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COVER
STORY
Preparing
for Tomorrow's World : Globalization and Executive Leadership
Development -- Bramwell Osula and Bonnie Banks
This
article explores the impact of globalization on executive
leadership development. Today, few companies can afford not
to think globally. Leaders of organizations, regardless of
the organizations' size or background, must increasingly engage
with the realities of doing business with partners beyond
their local borders. All this has raised to a new significance,
the manner and content of executive development and associated
training programs. Besides a constellation of cultural forces,
technology has added a critical dimension to this rethinking
of executive development.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COVER
STORY
Executive
Development Program : A Chisel for HR Architects -- Mallikarjunan
Management
skills and strategies are acquired from adequate exposure
and experience and are polished only through training and
development. Further, the commercial world has become a place
where only the fittest can survive; hence, the need for Executive
Development Programs (EDPs). The programs differ with each
management rung and provide valuable insights into the managerial
functions and requirements of those in the higher rungs in
the management ladder. Both the corporates and the executives
enjoy the benefits of improved efficiency, alertness, productivity,
creativity, health, performance, profits, as also reduction
in stress, absenteeism, etc. Consequently, corporates accord
high priority to EDPs for bringing out highly trained and
skilled executives. For a corporate to glow with success and
the executives to advance with satisfaction and elation, EDPs
are indispensable.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
Employee
Engagement in Indian ITES - BPO Industry -- Venkoba Rao
The
Indian Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES)-Business
Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is maturing and gaining
increasing traction and visibility and is expected to touch
Rs. 30,537 cr by 2010 as per NASSCOM reports. The key issues
in this emerging manpower-intensive and manpower-driven industry
are recruiting, retaining and nurturing the best talent. As
the industry looks to a scientific and analytical approach
to address these issues, a possible solution available is
Employee Engagement- a focus on which could bring rewarding
and memorable experiences. Employee Engagement is a multidimensional
construct that consists of cognitive, emotional and behavioral
components that are associated with individual role performance.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
WORKPLACE
ISSUES
Executive
Transition : Frustrations to Fulfillment -- R Krishnamurthi
This
article is based on a study of 25 executives of a company,
who faced and overcame the trauma associated with promotions.
Their initial euphoria of promotion from workers to executives
died soon when the reality of work expectations and challenges
struck them. Everyday experience in the workplace was a nightmare.
They faced intra-personal and inter-personal challenges. Personal
stress was at its high. Feelings of inadequacy, a sense of
suffocation, politics from contenders for the positions, inability
to think strategically and lack of style flexing troubled
them no end. But ultimately they managed to get over all these
problems.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERCEPTIONS
Role
Perception : The Role it Plays -- Arpita Saha
Perception
is an influential phenomenon as people usually act upon their
perceptions. Perception eventually transforms into reality.
The absence of a distinctly defined role of employees and
an amorphous perception of their roles and responsibilities
in the organization may have a downturn effect on the employees'
morale and self-esteem. Role Perception of the employees acts
as one of the most critical components in the workplaces today.
It also plays a key role in an individual's performance. A
misty perception of the role may also lead to underperformance
by and underutilization of the potential of the individual.
Consequently, the organization may lose not only some vital
man-hours but also some of the most competent employees, in
the long run. It is, therefore, in the organization's interest
to provide a clearly-defined role to every employee as a step
towards combating the ever-increasing competition in the global
milieu.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
HR
CHALLENGES
HR
Manager : Exploring New Dimensions -- Seema S
The
role of the Human Resource Manager is changing in the competitive
environment. He plays a crucial role in the future of an organization.
HRM supports Strategic Management. Talent acquisition and
retention has become a significant job of an HR Manager. The
success of an organization depends on deploying employees
who can adapt to and be comfortable in the changing environment.
Acquisitions and mergers are taking place so rapidly that
organizations have to grow by themselves or get `swallowed'
by others. There is an increasing demand for HR personnel
who are capable of managing the increasing workforce. This
article focuses on the new perspective in the functioning
of an HR Manager.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ORGANIZATIONAL
ETHICS
Morale
: A Crucial Performance Driver -- Vikas Shrotriya
Out
of all the resources available to the managers, management
of human resources proves to be most intricate, due to the
fact that it involves emotions of self as well as others.
One interesting characteristic of human behavior is the tendency
to react to a given situation. It has been noticed that neither
everyone reacts the same way to a similar situation nor the
same person reacts similarly under similar situations. What
makes this difference is the psychology of human beings. The
performance of an employee is affected by numerous factors.
One such factor is "morale". This article discusses some aspects
of morale as a performance driver.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
WORK-LIFE
BALANCE
Promoting
: Work - Life Balance through Teleworking -- Dr. Rashmi Joshi
Globalization
and rapid spread of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) have given rise to an alternative work arrangement
aptly referred to as `teleworking'. It is seen as having great
potential for improvement in the work-life balance which is
a significant factor in ensuring employee loyalty and retention.
However, successful adoption and implementation of a teleworking
program in an organization requires careful planning of the
entire process. Apart from discussing the concept of teleworking
and its advantages, the article also covers some of the issues
relating to this important aspect.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
RETRENCHMENT
Retrenchment
of Workmen in Industries : Reflections -- L Vijayaraghavan
The
article deals with the issue of retrenchment of workmen in
Kinetic Motor Company Ltd., when it was taken over by Kinetic
Engineering Ltd., from the Honda management. The options available
were to `retrench' or `transfer' or `absorb' them in its establishments
in Pune. The author was handling the retrenchment issue, but
begs to differ with the decision to retrench them straightaway
instead of exploring other avenues mentioned above. The retrenched
labor had taken the matter to Labor Court/Industrial Court
and the decision is awaited. The management's decision, in
the author's opinion, is a backward step affecting the brand
of Kinetic in days to come.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
SOFT
SKILLS
How
Should My Body Language Be? -- Naveen Kumar HC
This
article throws light on some of the misconceptions about the
body language of an individual. Many people, who are keen
about body language, want to know what their body language
should be during a conversation with the boss, at an interview,
while teaching, etc., so that they may "project the right
signals". Is this possible? To answer this, one has to have
a thorough understanding of the concepts involved in body
language, so that there can be clarity about the application
of knowledge.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
CASE
STUDY
Costco's
Employee Loyalty Strategies -- Doris Rajakumari John, Punithavathi Srikant, and R Gayathri
Costco
Wholesale Corporation (Costco), the seventh largest global
retailer (as of 2007), stands out in the crowd as an exceptional
retailer, which adopts distinctive employee welfare strategies.
The company develops programs and employee benefits that motivate
its employees and strives to create an environment that fosters
employee loyalty. While offering excellent employee benefits
is not viewed very favorably by the investment community,
Costco's CEO Jim Sinegal firmly believes that keeping employees
satisfied and loyal will result in profitability for the organization
in the long run. This is in stark contrast to the HR policies
followed by Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, and analysts
doubt if Costco's HR policies will actually pay off.
© 2008 IBS case Development Center.
All Rights Reserved.
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