Business and Management blogs by Jaya Sinha

There is no gainsaying the fact that the information technology has enabled a revolutionary change in the human resources. From succession planning of the employees in an organization to performance management, all have become much easier with the use of IT. The recruitment of employees and their tracking has also become much easier and the maintenance of employee data base too. There has been enough learning and development when HR transformed and assumed big shape with the entry of information systems and technology. Preparation of employee compensation and benefits have also become systematic.
Certainly, HR managers are able to perform all the HR functions in a much better manner and so help the organization to achieve organizational goals. The information systems helps the HR division to store data, evaluate and retrieve and disburse information in a very effective way so that there is better decision-making.
HR has acquired a more strategic form due to IT and needless to say HR developed to provide a market based solutions depending upon the client’s requirements. And day by day, HR is developing to provide more benefits to an organization. The following are the benefits in general due to the strategic link of HR with IT.
•There is faster access to information and also accuracy in the major tasks performed by the HR division.
•The HR division can do proper planning for all the employees in terms of recruitment, selection, induction, employee compensation, training and development etc.
•There is increased productivity of the employees which was otherwise not possible without the introduction of IT.
•Reduced burden on the employees who perform HR functions.
•There is reduced cost also since the tasks are accomplished with less number of employees due to the active penetration of IT. In this way, organizations can save a lot.
•The need was to make HR more strategic so that human capital can respond better to the organizational changes.
•Also there can be improved services line management and employees of other departments.
•Through the use of technology, talent can also be outsourced or accessed by other companies.
•There is also an increased employee empowerment and independence.
•With increased use of PDAs and laptops, employees now seek the help of IT or rather HR directory to get any kind of information, individual to organizational. Organizations offer good HR services through the use of palmtops.
•There is now no need to keep personal files or records on paper of each employee and also a time is coming when there will no need of filling in the leave or appraisal form.
•With the desktop video streaming technology, all employees can access the speech delivered by CEO on their notebooks or desktops. This has been considered as a good tool of communication.

The only thing which challenges the HR transformation is the lack of talent to understand and make the right use of IT. Once the human resources division is in line with the organizational goals and all the employees get trained to attend to new technology, huge changes can be expected. An organization can be successful if there is proper knowledge development and employees also get good career and growth.

                     

Talk of privacy at workplace and there are only few organizations where employees maintain privacy. Privacy at workplace is desired because the employees have been observed to violate the principles. The employees make misuse of the internet in several forms which can be chatting on the internet, doing personal emails or hooking on to images which are obscene and objectionable. Countries like U.S and Japan monitor their employees closely and they do this even through the use of electronic gadgets. Most employers have even been found to monitor the laptops and the web connections of their employees. There are organizations who also store and monitor employees’ computer files. If care is not taken of the privacy at workplace, it ultimately leads to a loss in the productivity and a huge loss to the organizations.
It must be remembered by employees that technology is meant to reap benefits and must be put to good use atleast when they are on work. The other reasons for the employers to monitor employees is due to the need for protection of intellectual property rights and the trade secrets. Various laws have been enacted regarding the workplace privacy and the organizations have been sued because of the workplace violation of norms. The use of Email for example, is done in an unauthorized manner or fake email sent to a third party can create problems to the employer.
Employers allow the employees to use their computers or printers for the purpose of business, but if it used wrongly can be detrimental to an organization. The employees have the right to privacy and many times employees claim if their privacy is invaded. In o such cases, it becomes difficult for an employer to address this issue.
In the light of the above context it becomes imperative that the IT department and the HR department of any organization should come together closely and tete-a-tete should formulate some policies and standard procedures. Legal counsel can be hired to formulate legal policies.
So, how to monitor and manage these employees who violate the workplace privacy.
•Keep your employees informed of the rules and regulations: Whenever you hire an employee, you should inform him about the standard procedures and rules. Also, if any rules are framed after his joining, he should be constantly reminded about them so that he dos not do nay misconduct. They should be notified at all stages of changes in the organization.
•Get written from your employees: Some organizations also get an agreement signed where they claim not to cause any harm to the organization in any form.
•Install video surveillance/CCTVs/ satellite technology: You can make use of the technology to protect your organization form the misdeeds of your employees. This will let you know at any point of time what your employees are doing.
•Monitor the time employees spend on phone: Many employees waste time talking on phone. Note their time and take disciplinary action.
The above tips will save your organization from the loss in man hours and subsequently lead to an increase in productivity.

                     

Times change and every new day unfolds new mysteries. We get so entrapped in these mysterious circumstances that it becomes difficult to come out of this situation. One of such mysterious circumstance is slowdown in economy which brings forth tougher times for the business tycoons to even the small business owners.
No doubt, the economy of the world has shaken many but at the same time also gave rise to winners and losers. The leaders were not always borne but borne out of negative circumstances. So, when economy slows down, you should not lose heart neither be a mute spectator. If you wait for the economy to improve and do nothing, it is not going to help you. It’s time you wake up from the slumber and do something good and positive.
Now, if you are into sales, it becomes all the more necessary to take special initiatives to succeed in a tough economy. Certainly, you might think of retaining your existing customers and also win over new customers. The consumers would not be very eager to purchase when there is a bad economy. Now, there’s the challenge for you. As a sales professional, you need to be persistent because this is ultimately going to pay you in the long-run. Remember that you also need to have commitment, conviction and communication. If you have these 3Cs, they are certainly going to help you. Commitment means commitment towards your goals. If you are a sales manager or heading the entire sales team, you need to be committed towards your sales targets and tell your team members to do the same, similarly be committed to your customers. Conviction, of course, means having a firm faith in your organization you are working and the products and services you are dealing with. Conviction that you can sell whatever you are made to sell. And who doesn’t know about the power of communication. The more effectively you communicate with your customer, the more you get to know of them and their desire for products or services.
Do follow these simple strategies and take the roadmap to success.
•Boast big about your brand: This would not be possible unless your marketing department does not take care of the brand. Aggressive advertising during this tough time will help you to sell your brand.
•What you can do is talk big about your product. Put sufficient evidence in the favour of your product which would entail comparative charts depicting your brand better than your competitors. All in all, it should be a powerful presentation in front of your customer.
•Build good relationship with your customer: You don’t need to spend lots and lots of money to build relationship. Many organizations believe in hefty gifts or promoting their products by giving gift coupons. But, how long can they do this activity? It is about taming them by maintaining healthy and sweet relationship with your customer. Do let him know that you care for him and understand his needs. Befriend him but also let him know that you want him to be your business customer for long.
•Send emails and newsletters: You can send an email to your esteemed customers who understand your company profile. You can send them newsletters or emails in which you can mention about your latest products or product upgrades if any.
•Display good leadership skills: You need to inspire and build confidence in your team. You need to tell them that they must achieve the organizational goals and realize the vision only which can help them to grow.
•Maintain good relations with media: This is the time when relations maintained with the media helps you. Media on their own will highlight the product features and talk big about your products. Or if this is not possible then you can ask them to carry out a special feature on your products.
This is all what you can do to keep your business moving and sell your products even during the economic slowdown or weak economy.

                     

Learning of any form and in any manner is a continuous process and the organizations who take this in their stride are always ahead of their competitors and can be called as the winning organizations. Organizations may resort to newer methods of technology changes in variety of ways, but still may remain virtually archaic and unchangeable because of the lack of knowledge empowerment to the employees working in them. Much has been written about organizational learning but little about it’s contextual relevance to each employee who in himself is the life of every organization. So, unless each employee learn and adapts to the newer learning tools, nothing can change the organization. Though technology can be outsourced by hiring knowledge experts, but what if technology can not be accepted and worked upon.

Learning can also be called as a form of behavior which an organization should cultivate in order to succeed by all means. There have been various approaches to organizational learning and several models and theories have been suggested regarding the same. Organization adapts itself by learning new things either from the outside environment or from within the organization. When it is learnt from the outside environment, it does so by reacting to the changes which can be regarded as a forced change. But, when it learns on it’s own and by inputs from it’s own employees, it is proactive in nature. It is the latter one who succeeds leaving behind the others. And, it is here that the organizations should realize the need to change themselves in order to learn something new and succeed.
The discussion on OL being started in 1963 by Cyert and March, organizations adopted OL by having a problem-solving approach where the organization could find a solution to the environmental change occurring. Later, in 1988, the behavioral school of James March laid emphasis on the practical implementation of OL. Whether organization can execute the process of learning was first understood by studying the internal environment existing with in the organizations. The execution was primarily based on certain rules.
How organizational learning can take place? Although there have been various models which have been explained to conduct the organizational learning which includes single-loop and double-loop learning, but I want to assert on what you should do when you take up learning.
•Try to change each individual in your organization: According to the proposed model, in a single-loop learning, individuals, groups and organizations learn by bringing change in their actions looking at the actual and the expected outcome. Whereas in double-loop, these first go into probing of the learning tool to be taken up and then if found practical, then it is adopted.
But, I believe, every individual has the potential to change himself and so every organization should try to cut-across everyone’s boundaries, set it’s own limits so that there is negligible resistance to change and everyone can accept to learn effectively. Only when every individual in an organization is committed towards learning, it can be called as organizational learning.
•Move up with the change in technology: The new technology like multimedia communication or computer-aided learning requires flexibility and complete control over the environmental situation. This means that even when external or internal factors prevent you from taking any positive decision, you should be able to enact and implement the new technology, since only this can make you a leading organization. In brief, you should be a decision-taker.
•Make use of IT: Now, the use of information technology in any organization will make the structure of the organization flatter so that there is better learning and better sharing of information.
•Bring the teams together: For imparting learning, it is essential that the teams should be brought together. It is because there is more knowledge sharing and the employees can gain from interaction and learn more.
•Make the organization the storehouse of valuable information: Every organization should try to keep the hard copy as well as the soft copy of the learning tool that has to be incorporated. It should be arranged in such a manner that employees should readily be able to access it.
•Increase the flow of communication between employees: Poor flow of communication can be barrier to learning and growth. Along with a change in the organizational culture, where the sense of learning culture should be imbibed in each employee, managers should work hard in decreasing the communication barrier between teams.
Above all these basic tips, one should remember that whatever approach you adopt, you should always be insisting on learning which only can make the organization to succeed.

                     

Total Quality Management is a major step towards organizational change as it requires tremendous effort and diligent approach. Moving on to the principle of TQM as initiated and followed austerely by Japanese is crucial to the success of any organization. TQM brings about innumerable benefits to the organization by enabling an excellence model on which every organization can operate and can substantially change. But, to bring changes by introducing the concepts of TQM and it’s effective implementation would require the TQM leaders and enablers to motivate the employees who are resistant to change and at the same time keep in mind the existing organization culture.
While TQM engages all the divisions and all the employees across verticals with in an organization, it is desired to meet and exceed the customer’s expectations. The organizations in their constant endeavor to change themselves also focus on cutting down on waste by optimal utilization of resources and systematic management.
Little can be forgotten that despite the financial crisis looming large in the whole of Asia, many firms practiced TQM and excelled. The firms were even benchmarked based on their level of excellence.
Any organization should keep in mind the change factors on which a TQM works. They include efficient and able leadership which is necessary to make the employees understand the importance of TQM, another being effective communication which entails two-way and open form of communication. There are yet other change factors like additional perks or incentives which should be offered to the employees in order to boost them and bring about relevant changes.
How exactly does TQM benefits the organization and how it triggers change?
•TQM serves as a service delivery model: TQM earlier was perceived as the change in technology but gradually with the passage of time, this also applies to service techniques, how the service delivery to customers are affected and also of course to the manufacturing processes.
•TQM functions as a cultural tool: It can bring about an immense change in the organizational culture by radically changing the beliefs, values and the mindset of the employees. When there is a change in the culture, there is also a change in the working style, the effect on the team spirit and team work. A lot depends on the internal culture of the organization as it can make way for the organization to progress further and move ahead.
•TQM serves as a tool towards technology advancement: While the TQM lays emphasis on the reduction or almost elimination of waste, the organization can think innovatively and introduce new concepts and technology when there is no hindrance to the growth of organization.
•TQM fills the gap in any organization: When TQM is introduced and correctly implemented, it reduces the variation and fills the gap between quality delivery and reduced performance.
•TQM acts as a prevention tool and not correction tool: Prevention is the key to achieving perfection in almost every field. Correction occurs only after problems have occurred and those have to be resolved. Why let the problem take birth when prevention can bring consistency and smoothness to the organization?
•TQM fulfills the organizational goal and vision: Every organization has it’s own goal and vision. TQM if implemented in a full-fledged way, it serves the purpose of the organization.
•TQM focusus on team work and employee recognition: For the TQM to become operational, the teams from various departments need to come together. So, there is more team work which is good for the organization. Employees are also rewarded based on each employee’s performance.
In entirety, it can be said that TQM is a continuous process and not a one-day management process towards organizational progress. A lot of variables exist within organization which act as barriers to change so leaders who are TQM initiators should assess the present state of the organization, resources, employees and then try to take up TQM as an organizational change agent.