TASNEEM HAMEED
An organizational strategy is the creation, implementation and evaluation of decisions within an organization that enables it to achieve its long-term and short- term objectives.
Key strategic considerations of organization strategy
(1) What re-configurations, reach extensions and strategic relationships will be necessary to deliver the intended strategy.
(2) What new skills and capabilities will be needed and what changes in the procedures relating thereto.
(3) What performances will be required and how these can be achieved.
(4) What changes (if any), are required in the corporate culture to meet the new requirements.
(5) How to integrate operational activities to align them with the new strategic objectives and plans.
Once the strategy is formulated the most important phase of implementation has to be undertaken.
Most of the organizations successful in strategy implementation consider the human resource factor as very important in making strategies happen because, according to them, consideration of human resources requires that management think about the organization's communication needs. That they articulate the strategies so that those charged with developing the corresponding action steps fully understand the strategy they're to implement. In addition, human resource function understands the effects each new strategy will have on their human resource needs.
HR Activities That Support Organizational Strategy
Recruitment And Selection
Starting with productivity, induction of employees in the production area who are a complete fit with the jobs requirement will result in visible improvements in planning, processes, supervision, techniques etc. Leading to improvement in productivity, which in turn directly affect the organization profitability. HR in such cases is adding value to the organization.
Similarly, HR through right hiring may add value to the organization in service also. Here if customer satisfaction shows an upward trend and cost of service delivery and rate of errors show a downward trend due to initiatives of recently inducted employees, then again HR is credited with adding value.
Quality is one of the most critical issues for any organization. Improvement in quality positively affects a host of other areas. Just like the loops of a chain they are connected with one another. Improvement in quality leads to reduction in production or service cost and, providing customer delight resulting in customer retention. Increase in sales follows thus improving market reputation leading to reduction in marketing expenses which contributes towards improved profitability
It is, however, important to remember that to qualify as a value adding activity, improvements must be shown to have happened in consequence of the activity started by human resource function. In this context the most important thing is the availability of the correct data and the right interpretation. In every case right measuring tools have to be found and the reasons of improvements are to be correctly determined.
Performance Appraisal And Compensation
Performance Appraisal And Compensation are the most critical areas of HRM. Formulating a system which is fully aligned with organizational strategy, and implementing the same in an objective and transparent manner not only make the system acceptable, but also positively affects the employees motivation. The system not only enunciates organization's expectations regarding employees performance, but also helps in employee training and development. Similarly, laying down a sound and fair compensation policy goes a long way in attracting, maintaining, developing and retaining good employees. HR can add, value by proper formulation and implementation of these important functions and thus supporting organization strategy.
Training And DevelopmentThe Role of HR Function In The Overall Success Of The Business
Alignment between HR activities and strategic planning can be formed by HR. HR must expand beyond administrative function and focus more on how it can support the organization in strategic planning and implementation. By increasing the competencies of HR personnel, the department will increase its credibility and be integrated into a strategic role. For that purpose measuring itself from a business perspective and by the value it brings an organization is the key to its elevation to the role of a strategic business partner. Once there is a clear understanding of how HR affects the bottom line from a business / and or strategic point of view, the role of the HR function in the overall success of the organization will become crystal clear.
CONDUCTING JOB INTERVIEW
CONDUCTING JOB INTERVIEW
TASNEEM HAMEED
Recruitment and selection are one of the important functions of any organization. Research shows those organizations that spend more time recruiting high-caliber people earn 22% higher return to shareholders than their industry peers. In view of the importance of hiring right person for the right job, job interviewing that is the most important part of recruitment and selection assumes great significance.
Job Interview Purpose
The purpose of job interview is eliciting information for reaching definite conclusions. The employer wants to know the candidate in great detail including his qualities, potential, attitude and teamwork for making assumption about his future work performance. The candidate wants to know the financial health, working environment and plans of the employer besides what he will be getting in terms of compensation. The employer uses the information elicited to decide whether the candidate fulfills the requirements of the job and could be given the offer of employment. The candidate uses the elicited information to decide whether to accept the offer, if made.
Job Interview Planning and Preparation
As the famous quote goes” If you fail to plan you plan to fail”, the first logical step is planning. The interviewer could get the most from the interview by planning thoroughly and implementing efficiently. His goal is to extract most relevant information which will enable him to decide about candidate’s selection. Taking the time to make the correct hires is worth all the effort it takes. The right person in the right job goes a long way in having the most productive workforce.
The interview may be conducted by a single interviewer or a panel of interviewers depending on the nature and kind of interview. Whatever the number of interviewers, a thorough review of the job functions and requirements is necessary, and for that purpose the job description and specification has to be examined in detail. Except, for walk-in-interviews, information about the candidates is available with the employer as CV, covering letters, testimonials and could be used for matching with the job requirements. Similarly, this information, or sometimes lack of it due to discrepancies or its defective communication will be useful in developing questions about candidate's stability, preparedness, attention to details and grasp of written communication. It is also the time to identify the knowledge, attributes, and skills required for successful performance of the job.
Interview preparation is a very important part of the process as good interviewing depends on proper preparation. Lack of preparation by interviewer causes problems during interviews. It is responsibility of Human resource Department and interviewer(s) to prepare properly for the job interviews.
Human Resource Department Role
1. HR should make sure reasonable time between the communication about interview and the real interviewing date so that the candidates can make adjustments for any previous engagements, and may consider days of religious observance that might affect a candidate's availability on that particular date.
2. The time of interview for each candidate has to be different with a reasonable time gap, keeping in view the estimated time of an interview. This would not only save the time of the candidates, but also help HR in making better arrangements and managing the interview.
3. The place of interviewing is to be free from any form of distraction for creating a comfortable environment, both for the interviewer and the candidates.
4. It is important for the employer’s reputation and image to arrange a decent welcome to the candidates and make their stay during the interviewing process most pleasant and comfortable.
Interviewer(s) Role
1. It is important that only the people who are fully conversant with the intricacies of a job interview and trained in interviewing skills act as interviewers.
2. Being the representative of the employer he must show a positive image of the employer during the process. He should be fully prepared to reply to the questions of the candidates.
3. He has to make sure that he is fully equipped with the data/ information about the job and the candidates compiled during the planning process for proper questioning of the candidates.
4. Interviewers should prepare among themselves for following a set strategy during the interview to make it a successful exercise.
5. If there is more than one interviewer, each one of them could question the candidates about different aspects of their profile.
6. As he is director and controller of the interview process, he is responsible for controlling it in a professional way without in any way affecting the feelings and confidence of the candidates.
EMPLOYEE COUNSELING
TASNEEM HAMEED
Mankind has seen tremendous changes taking place in the world since its inception. But, there has been no change in basic human needs and behavior. Human race has seen the destruction of two World Wars as well as well as the unbelievable technological revolution. But human beings, retains all the characteristics of their ancestors. There may have been an enlargement in the needs as well as sophistication in the behavior, but the basic human core retains its originality.
An organization is a complex combination of people having different social, cultural economic and intellectual background and outlook. It is the right kind of interaction among them that leads to a successful organization. Organizations which are able to cater for the basic human needs, physical as well as intellectual and emotional are the most successful organizations.
Employees like every other human being, have their periods of stresses and strains. There are, times when they feel overwhelmed by the pressures and tensions ranging from domestic to job related problems. They feel unable to cope with the situation resulting not only in deterioration in their physical being, but also in the quality and measure of their work. A dissatisfied employee may not only cause harm to himself, affecting the work, but also demoralize all those who are working with him. Organizations have been quick at realizing this important fact and in acting to find a remedy.
One of the most important human need is, to be cared for and listened to. Man longs for sympathy, advice and guidance. An ear to talk into, an eye to watch and guide and a hand for a pat on the back is all that the man wants besides necessities of life. Problems whether personal or collective are always a source of irritation. A lingering problem is like a hanging sword which can take its toll any moment. It is, always wise to tackle a problem or a potential problem at its earliest, to get around its consequences. Different organizations have different methods for dealing with day-to-day as, well long-term problems.
Employee counseling is one of the modern management technique for solution of problems. It is in fact a method for satisfying the emotional and mental needs of employees in an organization. Counseling is a process whereby the counselor helps the counseled in overcoming his difficulties by a a get- together with him and suggesting suitable remedial steps.
Taken in the perspective of Management-Employee relationship counseling is a medium of Communication between management and an individual employee who due to some emotional stress or psychological problem is unable to do his duties to the best of his ability. The counselor helps the employee in overcoming his problem by using the tools of discussion, guidance and advice and in the process not only removes the cause of dissatisfaction, but also imbibe a feeling of self-assurance in the employee concerned.
Counseling in fact encompasses the gamut of communication, education, motivation and satisfaction. Starting from simple communication, it takes the form of education and then is converted into motivation and satisfy the employee. Counseling encourages the employee to have a better picture of the real situation as well as in re-orienting his thinking.
A two way communication between the management and the employees is a sine qua non for a smooth and harmonious relationship between the two. Counseling helps management in establishing a direct contact with the individual employees and, also provides a medium for self-expression.
The style of counseling may differ from organization to organization keeping in line with its peculiar circumstances. Counseling is done by professionals as well as by non-professionals. However, according to one view a professional Counseling may defeat the very purpose of counseling, because it would make the atmosphere very formal and business like instead of a relaxed and informal atmosphere which is the basic need for an effective counseling. The idea behind counseling, is to set up direct contact with employees to cater for their emotional and intellectual needs and to satisfy them , it may take any form as long as the main purpose is achieved.
Counseling may take the form of advice given by the counselor to the employee. Counselor uses his expertise to understand the real problem and then give advice to the employee about the solution in a purely professional way. It has nothing to do with the management- employee aspects and is more like the recipe given by a medical practitioner. This type of counseling is practiced in the most advanced countries by professional Counselors.
In the second form of counseling the counselor when approached by an employee listens to his problem patiently and then discussion ensues between the two on different aspects of the problem and its likely solution. Finally, after reaching a definite mutual conclusion about the steps to solve the problem,. the counselor motivates the employee for doing the needful to solve his problem. There is a two-way communication and instead of giving advice the counselor helps in solving the employee's problem by encouraging him to think over the problem by himself by clarifying to him different facets of the matter. Counseling in this form is more in the nature of guidance than advice and helps not only in raising the mental level of the employee, but also his morale and makes him a more confident person.
The third kind of counseling is devoid of any hint of guidance and is most subtle. In this form the counselor is able to set up a mental equation with the employees. There is a regular exchange of views and ideas between them and the employees take, solace in speaking their hearts out in front of the counselor. This may take the form of discharge of pent-up emotions, a harangue or self-expression on some experience relevant to the present situation. The role of counselor in this form is very ticklish. He has not only to listen to and digest irrespective of it's its having any relevance and which to him could be nothing but the ravings of a disgruntled person, but he has to show his interest and appreciate the feelings of the employee, and at the same time try to bring him toward the path of normality. After the employee has regained his composure, the counselor tries to balance out his point of view by showing the unreasonableness or superfluity of the negative aspects of his utterances, but at the same time keeps on showing genuine respect to his views and emotions as well appreciating thepositive aspects of the matter. By a slow and gradual process the counselor is able to show to the employee the previously concealed facets of the matter. This form of counseling helps in unfurling the real personality of the employee, his innate feelings, desires and ambitions and is more in the nature of a confession before a priest. A successful counselor could make use of the good qualities of an employee at the right time and try to avoid situations where negative aspects of his personality may find an outlet. It may need more than one session for this kind of counseling. However, once the counselor is able to prove his credibility he may find that well begun is more than half done. This kind of counseling is instrumental in providing long-term benefits to the organization. It helps in giving employees a broader vision and a more analytical approach. It is also a source of feedback for the management about its policies and its style of management
PRODUCTIVITY AND HUMAN RESOURCE
TASNEEM HAMEED
Successful economic performance of an enterprise is a pre-requisite for the growth and security of its employees. The role of productivity therefore assumes great importance.
Improving productivity has always been a live issue for managements. As the profitability of an organization mostly depends on improvement in productivity therefore, managers are always striving to find ways for achieving the target of improved productivity.
Productivity is usually defined mechanically, as the ratio between input and the output. But, it is in fact an Organizational challenge encompassing the human, cultural, technological and moral aspects. It is an all-out effort in every sphere of activity of the organization towards achieving the target of most efficient management of all the available resources.
“Money", 'Machine", "Material" and "Method" all have their share of importance for increasing productivity But, it is "Man" i.e. the human resource which dominates the show. No amount of money, technological ingenuity or work innovation will do the trick. Unless the most vital resource, i.e. the human resource is ready to rise to the occasion there is no chance of meeting this challenge. Undue emphasis on engineering aspects may, affect the Esprit De Corps and culture of the Organization. Thus the human resource of the organization should form the focal point for any movement towards increasing productivity.
Productivity being an attitude, it cannot be transplanted in the body of the Organization. It could only be cultivated by a systematic process involving much initial spade work in the form of a sound organization structure, maintenance of equilibrium vis-Ã -vis various activities within the organization as well as clear-cut organizational goals.
The philosophy and the Basic principles underlying the spirit of the organization play an important role in the quest for improved productivity. It is for the Top Management to give spiritual leadership. A high degree of morality, integrity, fair play and justice finding manifestation, in its practices could go a long way in preparing the right kind of soil for nurturing productivity. Any discrepancy, between "the Preaching" and " the Practice" will erode the management's credibility.
Communication has a very important bearing on the drive for improving productivity. A communication system which is conductive to an open dialogue between the management and employees, where there is a free flow of information on a two-way basis help in creating the most congenial atmosphere for improving productivity. Mutual trust, mutual respect and sharing of common goals is a sign of the most harmonious relationship between the management and employees, which is a sine qua non for building the morale of employees and their orientation towards improving productivity.
There is no gain-saying that Managerial Leadership can inspire the employees towards peak performance. We are passing through a time of change. Autocracy is giving way to democracy. There is a growing hatred for any form of force or authority. Managers cannot remain oblivious of the happenings around them. They must change their style to suit the realities of time. It is time leadership through example and excellence replace the leadership through status and authority.
The Management must set very high performance standards for its own work, if it warns its workforce to follow suit. Management inefficiencies in the form of ill planning, inadequate safety arrangements, worn out equipment, irregular supply of raw material , inability to take decision at the right time result in the management becoming a target of reticule and affect the morale of employees. Management should make sure smooth and hazard free operations if it wants to prove its credentials before the workforce.
Once the management is able to convince its workforce about its own integrity, credibility and efficiency the next step is employee development. It is for the managers to inspire, guide and improve the quality of their work. The foremost step is this connection would be the very concept of work. Work should not remain only as a mode of earning livelihood, but a source of serf- satisfaction and self-realization. Thus, careful job- design and placement taking into account worker's ability, skills, mental orientation and versatility is of paramount importance. It is necessary to follow the principle of right person at the right job at the right time. Workers should also have complete knowledge of the job they are doing not only in the sense of its immediate implications, but its wholesome effect and contribution towards the company's objectives.
Productivity is often confused merely with more work by the workforce. However, it relates more to better planning than the squeezing of the workforce to the last limit. It represents improvement in the working qualities of employees, by innovations in planning and organizing the available resources. Improving performance is more a result of intelligent planning and effective implementation than the extra sweating of the workers. The efficiency of the workers cannot be increased by over burdening them with work, but by reorganizing their work in such a way that they are able to apply their skills in the most effective manner.
Repetition and greater experience of the work (specialization) help in increasing the efficiency to a certain extent, after which it starts giving a negative feedback due to boredom and monotony of the work, adversely affecting the efficiency. Thus continuous motivation of the workers is the only way out for achieving improved productivity.
The first step, maintenance (retaining employees as opposed to turn over) relate to work conditions, inter-se relationship vertical as well as horizontal, technical supervision and personal status. Good working conditions, good relationship between superiors and the subordinates and among employees, may not in itself give motivation, but their absence certainly have an adverse effect on the efforts towards motivation of employees.
The second step in motivation is about satisfaction. An uninterested or disgruntled employee can never give his best. He will remain submerged in his own worries and problems. Such an employee has a very demoralizing effect on the rest of the workforce. If, the problems affecting his performance are job-related, then resort to job redesigning, replacement, job enrichment or even job rotation will be helpful. In case of emotional and psychological problems the medium of counseling provides the best solution.
The third step is the analysis of the situation for motivation. The motivational needs of an employee cover the range of physical and financial well-being, companionship, love and affection, self-respect, self-accomplishment, autonomy and prospects. However, motivational patterns of employees do not stay constant. They keep on changing and it becomes necessary to keep track and to stay abreast of the latest situation for effective motivation. It varies with time, environment and people. However there is a general recognition that security, success, accomplishment and longing have a salutary effect on the employees resulting in their motivation towards improved performance. A system which gives a fillip to the worker's desire and ability for creation and achievement is necessary. The most important act on management's part in this connection is to delegate responsibility to the workers about their work along with the required information for controlling the same. This would create a true feeling of belonging and participation and manifest that the workers are responsible members with special place of value and not merely technical factors. The, realization, that one knows the real situation, that one is important and could take initiative and decisions without fear, create a feeling of security and elation and builds up the morale of the workers. Workers, if convinced that their efforts would lead to desirable objectives will respond enthusiastically to genuine opportunities to create and give their best.
The management should instill a spirit of dynamic search for growth in its workforce and give them the opportunities for fully using their talents and skills. Mediocrity or stagnation in work standards may destroy the available talent and skills. It is, therefore, imperative to set high albeit achievable standards of performance to realize the energies of the workers.
Management must pursue the objective of higher productivity not merely for its own benefit, but as a source of continuous improvement in employees work life. Matching the needs of the workforce to the achievement of organizational objectives, provide the right kind of impetus for peak performance. The employees began to attach themselves with the successes of the organization. It is, therefore necessary that company's prosperity be reflected in the living standards of its employees.
Good human relations are sometimes confused with complete surrender or indulgent leniency by the management. The misconception creates several problems, lack of discipline being one of them. Firmness or discipline carefully undertaken without hurting the se AND HUMAN RESOURCElf-respect of employees may itself act as a motivating force. Wastages or unnecessary costs in the garb of liberalization and experimentation are dangerous . Leakages, un- productive habits and attitudes adversely affect the efforts towards improving productivity. Management should give a lead in this field also by strictly adhering to sell-discipline, simplicity and austerity. The whole exercise in achieving higher productivity may end in futility if careful consideration is not given to end or control these factors. It is therefore incumbent on the management and the employees to act jointly to avoid these troubled waters, if they want to reap the full harvest of productivity.
