I was having a small discussion with my HRM professor on different facets of formulating a sustainable HRM strategy which is not a mere lip-service but beyond that. I thought I would share some of those thoughts which were provoked as part of the questions posed and how we can build on the ideas to reach our goal. Some of the questions which came to my mind were very basic but I guess atomic level details are always basic in nature and it is from there you start to build upon the foundation that leads to more concrete ideology.
We talk a lot about the fact that can we work in consulting, or can we go to FMCG sector after doing MBA? Would it be possible to take a lateral shift totally un-related to our previous work-profile…?. I think so it is possible to an extent but it is not something which can be achieved just by your efforts because a business runs on two facets – External positioning and internal strength .The former means to be substantially and differentially present to meet customer’s expectation and build customers’ engagement. The latter means its attitude of its people to improve processes and remain cost competitive. Many a time’s company’s focus on the external positioning rather than on the internal processes and especially in a business upturn situation and in a downturn they turn their attention to internal processes and on people. A Great company would do both simultaneously at all times to improve its internal and also evaluate it external positioning to improve its performance. If an organization is building its attitudes focusing on improvement of processes all the time, the competencies of people also gets enhanced and there is a multiplier effect across the organization Therefore skill and competencies must be there but ultimately the attitude drives commitment and even at times if there is a skill deficiency , or organization can still have a competitive advantage for a sustainable performance as experience of some great organizations have proved irrespective of the industry type.
When we talk about “sustained success”, then what is the measure for it? , we have seen that there are umpteen dimensions which are qualitative and measurement of those may be a big challenge…One of the ways to deal with this is to profess the concept of “triple bottom-line” within the organization. The concept of TBL demands that a company’s responsibility be to stakeholders rather than shareholders. In this case, ’stakeholders’ refers to anyone who is influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the actions of the firm. According to the stakeholder theory, the business entity should be used as a vehicle for coordinating stakeholder interests, instead of maximizing shareholder (owner) profit. You can see such examples in corporate like ITC, TATA Sons. Also the idea to develop “strategy maps” for the HRM process which can lead to formation “balanced score cards” would be beneficial in assessing intangible measurements as tangible outcomes.
“Motivation” – we have talked a lot about this in parlances of our organizations and dwelt upon it in classrooms but in a highly competitive market , the equation for motivation always has one variable with a positive relationship and that is “money” but as managers we know that we may not always control the pie to the extent we may wish to…so…what is the least that can done to address this challenge…though money is important dimension in the life of an employee there are examples which are counter supported by research worldwide that people are motivated when
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They are clear about their objective and what is expected of them.
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When they have a supportive superior
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When their workplace interface are friendly
As managers our locus of control is to create this and that’s our job all the time every time – albeit a tough job but that is what makes life and management wonderful.
I will keep sharing my small brain-storm sessions with larger audience because I find this as the strongest medium to gain more knowledge.
