We have a decentralised system of education in the United States.

Q. What are the key motivating factors that draw people towards teaching? How do you assess a teacher’s performance?

A. The fiscal crisis has led to unprecedented cuts in the number of teachers. Young people can see what is happening and they decide to opt for other professions. The amount of money coming from the states to support the public higher education institutions has also been declining rapidly in recent years. As the budgets have gotten tighter, the states have started to put more money in the schools than in their higher education institutions.

Students have been paying more and receiving less from their professors. The increased revenue for the higher education institutions has not been used to improve instruction. The number of days devoted to instruction has declined and the institutions have been cutting down on the proportion of the faculty. Until about 20 years ago, careers in the high status professions were not open to women in the United States. American women with college degrees could choose between nursing, secretarial work and school teaching. Today, careers have opened up to college-educated woman across the whole spectrum of high status professions. Click here to read read full interview..

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Stress management at workplace

This case study is a peculiar example of organisational psychopharmacology, a science dealing with the stress management of employees. Rajul was efficient in his job and was close to the top management. As a senior he was also answerable to the management. He was being paid well, yet he did not have job satisfaction as he thought the work was monotonous and probably he did not find growth opportunities. Functional tension is a must in employees in order to make them work at optimal level of efficacy and effectiveness. However, dysfunctional tension causes an employee burn out in the long run. The following reasons can be identified for Rajul’s dysfunctional tension:-

Personal reasons: A popular concept in management is, “One should pick up a job which one likes or pick up any job and develop liking for it.” Rajul had been, by and large, doing well as marketing manager. But still, he saw no career development opportunity in GT. He carries this tension home and fights with his wife and shouts at his children. Happiness is a decision and not a dependency. Perhaps Rajul has to learn to be happy and like his job.

Organisational reasons: The chairman, Goldy, being a short tempered lady made Rajul tense while asking for last year’s annual financial report. Remaining cool and not offending the employees is essential for effective functioning of an organisation. Also in weekly conference, when Kaushal and Rajul had heated arguments, Gaurav should have intervened to remove their misunderstanding. Should any organisation recruit employees on recommendations of senior managers, without checking their suitability? Top management of GT has indulged in favouritism by allowing Rajul to be closer to them, which seems to have created professional jealousy. Click here to read more..

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The CSR activities that India needs the most are in the areas of education and health care.

Q- I have done BSc in botany. I love interacting with people and understanding their perspective. Is it a prerequisite to obtain a degree in HR to venture into the industry?

A. Traditionally, it was not a prerequisite but nowadays industry requirements have changed. An HR professional today develops an overall understanding of the industry and is prepared to take up any role. An MBA in HR or doing PGDM (HR) from any reputed institute will not only give you ample exposure to the industry but will also help in finding the appropriate platform to start your career. It is good that you are good with people but learning to manage them is something you need to do.

Q- What can be the best HR practices to achieve organisational goals every year?

A. The role of HR management is evolving with the emergence of new technologies and growth of the global marketplace. It is time for companies to recognise the value of talented and informed HR department.

One of the most important HR practices is delighting employees with the unexpected!

Benefits, compensation, and work-life balance are the most important factors in providing overall job satisfaction. These factors further ensure that employees who stay longer are more productive and earnest. Employee recognition is another important factor that helps a company achieve its desired goals, as it is the talent that ensures the overall growth of any business. Spot awards, annual achievement awards, outstanding performance award, best employee award, could be some of the other initiatives as part of best HR practices. Click here to read more interviews..

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The first obvious thing which surfaces when a company is in trouble is replacement of the CEO

The Yahoo! example fits perfectly in this regard as Bostock, along with three of the directors, is near the exit door after failing to lift the company even after replacing the CEO in a tumultuous time.

During a crisis situation, it is not enough to have just one backup plan. In the current economic scenario, it is necessary to plan for the worse.

Sometimes, board members are too confident and have a notion that there are many within the house capable enough to get in the shoes of the outgoing CEO. How many of the potential candidates can adapt to the role perfectly is something to figure out.

“Boards do get careless because they are under a lot of pressure to replace the person, or they might be looking for qualities like charisma that are irrelevant,” says Hambrick. At times, the consensus on a person’s name deemed fit for the role (due to a particular quality) can be a misfit, considering the need for altogether different skill sets.

Nowadays, researchers are advising board members to analyse on the basis of market trends their decision of substituting the top executive and to decide whether the new person is the right one for the job on similar lines. However, when a company fires its CEO who has started to become a liability considering overall conditions at hand, and brings in someone who they believe can turn things around, then performance might improve substantially. Read more...

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No company is immune to internal hard times — stagnation or declining performance. How can HR pave a way forward when the organisation runs into a wall? Prof. Manas Ranjan Tripathy of IBS, Hyderabad, reveals.

The HR function is often viewed as alien to the organisation’s strategic plan, though there is a feeling of unanimity of its larger role in executing strategies. The role of HR during a turnaround is not definitive in context and application. The major role played by the HR team is that of a coach to the intervention team, facilitator to the employees in adapting change and bulwark for the leadership, devising an exit strategy once the objectives are realised.

Thought leaders DiFilippo and Waldt stressed HR professionals need to be visible to all the employees during difficult times. Although they are merely the messengers, HR staff members often bear the brunt of the blame for reductions in force. But the worst thing they can do is to stay hidden in their offices or walk around looking sombre. Instead they must demonstrate that they are available for questions, are responsive to people’s needs and are continuing to do their jobs in an optimistic way. Another reason to be walking the halls is to listen for rumours and to put an end to them before they go too far. The other important aspect HR may take care of is that of delivering strong messages to the fence sitters as satisfactory underperformance. How a company handles a turnaround can make all the difference when it comes to the business moving forward productively as per the devised strategy of turnaround. The biggest concern for the HR team during this difficult time is to overcome challenges such as talent flight or poaching of talent by opportunistic headhunters and rival companies. Recruiting new talents with the right skill sets for turnaround option is another major challenge for the HR team.

The focus of HR should be to attract the talents who are willing to take risk and script success stories in the form of intrinsic rewards. Read more...

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Accessibility, empowerment and an inspiring vision are what HR wishes from a CEO.

Q. What are the key strategic areas where involvement of HR becomes mandatory? How can a CEO help in making HR practices more effective?
A. An organisation primarily consists of the people working in it. HR is all about human relations and how an organisation can develop this relationship. Culture and ethos are what takes an organisation to the next level. Senior management must develop a culture where people love to come back every day. It is the CEO’s job to create an environment where employees give their 100 per cent.

As the focus of the 21st century is on the happiness quotient rather than only on profits and deliverables, the CEO and HR must engage employees in various activities like taking them out or conducting stress management classes to keep them happy.

Q. What is HR’s value proposition to the CEO?
A. If you value the employees, they will value the organisation. An employee who has high regard for the organisation will remain in the company and serve with 100 per cent sincerity and dedication. But such talent can be retained only when they really feel the senior management is taking good care of them. I believe the best way to take care of an employee is by adding value to his profession and giving him the right kind of exposure through knowledge intervention. Read more...

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Turning Strategic Intent into Real Results

Q. Can a CEO put HR on frontline of the business?
A. Where the executive has the capability and experience to do so this would be quite possible. With strong leadership skills and a good understanding of what drives the business an executive can leverage the talents and abilities of the people they lead. I have seen HR managers placed in such roles to broaden their experience and perspectives who have done an outstanding job, leading them to more strategic roles as a result. There are HR executives who have become successful CEOs and Ann Sherry, CEO Carnival Australia, is one such example.

Q. According to you, what steps is the HR taking to meet CEO’s expectations and business’ real- time needs?
A. Every area of contribution of HR can become a significant contribution. Some examples are:
• Management of turnover issues reducing the cost, creating positive retention, enhancing the talent pool and the effectiveness of performance. • Transforming the leadership culture to lead new initiatives.
• Employee relations and development programmes to engage them in changing their skills to be able to move in direction of the organisation.
• CSR programmes that are integral to developing a sound direction for the organisation and the society.
• Programmes that enhance quality of working life and increase levels of engagement and retention.
• Evaluation of culture for M&As and transformation programmes to prevent failure from untested assumptions.
• Succession planning initiatives to have a strong pool of candidates leading to natural progressive transitions of leaders. Click here to read full interview...

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Valerie Rozycki (Founder and CEO, Zipdial) shares, in a Conversation with Abhishek Chanda, her Penchant for start-ups, The Journey Leading to Zipdial and how Trai Regulations Prove to be a boon for her Company while Others Bleed

So, what sparked the entrepreneur in her? “I knew from inside that I’m a start-up person. While studying, I took a class on entrepreneurship, where the goal was to write a business plan for a hi-tech start-up within 10 weeks. Though I did not do very well in terms of grades, it was an eye-opener for me,” she recalls. For Valerie, risks in a new venture never really mattered much. According to her, what is important is the whole idea of starting something new where one can put his/her 100 per cent, rather than searching for something steady and secure. “While starting off, I never really looked back thinking about money. So, when I moved to India, I had to take a pay cut, given that I was now earning in rupees and also at that time the slowdown had hit various economies,” she chuckles.

Zipdial, which offers services like Lead Generation, Voting, Ratings and Surveys, Branding Campaigns, Loyalty and Coupons and Authentication and Mobile Payments, was set up keeping in mind market drivers like, massive growth in the mobile market, a growing demand for simplicity, rising incomes and the most important factor - masses do not use or are not that enthusiastic about SMSes, let alone 3G, when compared to dialing.

So, here is how it works. Lets assume that somebody wants to know the latest IPL scores. The person then dials or Zipdials a number, which rings and disconnects automatically and in comes a SMS with the latest scores. For IPL as a client for Zipdial, they need to pay a fee for the services and later simply mention the Zipdial number in their promotions or advertisement. As soon as the consumer calls, its a call-to-action for the brand. Likewise, there are dedicated numbers for various verticals, may it be cricket or business promotions or an event. For the mass consumer, the numbers are toll free and can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, on any handset or network. A patent pending solution, Zipdial has been the only player in the world for over the last 14 months or so since they launched, claims Valerie, but off late a few similar modules have mushroomed. Click here to read more....

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Encouraging The Devil’s Advocate

The challenge facing executive teams in ensuring that sound decisions are made is simple: groupthink. Psychologist Irving Janis, who researched the subject extensively, defined groupthink as the systematic errors made by groups when taking collective decisions.

The three layers of groupthink

1. Key causes: Include group cohesion, directive leadership and ideological homogeneity.

2. Common symptomatic behaviours: Include overestimation of the capabilities of the group, being closed-minded and pressure for uniformity.

3. Consequent decision-making flaws: Include inadequate contingency planning, insufficient information and biased assessments of risk, cost-benefits and moral implications.

Research has shown it is natural for teams (whatever their motivations and guidelines) to suppress dissent or information flow; have extreme attitudes; make extreme judgments; be less flexible in adapting their approach to changing circumstances, but – despite all this – have greater confidence in their decisions. Groups also tend to focus discussion on things they already agree about rather than things they disagree about, leading individuals to publicly endorse decisions viewed as normal for the group, despite privately holding reservations. Click here to read more..

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B. Muthuraman (Vice Chairman, Tata Steel)

Continued...In a young country like India, he applies Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest in his appreciation of today’s youth. He finds them to be “better gifted” than their ancestors, owing to greater access to technology which has allowed them exposure to an array of information. On the flipside, he admits that they are perhaps less appreciative of the importance of human relations and the human touch in their dealings with and understanding of people. Even so, he firmly believes that the youth will play a large part in India’s growth story, as he lists the three most essential factors, “First is the need for India to bring in social equality; with such a large population you cannot afford to have growth only in pockets. Second, while we continue to create great engineers, research scholars, etc., we must also ensure that basic skills are given to all for unemployement to be curtailed.” The final factor, he says, is the need for transcparency in the government, in light of the scams and cases of corruption we have witnessed. On the personal front, Mr. Muthuraman confesses that he is not too good at his work-life balance. He credits his wife, “She is an extraordinary person; the perfect homemaker. She manages life for both of us.” A heartwarming thought indeed, coming from the respected business leader. Click here to continue...

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