COVER
STORY
Coping
with office politics
-- PVL Raju
The
ill effects of negative politics are experienced by most of
us in our daily work life. The negative politics saps our
creativity and entails a heavy price in psychological terms.
Positive politics is the ability to influence the behavior
of others for the purpose of achieving the goals of individuals
as well as organizational goals.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
COVER
STORY
Effective
management of organizational politics
-- S Senthil Kumar
Pressure
to perform well above others, high competition for the rewards
and promotions, and a thirst for power or the sheer pleasure
that one gets out of manipulating others, lead people to engage
in organizational politics. People are said to be engaged
in politics when they try to protect or advance self-interest
at the cost of others' as well as organization's goals. Presence
of politics in an organization drains away people's motivation
to learn, creates mistrust and gives little incentive to cooperate
with one another. Top managers should make efforts to nurture
an atmosphere free of politics by laying strong emphasis on
professionalism, trust and cooperation among the employees.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
COVER
STORY
Psychological
Games and Office Politics
-- Dilip Dasgupta
Intense
competition among controllers, who sit in the same office
and achieve organizational objectives through the efforts
of branch managers, is very common. Backbiting and rumor mongering
is often found in such offices. Bosses are human beings too;
they love to be consulted and kept informed. In the absence
of transparent HR policies, some people may try to play psychological
games, introducing an element of distrust in the environment.
The mature executives recognize and avoid such traps. It is
not enough to be only task oriented; one has to develop social
skills and resourcefulness to shine in a group of equally
bright group of achievers. True, sagacious friends can often
help in adopting a correct approach to work, bosses and colleagues.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR
Human
Resources Department as the Driver of Change
-- C Vijaychandra Kumar
Change
management is effectively adopted in organizations by examining
the current environment with respect to organizational culture
and the skills of the employees. Innovation is the key to
success for any organization. A sound and capable HR department
can influence a cultural change in an organization.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR
Inculcating
Inspiration through Motivating the Self: Some Myths and Specifications
-- Manodip Ray Chaudhuri
Most
modern organizations realize that employee retention and talent
management is integral for sustaining their leadership and
growth in the marketplace. Attracting, hiring, and retaining
high-caliber employees in today's labor market challenges
organizations to manage talent at all levels. Hence, modern
organizations today increasingly look into improving employee
commitment and morale and enhance workforce support for all
key initiatives.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
MANAGEMENT
SKILLS
Stress
Inoculation: The Anti Stress Prescription
-- K Mallikarjunan
Either
physical or psychological changes that occur in the environment
of a person lead to stress. On such occasions, a person feels
that his/her very survival is under threat, and as a result,
enters into a deep state of anxiety and persistent worry.
Undergoing Stress Inoculation frees one from such situations.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
NEGOTIATION
Negotiations:
Are They Negotiable?
-- Colonel VRK Prasad
"People
are different" is the basic HR principle. Interactive behavior
at the individual, group or organizational level is an operational
necessity. This quite often leads to a conflict situation
as people tend to think and behave in different ways. Amongst
all managerial skills, the ability to negotiate either to
resolve conflicts or to clinch a business deal, has assumed
significance hitherto unknown.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
GENERAL
MANAGEMENT
Communication
is More Than Getting the Message Across
-- GRK Murty
Santiago
in The Old Man and the Sea had a lone battle with his fish
in the sea. He was bone tired and famished. But in that frustration
he could learn to communicate with the sea and the life in
it. And that art of communicating with the life around taught
him to swim across life and death. Similarly, by confronting
the dilemma of the human predicament about the society, Steinbeck
realized that "the so called and considered good qualities
are invariable concomitants of failure, while the bad ones
are the cornerstones of success." Having captured the ambivalence
of human life, he could make his readers ponder over the "ultimate
of the human effort after the acquisition of material prosperity"
communicating the need for hitching the "tide pool" of failure
to the "star of success". What is common in both these examples
is that communication plays a vital role in discovering ourselves
and the world around us. Whatever be the level of quest of
an individual or organization, it remains incomplete without
effective communication.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
Performance
Management in Banks - A Behavioral Framework
-- Dr. Y G Sivaram
"Managing
people could be the most difficult of all problems, and for
some it could be the easiest of the jobs". This statement
is enough to suggest that HR plays a key role in an organization,
and also that it has to be well managed.
© 2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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