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H R Era, Issue # 6,
Dec 5th, 2001
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CONTENTS
1. Moderator’s Space
2.
General Electric, Jack Welch & HR - by
Rajeev B Bhatnagar
3. Humor in a Corner
4.
Readers' Forum - Sample
HR Manual
5. Meet Our New Members
Navneet Dhawan (Mr.)
Namrata Mohanty
(Ms.)
6. Poor
Relationship with Boss spells Trouble - by
Joan Lloyd
7.
Upcoming HR Training Programs (India)
8. Best of HR Jobs
(India)
9. Aims of HR Era, How To Contribute Articles, & Legal Stuff
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1. MODERATOR’S SPACE
Dear
Friends,
We
have just taken a long
jump. In one month our members have doubled! I invite new
members to fully participate by writing articles for our website & this ezine,
by sending questions & answers for Readers' Forum, their suggestions and any
other ways they like.
Members
have been kind enough to send some articles. We shall put them on website
shortly & send you a brief on the along with the links.
with
warm regards
Rajeev
B Bhatnagar
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| 2.
GENERAL ELECTRIC, JACK WELCH, & H R -
by
Rajeev B Bhatnagar
Why
should we learn from GE & Welch?
General
Electric is one of the largest & most respected corporations in
the world. Jack Welch, the CEO of GE from 1981 till recently,
is widely regarded as America’s most respected manager. He steered
GE with great success, as we shall see, through turbulent times.
Jack
Welch attached great importance to HR issues. “I have never heard
of a chief executive who devotes as much time to people issues as
Welch does,” write Tichy & Sherman. So it may be worth
reviewing he has done in HR.
What
are the key HR initiatives & practices that Jack Welch followed
in GE?
Down
- Sizing
To
an HR professional, the most striking is down-sizing of General
Electric. Manpower reduced from 420,000 to 230,000 in 12 years
between 1981 & 1993. The painful part of the reduction was that
170,000 people who lost their jobs through layoffs & attrition.
Newsweek named Jack Welch as “Neutron Jack” for
his willingness to vaporising people.
Downsizing
was part of larger changes which Jack Welch brought in General
Electric. At end of the changes, GE was healthier - value of
company’s stock increased by 7 times as against 2 times for
S&P 500 over the period. Overall, Forbes rated GE as the
world’s most powerful corporation. By contrast, several other
Fortune 500 companies had started wilting. For example, IBM, famous
for its no-layoffs policy, had shed 100,000 jobs till 1993 &
planned to shed another 100,000.
The
reason (=blame) for down-sizing should be put on changed economics
realities. “Companies can’t promise lifetime employment, but by
constant training and education we may be able to guarantee lifetime
employability,” Welch said.
Shared
Values:
This
is a unique concept that Jack Welch has implemented in General
Electric. He believes that to lead people in today’s environment,
all GE managers must hold the “Shared Values.” The person
who does NOT hold these “shared values” typically forces
performance out of people rather than inspire it: the autocrat, the
big shot, the tyrant. Too often all of us have looked the other way
tolerated such managers because they
always deliver - at least in the short term.
His
reason for rejecting such managers runs like this: “And perhaps
this type was more acceptable in easier times, but in an environment
where we must have very good idea from every man and woman in the
organization, we cannot afford management styles that suppress and
intimidate…”
Jack
Welch has used every available tool to implement Shared Values-
pre-placement talks, , training programs, including in appraisals
forms, rewards by way of higher compensation & promotions, and
dismissals in extreme cases.
Recruitment:
GE
has been accustomed to produce more talented managers than it needs,
so the company almost never recruited outsiders for senior
positions. After Welch’s becoming CEO, a couple of consultants
were inducted in think tank of GE. GE develops enough leaders from
within and has some to spare for other companies.
The
core of recruitment is from campuses and here Jack Welch urges
business leaders to personally go to campuses. They explain GE
culture and hire people who would fit in the GE culture.
Training:
Company
invest heavily in training. It has some of the best training
facilities in the world. This reflects Welch’ philosophy that GE
can ensure employability by providing training (but not continuos
employment).
The
center for development of GE leaders is at Crotonville. It trains
about 10,000 top managers annually. The CEO himself spends atleast
half-a-day every month talking to participants at the facility.
Appraisals:
GE
employees rate themselves on several criteria. They are rated by
their peers, subordinates & bosses in 360 Degree appraisals. The
person being rated always sees the data and discusses it with a
capable person. Senior managers are rated on holding Shared Values
also.
Session-C:
Session-C
is the pinnacle of a painstaking system for appraising executives
and helping them improve their skills and plan their careers. It
covers GE’s 3500 most senior managers.
Jack
Welch spends a full month every year on this rigorous management
appraisal & succession planning review. He visits each of the 13
business leaders & their staff, and discusses qualifications,
achievements, & development needs of every single member of top
management. These discussions are based on hard facts.
GE’s
elite Executive Management Staff amasses data to bolster these
judgements. The data includes:
Compensation:
Greater
flexibility is the aim of compensation policy. For this the number
of pay levels has been reduced from 29 in 1981 to a few broad bands.
Incentive
pay constitutes about 25% of the total pay for top 3500 managers,
and 35-40% of pay for the top most 450. Every year the CEO
personally devotes several days to reviewing & adjusting the
incentive compensation for each of the top 450 managers. Here also
managers holding Shared Values get better rewards.
In
addition to incentive pay, about top managers get stock options.
Employee
Communication / Management of Change:
The
massive change that GE has undergone to re-invent itself, could not
have been possible without getting support of many internal
employees. This necessitated a massive communication effort.
Phase-I:
In 1988, the now famous “ Work Outs” were introduced for this
purpose. Rank-and-file employees participated in these. Workouts
involved communicating corporate philosophy behind the massive
changes to employees and to get the employees to speak out &
share their ideas. Work-Outs could cover about 200,000 employees
till 1993 whereas training programs could reach only 10,000 each
year.
In
Phase-2, Work-Outs implemented the “Best Practices”
Program, a thing which now has become very popular. In Phase-3,
Work-Outs implemented a Change Acceleration Program (CAP).
Jack
Welch himself spends atleast half-a-day every month speaking to rank
and file employees in these Work-Outs Programs.
Can
We Adopt GE practices?
Each
one of them may not work for you as it did for GE. They require
commitment of top management to breathe life into them. And some of
them may not be accepted in all organizational cultures. The lesson
is that revolutionary change will be necessary for most
organizations. We must act proactively. What exactly to do & how
should be discussed and decided within your organization.
References:
Factual
data is taken from Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will, by
Noel M. Tichy & Stratford Sherman, Harper Collins Publishers,
Inc., 1994.
(by
Rajeev B Bhatnagar, DGM-Personnel, Larsen & Toubro, Chennai)
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3.
HUMOR IN A CORNER
Frying
Pan
A guy is reading his paper when his wife walks up behind him and
smacks him on the back of the head with a frying pan.
He asks, "What was that for?"
She says, "I found a piece of paper in your pocket with 'Betty Sue' written
on it."
He says, "Jeez, honey, remember last week when I went to the track? 'Betty
Sue' was the name of the horse I went there to bet on." She shrugs and
walks away.
Three days later he's reading his paper when she walks up behind him
and smacks him on the back of the head again with the frying pan.
He asks, "What was that for?"
She answers, "Your horse called."
Man
Versus Woman
A man was driving down a
narrow mountain road. A woman was driving up the same road.
As they pass each other,
the woman leans out the window and yells, “Pig!.”
The man immediately leans
out his window and replies with “BITCH!”
They
continue on their way,
as the man rounds the next corner he crashes into a pig in middle of the road.
Collected
from the Internet
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4.
READERS' FORUM
(Readers are requested to send their questions as well as answers to
questions asked by fellow professionals. Pl email to HREra@rediffmail.com)
Partial
reply to Mr. P.V.Venkatesan: Sample HR Manual
Venkatesan had asked
"We need to make a HR manual for the company. Can some
one help or guide us with a generic sample ? Confidentiality will be
maintained." pvvenkatesan@sundaraminfotech.com
Alka Bhatnagar
replies: You can have a look at
MSU-Bozeman's Personnel
Policy and Procedures Manual at http://www.montana.edu/~aircj/manual/pers/index.html
. I request other readers to kindly share information they have.
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5.
MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS
Navneet Dhawan (Mr.)
Hello Friends,
I obtained M.B.A. degree from the FMS, Delhi University. Currently working as Manager Development with Surya
Crowne Plaza, New Delhi, I have over 14 years of work experience
in sales, operations & customer care. In my service at American Express,
among other awards, I was bestowed Regional Great
Performers Award also.
I have conducted
interactive sessions on "Caring Attitude" for 20 Rotary clubs,
200 members of Police upto DCPs, and for others. These
sessions are based on my research on
the subject. I would
be glad to conduct more interactive sessions on the same.
My hobbies are creative writing and learning about ebusiness and dotcom
phenomenon. To view some of my writings, go to indiatimes.com, type out navneet dhawan on the search engine. Among the results thrown up would include some of my
writings as well. regards Navneet
Email to navneetdhawan@yahoo.com
Telephone (Office): 011-6835070 extn. 1281
Namrata Mohanty
(Ms.)
Hello Friends !!!
I am Namrata Mohanty.I am a HR professional with
3years of work experience. I am into Recruitments
after completing my MBA .Currently I am working with
Consindia HR Services as a Senior Consultant,since
past two years.
I am a people's person and love to interact with
people from various walks of life.
If need to get in touch with me then you could pop in
a mail to my address which is careerahead2001@yahoo.com
Regards
Namrata
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6.
POOR RELATIONSHIP WITH BOSS SPELLS TROUBLE, by
Joan Lloyd
Are
you kidding yourself into thinking you are just having simple
"communication problems" with your manager? You may be one of the
people who end up being laid off or put on a shelf because you never took the
time to really analyze your relationship.
Take
the temperature of your relationship by evaluating the following:
1.
How many times in a typical month does your boss call you or stop in to get an
opinion about something? (If it's less than once per week, your boss may not
view you as an important part of the team.)
2.
How does your boss typically communicate with you? Memo? Note? Message with your
secretary? Formal meeting? Casual and frequent visits? (If your boss
communicates through memos and handwritten notes, when he could just as easily
speak to you in person, you could be in serious trouble. The more casual your
relationship is, the better.)
3.
How much negative feedback does your boss give you? Constantly finding fault?
Criticizes you in public? Occasionally makes suggestions? Mentions the same
fault over and over? Never has a bad word to say? (If your boss cares enough
about you to make suggestions and tells you about things you need to correct,
count your blessings; he or she wants you to succeed. If you never hear anything
negative, go ask for some constructive criticism. You can't improve unless you
know what to work on. If the same fault is mentioned over and over, make an
appointment and ask for help in solving it...or you could get fired.)
4.
Do you and your boss agree about the main duties of your job and the time you
spend doing them? (If you don't, you are in serious trouble. No matter who is
right or wrong, you will lose this one.)
5.
How does your boss act when you disagree with him or her? Accepts it? Insists on
winning the argument? Resents it? You don't dare disagree? (If you disagree more
than two or three times a year, you need to communicate more. If you challenge
your boss frequently, you will be labeled "difficult." If your boss's
reaction to you during times of disagreement is anger, examine your own
behavior; you may be overstepping your bounds.)
6.
Does your boss take time to listen to you? Never? Asks you to put it in a memo?
Allows interruptions from others? Usually tries to listen intently? (If you
can't get your boss's ear, there is a problem. If your suggestions are brushed
off or ignored, you could be in trouble.)
7.
Does your boss hog the credit for work you've done? Occasionally? Always? (A
boss who does this will not give you much visibility in the company. It's
appropriate for your boss to take some of the credit for work done by you and
your work unit but if it's more than occasionally, find a new boss.)
8.
Do people from your area ever get promoted? Does your boss help and coach you?
(If the answer is "no" to both questions, what are you waiting for?
Get out!)
9.
Does your boss "forget" to tell you about information that the rest of
your peers know? (If you are left out of the communication channels, your job is
in jeopardy. This is especially true if you used to get the information and now
you're not.)
10.
Does your boss take action on your complaints and concerns? (If your boss
doesn't get back to you with answers to concerns you have, you are low on his or
her priority list.)
Now
go back through the list and evaluate the same items but do it from two other
co-workers' points of view. Choose a peer who is the top performer and a middle
ranked co-worker and answer the questions as they would answer them. Compare the
results. If your boss treats you more negatively than he or she treats them, you
are in trouble. These early warning signals should not be ignored.
Joan
Lloyd
works with executive and owners who want to improve the people side of their
business, and with managers who want their employees to have a sense of
ownership and commitment. She is a speaker & speaking coach, trainer &
consultant for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to the Fortune 500, as
well as trade & professional associations across the country. Reach her at
(800) 348-1944, Email info@joanlloyd.com
, or www.JoanLloyd.com
. © 2001, Joan Lloyd & Associates.
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| 7.
UPCOMING HR TRAINING PROGRAMS (INDIA)
(Only
programs on HR scheduled in Jan 2002 are listed here. For fuller
calendar, visit our website at http://hrera.tripod.com/trainings.htm
)
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X L R I, Jamshedpur,
HR as a Strategic
Business Partner, Dec 10-13, 2001, Dr ES Srinivas & Dr Arup
Varma
Venue: Jamshedpur. Contacts: Email mdp@xlri.ac.in
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International
Management Institute,
Workshop
on Leading for Change
(in collaboration with Department of Public
Enterprises , New Delhi),
Dec 12-15, 2001, Prof Bhupen Srivastava
Venue: Jaipur
Contacts:
Email bhupen@imi.edu
Fees:
Fees on
residential basis is Rs. 12000/=, on
Non-residential basis is Rs 8400/=.
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Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta,
Negotiating
Your Way to Success,
Jan 28-31, 2002, Prof. BN Srivastava
, Venue: Kolkata.Contacts: Email aomdp@iimcal.ac.in
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Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad,
Industrial
Relations for Plant Managers,
Jan 7-10, 2002,
Venue: Ahmedabad. Contacts: Email mdp@mdplan.iimahd.ernet.in
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Management
Development Institute, Gurgaon
Workshop on
Development of Trade Union Leadership,
Jan 21-23, 2002, Prof BD Singh & Prof
Ajay Singh, Venue: Gurgaon. Contacts: Email caomdp@mdi.ac.in
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National Institute of Industrial Engineering,
Mumbai
Change
Management Workshop for HR Managers,
Jan 14-18, 2002, Mr DK Srivastava
Productivity
& Human Resources Management,
Jan 21-25, 2002, Mr E Unnikrishnan &
Mr PK Singh,
Venue:
Mumbai. Contacts:
Telephone 022-8573371. Fax 022-857325
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Free
Service:
Training
institutes & Trainers can request insertion of their H R related
programs in this section. Please Email to HREra@rediffmail.com
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8.
BEST OF H R JOBS (INDIA)
(We
are able to list only a few vacancies & that too in
brief here. For full details & more vacancies, visit our website at
http://hrera.tripod.com/jobs.htm
)
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[24]
Head - HR,
Mumbai
For:
A leading IT company.
Person:
Qualification
in Management from a business school of repute. 9 to 12
years' experience. Must have prior IT industry experience.
Must be Mumbai / Pune based.
Remuneration:
Attractive as per industry standards.
Apply
to:
Email to manju@atpindia.com
[23]
HR Professional, Mumbai
For:
A leading software export company.
Person:
Must
be specialising in Compensation & Benefits and associated
performance appraisal policies. Relevant management
qualification, total experience of 5-8 years. Minimum
experience of one year in software export company. Must be
Mumbai / Pune based.
Apply
to:
Email to manju@atpindia.com
.
[21]
Manager - HRD,
Cochin
For:
GTN Group.
Job:
Formulate & implement HR policies & systems.
Person:
PG
in Personnel Management or Business Management. Minimum
3-5 years experience.
Apply
to:
Email to gtnchn@satyam.net.in
.
[20]
HR Officer,
Anywhere in India
For:
XPS Cargo Service. A part of Rs. 500 Crore TCI group.
India's fastest growing & ISO 9002 certified.
Person:
PG
in HR, 1-2 years' experience in similar trade.
Preference to training & development experience.
Apply
to:
Email to hrd@xpscargo.com .
Mail to XPS Cargo Services, TCI House, 69, Institutional Area,
Sector 32, Gurgaon, Haryana, Pin 122001.
[18]
Manager HR (HO)
,
Mumbai
For:
Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited.
Job
:
All HR activities at HO & coordination with all stores. Will
report to Head-HR.
Person:
MBA
(HRD or equivalent). 8-10 years experience.
Apply
to:
Email to careers@ho.pantaloon.com.
[16]
Human Resource Executive,
Bahrain / Oman
For:
A Saudi & Dubai based organization.
Apply
to:
The Personnel Manager, P.O. Box 61296, Jebel Ali, Dubai - UAE.
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Free
Service
Organizations
can request insertion of their HR vacancies in this section. We
reserve the right
to abbreviate. Please email to HREra@rediffmail.com
Suggestion
from HR Era
When
emailing your biodata, attach it as a txt file or rtf
file.
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9.
AIMS OF HR ERA, HOW TO CONTRIBUTE ARTICLES, & LEGAL STUFF
Aims
of HR Era
It
aims to enhance CAREER GROWTH of its readers by bringing to them practices & ideas
they can apply in their work, opportunities to network with other Professionals,
training opportunities,
jobs available, and techniques for self-management.
Contribute Articles
Contributions
from readers are wholeheartedly solicited. Contributions are the things that
enable sharing of learnings. Lead Article should not exceed 800
words, others 400 words. Please send details about yourself also as
we would like to post them along with the article. Kindly note, no honorarium is
paid now! Please email contributions to HREra@rediffmail.com
Legal Stuff!
All
information in HR Era is presented in good faith. However, before using, please
consult relevant experts. We do not accept any financial responsibility
for accuracy.
Visit
our Website
http://hrera.tripod.com
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Copyright (C) 2001 by Rajeev B. Bhatnagar
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