HR Planning

Human Resource or man-power planning is “the process by which a management determines how an organization should move from its current manpower position to its desired manpower position.Through such planning a management strives to have the right number of people and the right kinds of people in the right places at the right times to ‘do things to receive individually as well as organizationally the long range desired results and benefits.

It is “Process of determining manpower requirements and means for meeting those in order to carry out the integrated (business) plans of the organization”.

Manpower planning is also defined as “strategy for acquisition, utilization, improvement and preservation of an’ enterprises Human Resources”. It relates to establishing job specifications or quantitive requirements of jobs determining the number of personnel rquired and developing sources of manpower”

In the process of Human Resource Planning following series of activities are mostly observed in multinationals viz. :

a) Forecasting : Future requirements either as mathematical projections or trends in the economic environment and industrial development tempo in the country in terms of guistimates based on Judgement about extent of activity, expansion or diversification degree of automation and mechanization. technology transfer often with capital
intensive but low on manpower needs etc.

b) Personnel inventory making : Present classified human resources with important demagraphic parameters as age,experience, qualifications, versatility, interests, flexibility for change and degree of learning attitude, ease of redeployment or rehabilitation etc. so as to assess whether the present resources are optimally utilized in the first place.

c) Anticipating (proacting) : towards manpower problems by projecting present resources and comparing against future requirements and determining the gaps in potential requirements with respect to present performance and searching for adequate means and methods in bridging the gap at appropriate occasions, well in advance.

d) Planning the necessary
programmes of recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, redeployment, development and compensation to meet the needs : current as well as long-term ones, properly.

Particularly in case of multinationals, where the magnitude and complexity of multitudinous activities are of collossal proportions, the need for human resources planning is deemed necessary for following reasons:

1) To carry on work, each organization needs human components of requisite qualities and characteristics as skills knowledge and attitudes to be provided at the right time and place.”

2) Human resource can not be depreciated; however has to be replaced due to natural depletion and attrition due to demise, retirements, separations, incapacitations etc.

3) It is essential because a healthy labour turnover is a natural phenomenon and even unavoidable due to advancements, pinching by parallel organizations, quits etc.

4) Due to ambitious expansion and diversification programmes either in range of goods or services or even geographical relocations and reallocations, particularly in a growing economy and period of boom, the dearth of competent and categorized human resource can be acutely felt , if HRM system does not have a proper provision of Human Resource Planning Systems to hedge against such occurrences.

5) The nature of existing business activities and the requirements in relations to the everchanging external environment demands for changes in human resource attributes or even drastic new requirements may mean intensive inputs in training is called for or a fresh recruitment and induction of new such elements is immediately necessitated and can be coped up only with sound HRP system support.

6) HR planning is also needed to identify areas of surplus manpower, the dissatisfied performers that requires revamp, streamlining through redeployment and various ideas such as VRS or golden handshake encouraging mutually beneficial separation.

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Network Marketing in HR.

After going through a post on a social site of repute on the subject ‘ Network Marketing in HR’. I began to recall and remember the various interactions and encounters I had in my foregone years with variety of people from all walks of life, in the capacity of PRO and Manager (P&A), and how people used to impress themselves in order to gain benefit for their use.This technique they used may be roughly termed as Impression Management Technique, or IMT for short. Impression Management is the process by which people manage and control their perception the other people form about them. This is also referred to as *putting your best foot forward* and *showing the best (read fake) face in public* Impression Management is thus, a diplomatic and political tool for one to climb hierarchical ladder in the organization, without sacrificing one’s basic principles.As with other cognitive processes, impression management has many conceptual dimensions. A distinction between *impressions motivation* and *impression construction* can be made as first is bridging the gulf between an image the individual wants others to see and others have of him, and the second is what specific image the individual wants to project and how he goes in doing so. Some well known techniques of impression management are as below:*Conformity* Agreeing with someone else’s opinion in order to get his or her approval. For example, A manager tells his boss, ” you are absolutely right on your reorganization plan of Eastern region. I couldn’t agree with you more”. That, the subordinate may not mean it and boss and subordinate both know it but they let it pass.*Excuses* Explanation of a problem creating situation aimed to bring down the seriousness of the problem. For instance, sales manager to boss, ” We failed to put the advertising in time, but see, no one worthwhile responds to these advertise these days”*Apologies*Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and at the same time seeking to get pardon. For example, Employee to boss, ” I am sorry I made a mistake on the report. Please forgive me.”*Acclamations * Explaining favorable event, to maximize the desirable implications for oneself. Example, Sales person to his immediate superior, ” Sales have almost doubled since I joined in this region.”*Flattery * Complimenting others about their virtues so as to appear perceptive and likable. For example, sales executive to his superior, ” You handled that customer complaint so tactfully, I couldn’t do it like you did for sure”.*Favours * Doing something nice to someone to gain the person’s appreciation. Example,, Sales Executive to Sales Manager, ” I have got two tickets of Sunny Leone movie to which I can’t go sir. You take it sir, consider this sir as a token of thanks sir for how you helped me sir”*Association * Enhancing one’s image by using and managing information with which one is associated. Example, a candidate during interview, ” Oh!, What a coincidence, Your boss and I were roommates back in college!”The executives must be smarter to understand how these tactics are used by people in order to get foothold somewhere in a maze of corporate diplomacy and try to be in the good books of those who play the golf.
A lecturer in a reputed institute used to stay back even after official time is over and then work extra time editing the drafts done day before, and after some time, giving a phone call to Director just to get his advice on certain government agency clauses, thereby impressing upon how he was a hard worker and others were shirkers. Following day, he used to make it a point to give his time slot to some other lecturer so that he was free to sit in front of desk top and surf you know what.Public Relations is very important function from a managerial – societal perspective. It is well developed sub specialization within management science. It is established, credible and honest PR practice to distribute gifts during festive seasons. In itself, this does not amount to bribery. Bribery is an event specific action for the implied or explicit benefit to be derived in order to get ball rolling, implying some kind of *quid pro quo* Relationships building (read network building in today’s parlance) is a long term process in friendship and business associations so that transactions are smooth. If that were not to be understood, then all efforts taken towards discharging corporate social responsibility could be labeled as *bribing society! *

The Concept, Importance And Objectives Of Human Resource Management.

( 1 ) THE CONCEPT.

In any purposeful organized endeavour, productive and effective achievement of intended objectives has necessarily to be coordinated and controlled by conscious and concerted combination of the resource mix of Materials, Machines, Methods, Money, Men and Management.

Of these, Human Resource or “Men” is the most important factor; for men in turn manage other resources as above and depending upon the degree of dexterity and dedication of this resource, the outcome of organized endeavour can be made or marred in terms of extent of accomplishments.

Unlike other resources Human Resource can not be depreciated, disposed-off, allowed to deteriorate or simply devalued but has necessarily to be appreciated and advanced through value enhancement if it in turn has to help in value addition and nor merely contribute towards costs.

In other words, because Of this very volatile nature of composition of this crucial commodity. the management of this resource becomes the crux of organizational functioning and a central issue of concern that needs constant concentration. at the same time providing continuous challenge.

It will, therefore be worthwhile to understand, atleast conceptually, the worth of this resource in order to manage it more meaningfully.

“Human Resources have been defined aa from the national point of view, the knowledge, creative abilities latent talents and manifested attitudes and aptitudes obtained in the population; whereas purely from the view point of the individual enterprise, they represent the sum total of inherent abilities, acquired knowledge and skills as exemplified in the talent and aptitude of its employees.”

These resources can also be called as ‘human factors’, which refer to “a whole consisting of interrelated. interdependent and interacting psychological, physiological, sociological and ethical components“

It is this Human Resource which is of prime and paramount importance, predominantly because most of the problems and predicaments in any organizational setup or settings are human and social rather than merely physical, technical or economical. Failure to recognize this fact can indeed cause immense loss to any individual, enterprise or even the entire nation. Therefore no multinational organization can ill afford to ignore this important and influential entity.

In the words of Oliver Sheldon “No industry can be rendered efficient or effective, so long as the basic fact remains unrecognized that it is principally human. It is not the mass of machines and maze of technical methods or process but a body of men. It is not a mere complex of materials and matter but materially a matter or complex humanity. It fulfils its function not by virtue or some invisible, impersonal force, but by beautiful blend of synchronized human energy, the synergy. Its body is not an intricate maze of mechanical devices but a magnified critical mass of nervous systems”.

Managing Human Resource with tact must infact consider the fact that ‘work’ comprises of ‘work ethos’, consisting of various organizational elements as authority relationship, lines of communications and command, organizational goals and missions, set of rules and regulations, policies and precedents informed group dynamics, the work content and context that might have been deliberately designed and managed to be meticulously maintained.

0n the other hand, ‘work’ is conducted in a ‘workculture’ typical to any particular organization and may even differ drastically from that of other or ever deviate during the normal functioning.‘Culture’ in itself includes a complex set of individuals and their ideosynchracies.

In a multinational corporate culture such Human Resource is rendered operative by observing ‘unity in diversity, where every individual may show some characteristics and at the same time display many a dissimilarities, as each has an intrinsic and implicit set of needs, motives and motivation, emotions and experiences, impact of interactions with external environment, biological inheritance, family farthings, religious rigors, racial and cast consciousness, educational achievements, individual aspersions and aspirations.

Therefore maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied Human Resource becomes the stupendous task before the Management of multinationals where multifarious tasks are to be coordinated in multitudinous manners, making each a meaningful means towards the business ends.

( 2 ) THE IMPORTANCE.

This can be discussed after Yoder, Heneman and others from three stand point viz. Social, professional and individual in organization and distilled to depict in following description.

1) Social Significance – by enhancing individual dignity and offering opportunities to satisfy social needs through maintaining balance between jobs and jobs contenders through matchmaking expectations with expertise and experiences; by understandable parity between contributions and compensations; by eliminating human resource wastage (at any stage of age or wage) by conserving health and hygiene and enhancing energy; by helping human elements in making conscious choices and decisions, developing the sense of interdependence.

2) Professional Significance – by providing healthy, happy and harmonious work environment, (thereby promoting team Spirit); by providing ample opportunities for personal development; by providing healthy relationship between different workgroups and workteams ( thereby Team work and spirit of synergy and symbiotic efforts are inculcated towards effective performance of interpersonal and intrapersonal tasks).

3) Organizational Significance – by way of creating and maintaining the right internal environment congenial to uphold right kind of attitudes, foster right kind of motivation so that the tasks are perceived to be more meaningful; by way of placing and utilizing the right man in the right job and (providing the right type of job to any type of person in the organization) by securing, willing cooperation through better communication and comprehension thereby requiring only marginal degree of coordination and control; (by integration of individual aspersions and aspirations, aims and arms to the group goals in general and overall organizational objectives, in particular) by fostering friendship and feeling of freedom, fraternity (through free, frank and flexible channels of command and communicntions), enhancing cohesion and conformity.

( 3 ) THE OBJECTIVES.

As understood, objectives are pre-determined ends or goals at which individual or group activity in an organization is timed or targeted. Formulttion of HR Objectives are inevitable for the following reasons

1) Announcement of organizational goals activates the goaldirected humun resource thereby investing work with meaning and means of self-fulfilment, aswell.

2) They serve as standards and stand points thereby helping to measure performanco interms of extent of accomplishment of objectives and take stock and bearings, helping navigation.

3) Acceptance of goals gets voluntary commitment, compliance and cooperation, thereby cohesion and coordination is facilitated.

4) They help in establishing, the “character” of any organization, setting pace and pointers in cultivating desired “corporate culture”.

From the study of findings of various eminent experts in the field of Human Resource Management, it is possible to generalize the HRM objectives, that many a multinational has adopted to face its HRM policies and practices.

According to Armstrong Manor, Lancaster, “These HRM objectives, mainly ordained by multinationals are

a) To utilize human resources effectively,

b) To establish and maintain a productive and self-respecting relationship among all the members of the Organizations,

c) To bring about maximum individual development of the organizational numbers.”

According to HRM trio Scott, Clothier and Spriegel, “The objectives of Personnel Management, Personnel Administration or Industrial Relations in an organization are to obtain maximum individuel develonment, desirable working relationship between employees and employers and to effect the moulding of human resources as contrasted with other physical resources.”

Dirk opines that “the objectives of Human Resources Management should include the utilization of the human resources effectively, establishing and maintaining productive and self-respecting working relationship among the participants and attainment of maximum individual development of members of the organization.”

Pigors & Myres observed, “Managing organizational leadership, and one of its central task in effective coordination and utilization of available human resources to achieve the objectives of the organization. Such as maximizing profits, increasing business share in the market,to improve efficiency or expand the scope of services…”

The American Management Association has very succinctly summarized the objectives of Human Resource Management thus, “The purpose of a business enterprise is the profitable production of goods and services to fulfil economic needs in such a way as to provide satisfactory returns to both, economic and social suppliers, owners and members of the organization, under conditions which provide for the maximum conservation of human and material resources over a continuing period.”

In brief it will not be inappropriate to crystallize the objectives of multinationals with particular reference to Human Resource Management summarized as follows:

The fullest contribution of human resources for the achievement of organizational goals of long and short-term plans, and of operations of the organization in an environment of high morale and vitality consistent with Profitability and social millieu, with the ethical values of the society and with the policies and regulations established by the country’s legislature in general and laws of land in particular.

A Code Of Ethics For The Corporate World.

Every competitive organization needs to have a code of ethics. These codes of ethics have to be followed very religiously. Business magazines, business books and various articles on ethics seem to be using code of ethics to imply different things. This confuses the readership and if executives are bewildered about what the term means then uncertainty engulfs the organization. The authors here are making an attempt to clear the air and put a few facts in their proper perspective.
In the global market today, Indian businesses are forced to be competitive for survival; therefore some aspects which were missing from the viewpoint of business strategy are becoming increasingly evident. Business ethics and corporate governance are some of the instances. World Trade Organization has set forth some conditions to be able to qualify; organizations have to concentrate not only on quality management and customer delight but also on business ethics and corporate governance.
These two terms, business ethics and corporate governance are used by executives and CEOs in their various speeches. Management trainees understandably copy these words to follow suit of their mentors. It is hardly ever that anyone takes an effort to find out what a term actually means or what a  corporate policy of ethics and governance signifies. For instance, the term values and ethics are used synonymously. Values are a set of beliefs which are relevant to an individual, a group or a corporation, and which act as the basis of action. They are by definition a thought based concept. Ethics come from the root word ethos (Greek) which mean from a culture. They denote how or why an individual, a group or a corporation behaves in a particular way under certain circumstances. They are by definition an activity based concept. Very crudely, one could call ethics, an outline of moral philosophy. Similarly, business ethics and managerial ethics are used in the same way, meaning same thing but actually they do not. Business ethics is the manner in which business is done, and it denotes good practices. It indicates the behavior of a corporation in general with regard to ethics. Managerial ethics denotes manager’s individual perception about the code of ethics and how he would react in the face of an application of the code of ethics in a particular situation.

 

Codes of ethics are statements of values and principles, which define the purpose of the company. These codes clarify the ethics of a corporation; they define the different groups of stakeholders and define the rights and duties of employees. These codes signify the guiding principles. Such a code may say this is what we are and this is what we stand for.  The word we here include the company and all its employees as a unified whole. The behaviour and actions of this unified whole are expected to obey the rules of principles defined in the code.
In order to act with the integrity expected of a business organization, it is essential that the firm expresses its value and priorities. This is a basic for the success of a code of ethics. It is true that  one knows he is lost  only when he knows where he wanted to go,  So too if one is not clear about what one means the communication is likely to be misinterpreted. Hence we have attempted certain definitional clarity as referred below.
Motto:    It is a short phrase or two or three words which help the organization to identify itself as being something unique than others this is often called a CREDO. It is a statement of intent, by which the organization operates in a day to day business, asserts itself, is known by and forms the basis of its actions.
Aim:  This is what a company hopes to achieve in clear and unambiguous terms at a future point in time with regard to a particular aspect of its operation or the whole of its enterprise.
Vision: It is nothing but a dream of that entrepreneur whose creativity helps to realize that dream.  Vision, therefore, denotes what the future holds for the company and where the company sees itself in n year’s time.  This is the light at the end of the tunnel towards which the company/ organization will move
Mission:  Organizations are part of the society and some functions, organizations perform in keeping with the vision. The mission statement defines the role, which the organization wishes to play within society. To that extent, it brings about a synergy between the needs and activities of the organization and those of the society.
Purpose: What the organization desires to achieve internally in line with the corporate vision is called purpose. These are the result of organizational values that represent the personal beliefs and convictions.
Objective:  It is an open-ended characteristic, which attempts to signify a future state or business outcome. They are indicative of an action to be taken and are stated in general terms.
Goal:   How to achieve your objectives is a goal. It is a short run and close-ended characteristic which is expressed in specific terms within the scope of quantity, quality, time and cost.
Target An organizational goal is broken down into specific targets. A target is to a function or a team or an individual within a goal.   Performance is benchmarked against targets and every time a target is achieved it has to be re-set or re-formulated.
Role:  It indicates the range and kind of activity that is functionally expected of an employee because of his particular designation i.e. Manager, Asst. Manager, and Regional Manager Etc. in the organizational structure. The role is always in relation to a stated or even un-stated goal and the expectations that arise therefrom. Hence a role could be both evident as well as non-evident.
Policy:  Policy can be seen as a guide to action required to be taken to attain a goal. In a way, these are value-based conditional decisions which guide managers and organizations about what to do or what not to do when faced with a predicament.
Strategy: The word is derived from the Greek word strategos meaning generalship.These are a means to an end and are best seen as a set of decision-making rules meant to guide organizational behaviour. They lead managers and organizations to definite action. It can be seen as an overall plan of action that is to be implemented if a target has to be achieved or a goal is to be realized.
Tactics: Whereas a strategy can consist of one or more tactics, it is possible that the distinctions here are extremely foggy. Several tactics can make up a composite strategy just as several battles go into making a war.
All the above terms are in some way or another indicate the state of affairs, which the organization hopes to achieve. 
The most common form of value expression and communication is the corporate mission statement followed by code of ethics. Once the value formation of the firm has been decided, individual decision-makers depend on the code of ethics for guidance in the face of predicament.  Codes may either be general or specific in their application.The terms are different only in form rather than in content.
Certain business houses, for instance, may have a policy of not trading in products made by child labour (Marks & Spencer). Others could have standards conforming to human rights and will not do business with factories where human rights are violated (Reebok). In short, the internal values of a company are guiding standards for its external relations. Increasingly firms are employing corporate ombudspersons who ensure that fairness is ensured to all. In India too certain proactive companies have ethics officers who are supposed to ensure compliance to corporate values as well as individual rights (Tata). Other companies have a code of conduct that ensures that managerial behaviour is environment-friendly in every possible way (Godrej). Customer friendly programs are in evidence at HLL and ICICI, The Taj Residency Calicut has successfully brought the Kotakal Auyrvedashala to the corporate customer by blending eastern medicine with western hospitality to combat a host of stress and fast life-related symptoms. A corporate health and rejuvenation program complete with dietary regulations is available in five-star luxury. These are all examples of corporate culture which has a strong quantity of both human concern and quality awareness.
An ethics program could be defined as a set of factors both explicit and implicit which communicate corporate values, define parameters of decision making and establish ground rules of behavior. There is some kind of an institutional logic and so we can say whether implicit or explicit, every company has an ethics program. And since an effective ethics program encourages behaviour that is consistent with the corporate principles, the ethicality of these principles is the cornerstone of the program.
Explicit statements of principles enhance the image of the company. The need to have a code of ethics is no longer a matter of debate. If we are to have a climate, which promotes creativity, belongingness, innovation and loyalty, we need to develop learning organizations with a code of ethics which is not just fancy words but which are practised in day to day affairs. In short, corporations need to mean what they say and do what they preach.
Only when managers begin to walk their talk will a code of ethics make sense. If not, an honest and objective audit of the implied components of the code will expose the insincerity of management’s claim. Therefore companies must guard themselves against what they claim about their ethics.

Good governance can be administered but Ethics cannot be forced upon.  It must come from within. One good way of ensuring this is to build a vibrant corporate culture that promotes transparency, creativity, innovation and belongingness. If these are insured then the code of ethics, we may say is translated into reality from a concept.

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6 Factors Influencing Industrial Buying.


Whenever you decide to buy raw materials or it’s parts you invariably look into its quality, durability,  functional efficiency and whether it meets your specifications. The cost? You must compromise if you wish for a quality. Following factors play an important role while buying industrial goods.  
(1) Users – The Purchase department looks after the purchases of raw materials. The production manager who makes use of say, ball bearings in his final product, is not in the picture while making purchases. His job is to inform the size of the ball bearings and other specifications. Purchase manager would benefit if he is in consultation with production head while buying ball bearings.
(2) Influencers – If you think they are the lobbyists of the company,  then it is wrong. Influencers are the people who play important roles in the decision-making of buying. For example, the technical staff could influence the decision of purchasing ball bearings. Purchase Manager would benefit if he consults  Influencers.
(3) Approvers – They are the people who give their approval for purchasing the ball bearings. Of course, they won’t approve unless they thoroughly go through the technical report submitted by the technical committee and the pros and cons of the same are considered.
(4) Buyers – They are the ones who have contacts with the suppliers of the ball bearings and are fully aware of the suppliers’  position in the market. It becomes quite easy for a  purchase manager to be in touch with the buyers instead of a number of individual suppliers.
(5) Gatekeepers – They are the people who you can’t avoid in managing the business. For example, if you want to meet purchase manager, in all probability,  you can’t bypass his/her personal secretary, or for that matter, even a receptionist could prove a hindrance if a  genuine supplier decides to meet purchase manager in order to prove his worth and quality of his raw materials. Purchase manager should make sure that these gatekeepers are helpful in the process. 
(6) Decision Makers –  When the cost of purchasing the raw materials is more than the sanctioned amount, the approvers will have to bring it to the notice of the final authority or the CEO in order to get final approval for the purchase of raw materials. Therefore Purchase manager must justify the increase in the buying cost of the goods.
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10 ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM.

  • Easy to understand and simple to operate. A good performance appraisal should be easy to understand and simple to operate. It covers all employees and so all of them, including those at the lowest level, should be able to understand it easily and quickly. Similarly, the appraisal procedure should not be too complex or time-consuming. The simplicity of appraisal gives convenience to all.
  • Support from the employees. Performance Appraisal is of the employees and also for their benefit. Naturally, they must feel confident about it. They should not feel it is too theoretical, too unrealistic and partial. So the employees should not oppose the appraisal. On the other hand, there should be proper understanding in between in rater and the ratee. It is also good to discuss the appraisal procedure with the employees or their unions before finalizing it.
  • Wide publicity. The performance appraisal should be given wide publicity for the information and guidance of employees. This will make them conscious and alert about the appraisal procedure and its benefits. The opposition to appraisal will be limited when it is given wide publicity through notices and posters. Similarly, employees will support the appraisal if it is objective and without any bias.
  • Suitability to the Organisation. The performance appraisal should be suitable for the organisation. This will make the appraisal scientific as well as accurate. In brief, the appraisal system needs adaptability to the organisation structure.
  • Reliability. The appraisal should be scientific and also reliable. There should be no scope for partiality or favouritism. It should work in a uniform manner at all times even when the superiors or raters may change. A reliable appraisal gets support from the employees.
  • Establishing a standard of performance. In a good appraisal, the performance standards should be clear and well defined. Similarly, performance standards for different classes of employees should be different. For e.g. There should be separate performance standard for top managers, middle-level managers and front line supervisors.
  • Provision for incentives. The performance appraisal should provide incentives to those who show satisfactory performance. Such incentives may be an increment, promotion, etc. Such incentive creates a favourable impression on the employees. They take more interest in the work and show good performance in order to get the benefit of the incentive.
  • Periodical Review. A good performance appraisal should not remain the same over a long period. It should be reviewed periodically in order to update it. Necessary changes should be introduced in the appraisal as per the changing situations. Flexibility in the appraisal procedure is essential. It can be introduced through periodical review.
  • Proper selection of rater. Rater means the person who actually studies the performance of every employee according to the fixed standards. He may be a superior executive or a supervisor of the section. Sometimes, experts are also appointed for the appraisal of the employees.
  • Frequency of appraisal. Performance appraisal is a continuous process. It should be made frequently. There should be a periodical assessment of the employee.

10 Myths Of Employee Empowerment.

It has become clearer and clearer, then, that “traditional” participative management is not the same thing as empowerment. If empowerment is more than getting team members’ input on decisions–but not exactly handing out full freedom to do whatever they want– then what is it? It’s probably useful to look first at some of the misconceptions many managers share, and then to look at the dynamics of empowerment in currently successful organizations.

Myth #1: .With empowerment, managers no longer get credit for their unit’s Accomplishments-

This is a common myth that no longer gets credit for their unit’s accomplishments. because managers are known for developing talent in the organization and employees who get credit for their work are unstoppable and committed.

Myth #2: Employees aren’t capable of handling decision-making authority-

It’s true that leaders can’t easily hand over major responsibilities without developing the people who’ll carry them out. However, it’s amazing how conscientious employees are when they are entrusted to handle something important for the organization, even when it’s a stretch for them to master the necessary skills.  Leaders who readily delegate and develop people for new responsibilities find that their time and other resources are well spent, as their employees and teams learn to handle most things quickly, leaving only a small portion of the new work in need of transitional supervision.

Myth #3: People need regular supervision in order to sustain productivity

This is again a myth .People do not need regular supervision but People need a structure that is more powerful than a manager keeping them busy and productive every moment. They need specific goals and measures that they can track themselves. When measures are in place and really guiding actions and decisions, output and efficiency can be observed and improved by the team as a whole. The manager’s time and talents can be better used elsewhere.

Myth #4: Decisions at lower levels slow down the process-

While the start-up time necessary for clarifying goals and training employees for optimal decision making may at first slow down the process, the increased resources freed up by delegation almost always speeds up decision making in the medium-to-long run. Taking the necessary steps to set things up correctly at the beginning (i.e., provide more background and allow for mistakes and corrections) pays off sooner than most of us imagine.

Myth #5: Managers will put  the blame for mistake made-

Allowing people to take risks and sometimes fail is an important part of training them to assume responsibility. The things which are gained by having a committed, empowered workplace should far surpass the occasional glitches that occur in your department. This is part of the good judgment required of an effective leader.

Myth #6: Allowing personal freedom leads to chaos in the workplace-

It’s true that empowering people to accomplish the stated goals in the ways that they think are best leads people into doing things differently than the manager, would do them. Rather than chaos, however, it often leads to the discovery of new and better approaches that everyone can use to his or her advantage.

Myth #7: People want autonomy but they don’t want responsibility-

It’s true that a small percentage of people in the organization will probably have excuses about why it’s not their fault that their responsibilities aren’t being fulfilled. Even when managers give them total freedom to handle it their way, there are some who will shirk responsibility. This isn’t a good reason, however, to hold everyone else back. The large majority of people will far surpass their previous performance when responsibilities are matched with the authority to make decisions affecting them.

Myth #8: Above all the other needs employees expect safety needs-

All the employees want a certain amount of security and comfort in our jobs. But it has been shown repeatedly that people are motivated far more by personal challenge and the opportunity to contribute something meaningful in their jobs than they are by being taken care of by a paternalistic organization. Several employee surveys ranking motivators have shown that, on average, items having to do with challenge, accomplishments, and developing skills were ranked among the top five motivators, while items related to close-knit family relationships and personal convenience ranked in the bottom five. People may be pushed out of their “comfort zone,” but continuous improvement of skills in order to meet shared goals is a lot more stimulating than hanging around waiting to be told what to do next and to retire without ever having felt challenged.

Myth #9: Empowerment only works in certain environments-

Empowered individuals and teams may look different in various industries and settings. However, in all settings there seem to be more possibilities for how to empower. Bank tellers, prison guards, teachers, nuclear power plant operators, and many others have all worked as decision-making teams. What’s exciting about these kinds of environments is that it’s possible to meet requirements of the organization while still gaining cost effectiveness and enhanced profitability.

Myth #10: Management jobs become obsolete when team members are empowered-

In settings where self-managed teams have been implemented, the role of the supervisor has dramatically changed. However, with an empowered workforce, leaders at all levels shift into a more, rather than less, strategic role. Quenching daily fires in employee situations becomes almost obsolete; aligning goals, providing resources, training, and planning for future needs are the new priorities for how managers can best spend their time.

Because pushing down decision making through empowerment often occurs sometime after a restructuring takes place, the number of managers is usually not reduced. In fact, some organizations see a need to fill key professional and managerial roles that are essential to supporting the teams.

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4 Ways To Enhance Team Performance.

On a team of 10 people, only three or four people are engaged and enthusiastic in their job. The other six or seven people are either not occupied or vastly disconnected. Managers account for 70 per cent of team engagement and play a critical part in the overall prosperity of the team. So managers need to be vigilant of the energy and credence system they are contributing to the team. All managers feel that their team is engaged in productive work and is enjoying and is enthusiastic about the work they are handling. Team members should feel that they are the part of the company’s vision and mission. The question arises as to how can managers achieve this objective? The snag is Management Development Programmes fairly neglect this aspect. Here are four stuffs managers can do to employ and build up their team.

1. Make a SWOT analysis of members of your team to know the strengths of each one: For a manager it is essential to know each person on his team and his strength and how he/she can uniquely contribute. As per Gallup, when people use their strengths they are six times more likely to be engaged in their work. When managers focus on employees’ strengths instead of weakness, the level of engagement of employees rises to 61 per cent according to statistics from Gallup. A strengths approach empowers and helps employees naturally focus on ways to manage conflict, they open up and communicate, build relationships in easy way, they think strategically and build trust using their strengths.

2. Discus key issues: The merit of discussion determines the quality of Manager’s relationships. Every manager needs to inquire more efficacious questions that fixate on the key issues and let their team know about his concern. Some questions like: · are you clear on what prosperity looks consistent to in your role? · what are you exhilarated about in your role and what gives you the greatest gratification? · what would you relish to do more of this year and, · what one action step can I take to avail you to be more productive? This will make them understand issues from all perspectives and resolve conflicts in a timely manner to reduce any team conflict.

3. Give an ear: It signifies listening carefully what someone is expressing and having them feels being heard. This includes not interrupting or culminating a sentence even if a manager knows the answer. While listening he must put his phone down and shut the computer and just zero in on the team member. Repeating the key points of what he says is the key takeaways so the person knows manager understands and perceive their concerns. This simple practice helps manager connect with his team in an authentic way.

4.Give Recognition to team members: On a global scale only 40 per cent of employees feel that they are recognised in their work according to Gallup research. Recognition is a right way for managers to show care about their team members.Everyone feels that they matter and recognition is the ideal response. Managers need to appreciate that people are exclusive and therefore may want to be recognised in different ways than the stereotyped way such as personal email of congratulations, invitation to a lunch or a simple thank you. This definitely helps but having one to one chat in an informal way and patting the back of the team member goes long way in the exercise of recognition. Thus Managers can contribute by developing each person on their team and being responsible to motivate the team to achieve performance goals. Engagement and success levels increase when managers consistently recognize people on their team, listen to the needs and concerns of each person, ask better questions to solve conflicts and help people understand and use their strengths to achieve their goals.

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6 Keys To Organic Growth.

Organic growth, is a smart long-term strategy for any company. Organic growth represents the underlying strength and vitality of the core business thereby converting excellence for sustainability. High-organic growth companies, as discussed by Edward Hess, generally possessed the six keys discussed below:

1. Simple Business Model: High growth companies have a simple, understandable business model that their employees can understand and execute while none has a complex or sophisticated strategy.

2. Small Company Soul into a Big Company Body: High organic growth performers have a small-company soul housed in a big-company body. A small company soul is entrepreneurial, with employees having ownership of the customer, being held accountable for results, and sharing in the rewards of those results.

3. Measurements of Everything: One of the keys to building a consistent high organic growth company is measurement of everything. The 22 companies on the organic growth index (OGI) list track a variety of metrics i.e. financial, operational, and behavioural, to understand which areas of their business are not performing as efficiently as possible, and then they take action to shore up those numbers.

4. Build a People Pipeline: All the high-growth companies have a high management and employee retention, high employee loyalty, and high employee productivity as compared with their competition. Employees in these companies own their results and their careers, and most even own part of the company. These companies management teams are frequently home grown, with long company tenures.

5. Humble Leadership, Focused Workforce: Rather than being overly confident about their success, at high organic growth companies, leaders are frequently paranoid about complacency, arrogance, and hubris. Although many leaders are very wealthy, for the most part, you would not know this from their dress, their office, their demeanor, their attitude, or any outward appearance. Few of the leaders, if any, take credit themselves. There is a sincere respect for line workers, where many had begun their careers.

6. Technology Championship: The high-organic companies generally do not have unique strategies, products, or services, nor are they market-leading innovators. But they are execution champions day after day, they have figured out how to get consistent high-quality performance from their people. These companies use technology to drive efficiencies across their value chain. To them, technology is not a service function; it is an operational function.

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5 Characteristics Of Culture.

Culture is a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living. It is the entire social heritage of humankind. A subculture refers to the culture within a culture. The existence of Dravidian culture, Punjabi culture, Marathi culture, Parsi culture, Anglo-Indian culture etc. indicates the subcultures within the boundaries of Indian culture. Values are the bedrock of culture. They are the abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good right and desirable. They may include a society’s attitudes towards such concepts as individual freedom, democracy, truth, justice, honesty, loyalty, social obligations, collective responsibility, the role of women, love, sex, marriage, and so on. The values have emotional significance attached to them. People may fight, argue, and even die over values such as “freedom”. While the norms are social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behaviour in particular situations. Norms can be further subdivided into two major categories: Folkways and Mores. Folkways are societal conventions viz. appropriate dress code, social manners, eating behaviours. Mores include society’s attitudes towards theft, adultery, incest etc. In America, for example, drinking alcohol is widely accepted whereas in Saudi Arabia the consumption of alcohol is punishable by law.

The five characteristics of culture are:

  1. Cultures are inherently logical. All cultures develop with integrity at their core. An absolute logic prevails over the system of values, beliefs, and norms that constitue a culture. A key challenge is to learn to accept the logic of other cultures without judging them according to the very different logic of one’s own culture.
  2. Culture is communication. Communication is more than the words in which the message is packaged. Verbal communication, for instance, seldom counts for more than 20% of communication. The nonverbal 80%- greeting style, gestures, postures, and so on- has certain culturally based meanings to the participants.
  3. Culture is the basis for self-identity and community. Culture is the answer for universal demand for self identity-i.e. How we communicate to the world what we are and what we believe. In primitive societies, the culture of the family or tribe provides the necessary trappings for identity. In modern societies, each person must continuously build his or her own identity through a choice of cultural outlays and refinements added to the primary culture. The kind of work we seek, the kind of company with which we associate- these are the major expressions of our self-identity. They help to keep us oriented to our environment so that we can function well and maintain a sense of continuity.
  4. Culture is visible through the practices and behavior. Practices – the things which people do reportedly to accomplish certain tasks of daily life and work-are the most visible parts of the culture to outsiders. But they are only the tips of icebergs. The meaning behind the outward symbols and practices is incomprehensible unless we understand the culture’s inherent logic. Even then, culture can be deeply appreciated only by its own members.
  • Cultures can adapt to outside forces. Cultures can adapt when major outside forces demand changes in beliefs and behaviour. It is easier to eliminate a corporate culture than a professional or primary culture. The recent reversion to old cultural values and practices in Eastern Europe, for instance, following years of imposed communist culture, is a dramatic example of how resilient these primary and social cultures can be. 

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