If not the front seat, the HR profes- sion has at least begun to gain more importance than before. Infosys has proved this statement right. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Infosys, TV Mohandas Pai, has taken over as the Head of HR. Officials say that it is a move taken to emphasize the importance of HR. With a current staff strength of 52,175, the company plans to increase this number by another 25,000. This clearly shows that HR plays a pivotal role in the modus operandi of Infosys. However, a lot of HR professionals are horrified that a CFO has become an HR head. They doubt whether the new HR head of Infosys can bring in any new skill to the table. The conflict begins here. If as a CFO/CEO, somebody can add value to the HR profession, then why are VPs of HR not becoming CEOs?
Almost all Fortune 500 firms affirm that its people "are its most important asset". All these companies have an operational Vice-President (VP) for the HR (Human Resource) department but none of them has ever become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In corroboration, history too reveals that the HR head, who is in charge of the valuable assets called "people", has more often not been chosen as the CEO. Neither is something missing in their genes nor is there any natural law that says VPs of HR cannot become CEOs. Jack Welch, ex-CEO of GE, advocates that the head of HR should be the second most important person in any organization. HR should be elevated to the position of power and primacy in the organization. Ironically, very few VPs of HR have been able to attain that coveted position. Fewer, in fact, have gone ahead to become CEOs in the long run. s reason it out to the stark differences that exist in the thought processes of HR honchos and CEOs. |
