Only a 'Fit' is a Hit!

A formula one driver may be one of the smartest drivers on the circuit but he may fail miserably driving on an Indian Road and vice-versa.

Formula one track is of a certain quality, rules are set; maneuvering and speed remain key skills. On any Indian road, rules are meant to be broken, chaos is the only order and you need a lot of luck to survive the potholes, monster trucks, erring cabbies and scavenging animals, especially cows, freewheeling on the roads.

Talent Management is also similar. A 'Star' in one context may fail miserably in another context. The key factor is that of 'Fit'. Marc Effron, author of the book 'One Page Talent Management' (Harvard Publishing Press), in his key note address, in HT HR Summit (25th Sept. 2013, Bangalore, India) beautifully portrayed this concept of Talent-fit with the organizational strategy and environment.

Different capabilities are required in different environments that determine the ‘fit’. The success of organizations is highly dependent on their ability to find the ‘talent-fit’ or rather the talent that is the right fit.

'One page Talent Management' is all about ability of a company to write the talent specifications in a clear concise manner so as to define ‘fit’ in its context. 

Talent Engagement depends a lot on whether the right talent-fit is found by the company or not.

A Star-Talent brought-in a company whose environment & context poorly match with his competencies would do no good to the fortunes of the company, frustrate the star talent and leave him disengaged. Vice-versa, if the talent is brought-in the company based on his/her fitment with the context and the environment, would not only be the right choice for the company but it would also lead to effective engagement of the talent with the company.

So do not just follow the 'Star', follow the 'fit', for only a Fit is a Hit!

Will a 'Singapore' work In India?

What happens when most of the employees receive outstanding ranking (9 or 10 out of 10) from their supervisors?

What happens when these ranking are given without even a face-to-face meeting between the appraise and the appraiser?

What happens when most employees feel that Performance Appraisal (PAR) system is neither fair nor objective?

What happens when despite high performance ratings received by the employees, their department’s performance shows decline?

It’s enough indication that something is fundamentally flawed in the system or the system itself is flawed. That’s what the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has come to a conclusion regarding the PAR of the Civil Service officers under various ministries. All the above symptoms discussed above were visible.

The Solution

DoPT suggest embracing a Singaporean model that is stated to be far more fair and rigorous.  The proposed system will hold the supervisors more accountable for the ratings that they give to the rates and necessitates them to support their ratings with evidences. The proposed system also recognizes the fact that promotions are not only a outcome of past performance but also dependent on the Current Estimated Potential (CEP) or simply the officers’ expected performance in the higher role. The CEP will allow accelerated promotions to deserving officers and links the pace of promotions to an estimation of the highest level of work an offence can competently handle before his retirement and considers the official's intellectual qualities, result orientation and leadership qualities for appraisal.

The Hitch

The diagnosis of a faulty PAR by DoPT is correct. The solution suggested based on Singapore model is also a noble thought. The suggestion however fails to recognize that the success of any initiative, such as these, require ‘design’ interventions. The highly politicized environment, bureaucratic set-up and a deep-set culture of entitlement could come as a major roadblock to the new PAR.

Research has proven more than once that such one-of measures do not work. Copying ‘best-practices’ from successful organizations and imposing them on another organization, assuming that it will be solution to all the ills that plague it, is nothing more than wishful thinking. They are cosmetic reliefs that do not last long. The true face will come out sooner or later as the problems will persist.

When the 'Dog' wags its Tail...

Two interesting research finding on Stress at Workplace -

The first study pertains to a recent research study done by Michael Ford¹, family-supportive workplaces and the influence of supervisors -- good or bad -- on employee health.

While work scored above everything when it came to the biggest stressor in life, Supervisors at workplace were found to have maximum contribution to the same. A bad and an abusive supervisor can add a great deal of stress in an employee’s life.

This stress for sure spills over to personal life and has negative impact on marriage, kids, food choices, lifestyle, health hazards like obesity and cardiovascular diseases. It can even hamper the lives of the family members.

A supervisor who simply listens to the employees and can provide emotional support to them at times of need is a huge support at workplace but also a rarity.

Another research done by Prof. Randolph Barker² and his five member research team at Virginia Commonwealth University’s business school found that letting employees bring their dogs at workplace substantially reduces their stress and also makes them feel more satisfied about their work. Dogs may be a great buffer to the impact of workplace stress and can inspire greater personal interactions among employees.

I never knew ‘Dogs’ could have such an impact on stress-levels at workplace.

Dogs are no simple creatures. Take dog’s waging tail for instance. Dogs wag their tail to communicate strong emotions like agitation, annoyance, displeasure or happiness. A person gets bitten by a dog when he makes mistakes in interpreting the waging tail. 

So make no mistake, there is a science to a dog’s tail especially when it wags! Love or hate, follow the Dog!!!

1.     Prof. Michael Ford is an assistant professor of psychology at the University at Albany-State University of New York, and his research was funded by U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and presented in a Conference on ‘Work, Stress and Health 2013: Protecting and Promoting Total Worker Health’ ( May 16-19, 2013, Los Angeles).

2.     Prof. Barker’s research was published in the International Journal of Workplace health Management in 2012.