IIM Shillong HR Magazine Issue 10 | MAR - APR 2013 · 2013-04-19 · ‘Cover Story’ of this issue ‘How Google used data to reinvent HR’ describes how Google, with a data inclined

IIM Shillong HR Magazine Issue 10 | MAR - APR 2013

Editorial

Faculty Advisors

Prof. Rohit Dwivedi

Prof. Sonia Nongmaithem

Team usHR

Apoorvaa P

Lokesh Malviya

Romita Choudhury

Savitha B

Tanya Beniwal

Ankita Shah

KNK Srividya

Noopur Borwankar

P Padmini

Sourojit Ghose

Dear Readers,It gives us immense pleasure to launch this issue of TogetHR, packed with interesting sections.

The ‘Cover Story’ of this issue ‘How Google used data to reinvent HR’ describes how Google, with a data inclined culture, utilizes the same in terms of performance reviews and employee surveys to critically scan managers with multitude of analysis painstakingly performed. The language of data being given form and semantics is dealt with in detail here.

‘Concoction’ section brings to you articles that have been chosen with care, to intrigue the readers and drive them to year for more in the domain of HR. The Article of the issue, “Leveraging IT for HR Management-Trends and Challenges”, talks about technology playing a humungous role in catapulting an organization’s business processes. Trends occupying a major chunk of HR are analyzed and the challenges presented with a view to overcoming the same. An integral issue of individuals making a comeback in organizations is extensively dealt with in “Dissecting Returnships”. “The HR Scorecard-A cornerstone of strategic HRM” describes how a company’s strategic goals can be put into practice by employing employee behavior and how an HR is effective in implementing the same. “Smooth transitions are not always swift- A thought on change management from B.Tech to MBA” describes about the shift from the technical side to the shoes of a management person through an analysis from the author’s perspective. Forging a strong relationship between workers and the administration by way of industrial relations and the significance of being pro-active and not reactive can be learnt from “Importance of Industrial Relations- What do we learn from the past?”

In the ‘Compendium’ section, we place before you snippets from the amazing year that has rolled by, instilling nostalgia in every sense of the word.

The scintillating experience of the visit of Mr. Allen Sequeira, former Executive Vice President, Group HR & Leadership Development, Mahindra & Mahindra and an observant look at the enlightening lectures in campus by him are provided in ‘Campus Buzz’.

‘Contest with the best’ brings to you a series of questions, set in a maze that is to be solved in sequence through the entangled maze. Pocket Rs.500 by answering everything!

We are honored to receive your continued appreciation and we look forward to greater participation from the readers of our magazine. We gladly receive your feedback @ [email protected]

Happy Reading!!!

Team usHR

Connoisseur Speaks

Contest With The Best

Contents MAR-APR 2013

Disclaimer: The views presented are the opinion/work of the individual author and The HR Club of IIM Shillong bears no responsibility whatsoever.

Coverstory

Compendium

Concoction

Campus Buzz

11

04

06

08

15

17

20

23

How Google used data to reinvent HRTanya Beniwal | IIM S

From people analyzing data to data being used to ana-lyze people, Google is rediscovering its people manage-ment techniques. It uses data to change preset opinions and to influence its highly analytical audience (its ex-ecutives).

The Year that was !Worried that you have missed the previous year of HR fun? Think again!! We bring to you a collection of excerpts from the previous editions of TogetHR..! Have a great time reading:)

Dissecting ReturnshipsRishi Jain | SIBM, Pune

The HR Scorecard–A cornerstone of strategic HRM Raashid Sherif | IMT, Ghaziabad

Smooth transitions are not always swift-A thought on change management from B.Tech to MBAShantanu Mishra | NITIE, Mumbai

Leveraging IT for HR Management - Trends and ChallengesKrishnan Chidambaram| GLIM, Chennai

Importance of Industrial Relations- What do we learn from the past?Pooja Setia | IMI, New Delhi

An insightful interaction

Ask the Expert

Amazing Maze...

24

26

4TogetHR | HR Magazine of IIM Shillong

Here we are, doing our internships in several cities of India and also around the world, when we realize that the year that went by, has taught us a lot with regard to the Human Resources industry environment as such. It’s important to take note of incidents from the past that has the potential of keeping us on track when we are deviating from the norms and standards. We present to your eyes, the accomplishments of our club over the last year, which have primarily catapulted us to the heights we are currently poised in.

We launched a poster making competition centered on innovation and vision called “EntHRal-us” that focused on Human values and HR centric topics. We were able to promote team building capabilities and interaction in the entire event, which helped us to position the event in a variety of platforms varying from soft copy- Photoshop, Corel draw, and word to Hard copy- paintings and sketches. The event saw a spectacular participation from both the batches and instilled creative endeavor in the minds of the wannabe management grads. The teams that took the center stage were the teams from the first year- Team Rhapsody and Team Innovators and creativity got the share of the cake in the event.

The month of December saw IIM Shillong organizing a club week in affiliation with Google+ (from Dec 2 – 8) which saw active

participation from the seven clubs of the college. Team usHR conducted an online event, “Pick – a – Pic” during that week. The

participants were expected to strain their grey cells and come up with the right picture that adequately answered the underlying concept behind the question. This event saw huge participation from both the batches and kept the players glued to the screen for 20 minutes. The crowning glory went home to Team 2515 and Team Sleepsters were only second to one. The process resulted in learning HR concepts through a fun filled way, not to mention there were Google+ goodies and certificates for the winners and the runners up.

In February, we took the legacy of our seniors forward as we organized “The Winner Takes It All version 2.0” that saw heavy participation from PGP11, PGP12 and PGPEx. The concepts of HR were showcased through fun filled real time games and the participants got to enhance their team building

Compendium


output of an employee’s motivation, never an input.

Mr. C. Naveen ChandraHead-Compensation and BenefitsVerizon Data Services

HR: NOT EVERYONE’S CUP OF TEA

HRM cannot be done by everyone. There are too many things associated with it and one can be innovative and bring in some new ideas and concepts to the organization. HR is a coming up field. It will RULE THE WORLD.

Mr Jyotindra VachharajaniGM, Corporate Relations Essar Energy

What lies ahead?

THE FUTURE IS HR!The Role of HR has changed significantly over the years and the function has moved from a service function to a strategic function. I firmly believe that the sustainability of any business depends a lot on its people and its people model.

Mr. Benjamin Felix RajkumarHead HR, PED DivisionTitan Industries

and collaborative skills through these activities. The entire events was based on team work and shocking their

competitors, Team Laoshan Ninjas were able to emerge as undisputed winners of the event by completing the last round, comprising test of communication and guiding skills of each team member, in less than a minute. The success for us was that the teams were able to put the HR concepts they have learnt to good use in the games.

Skills to Look For

ENTREPRENEUIAL OUTLOOKIn every business enterprise every person acts as a small business unit. If a person has an entrepreneurial outlook he is spirited, motivated and has new ideas and thoughts.

Mr. Ranjan Kumar Mishra Head - HR and Admin SBI Life

Changing Views

COMPENSATION IS NOT EVERYTHINGNowadays companies have started agreeing that compensation is not the sole motivator or employees to stay in an organization. Job satisfaction, the relationships in the organization and career growth are few of the aspects that play an important part in inspiring the employees and motivating them to be a part of the organization. We should understand that compensation is always an

TAKES IT ALL V 2.0

Compendium

Conco c tion


She has just given birth to a baby boy and has decided to put her career on hold so that she can look after her child. Like Shalini there are a large number of women who have had to leave the workforce. The reasons may range from following their spouse to a different city or to giving birth to a child and subsequently raising it.

Case 2: Saurabh Asnani is a mid aged professional who is working for a reputed IT company and draws a very good salary. But he is not satisfied with his job and wants to try his hand at sales. He believes that he will make a good salesperson but is afraid to leave the comforts that his salary gives him. Our country has a large number of people like Saurabh who are earning a comfortable salary but are not satisfied with their jobs. These people have generally worked for close to 15 years and then realize that they have finally found a profession which gives them great joy but are too scared to try their hand at something else.

Returnships are an answer to both these cases. The word returnships has been derived from internships but unlike the latter is designed for people who have either taken a sabbatical

The returnship trend is on an upward curve in the US with companies like Goldman Sachs and Sara Lee Corp. using it effectively. Goldman Sachs has particularly embraced this recruitment method and more than 300 people applied through this program in 2009.

Now one may wonder why an organization would think of hiring mid aged people when it has the option of hiring fresh graduates. Well, there are a few possible reasons that can be described in the course of the article.

College graduates demand a high compensation for their highly specialized skills where as these returning professionals can be given an offer for a few months at a low salary to find whether they fit the job description.

The young professionals of today are rarely, if ever satisfied with their jobs. They change jobs frequently and are highly unstable when it comes to loyalty. On the other hand, the returning employee tends to be surer about himself and the work that he wants to do.

sityDissecting Returnships

Case 1: Shalini Chopra has had to leave the company that she worked in for five years due to personal reasons.

from work and want to return or those who want to change professions mid way through their careers.

Conco c tion


In times such as these where the R word (read Recession) finds daily usage it makes more sense to go in for a tried and tested individual rather than an upstart. Though the experienced professional may be out of touch with a job or may be new at it he will be aware of what it takes to work in the industry. And as stated earlier he could work for a lower compensation package as compared to a fresh graduate.

As for the advantages this program might have for a returning professional, there are many. Firstly and most importantly, the returnship program offers an opportunity to a professional to get back into the corporate world. We all realize how difficult it is to find work post a sabbatical and a program such as this maybe a god send for many people. Secondly, as the duration of the program is not that big he can check whether he would actually fit into the culture of the organization. He would also be able to analyze whether he has the drive and/or talent to succeed in his new workplace. Lastly, he can find a career where he really sees himself enjoy working. This is also important as many of us want change but there is no avenue through which we can experience it. Such a program would help an individual sample a new environment and see firsthand whether his dreams match reality.

The returnship trend can be made effective and useful in the Indian context as well by following a few very simple rules

The program should be designed for a period of 8 weeks to 6 months but not more than that. This length of time is sufficient for a

company to assign a project to a returning professional and see how he performs.

The compensation offered to these people must be respectable but not too high as the prime motive of this program is to recruit those professionals who are there for the love and/or need of the job rather than absolute monetary reasons.

If possible, a person who can serve as a role model to these people must be assigned as the manager for all the projects being offered as a part of this program. The role model must be a person who has worked his way through the same program and is now a full time employee with the organization. This is very important as the returning professionals will realize that they too have a chance in the company if they perform as per expectations.

So looking at these possible reasons it definitely makes sense for Indian employers as well as employees to look at returnships as a profitable investment.

Rishi Jain, SIBM Pune

Conco c tion


Origin And Evolution

Perhaps the biggest contribution to the field of strategic HRM was made not by HR practitioners or HR academicians, but by 2 strategists, by the name of Robert Kaplan and David Norton. By creating the Balanced Scorecard, for the first time, there was a credible link established between the work done by the HR department and organizational results. Their Strategy Map further elucidated how largely HR driven ‘Learning and Growth’ led to improvements in ‘Internal Processes’ and ‘Customer Perspective’ eventually leading to improved ‘Financials’.

Taking a page out of Kaplan and Norton’s book, Dave Ulrich, Mark Huselid and Brian Becker wrote ‘The HR Scorecard’ in 2001. While the Balanced Scorecard measured organizational effectiveness and aided in strategy execution, the HR scorecard measured HR department effectiveness and aided in HR strategy implementation. Like the balanced scorecard, it did not focus only on the results (workforce success), but also on the drivers of those results. Hence competencies

Figure 1: A sample Strategy Map Figure 2: A sample HR scorecard outline

The HR ScorecardA cornerstone of strategic

HRM

Conco c tion


of HR professionals were determined, and the processes through which HR can create value (HR deliverables) were distinguished from those that HR must do regardless (HR doable).

In a related development, Huselid and Becker went on to co-author another book, The Workforce Scorecard (2005), which acted as a bridge between the 2 scorecards. Together, these gentlemen dissected and exposed the highly elusive ‘Learning and Growth’ perspective of the Balanced Scorecard in a manner that would benefit HR professionals aspiring to be ‘strategic partners’ for decades to come.

Making And Implementing The HR Scorecard

The HR Scorecard is all about alignment. This means both external alignment (aligning HR strategies with business strategy) and internal alignment (aligning the various HR strategies and practices together). Reaching a high level of external alignment requires that the business strategy be crystal clear

to the HR strategists. An abstract or general understanding of the strategy is not enough. What is required is a clear understanding of the business environment, the stakeholders and the nuances of the strategy. For instance, a general ‘innovation’ strategy does not mean much, unless the customer, scope and targets for the innovation are clearly identified.

The strategy map is an essential step, once the strategy is defined, because it helps translate general statements and assumptions about high level strategy and direction into specific objectives that are more meaningful for all employees. Within the strategy map, HR will identify which objectives it can take (partial or complete) responsibility for. These will become the deliverables for HR.

Once the HR deliverables are identified within the strategy map, the HR architecture is designed to support these deliverables. The HR architecture refers to how the HR function, along with the various HR systems of rewards, competencies, performance management etc. get together (internal alignment) to drive the desired employee behaviour. HR competencies are also a key part of

Figure 3: Steps in Making HR Scorecard (source: Russelconsultinginc.com)

Conco c tion


the HR architecture.

Within the HR architecture, there might be some HR systems which would have more effect on the HR deliverables than others. These are what Boudreau and Ramstad refer to in Beyond HR (2007), as pivotal points. In The Differentiated Workforce (2009) Huselid, Becker and Beatty claim that giving excessive focus on these key components is what can give an organization competitive advantage. If these are identified early, they are sure to become a key feature of the HR Scorecard.

If the HR Scorecard is made, only half the work is done. The real challenge is in implementing it successfully and enhancing workforce success through it. The sidebar ‘Guidelines for successful implementation of the HR Scorecard’ gives 7 tips on how to get the most impact from the implementation process.

Practical ApplicationWhile the HR Scorecard has not received the type of overall acceptance and popularity that the Balanced Scorecard has, there are many companies which have successfully implemented the HR Scorecard to its advantage. Borealis, Union Fenosa, Corus, BP, Nextel, Verizon and First Union Corporation are just few of the companies whose efforts have been documented.

Verizon (GTE at the time) was facing the challenge of converting its business strategies and targets into human capital needs. Using the approach mentioned above, the HR team was able to identify the critical people imperatives necessary to meet these goals through organization and talent. For Verizon, the HR Scorecard provided a process for the senior HR team to focus on a clear and common objective: to establish a common strategy for HR in support of business objectives.

Raashid Sherif, IMT Ghaziabad

Figure 4: Guidelines for successful implementation of the HR Scorecard

Cover Stor y


Cover Stor y

Google is one of the most valuable firms in the world. And for so many years now has been the best place to work for. Where most of the other top companies today, can be described as old school and can attribute their success to conventional ways of functioning, their younger counterpart Google has a different story. It’s the new and out of the box people management practices that have been very instrumental to its success. The Google culture is a data oriented one, fact-based decision making is the core ideology and everyone there speaks the language of data.

Google has over the years displayed innovation in almost all its functional domains including HR. under its People’s Operation arm (popularly called PoP’s by the internal staff ) it has created a People Analytics Department that gives the support of data to the HR decisions. They hired social scientists as a part of People & Innovation lab in order to study the organization by running experiments on the employees. All this was done with an aim to figure out the most efficient ways to manage a large firm.

At Google, the approach is question-based, they

start with questions and from the very outset are clear about the information needed. “What is the tone that one should use? Are there any specific skills common in successful middle managers? Can those skills be taught to unsuccessful managers? Or, for that matter, do managers even matter? How to go about appraisal? How should you do it in a way that maximizes employee happiness? Should you give him a cash bonus or stock options? More time off?” are the some of the major questions.

Now to answer the question “Do managers at Google actually matter?” or to actual measure the contribution managers make, Google experimentally got rid of all managers and everyone was made an individual contributor. This did not quite work for them and they ended up getting back the managers.

Data and Analysis

Now the first question is data to use? The analytics group relies primarily

on the already existing data sources like the performance reviews and employee surveys. This gave them both top down and bottom up review of the managers respectively. Graphs are plotted using the data that provided information on how effective it is to have managers. Regression analysis revealed that the teams with managers performed better. A comparative analysis in fact proved that teams with better managers had better performances, happier employees and higher retention.

Now after determining that the managers are effective and kind of important, the next question was “What makes a good manager at Google?” To answer this, the team introduced new data collections like a ‘Great Managers Award’ and the other was interviews. Under the ‘Great Managers Award’ the employees could


Cover Stor y

nominate managers they felt were exceptional. They could also provide examples of exemplary managers. For the second set of data interviews were conducted for managers from both upper and lower quartile, categorized on the basis of the initial graphs.

This data was then coded for further text analysis and based on the results 8 behaviors of a high scoring manager and top 3 causes why managers are struggling in their role were determined.

The insights gained from the studies are shared with relevant people and the necessary actions are implemented based on the findings. Some of the steps Google implemented are:

Measuring people against the behaviors identified in the study by the means of a twice-yearly feedback survey

Continuing with the Great Manager Award

Revise the entire management training program

Google also has undertaken various other projects to understand and improve the organizational structure. For example they reviewed the currently practiced hiring and promotion policies and found that the current practices would lead to them ending up “fat in the middle” with a huge level of middle management and reduced opportunities of advancement for the junior level of hires. In order to address this issue, Google revamped its practices and introduced a new practice of hiring new employees at a lower level instead of replacing employees who get promoted or leave the company. The people analytics team predicted that this would facilitate career advancement for its employees particularily at the junior level.

The analytics team also worked on debunking some of the prevalent HR myths related performance evaluation and appraisals. Typical myths like employees at Google’s headquarters are preferred during promotions or the employees who on “shiny projects” were given preferential treatment were debunked using data analysis. It was revealed that when it comes to getting promotions, feedback from senior peers was the most important factor. The data analysis helped Google in accomplishing the following objectives of:

Influencing the behavior of employees

Improving the quality of its managers which is a key performance indicator


Cover Stor y

Overall Google’s data driven approach in its people management practices is hugely prevalent. Google has also developed a mathematical algorithm to determine the possibility as to which employees may pose a retention problem in future. At Google, they have also developed a predictive model and use “what if” analysis in order to forecast upcoming people management problems and opportunities. The Google analytics team also tries to bring in workforce diversity and uses analysis to identify the reasons behind weak diversity recruiting. Even while hiring they use a hiring algorithm to predict which candidates have the highest probability of succeeding in future. The hiring decisions are made by a group and not individuals to ensure fairness.

The key to Google’s people analytics team’s success is that they do not dictate with the data, they use it to convince. It does not demand or force managers to accept its approach, rather it acts as an internal consultant and tries to influences people to change based on the powerful data analysis results.

Although like any company, Google too has a very unique and customized culture and not necessarily all that worked well for Google might not apply to other companies. Still many of the findings that are general in nature like how to better train employees or improve employee engagement are applicable to most other firms and would surely help them in rediscovering their HR processes in the Google Way!

Conco c tion


For me to take up this thought “Smooth transitions are not always swift” and deliver to reader comes straight from a heartfelt environment scenario of a practical experience. Life has been a mystery to all as it comes to my surprise when we deal with the environs. The synergy synthesis always demands for a swift transition, but on a conflicting note of smoothness to show the flexible traits within. I derive this idea with the total synthesis of what many minds have capture during this shift of paradigm from a technical education to a management course.

Talking about the change that a personality undergoes is much related to the being competitive instinct in a management course because much greater stakes are at risk in here. In this process of evolution it is much felt that being too good is also bad. Usually MBA grads lack in the insight that the real beauty is beauty of the soul .On the other hand they see this as unethical world where everyone is interested in letting you down in the most diligent manner without shaking up their own picture of thoughts.

To narrate you further & going to the nerve of what all stakeholders in the line feel, I carried out with a personal pilot study which depicts its own verse in the most practical manner .The beginning was in a general discussion with a group of fresher in the course, “connect to their

self-image is of high importance in the mirage component of the surroundings”. They feel to be casted out of the situation but yet continues the process of evaluation of their persona on a much louder note. The repercussions may be felt on the way they venture into the overall

Smooth transitions are not always swift

A thought on change management from B.Tech to MBA

Conco c tion


process of interaction within. This aroma of ethics & competitiveness pretends to bear a deep & shallow insight on the personality which varies from heart to heart. Having a take on this from the side of many experienced guys around, they say “it’s a entire shift of how one has to tackle & crack down the obstacles with the elements of association”. A word from the expert is that in this premises the sense of maturity and ego states has a great role to play.

In order to quantify this there can two factor of being judgmental about the personality namely, the acknowledgement factor and the acceptance factor. Although the acknowledgement synthesis is high but on the competitive note, the acceptance factor comes with a lot of suspicion which hinder the total process. This suspicion tends to hover resembling the hanging sword, though polished with gold coating and diamond embedded this does not come to everyone as a reward to many.

Remember here we are in discourse of only premature level of balancing the way out in a most acceptable order and this scene worsens in the corporate level. On a philosophical note, You change for two reason: Either you learn enough that you want to or you’ve been hurt enough that you have to. But on the simple common

sense one should keep in mind that “You cannot be everything for everybody” which is demand driving out the crux on the management art, rather a science. The interaction within invoke a lot of thought process which should dealt with a perfect balance between heart & mind. As the picture frame do mentions of about shattering image many a times.

My take on that would be throughout the journey of your life consider yourself as a Iron casted ship in the mighty sea. Just like the sea cannot drown the ship by the power of its water without the hole in the ship, the whole thought of negativity cannot venture inside your own self until and unless you allow it to do so. Also a point worth mentioning is that the corporate scenario was, is & will remain the same advocating that- Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die either. So the mantra you can follow is being yourself and following your heart through the world of seven ages of the Shakespeare, as your mentor and the leading aura.

Shantanu Mishra, NITIE Mumbai

Conco c tion


the like to name a few. This capitalization of new cutting edge technologies for the optimization of HR process and meeting the business demands can lead to HR Management becoming a strategic-value based partner rather than being viewed as traditional cost driven partner.In today’s business ecosystem, if an organization continues to relegate its HR function, then one can say that the organization is setting itself up to perish!

Technological trends galore in the HR arena, however I have picked a few startling trends and tried to present a holistic view of those trends and its ensuing challenges.

Technology enabled trends in HR management

SMAC

Social, Media, Analytics and Cloud or SMAC in short is fast becoming a priority among the HR functions in organizations. The convergence of HR and social technology over the last couple of years has resulted in several social technology companies being spawned providing a range of services in HR management such as recruitment, talent management, analytics,social recruiting etc.

As quoted by McKinsey Global Institute’s The

Introduction

As business horizons expand and organizations look to grow bigger than their yesterdays, Technology has become a critical weapon in an organization’s arsenal to capture the future. Since the boom of IT, almost every organization is incorporating Information Technology into their business processes with a single manifesto – ‘Profits’. Among the intersections of different factors that stimulate growth in an organization, HR management lies at the epicentre and thereby forms an important source of sustainable competitive advantage. Simply put, it is no more a maintenance and support function!

As the tectonic plates of managing human resources keeps shifting, it has become imperative for every organization to adopt technology and move towards vogue concepts such as eHRM, HR analytics, Human Capital Management and

LEVERAGING IT FOR

HR MANAGEMENT

TRENDS & CHALLENGES

Conco c tion


Social Economy 2012 report

There are many new digital recruitment companies mushrooming around the globe and they seem to be focused on passive candidates(i.e.)mining social networks for such candidates who are not actively thinking about a new job and engaging with talent communities. Most of the new HR applications are developed to be in compatible with Smartphone and Tablets taking the usability to a whole new level.

Big Data

Big data, which has already revolutionized marketing and finance domains, can be of immense help to HR analytics.The workforce metrics of an organization can help the organization glean information about the talent pool they possess and dissect it according to parameters such as competencies, skills, attitudes, aptitudes etc. As such HR professionals have long been collecting data about every employee in the organization.

With HR analytics in place, they can now interpret the amassed data!

HR on Cloud

Next is HR on cloud. The advantages of cloud computing for HR management is an acknowledged fact already

No need for infrastructure

No storage space required

No maintenance or training needed

No expensive software

No need for fast connections

A good HR system on cloud can be cost effective for the organization. It can allow different levels of access to the employees of the organization and allow for online applications.

Challenges

Data Dismantles

As IT keeps powering HR management to newer pastures of operating efficiency and business excellence, it also creates challenges that are new to HR managers. Consider for instance what HR analytics can do for a giant hierarchical

“… twice as much potential value in using social tools to enhance communications, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within and across enterprises”

It is all about the (physical and social) network now!

Conco c tion


organization. It simply dismantles the structure in an organization by creating a scenario where a 40-year old may need to report to a 30-year old on the grounds of the latter’s attitude and expertise for a given requirement. Obviously, there are going to be naysayers who would love to stick to the status quo and this would create friction and instability in any organization. How can a HR manager convince a 40-year old in such a scenario? How can a mere inference engine be given more importance than an employee who has been a part of the organization for long? Missing Measures

Extensive use of dipstick analysis andmood check games to understand employees and gauge their motivation levels have become a quotidian activity with the rise of technology. However, what has not changed is the poor employee retention rate despite the enhanced human resources knowledge. The fact remains that technology can only tell you if an employee is - happy or unhappy; motivated or disinterested; satisfied or unsatisfied. The corrective measures must be taken by the organization and sadly, most organizations still do not realize that the biggest asset they possess is the human asset.

Talent Gap

Finally, with the super growth of data and big data coming into play, organizations are lining up to tap the best out of big data and this includes data on human resources also. However, few questions

remain? How much would an organization spend on HR analytics? HR seems to be the least attractive of investments for organizations. Does an organization have the talent/expertise/tools to draw inferences from data? What additional trainings must HR managers go through to utilize technology?

Conclusion – Human Touch

Definitely, technology is revolutionizing the way we are managing our resources. It has opened new avenues and resource optimization seems to be buzz word. All said and done, H in HR stands for humans. The strength of our technological leanings and the future evolution of IT as a part and parcel of business must all work towards improving mankind. We need to understand that we are dealing with people’s emotions and the profits that an organization makes are simply a by-product that comes from a happy and emotionally satisfied employee.

Krishnan Chidambaram, GLIM Chennai

Conco c tion


Conco c tion

Across Indian industry, the management-labor face-off has acquired a new trend in recent

times as companies grappling with a competitive business environment do their utmost to rein in costs, including wages. For most of the manufacturing companies, industrial relations mean increased productivity and reduced costs and in the race to achieve this, they tend to forget to care and to build trust and a healthy relationship with their workers. Companies employ workers on contract basis because they do not have to give the same remunerations and benefits to contractual workers and this is where companies gain. This enormous difference in remuneration of contractual and permanent workers infuriates the former and then this frustration leads to horrific incidents like the one that took place at Maruti Suzuki India Limited last year.

The Maruti flare up was not only unfortunate but also an eye opener to companies which had sidelined the interests of their workers and left them at the raw end of the deal. In fact, Maruti’s problems came into limelight because it is a Multi National Company but these problems are pervasive in almost all sectors of industry.

But is it only the organization’s policies that are responsible for industrial disputes? There are

a variety of additional factors that decide the fate of industrial relations. Let us look into these factors one by one.

IR: Components, Please?

Multiplicity of trade unions- It is one of the most important reasons of unhealthy growth of such movements where recognition of one trade union leads to inter-union rivalry. It is because different trade unions have divergent views and conflicting interests. The presence of multiple trade unions also becomes a hurdle in collective bargaining

Organization Policies- Organization policies have a profound effect on Industrial Relations. These policies affect the work environment which in turn decides the culture of the organization

Societal Characteristics of the workforce- The general attitude and behavior of the workforce also decides the way things shape up. For example, if the workforce is aggressive they will resort to unhealthy ways. But if the workforce is non aggressive, they will solve the problem in a co-operative manner

Government Policies- Many a times the government policies are not conducive to the growth of some sector because of which

Importance of Industrial Relations- What do we learn from the past?

Conco c tion


organizations have to make stringent policies in order to survive such harsh policies.

It is not only the manufacturing sector that is plagued by industrial disputes. The service sector is also grappling with problems of industrial disputes and in even more disquieting forms. High degree of absenteeism or attrition in IT sector is one such way of expressing this seething resentment.

The more upsetting fact about industrial relations is that it is seen as nothing beyond increased production and reduced costs. There are many more ways in which maintaining healthy relations benefits an organization. Some of these benefits are:

Better Decision making because of input from workers and management both

Less absenteeism leading to unhampered production

Helps in bringing about a structural change since the employees and management can come up with non-traditional structures aimed at meeting the interest of both

Helps in acquiring and retaining talent because of the positive image of the organization

Helps in Conflict Management as the work place becomes like a family

Accelerates Economic growth and development due to higher efficiency and productivity

Reduction in industrial disputes

All these advantages can be reaped only if the worker feels motivated and feels an ownership towards the organization. But the most important question is that how do organizations achieve this?

Lessons Learnt:

Engage the workforce-

Organizations need to bridge the communication gap. Organizations should review if they listen to their workers or not and whether they consider the latter’s point of view. Ownership and cohesiveness among employees prevent them from damaging the organization because they feel they are as much a part of it as the top management.

Revisit the Labor Laws Regularly-For most of the companies, industrial relations just mean a compilation of labor laws devoid of human aspect. Companies should revisit the labor laws constantly to stay abreast with the contemporary circumstances.

Conco c tion


Adoption of Inclusive Bargaining-

Apart from the management, trade unions and the government, the society can also play a big role in resolving deadlocks.

Be pro-active and not reactive-

Organizations should tackle the problems at their nascent stage and not wait for them to take a gigantic form of a dispute.

Build an emotional bond-

For lasting cooperation, organizations need to train their line managers not just in grievance handling but in caring for and communicating with each worker from their heart so as to garner

among them a sense of ownership. That would not only help strengthen a workplace culture but also infuse passion in its employees.

Strike a right balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation-

There should be a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Absence of either one of them will stir disturbance and result in disputes.

While implementing the above mentioned points, two things have to be taken care of.

It is not an overnight task. These things have to be done over a period of time before they show the desired results.

India has to move fast to ensure that the Human Resource management is given the priority it deserves. For those who say that HR managers do not create value, its time they realized that HR managers ‘bind’ those together who create value.

Pooja Setia, IMI New Delhi

If there is to be peace in our industrial life let the employer recognize his obligation to his employees - at least to the degree set

forth in existing statutes. John L. Lewis

Campus Buzz


“A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred

thousand men“ is a quote by Plato. Little did we know that we the batch of PGP 2012-14 would be the gifted ones to listen to a series of lectures by an

accomplished person Mr. Allen Sequeira, former Executive Vice President, Group HR & Leadership Development, Mahindra & Mahindra.

Mr. Allen has had a rich and varied career as a Human Resource professional that has spanned over 30 years, working for a wide range of federations, conglomerates, and core sector industries, such as cement and oil. He has a passion for leadership development and talent management, and his long stint in the Mahindra Group resulted in the setting up of a Group Centre for Learning and Development, which is amongst the foremost Corporate Universities in India. He continues with the Group as an advisor. With such a strong background in Human Resources, we were more than happy to have him amidst us as a speaker and were eager to listen to his lectures.

The first lecture was on 2nd March 2013 on “Future–proofing Gen Y vis-a-vis Expectations from India Inc.”. The session was a very interesting one and Mr. Allen shared with us real life examples and

highlighted us on the various unknown topics. It was a well spent 4 hours for everyone as he highlighted the expectations of

the corporate world from future managers and also made us take notes of important concepts which will help us in the long run. The session ended at around 2 pm and made people yearn for his next session.

The second session was on the topic “Global Career Path” where he spoke beautifully about the need for global managers and the changing corporate scenario which paved for the same. He also touched upon the characteristics necessary for a good global manager. Though the session was more focused for HR managers but his way of addressing the topic ensured that every participant irrespective of his field of interest benefitted from it.

On the whole, the two sessions were very insightful and very interactive and left the audience sad as it had to end. But this is just the beginning and not the end as there will be more such interactions with eminent people from the industry and we shall keep you updated about such happenings from our campus in future as well.

Conco c tion


Connoisseur Speaks

I am 28 years old and got my new assignment as the Team Lead. I was allocated a team of 7 members with most of the team members elder than me. The initial meetings went smooth and I was happy with my team. But the real problem arose when the work was allocated. I had assigned each one of them tasks and given deadlines for completing the same. On the day of deadline, I did not receive any completed work. I had to call up each one of them to enquire about the pending work and the response I got was not very positive. I think that the rest are not taking me seriously because they are elder to me and the same is the reason that is holding me back as well from being strict with them. Please help me on how do I handle this scenario.

Q A Today, the wide communication gap between the so-called ‘Baby boomers’ and ‘Generation Y’ plays havoc in firms and people are unable to bridge that gap. It so happens that in workplaces, a younger employee faces difficulty in conveying his ideas to the senior members and they are not very receptive to the opinions due to pre-conceived notions that exist. The senior members might feel that they are not taken seriously when they are faced with people younger to them, who are equipped with the up-to-date skills that the industry requires. So, the best thing to do now is to probably work the differences out by considering the opinions of all the people. Be receptive to their thoughts and convey the message to them that you understand and value their opinions. Communicate to them that a team would perform only when every member is actively engaged in the

I am a lady in my 30’s, working for a private firm since the past 3 years. I am known for my outgoing nature. The company follows a hierarchy and promotions are based strictly on experience. But the issue that has cropped up is due to my promotion. I was involved in a crucial project and was the only one from my office to be a part of the same. The others were from the head office and other branches from India. Looking into my sincerity and hard work, the head office has given me a promotion. This has not gone down well with my colleagues who think that I have just used my charm to please my bosses to gain this promotion. How do I make them all understand?

Q A This is something which crops up in an organization when an individual grabs a higher bargain such as a promotion. When it is the norm of the company to go in for promotions on the basis of experience, and out of the blue a person gets it not on account of the same, people start talking. It is your smartness that can put an end to this constant banter. You know for a fact the amount of hard work that you have put in that project, even though you may not have expected promotion as an end result. Do not try explaining to random people who speak things about your climbing up the ladder. If anybody approaches you asking reasons for your ascent to limelight and you feel that indicating to them the real picture will matter to your image enhancement, consider telling them the effort that got you the position and it was totally unexpected.

Such an approach would matter considering the fact that when somebody feels inclined to know the reason, they would also be in a position to accept your rationale. We feel that this is an issue that has to be handled on your own and would probably give you the suave to handle more of such issues in the future.

goings-on and contributes to the same. Leave the past behind and try not to take home negative perceptions. We surely hope that the differences are eliminated and a vibrant atmosphere prevails in your company.

Conco c tion


Connoisseur Speaks

My problem is a little unique. I am working as a manager in a private company for the past 10 years. I have been known for my sincerity and also for the way I treat my colleagues and subordinates with respect. Especially I have been praised a lot for my dignified conduct with women staff unlike many other male counterparts of mine. The issue now is that there is a new female employee who is like a free rider and is pinning on her grace and beauty to get work done by others. She tried the same with me and I warned her. Now she has complained to my boss that I sexually harassed her. Though others believe me, the enquiry is scheduled for next week and I am clueless how to tackle this problem. Please help me as this issue might create a black mark on my career.

Q A We agree that this quite a unique problem that you are facing in your work atmosphere. We also understand that this issue can play topsy-turvy in your career. Your credentials seem to be very strong considering the pertinent fact that you enjoy a good rapport with your colleagues at work. And it is encouraging to note that people would vouch for your character in such a difficult and testing time. It is important to observe that the female employee whom you are talking about has struck similar behavior in the office with other people as well. So, without having to say, she seems to be notorious in that regard. But, the enquiry is a serious business where women usually gain an upper hand because of their vulnerability. But, in this instance, you can count on the significant fact that people would actually be willing to back you up, when it comes to your dignified conduct. So, we

Call for Articles & ParticipationTeam usHR invites articles from B-Schools all across India. We are looking for original articles related to field of Human Resources. References should be cited wherever necessary. The best article will be featured as the “Article of the Issue” and would be awarded cash prize of INR 1000

Few of the good unpublished articles are put up in our blog: www.iims-ushr.in

Contest Winner of every issue gets a prize money worth INR 500 along with a certificate of appreciation

For other updates, check our Facebook page – “usHR-HR Club of IIM Shil-long”. The issue details can be checked on our blog www.iims-ushr.in

suggest that you talk to people, the ones you trust and explain your problem to them and ask for their assistance to stand by you through this turbulent time. Moreover approach your immediate superior in this matter and ask for his/her opinions on the same. With all their garnered support, we are confident that you would be able to sail through this enquiry without any bruises and scratches.


Contest

Use all your THINKING HATS and solve the maze and win the prize money...As you go along the correct path you will find few colourful dots...These dots have certain questions attached to them...Answer them in the same order as they come along your path...For example, if black dot is the first dot coming along the correct path, then the question attached to it is question no. 1...

START END

Contest With the Best

Identify this buzz word


Contest

Last date for sending the answers for Contest: May 10th, 2013Email ID: [email protected] Subject of the email: TogetHRContest10_CollegeName_Name of Person

What is the significance of this pic?

“I’ll tell you, Governor, if you’ll only let me get a word in. I’m willing to tell you. I’m wanting to tell you. I’m waiting to tell you”

Fiat Lux

Identify the psychologist

Identify the social psychologist

Identify the reactivity


Contest

Announcement of Results

Instructions for Submission

The prize for “Article of the Issue” has been awarded to Krishnan Chidambaram from Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai for his Article “Leveraging IT for HR Management - Trends and Challenges”. He is awarded a cash prize of INR 1000 and Certificate of Appreciation

All other authors whose articles are published in this issue shall also receive Certificate of Appreciation

The prize for “Contest with the Best” of JAN-FEB 2013 Issue has been awarded to Raghuveer MSSA from IIM Shillong. He is awarded with a cash prize of INR 500 and a Certificate of Appreciation

Last Contest Answers: J.K. Rowling; She is the president of Gingerbread (charity)

Article should not have been published anywhere earlier• The Article should have a single author• Kindly email your article with the file name and the subject as <Title of Article> _<Institute Name>_<Author’s name> by May 10th, 2013 to [email protected] must be sent in Microsoft Word Document (doc/docx), Font: Times New Roman, Font Size: 12, Line spacing: 1.5. The size of the article should be between 700-1000 wordsThe cover page of the article should only contain the Title of the Article, the Author’s Name and the Institute’s Name

Results of this issue contest and selected artilces shall be announced in the next issue of TogetHR

Published by usHR, HR Club of IIM Shillongwww.iims-ushr.in

Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management ShillongMayurbhanj Complex, Nongthymmai

Shillong - 793014email: [email protected]

Mobile: +91 8730002445

c Team usHR, IIM Shillong

Documents

IIM Shillong HR Magazine Issue 10 | MAR - APR 2013 · 2013-04-19 · ‘Cover Story’ of this issue ‘How Google used data to reinvent HR’ describes how Google, with a data inclined