income, and profitability plummeted. Months down the line the staff, the customers, and the market – everyone was confused. After drifting aimlessly for some time, senior executives began to leave. Finally, the board of the bank acted. The same board that had appointed him a little more than a year ago, asked him to resign.

What had gone wrong? Primarily, two things. One, the candidate did have banking experience, but that exposure had been acquired only in highly developed countries – far removed from the environs of countries like Africa. Second, his banking experience was dated. For, he had been away from practical banking, working only as a consultant – attached to a number of consulting firms – for the last 20 years. Three, unfortunately for him and for the bank, he was just not able to take off the hat of a ‘consultant’ that he had been wearing for the past 20 years. He failed to see himself as the bank’s chief executive and the ship’s captain.

This begs the next question: Who had gone wrong? To start with, the executive search firm. The consulting agency’s failure – to select the person with the right profile and attitude – was further compounded by the bank’s board. It tried to select a CEO for the bank – without having a single person on its board with a minimal knowledge of banking. It also failed to evaluate the psychological profile of the candidate.

Thus, a top-rung executive search firm made a glaring error in discharging its obligations. On its part, the bank’s board also attempted to achieve something it was not equipped to do, or was capable of doing.

Is it any wonder, therefore, that we hear a never-ending lament about perennial shortage of ‘the right people’? Most employers, unfortunately, expect ‘the right people’ to be available ‘off-the-shelf’ – tailor made, custom built, ready-to-use, able to ‘hit the ground running.’ That is rarely the case – even with senior executives. However, for argument’s sake, even if we agree for a moment that candidates were like ready-to-eat, pre-cooked food (any thought about who was supposed to the ‘pre-cooking’?), my experience tells me that the fault lies more with those who are directly involved with the recruitment game. In reality, good people – yes, the ‘right ones’ – are available, in sufficient numbers too. Most of us do not know how to find them.

Take the case of the placement agencies. Ideally speaking, on getting an assignment to fill up a vacancy, the agency ought to first do its homework well. Among other things, it should strive to understand the organization and its work culture, its style of management, performance parameters, how success is measured within the organization, the job profile, the profile of the person most suited for the job, the career path, etc. For, these issues are of great importance to the prospective candidate, and hence, to the organization, if marriage is to be a success.

Another error that most placement consultants and personnel managers commit is in not spending some time and effort to build up a ‘candidate profile.’ What sort of people are they really looking for? What attitude does the position demand? They fail to realize that the attitudes of people at various positions differ widely – from one organization to another, from one position to another. For example, does the organization need an opening batsman or a middle order player? Even for the opening batsman – would he be playing in a test match or in one-dayers? Their style and requirements will, no doubt, differ.

Unfortunately, majority of the placement consultants turn out to be only ‘head hunters’, literally. Like the one in the story that I began this article with, the ‘head-hunters’ believe that their business is only about pulling people out of one job and placing him in another, and pocketing the search fee. They do not do the home work
that is essential in this kind of business. Accountability is, therefore, virtually non-existent.

Another area that does not get its due attention is the proper analysis of CVs received. Here too, those responsible fail badly. We read tomes on how to write effective CVs. Never once have I heard about developing the skills required to properly ‘read’ (i.e. interpret) a CV. The HR manager, the personnel manager, or the consultant in charge of the client portfolio in a placement agency – they generally delegate the responsibility to sort out and short-list candidates to a junior staff, who, more often than not, is ill-equipped to do the job. He has little idea about the requirements of the job, the required profile of the candidate, or is short on the skills required to separate the wheat from the chaff. For all one knows, a good candidate could get the short-shrift at this stage itself. I have seen it happen far too many times to be convinced otherwise.

There are a number of search firms who claim to be a sector specific. But rarely do they have on their rolls top level, highly experienced professionals who are simultaneously skilled in the art of ‘reading’ CVs, and in interviewing potential recruits for a specialized position. Do these professionals ever do the short-listing themselves? During interviews, do the head-hunters look for only the minimum fit, or for the best possible candidate – and no compromises? At what stage do the placement consultants begin to look for other attributes in the candidates, viz. their IQ, their EQ (emotional quotient), their ability to work in a team environment, that fire in the belly, originality, latent leadership qualities, and so on? At what stage does the Personnel/ HR manager, or the functional head get involved?

One must realize that almost everyone pays a price for wrong selection. The person so recruited, once already destabilized, would eventually end up being back in the market, job hunting. In consequence, the manpower planning, and hence the growth process of the organization, would simultaneously suffer a serious setback too. The after-effect of a ‘sack’ is never pleasant for the people within the organization, the organization itself, or the person directly affected. The one who escapes relatively unscathed is the placement consultant. I have rarely seen them assume a share of the responsibility and offer to compensate the organization (not to speak of the victim of a misjudged recruitment) in one way or another.

Till the recruitment process is toned up, the people responsible for manpower selection, within and outside the organization, do their homework properly and with sincerity, approach each placement with the seriousness it deserves, the gulf between the vast pool of talent still going untapped and organizations perennially in search of the ‘right people’, will never be bridged.

Contributed By:
Rupnarayan Bose
(Former MD of Fina bank Ltd. & MD of TransAfrica Bank Ltd.)

Blue Ocean Strategy

2008-10-20T12:35:00.003+05:30

Dear Students,

Dr. Sarah Layton has aptly described the titled topic in the book: Blue Ocean Strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant, by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What does Blue Ocean Strategy mean ?

Succinctly,

Blue Ocean Strategy creates uncontested market space in contrast to Red Ocean Strategy which strives to compete in the existing market space.
Blue Ocean Strategy makes competition irrelevant as against Red Ocean Strategy which attempts to beat the competition.
Blue Ocean Strategy creates and captures new demand whereas Red Ocean Strategy exploits existing demand.
Blue Ocean Strategy breaks the value-cost trade-off while Red Ocean Strategy makes the value-cost trade-off.
Blue Ocean Strategy aligns the whole system of a firm's activities in pursuit of differentiation and low cost compared to Red Ocean Strategy which aligns the whole system of a firm's activities with its strategic choice of differentiation or low cost.

Obviously then, the ideal would be to conceive a Blue Ocean Strategy.

With best wishes,

Prof.D.P.Chattopadhyay

(Globsyn Business School)

Social Loafing

2008-10-16T09:50:00.004+05:30

Dear Students,

Have you, so far, come across the term 'Social Loafing’ in Organisation Behaviour?

Social Loafing is a problem that is commonly found in almost all organisational contexts. With most tasks being accomplished by teams, it is quite common for a few members to slack off and not contribute to the team's cause, and yet not have the results suffer. A simple definition of one in social loafing is an agent who does not contribute his fair share to the cost of production of a resource, but receives an equal share of the benefits. Sometimes this is also known as free riding.

The key difference between free riding and social loafing is that a free rider does not contribute to the cause at all, since his contribution is not essential for success, whereas a social loafer merely reduces his effort fully knowing that it would be impossible for an external observer to determine the same.

Dealing with free riding and social loafing:

The Ringelmann experiment suggests that the size of the group may have some answers to offer us. A good manager may need to precisely identify the number of people it would require to successfully accomplish a task. Second, social loafing is seen in situations where it is impossible to identify individual contribution.

Thus, a good way to prevent it may be to clearly define the individual's role in the group task. Third, it is seen that social loafing does not present a major problem in cohesive teams (the reason being that team members value their affiliation with the group more than any benefits associated with social loafing). Thus, the choice of specific team members for a task may also help in minimising social loafing.

Task significance may also have a role to play in increasing motivation levels to perform. Task significance refers to the relevance of the task to the immediate organisation, group, society or the world at large.

One suspects that social loafing may be a less common phenomenon in an NGO, compared to other types of organisations.

Reward systems such as stock options and performance bonuses too increase the cost of not contributing, as non-contribution would directly lead to reduced benefits for the individual team member.

Thus, each team member would at least contribute in his own self interest.

So, as managers, our endeavour should be to reduce social loafing within a team.

With Dassera greetings & happy Shuvo Bijoya!

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

WHEN PEOPLE MATTER – SOME LESSONS FROM CRICKET

2008-10-13T10:06:00.002+05:30

How critical is the role of the opening batsman to the success of a cricket team? What should be his profile? Let me quote someone who should know:

“Technique, patience… The ability to adapt to different conditions… The approach, after all, has to be different on a flat wicket as opposed to one where the wicket is doing quite a bit.

I personally feel the position should go to specialists…… Indeed, it’s the openers alone who set the tone for the innings… Take the shine off the new ball, protect the middle order. At the highest level, you must have both technique and temperament – in the right quantities…. Different players have different styles but, if you play straight you can’t go wrong. Besides, work hard – never try to cut corners – and enjoy yourself. If you see cricket as a chore, then, well, I don’t think you will go far.”

So said Graham Gooch, former England cricket captain and a formidable opening batsman with 8,900 Test runs, in an interview speaking about the qualities of an opening batsman. (The Telegraph, Calcutta, 10/Sept/2002).

Any person who has a minimal idea about the game of cricket knows the indispensable role played by a good opening batsman. Without a good opening score, the middle order gets exposed too quickly to the new ball. The middle order is thus forced to wear the hat that had not been made for him. If the opening batsman fails and goes out too quickly, the event forces a change in the whole game plan for the team think-tank and for those who are scheduled to follow. In the game of cricket the role and the contribution of the opener to the success of the team as a whole can hardly be over-emphasized.

Now, put a similar question to any placement consultant, HRD or personnel manager, or even a corporate strongman. Enquire from him about his perception of the role of the first CEO, the first COO, or the first unit head of any new initiative for that matter. I’d be quite surprised if you elicit from him anything similar to the passionate response that you are likely to receive from a lover of the game of cricket. Why the difference? Rather, why the comparison? Let me attempt to answer that.

I equate the role and responsibilities of an opening batsman in cricket to the first incumbent of any new initiative. Whatever be its size or structure, I strongly feel that the first Chief Executive, the first Chief Operating Officer, the first branch manager, the first leader – every captain or head of a new unit – is of critical importance to the future well-being and success of that unit and eventually of the organization. The first incumbent must be chosen with extreme care. That choice of the leader would set the tone for the rest of the team, and thus spell the difference between success and failure of the initiative in the long run.

Let us compare the cricketing and the organizational scenarios a little more closely. Before a new match (a Test or a one-day game) begins, and the team is selected, the nature of the pitch is always a matter of serious concern and speculation. So also is the nature of the opposition. Yet, no one can bet for sure as to how the pitch is going to behave – at the early stage or the later. The job of the opening pair, however, is to contend with the uncertainties, blunting the venom of every bit of arsenal that the opposition may throw at him during the initial stages of the game, unveiling and exposing the sting (or the lack of it) in the pitch or of the opposition, and setting the tone for the rest of the game. He actually lays the foundation on which the team’s future is built. He makes it easier for the middle order and those to follow to do their job well. However, the truth remains that no amount of preparation and forward planning can substitute for the role that an opening batsman must play on the real arena.

As in the game of cricket, a lot of planning usually goes into a project when a new initiative is launched. Yet, no one can bet for sure as to how the various players in the market will respond, and their impact on the success or failure of that initiative. One is not even sure as to whether all the planning and the preparation were the right ones till they are actually put to the test in the market place. Every assumption remains a speculation – or an uninformed guesswork at best – till tested in the field. Seeing the new venture through the initial period of uncertainties, tackling the teething troubles, resolving unforeseen issues and problems, can best be tackled only by someone special. “At the highest level, you must have both technique and temperament in the right quantities”, says Gooch. A wrong choice for the top job, therefore, will more often than not result in most of the things going wrong from inception. If, unfortunately, that happens, the rest will not matter.

To my mind, to give itself a fair chance to succeed, the entity must take great care to choose in its first skipper the person who has the right temperament and technique, and – this is equally important – in the right quantities. The correct mix between the two qualities must be ensured. The captain must then be left to choose the others who fit the right profile, and thus set up the core team.

This choice of key people will set the tone and the culture for the new initiative. The tone that he sets will endure over time, and be the key to the work culture, the value system and the ethical standards that will define the initiative, and by extension, impact the rest of the organization.

That brings me to the issue that, in my opinion, is ‘mission critical’. I cannot help but repeat what Graham Gooch said about the opening batsmen in the game of cricket. “Different players have different styles but, if you play straight you can’t go wrong. Besides, work hard – never try to cut corners…”.

When he uttered those words, I keep wondering whether he was referring to the game of cricket alone. Or whether he was recounting, for the benefit of every one of us, an enduring philosophy that went far beyond the game of cricket? You do not have to go very far to find the truth of what he said. Remember Enron, remember Worldcom, remember Arthur Anderson, or Bearings? How many people there played with a straight bat? How many of them tried to cut corners? How and to what extent, did their actions impacted their own organizations? Where are they today?

The work ethics and the value system once set, is generally not susceptible to any rapid changes. If the organization has picked the right kind of people initially, that would have sent a message down the line, and set the tone for the organization. Unless a major turn-around takes place, I believe that it is quite difficult for the ‘wrong’ kind of people to find a footing and to prosper. Because – the ‘tone’ of the organization has already been defined, etched, carved out and set by the opening batsmen. The right technique, the right temperament, a straight bat, and no cutting corners – in cricket or in life – and one can hardly go wrong!

By:
R.N. Bose
CEO of Institute of Banking Studies

Happy Festive Season

2008-10-06T11:22:00.002+05:30

Dear Students,

Shuvo Saptami & a very happy Durga Puja & a wonderful festive season !

Remember, success results when preparation meets opportunity. Some people may attribute luck to success. For such people, I would remind them what Hrishi Aurobindo said, "Success results when efforts from below meets grace from above."

So let us all pray to Almighty to shower grace for success in all our endeavours, and also pledge to put in our best efforts in all that we do.

Have a wonderful time & with best wishes,

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

Leadership at various levels

2008-10-03T09:58:00.004+05:30

Dear Students,

Leadership activities vary at different levels of the organisation. At a relatively junior level, performance leadership is important, at a middle level, people leadership is vital, while at a senior level, visionary and strategic leadership is crucial.

Now, let us examine each of the above types of leadership in terms of its components:

PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP:

Ensures the organisation is strongly goal, performance and achievement focused.
Demonstrates the ability and attitude to lead the achievement of challenging goals and change, while managing risk and breaking new ground.
Balances risk with achievement, not risk avoidance-is not risk averse.
The organisation consistently meets its performance goals. The organisation has a performance track record of growth and of continually improving performance.
The organisation's performance is consistently better than its competitors or other comparable organisations.

PEOPLE LEADERSHIP:

Attracts, retains, develops, motivates and leads an effective team capable of achieving company objectives.
Human resource planning is an integral part of the annual business planning process.
Provides enhanced leadership-acts as a role model, committed to developing subordinates and leading people.
Strong on empowerment-allows scope for people to grow.
Maintains a culture support of GEN-X & Y values, not stifled by stucture and hierarchy.
Grows people (Grows their CV).
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with and achieve results through a diverse range of people.
Creates a stimulating culture

VISIONARY AND STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP:

Articulates a clear and inspiring vision, actively fosters and encourages ownership of the vision by staff and ensures the vision is well understood and motivates the employees to work towards achieving goals.
The vision and supporting goals underpin and guide decisions and behaviours.
Contributes effectively with the board to establishing strategies, objectives and plans with a view to growing the business, while meeting the needs of shareholders, taking account of employee supplier, customer and other stakeholder interests.
Demonstrating an international perspective and a good understanding of global markets and global thinking.

The above will help you place leadership in proper perspective in an organisational canvas.

With best wishes,
Prof.D.P.Chattopadhyay
(Globsyn Business School)

The Test of a Good Theory

2008-10-01T10:54:00.003+05:30

What is a good theory? How would you know one if you found it? These are the questions addressed by two organizational behaviorists in an attempt to point out the directions for future research.

The first notes that any theory must be of practical relevance for managers. That is, it must be useful. To be useful, the researchers suggest 5 conditions that must be met:

Descriptive Relevance: The theory must accurately describe the phenomenon actually encountered by the manager.
Goal Relevance: The theory must relate to something that the managers wishes to influence.
Operational Validity: The theory must relate to variables that the managers can control.
Non-obviousness: The theory must add something beyond the ‘common sense’ level of knowledge.
Timeliness: Must be available at the time when managers need it.

Contributed By:
Indrani Kar
(Knowledge Cell - Globsyn Business School)

Source:
Kenneth W Thomas and Walter G Tymon, Jr.
“NECESSARY PROPERTIES OF RELEVANT RESEARCH: Lessons from recent criticisms of the organizational Sciences Academy of Management Review 7”

Managing Change

2008-09-29T09:23:00.001+05:30

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

The first thing about managing change for an individual is to have a clear idea about yourself.

You must have clarity of vision, mission, goals and values. Most people resist change and recognize resistance to change in others but not themselves. Fear is the principal reason for resistance to change.

Recognition of your resistance and the reasons to change, is a good second step, towards developing the ability to manage change

With clarity of goals and objectives, you can set about the task of focusing on what you need to change in order to stay on course to achieve your aspirations and dreams.

The next and probably the most difficult task is anticipating external factors that will cause change, in order to be better prepared to handle it. The immediate external factors are family, friends, your profession or business, health. Here the need is to establish clarity of roles, relationships and mutually acceptable goals.

Unforeseeable circumstances like the forces of nature, governmental regulations, technology, etc. should be taken into account, but not be dwelt upon too long to result in inaction.

Change forces choices upon us and one should muster the courage to accept the need to make the choice. You should leverage the positive changes that arise and cope with the negative ones.

It is important to recognize that most change is for the better. You need to go through the difficult process of acceptance. This spurs positive action towards change.

In an organizational context, rapid and extensive changes face organizations. They need to adapt to the rapid changes being dictated by the forces of globalization, consumer demands, technology, competition etc.

The most important measures that heads of organizations could take in order to survive on a long term basis is to make the decision making process of change to be an organization-wide one. They need to create a culture of continuous proactive change and to focus on the imperatives. They need to set clear objectives and time frames to implement change. This is easier said than done. Respect and trust of all ideas and views is critical. There should be an empathetic approach to dissention or resistance.

Finally you should look for and leverage synergies internally and externally to optimize the benefits of change.

Everyone cannot adapt to change at the same pace. Researches have found that those exposed to turbulent environments cope with change, faster.

Thus you should focus on your objectives and goals put in the special effort to leverage the benefits of change, to your advantage. You should not fear change but embrace it.

Contribute by:
Afsheen Ahmed
(Globsyn Business School)

Source: Success Yogi, your guru for success & happiness, Dr. Hiru Bijlani

Office Essentials

2008-09-24T20:27:00.003+05:30

Have you tried hard to create an impression at work? Here is a list of few office essentials to ease your effort and mark you a true professional.

Soft skills may be the success mantra these days but there are a few essentials that go into the making of a true professional. Apart fromoffice infrastructure, cordial relations with your colleagues, convenient commute, there are a few other things that help you manage your everyday tasks and can take your career to the next level.

If you are one of those who plan to invest time, effort and resources to heighten the impact of a'true professional at work' but are either too occupied or wondering how to go about it, here are a few tips.

Take 5! -Five office essentials

A planner
A planner helps you to make a note of important assignments, appointments, telephone numbers, etc and helps you schedule your day without missing on significant matters.

Smell good
So you have tried hard to create an impression at work? You go berserk shopping for formal clothes and accessories? Perhaps it is the fragrance that you wear to work that can get you a mention in the good books of your boss. Caution, do not overpower your appearance and the other person's senses by overloading on the cologne.

A good pen
You are glued to your computer 24x7, agreed! There's hardly a chance when you need to use a pen at work? Perhaps that's what makes it all the more important to invest in a good pen that matches with your personality at work. Endow an appreciable investment to this office accessory and be a proud owner of a good branded pen. You can use an ink pen to sign documents."It is also an ideal gift for bosses and colleagues,"

A classy watch
A fine watch distinguishes a person who values time and also adds a touch of class to your appearance. Endow an appreciable amount toacquire this accessory, for it's not everyday you buy a watch. Go for a formal, basic watch that is not too loud for professional environment and at the same time gels with your attire.

Attitude
They say,'Your attitude determines your altitude'. Amplify the impact of your appearance with the'right' attitude. Your approach to meet challenges in life decides how smooth your sail can be through the rough sea of the corporate world. Be ready to take initiative, grow as a professional and work hard towards your long term goals. To conclude, believe in yourself.

Contributed By:

Anjali Mishra

(Globsyn Business School)

Pygmalion Effect

2008-09-22T09:35:00.004+05:30

Dear Students,

Have you heard of the ancient Greek sculptor Pygmalion?

Pygmalion principle finds its origin from an old Greek myth. A sculptor named Pygmalion sculpted a statue of a woman. He fell in love with the statue. His love was so strong, that it transformed the statue into a real woman. It is this transformative effect resulting from expectations which is the basis of the Pygmalion Principle. It states that expectations affect performance.

The Pygmalion effect enables employees to excel in response to the supervisor's message that they are capable of success and expected to succeed. The Pygmalion effect can also undermine employees'performance when the subtle communication from the manager tells them the opposite. As an example, the supervisor fails to praise a staff person's performance as frequently as she/he praises others.

So, in coming days, when you step into the shoes of a manager of a team, tell your team -members, "I expect you to achieve this because I believe in you and I know you can".

The outcome of such Pygmalion effect will be marvellous.

With best wishes,

Prof. D. P. Chattopadhyay

(Globsyn Business School)

Self-Appraisal

2008-09-18T09:34:00.004+05:30

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers).

The store-owner observed and listened to theconversation:

Boy: 'Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?

Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): 'I already have someone to cut my lawn.'

Boy: 'Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.'

Woman: I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.

Boy: (with more perseverance): 'Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida .'

Woman: No, thank you.

With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.

Store Owner: 'Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job.'

Boy: 'No thanks,

Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one.

Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to!'

This is what we call 'Self Appraisal'

Cotributed By:

Debasree Chattopadhyay
(HR Executive, Kotak Securities Limited)

Holland's Typology

2008-09-15T10:04:00.003+05:30

Dear Students,

People differ in personalities.

Given below are personality-attributes of people engaged in various professions:

TYPE: Realistic
Prefers physical activities that require skill, strength and co-ordination.
Personality Characteristics: Shy, genuine, persistent, stable, conforming, practical.
Congruent Occupations: Mechanic, drill press operator, assembly-line worker, farmer.

TYPE: Investigation
Prefers activities that involve thinking, organizing and understanding.
Personality Characteristics: Analytical, original, curious, independent.
Congruent Occupations: Biologist, economist, mathematician, news reporter.

TYPE: Social
Prefers activities that involve helping and developing others.
Personality Characteristics: Sociable, friendly, co-operative, understanding.
Congruent Occupations: Social worker, teacher, counselor, clinical psychologist.

TYPE: Conventional
Prefers rule-regulated, orderly, and unambiguous activities.
Personality Characteristics: Conforming, efficient, practical, unimaginative, flexible.
Congruent Occupations: Accountant, corporate manager bank teller, file clerk.

TYPE: Enterprising
Prefers rule-regulated, orderly, and unambiguous activities.
Personality Characteristics: Self-confident, ambitious, energetic, domineering.
Congruent Occupations: Lawyer, real-estate agent, public-relations specialist, small-business manager.

TYPE: Artistic
Prefers ambiguous and unsystematic activities that allow creative expression.
Personality Characteristics: Imaginative, disorderly, idealistic, emotional, impractical.
Congruent Occupations: Painter, musician, writer, interior-decorator.

Check where you fit in.

Best wishes,

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

Current Talent Management Outlook

2008-09-12T13:20:00.004+05:30

The current talent management for Organizations has undergone a major change and some of the key features which are looked into are as follows:

Increased emphasis on assessment
Internet networking emerges
The emergence of workforce planning
A focus on the internal deployment
Employment branding
Continued emphasis on sourcing
Renewed focus on the contingent workforce
Emerging new technology arrives
Focus on leadership positions
Strategic metrics becomes king

Elaborating on the last but surely not the least point it is the critical differentiator for any Organization which is on its way from good to great.

However while measuring metrics is important, it is effective only if the following do’s and don’t are taken into consideration while doing so.

Some of the important factors which make metrics good are as follows:

Aligned with business
Actionable & Predictable
Consistent
Time traceable
Peer comparable

Some of the common mistakes made in capturing the metrics are:

For the sake of metrics
Too many
Not doing the intended action
Lack of follow up
No record of methodology
No benchmark
Not peer comparable

Contributed By:
Mr. Ranjan Sarkar
(Vice President-HR & Corporate Communications)
Acclaris Limited

‘HR personnel happiest despite workload’

2008-09-10T12:05:00.005+05:30

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
London, 18 August

Human Resource (HR) professionals have emerged as the happiest lot in the country, even as they face mounting workload, a latest study says.

According to the latest ‘Happiness at Work Index survey’ by international recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, about 94 per cent of HR professionals insist they are still happy in their role, despite facing mounting workload and bleak career outlooks.

The current level of optimism at 94 per cent is much higher compared with 76 per cent seen three months ago, the study states, but does not mention the reason for it.

Interestingly, it says that the optimism persists despite the fact that the sector has witnessed the highest increase in work pressure since the start of 2008 among all other industries surveyed.

Work has increased manifold primarily due to the current global credit crunch. Within the HR sector itself, the high workload forced many to put in their papers. According to the report, about 88 per cent of HR respondents believe their workload has gone up, with one in four (25 per cent) saying it has increased bythe equivalent of an extra day per week.

Meanwhile, nearly one in three (29 per cent) have handed in their notice as a direct result of rising workloads. But almost as many are taking a more pragmatic approach by delegating lot more tasks inan attempt to deal with the situation, the survey revealed.

According to the report, the rising workloads may be one of the key drivers behind plummeting levels of career confidence among HR professionals, as over half (56 per cent) the respondents say theyare less confident about their career than at the beginning of the year.

“The results of the Index are particularly revealing for HR workers. It seems the job is becoming very labour-intensive. When it comes to career prospects, confidence is dropping fast,” Badenoch & Clark’s Allison Gray said. The key message for employers is to not misread the unprecedented high levels of happiness forlong-term genuine engagement. HR as a profession is facing serious challenges at the moment, and employers need to be seen to be tackling them head on,” Gray added.

Happiness at Work Index was launched in early 2007 as a quarterly survey of UK office workers. It is used to track happiness at work over time based upon a series of standard questions.

Contributed By:

Arjun Pal

(Knowledge Cell - Globsyn Business School)

The Preacher and the Farmer Story

2008-09-08T09:26:00.002+05:30

An old hill farming crofter trudges several miles through freezing snow to his local and very remote chapel for Sunday service. No-one else is there, aside from the clergyman.

"I'm not sure it's worth proceeding with the service - might we do better to go back to our warm homes and a hot drink?.." asks the clergyman, inviting a mutually helpful reaction from his audience of one.

"Well, I'm just a simple farmer," says the old crofter, "But when I go to feed my herd, and if only one beast turns up, I sure don't leave it hungry."

So the clergyman, feeling somewhat ashamed, delivers his service - all the bells and whistles, hymns and readings, lasting a good couple of hours - finishing proudly with the fresh observation that no matter how small the need, our duty remains. And he thanks the old farmer for the lesson he has learned.

"Was that okay?" asks the clergyman, as the two set off home.

"Well I'm just a simple farmer," says the old crofter, "But when I go to feed my herd, and if only one beast turns up, I sure don't force it to eat what I brought for the whole herd..."

From which we see the extra lesson, that while our duty remains regardless of the level of need, we have the additional responsibility to ensure that we adapt our delivery (of whatever is our stock intrade) according to the requirements of our audience.

Contributed By:

Dr. Shalini S.

(Globsyn Business School - Ahmedabad)

Human Assets in Balance Sheet

2008-09-02T09:21:00.000+05:30

Though your Balance Sheet is a model of
What balances should be,
Typed and ruled with great precision
In a type that can see ,
Though the grouping of the assets
Is commendable & clear,
And the details which are given more
Than usually appear,
Though Investments have been valued
At the sale price of the day,
And the Auditors Certificate shows "Everything O.K",
One asset is omitted and its worth
I want to know
The asset is the value of the Men
Who run the show.

By: Sir Mathew Webster Jenkinson.

Contributed By:
Prof. Jayanta Mitra
(Globsyn Business School)

Desire to Excel

2008-08-28T10:18:00.003+05:30

A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage.. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I know it and God knows it!"

Moral of the story

The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. Excellence is a drive from inside, not outside. Excel at a task today - not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.

Contributed By:
Vivek Kejriwal
(Senior Executive- Marketing, Media Worldwide Private Limited)
GBS Alum