HRD News Letter +91 (40) 2711-2212 Email: [email protected] Design Advisor A.Thothathri Raman...

| HRD News Letter | October 2008, Vol.24, Issue:7 2


Vol - 24 October 2008 Issue - 7

EditorC. Balaji,

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Tel: +91 (40) 2374-2429, Fax: +91 (40) 2375-3191,Res.: +91 (40) 2711-2212 Email: [email protected]

Design AdvisorA.Thothathri Raman

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For Advertising in HRD News LetterPlease Contact:

K. SatyanarayanaExecutive Director, National HRD Network

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NHRDN Leadership TeamAQUIL BUSRAI, National President

DWARAKANATH P, Immediate Past PresidentMADHUKAR SHUKLA, Regional President (East)GOPALKRISHNA M., Regional President(South)SATISH PRADHAN, Regional President (West)

RAJAN N S, Regional President (North)MURTHY P V R DR., National SecretaryASHOK REDDY B, National Treasurer

SATYANARAYANA K, Executive Director

NHRDN Elected MembersHARI HARAN IYER, Elected Member

PRAVEEN KUMAR K, Elected MemberRAMCHANDER M, Elected Member

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ISSN-0974-1720

© copyright of the articles published in

HRD Newsletter will be with National HRD Network

Features

6 ............................President’s Message

8 ......................................... Editorial

9 ...... 12th National Conference Announcements

10, 38 to 47 ........................ ChapterNews/Photographs

37 ........................ Letters from Members

41 ................................... Quiz Corner

41 ............................... Cartoon Corner

49 .... Lean and Mean is out, Valuing People isin - Monster Article

Advertisements

2 ...................................... SODEXHO

3 ........................................... CRISP

5 ............................................. ZCS

7 .......................................... Genius

11 .......................................... ITSG

13 ..................................... Alphastars

15 ................... Probe Intelligence Services

17 ............................................ Grid

35 ..................................... Globarena

48 ..................................Monster Jobs

50 ............................................ TMI

Humour Review Department! (HRD)

12 ......... "Singh is the Kinng" is the HR Thing

–– Col. P. Deogirikar

Column

14 .................... HR Information System: AGlobalhunt Perspective

Monthly Feature by GlobalHunt

Lead Feature

18 ............ Journey towards Organisational

Excellence

–– Hemendra K. Varma

Case Study

36 ...... Suggested Solutions To Case Studies

–– R. Dharmarao

Articles

16 ....... Engineering to Kitcheneering Zero to

Hero - Series - V

–– S. Deenadayalan, Harish Reddy

22 ......................... Bottom up - Series 1

–– S. Deenadayalan, Girinarayanan G

24 .................What Did I Learn That Day?

–– Dr. Rajkumar

25 ......................... Employeee Training

–– Swapnil Kulkarni

26 .......................... HR - Hired on Rent

–– Hirak Bhattacharya

29 ... Remembering Management Guru, Peter

Drucker

–– Sharad Chandra

30 ......... Training Delivery: The Whole Brain

Model

–– Prof R.Krishnamurthi

31 ......................... Role of HR in M & A

–– K P Nachimuthu

32 ............... Assessment Analytics - Part I

–– Ravi Kumar

33 ......HR Challenges - Today and Tomorrow

–– Dr. Usha Devi.N

34 ..................... The Fine Art of Criticism

–– M.S. Michael Raj


First few days …

With talent becoming scarcer inalmost all sectors, organisations

are expending phenomenal amount ofresources attracting talent and finallyhiring them. This activity amidst cut-throatcompetition would seem to be a primaryactivity to sustain spiraling growth. Yet,an unusual phenomenon occurs after thishiring spree is over. New employees, inmany organisations, enter the portal asmere strangers who are meted out routineand cursory treatment and suddenly itappears that the chase was more excitingfor the organisation than the acquisitionof that talent itself.

Onboarding an employee is a critical linkbetween the efforts put in to attractingtalent and retaining them, at least in theinitial phase. First impressions are oftenlasting impressions and the fact that a newhire is still a fair game to a competitor,engaging the new employee as early aspossible has strong merits. Onboardingis only a beginning, but this critical step inthe employment process sets the stagefor long term retention.

Take for instance a typical first day on jobfor a bright new comer - she enters theorganisation with spring in her step, elatedand looking forward to a warm welcomein joining this dream organisation that hasliterally wooed her during the hiring phase.There seems to be something amiss now.She realises that perhaps nobody wasexpecting her because there was no oneto greet her or show her the new workplace, her manager was tied up in ameeting and some one from HRdepartment simply handed her a bunchof company reports and brochures and athick policy manual to read and absorb.And yes, the computer would be availablein the afternoon and the password wouldtake two days. In the meantime a kind soulwho had gone through similar experiencewhen he joined a month ago shows her

the cafeteria and gets her security badgearranged. What a damp start to a career !In the next few days, she attends inductionlectures where senior managers clickthrough slides after slides on companyculture and its greatness - more like aroutine show that they have practiced overseveral batches of new employees. A newcomer stops one such manager after hispresentation to ask few questions whichare answered but more questions are setaside as the manager is in a hurry toattend another meeting. One question thatis often coming in her head is whether sheshould have accepted the other offer thatshe had before joining this organisation !This scenario may be slightly exaggeratedbut not very far from the truth.

Transitions are periods of opportunity, achance to start afresh but they are alsoperiod of uncertainty and acutevulnerability because of lack ofestablished working relationships and adetailed understanding of the newenvironment. It is this vulnerability thatleads to, what in common industryparlance is called, 'infant mortality' whichis now taking a huge toll not only on anorganisation's resource but also itsreputation.

Many organisations focus on providingmassive amount of information and dataduring employee orientation programme.This often falls short of what the newemployee truly needs. The hundred-pageemployee handbook may be somewhatuseful; yet the average employee feelsbewildered, overwhelmed, and far fromfeeling welcomed. Organisations fail torealize that what an employee remembersis the experience not the information.Many new hires question their decision tojoin the new organisation in the first fewdays of their joining, if they feel that thereis a gap between what they expected andwhat they receive. These anxieties arefurther fueled by mistakes that companiesoften make during the new employeeorientation program.

Onboarding goes way beyond providinginformation - it is about relationshipbuilding and inculcating organisationculture and reinforcing its employee valueproposition. A well crafted employeeonboarding programme can cement a newhire's sense of belonging and commitmentto the job, the team and the organisation.

Research has shown that an investmentin onboarding results in stronger workrelationships and reduction in turnover ofnew hires which has obvious positiveimpact on business results. Effectiveonboarding programs make employeesfeel valued, informed, connected and

committed - the essential ingredients fora lasting, successful relationship of a newemployee with his or her new employer.A 2003 study by Hewitt Associates on theconnection between effective on boardingand employee engagement revealed thatcompanies who appropriately invested indesigning their onboarding programme,enjoyed higher levels of employeeengagement and consequent retention.The study established that onboardingpractices impact bonding with theorganisation more than any other initiative.Employees who have gone through thisassimilation process are better connectedto corporate strategy and to the companyculture which later translates into a loyaltythat retains the employee.

Research has also shown that providingmentors who can offer insights into thecorporate culture and help the newemployee understand how the organisationworks, is a major contributor to increasedproductivity and lower turnover. BuddySystem is a powerful concept and can helpmake onboarding experience more fruitfulfor new hires. These buddies or mentorsare normally individuals who exhibit thekind of behaviour and results-orientationthat the organisation would like new comersto emulate. Senior leaders spending qualitytime with new employees also makes a bigimpact. They provide useful insight intoorganisation's past and also future directionand highlight the organisation culture.

Organisations are constantly innovating tomake the first few days memorable for thenew employees. Right from welcomingthem with flowers to a well structuredorientation calendar that makes itmandatory to attend a few training courseswithin the first few months of joining.Assigning a buddy to relate to from dayone has been very successful. Breakfastmeeting or an impromptu lunch with seniorexecutives is a fail proof method ofassimilating new comers into theorganisation.

Employers are increasingly realizing thateffective onboarding is not merely a nicegesture. It is an important element of therecruitment and retention process. Toptalent in the labour market is educated,connected, discerning, and has access toinformation that can either validate orrefute a companies employment valueproposition. It is therefore imperative thatthe organisations put their best footforward with new employee right from thefirst day they enter the organisation. Theluxury of waiting to do it later may proveto be too costly.

- Aquil Busrai

President's MessagePresident's Message



Erratum: In the editorial of theSeptember 2008 issue of theNewsletter, "?" appears instead of thesymbol for "greater than or equal to".We regret this error.

Quite a few people want a career intraining. Most of such people I havecome across think only of being atrainer. Is that the only career optionsavailable in the training function?

Roles in training can be found in thetraining department of an organization,or in an existing training vendororganization, or in free-lancing or instarting one's own training vendororganization. In any of these, broadly,one could be a trainer or one couldmanage the training function or doboth. What does 'growth' mean in theseoptions? Let me present one view oflooking at how one can grow in theroles of a trainer or a manager.

Growth for a 'trainer' can be in manyways:

� From training on relatively simpletopics to training on complex topics

� From delivering a few sessions ina program to delivering the wholeprogram

� From delivering a session orprogram that someone else hasalready designed to designing thesession or program by oneself

� From training junior employees totraining senior executives

� From conducting in-class programsto executive coaching

� From imparting knowledge andskills to problem solving throughmultiple interventions of whichtraining is one

� From reactively training on subjectsthat line managers ask for toproactively supporting people inperformance enhancementsthrough multiple interventions

� From being a member of a team fora program or multiple interventionsto leading such a team

As a manager of the trainingfunction, one can 'grow' in manyways:

� From being a coordinator oflogistics to being an institutionbuilder

� From managing training for a fewemployees to managing training fora very large number of employees- multiple divisions, multiplegeographies, etc.

� From managing a small team in thetraining function to managing alarge team in the training function

� From being responsible for a smalltraining budget to being responsiblefor a large training budget

� From developing the trainingfunction from administrator role toa strategic business partner role

� Starting as a junior-level executive,one can grow into being a globalthought leader for the trainingfunction

Consider the above possible'progressions' being available in thetraining department of an organization,or in a training vendor organization, orwhen one free lances, or when startsoff one's own training vendororganization! I depict these in theadjoining table. The number ofpossibilities explodes!

In terms of career movements, one canmove amongst these variouspossibilities, and not be confined to oneof the cells in the table. I have shownan example of this through the arrows.

Editorial

- C Balaji

The view I presented above is a simple,straightforward stuff. I want to leave youto delve into this thought: The roles youchoose and the path you follow in isentirely dependent on what you aresaying about your deep-self in that roleand path - as in "In this role I ambeing…" and "As I move on this path Iam becoming…"

An Appeal to Members to Validate their postal addressesDear Members,

Please update your postal address andcontact details with your respectiveChapter Coordinators through an e-mailattachment in Excel sheet in the followingformat. (Please fill all the data in Capitalsexcept e-mail Address)

Col 1 - Membership Number if youare aware

Col 2 - Name and Initials

Col 3 - Current Designation

Col 4 - Current organization

Col 5 - First Part of the address

Col 6 - Second Part of the address

Col 7 - Third Part of the address

Col 8. - City

Col 9 - PIN Code

Col 10 - Office Telephone number withSTD Code

Col 11 - Residence Telephone withSTD Code

Col 12 - Mobile Phone Number

Col 15 - E-mail address (Only OneAddress Please)

Trainingdepartment

Trainingvendor

Free-lancing

One's owntrainingorganisation

TrainerRole 1Role 2Role 3

…

Role 1Role 2Role 3…



ManagerRole 1Role 2Role 3

…





Editorial


Please send in your nominations before 15th October 2008 to

National HRD NetworkAnnual Awards


NHRD Network, Jaipur Chapter, IILMAcademy, Jaipur, in collaboration with SID,Rajasthan Chapter, UNICEF and PlanningDepartment, Govt. of Rajasthan organizeda workshop on "MDGs with Specialreference to Sanitation in Rajasthan" on 19thSeptember 2008 (Friday), at Hotel ClarksAmer, Jaipur.

The chairman ofthe program wasMr. YaduvendraMathur, IAS,S e c r e t a r yPlanning, Govt., of

Rajasthan.

The objective of the programme was toanalyze the areas needing attention forensuring availability of safe hygienic cleandrinking water and adequate sanitation thatwill improve quality of life of millions ofindividuals. The workshop also threw lighton India's and Rajathan's status of UnitedNations Development Programme'sMillennium Development (MDG) GoalSeventh : "Ensuring access to water andsanitation".

The programme started withlighting of lamp and saraswativandana by students of IILM -AHL, Jaipur. This was followedby the welcome note by Ms.Shikha Wadhwa, Programme

Manager, UNICEF, Rajasthan. Whilewelcoming the distinguished guests, shesaid that sanitation and hygiene are key tochild survival, development and growth andtherefore it should be discussed.

Dr. Ashok Bapna, President,NHRD and Director IILMAcademy, Jaipur & Convenerof the workshop, whilewelcoming the guests, saidthat the workshop has been

organized to discuss very crucial issue ofsanitation and hygiene. He said that thereis great need to generate awareness andaction on sanitation. He said that clean safedrinking water and sanitation will contributeto societal and economic development. Hesaid that rural sanitation coverage in thestate has increased to around 35% and thereis an urgent need for greater politicalawareness and action on this subject.

This was followed by saplingplantations presentations tothe esteemed dignitaries by thestudents of IILM-AHL, Jaipur.

Mr. Samuel Mawunganidze,State Representative,

UNICEF, Rajasthan, presented his views on"UNICEF's Concerns: Achieving MDGs incontext of water and sanitation Programme".He told about the seventh MDG Goal onensuring environmental sustainability. Hesaid that it is always seen that poor don'thave access to safe drinking water andappropriate sanitation practices. In hispresentation he highlighted the requirementof sanitation facilities for women and girls inschools. He said that at the community levelhygiene and sanitation make a mushdifference in the society. He also urged toimprove the progress in terms of safedrinking water in Rajasthan so as to achievethe MDG Goal by 2015.

This was followed by release of report on"MDGs and its present status in Rajasthan".

Ms. Lizette Burgers, Chiefwater and environmentalsanitation, UNICEF, India,spoke on "NationalPerspectives & Best Practicesin achieving total sanitation".

She said that it is important to know whysanitation is an important subject and needto be discussed. She said that the issue ofsanitation need to be looked in twoperspectives, firstly for progressive anddeveloping India, which has access to goodsanitation, and secondly with respect to poorand undernourished population of India.There is a need to understand how India ismoving ahead in sanitation which is very vitalfor health. She said that the issue of safehygiene is very important in urban slums andrural areas where lot of people become sickbecause of sanitation problem. She urgedfor capacity development, use of costeffective technologies and knowledgemanagement for handling the problem ofsanitation in Rajasthan. She said thatInformation, Education & Communication(IEC) is required for improved sanitation.Lastly she mentioned about "Nirmal GramPuraskar" to fully sanitized and opendefecation free gram panchayats, blocksand districts for healthy environment.

Dr. Praneet Kumar, Chief,Fortis Escorts Hospital, Jaipur,while speaking on the theme,said that peoples' participationin sanitation should beproactive and not reactive. Herelated a strong linkage between health andwater supply. He told about water bornediseases and people should have accessto clean safe drinking water. He said thatthe biggest blog in the world is lack ofpolitical will regarding sanitation.

Then Prof. Yogesh Atal,Former Director General,UNESCO, Paris, said thatthough developments havetaken place in the last 50 years,there have been lot of gaps in

social development. He said that economicdevelopment should go on with socialdevelopment. He said that there is need forpublic sanitation systems particularly forwomen. He said that water and sanitationwe don't need advocacy, they need action.He said that to measure success we shouldnot look on the statistics of coverage, buton the statistics on usage. He said that ofthe money spend on the accomplishmentof the tasks, we should see that the changehas been brought into.

Mr. Yaduvendra Mathur, Secy.Planning, Govt. of Raj., gavea presentation on "FundingSanitation Programme". Hesaid the spirit of achievingMDGs have been inculcated by

the planning department. He said that therehas been progress in the area of sanitationin the state, but in Rajasthan the availabilityof water is very less. He linked sanitation towater and wished for decent functioningtoilets with round the clock water, andelectricity supply to pump water to theoverhead tanks. He said that there is a needfor Public Private Partnerships (PPP),financial models, and the managementstudents could take case studies forimproving the sanitation and hygiene.

This was followed by open discussion onthe topic.

While summing up thediscussion Ms. KathrynHarries, WES specialistUNICEF, Jaipur told about theimportance of hygieneeducation. She recommended

that in urban areas commercialization, safesanitation procedures, solid wastemanagement, and attitudinal changes areat grass root levels. Ph.D in sanitaryengineering should be emphasized.

In the end, S. Shyam Prasad,Associate Dean, IILM, Jaipur,proposed a formal vote ofthanks, Mr. Sudhir Upadhyay,Faculty IILM-AHL, Jaipur, wasthe coordinator of theprogramme and Ms. Jyoti Bajpai, Asst. Prof.,IILM-AHL, Jaipur, compered the programme.

Jaipur Chapter "Status of sanitation sector in Rajasthan withrespect to Millennium Development Goal (MDG)"


– Col. P. Deogirikar

Succession Planning - All Lucky Singh hadto do was to point a finger on who shouldsucceed him. If only every one is as decisive,the organizations would have very definitedirections.

Motivation - Good HR ploy would be toshuffle air tickets of all the employees goingabroad same day. This would mean thatthey all would have seen different cities,countries, even continents (the way Australiabound Happy Singh enjoys Egypt) withoutany extra financial burden on organization.And if some are lucky (not 'Singh'), theycould meet their Katrina Kaif during stopovertoo!

Promotion - Promotion should be entirelyon talent, not on seniority. Happy becomesthe 'King' even while there were others inthe gang, capable and time tested. Onemight think that this flick discouragespromotion from within as an outsiderbecomes the king, but, actually if the systemis taken to be that village in Punjab, it doesnot.

Innovation - A parachute covering largehorizontal distances at will will bring greatcheer to the guys getting late to office thanksto the massive traffic jams.

Leadership - We should change oneleadership adage. They say 'a leader is asgood as his/her team'. In SIK the originalKing (Lucky Singh) has only a pack of jokersaround him but manages - and managesquite well!

Golden Hand Shake - Getting rid of'deadwood' is so easy, the protagonistmanages to get an early retirement for the

Col. P Deogirikar is General Manager with Ruchi Group, Indore. E-Mail: [email protected]

all-powerful don at Australia without any'relevant' industry experience.

Communication - Many of us have anapprehension of international business aswe are worried about our languageinadequacy. We should take heart from thatfact that the hero of SIK, who is required toeven carry an interpreter (Om Puri) abroad,manages very well without any hitch.

Transactional Analysis - Suggests that Pto A has a better chance of success than Ato A. The rustic Happy (parent) just comesand 'directs' the don, King (child), to packhis bags and move!

Socializing - Indicates the importance ofInvestiture type over Divestiture type. Noone asks Happy to shed his qualities.Reinforces the socialization process whichconsists of pre-arrival, encounter andmetamorphosis stages. Only, in this casethe metamorphose is of the organization,not the individual! Whole gang comes to

"Singh is the Kinng"is the HR Thing

�HHHHH

These days there is a distinct trend of extracting learning lessons from the Bollywoodmovies. Started with 'Lagaan' and then carried on with 'Munnabhai', 'Chak De India',etc. Being an HR professional, permit me to draw some HR lessons from the megamovie, "Singh is Kinng" (SIK). Of course, HR here stands for Humour Resource!

But Man, we can't permit you to leavefor India; your village panchait is payingus quite well to keep you here!

India for the wedding there. Indicates theimportance of informal occasions like get-togethers, picnics etc.

Reward System - Just one good deed,saving the boss (Lucky) and the protagonistis immediately given the huge reward (ofleading the pack!).

Recruitment Sources - The village remainsthe source which keeps sending 'quality'human resources for their type of operation.Referral of old Masterji still carries it's weight.

Discipline - A professional means business.The king, Lucky, does not even contemplateone day leave to meet his ailing father inIndia. We learn devotion to job. The Pujaridoes not mind the job difficulty (his facecovered) and irrespective of all the fireworksaround him, completes the mantras anddeclares the 'available couple' as legallymarried husband and wife! Real gooddiscipline!

Training - Some skeptical ones havegenuine doubts in the effectiveness of thetraining which is a bread (and, sometimes,butter too) for HR guys. They believe thatwhatever you do, a person would notchange. Show them this movie. Just onedialogue and each of the hardened criminalis reformed. Gandhigiri at its best (is itSinghgiri?)!

Role Play - HR persons can learn aboutrole play from SIK. Each one takes up anentirely different role yet making use of theindividual skills.

And there can be many more. With so manylessons, is it not right to title this article as'Singh is Kinng" is the HR Thing?


Thus the basic needs of HRIS is-

1. Efficiently storing each employeeinformation and data for reference-personal data management, pay rollaccounting, benefits management andplanning.

Contributed By: Sunil Goel,

HRIS is an effort towards speedy, effectiveand professionally handling of informationon resources for efficient management ofHuman Resource function. HRIS is acomputerized system used to acquire, store,analyze and distribute information regardingan organization's human services and toprovide services in the form of informationto the clients or users of the system.

" A greater sense of organizational bondingcan achieve what traditional HR aimed atfor ages - lower employee turnover, highmorale, effective personalized training & skillretention." says Sunil Goel, GlobalHunt

HR Information System:A Globalhunt Perspective

Monthly Feature

by Global H

unt

Need for Change

Email Us at: [email protected] Visit us at: www.globalhunt.in

�HHHHH

2. Enabling informed decision making inday-to-day personnel issues, planning,budgeting, implementing andmonitoring Human Resource function.

3. Providing data / returns to governmentand other public

4. Facilitating decision making in areas likepromotion, transfer, nomination, settlingemployee's provident funds, retirement,gratuity, LTC, and earned leavecompensation.

5. Cutting costs.

6. Improving accuracy

The Human Resource Information System(HRIS) is a software or online solution forthe data entry, data tracking, and datainformation needs of the Human Resources,payroll, management, and accountingfunctions within a business. Normallypackaged as a data base, hundreds ofcompanies sell some form of HRIS andevery HRIS has different capabilities. Pickyour HRIS carefully based on the capabilitiesyou need in your company.

Typically, the better Human ResourceInformation Systems (HRIS) provide overall:

� Management of all employeeinformation.

� Reporting and analysis of employeeinformation.

� Company-related documents such asemployee handbooks, emergencyevacuation procedures, and safetyguidelines.

� Benefits administration includingenrolment, status changes, andpersonal information updating.

� Complete integration with payroll andother company financial software andaccounting systems.

� Applicant and resume management.

Being the most implemented project inenterprises, the potential for theseapplications is huge & can be gauged fromthe fact that every large software vendor,be it in ERP or CRM is bringing out productsin this segment. BEA Systems (WeblogicPortal), Oracle (My Oracle), SAP (mySAPEnterprise Portal), Siebel Systems (ERMgroup of applications), IBM (WebspherePortal), PeopleSoft (PeopleSoft 8 HRMS)& Microsoft (Business Portal) are some ofthe major players.

The HRIS that most effectively servescompanies tracks:

� attendance and PTO use,

� pay raises and history,

� pay grades and positions held,

� performance development plans,

� training received,

� disciplinary action received,

� personal employee information, andoccasionally,

� management and key employeesuccession plans,

� high potential employee identification,and

� applicant tracking, interviewing, andselection.

Sunil Goel , GlobalHunt reiterates that aneffective HRIS provides information on justabout anything the company needs to trackand analyze about employees, formeremployees, and applicants. Your companywill need to select a Human ResourcesInformation System and customize it to meetyour needs.

HYDERABAD

Prof. R. Dharmarao receiving Best Teacher awardProf. R. Dharma Rao, HOD-HR, ICBM - School of Business Excellence,

Who has been writing case studies in the NHRD Newsletter since

December 2005 continuously was honoured on the occasion of Teacher's

Day 5th September 2008. (From L TO R) Prof S. Zarar, Principal, Miss

Ritu Zarar, Chair Person, and Prof. Jitender Govindani


The Family DNA

Adigas to Adigae Mane (Meaning Kitchenin Kannada) is an interesting sojourn. Froma DNA perspective, Mr Vasudeva Adigashails from Bangalore and is the Son of LateK.V. Nagesh Rao who is small time caterer.Like any parent in the 70's - the fatherwanted Vasudeva to be an Engineer andnot a caterer.

Fulfilling his father's ambition Vasudevacompleted his Engineering in 1984 andwanted to go for further to USA. But as hecould not get his Visa for US he had to drophis plan.

Frustrating Job hunt

His time was not boom time for Engineersand there were Engineers who worked asCasual Apprentices in Public Sectorundertakings like HMT. TCS or Infosys orWipro were unheard of - or for that matterthe very word Campus placements. Hence,the Jobs Vasudeva Adiga knocked were allunchallenging and with peers in US orbetter jobs, added to his frustration. Maybe the burning instinct to be an entrepreneurresulted in his not being happy with the jobshe got

Word of Mouth Single Restaurants.

His father Late K.V. Nagesh Rao had a smallhotel in Shankarpuram in Bangalore whichwas started in the year 1965. The size ofthe hotel then was only 10 ft by 20 ft. Inthose days - hotel going was a luxury. Fewselect single restaurant model and word ofmouth brands were popular like the MTRnear Lalbagh, or the road side eateries inMalleswaram or Chamrajpet and they werefamous for few items. Scaling wasconsidered a drain on good will and quality.Bangalorians loved Filter Coffee from theIndia Coffee House, or MTR Masala Dosaor the neighborhood restaurants idly, chow-chow bath and Kali Dosa - and Bangalorehas the notoriety for the One by Two culture.(Now fast depleting). And of course not toforget the Lake View ice cream. Those daysgoing regularly to Koshys or Brindavan orMTR were considered elitist and to thecommoner it was a moment of Celebrationor an event once a month or once in aquarter.

Good bye to Engineering

In that context, Vasudeva Adiga- decidedto say good bye to Engineering and joinedhis father in his Kitcheneering and joinedhands with him in the year 1985. It wasaround this time, the Saravana Bhavanchain, was making a vibrant scaling,centralized kitchen, high focus on qualityand spreading in Tamil Nadu , Middle east,UK and US.

The Kitchen DNA and desire for scalingfacilitated the Business growth. May be theEngineering qualification helped. And in1993 a hotel was opened in Basavangudi.Then in 1994 they opened another hotel inJayanagar. With the Business doingextremely well, they kept adding hotels inthe city and as on date they have a total of10 branches in Bangalore catering foroutdoor, fast food & to the corporatecompanies. In Adigas, the Indian SiliconValley saw the Karnataka ethnic cuisine withundiluted quality. And no looking back forAdigas and spread the wings beyondBangalore to Move to Sharjah on Jan 2007and now are going to inaugurate another inDubai in the month of Nov 2008. Hishardwork and dedication all along broughthim all the success.

Celebrity Clientele and Professionalism

Adigas have Celebrity Clientele like Sri N.RNaryana Murthy and his senior team, Sri K.Jairaj, I.A.S and many other illustriousbureaucrats, Dr Akhilesh of IISC and manyothers who prefer cool munching of theKarnataka cuisine. Adigas have - some thingfor the fast movers too - and they opt forself service.

Vasudeva is presently the President ofBangalore Hotel Association.

Though it is still being run as a familybusiness and now is moving intoprofessional business.The COO of theCompany being Mr. Yatish Hulakunte andCFO being Mr. Parameshwara Adigas.

The Adiga(e) VISION

The Vision of Adigas is to be the No.1 inVeg hotels and to grow globally and also toCare for Nature. And achieving a top line of20 Crores is not easy in the current context.

Engineering to KitcheneeringZero to Hero - Series - V

– S. Deenadayalan, Harish Reddy

Mr. S. Deenadayalan, CEO and Mr. Harish Reddy, Team Lead, RecruitmentsCentre for Excellence in Organization, Bangalore. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

Adigas would also like to to get into Motel& Resorts by 2010.

The employees, who are about 500 todayspread over the ten hotels, have strongrelationship with the Adiga family and thebrand. Gone are the days when Hotelsthrived with Child Labor and Adigas are notlagging behind in progressive HR practices.Employees of Adigas not only get benefitslike PF + ESI , Food and Accommodationetc, they are also trained in CRM throughformal induction programs with focus oneffective inter personal relationship - andin the Silicon City, the attrition is appallinglylow with Adigas. The Hygiene in the hoteland care for quality in sourcing speaksvolumes on his "Share and Care

Adigas growth is a welcome relief thethousands of Bangalorians at different partsof the City to have healthy and native foodat affordable cost. Also, all the outlets havewider menu and contemporary interiors fornewer and younger audiences. The foodhowever tastes the same across the Hotelchain including Sharjah. Yes Adigas aresoon becoming an Extra ordinary Homegrown retail brand and Adigas frustration ofnot going to US for Job probably will soonmove to providing jobs in US.

Mr. Vasudeva Adigas

Watch for the most exiting coverage onZeros to Heros - series 6 in the

November issue . This article will coverfew zeros turned heroes under the

caption "Gandhian Communists - withbalanced Captialism". �HHHHH


Journey towards OrganisationalExcellence

– Hemendra K. Varma

Hemendra K. Varma is the Managing Director of Pratik Management Productivity Systems Pvt Ltd, Mumbai and can be contacted [email protected].

Excellence means what ? The book thatmade the word "excellence" famous (if

at all it required fame ?!) was Waterman andPeters' book of the mid - 1980s "In Searchof Excellence" That would be a good startingpoint as any to understand the meaning ofExcellence.

According to the authors, their qualifier for"excellence;' was the following : "…. Wereasoned that no matter what prestige thesecompanies had in the eyes of the rest of thebusiness world, the companies were nottruly excellent unless their financialperformance supported their halo of esteem(emphasis mine). Consequently, we choseand imposed six measures of long-termsuperiority. The six are : (1) Compoundasset growth from 1961 to 1980, (2)Compound equity growth from 1961 to 1980,(3) Average ratio of market value to bookas on Dec 31, 1961 to 1980, (4) Averagereturn on total capital from 1960 to 1980 (5)Average return on equity from 1960 to 1980and (6) Average return on sales from 1960to 1980

Let us also look at a more recent book "Goodto Great" by Jim Collins published in 2001.Here too, as part of identifying the "greatcompanies" Collins applied the followingcriteria : "We launched a six-month "deathmarch of financial analysis (emphasismine)," looking for companies that showedthe following basic pattern : fifteen-yearcumulative stock returns at or below thegeneral stock market, punctuated by atransition point, then cumulative returns atleast three times the market over the nextfifteen years.

As you can see, the focus is primarilyfinancial or "result - oriented". What is wrongwith being result - oriented, one may wellask. After all this is not a charitableorganisation ? (It is a separate matter ofcourse that every business and industrialestablishment begs for charity from thegovernment, be it in land rates, tax and dutyexemptions, tax rate reduction, non-application of prescribed penalties for non-fulfillment of statutory obligations, write-offson unpaid loans and dues (now given arespectable cloak and called innovative

financial re-structuring !!).

The objection is not to being result - oriented.The greater question, in my view, is "whatdo you call results ?" Is the financial resultof the organisation the only result to bereckoned, measured and evaluated ?

Suppose, as a result of the company'soperations, the sub-soil water getscontaminated as was alleged to havehappened with Coca Cola in Kerala, is thisa result not to be considered in evaluatingthe organisation's performance and/or itsexcellence ?

Suppose as a result of the organisation'semployment policy, many children take towork, as has happened in so many of ourquarries and garment manufacturing units,which is a violation of the child labour act, isthat not a result to be considered ?

Suppose as result of the business usurping,at throw-away prices, huge tracts of land tobuild SEZs, a large part of the indigenouspopulation has lost its traditional and life-long means of livelihood, is it not a result tobe considered ?

Suppose the installation of an industrial unitcaused tremendous air and water pollutionas has been caused by tanneries, breweries,cement and power generating units, is itnot a result to be considered ?

The point being made is that unless weclarify and determine what is the parameterfor judging excellence, we may well labelsomething excellent on a narrow yardstickbut which is criminal on another widerframework.

A classic example is Enron which wonaccolades for its financial performance astypified by its share prices and ROI but,subsequently, almost the entiremanagement was labelled and eventuallydetermined to be guilty of criminalinfractions. There are many such examplesin our country but I am afraid to name themfor being the small person I am. May Isubmit, therefore that the "confinement" ofexcellence to figures and numbers is the firststep towards its abandonment.

Organisations today are only focusing on

their body - viz., financial health ; as a result,they have lost their soul ; it is the latter thatI wish to focus on as an important objectivein the journey towards organisationalexcellence.

Looking after your body can only bring aboutsustenance ; it is only the nurturing of thesoul that can bring about excellence.

Some will argue that without financial healthone cannot do anything else ; hence"financial health" or, very simply, profits orROI can and must be the first, if not the soleobjective of any organisation.

I hold that there is some confusion here asto which comes first. Proponents of theabove view treat financial health as a priorrequirement for any organisation to surviveand grow - I beg to differ because, in myview, financial health is not a "causal factor"but rather a resultant factor or an effect ofthe "other things that you do". As somebodyput it very succinctly, "The objective ofbusiness is not profits ; the objective ofbusiness is customer satisfaction, profit is aresult."

So if we are talking of the soul of theorganisation, how does the soul of anorganisation manifest itself ? According tome, it is reflected in the following :

� Fairness

� Politeness

� Responsiveness

� Respect for Laws

� Care for the Environment

� Contribution to Society

Fairness

What does fairness mean and fairness aboutwhat and to whom ?

I understand fairness as

� doing what you are supposed to do,

� not doing what you are not supposed toand

� making full disclosures about both sothat the other side can take an informeddecision about going along with you ornot.

Lead Feature


I will discuss this in respect of three majorpartners or associates of any organisationalunit viz., employees, vendors/suppliers andcustomers.

Let us take the case of employees first. Theyare the most exploited lot today, particularlythe managerial or the non-unionizedcategory.

Employees are routinely made to work 12to 16 hours a day, days on end ? Is this fair? When a person is selected, it is for an"unstated" but legally and traditionallyunderstood engagement of 8 hours ofworking (this is what was supposed to becontribution of enlightened managementthat hours of work should be shortened andregulated). How can the organisation thenmake him work longer than 8 hours everyday? Once in a while a crunch situationdemands working long or odd hours ;nobody can or does object to that ? Butmaking it a regular routine - can that becalled fair ? Not only he/she is not paid forthat extra work, organisations do not evenhave the courtesy or the heart to offer tea/coffee or dinner for these long hours ; as aresult the employees eat very late, or donot eat at all, resulting in completebreakdown of their digestive system andhealth. Is this fair ? The banking, finance,advertising, entertainment and, in a numberof cases, even the manufacturing industriesare the biggest culprits in such "unfairpractices."

When I posed these questions to some suchemployers, their response has been --- wepay them well, in fact we overpay them sothere is no reason for them to crib if theyhave to work extra hours ? The question iscertainly not how much they are paid -- the"fairness" question is were they told that theyare being paid more because they areexpected to work 'unreasonably" longhours ?

Secondly, all employers know that it ispatently illegal to make people work suchlong hours. There are clear provisions in thelaw about regular working and overtimeworking which is supposed to be paid whenx no of hours of working per week isexceeded.

Next, what is this style of working resultinginto ? Distraught and overworked employeeswith their work-life balance totally skewed,their health shattered (acidity is rampant),a disconnect with family members whorarely see him/her during waking hours. Isthis the hallmark of an excellent organisationwhich may be showing excellent workingresults because of this blatant exploitationof its employees ?

Making false promises to employees at thetime of selection and recruitment is anothercommon practice amongst 'aggressive and

dynamic" companies. This was broughthome to me years ago when we were doingan organisation climate survey for acompany. One of the employees had writtenin his response sheet that he didn't trust thecompany. When I quizzed him during thepersonal discussion he explained that at thetime of the interview, after the salary matterwas discussed and agreed, he enquireabout other facilities and benefits. He wastold they are all standard as in othercompanies.

"On joining," he said, "I found that thiscompany had a six day week whereas I wascoming from a 5 day working weekorganisation ; if I had known this I wouldeither not have joined or asked for aproportionately higher salary. I also learntthat PF paid here was at 8. 33 % whereas Iwas getting at 10 %. This also they did notdisclose to me. The super-annuation hereis payable only if you complete 5 years ofservice whereas there was no suchrestrictive rule in my previous organization."

His main grouse was not they had differentor more stringent rules ; his point was whydid they not tell him clearly and completelyso that he could have taken a decision yesor no, taking all these factors into account.

Let us now turn to Vendors/suppliers.

This area hardly needs much elaborationas most readers will be familiar with howtheir company exploits and squeezes thisclass of business associates, commonamongst which is delaying payments (toshow improved cash flow or manage yourown cash crunches), squeezing for un-remunerative prices to show your ownpurchasing efficiency, making the vendormake ten visits and go-around variousdepartments to get a payment that islegitimately due to him, making arbitrarydeductions on his bill just because you havethe size and power to do so.

The organization must ask itself thequestion, is it fair ?

Let us now turn to the holy of the holies, thecustomer in whose name all swearing isdone, all visions envisioned and all missionsundertaken !

Cheat the customer through the fine print isan old and well-honed technique masteredby various companies paying fat fees tolawyers to protect them on this front.

Suspend service to the customer for minoror alleged infractions so that he comesrunning back to you for restoration of serviceat which time you can extract your pound offlesh e.g. mobile phone companies, TVcable connection, electricity companies,equipment manufacturing companies forspares or service etc.

Cheat by doing creative billing. I have a

mobile internet connection. Whenever theysend a bill which has paise in the amount,they round it off - perfectly understandable.What is not understandable nor acceptableis that they round it off to the next higherrupee,; so whether the bill is for Rs. 810.37or Rs. 810.76 paise, both are rounded off toRs. 812/- ? Is this fair ? Is this right ? Is thislegal ?

Any child who has done elementarymathematics knows that rounding off is doneto the nearest Rupee and not the next higherrupee. Now, where the customer base runsinto lakhs, such "unfair" rounding off meanswrongful extortion of huge sums of moniesfrom the customer ? Is this what you call acustomer - focussed organisation ? Thesame technique is used by telecomcompanies and credit card companies in the"extra charges" they levy.

And if the above examples smack ofunfairness then can an organization thatindulges in them be called "excellent" evenif it meets the "excellence" standards of thefinancial analysts ?

Politeness

What does politeness in an "organisationalcontext" mean ? Exactly what it means inany other context. The major elements tokeep in mind are welcome, greeting,courtesy and care.

Do you welcome them ? Do you greet yourvisitors ? The test of organisationalexcellence or maturity (if I may call it that)in this context is evident from the way theSecurity watchman or the receptionist treatsyou when you enter the office or the waythe telephone operator talks to you whenyou call up the company.

Unfortunately, these are simply not factorsthat occupy the minds of the "dynamic, MBAmangers" who staff all companies and work16 hours a day to change and conquer theworld. None of them, may I repeat, not oneof them, consider it necessary or evenrelevant to train their watchmen orreceptionist or telephone operators on theelementary aspects of greeting andwelcoming a visitor or a caller. The result isevery visitor is a victim of the company'sfirst line staff's mood of the day !!

The managers of the company never knowanything about it because the staff dare nottreat them casually and the victimized visitormore often than not never complains aboutit. But an organisation that is striving to beexcellent must necessarily be pro-active onthis front and take its own initiative to trainits people, to test how they actually behavewith "outsiders" and counsel them whereverand whenever necessary.

What about courtesy ? An absolutely non-existent feature of any conventionally


denoted "excellent" organisation. Suchorganisations are proud of their excellentperformance, so there is no need to be acourteous, they feel. Indeed "arrogance" iswhat suits their personality better and theydisplay it with a vengeance.

Call up any manager in such a company ; itwill take you several attempts and manydays to be able to speak to him, if you arelucky. Else, you will have to settle for gettingan appointment only through his secretaryor assistant. Once you arrive on theappointed day for the meeting, you are keptwaiting, without any explanation, or told aftera long interval that it is no longer possibleto meet today because "the concernedmanager" is going off to another meeting oras it also happens, you are told on arrivalthat the concerned manager is out of station!

My point is, a person has come to meet youon a date, time and venue of your choosing.You or your secretary gave him theappointment as per your convenience. Howdare you keep him waiting or plead that youare busy in something more important. Whatare you trying to do -- rub in the point thatyour visitor or his work is unimportant or thathis time can be wasted ? You have nobusiness to keep him waiting or to go out oftown on the appointment day. If somethingtruly has come up very suddenly and is ofan emergency nature, then, too, it is yourbusiness to inform him, apologise to him andgive him an alternative date, before heleaves his home or office for your place.

When I once made this point to a managerwho had indulged in this kind of behaviour,his response was interesting - you shouldhave checked up before coming ? Whyshould I check up ? We have fixed up anappointment as per your convenience. Howshould I know or guess that you will not keepit ? If you can't keep the appointment, it isyour duty to inform me and not mine to keepasking you every few days whether theappointment stands firm ?

If a person can't keep his appointment, Ibelieve he cannot keep his word. Surelysuch a person, or an organisation wheresuch people work, cannot claim the crownof "excellence"

Responsiveness

What does responsiveness mean ? Itmeans Acknowledging, Listening, Replying,Resolving. It means acknowledging thepresence of the "other person", listening towhat he/she has to say or show, replying tohis/her queries doubts and most importantlyresolving - to his satisfaction -- the problemthat he has come to you with.

Most organizations fail the test in the firststage itself. Telephone any organisation --they simply do not acknowledge your

presence on the line. Almost 60 to 70 %have a machine answering you, guiding youthrough complicated buttons on yourinstrument, exhorting you to stay on the linebecause you are important to them but doingnothing to connect you to the person youwish to speak to.

Those that do employ human beings toanswer your telephone calls behave in themost inhuman manner -- they will transferyou to an instrument that keeps on ringing ;when you are brought back to the operatorand you mention that nobody is picking upthe telephone they inform you with greatperspicacity and insight that it means thatthe person is not on his seat and before youcan say Hey presto, they will disconnect.You try again and repeat your problem andask the person to locate the person you arelooking for, they refuse to do so or put youon hold till you lose your patience anddisconnect.

If you are lucky to reach a person whoactually listens to you, he will make amendsfor his "mistake of listening" by not replyingto you ! He either doesn't know or he doesn'tknow who knows the answer to yourquestion or the person who knows is notthere, and of course he doesn't know whenthat person will come back, so will you tryagain after some time ?

In the course of our work, we deal a lot withthe HR function ; almost none -- of coursethere are some honourable exceptions -- ofsuch worthies can be ever accused ofreplying to a letter, e-mail or telephone callthat we make !! HR people never return acall, they never answer an e-mail. Whichdimension of excellence does this behaviourdemonstrate ?

Finally, we come to the issue of resolvingthe problem that the customer has broughtto you. Whether it is the salesman in a retailshop or the Manager in a Hotel or an officialin the Purchase or QC or AccountsDepartment, they are least bothered orconcerned about satisfactorily resolving yourproblem. All that they will stubbornly quoteis company policy that does not allow themto do what you are asking for, or simplyexpress their inability to help you ; someare even more helpful -- they simply walkaway or put down the telephone.

Respect for Laws

Laws are made by governments to codify"sanctioned behaviour" identify"unacceptable behaviour" and clarify the"grey areas". They are made by our electedrepresentatives and therefore need to bescrupulously respected, and adhered to.Every dynamic manager's constant refrainis that but for these laws, and the restrictionsthey place on us, we would be doing somuch better. What kind of thinking is this ?

Are you above the law or outside it ?

No, what I mean is, laws are good but theyshould not apply to me - I am so dynamicand after all I am not doing this for myself, Iam doing this for my company so that it canbecome excellent by breaking the laws !

If you want to be termed excellent you mustshow your prowess in the "givencircumstances" that apply to all players andnot attempt to win by tilting the table. Thatis not excellence, it is pure and simplecheating.

Organisations that want to achieveexcellence must have it as part of theirexplicitly declared mandate and equallyscrupulously observed behavior that they willfollow the law of the land or attempt tochange it if they feel it is a milestone, butthey must never circumvent it or try to violateit with the help of "excellent" lawyers giftedwith devilish articulation.

Care for Environment

With the scientists warning us every dayabout the impending environmental crisesbe it the melting of Himalayan glaciers orthe rise in sea level or the looming wareshortage leading eventually food shortageor the carbon dioxide emissions, it will be atragedy if it has to be argued and provedthat organisations owe it to the entirecommunity as well as to themselves to "takecare of the environment" ; unfortunatelyintransigent and powerful companies likesoft drink manufacturers, various petroleumcompanies, breweries, tanneries, chemicalplants etc just do not accept theirresponsibilities in this regard and once againmake the time-worn clichéd argumentsabout how "their profits will be affected" ifthey were to adhere to all the laws regulatingpollution and environmental hazards !

Organisations that aim for excellence mustnecessarily acknowledge their duty topreserve, protect and improve theenvironment in the areas of their operation.This means, essentially,

� controlling all "eco-damaging" dischargeemanating from their productionprocess, and adhering to all laws laiddown in this regard,

� avoiding excess or overdrawing ofnatural resources, particularly water,

� stopping manufacture of all petrol/dieselguzzling vehicles (even if it meansstopping the offering of large andfashionable cars, just becausesomebody is willing to pay for it),

� Reducing noise in their operations,

� Removing debris and cleaning up theneighboring areas whenever theycomplete their construction/buildingwork,


� Ensuring that their is no choking ofdrains, nullahs and rivers because oftheir dumping garbage/rubbish etc. inthe same.

Contribution to Society

It is not the business of business to"contribute to society" or do any social work; these are the duties of the government.We are in business to make profits ; what iswrong with that ?

This is what is wrong with this unabashedassertion of "profit being the only sensible,valid and acceptable" objective of anybusiness. Let us start from the basics. How,and why, does any business start ? It startswith the identification of a need in thesociety/geographical area the businessintends to serve. Thereupon a searchensues for a suitable location, keeping inmind RM proximity and Customer (market)proximity or access.

Thereafter people are sourced to "run thebusiness" be it at the level of operatives orsenior managers --- thus the entire businessowes its genesis and existence to the society-- be it in terms of land, raw material,employees or customers. To then argue thatwe have no duty to society or the welfare orwell-being of the society in which we arelocated, our only motive and "rationalobjective" is and can be to plunder societyso tat the company makes profits is puerile,to say the least.

The issue is -- is an organisation bigger thanthe society which nurtures it (through RMsupplies, people supply, commercialfacilities and finally consumption of itsproducts and services) ?

To argue that "company interest" comesabove society interest is not only incorrectand laughable but also, to put it mildly, plainstupid.

Contributing to society, (beyond theemployment you generate and the taxes youpay) should be seen as a Duty, and not thefirst "quid" of any quid - pro - quidarrangement with the government andauthorities.

Hence, clearly one dimension oforganisational excellence is, or, should beaccording to this author, the organisation'splanned and conscious contribution to societyin which it is located, as well as those physicalareas and communities from which it drawssustenance, by way of raw material supplies,workforce, vendors/suppliers and customers.

What can be this contribution ? It could bein various areas like, maintenance of andimprovement in the environmental climate -- cleaner roads and drains, observation ofpollution related laws and restrictions, schoolfacilities for the community, parks and

recreation grounds, support to communityactivities (sports, drama, music, health-care).

Wherever the local government ormunicipality is unable to (for any reasonwhatsoever) take care of the infrastructure,organisations in those areas must cometogether to do so -- particularly for thingslike, drainage cleaning or repair (to avoidflooding or spread of water-borne diseasesand contaminated water flow), widening ofroads (for which they should readily draw-back their boundary walls, instead ofemploying highly-paid lawyers to assert whytheir land cannot be taken up for roadwidening !).

In fact, one simple way, we propose, of doingthis is for organisations to draw a circle of100m radius around their location and thenstrive to make that circle "the best" on allinfrastructure parameters like roads, drains,trees, gardens, parks, maintenance of publicmonuments & tourist interest areas,provision of public amenities etc.

If this is widely adopted then there will be avisible upliftment of local area's standardswhose benefit will rub off on the industriesthemselves by way of faster vehicularmovement, less accidents, a moresophisticated workforce as also appreciationin value of the land and buildings in that area.

I know that many readers who have comeup this point of this article will be still arguing- this is not our job, this is the government's.Let us concede for a moment that yourabove formulation is correct. So what ? Thegovernment which is supposed to do all thatis not doing it or is unable to do it. Mostlygovernments plead lack of funds for doingso. How do you think the government isgoing to solve this problem ? Simple, by wayof levying taxes to collect funds to be ableto do the above. These taxes will then be apermanent liability for you.

Is it not better that you do some (certainlynot all) of these things yourself, using theobviously talented people you employ, whocan do these tasks far more efficiently andcheaply and thus pre-empt the government'stendency to increase taxes ?

However, there is a rider to all this ? Whatis the rider ? The important and non-negotiable rider is that you should do itwithout claiming any banner oracknowledgement hoarding ?

How will people know we have done it andwhy shouldn't we get mileage for thecommunity work we do ? The answer issimple. Once banners and hoardingsdeclaring who has done what are permitted,not only will they make the entire project

ugly, it will set off competing claims amongstorganisations for size of acknowledgementetc.

This may ultimately result in manyorganisations trying to even grab thatphysical area as their own (as has sowantonly happened in case of public parksand open spaces taken up by Private clubsfor maintenance in Mumbai ) and thentreated as their personal fiefdom, denyingaccess to the very public for whose benefitthey were allotted such public places tomaintain.

What about the question of getting mileagefor our work ? How will the community knowhow much sacrifice we have made for them? Of course they will know. Proclaim itthough your media Ads ; announce it in yourAGMs. Send mailers to your customers andshareholders. But do not plant boards. Inany case, when you do projects of the abovenature, everybody knows who is doing it andyou will get the benefits of communityappreciation, if the job is well done.

To summarise, the Journey towardsexcellence must take a broader view of"excellence" than mere financialperformance - be it profit % age, dividendrate or number of bonus share issues. The"ignored dimensions" that should form thehallmark of any excellence journey, are thefollowing :

I would like to term this as the "ExcellenceStar". It is my postulate that if the above"excellence dimensions" are consciouslystriven to be achieved, (financial)performance will axiomatically result ;however, the reverse is not necessarily true.You can be a profit-making company using"unfair means", violating various laws,destroying the environment and contributingnothing to the society.

It is for the managers to decide whichdimension or dimensions of excellence theywish to focus on and attempt to achieve.Today it is a choice - tomorrow there will benone and those that miss out on theirresponsibilities will not only go missing, theywill not even be missed. �HHHHH

Respect forLaws

Contributionto Society

Care forEnvironment

PolitenessRespon-siveness

Fairness


"Myself and Giri will be writing this seriesin future. Zero to Hero series triggeredGiri to show case people who struggledin their early days as blue collar workers,sans qualification."

– Deen

There are professionals who are holdingvery senior positions but their present statushas not come that very easy. They had tocompete and come up the ladder purely bytheir capability, sweat and contribution.There are several people who started asXerox operator and have become anauthority on Tool Design or started asproduction operator to become DirectorPurchase or stenographer to head abusiness or leading process consultants.Members might know such success storiesand please do write to us - and we caninterview them and write about them. It hasto be authentic and needs to be certified bythe boss. We believe these experiences areread worthy.

Such show casing may act as motivators tothe other members and the organization andHRD Net work forum is a good forum totrigger such examples for others to emulate.

K. Swamynathan

To begin with, we interviewed Mr.K.Swamynathan, Director -Purchase ofAutoliv Safety Systems India Pvt. Ltd, amultinational company. (Here in aftercalled Swamy)

Autoliv is a worldwide leader in automotivesafety, a pioneer in both Seatbelts andairbags, and a technology leader with thewidest product offering for automotivesafety. All the leading automobilemanufacturers in the world are theircustomers and they are spread all over theworld with 42,000 people. Swamy lives bythe slogan of the company "Driven for Life"and has been with them for over a decadeplus since 94.

Struggling Start.

I (Giri) know Swamy right from my childhood.I still remember the time when Swamypassed out his 10th standard with flyingcolours in academics. When all his peers

were aspiring to seek admission to the bestcolleges in town, Swami could not evendream of going to an aided College. He wasrather compelled to take up a job to supporthis family. He was hailing from a middleclass family. His father worked in IndianTelephone Industries and his mother was ahouse wife. After retirement his father hadto vacate the quarters. His elder brother wasstudying and he along with his second elderbrother had to take up a job to support thefamily. Swamy started his career in 74 witha meagre salary of Rupees 45 per monthwith Control Systems and Instrumentationand his brother with 60 rupees salary andwith elder brother studying. In a one roomhouse four siblings including the sister andparents started their post colony life.

Continued Education.

When his second elder brother had movedto Bhoruka steel after two years, Swamy wasgiven a breather of work to pursue his furtherstudies. The study was in a vocationalschool that gave a stipend which of coursewas much lesser than the salary he haddrawn in the first job. In the GovernmentTool Room (GTTC)) he added the toolmaking skills to his 10th Std. qualification.

Challenge is the key

Post tool making certification, he started theTool making career with EID Parry (ToolRoom Division) as a technician - and wasan odd man out there - as his peers camefrom the Technician MBA's of those days,yes Tool Makers from NTTF whocommanded more premium. There were adozen such branded technicians and he wasthe sole odd man. Swamy took thisopportunity as challenge and established hiscapability. After two year stint with EID Parry,he explored an opportunity for his ownventure. Unfortunately, he could not proceedwith this opportunity for a long time. So hewas again back in job hunting and took upan assignment with HyderabadConnectronics and had a very good stintwith them. .A Telugu farewell song was the"cherished reward" and a parting gift herecalls - for his acceptability by the team.

Bottom up - Series 1

– S. Deenadayalan, Girinarayanan G

S.Deenadayalan, Architect and CEO, Centre for Excellence in Organization, Bangalore. E-mail: [email protected] G, Head - HR, TACO-Sasken Automotive Electronics Ltd.(TSAE). E-mail: [email protected]

Boss makes the difference

So from Hyderabad Connectronics hemoved to the TVS Group. TVS by then hadacquired Micro Industries - then called asHarita Grammar (Now SundaramIndustries). This was the time, he met Mr.Raghu, his mentor, philosopher and guide.His demonstrated capability impressed MrRaghu whose mentoring and tough deliverydemands harnessed Swamy to claim thecorporate ladder.

Possibility is the only Mantra to success

The acquired plant had their machineries inChennai and that needed to be transplantedto Hosur and unprofessional approach in theshift of the first machinery resulted in a majordamage. Swamy who was not part of theshift was challenged by the boss to takeownership - and Swamy shifted andreassembled and refitted all the 14machines in a record six weeks time. It wasalso production ready and in TVS, everyyear he grew with multiple increments - andthe 4 and half years stay got him a goodcareer break.

His Perseverance

While he was in HIL, Swamy had a majoraccident at work and his left thumb brokeinto two pieces. Incidentally, Swamy is a lefthander by nature. The doctor had no hopesand had no remedy. But his perseveranceand strong determination made him to soonrecover from the accident.

The two years he stayed, he was chosenas the best employee every year. Technicianmind, entrepreneurial spirit, non-negotiable

Swamynathan addressing the gatheringduring the Autoliv India Region Vendors Meet


integrity resulted in his managerial ladderingin IFB-Autoliv in 1994.

His mentor Mr Raghu was already with thisgroup as a senior colleague. But he was soconfident on the ability of Swamy that, hehad asked the Australian Boss to do thetechnical interview. Bosses confidence didnot go unrecognised. Swamy made it uptoIFB-Autoliv (now Autoliv Safety SystemsIndia Pvt. Ltd)

Cultural Transition

As long as IFB was calling the shot as owner,Swamy was recognised for his contributionbut was not provided with career opportunityin the Management role - as the policies ofthe then Organization believed in "Frames".Yes the framed policy insisted on anacademic and Managerial rubber stamp.Even if the company recognized hiscontribution, some times policies are theobstacles and what a difference themovement the management changedhands. The Same boss, but differentmanagement resulted in a different careergraph for Swamy.

Swamy encourages people to add rubberstamps (but different one) by supportingthem in education sponsorships, as he seesa value for this in an environment where -the Bangalore Plant which is situated inwhite field is surrounded by IT Industries -and qualification becomes a premium forsurvival and retention. Also celebrations infive star hotels pain him - for such moniescan go for bettering the quality of life ofgrassroots employees- but he has alimitation here.

Patents behind his success

Career graph some may attribute to luck orboss or hard work but the technician in himalso demonstrated that he will not be laggingbehind in technology and he has two patentsto his credit - "Pillar Loop and Plate Anchor".

Pillar Loop and Plate Anchor

� Pillar loop is used in vehicles (cars/trucks/muv) to guide the webbing (belt)& this part will under go load duringcrash & the design has to withstand thisload. The original design was withthicker material & to achieve the loadthe part is heat treated (heat treatmentis a special process & any minorvariation will lead to rejection. To avoidthis inconsistency the new design wasmade with lesser thickness & eliminatedthe heat treatment, the product designhas reduced the cost as well theperformance improved multi fold .

� For Plate anchor, originally it was 4 mmthickness and this thickness wasreduced to 2.5 mm thickness, thusreducing cost and weight withoutcompromising on the load requirements

Perturbed Pains

Recently one of his grass root colleaguecommitted suicide because he could not payfor Education fees of his children. Thisperturbed him. This information some howeluded him or else he would have found asolution and feels bad that - a live that shouldhave been saved. He feels most of the timeHR is not having ear in the ground and donot have the pulse of the reality. He believesin being more a HR Manager - than technicalmanager and of course he does not believein entrusting any thing to his subordinateswhich he cannot do. Role modelling - helearnt from his boss and probably he is anexact replica of his boss and his team adoreshim. He wishes - that HR should ensureenablement and empowerment.

Expectation of HR:

Swami describes HR more as "HumanRelation" than Human Resources. Hebelieves that Employees are greatest assetand no matter how efficient the technologyit may be, it has no match for the motivation.He strongly advocates that HR should playa role of providing Emotional Support toEmployees. His mantra is 'Giving personaltouch' that will motivate employees andinspire them. It is the force that makespeople to do things at full potential .He sayswhen employees feel that they are valuedand that their well-being is taken care of, itcan have a positive impact on business.

Leadership

What is leadership to Swamy? A questioneasier asked than answered. And for himgoing to the literature on leadership for ananswer, it is more likely to create confusionthan clarity. He says that Leadership is allabout being humane and be compassionatewith people you work with. Good leadershipis responsible for in avoiding employeeburnout and reducing the stress of theemployees.

Pampering Parent

His childhood challenges probably also hasresulted in pampering his only son withchocolates and now regrets that hasresulted in root canal treatment to the toothearlier than required and cautions readerson over indulgence. Discomfort zone is root

Swamynathan with his colleagues afterreceiving the award

to success and probably he is realizing that.May be his son loves the father so muchthat he hates him only on the "WILLS Powerthan on the WILL power" of the father whenit comes to smoking and probably becauseof the chocolates - the son is reciprocatingtolerance to father's smoking.

Rangers club- a life time bond

Swamy and I (Giri) grew up together in ITIcolony (Indian Telephone Industries). Bothour parents were working in ITI. We studiedin the same school. Swamy was my seniorin the school. Our relationship is more thana brotherly relationship. We had our ownCricket Club - the Rangers Club. This clubwas more than cricket to us. It was this clubthat nurtured and developed a family andfriendship bondage for life. Even now themembers of this club come together for anyoccasion. The off springs are probablyjealous of their parents. Swamy has notforgotten the early child hood and helpsthose in such conditions of poverty.

Vendors not invited nor he is an invitee.

Some times Swamy carries his role beyondwhat is needed and he does not accept anygifts from Vendors nor does he invitevendors for any social occasion - for fear ofexpensive gift that will mar the integrity.

The Boss Speaks

Swamy owes all his success to his mentorMr. V. Raghu, who is the President of AutolivSafety Systems India Pvt. Ltd. He saysSwamy's mantra of success has been dueto his quest for learning new things and hisinquisitiveness to come with new ideas.Swamy can work in any situation and underthe given circumstances he will never getperturbed nor stressed out says Mr. Raghu.His strong determination to come out with apossible solution has been his asset addsMr. Raghu. Further Mr. Raghu says that"Swamy is highly dependable andcommitted" and he is willing to take anyresponsibility assigned to him. Any one canapproach Swamy and his great strength hasbeen humility to treat people with respect.

For success of any person, there are fourmain attributes required - Passion,Achievement orientation, commitment andListening and Mr.Raghu says "Swamy hasall these strength in him".

Bottom up

The objective of this article and forthcomingseries on Bottom up is to show case, it isneither Rishi Moola nor Nadhi Moola thatmatters - but Nurturing results in growthbetter those academic rubber stamps. RightHR, right bosses can create more Swamisin every organization and that is neededmore now - and probably - we will have noattrition, no shortage of talent pipe line andcan we look at similar success stories in theforthcoming issues �HHHHH


What Did I Learn That Day?

– Dr. Rajkumar

Dr. Rajkumar is the CEO of HR Footprints - an integrated HR management services company (www.hrfootprints.com). His specific areasof interest are HR strategy, alignment with business, talent management, leadership development and coaching. He can be reached [email protected]

Many a time we attend conferences,trainings, seminars and other

intellectual forums. Invariably, there are afew thoughts that appeal to us and inspireus. With all good intention we wish toremember the learning, internalize and ifpossible practice the same in our variouswalks of life. Such good intention seldomresults into action. We come back fromseminars, misplace even the scribble padthat was used during the seminar, newthoughts start masking the earlier insightsand we are back in business. I personallyexperienced this cycle myself just as someof you might have!

For once at least, I wanted to change myselfand do something to reverse this trend. Ichose to scribble the thoughts during theseminar, ponder over them, gain someinsights and also take the step of sharingwith fellow HR colleagues. That is how youare reading this article right now! We areaware of the saying - "to teach is to learntwice" and if I may extend, I will add - "towrite is to think twice"!

National HRD Network, Hyderabad Chapterin association with the IBR Instituteorganized a seminar on "BuildingLeadership to Stay Competitive in aDynamic World" on September 5, 2008. Onthe teacher's day, fortunately, I played therole of a learner and teacher as well. Thegist of what I learnt that day is presentedbelow.

My first Guru that day was Mr M.Gopalakrishna, President of the NationalHRD Network, Hyderabad. From him I learntwhat the meaning of a guru is - the one whodispels darkness and offers light! I alsolearnt one key leadership challenge in adynamic world: that is to read change, leadchange and to ride change. Anticipating andunderstanding change takes a precedenceover driving change and taking control ofthe changing situation. How a leader in uscan acquire this competence of readingchange?

My next Guru that day was Dr Larry Stoutwho is the author of widely popular bookslike: "Leadership - from mystery to mastery"

and "Time for a Change". He beautifullybrought out the significance of leadershipfor business and various expectations thatbusinesses have from leaders. Whatappealed to me personally was onestatement of a CEO who said: "my worry isnot about where is our next businessopportunity, it is more about where is my nextleader coming from"! From Dr Stout I learntabout the IDEAL leadership model whichtalks about leadership philosophy, leaderpsychology and leadership conditions.

Under leadership philosophy, Dr Stoutproposes that leaders must be clear aboutvision and well-articulated set of values. Forleadership practice, the IDEAL model of DrStout suggests that we take cognisance ofleadership conditions like position, place,period, and people involved. I suppose suchawareness about the conditions aroundmakes a leader that much more sensitiveto realize certain limitations and adapt. Thethird dimension of the leadership model isthe psychology of a leader which in someway specifies six competencies of a leaderviz., personal (self awareness),interpersonal, wisdom, courage, trust andvoice (advocacy). For more details on theIDEAL leadership model, you may read thebooks by Dr Larry Stout (two of them arereferred above).

The utility of these models is that they makeus think; we may not adopt one of thosemodels immediately; but as long as theymotivate us to delve into them and convinceus to carry forward, the purpose is served.Committed action is preceded by inspirationand conviction!

The other Guru who provided some insightsabout executive education imperatives wasDr Andreas Killing, Founder Director of IBRInstitute, Germany. He, in a concise fashion,emphasized on the following keyimperatives:

� Executive Education needs to createfaster value for business

� Executive Education needs to be moretime-effective

� Executive Education needs to be morecost-effective

� Executive Educators needs to shift fromteaching to coaching

� Executive Education needs to enablebusinesses to go global

These are excellent pointers to think andthey indeed made me think. Upon thinking,I realized that there is another imperativethat can embrace all the above pointers: howto create a pool of such motivated andknowledgeable educators? We all know thedearth of quality faculty in B-schools andwe also know that education is not the firstcareer choice for a person who is corporate-ready. In such a scenario, where do we findGurus who carry the corporate wisdom andwho are willing to spread the light?

In the afternoon, I had four Gurus to learnfrom - Flt Lt Bipin Chandra, COO of KnoahSolutions; Prabir Jha, Global Head of HR &Corporate Communications, Dr Reddy's;Uma Devaguptapu, Chief HR Officer, ITWSignode; and Mr Narasimha Rao, HR Headof Agrotech Foods. The following are thekey learning points and insights (with inbrackets) that I gained while moderating thesession.

� Leadership need not be an iconic status;we need to demystify leadership so thatwe can inspire more people to take upleadership responsibility in ourrespective spheres of activity (brilliantthought! can we stop referring only toMahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill,Martin Luther King and instead findsome examples in our close vicinity?Probably, it will make us believe thateven we can become leaders!)

� Leaders must learn to lead those whoare more dynamic thinkers than theleader (does that mean leaders have tobe more open in accepting what theydon't know? Is there leadership evenwhen I don't know the domainknowledge? Does that mean thatleaders have to learn to empower andencourage a lot more?)


� Leaders should focus on developingleaders: when a busy person like JackWelsh could spend time in leadershipdevelopment, what is stopping many ofthe leaders to allocate time for peopledevelopment? (Is it that leadersprobably may not focus much on peopledevelopment because their immediateconcern is on business delivery? Are theleaders long-term focused or short-term? It may be that it is too challengingto balance the pressure to perform inthe immediate term and also focus ongrooming leaders for the long-term.)

� We must know what we want to do withthe leaders once they are groomed andready to deliver (this is an essentialthought that should be factored into theleadership development strategy of

organizations. Usually one findsexcitement and organizational drive inlaunching the leadership developmentinitiative; however, once the processprovides the groomed leaders, suddenlythe organization realizes that it does notknow how and where to deploy them;the so called talent pools is ok for a shortperiod; however, if there is no visibilityfor the 'groomed-leaders', it createsrestlessness which can have variousnegative fall outs!)

� Organizations must create enablingcultures for leaders to bloom andleaders must be strengthening theculture. (It is a compelling thought andvery difficult to deny; however, it needsto be decoded to understand what is theenabling culture for leaders to grow; is

it the amount of senior managementtime for leadership development, or thepractice of providing growthopportunities for internal people, or is itthe organization's risk taking ability togive responsibility to those upcomingleaders? What is the enabling culturethat enables leaders to flourish?)

As you would notice, I certainly had somevery powerful learning points. However, Iseemed to have ended up with morequestions in my mind as to how I can takeforward my learning. It is not a paradox thatthe learner ends up with more questionsafter the teacher teaches. I firmly believethat a Guru's role is not simply to transferthe knowledge; but to expand the thoughtprocess of the learner! That's what I learntthat day! �HHHHH

Employeee Training

– Swapnil Kulkarni

Kulkarni Swapnil, Management Student, Kokata E-Mail: [email protected]

Learning is a continuous process for everyindividual & organization to survive

&develop. Same way training is a continuousprocess. Today, due to globalization & cutthroat competition it has become necessaryfor companies to survive in best possibleway. Companies now are shifting frommanufacturing sector to service sector.Hence, it has become necessary forcompanies to build up cordial relationshipwith its customers. Today, customer is king.He decides which product is suited to himin best way & compares the various productsavailable in the market. Companies can nomore take customers for granted &monopoly has become the thing of past.

Apart from taking care of its customerscompanies have to look after its employees.To retain & reduce attrition rate it hasbecome necessary for companies to trainthem as per the job requirement.

While implementing training companiesshould have vision. Companies feel thatimplementation of training is a costlyprocess but this helps them to save cost inlong-run & becomes win-win situation forboth employees & the employer which helpsthe companies in attaining profitability.

There are various training institutes such asIIMs, IIPM & others who offer trainingprogramme varying from one day to a week.

These programmes boosts up the moraleof the employees thus by reducinggrievances, complaints, & absenteeism.There are various tailor - made programmesoffered by the institutes which help thecompanies in increasing productivity &efficiency of the employees. Some bigcompanies have their own training centrewhere they train their employees & this helpsthe employees to gain innovative, creative,& constructive ideas & helps them to updatetheir knowledge. Various companiescollaborate with institutes & plan theirtraining programmes as per theirrequirements which help in increasingquality of work of the employees.

Various methods of training are:-

a) Seminars /Workshops.

b) Group Discussions.

c) Case Studies.

d) Assignments.

e) Lectures.

a) Seminars /Workshops are held to gainthorough knowledge on the topic.

b) Group Discussion helps in sharing viewsof the participants.

c) Case Studies in getting detailed analysisof the topic.

d) Assignments given by the companies toits employees helps in building self-confidence.

e) Lectures refer mainly to spoken wordshowever with the advancement oftechnology it can use audio-visual aidsand it helps in building a two-waycommunication.

Employees face much more stress todaythan it was in yesteryears as every time theyare under pressure of achieving the targets.Increase in work load and long hours ofworking have added more problems to him.To cope up with these companies canconduct various stress managementprogrammes. Various spiritual organisationcan help the employees in this by performingPranayams, meditation and Yoga.

In case of selection for higher posts, theemployees who are well-trained can performbetter. This helps the top management intaking right decision on take-over , mergersand acquisitions which affects the companyin long run.

It is need of hour to impart training toemployees because of stiff competition.Training helps in maintaining safe andhealthy work culture. Employees feelmotivated and give better output. Talentedand skilled employees are the biggest assetof any company. �HHHHH


HR - Hired on Rent

– Hirak Bhattacharya

Hirak Bhattacharya, consultant based at Bangalore. E-Mail: [email protected]

It should occasion no surprise if one betrayshis cynicism about all this glib talk on HR

as somewhat vacuous and empty. SanitizingHR in the Holy Grail of current businesssensitivities, which are in essence, today,analogs of our highly acclaimed ITsensitivities (though its history is too brief tolet us chart reliably the direction of itsinfluence, but the wealth which it has laidup or out so rapidly leaves us little leisure tothink beyond IT), one might be tempted togeneralize and say that in-house HRpractices are primarily all about tacticalmanoeuvres of CTCs on the one extremeand the ubiquitous BENCH on the other, with'ATTRITION' (or conversely, 'RETENTION')lying somewhere in between. Save but PA(Performance Appraisal), most other HRactivities, in part or as a whole, are 'out-sourced' from or 'reached-out' toconsultants, agencies et al.

HR, in effect, has become somewhat of a'doctored profession', rich in promises,promises to deal with the incorporated illsafflicting 'the human resources' of ourcompanies! But, everybody expects HR toact as doctors. And, indeed, if HR is to actas true doctors, i.e. if we demand of a life-time's devotion as a preliminary to theprescription of pills by HR doctors, HR mustdemand of the same commitment fromthose who want HR as doctors.

Be that as it may, let us take a detour!

CTC

Like it or not, CTC, has come to stay. It isgoing to over stay its period of welcome,perhaps to the discomfiture of HR. CTC,until recently, has been a popular acronympredominantly used in Tea industries toindicate one of the major tea-manufacturingprocesses (In fact, this has given name tothe popular brand of CTC Tea) whichcascades through stages of Crushing,Tearing and Curling; sequel to whichfermenting and drying processes follow.Queer enough, in Tea Processing, post itssilviculture, there is a process whichprecedes CTC, called 'Withering'; apreparatory exercise to mellow the freshlyplucked leaves down (to use a popularmetaphor, 'to prepare prospective lambs forthe slaughter house'). The other majormanufacturing process is known as

'Orthodox' which is employed to produce thepremium brand of Darjeeling Tea. Thesimilitude with its current alternate use may,thus, appear to be deceptively moreintriguing than just coincidental. To carry onthe simile to the realm of our new-agetechnology (and other follower companies),one finds almost identical stages of identicalrigour such as, 'Psychometric tests','Technical interviews' and 'HR interviews',before any new comer is brought on-board.These processes also have a precursorknown widely as Group Discussion (or shallwe say 'group-percussion'), akin to thewithering process. Admittedly, he or shefinally gets an unmistakable CTC label; aninsignia that serves him or her in the marketlike any other commodity.

THE BENCH

The Bench is an equally perplexing concept,a free valet parking slot apparently meantfor the 'non-billable bellies on bail' withoutany 'additional implications' to CTCs, towhich one can draw a clumsy but rather aptparallel to the scantily occupied seats in thevintage trams of, again, another CTC(readers are reminded of the now-almost-defunct Calcutta Tramways Corporation)!The conductor, now-a-days, keeps himselfbusy showing the bench more often thanthe door!

Needless to mention, a good many of thoseon the bench refuse to stay put any longer,earmarked as 'no-work-in-progress' (or'nWIP', for the pleasure of accountants), andturn their tail. A handful of the moreamenable amongst them are put toreclamation operations (known devils arebetter and cheaper than unknown costlierangels). A few obdurate ones are shown thedoor on a belated realization of theirdiminishing or diminished marginal utility.

Admittedly, HR has no 'wherewithal'(theoretical or practical) to handle 'thebench'. Traditional manpower planning doesnot provide for methods to assess non-moving human inventories or safety/bufferstock of humans. HR, though, has ahistorical heritage, in its previous incarnationas Personnel Managers, to handle thoserecalcitrant hands thrown out of the trench,ever so manifest in their exploits as de jurelegal counsels. Thus, those on the bench

are betes noires of HR (don't valetsdisdainfully look at the lined up cars?). Andin mitigation of the predicaments of thosewhom they love to hate (the squatters, thatis), HR tries to divert the rest to suchhorizontal verticals (within verticals ofcourse) as Resource DeploymentManagement, Competencies etc to navigatethrough Deployment and other sundry Plansin the widely popular Excel Sheets in aneffort to buck up utilization. It is an absorbing'Win-Win' ping-pong game of resources(more of a pleasant 'ping' from the PM thana 'pong' from the HR; pong as always, isunpleasant), to tame resources, tossedbetween the boundaries of off-shore and on-site, in search of the ever elusive client-accounts (or what some call 'dollar or eurovotes'). Excel Sheets have now replaced thetraditional accoutrements of performanceand excellence.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

The famed Performance Appraisal however,has remained, by and large, with the highpriests of HR, an annual ritual (a popularfestival really) they have unsuccessfullystriven hard to raise it beyond the humdrumof mere routine. They need not, for, PA hasmuch to do with organization's benevolenceor the lack of it (how do we stop one frombeing benevolent or tight-fisted?).Organizations simply can not afford to beas benevolent or cheese-paring as they aremade out to be; organizations are not forlazy bones or intellectuals either; they needus to move about, run, climb, abseil and goin circles of 360, 720 degrees…….!Arguably, any act of benevolence or frugalityis irrefutable when it does not lie. Contrarily,any belief in 'another world' varies inverselywith 'misery' in this. So, post ritual, the highpriests reluctantly undertake the lowly jobof PR; to abridge the yawning chasmbetween the believers' skepticism on the onehand, and the doubters' cynicism on theother. They try hard to assuage theaggrieved and the miserable in mitigationof their rather fond beliefs of 'another world'by replacing them with other compensatorybeliefs (any belief once proved untrue mustbe followed up with a compensatory belief).They also try to allay any reasonablemisgivings of the doubters about theirmisplaced magnanimity. Isn't PR a delusion


in which all of us agree and who else thanHR better knows this?

ACQUISITION

No talk on the contentious issue of CTC iscomplete without a reference toRecruitment, long christened as'Acquisition'. It appears that HR hasinadvertently keyed into yet another lockjam, by claiming it to be its own. If it wereonly Body-Shopping, it would have at leastobtained the stamp of approval of history!Besides, elasticity of 'bodies', as raw labour,would have accounted for the correspondinglegitimacy of HR's (raw but somewhatdiscerning) own elasticity. But, then, howdoes HR prefer its claim on 'Talent -Shopping'? Is the supply of talent elastic?Why belabour the obvious, it is not! Andtalent's total supply being inelastic, it willalways work for whatever is given to it bycompetition; and not you. Your 'CTC' willpull you down. Why wage a war with youraccountants (they are as inelastic as talent)for a lost-cause, which is beyond your earthlycomprehension or control? There is noaccounting entry comprehensible for 'talent';there is no TC (Talent Cost) but only CTC.So what, if you are sure that the 'value ofmanpower' (now-a-days!) is almostcompletely derived from the 'value of talent'and not the reverse? You may be lucky ifthe 'users of talent', a little pretentiouslythough, are with you. They usually choosenot to be with you in matters of CTC.

[HR may not, however, grudge if thesame is rechristened as 'Captive TalentCost'. Close partial derivatives such as'Critical Talent Cost' and 'Non-criticalTalent Cost' may also be considered. Onereckons that these terminologies maysomewhat smother the smuttychauvinism displayed through 'Costs-To-Company' by some of the betterknown companies!]

More importantly, talent harvesting is noteasy, more so, if it is critical; i.e., critical orvitality hires, whose supply is nothing butplastic. For a fact of abundant reality, you(your organization that is) were never afarmer. You did not have anything to do withthe farmers or the farming community sofar. You will choose not to have anything todo with them either, in future. In short, youhave had (and you will have) nothing to dowith the supply side. More often, you arenot even ready to pay the equilibrium pricebecause you are used to paying less. Thetragedy is that most farmers are still on'subsistence wages' (save the small groupof 'envy-league' farmers; in India there areno 'Ivy- league' farmers); their acres in statesof perpetual destitution and disrepair. Insuch scuzzy weather conditions, why mustthey increase the supply for you, if not tobenefit you from their drudgery?

The silver lining is that the default is ontrigger and you are lucky! You may still afford

not to care, because there has spawned anew breed of surrogate farmers; theerstwhile 'potato diggers' who have recentlytaken their acres out of cultivation (perhapsbecause of diminishing returns) and putthem into the more lucrative business oftalent farming. To your utter relief andcomfort, Talent Malls are mushrooming.Your CTC will suffice to buy you one andget two free! HR may have to rev up itssearch engines and be ready to go toTimbuktu. This new eugenics will provewrong the cassandras who don't miss achance to point to the comparativebarrenness of our academic institutions orthe lack of 'required' intellectual pedigree.

RETENTION

To make things worse for itself, HR, hasunwittingly played into others' hands (moredirectly into the hands of accountants) bymaking lofty promises which they can neverkeep; promises to keep attrition in check orpromises to retain employees indefinitely orpromises of performance enhancing drugs.Why do you want to go over the hill in thepursuit of retaining employees or druggingthem when your accountants do not evenrecognize them as 'assets'? You talk ofacquisition, but of what if not the 'humanlabour resources'? Leave alone fixed orcurrent assets, accountants can notassimilate them even in their lowly surrogateforms, such as, 'intangible assets'? Whatelse but an 'asset' can you retain? They areright and HR is wrong in making promisesto retain liabilities (or why do you want tosoil your hands by drugging the addictsfurther?). If their holy 'Balance Sheet' is togive a picture of the stock of water 'now' inthe Bath-tub, it is possible only after your'human labour resources' have beenwatered down and immortalized in the 'costof goods sold'! You can not even trace anyone of them in 'cost of goods unsold'standing tall on closing balances of this yearand opening balance of the year next. Youremployees' (including you) organizationalimmortality is but 'this year'. Their mortalremains, though, are carried forward asgratuitous liabilities, as PF and gratuity; notby any conviction but by law. They amortizean 'innovation' for as long as they want (oruntil an imitator forces them to run for theirmoney); but, for its inventor, there is noamortization conceivable beyond 'this year'.Some inventors, ever so antipathetic tosaintly discourses and 'bury me, too'syndrome (as most innovators are), naturallyconjure up the vanishing trick (unless theyhave mortgaged their talents as collateralsagainst some sticky lucre loans).

In this 'age of accounts', some literacy inaccounting has become a prime necessityfor HR. Corresponding to the dollar value ofevery asset - tangible or intangible - theremust be an exactly equal total amount of'claims' or 'ownership'. The $ 10000 houseyou own as an asset is matched exactly by

somebody's claim to its ownershipconsisting of say, $ 5000 (you owe to thebank) and $ 5000 owned by you. You cancarry on this 'paradigm or paragon ofequality' to every junk of an asset; tangible,intangible, moving, non-moving or otherwisebut not to a man or a woman, your humanresources that is! Claiming ownership ofanything 'hired on rent or wage' is not onlyoutrageous but extraordinarily bad in law (acognizable offence).

Lastly, in the ultimate analysis, why is thiskerfuffle about retention and attrition whenfamilies, societies are unable to retain theirmembership intact?

HCM or HUMAN LABOUR RESOURCESMANAGEMENT?

HRM today is incomplete without areference to HCM because HCM has beengranted a unique privilege in all discourseson HR, academic or otherwise. Does thisprimacy of HCM, in organizational contexts,bear out the scrutiny of theoretical discursiveanalysis so as to grant it this discretionaryprivilege? Economist Theodore Schultzcoined the term in the 60s to reflect the valueof human capacities. He believed thathuman capital was like any other type ofcapital; it could be invested in througheducation and training. Education,experience and abilities of an employeehave an economic value for employers andfor the economy as a whole. The conceptof human capital also recognizes that notall labour is equal and that the quality ofemployees can be differentially improved byinvesting in them.

One realizes that the process of educationinvolves investing in people (thereby makingthem more productive factors of production).And when you see an IIM graduate, you arein certain sense looking at an expensivechunk of capital. But, when you are lookingthus, aren't you looking at a 'capital good',as an input really, which is itself the outputof the society (economy). In economics,capital goods represent produced goods thatcan be used as factor inputs for furtherproduction, whereas labour and land areprimary factor inputs not usually thought ofas being themselves produced by theeconomic system but instead exist primarilyby virtue of physical and biological ratherthan economic factors. Obviously, thedifference between capital and capital goods(both are used synonymously) has becomeindistinguishable in the larger context of theeconomy today.

Capital, in the organizational context,however is not as diffused a concept as itappears otherwise. We need investigatefurther into this quarry. There can not be aniota of doubt that 'the units' in possession of'capital', are 'the companies' (or the joint-stock companies) and this form ofpossession exists because of thetransformation of the scale of the 'funds'


necessary to different branches ofproduction (manufacturing, services etc) inthe capitalist economy and moreimportantly, it is the condition of existenceof companies/enterprises. The shareholdersdo not own capital; rather they lend moneyat interest in the form of purchasing amarketable financial instrument with adividend yield. Likewise, money funds arecentralized by finance enterprises and notby few individual speculators.

The 'capital' thus gets socialized, meaning,it partakes of the essence of a specific kindof social relation, viz., the social relation ofproduction, through the artifact of joint-stock-companies. This capital does notcorrespond to personal ownership of privateproperty, what persons own is titles tointerest, the future payments of sums ofmoney etc., not capital. The units which arein possession of this socialized capital arefinancial and industrial capitalist enterprisesor companies. Capital, thus, is a socialrelation of production, a relation based uponpossession and separation, and not uponpersonal titles to property. That is, 'socialrelations of production' entailing possessionand separation exist without personificationof exclusive possession (which Karl Marxtried to convey as 'personification of capital').If it were not so, the development of financecapital and credit financing as necessaryconsequences of capitalism would beincomprehensible. Joint Stock Companies,having thus conceptualized, solved most ofthe problems that bothered partnerships i.e.,requirements of large sums of money ascapital and unlimited liability. It is an almostperfect device for raising large sums of moneyas 'capital' without forcing the shareholders tocommit any liability beyond the nominal valueof shares held by them. After paying Rs. 10 ashare, you as a shareholder (investor) neednot worry about your personal estate's beingin jeopardy! There is no existence of 'capital'in any other 'form' in Joint-stock-companies.The notion of 'human capital', thus, obscureswhat is central in the articulation of theconditions of existence of 'Joint-Stock-Companies'. The purported transformationalvalue of 'human capital', also, has no causalrelevance to the existence of 'joint-stock-companies'. Joint-stock-companies need'human labour' as one of the factor inputs. Andthis is amply demonstrated in the holy booksof accounts of companies.

It could plausibly be argued that 'joint-stock-companies' are after all 'organizations ofhuman agents or subjects' and therefore'human capital' (whatever it means) mayhave some direct or indirect relevance. Here,if we look at it more closely, we are in facttrying to qualify 'joint-stock-companies'rather than explain (adjectives are notexplanations).

HR PROCESS

The above issues are complex and we prefer

to stay simple than steer clear of doubts.Inevitably thus, HR has always been longon functionalities and rituals and short on(true HR) processes. However, process isa difficult concept to fathom, when it refersto humans. In matters of HRM and HR, wesomehow find out ways and means tocircumvent these apparently unfathomableproblems! HR processes are thusconceptualized to act as 'enablers' (humansare otherwise disablers) to the company'soverall strategic processes and goals. Maywe then ask whether the 'StrategicProcesses' are to follow the 'HR processes'or the 'HR processes' to follow the 'StrategicProcesses'? Are men 'goal' or 'good' (not'goods'!) directed or both (which one, then,is more dominant and why)?

The 'problem' with any true HR process isthat it has to be natural (or, at least, timehonoured). And any HR process, if it isfabricated artificially so as to become solelyan enabler of an artificial process, it doesso only by taking care of the 'necessary'elements required of that process. It lacks'sufficiency', for, seldom have we knownwhat is sufficient for an HR process and,more so; when it is intended to besubservient to an artificial process. Thus,when, the best of artificial HR processes failto yield results, we associate it failure ofleadership etc. In non-human processes, thenecessary and sufficient conditions are built-in or at least, the sufficient conditions aremade necessary. In such artificial HRprocesses, with only the 'necessary'elements in place, they often degenerateinto functionalities. And there is nothing'wrong' with HR being functional, from theview-point of a joint-stock company (humanlabour resources are obliged to do only whatis necessary).

HR (Hired on Rent)

HR, as a function, has always been anecessary evil and obviously, a cost-threatening exigency to accountants. Now,HR, in trying to become 'enablers' of artificialprocesses, has landed itself into mimickingthose of the super-incumbent artificialprocesses (e.g., SHRM trying desperatelyto fit into Strategic Management). The resultis that HR is getting disintegrated intoseveral disparate but 'necessary' strategicand non-strategic processes; with the latterprocesses increasingly outnumbering theformer.

The temptation to fall into the perverseinversion and contend that the consultantsand agencies are more 'productive' (i.e., lesscostly of course) as 'labourers' than thosewhose activities they often try to'revolutionalize', is therefore more manifest.So, why doesn't the company be connectedperpetually to some heart-lung machineshired on rent (or on lease!)? It is more eventhan breaking any perceptible cost

undulations or barriers to import the required'entropy' reversibly from outside into theanatomy of a half-comatose internal HR.The 'world of consultants and agenciesoutside' produces entropy irreversibly byusing their free-wheeling expertise, whichis forever ready to be transported reversiblyinto any company's anatomy.

Accountants, in particular, and others ingeneral, have always been suspicious of the'free energy within', that HR can conceivablymake use of otherwise internally. Theysuspect that HR can never become a 'corecompetence' within; its 'frequency of use'does not guarantee its own salvation (leavealone its contribution in securing salvationfor others); the length of time over whichany HR transaction (or intervention) can takeplace is incomprehensively uncertain.Besides, they observe, that uncertaintycauses immense problems because ofdangers of opportunism inherent in any HRnegotiated (seldom duly authorized) deal.How does, then, the management or theemployees trust 'the figures and facts' thatHR presents to them? And lastly and moreimportantly, if all others (mostly accountants)are always bound by the rationality that mencan go this far and not beyond, how doesHR dare! Who can vouch for the fact thatHR, beyond the humdrum of some mundaneand routine activities, is a Transaction-Specific Asset?

NOSTRUM

HR has become an easy take forexternalization. HR should also realize thatEconomics is all about scarcity, it abhorsindulgence. In human affairs (as ineconomics) it is useless to preach, more soin the august company of accountants andprotagonists of 'experience effects' (brieflystated, 'best practices'), and helpful tounderstand. To describe 'human resources'is easy; to prescribe is hard. And whatnostrum haven't we prescribed? The half-redeeming virtues of HRM have been laudedtoo long to need any litany here. Even themost irate and passionate believer in HRmust understand that very little can be done,and nothing rapidly. The problem is that ifthe world has not done much for humansas resources, there is no likelihood that HRcan do much.

And we all seem to realize this belatedly aswe grow old; as companies grow old! Thiswisdom does not come about easy; a wisdomthat underpins the fact companies areanything but sovereign and contextualizedhuman organizations; rather they are captivesof the 500 plus year old 'double-entry book-keeping' system. Wisdom usually is acontingent liability in youth and accountantsare not very fond of such liabilities.Accountants do not age and they are unlikelyto endorse Gates or Buffets or Murthysturning into philanthropists lately! �HHHHH


Remembering ManagementGuru, Peter Drucker

– Sharad Chandra

Management Visionary Peter Drucker

Peter F. Drucker, 95, who was often calledthe world's most influential business guruand whose thinking transformed corporatemanagement in the latter half of the 20thcentury,

Mr. Drucker pioneered the idea ofprivatization and the corporation as a socialinstitution.

He coined the terms "knowledge workers"and "management by objectives." Hisseminal study of General Motors in 1945introduced the concept of decentralizationas a principle of organization, in contrast tothe practice of command and control inbusiness.

Peter Ferdinand Drucker was born onNov. 19, 1909 in Vienna.

He worked as a financial reporter inFrankfurt, Germany, while he earned adoctoral degree in public and internationallaw at Frankfurt University. He received hisdoctorate in 1931. The next year, hepublished an essay on a leadingconservative philosopher that offended theNazi government; his pamphlet was bannedand burned. Mr. Drucker, increasinglyworried by the Nazis, moved to London,where he worked for a merchant bank. In1937, he moved to the United States andbegan working as a correspondent forseveral British newspapers.

His first book, "The End of Economic Man:The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1939), wasfavorably reviewed by Churchill, and it wasmade required reading for every new Britishofficer.

Mr. Drucker taught part time at SarahLawrence College and then full time atBennington College in Vermont.

After publication of his second book, "TheFuture of Industrial Man" (1943), GeneralMotors Corp. invited him to study GM'scorporate structure. The two-year study puthim in close contact with GM's legendarypatriarch Alfred P. Sloan.

The book that resulted, "The Concept of theCorporation" (1945), introduced the ideasof decentralizing decision-making andmanaging for the long-term by setting aseries of short-term objectives. It was animmediate bestseller, although GM wasn'tpleased initially; Mr. Drucker said he wastold that a manager found with a copy wouldbe fired.

The ideas in it, however, launched the fieldof management and essentially created thefield of consulting.

He became professor of management in thegraduate business school at New YorkUniversity in 1950, and four years later,

He published "The Practice ofManagement," which argued thatmanagement was one of the major socialinnovations of the century and posed threenow-classic business questions: What is ourbusiness? Who is our customer? What doesour customer consider valuable?

In the early 1950s, when other businessleaders figured the worldwide market forcomputers was in the single digits, hepredicted that computer technology wouldthoroughly transform business. In 1961, he

alerted hisfollowers tothe rise ofJapan as ani n d u s t r i a lpower, andtwo decadeslater, hewarned of itsi m p e n d i n ge c o n o m i cstagnation. In1997, hepredicted a

backlash to burgeoning executive pay,saying, "In the next economic downturn,there will be an outbreak of bitterness andcontempt for the super-corporate chieftainswho pay themselves millions."

Mr. Drucker demanded that public andprivate organizations operate ethically anddecried managers who reap bonuses bylaying off employees. "This is morally andsocially unforgivable, and we will pay aheavy price for it," he said.

He wasn't always right, and academicsdisdained his popular approach, criticizinghim for relying on anecdotes and accusinghim of manipulating facts to fit his positions.But evidence of his influence is found in justhow ordinary his insights now seem: Acompany should streamline bureaucracy.Managers should look for more efficientmodels for organizing work. Results areobtained by exploiting opportunities, notsolving problems.

In 1971, Mr. Drucker moved to California,where he helped develop the country's firstexecutive master's of businessadministration program for workingprofessionals at Claremont GraduateUniversity. Its management school, where

he taught until 2002, is named after him.

"There is only one valid definition of businesspurpose: to create a customer," he said 45years ago. Central to his philosophy was thebelief that highly skilled people are anorganization's most valuable resource andthat a manager's job is to prepare and freepeople to perform. Good management canbring economic progress and socialharmony, he said, adding that "although Ibelieve in the free market, I have seriousreservations about capitalism."

It was a typical remark for a man whobelieved in the empowerment of workersand the futility of big government, which hecalled "obese, muscle-bound and senile."

The most effective president, he told Forbesmagazine 11 months ago, was HarryTruman, because "everybody who workedfor him worshiped him because he wasabsolutely trustworthy." Ronald Reagan tooksecond place: "His great strength was notcharisma, as is commonly thought, but hisawareness and acceptance of exactly whathe could do and what he could not do."

Mr. Drucker's extraordinary professionallongevity took him from the rise of Hitler tothe excesses of Enron. The Austrian nativewrote for a mass business audience, but hestudded his books with unusual references-- from Tang-dynasty China to seventh-century Byzantium to his heroine, novelistJane Austen. In 1981, he said the best-runorganization in the United States was theGirl Scouts of America.

"In the world of management gurus,however, there is no debate. Peter Druckeris the one guru to whom other guruskowtow," said the McKinsley Quarterly in1996.

Among Drucker's many honors, PresidentGeorge W. Bush awarded him thePresidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

He died on Nov. 11, 2005, at his home inClaremont, Calif. No cause of death wasreported, but he was under hospice care.

Survivors include his wife, Doris Drucker ofClaremont, Calif.; four children; and sixgrandchildren.

His work influenced Winston Churchill, BillGates, Jack Welch and the Japanesebusiness establishment.

His more than three dozen books, writtenover 66 years and translated into 30languages, also delivered his philosophy tonewly promoted managers just out of theoffice cubicle. �HHHHH

Mr. Sharad Chandra, Sr. Consultant - ZCS Consulting Ltd, Hyderabad. E-mail: [email protected]


Training Delivery: The WholeBrain Model

– Prof R.Krishnamurthi

Prof R Krishnamurthi is Faculty-HRM, IBS, Hyderabad. E-Mail: [email protected]

Most trainers know how their brain worksand how to use it more effectively

Why is that when one trainer's deliveryis excellent and the other's is boring?

When do the participants experienceEinstein's Theory of Relativity, that is., onehour is the fastest and also the slowest?

When do the participants have energy gainand energy drain?

Why is one programme interactive but theother not in spite of the trainers' pleas tothe participants to make it interactive?

I can assertively say that the answers to allthese questions lie in the application of NedHerrmann's 'Whole Brain Model.' I haveemployed the model profusely in my trainingand teaching sessions. It has worked well.Hence I share my experiences so that thetrainers can connect to the participants earlyin the session and take them along toachieve the objectives of the programmeand to make training a wonderfulexperience.

Let's know that there are 4 types of peoplebased on their brain preferences (NedHerrmann Whole Brain Business Book).They are as in Figure 1:

1 Theorists (A) -they look for Facts

2 Organizers (B)- they look for Form

3 Humanists (C)- they look for Feelings

4 Innovators (D)- they look for Future

Figure-1 (Source: Ned Herrmann's WholeBrain Business Book)

4 Quadrants and their preferences

Quadrant A (Theorists)

Quadrant A preference people prefer to use:how, prove, facts, figures, must, typically,should, explain, logical, I think, etc. Theyquote statistics and data and are interestedin reading business analysis and statistics,balance sheets, etc.

Quadrant B (Organizers)

Quadrant B preference people prefer to use:usually, always, procedures, methods,sequential, and quote precedence, rules andregulations. They plan ahead, think and talkabout safety, complete work in time, spendmore time in planning.

Quadrant C (Humanists)

Quadrant C preference people prefer to use:relations, emotions, rapport, feel, excellent,lovely, beautiful, crazy, fantastic, etc. Theyshout, please others, touch while talking, talkabout picnic, music, culture etc. They arehumorous, and prefer to be always withpeople.

Quadrant D (Innovators)

Quadrant D preference people prefer to use:creativity, innovation, novel, try, challenges,etc. They ask why not, what if. They maybe unplanned and day dreaming. They areinterested in novelty and idea generation.

Further guidelines for preferred activities

� Precise definitions (theorist)� To-the-point, factual learning (theorist)� Step-by-step instructions (organizer)� History, timelines (organizer)� Use of personal impact stories

(humanist)� Collaborative activities (humanist)� Brainstorming or free association

activities (innovator)� Visual or graphic mind-maps (innovator)

Every participant, before attending anyprogramme, asks WIIFM (pronounced wi-fm) - What's In It For Me. This is the basicexpectation of every participant. They cometo a programme with a certain need. Theneeds may be professional and personal aswell. The trainers have to fulfill their needs.

Now the challenges in need satisfaction are:How to connect to the participantsimmediately, reach them deeply, andsustain the energy end enthusiasm till theend and beyond the session?

We often say 'speak the customer'slanguage' and 'different strokes for differentfolks.' The different strokes in the contextare the jargons used and the different folksare people with predominant brainpreferences.

Hoping that we have got a glimpse of theWhole Brain Model and the brainpreferences, I provide suggestions andinsights to make the delivery effective, thatis., to make training- from ice breaking tothe end- an 'ah, ah' experience for theparticipants.

We can appeal to these preferences onthe bases of:

1 The objective of the training programme.For example if the programme is oninnovation or related areas, emphasiscan be on activating/triggeringquadrant D.

2 Pre-audience analysis that givesinformation on their preferences-emphasis may be on that particularquadrant.

3 Assumption that people with all the fourbrain preferences are among theparticipants- there may not be equaldistribution.

Suggestions

The following are a few suggestions toappeal to the needs of the participants withquadrant dominance.

Quadrant A Dominance

Give them a lot of statistics and facts andquote authorities. For example, when yousay there are three types of learners and 40% of the learners are visual, you can observetwo things among the participants withpreference for this quadrant (Theorists).

1. Interest- immediately they make a noteof the percentage.

2. Curiosity- they look for the other twotypes and percentages.


Provide the rest and notice the difference.Their need is satisfied. They also look fordefinitions, concepts and explanations ofjargons. Make a point to provide them thesource of the information. Referencing andextending further are preferred activities bythem.

Quadrant B Dominance

These people are procedural and highlyorganized. My observation is: If youadminister them an instrument, they willimmediately file that. They handle theinstrument with extra care. They always usepencils to do the scoring so that theinstrument can be used in future. They longfor a framework or plan of the programme.Start the session by giving them the plan ofthe session so that you can have them withyou through out the session. You must begood at tying the loose ends as theirexpectation is connections or linkages. Elsethey may ask you 'so what?' And alsodebriefing of any activity conducted is moreimportant for them. The age old wisdom ofpublic speaking works well with them. Say

what you are going to say, say that and saywhat you have said. Get cues from theirbody language.

Quadrant C Dominance

You can reach them by telling stories andconducting games and physical activities.Say 'I need a few volunteers for an activity,'mostly these people will be the first to jump.Long sitting is not possible for them. Whileinterpreting or giving feedback of an activity,these people will dominate. Allow them tospeak to engage them to the full. They arealso fond of motivating quotes. They will doanything for humour. The one differencebetween a good presentation and a greatpresentation is the presence of humour.Great trainers know that an excellentprogramme is peppered with humour. Jokes,puns and satire form a bond between atrainer and the participants.

Quadrant D Dominance

They ask 'Give me some thing different. I'vebeen hungry. I am looking for somethingunconnected.' They look for 'eureka' effect.Make every activity and statement creative.

Use brain teasers, puzzles and mind map.For example, ask them what is latent inLATENT? Most of the time Quadrant Dpreference participants will say: 'TALENT.'It just flows from them. That is natural forthem. In one of the sessions I wasemphasizing the importance of 'diction.' Isaid, 'To add diction, you need to haveaddiction (Ad(d)iction). Addiction to what?Dictionary. Ad(d)iction ary. One participantshouted 'Wonderful!' when it was a surpriseto a few other participants. Make them thinkby complicating issues and challenging theirright brain. They always have a feeling thatthis is already known. If you make them, say'Wow! This is different' it is mission achievedfor you. When Quadrant C people are goodat encouraging, Quadrant D people are goodat appreciating contributions.

Seasoned trainers know that trainer-styleflexibility is essential to move from onequadrant to another. The appeals to brainpreferences must be like the changing of gearsby an expert chauffeur. Employ this model tosee broad smiles and cheerful countenanceswhen you close the session. �HHHHH

Role of HR in M & A

– K P Nachimuthu

Mr. K P Nachimuthu is Lecturer at Sona School of Management, Salem E-Mail: [email protected]

The role of HR is mostly perceived to belesser when it comes to Mergers &

Acquisitions. But they have the tremendousrole to play in this context. Sometimeswithout HR interventions M&A are done andit leads to a great failure. For instance, abearing manufacturing company in northernstate of India was acquired by its competitorbut this acquisition was still not made knownto its employees since potential unrest isexpected in the organization. For thispurpose the General Manager is retainedto let everybody see no difference in themanagement team.

A web based research study of HewittAssociates (2006) in US, Europe, Latin-America & Asia-Pacific countries revealedthat the key reasons for failures in most ofthe M&A cases are people oriented i.e.integrating the organizational cultures,keeping employees focused, employingemployees in new programs and integrationof HR/benefit programs.

Strategic HR process at the initial stage ofM & A involves HR liability and synergy gap

assessment. The integration stage involvescreating 100 day plans and optimizationplans and executing these plans and therebymonitoring the synergy realization. Strongerchange management process is importantin the integration of merged or acquiredcompanies

The same process of M&A applies toMarriAge also. Marriage is not a joining oftwo worlds, but an abandoning of two worldsin order that a new one might be formed(Merger) and Acquisition can happen whenone of the spouse or family has a weakstake. The strategic HR process of M&A inmarriage is the time gap of few monthsbetween engagement and marriage allowedfor couples / families for their synergyrealization when they join together in termsof their sharing in many areas of life suchas emotional, economical, recreational,social, geographical (sharing space), sexual,legal, religious etc.

M & A can bring in potential problems withCultural fit, Employee communication,Leadership assessment and selection,

Retention of key employees andHarmonization of compensation & benefitplans. The same issues occur in martialrelationship also such as in inter-castemarriage it may be difficult for one spouseto adjust and adapt to a new culture orreligious practices or even to a new familyenvironment with different people. The waycertain issues, ideas, likes or dislikes arecommunicated may also differ betweenfamilies and the leadership styles may differand the person heading the family may befather, mother, sometimes uncle or grandparents. These family leads look at the newincoming person as different and may bereluctant to some extent. Sometimesmarriages may also bring in a relationshipbreak within families and some key membersmay be sent out or may voluntarily break out.In most of the cases, synchronization ofbenefits enjoyed by the new family memberwith that of contribution of the person to thefamily may face inequity, bringing indissatisfaction and unhappiness in the newmember and /or their families �HHHHH


Assessment Analytics - Part I

– Ravi Kumar

Mr. Ravi Kumar heads the Assessments & Technology Division at The Transtaff Solutions, Bangalore. E-mail: [email protected]

After a long long slumber, I am back inaction! This is the first of a series of

articles on a very interesting topic called"Assessment Analytics". In lay man's term,it is the intelligence component ofassessments. This is the most crucial andalso the most complicated aspect ofassessments. Since Assessment Analyticsis a science by itself and it is too much bothin terms of breadth and depth, I am dividingthe write-ups into 5 series and presenting itto you. The first and the second write-upswould delve into the Fundamentals ofStatistics that is essential for a goodunderstanding of assessment analytics.Hope that you enjoy this subject.

Introduction

Statistics being a separate discipline of studyhas a broad scope and equal in depth. Weall have had a brush with Statistics right fromschool days, be it with Probability,Permutations and Combinations, StandardDeviation, Mean, Median and Mode. But,the only missing link then was as where andwhy on earth are we going to use this (as amatter of fact that was the case with manyof the subjects we studied then)! With time,sooner or later we all realized andappreciated their significance andapplications in engineering, industry,research, etc.

Today, I would want you to familiarize withsome key parameters and components ofStatistics that are fundamental to"Assessment Analytics". Hence ourdiscussion will be more biased towardsassessments rather than Statistics per se.

Crucial Parameters- I am introducing theterm "Central Tendency" (for those who arenew to Statistics) which is central to the dataanalysis we do in due course. CentralTendency comprises of 3 parameters viz.Mean, Median and Mode. (Definitions andInterpretations)

Mean - Mean is nothing but the average ofn numbers. It is also called as the arithmeticmean.

The formula for Mean (denoted by mu) isas follows:

where N is the sample size (or data points)and xi is the value of each of the data points.

Median - Median is a number that fallsexactly in the middle of an orderedsequence. For many people (including metill very recently!), Mean and Median are oneand the same. Hence, they use itinterchangeably. While the fact is, they aren'tthe same. Let us take an example todemonstrate it. Consider the Set S = {10,20, 30, 40, 60} ; Applying the formula forMean(mentioned above) for the above set,the result is 32. But the Median is 30 (notethat there are 2 data points towards the leftand right of 30).

Mode- The most common occurring elementin a data set is termed as Mode. In otherwords, the element (number) that appearsthe most number of times in a data set iscalled as Mode.

For example, consider the data set S = {2,3, 4, 5, 7, 7, 9, 10, 11, 10, 12, 10 }; HereMode is 10 (since it appears the mostnumber of times).

When it comes to the practical applicationof these parameters, each one of themassumes significance on a case to casebasis. For e.g. if the data is Symmetrical,Mean should be considered. For Non-Symmetrical data, it is the Median whichshould be considered. More detailsregarding this would be shared in thesequels that follow.

Histogram and Bell Curve

A Histogram is a graphical display oftabulated frequencies. It shows whatproportion of cases fall into each of severalcategories. The categories are usuallyspecified as non-overlapping intervals ofsome variable. Figure 1 illustrates andexample of a Histogram (Source of Textabove - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Histogram) .

Performance of30 Students (N)in XII Std. Exam

Figure 1 -H i s t o g r a mexample (outputfrom SPSS).

Histograms are normally used on samples(numerical data) to know the distribution.Examples where histograms can be usedare - performance of students in exams,population distribution across states, etc.

In Assessment analytics, Histogram is anintegral part of the data analysis process.Many of the inferences are derived basedon Histogram outputs. Comprehension andinterpretations of Histograms would bediscussed in the sequels that follow.

Figure 2 - Histogram with Bell CurveSuperimposed

A Normal Curve (or Bell Curve) is nothingbut a graphical representation of the NormalProbability Distribution. In other words, it isthe output expected in a normal case. Wefind abundant examples for Normal Curvesin Nature such as the heights of people,scores of students, heights of trees etc. ABell Curve is drawn based on 2 parametersviz. the Standard Deviation and the Mean.Figure 2 illustrates the Normal Curve beingsuper imposed on the Histogram. Such anillustration gives us an idea as to what extentthe performance (or output) is skewed(differs) from the Normal Distribution (normalcase).

Again in Assessment Analytics, the BellCurve assumes paramount significance. Wewould be able to predict as whether theoutput is Normal or Positively Skewed orNegatively Skewed. Based on this, we cantake corrective steps (in case where theoutput is skewed) to improve theperformance in the future.

In the next article(s), we shall discuss indetail about the above topics and also therest of the topics relating to Statistics andAssessment Analytics. �HHHHHVAR00001

VAR00001


HR Challenges -Today and Tomorrow

– Dr. Usha Devi.N

Dr. Usha Devi.N, Faculty, MLA First Grade College for Women, Bangalore. E-Mail: [email protected]

As our economy is moving from aplanned economy to a free market

economy, HR managers in Indiancompanies are facing with certainchallenges. The issues that challenged HRmanagers were Change management,Corporate culture, Leadershipdevelopment, Measurement of HReffectiveness, Work environment, Training,Succession planning, EmployeeEngagement and Compensation.

A survey on the HR challenges faced by themanagers today and in the future wasundertaken and the results are highlightedbelow:

Diversity, a competitive environment, rapidtechnological change and inter culturalpressures made change management a vitalissue in Indian companies today and it maycontinue in future because this fact has notbeen considered as a consistent area offocus for training and development ofemployees in Indian organizations.

Today companies are struggling to adaptto the dynamic business environment andto achieve organization goals. One of themain reasons for such state of affairs is thatthe companies are unable to blend itsworkforce to its corporate culture and thisissue is expected to play a larger role in theyears to come.

Leadership development is an ongoing issuein those companies where there is high laborturnover and negative organization culture.Therefore, companies need to focus ondeveloping supervisors into peoplemanagers, not just technical specialists. Thesignificant fact to be noted is that there aremany tools for leadership development.Finding the most appropriate tools is achallenge. This challenge can best be metby gaining support from executives todevelop leaders of the future and engagingsenior management in leadershipdevelopment philosophy and practice.

HR effectiveness presents a challenge inthose companies, where managers thinkperformance management, job evaluation,

monitoring and evaluation are a waste oftime. This attitude bogs down the efforts bythe HR managers or employees may lookat HR managers as bad news bearers.Therefore, the HR managers need tomeasure results -not only in terms oftransaction management but also in termsof driving the business towards growth andsustenance.

Abusive work environment affected bothdirect and indirect costs in many companies.For instance, a significant increase inmedical and workers' compensation claimsdue to work-related stress and the costs oflaw suits arising from abusive work situationsare the some of the examples of direct costs.On the other hand, fear and mistrust,resentment, hostility, feelings of humiliation,withdrawal, play- it- safe strategies andhiding mistakes are the some of theexamples of abusive work environment,which increased the indirect costs. Thisproblem continues to be an important issuefor HR managers tomorrow.

There is no systematic linkage between thetraining targets and the organizational goalsin the Indian companies. As a result, thetraining targets derived have not supportedthe attainment of organizational goals.Further, in many companies improvementhave not occurred appreciably on accountof inadequate job enrichment and valueaddition, poor job rotation andempowerment policies. Though training isnot a top three challenges, its importancehas more than doubled in five years,suggesting that more attention is warrantedin the future.

Many companies have succession plans;very few follow through with the rigorousimplementation required. In fact, 70 percentof succession plans failed due to badexecution and it continues to be a criticalelement in the succeeding years.

Every organization needs its entire humanresource to be engaged. In fact achievementof employee engagement has become cryof the hour for all companies. To achieve

employee engagement, alignment of eachemployee's very personal goals and driversof job satisfaction with the organization'sstrategy is a must. Further, companiescertainly need to have clear objectives andprovide a work environment that providestotal satisfaction to the internal customers.The significant fact to be noted at this pointis that the employee engagement can't beachieved through organization-wide work/life policies, talent management systems,or major culture initiatives alone. And,realistically, if employees themselves aren'tclear on what they do well and what mattersmost to them, it's unlikely that any worksituation will engage them. With thischallenge in mind, we suggest that thecompany should take interest and make thepractice NLP and TM mandatory, so thatemployees can develop inner strength notonly in understanding the other personbetter but also in understanding more aboutthemselves and what they want.

Compensation is considered to be one ofthe top issues today because of factors likethe invention of new systems for humancapital management and global competitionin which attracting and retaining keyemployees became increasingly importantand importance of these factors mayincrease in future also.

Conclusion

Managing human capital is an ongoingchallenge, especially as social, political andeconomic events take their toll. Strategiesmust continually be redefined to deliverimproved return on investment in humancapital. As HR managers work within their ownorganizations, they must also cope with goodand bad economies, new technology, and thesocial issues - global, regional and national -affecting their organizations. Further, thissurvey can help HR managers to identify coreissues, examine for themselves where morepersonal and professional development andtraining may be needed and focus on findingsolutions to the broad Human Resourcechallenges that their organization face in theglobal economy. �HHHHH


The Fine Art of Criticism– M.S. Michael Raj

M.S. Michael Raj is a Research Scholar with Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu. He can be reached at [email protected].

Feedback is the lifeblood of anorganization. It enables the managers

to know whether what they are doing is inline with the organizational requirements.Though most managers know itsimportance, it is seldom used effectively toreap its full benefits. In family life too,feedback plays a vital role in making couplesremain together. John Gottoman aresearcher who analysed couples on thereasons for divorce says that "harshcriticism" is an early warning signal that amarriage is in danger.

Let us look at a real-life example. Sunithaand her daughter wanted to buy clotheswhile her husband Rajesh went to a saloon.They agreed to meet in the same place afteran hour and go for a movie. Sunitha was ontime and waited as agreed. There was nosign of Rajesh. "Where is he? The moviestarts in 15 minutes" Sunitha complained toher daughter. "Your father will always findsome ways to spoil our plans".

After 15 minutes when Rajesh showed upapologizing for being late as he helped anaccident victim on the way. Sunitha withoutlistening lashed out in a scornful tone, "Themovie would have already started. Youalways find some ways to spoil our plans.You are selfish and uncaring. When haveyou come on time? You are always late foreverything".

Most couples have moments like this fromtime to time but when the frequencyincreases it is a sign that marriage is indanger. This is because harsh criticismattacks the person rather than the deed. Aglobal attack or a harsh criticism on thecharacter, leaves the person ashamed anddisheartened. It leads to defensiveresponses rather than steps to improvethings.

Relationship in marriage has importantanalogous lessons for work environmentand helps avoid some common pitfalls.

Common Pitfalls

Feedback is given to an individual to improvehis behavior and performance. But due tolack of skill in providing feedback, it can leadto negative effect. Imagine a situation, thatno one provides feedback. The individual

will have no idea where he stands in termsof the expectations of his boss, peers andother clients. Criticism is one of the vital taskof a manager, yet most of the time it is alsoone of the task shrugged off and postponed,leading to a lot of complications.

In a study among the MBA students (to knowthe effect of performance feed back) theresult was that those who received nofeedback at all on their performance suffereda great blow to their self-confidence as thosewho were criticized. The results reveal howmanagers are creating poor performance bynot providing feedback.

In another study conducted to know theeffect a harsh criticism on volunteers whocreated ad for a shampoo one group wasgiven considerate and specific feedbackanother group was criticized harshly andincluded statements such as "even did nottry", "it is just lack of talent", "I would getsomeone else do it". Those who werecriticized personally were angry and refusedwork with them on future projects.(Goleman, 1996).

Criticisms have pernicious effect when voicedas personal attacks rather than as messagethat can be acted upon. When criticizedpersonally with blanket statements like "Youare not doing well", "I am not happy", etc.without neither providing an opportunity torespond or suggestions how to improve, thereceiver feels helpless, angry. When suchincidents recur, the employee becomesdemoralized and a poor performer.

The helpful critic:

A helpful critic gives positive strokes mostof the times and negative strokes intricatelyinterlaced with the praise. He avoidsindifferent situation and gives feedbackeither positive or negative.

Let us look at some of the specific tips to bea helpful critic.

Be Specific

Feedback should be offered to point outwhere the receiver's attention is required tobring about improvement. Whereas when itis offered at a global level it leaves peoplefrustrated and demoralized. If what we sayare evasive and go in a round about way tooffer feedback with an intention not the hurtthe receiver or finding difficult to confrontthe issue, it muddy the intended message.

Suggested solutions

Having offered feedback in the areas thatneed his attention to improve, it is importantthat he is given specific suggestions toovercome his deficiencies. The feedbackmay sometimes be starting… to hear hismistakes or what he is aware of. But whensuggestions are offered along with it, hesees it as an opportunity to improve.

Face to Face

Criticism should be given directly to theperson in private and in conduciveenvironment. If you offer feedback overphone, letter or through another person itmay ease the burden of facing the receiver,but it robs him of the opportunity to respondwith a clarification.

Be Empathic

Put yourself into other person's shoes andoffer feedback. Non empathic managers hurtthe receiver during feedback session,ultimately the employees start the feedbackby citing his positive messages and slowlymoving to the areas of improvement whichwill assure the person of your genuineintention on the receiver. (Goleman, 1996).

Above all before you criticize a person,prepare yourself. If a person faltered at onepoint of time, and has not repeated any moreafterwards, then it is not worth criticizing. Itmeans the person has improved it. When amistake is of habitual repetition, then it is tobe offered as feedback. Some toughsubordinates may challenge you at times. Ifyou have collected data about it, you willsail smoothly and bring about the desiredchanges. But this is achievable only if youhave a habit of noting it down at frequentintervals.

Conclusion:

Many Managers may have avoided givingcriticism but it has, as the research evidenceshows also equally pernicious effect of harshcriticism. Mastering the art of a helpfulcriticism is of a paramount importance intoday's teamwork environment. Rememberfeedback delayed is denied too. Hence goahead and be a helpful critic as criticism isan important tool kit in the arsenal of thesuccessful manager.

References:

Goleman (1996) Emotional Intelligence:Why it can matter more than IQ , New York:Bantam Books. �HHHHH


Suggested SolutionsTo Case Studies

– R. Dharma Rao

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO CASESTUDY No.25

"SELECTION OF A CANDIDATE -PITFALLS" Published in August 2008Issue.

Q.No.1. What went wrong in this case?

Ans. The GM (HR) developed a proformawhich contained various columns to getdetails of candidates appearing at theinterviews, such as personal particulars,experience, local and permanent addresses,expected salary, references, cell phone, no.,etc. But it missed one most importantdocument. As a proof of the local orpermanent address, Xerox copies of eitherdriving license, ration card, photo identity cardissued by Election Commission, telephonebill, pan card or any other authentic documentshould have been collected. The Xeroxcopy should be verified with the original onthe day of the interview and the copy kept bythe company. This important aspect was nottaken into consideration by GM (HR). Tothis extent, the proforma was defective. Inthe absence of this document, the guilty partycould not be caught immediately.

Q.No.2. Was there any mistakecommitted by the Interview Board?

Ans. Yes, they committed a blunder. Theywere all mesmerized right from thecandidate entered into their room with hispersonality and his other qualities. Theyfound him to be a matured person becauseof his age. They were all very muchimpressed with his presentation, knowledge,his soft skills, etc. including his fluency inHindi and English. All these qualitiesattracted the Board and received theirappreciation. His expected salary, as hewrote, was Rs.16,000/-p.m. but they werevery anxious to make it as Rs.20,000/- p.m.Further, they decided to give him adesignation 'Stores-cum-Project Engineer'and accordingly an appointment letter wasgiven to him. This was probably a hurrieddecision. There was no urgency. Hisperformance should have been observed bythe top officials at the work place at leastfor a month, before they decided to increasehis salary or give a higher designation. Theirenthusiasm was one side.

Q.No.3. How the case should progressnow?

Ans. Now the case was in the hands ofpolice of Maharastra as the Project Managerimmediately reported to them. The rulesand regulations of the police department aredifferent than the industrial discipline. Thepolice personnel might ask all the details ofvarious cash transactions of the company,their bank balance, and their withdrawal anddeposit of cash particulars, whether it wasinsured or not, etc. Some companies maynot divulge these details to outsiders in viewof their confidential nature.

Q.No.4. If you were the CEO, how wouldyou proceed further?

Ans. There was a column for cell phonenumber in the personal particulars proforma.When they had phoned this number, it wasswitched off on that day. The CEO couldapproach the cell phone companyconfidentially and obtain some importantnumbers to which he dialed from his phone.This would give a clue to know hiswhereabouts. Further, he gave some namesas his references. If they were correct, someinformation could be obtained from themabout him. He also mentioned in hisapplication that he worked in certaincompanies, copies of certificates of whichwere enclosed by him. If they were genuine,the companies should be contacted to knowmore details about his antecedents.However, the stolen amount was a loss tothe company.

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO CASESTUDY 26 "WHETHER ACTIONWARRANTED AGAINST AGM (HR)"Published in September 2008 Issue.

Q.No.1. Did Mohan commit a blunder instopping the vehicle to give a lift to thoseunknown persons on the road?

Ans. It would not have been a blunder hadit been judged from the point of humanitarianview. It would have been justifiable also.Helping stranded persons on the road wasnot a mistake but because of theconsequences that followed made thismatter complicated.

Q.No.2. Was he right in taking a decisionto take the vehicle straight to the PoliceStation?

Ans. Yes, this was a right decision. The

Case Study

Mr. R. Dharma Rao, Head, HR, ICBM. He can be reached at: [email protected]

best alternative in fact would have been todetain the vehicle on the same spot andinform the police to take necessary action.Nonetheless, it was not possible for Mohanprobably in those days cell phones were notavailable. Further, he was in a hurry to goto Hospital to see Harbans Singh. Hisdecision at that time to take the vehiclestraight to the Police Station was, therefore,right.

Q.No.3. Mohan's immediate boss wasserious on this incident. Was he right?

Ans. The complicated corollary involvingdetention of the company's vehicle by policefor gratuitous and protracted period was thecause for his boss's annoyance. Generally,helping any one who was in need was notobjected to. Mohan could not conjecture atthat time that his help would lead to an awfulconsequence involving him to be anoffender. He really intended to give thosestranded persons a lift. His attitude waspositive. However, the matter did not endthere but created several complications toput the company in a difficulty which hadshort of vehicles.

Q.No.4. Are there any other alternativesavailable for dealing this case?

Ans. In the first place, Mohan's decision tostop the vehicle to offer a lift to thoseunknown persons became a subject ofcontroversy. It was not known that thosethree persons sitting in the vehicle did notmake any enquiry with regard to the stuffexisting in the heavy material. The strandedand unknown persons should not have beenhelped at all.

Q.No.5. If you were Mohan, how wouldyou react on the decision of theManagement for punishing him withRs.25,000/-.

Ans. Mohan gave a detailed reply to the showcause notice issued by Managementdefending his action. According to him, hewas right. Therefore, punishing Mohan byway of asking him to deposit Rs.25,000/-would generate many moremisapprehensions. The Management shouldhave been more magnanimous and shouldnot take money from him. If I were there, Iwould have reacted in the same way asMohan and request the Management tocondone the punishment as there was no badintention while helping those persons. �HHHHH


Dear Prof. krishnamurti,

I read your article 'Attitude to Culture'published in the current issue of HRDnewsletter with great interest. I knew about'Attitude' but the concepts of 'Discipline','Innovate', 'Maximize', 'Stress', & 'Culture'are really unique.

Quality means doing it right when no one islooking - Ford

ASIT GHOSH <[email protected]>

Dear Shri Naren,

Greetings!

I read your article in the NHRD's latestNewsletter. Thanks for enlightening us witha new meaning of CTC!! We look forwardto read lot's of new and innovativedefinitions/articles contributed from yourside.

Rajesh. mail: [email protected]

Mr Naren Sir

I am pursuing Part time MBA finance fromMumbai University . I got an opportunity toread your article published in HRDnewsletter August 2008 volume.I am reallythankful for the value addition because ofthis article.

Once again thanks for sharing such asparking experience.

Nikhil,[mailto:[email protected]]

Dear Sir,

Greetings. Beiing a member of NHRD, Iregulary receive HRD Newsletter and enjoyreading the articles. Many of them havebeen used in my class discussions. Iappreciate your efforts in bringing thisexcellent newsletter.

Dr. Vijila KennedyE-Mail: [email protected]

From: Mr. Vivek Mendonsa

Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:22AM Kind Attn : Mr.C.Balaji,

I came across your H.R.D News letter onthe news stand of the AhmedabadGymkhana in Ahmedabad, Gujarat .It is anARMY based club in the cantonment area.I found the articles written by Indian authorsand professionals, very apt to today'sdynamic market scenario

I am marking a cc of this e-mail to Mr.NitinParab who is the C.E.O of CrosslinkInternational ,in the field of Training, H.RAudits etc,based in Mumbai as well asoperations in Pune. He will be an ASSET toyour organization.

I noticed that you have a Chapter in Punebut not in Mumbai (correct me if I am wrong),please may we the contact details ofChapters in Western India .

Vivek Mendonsa,Marketing Director, Lawrence & Mayo[mailto:[email protected]]

Dear Mr. S. Deenadayalan,

I am deeply enlightened and inspired to readthe life story of Prof. M.S.Pillai andappreciate your initiative to convey his idealsthrough this article.

I would like to keep in touch with you in orderto interact on common issues and interests.I had a fairly satisfying spell as an attitudinaltrainer and now transcending into socialentrepreneurship. Based at Santiniketan,West Bengal, the serene abode of GurudevRabindranath Tagore and Amartya Sen, wehave founded an NGO MA (MissionAttitude). This new NGO is in the processof being registered at New Delhi and has25 founders, among whom I am one.

The purpose of this letter is to integratepassionate educationists and thinkers so wemay benefit our target audience in one wayor the other.

On a very humble note, my own activitiesand ideas are listed in the following gadget:

Asit Ghosh<[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Prof Krishnamurthi

I would like to introduce myself as NoorMohammed Farishta, A training consultantby profession and member of NHRDnetwork.

At the outset i would like to congratulate youon the fantastic article " Attitude to culture"in the September edition of HRD newsletter.

The concept of value addition of practiceslike attitude, discipline innovate maximisestress and culture to the organisation andthe building blocks of the organisationalculture explained in a simple language withrelevant examples absolutely motivated andguided me.

Once again thanks for the wonderful article.

Noor Mohammed [email protected]

Kuddos Jaipur Chapter - AchievingUniversal Primary Education

Dear Thiru Chetlur

I am delighted to know from the Newsletterabout the activites/events held throughoutthe length and breadth of the country.

Amongst all, the one that fascinated me,as it would do other HR professionals, isJaipur Chapter recently concludedWorkshop.

The spectrum of delibrations conducted bylearned Saints, Trainers, Educationists,Govt functionaries as also the industrialstalwarts have been praise worthy. Mycongratulations to the team led by IILM, whohosted the event.

NARENDERA K GUPTA, Delhi ChapterE-Mail: [email protected]

Sl. No Date Time Venue Topic Speaker

1 02-10-08 6 PM HRD Hall Spirituality as a Science Dr. S P Srivastava of Sri Ram Chandra Mission

2 09-10-08 6 PM HRD Hall Building Self-esteem Ms.Revati Turaga of GAMMA

3 16-10-08 6 PM HRD Hall Emotional Intelligence at work Paramananda Chabungbam of TCS

4 23-10-08 6 PM HRD Hall HR for Business Ms.Geeta Goti of Virtusa

5 30-10-08 6 PM HRD Hall High Performance work systems Mr.Ravi Dasari of NCC Ltd

6 6-11-08 6 PM HRD Hall Wellness at Workplace Mr. Kaushik Basu of Elbit Medical Diagnostics

7 13-11-08 6 PM HRD Hall Role of communications Mr. Mohit Gandhi of Satyam Computers

8 20-11-08 9 AM ICBM Industry Expectations from B Schools Panel Discussion

9 27-11-08 6 PM HRD Hall Leadership Mr. B S. Rao of Durga Bearings

Hyderabad Chapter Programs Calender - October and November 2008

Letters from Members


Prelude

Dense foliage amidst picturesquesurroundings, an exotic locale and thesprawling fifty acre campus at EmpowerAdventure Camps set the perfect backdropfor the annual NHRD Outbound Learning,"orchestrated" by Cmd. Girish Konkar, on22nd and 23rd August, 2008. A vibrantgroup of 35 enthusiastic delegates fromvarious Corporates and consultanciesattended the program - an activity basedlearning through self-introspection. Indeed,the voyage of discovery was simplyexhilarating, aptly described by one of theparticipants as "a life-time experience"! Theable guidance of Cmd. Girish backed bydecades of experience in the Navy, his teamcomprising assistants competent inadventure activities and sports, the state-of-the-art infrastructure and training facilitiesmade available and the positive attitudedisplayed by the participants set the tonefor a winning strategy leading to successfulculmination of the program.

A curious departure to the conventionallecture mode of imparting knowledge, thisprogram bore a marked difference. Armedwith the powerful methodology ofexperiential and adventure learning, theparticipants were able to witness andexperience a glimpse of the essentialqualities - a fine blend of trust, vision,passion and optimism, that go into themaking of a winning team. The mainstay ofthe entire program was Team BuildingExercises.

Curtain Raiser

The program commenced with a briefintroduction by the Trainers' Team, followedby expectation setting, the Do's and Don'ts,"Buying" Commitment from all to abide bythe rules, followed by innovative and wittyself-introductions. The team then playedvirtual volley-ball, which ensured we learneveryone's names, and also energized theenvironment. The day ended with the Camp-fire which nurtured team spirit and infusedbonding, followed by dinner. It was truly agala time in the rustic surroundings, andthere sure are several memories that onewould cherish for years to come.

Learning Objectives

Provide participants an opportunity tobond better with others, under simulatedpressure conditions

Provide participants an opportunity to"discover" their inner strengths andother self-insights

Provide facilitated insights into specificaspects of Communication, teamfunctioning and leadership

PUNE CHAPTERRelieving the Spirit of Adventure at the NHRD Outbound Learning

The Challenge Ahead

It was pouring for most part the nextmorning, while the team leaders and theirassistants were initiated into the nitty-grittiesof trekking. Detailed planning ensued for themuch-awaited activity of the entire trip - atrek in the lofty mountain region at Kolad.This was going to truly be a test in strategicdecision making, meticulous planning,marshalling of available resources, time andrisk management, strength of character andabove all, a positive attitude - a mélange ofall key ingredients necessary to perform thisfeat. To instill in us a competitive spirit, thebatch was split into two teams, each teamcontending with the other to complete thetrek in the shortest possible time.

The teams were christened "Swastik" &"Volurin", symbolizing the characteristics ofthe protagonists, and the goal wasdetermined - that of winning. It did seem aHerculean task ahead, but all were confidentof surpassing the challenge that lay ahead.A treasure hunt was conspired to locate thebamboo sticks, Ammunition Boxes, LMG(Light Machine Gun), which was weighing5.5 kgs., and most of us felt "light" wereactually a misnomer! The plan wasexplained at length by the team leaders,rope-work begun, which was later to befastened to the bamboo sticks to preparean improvised stretcher, in case of anycontingency. All this equipment plus the firstaid kits and other essentials were towedalong with, as the teams started theexpedition with much fanfare and buoyantspirits.

The first leg of the trek was rather pleasant,with plains and meadows, and wild forestflowers swaying in bountiful abundance.Almost suddenly, the climb was steep, andthe pathway narrowed as one ascendedtowards the peak, seemingly elusive at first.There were a few obstacles along the way,but both the teams worked up their waysteadily, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.The climb down, especially towards the end,was tricky. What was heartening was, theimmense bonding which manifested in thissimulation. Throughout the travail, the teamsremained together, exhibiting nerves ofsteel. Trust was the central element. It wasremarkable - other virtues such as a highlevel of commitment, dedication, theinclination to help, humility and a strongpotential surfaced - because of the implicittrust reposed in the team leaders. And theteams did succeed - it was a close win forthe 2nd team (Volurin). It was probably themost captivating moment, when the teamsemerged victorious, and the experience ofachieving the goal together as a cohesive

team unfurled before one's eyes. It was teamdynamics at play all the while.

As the euphoria toned down, the teamsshared their experiences and the facilitatorsdebriefed the participants about the learningfrom this Activity. The last activity concernedstory-telling about the proverbial "Hen thatlaid the Golden Eggs". A question wasposed to the audience about what theywould have done if they were the farmer.The importance of inculcating good values,conducting a pilot project and engaging inresearch and development before venturinginto the unknown, the fall-out of too muchgreed and lack of knowledge, were some ofthe learnings from this activity. The programended on a positive note, with theparticipants sharing their feedback about thisprogram.

The program was certainly a resoundingsuccess and a practical lesson on thesynergy to be had when working in a team.Each of the participants shared positivevibes. The age-old philosophy of Leadershipand Team Building were reinforced throughthis enriching experience.

Internalizing the Learning…

The exercise on Team Building resulted inus imbibing the following tenets ofManagement…

The essence of Trust, a vital element inthe Team

Honour the Commitments made, whichembodies a strong character

Extend help to your team memberswhen required

The Importance of Goal Setting,Meticulous Planning and ContingencyManagement

The benefits to be had by delegatingtasks and sharing one's burden

Emergence of Leadership Qualities(Situational Leadership)

Effective Utilization of Resources

Working together as a Team

Impact of Motivation on the Team toperform at optimum levels in a high-pressure environment

Effective Communication andCoordination to ensure clarity of thoughtprocess

Reconciling the individual's goals withthat of the team

Acknowledging the individual'scontribution towards successfulcompletion of tasks

The impact of will-power and passionon performance �HHHHH


AGRAAn interactive session on Conflict Resolutionwas organized by Agra Chapter on 25th July2008 at Ramanujam Auditorium at BMASEngineering College, Agra. The facilitatorfor the interactive session followed by thecase study was Dr. Naveen Gupta Vice-President, NHRDN, Agra Chapter, Director,HIMCS and a Behavioral Scientist. For thediscussion of case the audience was dividedinto three groups. The case discussiongenerated synergy and valuable thoughtsin perception, transactional thoughts, Johariwindow and ultimately participantsunderstood and realized how to resolveconflict at their workplace. The participantsfor the interactive session included Prof A.K.Khare, Pro-Vice Chancellor, UP TechnicalUniversity, Dr. A.K. Gupta, Principal, BMASEngineering College, Dr. Savita Mohan,Secretary, NHRDN, Agra Chapter along withother NHRDN members. Life certificateswere also given to the NHRDN life memberspresent during the session.

The special session was organized also tobid farewell to Dr. Naveen Gupta who willbe leaving Agra for Udaypur to take overhis new assignment as Director General,Advent Institute of Management, Udaypur.On behalf of Agra Chapter, NHRDNmemento was presented to Dr. Gupta.

AHMEDABADExecutive Health and StressmanagementOn 13th August 08 Wednesday, NationalHRD Network - Ahmedabad chapterorganised a programme under the lectureseries "Learning Thru Sharing" on"Executive Health and Stress management".The speaker was non other than well knownmanagement expert Prof. Dr. D. M.Pestonjee.

Dr.Pestonjee is a Psychologist by traininghaving obtained his M.A. in Psychology withFirst Class First, and Ph. D. in IndustrialPsychology from the Aligarh MuslimUniversity. He has been conferred the D.Litt.(Honoris Causa) by the Banaras HinduUniversity in April 2003. He was awardedthe Albert Schweitzer Medal for Science andPeace in April 2004. H has over fourdecades of teaching experience.

He started his address with explaining thefundamentals of health related issues.During the power point presentation, he

Chapter Newsexplained the root cause of executive healthproblems. He also touched upon points ofstress management, reasons for stressdiesis and remedy for the same. For betterquality professional life, he gave veryimportant tips to young HR professionals,executives and aspiring managers.

President of the chapter Mr.Nilesh Dave(Adani Group) gave flower welcome andintroduced the guest speaker. Immediatepast President and CEO SPR InternationalMr.H.K.Gupta gave vote of thanks on behalfof the chapter. The programme was wellconducted by Hon.Secretary of the chapterMr. Arun Harne of Adani Group. Theprogramme was well attended by members,invited guests , academicians and students.Senior member Mr.J.B.Mistry, Prof.Dr.R.K.Balyan - Director - Institute of BusinessManagement and Research, Prof.Dr.Jayshreeben Thakore - , Associate Director(Placements), Dr.Ranade, Mr. BabubhaiPatel of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce andIndustries graced the function with therepresence. The programme was organisedat conference hall of Institute of Businessmanagement and research.

MANAGEMENT IMPERATIVESFOR QUANTUM GROWTH19th August , Tuesday was the weeklyprogram day of National HRD Network -Ahmedabad Chapter under the THEME "LEARNING THRU SHARING". This weekthe subject was " Management Imperativesfor Quantum Growth" and the guest speakerwas Dr.Neeraj Sharma of NIIT - Imperia -New Delhi.

Dr.Neeraj Sharma is currently Head ofacademics at NIIT - Imperia. He is head ofinstitutional tie ups which includes instituteslike IIMs, IIFT, etc. Dr.Neeraj holds a Ph.Din Management from IIT Delhi and a M.Techin HRM from IIT Kharagpur.

The session was on new generation learningtools and e-learning. He enlightened thegroup on how the video conferencing andinteractive discussing sessions takes placeand what is virtual class room sessions ande-learning works. The session was indeedvery interesting and interactive. It was alsowell attended by aspiring and up comingmanagers and working professionals.Ms.Smita Chaudhary - National SalesManager and Mr.Ransheel from NIIT werepresent in the session.

Chapter President Mr.Nilesh Davewelcomed the guest speaker and gave brief

introduction. Immediate Past PresidentMr.H.K.Gupta gave vote of thanks on behalfof the chapter. The program was wellconducted by Hon.Secretary of the chapterMr.Arun Harne. The program was followedby fellowship Tea and snacks.

ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE

On 26th August 08 Wednesday, NationalHRD Network - Ahmedabad Chapterorganised an enlightening session at 'ATMA'Auditorium, Ahmedabad. The guest speakerof the evening was renowned managementGuru, Strategic management consultant andOD practitioner, Mr. V. Ramakrishnan, fromSingapore and the subject was"ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE".

In his one & half hour of illuminative powerpoint session, Mr. Ramakrishnan explainedhow progressive and high performingenterprises use various strategic tools likeBalance Score Card, Process Management,and Personal Score Card etc. to achievelong and short term business goals. Withthe help of graphical charts and diagramshe also updated the audience that howBalance Score Card works and benefit theorganization. The entire session was verymuch interactive and participative. Heappealed called the young HR Professionalsto be more process excellence oriented withproactive approach to surrounding businesschallenges. At the end of the his address,he also responded questions and queriesof audience. The session lasted for aroundtwo hours.

Hon.Secretary Mr.Arun Harne of AdaniGroup welcomed the guest speaker.President of the chapter Mr.Nilesh Daveshared his vision for the chapter andintroduced Mr. Ramakrishnan. At the endof the session Immediate Past PresidentMr.H.K.Gupta extended vote of thanks onbehalf of the chapter. The programme waswell attended by senior members, invitedguests, captions of industries, managementprofessionals from various industries andstudents from management institutes. Theprogramme was followed networking dinner.

"The NHRD, Ahmedabad chapter willcontinue organizing such informativesessions & workshops" says Mr. Dave,overwhelmed with the response of audience.

HOSURThe NHRD Hosur Chapter Monthly eveningtalk was held on 09 09 2008 at AshokLeyland Management Development Centre.



Dr. D Dhanabalan, Director of Sona Schoolof Management, Salem addressed theaudience on " Competency Mapping and itsReturn on Investment ". He explained thebasic concept and the importance ofcompetency mapping. He narrated severalexamples as to how competency mappingis done and the various parameters to beconsidered in the process.

Mr. H Gopalakrishnan, ExecutiveCommittee Member introduced the speakerand Mr. V Nagarajan, Chapter VicePresident has summed up the presentation

made by Dr. D Dhanapal.

HYDERABADWeekly programmes calendar on Page 37

NHRD - IBR SeminarIBR Institute of International BusinessRelations in association with NHRD Networkhad conducted a one day seminar on"Building Leadership to StayCompetitive in a Dynamic World" at HotelGreen Park on 5th September 2008.

Prof. Dr. Larry Stout, internationallyrecognized as an outstanding trainer inleadership development was the keyspeaker. He served as professor with theStockholm School of Economics in Riga,Latvia and is recognized by the InternationalAssociation of Business Leaders in 2002and by the International Business Who'sWho in 2004. Presently he is one of theinternational professors on staff with IBRInstitute of International Business Relationsbased in Berlin, Germany, for its GlobalMBA.

Unfolding the intricacies of personalleadership, Dr. Larry delivered acomprehensive analysis for buildingleadership among Executives across alllevels. He discussed Leadership Models ofVarious behavioral Scientists and profoundlydisclosed his IDEAL Leadership Modelreferring to his best seller "Time for aChange: Ideal Leadership Series".

His Inter Disciplinary Leadership Modelopines on the fact that Leadership Capital,a combination of philosophy andpsychological attributes of ones personalityis contingent to Leadership Conditions likeperiod, place, people and position.

Along with Prof. Larry, Dr. Andreas Kelling;founder Director of IBR Institute ofInternational Business Relations, Berlin,Germany briefed on "Trends in ExecutiveEducation". The seminar was an interestingcombination of developing leadership inorganizations through education and trainingwhich drew crowd of nearly 200 peopleacross different sectors from corporate orbit.

The profiles of the participants includeExecutives from Top ManagementPositions, Human Resource Department &Entrepreneurs.

Dr. Gopal Krishna, president of NHRDChapter Hyderabad spoke eloquently ondifferent aspects of Leadership Skills quotingextensively from Vedas & Upanishads. Hiselaborations of 'stithy (stage)' like'tithy(date)', 'manah stithy(mental stage)' &'paras tithy (situation)' were well registeredby the participants.

Mr. Seetharamaiah, Director IBR made abrief PPT presentation about IBR which isbringing world class MBA degree for workingExecutives in India for the first time, IBRinstitute of International Business Relationsis accredited in the same group as KelloggBusiness School.

Welcome to New MembersAnnual Institutional members

Minvesta Infotech Represented byNiraj Pradhan, Product EvangelistAvneesh Gupta, Chief Operation OfficerKenna Management Group Represented byDinesh Sarvodey, M DPramod Darmapuri, M DBroadridge Financial Solutions Representedby Rajita Singh - Head - H RBindu Rinu, Team - Senior Associate - H RAnnual Individual MembersPrabakar Reddy D, Student - St.MarysNaveen Chary T, H R, Sigma SolutionsLife MembershipChandrashekar D P, COO, The JainInternational SchoolVishwanand Pattar, AGM - HR, NCC Ltd.,Gajendra Menon, Exe. Mgr Talent - HR,Deloitte ConsultingSyamasundar N, H R, ConsultantBharath Kumar, H R, ConsultantKarunakar B, Head L & D, Dr.Reddy's Lab

NAGAPURNAGPUR CHAPTER ORGANISES AMEET AND A TALK ON " HRD ATBANGKOK"

On 27th Aug 08 at the premises of IspatLtd, Mr. Manoj Sharma President NagpurChapter organised a meeting of themembers and a talk on "HRD at Bangkok"by Prof. Vaishali Rahate an HRD faculty ofCentral Institute of Business ManagermentResearch & Development, who hasrepresented India at Bangkok onIndependence Day i.e.,15 Aug 08. Shepresented a paper on "Language ofGlobalisation - Need of the Hour" atBangkok. She spoke at length abouttechnological advancement at Bangkok indealing with Human Resources

Development. She shared about theirtechnological advancement in teachingabout 900 students at one go by singlefaculty. She also shared there is a need ofthe day to adopt one Global Language totake the advantages of Globalization. Later,Mr. Manoj Sharma, welcomed the newMembers Mr. Shyam Laddha CEO AmulGroup (Vasundhara Dairy) and Mr. ShyamKriplani HRD Head of Reliance Retail atNagpur& also expanded the ExecutiveTeam of Nagpur Chapter. Mr. ShyamLaddha accepted the responsibility ofPatron of the Nagpur Chapter. Mr. RameshSangare, President HRDC accepted theresponsibility of Chairman ProfessionalDevelopment of the Nagpur Chapter. Mr.Vivek Naghbirey, Director Resume Services,took the responsibility of ChairmanMembership Drive. Dr. Vijay Phate took theresponsibility of Chairman -Academia. Mr.Rakesh Mani of Ispat Ltd accepted theresponsibility of Chairman - Administration.Mr. Amar Ramani GM (Legal) of Ispat Ltdhas agreed to provide all kind of LegalAdvices & support to the Chapter. Mr. VinodBobde CEO Venus Engineering agreed tobe the part of the Administration team andstrengthen the Chapter activities. Mrs.Vinda Warhadpande, Prof ShantanuKulkarni, Ms. Sweta Singh, Mr. Ajay Sinha,Mr. Rupesh Mehta have also determinedtheir active support in future. Prof ShyamShukla convened the programme.

NAGPUR CHAPTER ORGNISES S.I.P.PAPER PRESENTATION COMPETIONFOR ENGINEERING & MBA STUDENTS

Nagpur Chapter organized SummerInternship Project paper presentationcompetition for the Engineering & MBAstudents on 06 Sep 08 at Central Instituteof Business Management Research &Development. It was a platform providedby the Chapter to the students to show theirtalent for the human resources developmentof the region. The Engineering & MBAstudents from various Engineering & MBAcolleges of Nagpur region participated in thecompetition. The event was co-ordinatedby Nagpur Chapter student members. Dr.Vijay Anand Phate, Chairman, AcademiaNagpur Chapter convened the whole event.Mr. Arvind Jain, VP HRD, IndoramaSynthetics (I) Ltd & President, NagpurChapter in his address stated that thestudents, the would be professionals, areto focus on hard work and timemanagement. He explained the career pathahead to the Engineering & Managementstudents. Dr. Amishi Arora, the ImmediatePast President, welcomed the students fortheir participation for this unique event forthe development of the students. Mrs. VindaWarhadpande, Secretary Nagpur Chapterdistributed the Certificate and Cash Awardsto the winners. Prof Ajay Talwekar & Mr.



Quiz CornerHR QUIZ – 4

1) Which global company's chairman and CEO , is mandated to travel onPersonal/Executive Jet due to Security reasons?

2) What is the full form of the abbreviation RFV, related to Retail Management?

3) Which university has amongst its illustrious alumni- 25 Prime Ministers ofthat country and over 30 important foreign leaders?

4) Which Indian company has a policy on information i.e 95% people shouldhave access to 95% of the information 95% of the time?

5) Which is the oldest cooperative bank in India?

6) What is the meaning of the term, 'puffery' in negotiations?

7) Which industry is globally regulated by the self governance code namedHarkin-Engel Compliance?

8) What is the meaning of the term 'white space'?

9) What have 'Raschandrika" and "Dadimano Varso" have in common?

10) What is the full form of LEED rating ?

Quiz Master:

Mr. P Vijayan, Director-HR, CHEP India, MumbaiE-Mail: [email protected]

Answers to Quiz – 31) Nordstrom, 2) Jerr Harvey coined this term-'a telling description we know of agroup's inability to manage its agreement.Nobody wants to reach a particulardestination(abilene) but for fear of offending/contradicting each other, they allend up there.", 3) Herb Kelleher, CEO of South West Airlines, was referring to their'job swapping programme', 4) He has conceptualised the ROI model for evaluatingtraining effectiveness- evolving from Reaction to Learning to Application &Implement to Impact to ROI., 5) Mr Aziz Premji of Wipro, 6) Protected Workman- Aworkman who, as an officer of a registered union, is recognised under IndustrialDisputes Act, by the employer as having special protective privileges, 7) Chairman& MD of Classic Stripes, 8) Toyota Crown- 1937, 9) IBM, 10) UPS

Ajay Vidyabhanu Sr. HR Manager IndoramaSynthetics Ltd had judged the students onvarious parameters. Mrs. Shobha Bhagyaof Ashok Leyland & Mr. Bobde of VenusEngineering supported the panel of Judgesfor evaluation. Prof Shyam Shuklaaddressed the students with the objectivesof National Human Resources NetworkNagpur Chapter and various benefits to itsmembership

PATNAA meeting of National HRD Network,PatnaChapter was held on 5th September atAVARAN,A Centre for Excellence, courtesy.the Coordinator , Mr. Atul Priyadarshi.ThePrincipal Scientist of ICAR,Patna,Mr.Janardanjee spoke on HRD and its Role inEducation.He highlighted that the Engineersinstead of taking up research work prefer tojoin the corporate lured by the attractivepackage which is leading to a dearth ofscientists and faculty in the research andeducational institutions.He also emphasizedthe setting up of more Centres of Learningand Research if India has to leapfrog intothe category of a developed country at theearliest.Janardanjee also spoke about hisexperiences in Ohio as a visiting faculty ofHRD .He very well blended the importanceof HR and education for providingemployment to the largest young populationof India.

The next speaker was Mr. RavinderKumar,Director of Kutumba, an NGOengaged in Developing Human ResourceAt The Bottom of The Pyramid.He spoke atlength about how he was training young girlsof below the poverty line families inbecoming independent by building capacityfor giving tuition to school children in theirlocalities.He gave an indepth account of theactivities carried on by the organization andrequested members for voluntaryservice.Some student members becameinterested in offering their time in theproject.Thereafter Mr. Ratnakar Mishracoordinated the meeting with focus on theInstitutional member drive and welcomingthe new student members.

A seminar was organized by NHRDN inIIBM,Patna on 13th September for thebenefit of MBA students on the demand ofthe Institute.Altogether 70 students andfaculties of the Institute attended theseminar.The proceedings started withwelcoming the students and informing themabout NHRDN by Mr. RatnakarMishra.Thereafter Mr. M.K. Sinha, ChiefCoordinator gave an informative talk onEmotional Intelligence.The students wereinformed that Personal and SocialCompetencies are its components and EQis more important than IQ.The students weresurprised to know that Emotional Intelligence

increases in importance as one rises in theheirarchy.A lively discussion followed inwhich the students were given practicalsteps of developing Emotional Intelligencein their personality.Thereafter theCoordinator ,Mr. Atul Priyadarshi, spoke onTime Management and its importance forthe students in their career.He also informedthe students about the vacancies existingin his organization in which they could beplaced.Rahul Shah, an active life memberspoke on the importance of placements.Thefaculty of the Institute were very muchenthused by the deliberations and requestedthe NHRDN to hold one Seminar everymonth in their Campus for the benefit of thestudents.Thereafter Mr. Ratnakar Mishrasummed up the session with some verypractical aspects of presenting oneself in theinterview and the behaviour one shoulddisplay in the corporate.

PUNESee Report on Page 38

CARTOON CORNERCol. P Deogirikar, Indore

[email protected]

As per records, most of ourcolleagues were 'earning whilelearning'. Now when we ask for

training time, they don't have any.Why can't they think in terms of'learning while earning' now?


HRD News Letter +91 (40) 2711-2212 Email: [email protected] Design Advisor A.Thothathri Raman...

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