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www.nationalhrd.org

National HRD Network

The National HRD Network, established in 1985, is an

association of professionals committed to promoting

the HRD movement in India and enhancing the

capability of human resource professionals, enabling

them to make an impactful contribution in enhancing

competitiveness and creating value for society.

Towards this end, the National HRD Network is

committed to the development of human resources

through education, training, research and experience

sharing. The network is managed by HR professionals

in an honorary capacity, stemming from their interest

in contributing to the HR profession.

The underlying philosophy of the NHRDN is that every

human being has the potential for remarkable

achievement. HRD is a process by which employees in

organizations are enabled to:

• acquire capabilities to perform various tasks

associated with their present and future roles;

• develop their inner potential for self and

organisational growth;

• develop an organisational culture where networking

relationships, teamwork and collaboration among

different units is strong, contributing to

organisational growth and individual well-being.

HR

Competence

ISSN - 0974 - 1739

NHRD Network JournalOctober 2010 Volume 3 Issue 4

www.nationalhrd.org

A Quarterly Publication by The National HRD Network

Dr. Sripada Chandrasekhar

Dr. Jyotsna Bhatnagar

C Mahalingam

Dr. Arvind N Agrawal

Yogesh Patgaonkar

Abhijit Bhaduri

Bimal Rath

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay

Ganesh Chella

Dr. TV Rao

Prasenjit Bhattacharya

Dr. Vasanthi Srinivasan

R Vidyasagar

Dr. RK Premarajan

Hema Ravichandar

Smita Saha

Satish Pradhan

Dr. Uday Salunkhe

Dr. Prasad Kaipa

S Naga Siddharth

Anand Nayak

L Prabhakar

RR Nair

Harish Devarajan

Dr. Santrup Mishra

Vivek Paranjpe

NHRD Oct 2010 wrapper.p65 10/26/2010, 1:03 PM1

NHRD Network Journal

HR Competence

Volume 3 Issue 4 October 2010

NHRD Network Board Members

National President: NS Rajan, Partner, Human Capital and Global Leader – HR Advisory,Ernst & Young

Past National Presidents: Aquil Busrai, Chief Executive Officer - Aquil Busrai Consulting

Dwarakanath P, Director-Group Human Capital - Max India

Dr. Santrupt Misra, Director - Aditya Birla Group

Regional Presidents:

East: Saurav Das Patnaik, HR Director, Apeejay-Surrendra Group

South: Gopalakrishna M, Director Incharge, A.P. Gas Power Corporation Ltd.

West: Satish Pradhan, Executive VP, Group HR, Tata Sons

North: Sy. Siddiqui, MEO (Admn - HR, Fin & IT), Maruti Suzuki India

National Secretary: Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder & EVP, PeopleStrong HR Services

National Treasurer: Ashok Reddy B, VP-HR, Info Tech Enterprises

Executive Director: Mohit Gandhi

Editorial Board Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay, Director - Human ResourcesCitrix R&D India Pvt. [email protected]

(Guest Editor for this issue)

Dr. PVR Murthy, Managing Editor,CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,[email protected]

Aquil Busrai, Chief Executive OfficerAquil Busrai Consulting, Human Resources, Gurgaon, [email protected]

Publisher, Printer, Owner Mohit Gandhi on behalf of National HRD Network,and Place of Publication National HRD Network Secretariat, C 81 C, DLF Super Mart, DLF City,

Phase IV, Gurgaon122 002. Tel +91 124 404 1560

Printed at Nagaraj & Co. Pvt. Ltd., 156, Developed Plots Industrial Estate,Perungudi, Chennai 600 096. Tel : 044 - 66149291

The views expressed by the authors are of theirown and not necessarily of the editors nor of thepublisher nor of authors’ organizations

Copyright of the NHRD Journal, all rights reserved.Contents may not be copied, emailed or reproducedwithout copyright holders’ express permission in writing.

NHRD firmly believes in and respects IPR and we appeal to thecontributors and readers to strictly honour the same.

For any further clarifications, please contact :

The Managing EditorDr. P V R Murthy, CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,

#8, Janaki Avenue, Off 4th Street, Abhiramapuram, Chennai 600 [email protected]

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The National HRD Network publishes a semi-academic quarterly journal where in each issue isdedicated to a theme.

The journal publishes primarily three categories of articles :

• Conceptual and research based

• Contributions from thought leaders including a limited number of reprints with due permission

• Organizational experiences in HR interventions/mechanisms

Publications so far include on the themes “IT in HR”, ”Performance Management”, “Attracting andRetaining Talent”, “Career Management”, “Organizational Change”, “Global HRM”, “Women in CorporateLeadership Roles”, “Organization Development” and “Learning and Development”, “Leadership”,“Work-Life Balance”, “Institution Building”, “Coaching For Performance and Development” and “HumanResources Management in Rapid Growth Organizations”.

The current issue is on the theme of “HR Competence”.

The following persons have agreed to anchor as guest editors for the future issues :

1. P Dwaraknath, Director - HR Max Group on the theme HR and Employee Relations.

2. Dr. Santrupt B Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business & Director, Group H.R. Aditya Birla ManagementCorporation Pvt. Ltd. on the theme CEOs.

Editorial Board Members :

Dr. P.V.R. Murthy, Managing Editor is a product of I.I.T., Kharagpur and IIM, Calcutta with close to thirtyyears experience in H.R. field. He is founder and runs an executive search firm Exclusive SearchRecruitment Consultants. He is associated with a number of academic institutions. He is trained inTQM in Japan and in human processes from ISABS and NTL, U.S.A. He is the Immediate Past NationalSecretary of National HRD Network.

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay is Director - Human Resources Citrix R&D India PVT Ltd. A doctoral fellowfrom XLRI and AHRD, he is trained in OD and Human Processes from NTL, USA and he believes inapplying HR concepts to practice to make it more meaningful and effective. He is a mentor and coachto many young HR professionals.

Aquil Busrai is Chief Executive Officer at Aquil Busrai Consulting. He has over 36 years HR experience,both in strategic and operational HR with blue chip organisations like Unilever in Kenya and India,Motorola in Asia Pacific and Shell in Malaysia. He was Executive Director, Human Resources atIBM Corporation, National President at National HRD Network, HR Director Shell Malaysia and MDShell People.


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CONTENTSS.No. Title of Article Author Page No.

1. Competencies required to succeed as an Dr. Sripada Chandrasekhar 1HR leader in a global environment –A practitioner’s perspective

2. Current and emerging HR Competence Dr. Jyotsna Bhatnagar 5

3. Delivering Commitments: Key Competence C Mahalingam 13for HR professionals!

4. Building HR competencies in RPG Group Dr. Arvind N Agrawal 17– Laying Foundation for a strong Yogesh Patgaonkarbusiness partnership

5. Three areas for developing better Abhijit Bhaduri 23L&D Professionals

6. Workforce characteristic shift drivesHR competency needs Bimal Rath 25

7. Are You Competent Enough to Lead HR Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay 28

8. Coaching competencies forHR professionals Ganesh Chella 39

9. Art and Science of Competency Mapping Dr. TV Rao 46– An Update

10. Competencies of HR -HR Leaders in the Prasenjit Bhattacharya 54next decade

11. In Competence we trust? Making sense Dr. Vasanthi Srinivasan 63of competence

12. Creating a Competency Framework for HR R Vidyasagar 66– The journey so far

13. Competency Based Human Resource Dr. RK Premarajan 69Management in Indian Organisations: Gaurav GoyalInterim Results of An Ongoing Survey


S.No. Title of Article Author Page No.

INTERVIEWS

14. Evolution of HR Competencies during last Hema Ravichandar 76decade in India – a practitioner’s view —interviewed by Smita Saha

15. Evolution of HR competencies during Satish Pradhan 80the last decade in India —interviewed by Dr. Uday Salunkhe

16. The next of what and how, from the Dr. Prasad Kaipa 82future of here and now —interviewed by S Naga Siddharth

17. HR Competencies: Taking the Anand Nayak 86HR Profession to the Next Level —interviewed by L Prabhakar

18. HR Competencies in Today’s RR Nair 94Business Context —interviewed by Harish Devarajan

E-INTERVIEWS

19. Dr. Santrup Mishra 98

20. Vivek Paranjpe 100

BOOK REVIEWS

21. HR Transformation Reviewed by 102by Dave Ulrich and others Dr. Sandeep Krishnan

22. HR Competencies: Masteryat the Intersection of People and Business Reviewed by 103by Dave Ulrich and others Saathvika Raj

23. Handbook of Strategic HRM Reviewed by 104by Michael Armstrong and Angela Baron Naga Siddhart


EDITORIAL COMMENTS

Is HR growing as a profession? By all indication, the answer isyes. But I believe it is growing with an inherent contradiction.

"HR is the engine of an organisation's hiring, appraisal anddevelopment processes ………..too many companies relegate HRto the mundane, busy work of Newsletters, Picnics andBenefits……..Every CEO should elevate his head of HR to the samestructure of his CFO." Sounds familiar….yes that's what Jack andSuzy Welch once wrote in their regular Business Week column.But in spite of that I still meet hundreds of young HR professionalswho are searching for a purpose, a meaningful co - existence intheir organisations with other functions and wanting to feelsignificant and valued for their contribution. On the one hand Imeet a battery of search consultants who are looking for good HRprofessionals and ready to pay a very high price to recruit them, onthe other hand there are many CEOs who are still comfortable topass on the HR head's job to a trusted executive who handledQuality, Finance or Operations function in the past. And again,while we are producing thousands of young professionally qualifiedHR MBAs across the country, on the other hand small, mediumand even sometime large organisations continue to recruitemployees for HR roles who do not have any professionalqualification. Almost every month, there is a Regional, Nationalor International HR conferences being organised at some part ofthe country which are attended by thousand of professionals, whileon the other hand many HR managers throw aside the relevance ofHR concepts in building organisational practices by branding themas impractical without blinking an eye lid. And then there are thebudding HR professionals at management institutions across thecountry who are routinely taught theory and practices developedby western HR pundits to build their professional competencewhilst on the other hand they are hardly any attempt to takethem through the work done by Indian HR doyens and theirwork……….. be it Pradip Khandwala's PI motive, Prayag Mehta'sSocial Achievement theory, JBP Sinha's NT Leadership, LateUdai Pareek's Work Motivation/ Roles, TV Rao's HR Audit/Performance appraisal, Pritam Singh's Transformationalleadership.

Dr. PallabBandyopadhyay(Guest Editor for

this Issue)

Director - HumanResourcesCitrix R&D IndiaPvt. Ltd.


Taking clue from Kurt Lewin, who once said “There is nothingpractical than a good theory”, I strongly believe the only way toaddress this contradiction is through education and research.Because, HR like any other discipline can continue to acquire itsrigor only through development of sound practices. And soundpractices do not get evolved without sound theories. I have keptthis in the background when I was asked to edit this special issueon “HR competency.”

First of all I would like to thank all authors who have responded tomy “unreasonable demand” as an editor. Abhijit's article is on thefuture competencies that will be required as L&D professional.Yogesh and Dr. Arvind have written about their journey indeveloping a HR competency model for RPG group, a good insightabout the “how” part of it, that many of our readers are lookingforward to. Bimal in his article has argued that it is thecharacteristics of the workforce which drives the competency inorganisations and also recommended the competencies that will berequired for future HR leaders. Dr. Chandra used his vast experienceto dwell upon competencies required to succeed in a globalenvironment. He picked up three specific competencies fromHRCOMPASS model and further elaborated on them to show howthey are relevant in global context. Chella Ganesh, an ExecutiveCoach himself has spoken about the competencies required by HRprofessionals to develop coaching skills. It will be very helpful tomany of our readers who are aspiring to become coach within oroutside their own organisations in their competence journey.Dr. Jyotsna Bhatnagar shared various HR competency models thatare available across the globe and went on deliberating many of thespecific HR competencies that are required today for performingmany roles within HR profession in India with the globalisedbusiness environment. Mahalingam chose to deliberate on perhapsthe most desirable competencies for HR professionals today whomhe refers as “Delivering HR with an attitude”. In his characteristicstyle which is mixed with humour, this article will definitely makeour readers introspect.

My own article is an attempt to look logically, with supportingresearch evidences that HR is no more a common sense and theneed of the hour is have professionally qualified HR leaders toprovide leadership to a team of HR professionals. Prasenjit, who


had interacted with many CEOs and HR professionals whiledetermining “Great Places to Work in India”, has provided veryvaluable insights in addressing the fundamental question of “Whatmakes many Indian and International organisations great place towork.” He deliberates on future needs and challenges that are goingto emerge in Indian scenario and therefore the need for “FuturisticHR competencies” that will be required by Indian HR professionalsto become successful. Dr. Premrajan and Gourav have providedresearcher's perspective through a survey that they have conductedon Competency based HRM (CBHRM) in Indian Organisations.An extremely good addition to our issue, it will surely provide thedirection and characteristics of these practices, which many of ourreaders are either have implemented or planning to implement intheir respective organisations. Dr. TV Rao, has provided his viewson the practice of competency mapping. Not only he traced thehistory of competency mapping globally but also quoted experiencesof number of Indian Organisations that have developed their owncompetency mapping practice to strengthen their effort in thisdirection. I am sure our readers will find it very useful inunderstanding basic tenets of competency mapping. Dr. Vasanthihas deliberated on a very fundamental question associated withassessment of competencies in her article. That is about assessing“Generic or Specific” competencies in organisational context andthe multifaceted problems that are associated with this effort. I amquite confident this article will stimulate lot of questions in themind of our readers and hopefully will lead to some original researchin Indian context, especially in assessment effort of competencies.Vidyasagar in his article has documented the history of the massiveeffort that three great Institutions like NHRDN, CII and XLRIhave put together to develop the first HR competency modelHRCOMPASS in India. He also has pointed out how this modelcan be used by both academics and practitioners to developcompetent HR professionals in the future.

RR Nair, Hema Ravichandran, Satish Pradhan, Anand Nayak,Dr. Prasad Kaipa, Dr. Santrupt Mishra and Vivek Paranjapae havecontributed to the growth of HR profession significantly. We aregrateful to Harish, Smita, Dr. Uday, Prabhakar, Siddharth andDr. PVR Murthy who have captured through their wonderful effort,immensely valuable thoughts and insights from these senior HRleaders on evolution of HR competencies. We are sure our readers


will find them not only fascinating in terms of acquiring knowledgebut also inspiring in their own journey of professional growth.Lastly we have not forgotten to add three HR book reviews especiallyin the context of HR competencies. Sandeep, Saathvika andSiddharth have done a good job in reviewing these three “mustread” HR books.

I am grateful to the NHRDN board for providing me thisopportunity which has significantly contributed to my ownunderstanding of HR competencies. Whether I have been able to dojustice can only be judged by you. Robert Half, once said “Givingpeople a little more than they expect is a good way to get back a lotmore than you’d expect”. I am hoping our collective effort in thisissue will be a small and humble beginning to create many morecompetent HR professionals in the country.

Aquil BusraiDr. PVR MurthyHonorary ManagingEditor on behalf ofthe Editorial Team


October | 2010 NHRD Network Journal 1

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED TO SUCCEED AS AN HRLEADER IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT— A PRACTITIONER’S PERSPECTIVE

Dr. SRIPADA CHANDRASEKHAR

About the Author

The author is Head of HR, at IBM in India/South Asia. He hasover two and half decades of executive experience in HR practiceacross the Public, Private and MNCs in India. Associated withseveral “new generation HR practices,” his thought leadershipin HR practice places him among the top league HR leaders inIndia.

Initially, I struggled to choose anappropriate title for this article. So I

decided to go with what the Editor (mydear friend) suggested. Accepting goodsuggestions and simply executing them’ Ithought, was a good and decent HRcompetence to have – to start with! Being apractitioner of HR management I feel thatthis article is fully based on my personalperspective.

As I address this topic, I find three key partsto this discussion.

(1) What are the competencies of an HRLeader?

(2) Which of those competencies lead to‘success’ as an HR leader?

(3) Which competencies work better in aglobal environment?

Now let’s look at these three questions insome detail.

Much has been written on HRcompetencies. Our own National HRDNetwork has worked extensively on thisand we now have what is known as HRCOMPASS that talks of 17 competencies

across four quadrangles defining all thecompetencies that HR professionals arerequired to have. Since listing, describingand speaking about competencies areeasier than actually possessing andpracticing competencies – I will not list andelaborate what these competencies shouldbe. I will ask the really sincere among ourreaders to go find the competencies.

Now let’s look at what leads to success asan HR leader. In my view – the applicationof all the ideal competencies at all timesmay not lead to success.

Success at the work place is defined bystakeholder expectations. Even asinfluencing stake holders is important, it’sequally important to fulfill theirexpectations by displaying relevantcompetencies. Let’s take an example. In theHR COMPASS model there are twocompetencies – one listed under theFunctional –Behavioural category as “Execution excellence” and another treatedas Generic Behavioural called“Networking management”. As any onecan guess both these competencies areextremely important to grow as an HR

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2 October | 2010 NHRD Network Journal

professional However at a certain stage ofthe evolution of a company, its key stakeholders may be looking for the HR leaderto demonstrate more of ‘executionexcellence’ than ‘networkingmanagement’. Typically start –upcompanies in growth markets needtremendous focus on execution and‘networking’ can wait.

A mere text book understanding ofcompetencies and the desire to assess andpossess all of them may make someenthusiastic and well read HRprofessionals pursue networking in acompany where the ‘networks’ may nothave even begun!

On the functional side of competencies this‘missing-the-relevance’ type of dispositionby HR folk is rather common. One meetsmany HR leaders who are busy designingsophisticated compensation and benefitsstrategies or talent management strategiesin organisations that are either bleedingfinancially or do not even have the criticalmass of people to run talent managementprograms.

Knowing which competency to use andwhen is the real competence .Merepossession of competencies without theability to use them wisely could be counterproductive.

Of all the competencies listed in ourNational competency model (HRCOMPASS) I will particularly recommendthe following three competencies:

1. Service orientation2. Personal credibility3. Execution excellence

These three abilities will stand all HRleaders in good stead in all types oforganisations and at all times. In my view,if you are strong in all other competenciesbut weak in the above three, your successwill be hard to come by. On the other hand,

if you are weak in some of the functionalor generic competencies but strong in thesethree, then your chance of success is stillhigh.

Now that we understand what it takes tobe successful, let’s delve deeper into theglobal environment aspect. This is indeedis the most topical subject today. There isno gainsaying the tact that globalisation ofthe world –at least economically is here tostay. The global economy today is far moreintegrated and inter-dependent.Companies in India cannot operate in theircocoons and expect not be touched byglobal trends. So global environment is notthe exclusive preserve of only so calledMNCs but it impacts Indian /localcompanies as much. However how HRleaders have to cope with the globalenvironment differs between the MNCsand the locally controlled companies. Sincethe environment present itself differentlyin these two types of companies –I will tryto present my thoughts on thecompetencies required in these twodifferent segments.

Let’s deal with the local companies first andtheir global environment. Again here wewill find two categories - some who arelocally controlled but have significantoverseas operations - with multi-countryoperations - say an Aditya Birlacorporation. On the other hand there aremany local companies – which are not yetmanaging large operations abroad but areflourishing Indian businesses focusedlargely on Indian markets - say an NTPC.

Indian MNCs – companies with originsand headquarters in India but globallyoperating both through green field sitesand acquisitions and mergers – need totreat their HR processes the same way asany other MNC. HR leaders of suchcompanies need to be competent inInternational HRM (refer HR COMPASS)and understand governance and

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compliance issues in various foreigncountries. The ability to hire, pay, manage,motivate and assimilate employees acrossborders will be imperative for success. Andcompetencies that foster these capabilities–will be critical for HR leaders of suchcompanies. The strengths of truly globalcompanies lie in their ability to roll-outglobally integrated and consistentprograms. For example if providing an‘equal employment opportunity’environment is a requirement in USA ,thena truly global company will do the same inall the countries. This lends consistencyand a strong identity. Sometimes IndianHR leaders take a ‘this-is-not-required-in-India’ view and avoid bringing in globalbest practices into India. By the same tokenand in the name of localisation they pushfor stronger processes only in countrieswhere enforcement is stronger. Suchexpediency will not help in a globalenvironment. I know of a senior HR leaderwho considers it below his dignity to weara helmet while walking through his Indianfactory site but willingly dons a helmetwhen he visits his European factory!! Howironic!! So the ability to follow globalstandards and influencing others to do sois a strong competence for HR leaders ofIndian MNCs.

Talking about India focused-Indiancompanies and their HR leaders - weshould remind ourselves that is a passingphase. Indian markets and customers areincreasingly getting globalised. Withgrowing purchasing power customers willonly be more and more demanding. So if alarge retail chain in the US or Europeroutinely offers to take back or exchangegoods up to several weeks after purchase,an Indian retail company can not for toolong provide warning signs in their bills :“Goods once sold can be exchanged orreturned’! The HR leader of this Indiafocused retail company needs to build aglobal environment right here in II tier

India - in Nashik or Hubli. The HR Leadersmust have the competence to understandthe global nature of business, the emergingchoices of customers and employees andmust help their companies avoid the‘chalata hai’ mindset. India is already a partof the global mainstream. HR leaders herewill be deemed incompetent by theiremployees and other stake holders if theypostpone implementing global standards.Exactly how people in their personal livesdemand global services from their airlines,restaurants, mobile phone provider orretailer, the employees today want to workin well-governed, non-feudal, merit-centered transparent company

Apart form the competencies listed in HRCOMPASS, I will specially call out the needfor a range of competencies around ‘peoplegovernance’. Competencies aroundproviding checks and balances, pro-activecompliances with laws and social norms,heightened sensitivity to global topics likepollution, climate change, and a concernfor well-being of employees, volunteeringaffirmative and inclusive actions, buildinga robust framework for grievance handlingand fostering a culture of treatingemployees with dignity will be essentialfor HR Leaders-in times to come.

Let me conclude by talking about thecompetencies of HR leaders working forglobal MNCs but in India. In their case, theHQ is elsewhere. So they are a part of abranch or an outpost (barring a fewprogressive companies who at least aremaking public pronouncements regardingmaking India office as their second HQ).It’s important for these HR leaders to becompetent in ‘executing’ global policies inIndia as diligently and close to the originalpossible. They need to avoid the trap ofculture and should not allow localisationto become an excuse for avoiding strongglobal processes.

Think about an interesting situation. Thereis a true blue global company that says they

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will not support employees own/drivecars that do not meet with very stringentglobal emission norms. Imagine you are anHR Leader of such a company. If you findsome of the most popular cars whichemployees want to own in India are notyet completely compliant with the best ofglobal emission norms.

What would you do?

- Stop supporting employees own suchcars?

Or

- Take a view that it is okay to pollute abit in India and ask for a special localdispensation?

(I would insist on avoiding emissions inIndia –however unpopular that decisionis.)

The ability to balance global with local isat the heart of all HR competencies in theincreasingly global environment we haveentered. The competencies listed below arecritical to every HR leader’s competencyportfolio.

• Cross-cultural understanding andeffectiveness

• Global collaboration

• Working across time zones

• Adoption of global processes

• Virtual team work and leadership

• Helping companies, leaders andemployees leapfrog into the globalenvironment

Competencies, like all other aspects of anHR leader’s life, cannot be cast in stone andprescribed in ‘one-size-fits-all’ style. Theyneed to evolve and adapt. A globalmindset, globally relevant competenciesand a belief that global is not elsewhere –are the start points for success in a globalenvironment.

Indian HR leaders have the uniqueopportunity to define and set, not merelyfollow global standards in peoplemanagement. With our demographicdividend and youthful population we arenow at a juncture of human history that noother nation does. This is our time - to bebold, creative and truly global. No countryneither any company is truly global yet.Most leaders and therefore mostcompanies all over the world suffer fromnational and ethnic biases. We have theopportunity to rise above and take ourcompanies to “where the world has not beenbroken up into fragments by narrow domesticwalls”, as poet Rabindranath Tagore wouldurge us.

Will the HR leaders in India have thecompetence just not to succeed but helpbuild a truly global environment? And doit right here in the backwaters of theemerging India.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSOur profound thanks to all the contributors of articles,interviewers, interviewees and bookreviewers who have taken time off from their busy schedules out of their dedicated interest tothe field of Human Resources.

We acknowledge with gratefulness the excellent contribution of the guest editor Dr. PallabBandyopadhyay, Director-Human Resources, Citrix Systems.

We also acknowledge the support from Saathvika Raj and Sunathy of Exclusive Search.

Our special thanks to Ms. Bina Raju for her painstaking editorial support.

– Dr. PVR Murthy, Managing Editor

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CURRENT AND EMERGING HR COMPETENCIESDr. JYOTSNA BHATNAGAR

Many Indian organisations, areleveraging the existing human

resources through extensive investments incompetencies of employees and using thestrategy of capital investment, instead ofthe cost-cutting strategy for theiremployees (Cappelli, Singh, Singh andUseem, 2010). The advantage lies in thesynchronised business and HR strategy,customised to the Indian culture. The crisisof recession sculpted a need for innovativepeople management strategies within highperforming work systems. This strategywas based on organisational cultureswhich nurtures innovation as acompetency and strategic leadership thatinstitutionalises and encourages such a

mindset. Many innovative interventionsare designed and planned to deal with thechallenge of the current recession drawneconomic context. The HR function in somespecific organisations leads the innovationin business models and HR function(Cappelli, Singh, Singh and Useem, 2010).This spurt that is witnessed currently liesin the need to leverage innovation and isbased on distinct indigenous HRCompetencies.There has been a productive professionaldebate about the value of genericcompetency models versus custom-designed ones. When time permits and thecost of customising is within the means ofthe customer, customised models are more

About the Author

Dr. Jyotsna Bhatnagar is a Ph.D. from IIT Delhi, and an affiliateof Harvard Business School. She is currently the AssociateProfessor of HRD & Chairperson of Post Graduate Programmein Management at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon,NCR, India. Jyotsna is currently the Board Member of the IndianAcademy of Management and Asian Academy of Management,affiliated to the Academy of Management, USA. She is a memberof Academy of Management, North American Case Research

Association. She is also a life member of the National HRDNetwork & Indian Societyfor Training & Development.

Her co-edited book ‘Changing face of People Management in India’ has been publishedby Routledge, UK in 2009. She has published over 60 International & National levelcutting edge research papers and Practitioner oriented Case Studies on InnovativeHRM in India.

She has recently been awarded the Best Practical Research Award on her research on‘Talent Engagement & Retention’ by Emerald Literati, U.K., at the Academy ofManagement conference, Montreal, 2010. Jyotsna is an academician, researcher, trainerand consultant on Talent Management & Competency Framework, Employeeengagement and retention; Strategic HRM at MDI, Gurgaon, NCR, India. She can becontacted at: [email protected]

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likely to be accepted and applied.Customised competency modelsconstructed with employee involvementcreate buy-in and marketing buzz. They arealso more likely to reflect businesspriorities and use a language thatmanagement and employees recognise astheir own (Monteir et al, 2006). The needto contextualise Indian HR competencieshas been felt often (CII-NHRDN-2007 HRcompetency based project).

Yet as the context changes so docompetencies. Primarily, competencies arebased on the role of HR function. The HRrole is evolving using operationaleffectiveness and efficiency. We witnessemerging case studies of Six Sigma in softprocesses of HR (Bhatnagar & Pandey,2009), which exemplify both effectivenessand efficiency within the HR function,relying on fundamental HR Functionalexpertise role and competence. Morerecently Noe (2008) explored the linkagebetween HR roles and competencies. Thestudy quotes, how American Society forTraining and Development defined rolesas “groupings of targeted competencies”(www.astd.org). They are not job titles but aset of skills needed to empower the individual.An individual’s job may encompass one or moreroles, similar to different `hats’ we might haveto ̀ wear’. The Society for Human ResourcesManagement (SHRM) defines competen-cies as “attributes that are necessary for aperson to possess in order to complete aparticular job. These include knowledge, skillsand abilities model.

With reference to the research conductedby McKinsey & Company (Michaels, et al2001), corporate officers (i.e. CEOs andtheir direct reports) were asked, “ShouldHR be a high-impact partner to linemanagers?” Eighty percent of corporate

officers said it was critical or veryimportant that HR play that role. However,only 12% believed they were actuallyplaying that role today. Corporate officerssuggested that each division and eachmajor location should have a “superb HRprofessional who is strategic, impact-oriented, direct, tough-minded, andeffective at influencing peers and seniormanagement.”

Over the years the role of HR in India hasevolved from being a personnel drawer-maintenance function to essentiallytraining and development function, to nowa strategic function in a moderate sense,which understands and speaks thelanguage of business & finance,understand data analysis, uses technologyas a driver to know the big picture ofbusiness and the small details ofoperational effectiveness (Bhatnagar, 2007;Bhatnagar & Sharma, 2005).

In order to contextualise the concept of HRroles and competencies and to study itsimpact on Indian business let us firstexamine the western backdrop of thisconcept. Next, we would investigate theemerging Indian HR competencies and theneed to train and leverage these for adistinct competitive advantage to Indianbusiness. We conducted interviews of 15senior and middle managers in 2008-2009,to explore the emerging competencies forfuture and current HR managers. We havetaken high performing work organisationsas a context for this exploratory work.Further, this examination would providesome guidelines HR managers and leadersof Multinational organisations doingbusiness in India and Indian transnationalorganisations doing business within theglobal village.

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Currently, there is much discussion in thepractitioner and academic world about theindividual competencies of HRprofessionals, especially in the recessiontorn economies. Ulrich, Brockbank,Hohson, Sandholz and Younger (2008)argue that the human resource functionshould add value and make a meaningfulcontribution to employees and linemanagers inside the company, and tocustomers, communities, partners, andinvestors outside it. ASTD has capturedthis thought into a matrix. Refer to Table 1,for the western context of emerging HRcompetencies.Justifiably, most of the discussion andsupporting research to date has focused onwidely generalisable, core HRcompetencies. While some efforts havebeen made to differentiate the critical HRcompetencies needed in various settings(e.g., Lawler, 119: 165), there is a need formore research that gives recognition to thejob characteristics and contextual factorslikely to influence both the relativeimportance of the various competenciesand the ease with which they can beapplied (Roehling et al, 2005).

Figure 1 : HR Competencies that make a difference (Ulrich Brockbank, 2005)

HR Competencies: The CompetingPrinciples and Paradoxes

To map the history of the concept of HRcompetencies, we have to go back to the1950s where the conceptualisation andmeasurement of competencies inbehavioral terms was conducted whentraining of managers and supervisors wasthe main focus (Flanagan, 1954;Fleischman, 1953). Later McClelland (1973)raised the issue of testing for competencerather than intelligence to guide decisionson recruitment and career for otherpersonnel categories (Nybo, 2004). Muchlater, McLagan (Valkeavaara 1998)acknowledged four clusters ofcompetencies for HR. These wereinterpersonal competencies, businesscompetencies, technical competencies(knowledge and delivery of traditionalpersonnel and HRD management) andintellectual competencies.

Recently, Ulrich and Brockbank (2005)noted the HR competency set fordeveloping a distinct employer valueproposition. This is depicted below :

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Table 1 :Essential competencies for HRD practitioners as identified by the ASTD (USA)

Business Competencies Interpersonal Competencies Personal Competencies

• Analysing needs andproposing solutions

• Applying businessacumen

• Driving results

• Planning andimplementingassignments

• Thinking strategically

• Building trust

• Communicatingeffectively

• Influencing stakeholders

• Leveraging Diversity

• Networking andpartnering

Source: www.astd.org (Noe, 2008)

• Demonstratingadaptability

• Modelling personaldevelopment

Based on the Gallup Organisation’sresearch, many competencies may not be“trainable” or can not be developed by anindividual, no matter their level of personaleffort. Suffice it to say here that a goodcareer coach will do a great service toindividual career clients by seriouslyfocusing on the idea of position or careerfield “fit” in light of their currentcompetencies, while advising them to becautious about attempting to developcompetencies that might not bedevelopable.

We report an exploratory work based onqualitative data set and the current studyattempts to cluster the emergingcompetencies. The method of contentanalysis was used on the extensiveinterviews carried out. We clustered theemerging themes and have ranked thethemes.

The Current and EmergingHRCompetency Framework:The weightage between functional andbehavioral competency set in an HR profileis dependent on the business need andsynchronised business and HR strategy. Italso depends on top management and the

influence and voice of HR within the boardand top management.

Some organisations have equal weightageat the entry level, and as the managergrows up the ladder, an unequal weightagebetween functional competencies (whichmay be 40%) of the HR competency profileand behavioral competency (around 60%)of the HR profile. The HR Leader profilehas 80% of behaviourial competencies and20% of Functional competencies, with fitand value congruence appearing asimportant differentiators in highperforming work organisations.

• Holistic Business Sense

• Competency sets for this functionfor excellence are essentially that ofa well rounded holistic businessmanager. A person who has thecompetence to understand thelanguage of business, strategy andholistic impact of HR decisions onbusiness strategy and vice versa. Heought to have deep understandingof finance, know Return ofInvestment on every HR/ODintervention design with an eye oncost benefit analysis. He is also a

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strategic planner and a systeminnovator.

• Possesses sharp business intelligenceand has a sharp nose for gleaning theground reality. Primarily, he has a lot ofbusiness intelligence sources bothexternal and internal. Through subtlesources he gets authentic information,so as to take agile, intelligent, just intime, and just for you, decisions. Thedetective ear & eyes of the organisation,where the information stock and flow,first flows automatically to him/her. Heis one who knows the pulse of theorganisation and listens to andunderstands the emerging patterns.

• He must be a Strategist-Jugaat-Chanakya and Chess player. He mustbe able to see the game even before it isplayed. He is solution oriented and hasa flexible ‘Jugat’ competence.

• Networker-Jugaadu. Much has writtenabout the ‘Jugaad’ competency ofIndians currently. Special reference toKrishnan (2010) who states it as creativeimprovisation & Cappelli et al (2010).TheIndian DNA of the ‘Jugaad-navigator’who is flexible and has a resilience toget the work done, no matter what thecircumstances. Indian history is repletewith examples of such exemplarypeople managers. Within the currentcontext the competency of Jugaad andnetworking is the primary competenceneeded to survive in the practitionerreality of doing business in India.Without the relational jugaad network,an HR manager cannot survive. To keepthe support network up and alive, wesee personal and professional friendscoming in need. Navigating withflexibility, to get the work done, nomatter what and how many constraintscomes to the fore.

Michaels, et al (2001) support thesefindings, when they state corporate officers

also suggested that “strategically-focusedHR professionals” should:

• “Help to forge the link betweenbusiness strategy and talentDevelopment. Only 7% of the corporateofficers agreed that their companies“link business strategy to specific talentpool (i.e. human resource)requirements.”

• “Serve as the thought leader inunderstanding what it takes to attractgreat talent or be “the barometer of theorganisation, understanding morale,recruiting and retention trends, as wellas other key people issues.”

• “Facilitate the talent review process andaction plans by “having a nose for weakspots (people, structures, processes, andculture) and being comfortable inpushing (i.e. effectively influencing)senior leadership to deal proactivelywith those weak spots.”

· “Become the architect of theDevelopment strategy for the top 50-100senior leadership group. This requiresgood assessment competence, goodlistening competence, candour andinsight.”

• Marketing Competence- Customeri-sation as an essential competency:

Customer Relationship Management in HRis the critical point at which HRM rests incontemporary research on HRM. It is thatthread which links Business strategy of afirm to its HR strategy routed through theheart, the mind and the soul of its internalcustomer. Customerisation process is builton the need of the internal employee. It iswhen an internal customer experiencingdelight, that he/she would be able totransfer the same delight to the firm’sexternal customer. Hence CustomerRelationship management for the internalcustomer becomes a crucial strategic issuefor not only HR, but top management of

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an organisation. Case in point, is Tata’sNDPL, which is known for its immensecustomerisation approach which saw thesuccess of Public private partnership ofDelhi Vidyut Board and NDPL (Bhatnagar& Saini, 2007/8)

HR Functional Competency: A person who has the functionalcompetence to understand the language ofbusiness, strategy and holistic impact ofHR decisions on business strategy and viceversa. He must possess deep rootedunderstanding of the HR systems andprocesses, a fundamental functionalcompetence, which is honed by living thethrough HR processes. He ought to havedeep understanding of finance, knowsReturn of Investment on every HR/ODintervention design with an eye on costbenefit analysis.

• Functional HR Expertise- FundamentalHR knowledge of Compensation andBenefits, Talent Pipeline Identificationand development; Merger andacquisitions management competence

• Manages Resources in all kinds ofcontexts using the Jugaadu and Jugatcompetence. Data analytics-Possessesnumber crunching competence. Acompetence which helps an HR expertto understand data, its patterns andresearch analytics, so that critical, agiledecisions are arrived on precise dataanalytics. A competence which helps anHR person to understands data, itspatterns and research analytics, so thatcritical, agile decisions are arrived onprecise data analytics.

• Has deep rooted understanding of theHR systems and processes, afundamental functional competence,which is honed by living the throughHR processes. Need for robustanalytical competence with high levelof personal awareness and understands

behavioral measurement techniques inobjective and subjective manner.

• Diverse competence of managing theentire life cycle of employees when atthe workplace. These includeupgrading and managing Talentpipeline development and employeeengagement and having a passion forexcellence and a bias for action andreflection.

Process Competence of an OD expert:An intuitive instinct to understand theprocess complexity of an organisation anddesign an intervention which integrates theethos and the pathos of the organisationand provides a solution, inherentlycustomised. Case in point are Indian firmslike Tata Steel, Maruti Udyog limitedwhose HR leadership uses this competencyto the fore.

Behavioral competency: A humble out-of-box innovator Leader• Behavioral competency of a visionary

leader, who knows how to stand tall,even in the light of controversy, for his/her values and ethics. Case in point isthe Tata‘s exemplary story with the 26/11 context. Line, HR managers and theCEO Rattan Tata exhibited personalcredibility and the humane face ofHuman resource management.Competency set of a humble serviceprovider with an eye for excellence inexecution of these services. HRprofessionals need the competence ofruthless compassion which may help toconnect with people, when needed fordelivering service, and ruthless intaking tough stands and decisionswhich support the business.

• Change Agent:

• Manages Change, Analysesunderlying patterns

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Interpersonal Competency• Sharp communication, conflict

management and negotiationcompetence, which may be honed at astrategic leadership level. Is IT savvyand can comprehend use of earchitecture for HR. Is a team player andhas enough ambiguity tolerance and ishighly emotionally intelligent.Relationship oriented person, who iskeenly observant and emotionallyintelligent.

• These are the other emergingcompetencies, desirable, yet a littleuncommon at the entry level. Becomesa differentiating competence for an HRleader and Expert.

HR Leader competence:• Passionate curiosity

• Life long learner

• Smooth negotiator and navigator

• Innovative-out of box

• Emotionally intelligent and highly selfaware of strengths and weaknesses

The Learning Competency of being alifelong learner and a humble leader, whofollows the philosophy of sharedleadership to make things happen at thework place. Contemporary times have HRprofessionals in Indian Diaspora, who areenablers, catalysts, dreamers and executerswith an eye on the big picture of business,

and remembering that God lies in details.The role of Constructive conflictmanagement is re- emerging now withIndustrial strikes happening time andagain in contemporary times.

This changing need, in the IndianEmployment environment points to themissing element in the big picture frame,that of basic humane competency.

Humane and Humble: Reference to theproject ‘Sharing’(Ouimet, 2010), whichcaptured the need for organisationalmembers to spend one day in a year doingservice to the humanity together, likeserving meals to the homeless, workingwith retarded children or what Bharti did,working on tower construction during theweek and spending the weekend in villageschool, teaching the village children Thiskind of service would bring theorganisation together and teams will livethrough the humanness of being human.

The cherished competency of being ahuman in the Human Resource mangerneeds to be honed and polished within theIndian and the global context. As webecome more mechanized and commercial,we need to touch base with the God within,to give back more with the humancompetency of humaneness.

The above section is a tall order. Yet theprogress actually belongs to theunreasonable man, to quote George BernardShaw.

References:1. Bhatnagar, J., (2007). Predictors of Organizational Commitment in India: Strategic HR Roles, Psychological Empowerment and

Organizational Learning Capability. International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol.18 Issue 10, p1782-1811.

2. Bhatnagar, J. and Pandey, A. (2009) HR Metrics and Six SIGMA IN AN Indian based MNC, (Chapter 10) (Eds.) (2009) “ TheChanging Face of People Management in India” London: Routledge :Taylor and Francis.

3. Bhatnagar Jyotsna & Saini, D.S. (2007). HR driven turnaround at North Delhi Power Limited: Transition from a Public Utility to aPrivate Enterprise Asian Case Research Journal, Vol. 11, No.2. (NUS, Singapore).

4. Bhatnagar, J., & Sharma, A., (2005) ‘The Indian Perspective of Strategic HR Roles and Organizational Learning Capability’,International Journal of Human Resource Management,16(8)

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5. Cappelli, P., Singh, H., Singh, J., and Useem, M. (2010) The India Way. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business school Publishing.

6. Erasmus, B., Pieter, V.L., & Hammann, M., (2010) Competencies for Human Resource Development Practitioners. 2010 EABR &ETLC Conference Proceedings, Dublin, Ireland

7. Flanagan, J. (1954) ‘The Critical Incident Technique’, Psychological Bulletin, 51: 327–59.

8. Fleischman, E. (1953) ‘The Description of Supervisory Behaviour’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 37: 1–6.

9. Lawler, E.E. (1994) ‘From Job-Based to Competency-Based Organization’, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 15: 3–15.

10. McClelland, D. (1973) ‘Testing for Competence Rather than Intelligence’, American Psychologist, 28: 1–14.

11. Michaels, E. Hamsfield-Jones, Axelford, B (2001) War for Talent Harward Business School Press, Boston: McKinsey and Co. Inc.

12. Montier, R., Alai, D.,and Kramer, D(2006) Competency Models Develop Top Performance, Training and Development, ASTD,July 2006

13. Noe, RA.( 2008). Employee training and development. New York: McGrawHill: 2.

14. Nybø, G. (2004) Personnel development for dissolving jobs: towards a competency-based approach? Int. J. of Human ResourceManagement 15:3 May 2004 549–564

15. Ouimet, J.R. (2010) Everything has been loaned to you. Autobiography of a transformational Leader. www.our-project.com.Privatecirculated at 2010, Academy of Management Conference, Montreal.

16. Roehling, M. V., Boswell, W. R Caligiuri, P., Feldman, D., Graham, M. E., Guthrie, J.P., Morishima, M., and Tansky, J, W. (2005)The future of HR management: research needs and directions. Human Resource Management, Vol. 44, No. 2, Pp. 207–216.

17. Ulrich, D, and Brockbank, W. (2005).The HR Value Proposition. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business school Publishing.

18. Ulrich, D, Brockbank, W, Hohnson, D, Sandholtz, K & Younger, J. 2008. HR competencies: mastery at the intersection of peopleand business. Michigan: Society for Human Resource Management.

19. Valkeavaara, T. 1998. Human resource development roles and competencies in five European countries. International Journal ofTraining and Development 2(3):177-179.

20. www.astd.org/content/research/competency/AreasofExpertise.htm. Accessed: 24 Aug 2010

21. Krishnan, R.T. (2010) From Jugaad to Systematic Innovation: The Challenge for India, the Utpreraka Foundation.

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DELIVERING COMMITMENTS: KEY COMPETENCEFOR HR PROFESSIONALS!

C MAHALINGAM

About the AuthorC Mahalingam (Mali) has more than 23 years of experience inthe field of Human Resources and has held senior executivepositions with leading organizations. Prior to joining SymphonyServices, Mali led HR for the India operations of IBM andHewlett-Packard as well as Philips Software Center. At thesecompanies Mali helped drive Total Employee Delight to attaina position among the best employers. Mali is currently thePresident of the IT Industry HR Association, Bangalore, and ison the National HR Committee of the Confederation of Indian

Industry, New Delhi. He is a recipient of the prestigious Golden Jubilee GoldMedal for the Masters in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations, LoyolaCollege, Chennai. He can be reached at [email protected]

1.0 Introduction: For some years now,HR has earned a well-deserved seatat the strategy table. From being apicnic organiser to being partner inexecuting business strategy has notbeen an easy journey. This is partlybecause HR professionals over thepast several years settled for theircomforting cocoon as welfarewatchdog and policy police. But thisis also largely because we did not havea well-defined competencyframework to lean on and build ourcompetencies. In a lighter vein, I oftenshared in many HR platforms thatever since the introduction ofMicrosoft office suite, many HRprofessionals embraced the same astheir competency framework. If youknew how to draft a word documentand mail, you arrived as an HRexecutive. And if you understood thenuances of the Excel spreadsheet, youannounced yourself as aCompensation & Benefits expert! Andhold your breath – if you mastered theart of PowerPoint, you are all set to

become the Vice President of HR!Welcome to the world of HRcompetencies!! In this article, I intendto focus on one of the weak areas ofHR that makes the business discountthe HR function and the professionals.And this has to do with HRprofessionals delivering HR with anattitude (as Dave Ulrich calls it!) andexecuting well on their commitments

2.0 Pussy Cat Syndrome: Remember thenursery rhyme Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat,where have you been? Well, most ofus in HR profession are perceived notonly to be remembering, but actuallyliving this everyday! Let me explain.Pussy Cat set out to London to look atthe Queen, but settled eventually forthreatening the little mouse under thechair! And the analogy here for HRprofession and professionals is that weare experts in designing andproducing mega projects andprocesses, but when it comes toexecuting on these projects, we fallterribly short. From a 360 degree

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feedback process to Leadership Benchcreation plan, we often demonstrate anextra-ordinary competence inconceiving and creating the plans.How much of this gets executed ismore for our own reflection andadmission. Competency managementframeworks are another classicexample. Drawn up with hugeinvestments and launched with evenmore fanfare, their resoluteimplementation remains much to bedesired. Remember the humouroussaying? After all has been said anddone, more remains said than done.Seems like an adage aptly conceivedfor HR! This is what I call as “PussyCat Syndrome” – make commitmentsand drop them soon enough.Understandably, this is not helpingHR profession which has an enormousrole to play in the human capital erain which we are living today.

3.0 HR is not just the Strategic Partner,HR is the Strategy! Well that is mypoint of view to emphasise howcritical is Human capital strategy inthe current and future context. Labourhas become the capital. Intellectualcapital has firmly entrenched itself asthe key source of competitiveadvantage. Leaders who pay attentionto leveraging the human capital willtransform the workplaces and reaprich dividends. And HR leaders andprofessionals have a major role to playin helping architect the human capitalstrategy around which the entirebusiness strategy will revolve goingforward. Times could not have beenbetter for HR professionals forsignificantly making a difference andadding tremendous value to theirorganisations. Just that we need to askourselves how much of “pussy catsyndrome” we are all a victim of anddo the repair. It is honing our skillsand shaping our attitude towards

becoming good at execution. DrSumantra Ghoshal in his path-breaking book titled, A Bias for Actionhas highlighted that only 10%managers in general take purposefulaction. Therefore, it takes consciousefforts to break-free from the “activenon-action” and deliver on our plansand commitments. The opportunitybefore the HR professionals is a lifetime one and we cannot afford to letdown our organisations and doing soalso means we are letting ourselvesand our profession down. Whatshould we do, therefore?

4.0 Auditing our Energy, Focus and Willto deliver: Borrowing a leaf from DrGhoshal’s work, HR professionalsneed to do a self assessment to studytheir energy levels, their attentionspan and their will power to stick withplans and programs approved forimplementation. Energy is bothphysical and emotional. Energy comesfrom intense personal commitmentand involvement in goals we set forour function and ourselves. Many aHR manager ’s career has beenderailed because they did not have theenergy and enthusiasm expected oftheir role. When energy is absent, wetend to postpone and procrastinatethings to the last minute. We tend toavoid making commitments. We over-delegate and rarely do reviews and asa result find ourselves flooded withnasty surprises. Energy can beobtained and enhanced throughvarious ways. Keeping physically fitis one way; networking for knowledgeis another; and continuouslychallenging oneself with stretch goalsalso enhances one’s energy levels.

Focus comes from setting prioritiesand consciously keeping distractionsout of the way. Personal disciplineplays a major role in pressing aheadwith planned priorities. Without it,

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HR leaders will let themselves bedistracted and do what they enjoydoing most rather than what deliversvalue to the business and organisation.Stephen Covey made a point when hesaid that managers high on executiontend to set a few WIGs – WildlyImportant Goals- and deliver them.Chasing too many goals and prioritiesmay be yet another recipe fordistraction. Remember the Chineseproverb: “If you chase two rabbits, youwill likely get neither!”

In delivering commitments, HRmanagers are likely confronted withwalls that they need to surmount.Constraints of resources, silentsabotages, early criticisms, cynics atsenior levels of hierarchy and the listcan be endless. Giving up can appearas an easy option. But building the willpower to press on and deliver oncommitments becomes a key successfactor. Ability to define the “Rubicon”and marshalling the focus and energyto cross the Rubicon so that there is nolooking back becomes a hallmark ofhighly successful HR managers. Thisis easier said than done. However,strengthening the will power, morethan motivation, is critical for success.

HR professionals need to continuouslyassess their levels of energy, focus andwill power through reflection,feedback from colleagues andinstrumented feedback. Even ourspouses and children can provide ususeful feedback, if only we arecomfortable asking them for it andhumble (and smart) enough to takewhen given!

5.0 Building a realistic Sense of Urgency:In order to execute well oncommitments and promises, plans andprogrammes, HR professionals alsoneed to inculcate a deep sense ofurgency. Leadership Guru, John

Kotter warns of a false sense ofurgency that many times we findourselves into. We are perhapsfamiliar with yet another term for thesame: “activity trap.” Activity trapsand hobby horses can lead to drasticloss of precious time and drain ofenergy and deepen the crisis we findourselves in. While complacence andconsequent inaction is bad enough,false sense of urgency can be muchworse with energy drained and focusfrittered. The key questions to askbefore we embark on anythingsignificant in terms of our investmentof time and energy would be: howdoes what I plan to do help further thebusiness cause? Who needs it? Is therea customer who will pay for it? Whatis the return on this investment?Overtime, all of us tend to build manytime wasters and energy sappers.While small talks with our own teamsor colleagues over a cup of coffee aregreat and can be refreshing, they canbecome an addiction leading tofrenzied activity later on to catch upwith a whole lot of things that neededour attention in the first place.

6.0 Clear sense of Value Creation: HRprofessionals also need to develop aclear sense of how they can createvalue. During my leadershipworkshops for HR leaders, I often posethe question to the participants as tohow many of them believe they aredoing strategic HR. The good news isthat over 90% of them present raisetheir hands. And now comes the badnews. Further discussion into what isit that they do that they believe isstrategic almost always elicits apredictable response: “We do end-to-end HR!” Managing the entire lifecycle of employees from theirrecruitment to separation is often theperceived concept of strategic HR.With such a perception that seems

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fairly wide spread, many HRprofessionals are surprised when theirbusiness colleagues brand them as notstrategic and not value adding.Delivering end-to-end HR well andefficiently is key, but not strategic.Following traffic rules does not earnany stripes as that is expected of anyone at the wheels! HR professionalsneed to spend time to understandbusiness by spending time in the field,in the shop-floor and at customersupport centers. Clinging to thecorporate office or circling theChairman’s office is not going to help.Building a clear sense of how businesscan be helped with right talentstrategy begins by understandingwhat happens in the fierce marketplace. A clear sense of what valuecreation means and involves will helpthe HR professionals in building agood sense of urgency and help setpriorities for both short and long term.

7.0 Overcoming the Paralysis of theParadoxes: Business landscape is notsimple and straight forward. It iscomplex often resembling a swamp.Managing marginal performers whilepampering superior performers,downsizing a sick business whileupsizing for growth, increasing HRpresence & contribution withoutincreasing headcounts in HR function,eliminating feel-good trainings whileinvesting in critical skill developmentand many more such paradoxes arepart of managing a business.Seemingly paradoxical demandsactually have a deep reasoning andlegitimacy. Instead of immobilisingoneself, recognizing how theseparadoxes can be managed effectivelywill substantially generate energy andfocus for HR professionals.

8.0 Obsession with the Past: Quite acommon disease with many in

corporate circuits, this is moremanifest and pronounced in manywho moved from one job to anotherrecently. Instead of makingconnections and understanding thenuances of the new business, manyprofessionals (some of us from HRhave a cool competence in this area!)spend disproportionately large timediscussing their past achievementswith a liberal serving of superlatives!Such war stories are tolerated byjuniors in the function, but regardedas useless waste of time by those whohired you for executing businesspriorities. These war stories maywarm up your self esteem and fragileego, but very unlikely to take you toofar into becoming a serious businesspartner.

9.0 So, what Next? Well, HRProfessionals have a life timeopportunity to build significantintangibles for their organisations.These intangibles could be anemployer of choice reputation, strongleadership bench for fueling growth,a strong shared mindset about servingcustomers or creating a culture offlawless execution. All this requiresenormous energy and focus and willto execute on the part of HRprofessionals. And energy and focusare qualities and attributes that can beacquired with conscious effort. Whilethere can be many career derailers foranyone holding an office ofresponsibility, HR professionals willrecognise that this will be theirprimary cause for failure if they do notinvest in building this competence.When the entire business revolvesaround people, a high energy and highexecution capable HR professionalwill command a premium andmake a lasting difference to theenterprise.

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About the Authors

Dr. Arvind Agrawal is an IIT Kharagpur and IIM (A) alumnus,majoring in Marketing and Human Resource Development. Since1999, he is President – Corporate Development and Group HR inthe RPG Group. His current responsibilities in RPG comprise HR,TQM and Information Technology. The first 12 years of hisworking life were spent in the HR function incompanies like Escorts and Modi Xerox. Onthe professional front, Arvind has been active

in Management & HR forums in the country. In 1992, he wasawarded the National HRD Award.

Yogesh Patgaonkar, a product of Narsee Monjee Institute ofManagement Studies currently Vice President - Group HR at RPGEnterprises.

BUILDING HR COMPETENCIES IN RPG GROUP —LAYING FOUNDATION FOR A STRONG

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPDr. ARVIND N AGRAWAL and YOGESH PATGAONKAR

Frequent travelers to city of Bangalorewho also love food, can’t escape “MTR”

near Lalbaugh. Set up in the mostunassuming environment, the place hasalways been on the “Top of the Foodie’sList” for decades. For the patrons, the nameis synonymous with high quality andhygiene. To build a reputation like thatwithout spending a shilling on interiorsmust have been a herculean task. If youlook into the history, the strategy adoptedwas very simple – “For many years, theentrance to the restaurant was through thekitchen to enable the patrons to get satisfiedwith the cleanliness in the kitchen beforeactually eating the food”….. Simple yetprofound ….. if you are familiar with thecredibility of MTR, they got the formulacorrect ….. to build your credibility, firststart with your kitchen and not the dininghall!

We, at RPG HR, in our journey to becomebusiness partners took a somewhat similarpath about a decade back. It has been anenriching experience to build thispartnership on the foundation of“credibility first” – a journey that gatheredmomentum with first putting the kitchenin order – by starting with building HRcompetencies and then continuing it as away of life…….

Background:

The RPG Group is one of the leadingbusiness conglomerates with diversifiedinterests. By the turn of the millennium,RPG Group was a significant player insectors as diverse as Tyres, Power,Infrastructure, Entertainment, Agriculture,Technologies, Retail, Chemicals as well asLife Sciences.

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“The RPG Vision”

We shall be a leading Indian Group with a focuson market capitalisation through:

Alignment of HR Vision and mandate to RPG Vision and Values

Define HR Competency Model in line with HR Vision and mandate

Identification of key HR Roles and Design of “Role-Competency requirement matrix” for each role

Identification of HR professionals to be assessed against each role

Assessment of HR professionals as per the “Role-Competency requirement matrix” and feedback

Development Action Plans (DAPs) and execution of agreed DAPs by concerned HR professionals

Exhibit – 1

The RPG Group has always believed in thephilosophy of nurturing leadershippipeline through developing internaltalent. There is also a belief that at GeneralManagement level, it is more aboutManagement than about domain andhigh-caliber managers can move acrossthe domains and businesses. As per thelast survey as high as 80% of ourSBU Heads/CEOs have track recordof working with at least two of the RPGGroup businesses.

All this has posed a unique challenge toHuman Resources Function - to act as glueto the diverse set of businesses and playan active role to develop leadershippipeline across the businesses. One of thesignificant interventions is the constitutionof HR – Business Review Board (HR-BRB)comprising HR Heads of all companiestogether with President HR who also is apart of Management Board of RPG Group.HR BRB is chaired by Group Chairman Mr.Harsh Goenka himself and is held onceevery quarter. This has proved to be asimple yet effective way for the RPG HRcommunity to stay in touch. In one of theseHR BRBs it was decided that in order tobecome a strong business partner, we mustwork on building the HR competencies.The starting point was the directionprovided by the Group Chairman to theHR community to embark on the HRcompetency development.

Process of Building HR competencies inRPG

Exhibit 1 shows various steps involved inimplementation HR competency initiativesat RPG Group. The details of each of thesteps are given below:

Alignment of HR Vision and Mandate toRPG Vision and Values:

RPG Vision and Values form thefoundation of HR Competency Model

Leadership in Profitability and RevenueGrowth in our chosen businesses

Being a Customer centric organisation

Being the most exciting workplace

The vision clearly spelt out the importanceof all stake-holders viz: Investors,customers and employees.

“RPG Core Values”1. Customer Sovereignty2. People Orientation3. Innovation and Entrepreneurship4. Transparency and Integrity5. Anticipation, Speed & Flexibility6. Passion for Superior Performance

“HR Vision and Mandate”The HR vision and the HR Mandate isderived from the RPG Group Vision. The

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RPG HR Competency Model has fourcritical components :

A. Business Masterya. Commercial Skillsb. Management skillsc. Strategic Perspective

B. HR Masterya. Management Development Skillsb. Functional Expertise

C. Change & process Masterya. Conceptual Skillsb. Group Process Skillsc. Reasoning Ability

D. Personal Attributes (defined as traits‘Must Have’ in HR professionals andaligned to the RPG Core Values)a. Customer Orientationb. People Orientation & Meeting

Commitmentsc. Innovation and Entrepreneurshipd. Transparency and Integritye. Anticipation, Speed & Flexibilityf. Passion for Superior Performance

Identification of key HR Roles andDesign of “Role-Competencyrequirement matrix” for each roleThis was one of the most importantsteps in the diversified RPG Group. Theseroles were defined to ensure thatall important HR functions across theRPG Group are covered. Identification ofthese roles also ensured a commonframework of competency assessment forHR function.

Following were the 8 HR roles identified:1. Head – Learning & Development2. Training Manager3. Unit IR Head

4. IR Manager

HR Mandate for the RPG Group lists downthe key deliverables for the HR Functionin the Group. These have been identifiedbased on the expectations from the HRFunction as defined by the GroupChairman . Qualitative inputs were alsotaken from CEOs and Managing Directorsof the Group Companies about theirexpectations from HR.

HR Vision:“Creating an exciting workplace whichinspires superior people performance”

With this vision, HR is mandated to createan ethos that helps employees live the RPGvalues and deliver the results as per thevision.

HR Mandate:Key deliverables of HR Mandate:

1. Build a High Performance Organization

2. Align HR interventions with BusinessObjectives

3. Drive People Development & GrowthOpportunities

4. Champion RPG Values

5. Creating an Exciting Workplace

RPG HR Competency ModelA team of HR professionals drawn fromvarious businesses helped to finalise theRPG HR Competency model and itsCritical components.

Exhibit – 2 : RPG HR Competency Model

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5. Sector HR Head

6. Company HR Head

7. Unit HR Head

8. HRD Manager

Each of these roles was mapped against thedesired level of competencies as per RPGHR Competency Framework andmeasurement parameters were evolved todefine “Role-Competency RequirementMatrix” for each of these roles. Please referAnnexure I that represents the Matrix forthe Role of Head – Learning &Development. Matrix with desired level ofcompetencies was designed for each role.

Please note that though the competenciesare common across all the HR roles, thelevel of competencies required for each rolewill be different. The levels ofcompetencies are rated on a scale of 1 to 5and are defined as follows:

1. Basic

2. Developing

3. Competent

4. Advanced

5. Expert

Assessment of HR professionals as perthe “Role-Competency requirementmatrix” and feedback

Annexure - I

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Around 84 HR professionals wereidentified across RPG Group Companiesand structured Assessments were carriedout. Each participant was given feedbackbased on the strengths and the areas ofimprovement. At HR Functional level acompetency matrix based on Assessmentwas derived. This gave a clear direction tothe efforts that needed to be taken atGroup Level.

Development Action Plans (DAPs) andexecution of agreed DAPs by concernedHR professionalsOnce the Assessments were completed,each participant was given feedback todraw a Development Action Plan (DAP).In each DAP, the concerned professional,his immediate supervisor and Head HR (incase immediate supervisor was not HeadHR) were involved. Following were someof the guidelines for DAP:

1. After taking the stock of allcompetencies key competencies to beidentified for action based on thefollowing parameters:

a. Criticality for the job

b. Visibility-Impact-Ease factor (Highvisibility and impact with relative easeof implementation)

c. Choose not more than 2 competenciesfor time-bound action planning

2. Ownership of DAP is primarily with theIndividual

3. Identify the root causes for impact onperformance. The root causes to beidentified as attitudinal, knowledgerelated or system related

4. Generate options for the DevelopmentArea identified based on resourcesavailable

At RPG Group we created a DAP wizardwhich helps participants for root-causeanalysis and presents repository ofresources available.

Key Learning points:As we, at RPG Group, continue with ourjourney to build HR Competencies, thereare some key enablers that we learnt on theway:

• Support from the TOP is absolutelyessential. In our case, Group ChairmanMr Harsh Goenka not only providedthe initial direction but also reviewedit in quarterly HR BRBs. Once the planwas finalised, President HR personallycommunicated to all company CEOs sothat everyone was on the same page.

• Alignment with the RPG GroupVision helped us to stay focused onwhy we had undertaken this exerciserather than working in a functional Silo.Decision points during design phasewere always anchored around thequestion – ‘Is this in line with ourvision?’

• Simple yet comprehensive processdesign helped us to implement theprocess. Before we initiated any action,process design and implementationplan was documented to the last detail.This ensured absolute clarity during theimplementation and also helpedprocess efficiency

• Supporting Environment is equallycritical for any such initiative. At RPGGroup, we always maintained a focuson continuous learning andprofessional development:

o Continuous Learning – Senior HRprofessionals in the Group arealways encouraged to go for betterlearning options including highereducation. What helps is astructured training anddevelopment calendar published asa part of ‘RPG University’ initiative.

o Diverse Career Opportunities –Clearly identified HR competencyframework has helped us induct

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professionals from streams asdiverse as marketing, strategy andtechnology into HR at senior levels.HR professionals also have beencontinuously encouraged not onlyto take different assignment withinHR but also into Line BusinessFunction from time to time

• This is a continuous journey and thesuccess lies in continuing the efforts andintegrating the learning as we go along.As Frost famously said…..

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go

before I sleep ……..

Sample Role-“CompetencyRequirement Matrix”The following Matrix was drawn for eachof the eight roles defined for HR anddesired level of competencies weredetermined for each role. Thus thebenchmarking of HR professionals wasdone as per these expectations for each rolerather than general benchmarking.

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THREE AREAS FOR DEVELOPING BETTER L&DPROFESSIONALS

ABHIJIT BHADURI

About the Author

AbhijitBhaduri works the Chief Learning Officer for the Wiprogroup. Prior to this he led HR teams at Microsoft, PepsiCo, Colgateand Tata Steel and worked in India, SE Asia and US.

Abhijit has written two works of fiction which have been onseveral bestseller lists. He writes a popular blog at http://abhijitbhaduri.com<http://abhijitbhaduri.com/> where hewrites on Management, Music and Books. He can be followed on

twitter at http://twitter.com/abhijitbhaduri. He acted in a movie and in several playsstaged in India, Malaysia and US.

Suppose there is a town with just onemale barber; and that every man in the

town keeps himself clean-shaven: some byshaving themselves, some by attending thebarber. It seems reasonable to imagine thatthe barber obeys the following rule: Heshaves all and only those men in town whodo not shave themselves. Does the barbershave himself?

The famous paradox known popularly asRussell's Paradox in many ways couldapply to the L&D professionals. Theydevelop those who do not developthemselves. Does the L&D professionaldevelop himself or herself?

The Learning & Development functionexists to help the organisation gauge thefuture, create the model of leadership thatwill be needed to be successful today aswell as to create a benchmark of what thefuture will demand of leaders. Once thebenchmark is set, it is all about identifyingpotential talent that can be groomed to takeon the mantle of leadership in future andthen deciding what will develop thoseleaders to build the competencies that willmake them successful in navigating theorganisation in a world we do not knowyet. It is about preparing for a world we

do not know, for skills we do not knowabout yet and using methods we do notalways understand.

If that is the case, what can the Learning &Development (L&D) professionals do todevelop themselves?

1. Recognising trends:This to me is the area most of us are leasttrained and skilled in. How is the worldchanging around us? There are 400television channels my provider offerstoday and promises many more. YouTubehas become the second largest searchengine. Each of us has more informationavailable than we can possibly make senseof. Knowledge is progressively becomingavailable on tap. The skill lies in being ableto filter this information overload to stepback and recognise emerging patterns thatleaders must take into account as they planfor the future. There were a few economistswho had predicted the recession but nottoo many leaders picked up these voicesfrom the clutter. The challenge no longeris about lack of information, but about toomuch information to sift through. It isequally important to know what to lookfor - else the information could drown you.

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L&D professionals need to constantly scanthe latest ideas from science, humanities,technology and media to recognise datapoints that will help them build an outlineof the things to follow. What is thedisruptive technology that is emerging?How is the customer of my product orservices changing? What early warningscan we draw from? The better the view ofthe ever changing future, the moresuccessfully can he/she prepare theorganisation to navigate in that directionahead of others.

2. Performance consulting:The L&D person must be able tounderstand what can lift the performanceof the group. This requires deep diagnosticskills. This comes from sharpening one'sability to ask questions. What can uplift theperformance of the group? Is theperformance barrier related to people or isthe organisational structure and processrelated? Is it because the people needskilling or is it a tweak in leadership stylethat will make the difference? What wouldbe the most effective way to disseminatethe information or skill the people? Ibelieve the L&D professionals becomeeffective when they learn to conductquantitative and qualitative research. Sobecoming better at research is on mydevelopmental agenda.

3. Comfort with Technology:In the book Judgment: How Winning LeadersMake Great Calls by Noel Tichy and Warren

Bennis, they refer to leaders having a"teachable point of view." The TPOV iswhat "enable(s) leaders to take the valuableknowledge and experiences that they havestored up inside their heads and teach themto others." Technology is the best way totake the TPOV of leaders to large audienceand being able to make it availablerepeatedly on demand. This is not a niceto have skill. L&D professionals need to beable to play with different kinds oftechnology and media so that they can bemore effective in their ability to convey thesame idea using different metaphors andtechnology. This helps build the skill ofbeing able to convey complex ideas in avery simple way to the audience. How canyou leverage social networks to solve theproblem? Can you capture the essence of ateachable point of view through aslideshow or a one minute movie? Howdoes one tell better stories? To convey aTPOV effectively is as important as havingone.

Technology has been the biggest disruptorin our world. The L&D professionals needto acknowledge this shift by incorporatingit in their development agenda. Becomingbetter at presenting ideas, listening betteretc all stay relevant. But these three to meare the differentiators between those L&Dprofessionals who will be relevanttomorrow and those who would becomeplausible but impossible just like theRussell's Paradox.

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WORKFORCE CHARACTERISTIC SHIFT DRIVES HRCOMPETENCE NEEDS

BIMAL RATH

About the AuthorBimal Rath is the founder of Think Talent Services Ltd. which isa boutique consulting firm specializing in LeadershipDevelopment and Change Management. The key areas of focusinclude executive coaching, customized managementdevelopment, CXO assessment, top team alignment and helpingorganizations manage small and large transformations.Bimal is a board member of a couple of companies, one in theITtechnology space and one in the hi-tech services space. He is

helping these companies in their growth phase in moving from medium sized Indiancompanies to becoming more global organizations and leaders in their respectivebusiness.Bimal has helped senior teams in raising performance bars to exceedingly high levelsthrough insightful team selection, team building facilitation and work in conflictresolution. He has a keen insight into people and people processes and brings vastexperience in organization and individual development processes.Previously, he has worked across different industries, and across geographiesincluding the USA, Middle East and Africa and APAC. His previous corporate positionwas as HR Director for Nokia, supporting the massive growth for the company overthe last few years. His contribution in building a high performance team to take thebusiness from half a billion to over 5 billion US $ in India and from 200 to over 10,000people is well acknowledged.He has previously held senior positions in Eicher, British Telecom and Tata Sons, andhas an outstanding track record as a HR professional.His experience has been across different areas in HR including building and maturingmanagement teams, M & A integration, large scale change interventions, and settingup high performing factories and R & D centers. He has been part of several projectsacross his assignments dealing with corporate strategy, growth decisions andmanagement partner choices.He is certified in executive coaching and counselling, team agreements, managingpersonal growth (values clarification) and leaders leading leaders from national /international bodies.

Over the last few years, much haschanged in what is required of the HR

professional. Interestingly the traditionalrole of the HR manager has been indemand in some ways through thedownturn in 2008-09, e.g., more negotiationwith unions, looking through the statutoryrequirements and implementing legalityled practices, and going back to the basics

in many ways. These basics have includedelements of motivating people in differentways, communication and driving toughchanges like cost cutting etc. It appearedthat many of us as HR managers hadalmost lost touch with some of thesecompetencies, and in many cases just didnot have experience and training aroundthese skills.

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Thankfully this was a short period and itwas a wake-up call for many professionalsincluding HR professionals in getting backto the basics. As a general trend however,it may be worth reflecting on the changesrequired in the HR competence due to thechange in workforce attitudes, workforceneeds and significant shift in ways ofworking in organisations. I have triedlisting some of these, and restricted myselfto the Indian context, although they maybe applicable to a broader workforce. Andthese are by no means the only ones.

1. The younger generation is far moreconfident, demanding about theirneeds, and tends to deal with hierarchyand authority in a much more equalmanner. Their expectations of managersand leaders have changed significantly,even in terms of day to day behaviour.Tolerance levels are lower of deviationfrom expected behaviour. Many ITcompany blog entries circulatingamong employees are proofs. They areoften curt and harshly evaluative, evenblasphemous.

2. The use of technology is another bigchange. The newer generation is farmore tech-savvy, and their primarymode of communication has undergonesignificant change over time. In themore IT led companies, different formsof technology led community andindividual communication tools,including social media tools, are widelyprevalent. Even in the blue collarpopulation represented largely bymanufacturing companies, the use ofmobile communication and the speedof communication therefore, arebringing about a completely differentdynamic. Some companies are startingto clamp down on what they perceiveas non-productive and sometimesnegative behaviour, including use ofcertain networking sites, and even theinternet itself. Whether this will be seenas a positive step by new age employeesis a debatable issue, and it may be case

of fighting against natural evolution ofsocietal norms.

3. Information availability to employeesis another big factor. There is almost asmuch, and even more in many cases,information available to employees atlower levels than people in the higherrungs. So information by itself is nomore power. Employees expectations ofwhat they expect from their managersand leaders is possibly:a) Helping them make meaning out of

loads of informationb) Helping them in identifying

relevance and utility to themselvesand

c) Able to add value beyondinformation—how to use it to getthings done.

Experience and wisdom is valued onlywhen it can help make meaning for theindividual and not in isolation.

4. The workforce aspirations havechanged significantly. Security, whileremaining important, is less apparentlyso, and people are willing to trade offsecurity for other things now. E.g.,doing something in line with one’spassion is much more visible now, evenat the cost of stability and security.Working with a bad manager is not asacceptable, even if one does not haveanother job for a while. Many moreoptions for employment (or at leastsustaining oneself) are available andpeople are willing to experiment withthese, as against a steady, dreary 9-5 job.This is of course linked to the economicboom and sheer confidence of theworkforce in its own abilities. The directfallout is the high attrition ratescompanies are facing.

5. The era of instant gratification is here.Whether it is increments, promotions,career advancement or sheer praise,employees today expect instantrewards. Attrition, and in generalemployee dissatisfaction, are symptoms

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of the underlying need for quickacknowledgement from managementfor good work done. There is almost“onthe edge” impatience if things do notmove in the desired direction for anemployee, and the challenge is forcompanies in managing people almostalways on the edge.

6. Ways of working have changedsignificantly. The meaning and natureof collaboration, using technology toolsto accelerate work, and deliveryoperations around the clock haveblurred many boundaries. E.g., those ofclean cut job descriptions, those of workand personal time and those of workbeing associated with an individual ina particular physical setting, say inoffice. The new age worker thinks ofwork in a more holistic way asintegrated and woven into his/herlifestyle rather than a slice of their dayand life.

7. Sustainability and the role company’splay in supporting largerenvironmental and societal issues aregoing to be important to employees.Understanding of this mindset andagain creating leaders who appreciateand encourage these trends will be thekey to acceptance, and even productand service success for companies.

Many of these changes are in line withlarger societal evolution and have complexissues which impact them. Issues can berelated to change in family values, societalvalues, and economic conditions and so on.The workplace behaviours related to thesechanges are less evident in a short span oftime but over a period of time havesignificant magnitude and are likely to bemore widespread. That is what ishappening over the last few years in Indiawith significant and accelerated changeshappening socially and economically.

What does this imply for HR professionalsand what competencies are likely to berelevant now and in the future?

HR people are themselves employees andmanagers and are impacted by thesechanges as much as others. They wouldtherefore possibly first need to keepthemselves aware and alert to their ownbehaviours (and changes in behaviour overtime) while dealing with a largerpopulation. This heightened awarenessand continuous learning is likely to be firstcompetence asked for in the future.

Here is a list of a few others which maybecome almost a pre-requisite for successof any HR professional in times to come.

1) Ability to read and interpret societaltrends, and more specifically withrespect to emerging parts of theworkforce, e.g., women from familieswhere no woman has held a job outsidethe home.

2) Ability to segment a larger workforcealmost like a marketing specialist, andcreating and implementing policiesacross different segments of thispopulation.

3) Ability, patience and insight to co-createmost HR programs and policies alongwith the recipients of the benefits ofsuch programs and policies.

4) Ability to generate huge personalcredibility to engage and coachemployees and leaders, specificallyhigh potential and critical resources.

5) Ability to keep up in a fast changingworld and help/support individuals,teams and corporations as part of theirroles. This means an enhanced changefacilitation capability with loads ofemotional balance.

6) The ability to see one’s own role incontext of the organisation and thelarger ecosystem as well as helpingcreate a sustainable balance betweenemployee, organisation and the broaderecosystem.

7) And finally, the ability to source,identify, select and retain the new ageleaders and talent.

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ARE YOU COMPETENT ENOUGH TO LEAD ACOMPETENT HR TEAM?

Dr. PALLAB BANDYOPADHYAY

About the Author

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay currently heads the country HRfunction for India for both R&D and Sales as Director-Humanresources for Citrix based at Bangalore. A doctoral fellow inHRD from XLRI, he has more than twenty four yearsof professional experience. Prior to joining Citrix, he was withDell Services, India. A member at the National HR and IR/ERcommittee of CII. Published several papers in leading HR

journals and also the guest editor for NHRD Journal. Dr. Pallab is an honorarymember of the HR Academic Area Advisory Council of Symbiosis Institute ofBusiness Management and also a research guide for PhD students under the Facultyof Management Symbiosis International. He is an expert reviewer at HarvardBusiness School Press.

Introduction

Every senior line manager in India thesedays talk about a meaningful

contribution that their human resources(HR) counterparts should make in enablingtheir organisations to perform. The stakesare really high for HR now, since in mostcontemporary organisations, any functionthat does not add real value to theorganisation can be excised through downsizing, de-layering and if required bycompletely out sourcing. As a matter offact, the efficacy of HR function now isbeing judged on whether it really enhancesan organisation’s competitive advantageby adding tangible and measurableeconomic value. It would mean whateverHR function finally delivers should notonly add value to its internal customer butalso add economic value to theorganisation’s customers, investors and thecommunity at large. In order to add such

value proposition, HR professionals inIndia need to acquire different set ofcompetencies. These competencies, whenacquired, enable HR professionals whatUlrich and Brockbank (2005) recommends“To do so, HR professionals must graspand master the concept of value. At a basiclevel, values reflect the standards withina firm. While HR professionals mustdeclare, live, and encourage moralprinciples, we believe that an HR valueproposition goes beyond values. Valuealso means that someone receivessomething of worth from a transaction.”It is interesting to note that when HR as afunction is getting noticed and also beingrewarded for its growing relevance in thecorporate India people are gettingconcerned about cases where manycorporate are not letting professionallyqualified HR professionals to lead their HRfunction and instead depending on leaderswho have been either shown higher degree

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of organisational commitment and/orhave a proven track record in other supportor line function. In last few years, wheneverI meet a group of young HR professionalsafter I delivered a talk or taught a class ofHR MBAs at different part of India, I hadfaced one inevitable question – “Shouldn’tHR function in organisations be led by aprofessionally qualified HR leader?”

An accountant needs professionaleducation and training to set right booksof accounts in an organisation, a doctorrequires knowledge about human anatomyand many years of practiced skills beforehe /she goes for a surgery, a marketingmanager needs to apply the knowledgethat he/she has learned through consumerbehaviour and marketing techniques whilegoing for a product launch, then whywould one think and believe the HRfunction alone in organisations can be ledby a leader who have never handled HRever before. Pareek and Rao (2007), whiletracing the evolution of HRM in Indiaidentified “Competent Head of HRfunction” as one of the success factors atL&T, which was the first professionallymanaged Indian organisation to embraceHR function. To quote them, “Whileselecting a person to head the newfunction, it was strongly recommendedthat a very competent person should begiven the responsibility.” Becker, Huselidand Ulrich (2001) while writing onperformance management of HRprofessionals commented “An old adagethat we hope is quickly buried foreverholds that someone who can’t make itelsewhere in business ends up in HR.”

I have, through this article tried to answerthis pertinent question based on researchedfacts and my personal experience as an HRprofessional leading HR teams for morethan a decade. In this context it isabsolutely important to critically evaluatethe HR competencies that are required fora professional to succeed in an HR role. My

belief that a nonbiased and rationalapproach for answering this question canbe achieved if we; a) first focus at thesecompetencies and then b) analyse anddeliberate whether one can master thesecompetencies without professionalqualification, relevant experience in peoplefunction, training, coaching, mentoringand other traditional as well as non-traditional means.

THE EVOLUTION OF HR CONCEPT –WESTERN VS INDIAN PARADIGMAND ITS APPLICATION TOCONTEMPORARY INDIANORGANISATIONS

It may not out of the place to point out thatthe well -known academic who claims tohave coined the term Human ResourceDevelopment (HRD) during the sixties inthe USA is Dr. Leonard Nadler. He definedHRD as a series of organised activities,conducted within a specified time anddesigned to produce behavioral change.Nadler (1984) outlined the concept ofHuman Resource Management (HRM),which consists of three distinguishablecomponents. These are developmentalinputs in the form of Human ResourceDevelopment (HRD) comprising training,education and development, utilisationcomponents in the form of HumanResource Utilisation (HRU) comprisingrecruitment, selection, placement,appraisal, compensation and workforceplanning and the environment inputsnamely Human Resource Environment(HRE) comprising job enrichment,job enlargement and organisationdevelopment. However, it was Dr TV Rao(1985), who came out with mostcomprehensive definition of the HumanResource Development. According to him,HRD is a process by which employees ofthe organisation are helped in a continuousplanned way, to (I) acquire or sharpencapabilities required to perform various

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functions associated with their present orexpected future roles, (ii) develop theirgeneral capabilities as individuals anddiscover and exploit their own innerpotentials, for their own and/ororganisational development purposes, (iii)develop an organisation culture in whichsupervisor – subordinate relationship,team work and collaboration among sub-units are strong and contribute to theprofessional well-being, motivation andpride of employees.

The major difference between the Nadler’sconcepts of HRD with that of Rao is that inthe latter case, both the concepts andsystems are anchored in values (Pareek,1992). According to Silvera, (1988), whoalso expressed a similar view, “the twoconcepts are on two different planes:Nadler’s HRD is one-sided in as much asit looks people from organisation’s pointof view. Rao and Pareek’s concept is onthe metaphysical plane. It is concernedwith the nature of the man as a freecreature, his urge for self-fulfillment, hisgrowth potential”.

I would like to draw attention to ourreaders on another significant piece ofresearch findings by a team of researchersfrom Stanford University. This group ofresearchers and internationally acclaimedacademicians comprising Prof (s) PeterCappelli, Harvir Singh, Jitendra Singh andMichael Useem (2010) seem to have foundanswers to the success of top performingIndian companies which they referred as“India way”. As aptly summarised bythem “The essence of the India way isembodied in the thinking andperceptions of the business leadersthemselves. We think in English and actin Indian …”. This recent study is verysignificant for going deeper into ourproposition of HR competencies requiredfor leading competent HR professionalssince these researchers found out that

“Managing People - holistic engagementof employees” as one of the keydifferentiators that “Indian way” CEOsuse for managing and driving performancein Indian organisations. The researchersfound the following four basic andconsistent tenets for employeedevelopment in Indian context:

a) Managing and developing talent

b) Shaping employee attitudes

c) Managing organisation culture

d) Internationalisation

However the startling revelation theymade while conducting the study issummarised as follows “Among Americanfirms, the human resource function hasbeen continuously pressed to lower costs,to find savings in all areas of operationsthrough outsourcing, squeezing healthcare savings, and the like. Indiancompany leaders never mentioned costreduction as a priority for humanresources”.

Rama Bijapurkar (2007), while writing oncultural foundations of consumer Indiarightly commented “The contours ofIndia’s cultural future are still unclearbecause everyday evidence of thesurprising ways in which India ischanging comes to light and the oldtheories about inevitable westernisationsound simplistic. We can easily see fromthe evidence at hand the emergence of anIndian culture which is an amalgam of theold and new and on which the traditionallabels of western or oriental do not sitcomfortably.” Sudhir Kakkar, (Kakkar andKakkar, 2007), while describing Indianidentity wrote “It is about Indian–ness,the cultural part of the mind that informsthe activities and concerns of the daily lifeof a vast number of Indians as it guidesthem throughout the journey of life.

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The attitude towards superiors andsubordinates, the choice of foodconducive to health and vitality, the webof duties and obligations in family lifeare all as much influenced by the culturalpart of the mind as are ideas on the properrelationship between the sexes, or on theideal relationship with god.”

Culture shapes values and values governbehavior. The way an average Indianbehaves in an organisation, reacts to his/her boss, leads his /her team, deals with aconflict, puts into place a rewardmechanism or even tries to motivate andintellectually stimulate the so calledgeneration Y are deeply routed in this“Indian-ness”. Chandrasekhar (2008)while writing on global challenges for HRprofessional wrote “Indians have no moredisadvantage than others in being global.In fact the irony is that the world is notglobal. All nationalities have equalproblems in being global. Americans,Swedes, Germans, Japanese or British allhave similar problems in being global. Itis wrong to think that being western isbeing global.”

It is in this context HR leaders need to becompetent enough to understand andinterpret these apparently contradictoryand complex set of inner drivers that guideactions of professional work force incontemporary Indian organisations. I amnot sure without adequate conceptualclarity which one acquires throughprofessional education, training andexperience in human behavior, whetherone can lead and set strategic direction toa team of professionally qualified HRprofessionals in India today. It is no morecommonsense and years of experience ofmanaging people in line function, proventrack record in finance, quality or someother staff function but more pronouncedHR competency, which Ulrich et al. (2008)identified as “Interpreting SocialContext”.

HR COMPETENCIES REQUIREDSUCCEEDING IN HR ROLE-GLOBALRESEARCH:

Looking at competencies specific tosuperior performance in HR roles canpossibly be traced back in the mid eightiesin USA when American Society of Trainingand Development (ASTD) sponsoreda study (McLagan and Bedrick, 1983)to assess the HR competencies fordevelopment professionals. IBM alongwith Towers Perrin initiated the secondeffort in this direction in USA when theylooked at responses from more than3000 HR professionals, consultants,academicians and line mangers to look atHR competencies. Very interestingly thesurvey indicated four broad competenciesby four different segments of respondents.These are

a) Computer Literacy (Line Managers)

b) Vision and broad knowledge of HR(Academicians)

c) Ability to anticipate effect of change(Consultants)

d) HR’s education and influence on linemangers (HR professionals)

The third effort in this direction was takenat USA by Society of Human ResourcesManagement Foundation (Schoonover,1998) by focusing on future competenciesof HR professionals by collecting data fromabout 300 HR professionals representingvarious industries. However, Ulrich et al(2008) at Ross School of Business,University of Michigan, have done themost comprehensive work on HRcompetencies. Ulrich and his colleagues atMichigan conducted these studies in fivedifferent intervals till date in 1987, 1992,1997, 2002 and 2007 (Ulrich et. al, 2008)though 360 degree surveys covering fortythousand respondents including HRprofessionals and HR clients including line

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managers from organisations spread acrossglobe covering, North America, Europe,Latin America as well as Asia includingChina and India. The most interestingpoints to note in these studies are thegrowing complexities of HR role andtherefore the veracity of HR competenciesrequired to perform in these roles. Ulrichet.al, (2008) documented these evolutionas follows:

1) 1987 Study:

• Business Knowledge

• HR Delivery

• Change

2) 1992 Study:


• HR Delivery

• Change

• Personal Credibility

3) 1997 Study:


• HR Delivery

• Change


• Culture

4) 2002 Study:


• HR Delivery


• Strategic Contribution

• HR Technology

5) 2007 Study:

• Talent Manager/OrganisationalDesigner

• Culture and Change Steward

• Strategy Architect

• Operational Executor

• Business Ally

• Credible Activist

As one would notice, 2007 study broughthome a new theme which Ulrich et.al(2008) defined as “HR Professionalism”.

HR COMPETENCIES REQUIRED TOSUCCEED IN HR ROLE-INDIANRESEARCH

Considerable amount of work has beendone by various researchers andacademicians in India on the competenciesrequired by HR professionals in order tobecome effective in their roles (Rao, 1990,1992; Ramnarayan, 1990; Gupta, 1990;Pareek, 1990; Dixit & Rao, 1992; Dixit andDixit, 1992).Pareek (1990) proposed that theIPSE (Identity, Power, Synergy and Equity)are the four HRD processes relevant for allHRD facilitators. Gupta (1990) identifiedformal education; continuing educationand self-directed development as threemajor strategies for developing HRDfacilitators.

Rao (1992) felt in order to become effectivein their roles, HRD facilitators requirecompetencies in (a) dynamics of personalgrowth and learning, (b) inter-personal andgroup dynamics, (c) HRD systems andtheir implementation, (d) culture building,OD and change and (e) contextual factorsof organisations (business context,organisational goals, personnel policies,structure system, strategy etc.). Nelson etal. (1987) identified the variety of

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knowledge, attitudes and skills requiredfor HRD facilitators and grouped them inthree major categories. These are(a) knowledge, attitudes and skills relatingto self, (b) interpersonal competencies(c) competencies to deal with individual inthe context of the role and the organisation.However, Rao (1990) felt that the followingnine qualities are essential for an HRDfacilitator to become effective. Theseare (i) Positive thinking and positiveattitude to people (ii) High desire tolearn (iii) Interested in people(iv) Helpful attitude (v) Initiative takingor pro-activity (vi) Practice andperseverance (vii) Communication skills(viii) Objectivity in approach (ix) Personalexample and sense of discipline.

Dixit and Rao (1992) while conducting asurvey to assess competencies of the HRDfacilitators found that they lackedknowledge/ can develop it some more inthe eighteen vita areas. The top five amongthese were:

a) Social science research methods.

b) Turn around strategies.

c) Learning theories.

d) Personality theories and measurement.

e) Organisational diagnosis interventions.

While looking at talent attraction andretention methods applied byorganisations in India, Ganesh (2007)commented that “Unfortunately, many oftoday’s HR professionals lack knowledgeabout basic science of human behaviorthat forms the edifice for understandingpeople and their motives.” Merchant(2008) writing on competencies requiredfor global Indian HR leaders identified“Technical HR competence” as basecompetence whether it is for a generalistor specialist role.

Having been associated for last seven yearsas a part of the team that developed

CII-NHRD–XLRI sponsored HR Compass,the HR competency model (A detailedarticle is being written by R Vidyasagar inthis issue on this) my experience has notbeen very different from what the earlierresearchers have found. HR Compass(2009) specified about the followingcompetencies for being successful as HRprofessionals in India. A closer look at thesecompetencies will tell you that without acombination of professional qualification,relevant experience and training, it will beimpossible to master them.

a) Functional Behavioral HRCompetencies

1) Service Orientation

2) Personal Credibility

3) Execution Excellence

b) Generic Behavioral HR Competencies

1) Strategic Thinking and Alignment

2) Change Orientation

3) Networking Management

c) Generic Technical competencies

1) Business Knowledge

2) Financial Perspective

d) Functional Technical HRCompetencies

1) HR Planning and Staffing

2) Performance Management

3) Training and Development

4) Talent Management

5) Compensation and Benefit

6) Managing Culture, Design andChange

7) ER and Labor Laws

8) Building HR Strategy

9) International HRM.

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The competencies that are listed abovemake a lot of sense for Indian HRprofessionals because of the challengesthey are facing now. During last few years,most Indian organisations have witnesseda spectacular growth. In the process ofattaining this explosive growth, theseorganisations have realised that the mostvaluable assets for them are their humanresources. In today’s scenario the only truelong-term differentiator between twosimilar organisations is their ability toattract, develop and retain their highperforming workforce. Other factors liketechnology edge, financial strength and thesystems and processes are no more the truedifferentiators, since market forces willensure parity on such parameters in shortterm itself. Can HR professionals alonein an organization capable of makingthis differentiation? My answer isabsolutely no. In fact, to a great extent thisresponsibility lies with every line manager.But HR professionals need to partner withline managers and drive this wholeprocess. In order to do so, they need toacquire a different set of competenceswhich can completely re-conceive and re-configure the HR function – by changingits focus from activities to outcome.

I would like to divide these new set of HRcompetences into three broad categories.These are as follows:

1) Role specific HR competencies: Theseare basic personal competencesrequired to become effective in a HRrole. These essential competencies arerequired for an HR professional tocarry out critical roles like interactingeffectively with management andemployees, solve broad organisationalproblems and represent strategicimportance of HR to the success ofthe organisation. As one growswith organisations, move from entry tomid level and then senior positions,

these competencies become critical totheir success.

2) Business specific HR competencies:These are competencies which arerequired to understand the overallbusiness of the organisation. These arerelated to common businessmanagement practices and techniques.Until HR professionals acquire thesecompetences, they cannot design anddeliver HR interventions that supportbusiness goals. These are competencieswhich are extremely critical for HRBusiness partnering and certainlyHR leadership roles. In today’sorganisations it will not be possible foran HR professional to influence linemanagers and earn their respect.

3) Industry specific HR competencies:These are advanced set ofcompetencies, which an HRprofessional need to acquire to becomeeffective in their respective industries.These would include generic technicalHR competences which one wouldlearn through academic qualification,learning on the job but changessignificantly in terms of applicationthat are very specific to address thehuman capital related issues in eachindustry.

Especially during last few years Ihave found the following set ofcompetencies, which significantlycontributed, towards my own effectivenessas an HR professional, while leadingprofessionally qualified HR team. I wouldlike to dwell upon them in little moredetails below.

Role specific competencies:

A) Managing self: Prioritising andscheduling personal work activities toefficiently manage time andaccomplish multiple taskssimultaneously.

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B) Working harmoniously with diverseteams: Working cooperatively withdiverse team members (not merelygender but ethnicity, language, values,religion and beliefs) and contributingthe team solutions throughconstructive feedback, ideas andsuggestions. Building trust amongteam members and creatingcommitment to team goals.

C) Treating people with dignity:Listening, interpreting and respondingto verbal/non-verbal messages fromindividuals/groups, behaving in acourteous manner and treating otherswith respects regardless of their statusor position in the organization.

D) Communicating with medium andlarge groups: Expressing ideas, factsand information in a clear andorganised to large groups andinfluence them to arrive at a solutionfor problems which involve businessand people issues by settingappropriate context and interpretingand analyzing relevant data.

E) Managing individual/stakeholdersconflict: Resolving stakeholder ’sconflicts, confrontations anddisagreements within individuals/groups in a positive and constructivemanner.

F) Facilitating work groups: Planning andfacilitating meetings and work groupsessions that achieves the group’sobjective, efficiently utilises the group’stalents and experiences andconstructively manages group’sdynamics. This would include specificfacilitation skills like Large scaleinteractive process (LSIP), Futuresearch, Open Space technology,Conferencing, etc. which havebeen designed essentially to facilitatelarge groups within a relatively shortertime span.

G) Applying technology at work-place:Using emerging new and appropriateoffice automation technologies(ranging from simple and user friendlyMicrosoft products to complex andcomprehensive ERP and projectmanagement tools) to carry out all HRrelated process work to accomplishcost and time optimization. Needlessto say this would includeunderstanding of widely used softwarepackages (from SPSS to recent businessanalytic tools) for data collection,analysis and interpretations.

H) Making meaning out of socialenvironment that impacts business:Understanding current and futurepolitical environment, relevant socialissues, demographic and ethnic trendsand governmental regulations that canhave impact on business now and inforeseeable future, interpreting,articulating and coaching theleadership team on these issuescontinuously.

I) Behavioral assessment: Designing anddeveloping systems and processes forassessing both functional anddysfunctional employee behavior forrecruitment, selection, learning anddevelopment needs, promotions,placements and transitions that arevalid, fair and legally defensible in otherinternational locations. This wouldinclude knowledge and skills for settingup Assessment/Development center,developing suitable instruments forbehavior assessment and ability toconduct behaviorally anchoredinterviews (BAI).

Business specific competencies:

A) Re-engineering business processes:Applying business process re-engineering principles and techniquesto re-engineer and improve HR

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processes which should be measuredin terms of critical performanceindicators such as cost, quality, andcustomer delight and response time.

B) Managing change: Developing strategygoals for change assess theorganizational readiness forchange and identify appropriatechange interventions includingcommunicating change goals andstrategies to all involved teams andindividuals. This would includeknowledge about a vast array ofchange theories and human processrelated interventions currentlyavailable.

C) Analyzing cost benefit: Assessing thecosts and benefits of all HR initiativesusing quantitative analysis techniquesand developing a business case forsenior management to help themdecide continuation or stopping of anyHR programme.

D) Interpreting financial data tounderstand organizational progress:Understanding and interpretingimportant financial managementmetrics, systems, processes andtracking mechanisms includingbudgeting and ability to plan all HRinterventions supported by them.

E) Marketing HR function: Explainingand promoting HR programmes andservices and the value of investing inhuman resources with senior linemanagers. Devising strategies formarketing HR interventions byovercoming potential resistanceand securing internal customersbuy-in through usage of suitablecommunication mechanism.

F) Managing HR projects: Planning,tracking, managing and reporting theexecution of all HR interventions as

projects using established projectmanagement tools, techniques andsoftware.

G) Developing strategic HR plans:Designing and developing strategicplans for the organization byincorporating suitable strategic HRplan that support overallorganisational business goalsincluding merger and acquisitions.

Industry specific competences:

A) Managing career: Designing,developing, implementing andevaluating interventions for individualcareer planning that aligns withorganisational career managementneeds. This would include knowledgeabout various career theories,especially the internal-externalperspective and culture specific careerinterventions.

B) Managing performance: Designingand delivering interventions that assistemployees with the development ofperformance plan, advising oncommunicating performance goals,providing constructive feedback andevaluating performance in a way thatmotivates an individual to achieve.This would include knowledge aboutmotivation theories, performanceappraisal systems and variousindividual/team reward mechanismsfor continuously motivating excellentperformers through appropriateperformance coaching.

C) Managing strategic compensation:Conducting appropriate surveys forcompetitive organizations to collectdata on compensation and benefits,compiling and analysing them todetermine compensation strategy forthe organization to remain competitive.This would include understanding of

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skill driven compensation plan anddesigning reward plans aligned to bothorganisational and cultural values.

D) Managing people at internationallevel: Understanding and identifyingHR laws, regulations, policies andprocedures, prohibited personalpractices, and statutory compliancesincluding documentation related toprocess, basic personnel actions in thecountries where organisation needs tooperate.

E) Managing organisation development:Assessing the health of organisationalrelationships and culture that impactsits effectiveness, evaluating suitableinterventions involving continual datacollection, analysis and feedback forcollective awareness.

F) Evaluating roles: Analysing roles toidentify organise and assess roles andresponsibilities, knowledge, skills andattitude requirement and determiningstandards for performance andcriticality. This would includeknowledge about differentmethodologies for role evaluation likeRole Analysis Techniques (RAT)developed by Dr Ishwar Dayal andcontextually relevant instrumentsdeveloped by Late Dr Udai Pareek.

There could be some competencies that Imight have missed, may be theclassification I have made might alsorequire more insightful deliberation. But Iam absolutely sure about one thing that Iwould like to point out is that “I could nothave acquired these competencieswithout professional education,continuous self development, mentoringand coaching that I have been fortunateto receive from accomplished HR leadersand above all an healthy respect for HRas an profession” This is what I refer as“Being Professional”. To me it means

applying in practice the theories that Ilearned through my professionaleducation, training and other incidentaland intentional means. This is whatperhaps Bagchi (2009) defined in hisexemplary simple and profound book“The Professional”. He aptly summarised“……..there is no beginning or end inbeing a professional. It is a lifelonglearning curve.” Hema Ravichandran(2010) echoes the same meaning when shesays the biggest need of the hour for HRprofessionals in India today is “StayingRelevant” since a thirteen yearsexperienced HR professional is competingwith a thirty years for the same job to leadHR function.

Unfortunately, we as the community of HRprofessionals along with our industrycaptains have avoided answering questionof “leading HR function by HRprofessionals” with a rational andunbiased approach for too long. Themessage is loud and clear. The HR roles arebecoming more and more complex and soare HR competencies to become effectivein these roles. If this is true then why manyorganisations, even today are shying awayfrom allowing HR professionals to lead HRfunction? Why it is becoming order of theday to ridicule HR profession and HRprofessionals, especially by those whocame into HR profession without adequatequalification, training, experience and mostimportantly a healthy respect for therelevance of this function.

The major challenges that the Indianindustry is going to face in coming yearswill be attracting, developing and retainingquality human resources in the face ofglobal competitions. This obviously wouldmean that the Indian HR professionals willbe presented with a unique opportunity tobecome a significant player in themanagement team in organisations. Inorder to make this happen, the human

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resource function needs to get transformedinto a significant management function byliving up to the expectation of all thestakeholders, be it employees, shareholders, board and also the society at large.To meet these increased expectations from

them, Indian HR professionals must be ledby professional HR leaders. HR leadersbestowed with professional qualification,training and more importantly capable ofwhat Ulrich et.al (2008) referred as “DoingHR with an attitude”.

References.1. Bagchi, S (2009): The Professional, New Delhi, Penguin India Books.

2. Becker, B.E, Huselid, M.A and Ulrich, D (2001): The HR Scorecard- Linking People, strategy and performance, MA, HarvardBusiness School Press.

3. Bijapurkar, R (2007): We are like that only-Understanding the Logic of Consumer India, New Delhi, Penguin India Books.

4. Cappelli, P, Singh H, Singh J and Useem M (2010): The India Way, Boston, MA, Harvard Business School Press.

5. Chandrasekhar, S (2008): Towards Global HR: An Equal Challenge, NHRD Journal, Volume 2 (1), (pp 72-76).

6. Dixit, N. and Dixit, A (1992): The Emerging HRD Professional: A Profile. In U.Pareek, R.Padaki and R.R.Nair (eds.): ManagingTransition: The HRD Response, Tata McGraw-Hill. (pp.279-282)

7. Dixit, N. and Rao T.V (1992): New HRD Professionals: Competencies, Role Efficacy and Role Stress. In U. Pareek, R.Padaki andR.R.Nair (eds.): Managing Transitions: The HRD Response New Delhi: Tata Mc-Graw Hill, (pp. 283-291).

8. Ganesh, C (2007): Limitations and Dilemmas of Exigency Approach, NHRD Journal, Volume1 (3), (pp 14 -17).

9. Gupta, R (1990): Agenda for Professional Development. In M.R.R Nair and T.V.Rao (eds.): Excellence through Human Resources,Sandiego, CA: University Associates (pp.155-160).

10. HR Compass (2009): HR competency model developed by CII-NHRD-XLRI, Personal communication.

11. Kakkar, S and Kakkar, K (2007): The Indians; Portrait of a people, New Delhi, Penguin India Books.

12. McLagan, P and Bedrick, D (1983): Models for excellence: The Results of the ASTD training and development study, Training andDevelopment Journal, 37(6), (pp10-20).

13. Merchant, S (2008): Has the Global HR Indian HR Leader Arrived: An Equal Challenge, NHRD Journal, Volume 2 (1), (pp 33-36).

14. Nadler, L (1984): The Hand Book of HRD. U.S.A: John Wiley.

15. Nelson, C, Ross, N & Nelson R (1987): Map your practice- An OD/HRD Practitioners Model. Paper presented in the ODN NationalConference, Seattle, Canada

16. Pareek, U (1990): The Making of HRD Facilitator. In M.R.R Nair and T.V Rao (eds.): Excellence through Human ResourceDevelopment, (pp.126-136): New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.

17. Pareek, U (1992): Challenges for HRD in the Nineties. In U. Pareek, R.Padaki and R.R.Nair (eds.). In U. Pareek, R.Padaki andR.R.Nair (eds.): Managing Transition: The HRD Response Tata McGraw-Hill, (pp. 3- 8).

18. Pareek, U. and Rao, T.V. (1981): Designing and Managing Human Resource Systems, New Delhi: Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.Pvt. Ltd.

19. Pareek, U. and Rao, T.V. (2007): From a sapling to a Forest: The saga of development of HRM in India, NHRD Journal, Volume(1), Special Issue, (pp 100-106).

20. Ramnarayan, G (1990): The Role of HRD Manager: In M.R.R Nair and T.V Rao (eds.): Excellence through Human ResourceDevelopment, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, (pp.90-95).

21. Rao, T.V (1985): Integrated Human Resource Development Systems. In L.D Goodstein and J.W Pfeiffer (eds.). The 1985 AnnualDeveloping Human Resources Sandeigo CA: University Associates, (pp.227-237).

22. Rao, T.V (1990): HRD Managers and their Role. In M.R.R Nair and T.V Rao (eds.): Excellence through Human ResourceDevelopment, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill (pp.90-95).

23. Rao, T.V (1992): Professionalization of HRD: NEW Challenges. In U. Pareek, R.Padaki and R.R Nair (eds.): Managing Transition:The HRD Response, New Delhi: Tata Mc-Graw Hill (pp.9-22).

24. Ravichandran H (2010): Discussion on HR competencies; Personal Communication.

25. Silveria, D.M (1988): Human Resource Development – The Indian Experience, New Delhi: News India Publication.

26. Ulrich, D, Brockbank, W (2005): The HR Value Proposition, Boston, MA, Harvard Business School Press.

27. Ulrich, D, Brockbank, W, Johnson, D, Sandholtz, K and Younger, J (2008): HR competencies, Mastery at the intersection ofpeople and business; USA, The RBL Institute and SHRM.

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COACHING COMPETENCIES FOR HRPROFESIONALS

GANESH CHELLA

AbstractIn the process of realignment that has occurred over the decades, many HR professionals had

swung so much towards helping business that they ran the risk of not seeing themselvesbelonging to the helping profession. The keen interest in Coaching is a welcome shift.

This article is an attempt to find answers to questions such as - is an HR professionala helper at all? Whom does he help? When does this help become important in an

organisational setting? What does it take for him to be effective in his help?Does the HR professional of today want to be a helper in the first place?

The answers to these questions could serve as the starting point for anHR professional’s journey of acquiring coaching competencies.

This article also attempts to present four levels of coaching proficiency that HR professionalsmust be aware of and then attempt to achieve to succeed in this coaching journey.

About the Author

Ganesh is an OD & HR professional and Executive Coach, withover 16 years of industry experience and over 10 years ofconsulting and coaching experience.

Deeply committed to the development of the individual andthe Organisation, Ganesh consults, coaches, teaches, writes andengages in research.

As the founder and CEO of totus consulting, Ganesh Chella hasbeen busy building Organisations around great ideas since June

2000. He uses his expertise in Organisation Development and Human Resourcesas well as his deep insight into business and Human and Organisation behaviourto do this.

Ganesh co-founded CFI (Executive & Business Coaching Foundation India Limited)with the purpose of enhancing the leadership capabilities of CEOs across diverseOrganisations settings through the use of Executive and Business Coaching.

Ganesh has helped CFI develop a world class accreditation program to develop"best in class" CEO Coaches. He has also designed a unique "Manager as CoachModel" which helps managers develop a coaching oriented style and helpsOrganisations build a strong coaching culture. Using the Manager as Coach Modelhe has run programs covering over 400 managers in the past few years.

As a member of the Governing Board, he has been a part of the core faculty thathas trained over 60 potential CEO Coach Candidates. Ganesh has also been part ofthe accreditation panel that has evaluated and accredited 40 Coaches.

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IntroductionIn the introduction to his book, Essentialsof Skilled Helping, Gerard Egan (2005) says,“Throughout history there has been adeeply embedded conviction that, underthe proper conditions, some people arecapable of helping others come to grip withproblems of living”. He refers to them ashelpers and then describes three broadcategories of helpers in the world.

He describes the first category as thosebelonging to the formal helpingprofessions like counselors, psychiatrists,psychologists, social workers and ministersof religion. He sees them as having a formalrole in helping people manage thedistressing problems of life.

Egan goes on to describe the secondcategory of helpers as those professionalswho are not helpers in that formal sensebut “often deal with people in times ofcrisis and distress”. Here he includesdoctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers,managers and supervisors. He says that,“although these people are specialists intheir own professions, there is anexpectation that they will help those theyserve manage a variety of problemsituations”.

He explains that just like teachers whoteach English and Science to students alsohelp them explore, understand and dealwith the problems of growing up,managers and supervisors help workerscope with problems related to workperformance, career development,interpersonal relationships in theworkplace, and a variety of personalproblems even as they get them to produceresults.

He describes the third set of helpers asthose who try to help themselves andothers, including relatives, friends, andacquaintances to deal with the problemsin living.

He goes on to conclude that only a smallfraction of help actually comes from formalsources and most help comes frominformal sources. He also says that mostpeople who seek help seek it from informalsources.

Egan also cautions that there are goodhelpers and bad helpers and explains thisquite extensively and talks about the harmthat ineffective helpers can inflict.

To summarise what Egan said:

Professional helpers

Barefoot

HelpersCommunity

helpersIneffective

helpers

So, is an HR professional a helper at all?Does he fall in the first category or in thesecond category? Whom does he help?When does this help become important inan organisational setting? What does it takefor him to be effective in his help? Finally,the moot question is whether HRprofessionals of today want to be helpersin the first place?

In this article I will attempt to find answersto these questions.

A. Is HR a helping profession and theHR professional a helper?

The scientific origins of the HR professioncan be traced to the field of psychology.HR professionals by the very nature of theirwork had or were expected to have acertain heightened level of psychologicalmindedness and a strong helpingorientation. In that sense many definedtheir roles as being professional helpers.

In the process of HR’s realignment over thedecades, many in the profession haveswung so much towards helping businessthat they might have ended up paying lessattention to helping individuals. In that

Diagram 1

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sense they might have fallen into thesecond or third category. (Hopefully notthe fourth!)

The current interest in acquiring coachingcompetencies and the emphasis oncoaching competencies among HRprofessionals is a sign that the balance isreturning, slowly but surely.

B. Coaching as a helping professionBefore talking about the level at which HRprofessionals need to operate on thehelping continuum, I would like to clarifythe meaning of the terms ‘helping’ and‘coaching’ as I will be using them.

A helper according to Gerard Egan isanyone who has the capacity and thewillingness to help another person managehis or her problems in living moreeffectively and develop life enhancingunused opportunities more fully.Therefore, a Coach is really a helper in anorganisational context.

As simple as it sounds, coachingpractitioners have created so many genresof coaching and such varying degrees ofcoaching proficiencies that there is anenormous amount of confusion that iscreated when one refers to the termCoaching. What must be clearlyunderstood is that there isn’t a single levelof proficiency or a single genre of coaching.It can mean different things in differentsetting.

It is therefore important that I try anddefine the entire range of coachingproficiencies that HR professionals canaspire to reach within an organisationalcontext.

C. The levels of coaching proficiencyfor HR professionals

Improvising on the four category modelwhich Egan used in a Counseling context,

I have attempted to present four levels ofcoaching proficiency that HR professionalsmust be aware of and then attempt toachieve. The model captures the levels I amabout to explain.

a. Level 0 - Coaching oriented Managers(as barefoot helpers)

Before talking about the HR professional,I deliberately want to start with the LineManager. The average line manager shouldbe a barefoot helper in an organisationalcontext. A Coaching oriented manager issomeone who pays attention to the needsof his employees in terms of creatingpurpose, inspiring them to succeed andchampioning their development. This doesnot mean that he spends some part of hiswork time being a coach. It only means thathe chooses to be coaching oriented in hiseveryday work behaviour when required.

b. Level 1 – Coaching oriented HRprofessional

In my mind, Coaching oriented HRprofessionals need to be at a level ofproficiency that his higher than Coachingoriented managers. At this level, HRprofessionals need to demonstrate a certainlevel of coaching orientation in the waythey fulfill their work responsibilities andalso be able to undertake certain specificcoaching oriented tasks skillfully.

In specific terms, they should be able to dofour things proficiently:

HR

professionals

as qualified

Executive Coaches

HR

professionals

as Internal coaches

Coaching

Oriented HR professionals

Barefoot helpers

Coaching

oriented Managers

Professional helpers

Level 0Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Diagram 2

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1. Demonstrate empathetic presence,listen with empathy and respond withempathetic highlightsHR professionals should be skilful intheir interactions with employees. First,their presence should radiate empathyand demonstrate a willingness to beavailable to the employee.

They should also be able to listen tothem with empathy and reflect andaccurately mirror this understanding. (Ihave presented later in the article CarlC Rogers’ definition of empathy whichis perhaps the last word on the subject).

HR professionals have manyopportunities to meet and interact withemployees. They should be able todemonstrate empathetic presence,listen with empathy and respond withempathetic highlights in all theseinteractions.

2. Redressing an employee grievanceOne of the most basic tasks of an HRprofessional is to redress an employeegrievance. When an employee isaggrieved, he is distressed, hurt, angry,pained, and wounded and theemployee comes to the HR professionalbecause he sees him as neutral and alsoas capable of engaging with him.Engaging with an employee who is inthis state calls for a very strong coachingorientation.

HR professionals should not only befamiliar with the subject matter of thegrievance (or the contextualknowledge) but also have the ability totune in to his emotions, listen to himwith empathy and respond withsensitivity. They may not be able to offera solution but should at least be able tohelp employees vent their emotions andserve as an important safety valve.

3. Provide feedback of any kind or helpemployees understand and interpret

feedback of any kind they might havereceived.If performance is at the heart of anemployee’s life, feedback is the leverthat promotes this performance. In theworld of coaching, well deliveredfeedback is the turning point andfoundation for change.Employees struggle with receiving,accepting, understanding and acting onfeedback of any kind. It could befeedback about performance, feedbackabout behaviour, business conduct orany other such thing.Coaching oriented HR managers mustbe able to use their skills of buildingrapport, empathetic presence, listening,mirroring, probing, summarising andchallenging to help employees receive,accept, understand and act on feedbackgiven to them.

4. Counselling an employeeA natural extension of giving feedbackis the skill of counselling an employee.Here the focus is on exploring the workrelated and personal issues andproblems of the employee to increaseunderstanding and develop greaterself-awareness. The aim is to lead theemployee towards self-directed actionsto achieve goals by helping him look forcauses behind the problem orperformance deficit.Whatever might be the issue or concern,when approached, the HR professionalshould be able to skillfully counsel theemployee and empower him to find asolution that he is committed to act on.

c. Level 2 – HR professionals as InternalCoaches

This far, we have focussed on the HRprofessional being merely coachingoriented.We will now focus on his playing the roleof an Internal Coach in a formal

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organisational context. This is the secondlevel of proficiency.

As an internal Coach the HR professionalshould be able to primarily contribute toemployee development. In other words,Coaching assumes the role of being apowerful developmental intervention andthe HR professional is seen as someonecapable of engaging in this developmentalrelationship.

It must be clarified that this is not theexclusive domain of the HR professional.Any good seasoned manager should beable to serve as an internal coach withadequate training.

As an internal Coach, the HR professionalshould be able to do the following threethings:

1. Engage in a formal or informalMentoring relationship with employees

As an internal Coach, an HR professionalshould be able to engage in an informal orformal mentoring relationship withemployees across levels.

In his or her role as a mentor, the HRprofessional must be able to help thesocialisation, transition and advancementof the employee concerned throughsupport, guidance and ‘passing on ofwisdom’ or by serving as a role model.

2. Help create an Individual DevelopmentPlan (IDP) that can facilitate realpersonal change and development.

As an internal coach an HR professionalshould be extremely competent in helpingan employee come up with an IndividualDevelopment Plan.

Organisations are today sensitive to the factthat learning needs of individuals are veryunique and the best way to address theseneeds is to start with a clear developmentplan. Making an IDP that can facilitate realpersonal change and development calls forsome very skilful coaching conversations.

It requires exploration of goals, currentproblems and gaps and finally zeroing inon what will really make a difference.Coaching oriented HR professionalsshould be able to help employees to comeup with very sound development plansbased on these skilful conversations.

3. Engage in a formal developmentcoaching relationship with employeesin a leader development context.

Many organisations identify employeeswho have the potential to be groomed forleadership positions and invest in theirdevelopment by making available to thema range of developmental interventions.Coaching is often considered a veryimportant developmental interventionfor such employees. In this context, theHR professional as an internal coachshould be able to not only makedevelopment plans but also help theemployee implement those plans bybringing about personal change, help inlearning new skills, developing newperspectives and so on.

This in my opinion is the highest level ofcoaching competence that would beexpected of a HR professional within anorganisational context.

d. Level 3 - HR professionals as qualifiedExecutive Coaches

This level is less relevant in anorganisational context and more relevantin the context of the HR professional’sprofessional development journey. In otherwords, HR professionals are unlikelyto function as qualified executive coacheswithin the organisation. They are at bestlikely to be internal coaches in adevelopmental context. It is thereforeimportant for HR professionals to beclear about this distinction before investingtheir time and money to become anexecutive coach.

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A qualified executive coach will be capableof engaging in a formal paid ExecutiveCoaching relationship with a wide rangeof clients in an organisational setting toaddress multiple coaching agendasincluding performance, behaviour, skillsdevelopment and other emergingexecutive agendas.

D. Acquiring coaching competenciesThere are hundreds of coach certificationprograms flooding the market everydayranging from one day programs to six andeight month programs. It would be usefulfor HR professionals to first define the levelof proficiency they wish to acquire andthen choose an appropriate program.

There is a huge misconception amongmany that by learning to use a so calledmodel or technique one can becomean effective coach. This is farthest fromthe truth.

To be coaching oriented one mustgenuinely believe in it. One must also havevery deep training in the skills of coachingto ensure that at the least they do not causeharm. For any HR professional to becoaching oriented he must also have aboveaverage emotional and social intelligence.

Carl R Rogers (1957) has identified threevery important conditions which he callsare necessary and sufficient to bring aboutpositive change in the other person. (CarlRogers listed six among which the threeI am narrating are core).

1. Genuineness in the relationship - CarlRogers says that the helper should be acongruent, genuine, integrated person. Inhis opinion this means the helper is freelyand deeply himself with his actualexperience accurately represented by hisawareness of himself. Carl Rogers isrealistic to admit that the helper need notbe this way all the time but says that whenhe is engaged in a relationship he should

be genuine and also includes beinggenuine in his vulnerabilities.

2. Unconditional positive regard - Rogerssay that unconditional positive regard isnothing but the helper’s warm acceptanceof each aspect of the client’s experienceas being part of that client. In anorganisational context this means, the HRprofessional accepts the employeeunconditionally and without judgment.When the employee is acceptedunconditionally, he experiences and is intouch with himself, feels safe and istherefore able to look at himself and changeand grow.

3. Empathy – Carl Rogers sees empathy asan accurate, empathetic understanding ofthe client’s awareness of his ownexperience. He sees this as the ability tosense the client’s private world as if it wereyour own, but without ever losing the“as if” quality - this is empathy, andthis seems essential to therapy, to sensethe client’s anger, fear, or confusion asif it were your own, yet without yourown anger, fear, or confusion gettingwound up in it, is the condition weare endeavoring to describe. Whenthe client’s world is this clear to thetherapist, and he moves about in it freely,then he can both communicate hisunderstanding of what is clearly known tothe client and can also voice meanings inthe client’s experience of which the clientis scarcely aware”.

The above three conditions or abilities(genuineness, unconditional positiveregard and empathy) are certainlynecessary and sufficient conditions foranyone to be effective in a coachingrelationship.

Knowledge about coaching tools andtechniques are not at all importantand have marginal impact, especially in aninternal coaching engagement.

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E. Do HR professionals want to behelpers?

Before I conclude I would like to leavereaders with this all important question –Do HR professionals want to be helpers atall? Do they see themselves belonging tothe profession of helping people even whilethey help the business or are they soconsumed with their desire to be relevantto the business that they consider this lessimportant? The answer to this questionmust be the starting point for an HRprofessional’s journey of acquiringcoaching competencies.

When the HR professional is face-to-facewith the employee who seeks his or herhelp, it will not be the tools, techniques andcertificates from a global coachinginstitution that will make the difference. Itis the genuineness, unconditional positiveregard and empathy and the desire to be askilled helper and contribute to the otherperson’s development that will make allthe difference.

My very best to all who wish to embark onthis journey and my compliments to thosewho already have.

References:1. Gerard Egan (2005): Essentials of Skilled Helping- Managing Problem, Developing Opportunities, Brooks Cole.

2. Carl R Rogers (1957): The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change, Journal of Consulting Psychology

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About the Author

Dr. T.V. Rao, Ph.D., is currently Chairman of T.V.Rao LearningSystems and was founder Director of Academy of HumanResource Development, Ahmedabad. He was a professor at theIndian Institute of Management, Ahemdabad,for over 20 yearsbeginning in 1973. He has also worked as L&T professor of HRDat XLRI, Jamshedpur, during 1983-85. Dr Rao is the FounderPresident of the National HRD Network and was President of

the Indian Society for applied Behavioural Science (ISABS). Dr Rao has severalpublications to his credit. He can be reached at [email protected]

ART AND SCIENCE OF COMPETENCY MAPPING:AN UPDATE

Dr. T. V. RAO

A lot is going on in recent times on theissue of competency mapping with a

lot of resources spent and consultantsinvited to do competency mapping. It islargely based on ignorance and lack ofexperience. It is a very simple matter andthere have not been any new developmentsin the technology of competency mapping.The only difference is that corporationshave become more aware of the need forcompetency mapping. This need arose dueto the following reasons:

• Increased costs of manpower.

• Need for ensuring that competentpeople are available for performingvarious critical roles.

• Downsizing and the consequent needto get a lot of things done with fewerpeople and thus reduce manpowercosts and pass on the advantage to thecustomer.

• Recognition that technology, finances,customers and markets, systems andprocesses can all be set right or

managed effectively if we have the rightkind of human resources.

• The need for focus in performing roles~ need for time management, nurturingof competence and increased emphasison performance management systems.

• Recognition of the strategic advantagegiven by employee competencies inbuilding the core competencies of theorganisation.

In good organisations competencymapping existed already. Traditionally HRDirectors and their top management havealways paid attention to competencies andincorporated them mostly in theirappraisal systems. For example when L&Tintroduced their open appraisal system inthe mid-seventies they had, over time,debated and identified a few competenciesneeded to be exhibited by everyone andincorporated the same in their appraisalform. A little later when L&T ECC revisitedthis format, they felt that the competenciesneeded to be defined for every role

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separately. This, they felt ought to be doneevery year jointly by the appraiser andappraisee and be incorporated in theirPerformance Analysis and DevelopmentSystem (PADS). They treated the tasks withthe same weightage as the competencies.They assigned 50% points to taskaccomplishments and 50% points tocompetencies demonstrated and focussedthe annual coaching around both thecompetencies and task accomplishments.

When organisations like the LIC, NDDB,NOCIL, HLL, Bharat Petroleum etc.revised their Performance AppraisalSystems they focussed on the assessmentof competencies after a lot of debate. Roleanalysis was done and role directoriesprepared by the Indian Oil Corporation inthe mid eighties and simultaneously, acomprehensive competency mappingwas also done under the guidance ofDr Athreya.

The renewed emphasis on competencymapping was due to the following factors:

• Many consulting firms abroad,especially in the West, specialisedin competency mapping and havecome up with new dictionaries ofcompetencies.

• With enhanced global knowledge andaccess to these consulting firms andagencies, most Indian HR Managershave now become aware of theexistence of these competencies andfirms.

• Some firms have not done this exercisein the past or where they have done itthe top management have not taken itseriously as it was done with a lowbudget and as a part of the role of theHRD Manager. As the expenditureincurred was low the firm never tookcognizance of it. L&T is one such casewhere an elaborate exercise was doneby the then HRD Chief Dr. Pereira anda list of 43 competencies were

generated. They were called asattributes instead of competencieswhich is the new managementlanguage.

• In some of the other firms when therehave been changes in HRD Managersor changes in roles with neworganisational structures etc and thereis a need to do it all over again.

• MNCs in order to promote astandardised and internationallyknown competence culture, for bettercontrols and centralised administrationand systems driven approachundertake competency mappingworldwide. Such competency mappingfor firms having income in billions ofdollars is affordable and they supply thecompetency profiles to those in othercountries. For example when Unileversundertakes such competency mappingworldwide they may supply the list toHLL and HLL needs to only adapt it toIndian conditions.

Some Indian companies unfortunately donot consider their competency mapping asa worthy exercise until they spend asignificant amount of money which isworth mentioning in their balance sheet oruse an International Consultancy firmwhich is again worth mentioning in theirannual reports or balance sheet.

There is no gainsaying the fact thatCompetency mapping is an importantessential exercise. Every well managedfirm should:

• Have a clear organisational structure

• Well defined roles in terms of the KPAsor tasks and activities associated witheach role

• Should have mapped the competenciesrequired for each role

• Generic competencies for each set ofroles or levels of management where

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appropriate and needed should beidentified.

• Companies ought to use them forrecruitment, performance management,promotion decisions, placement andtraining needs identification.

When the first HRD Department in thecountry was set up in Larsen & Toubro in1975 with the help of IIMA, this was thefirst and primary task assigned to it.Competency mapping was indeed the firstof the significant activities to be undertakenby the HR Department. Twenty five yearsafter the HRD Departments wereestablished in the country and two decadesafter specialised courses in HRD have beenstarted, it is disappointing to note thoseIndian corporations and their HRDDepartments still need consultants to docompetency mapping for them. A numberof them do not realise that competencymapping is essentially an in-house job.Consultants can at best give them themethodology and train their line managersand HR staff. Consultants cannot docompetency mapping all by themselvesbecause no consultant can ever have all theknowledge required to identify thetechnological, managerial, human relationsand other conceptual knowledge, attitudesand skills required for all jobs in a firm.Where consultants are excessively reliedupon, the data generated are likely toenrich the consultants and consulting firmsmuch more than the commissioning firmitself. The lower the consultant’sinvolvement more the work needs to bedone internally and higher the intellectualcapital generation and retention within theorganisation.

What is Competency?

Any underlying characteristic required forperforming a given task, activity, or rolesuccessfully can be considered ascompetency. Competency may take the

following forms:

• Knowledge

• Attitude

• Skill

• Other characteristics of anindividual

• Motives

• Values

• Self concept

In a classic article published a few decadesago in Harvard Business Review, DanielKatz grouped competencies under threeareas which were later expanded by theIndian Management professors into thefollowing four:

• Technical : dealing with technology orknow-how associated with thefunction, role, task (Also now referredby some as Functional)

• Managerial/Organisational: dealingwith the managerial aspects,organising, planning, mobilisingresources, monitoring, systems use etc.

• Human/Behavioral : dealing withpersonal, interpersonal, team relatedand

• Conceptual/Theoretical: dealing withvisualisations, model building etc.

This is a convenience classification and agiven competency may fall into one ormore areas and may include more than onefrom. It is this combination that are madeand promoted as competency dictionaries.A competency dictionary of a firm givesdetailed descriptions of the competencylanguage used by that firm. It containsdetailed explanations of the combinationsof competencies (technical, managerial,human and conceptual knowledge,attitudes and skills) using their ownlanguage. For example Team work or Team

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Management competency can be definedin terms of organisation specific and levelspecific behaviors for a given organisation.At top levels it might mean in the case ofone organisation ability identify utilise andsynergise the contributions of a projectteam and at another level it might meanability to inspire and carry along the topmanagement team including diversitymanagement. It is put here in much moresimplistic way while in competencymapping all details of the behaviors(observable, specific, measurable etc.) to beshown by the person occupying that roleare specified.

History of Competencies

A team of Educationists lead by BenjaminBloom in the USA in mid-fifties laid thefoundation for identifying educationalobjectives and there by defining theknowledge attitudes and skills needed tobe developed in education. The task forcelead by Bloom took several years to makean exhaustive classification of theeducational objectives that were groupedunder the cognitive domain.

David McClelland, the famous HarvardPsychologist, has pioneered thecompetency movement across the world.His classic books on Talent and Society,Achievement Motive, The Achieving Society,Motivating Economic Achievement and Powerthe Inner Experience brought out severalnew dimensions of the competencies.These competencies exposed byMcClelland dealt with the affective domainin Bloom’s terminology. The turning pointfor competency movement is the articlepublished in American Psychologist in 1973by McClelland titled wherein he presenteddata that traditional achievement andintelligence score may not be able to predictjob success and what is required is to profilethe exact competencies required to performa given job effectively and measure themusing a variety of tests. This article

combined with the work done by DouglasBrey and his associates at AT&T in the USwhere in they presented evidence thatcompetencies can be assessed throughassessment centers and on the job successcan be predicted to some extent by the samehas laid foundation for popularisation ofthe competency movement.

Later, McBer, a Consulting Firm foundedby David McClelland and his associateDavid Berlew have specialised in mappingthe competencies of entrepreneurs andmanagers across the world. They evendeveloped a new and yet simplemethodology called the Behavior EventInterviewing (BEI) to map thecompetencies.

Thus AT&T Studies of Formative Years inBusiness indicated the predictability offuture success. McClelland’s studies inearly seventies indicated the limitations ofIntelligence and Academic Performancedata. With increased recognition of thelimitations performance appraisal inpredicting future performance potentialappraisal got focused and Assessmentcenters became popular in seventies. Thesetting up an Assessment center was inintegral part of the HRD plan given to L&Tby the IIMA professors as early as in 1975.L&T did competency mapping and couldnot start assessment centers until muchlater as it was not perceived as a priorityarea.

Competency mapping is the process ofidentification of the competencies requiredto perform successfully a given job or roleor a set of tasks at a given point of time. Itconsists of breaking a given role or job intoits constituent tasks or activities andidentifying the competencies (technical,managerial, behavioral, conceptualknowledge, and attitudes, skills, etc.)needed to perform the same successfully.Competency assessment is the assessment

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of the extent to which a given individualor a set of individuals possess thesecompetencies required by a given role orset of roles or levels of roles. Assessmentcenters use multiple methods and multipleassessors to assess the competencies of agiven individual or a group of individuals.In order to enhance objectivity they usetrained assessors and multiple methodsincluding psychometric tests, simulationexercise, presentations, in-basket exercises,interviews, role-plays, group discussionsetc. The methods to be used depend on thenature of competencies.

Who Identifies competencies?

Competencies can be identified by one ofmore of the following category of people:Experts, HR Specialists, Job analysts,Psychologists, Industrial Engineers etc. inconsultation with: Line Managers, Current& Past Role holders, Supervising Seniors,Reporting and Reviewing Officers, InternalCustomers, Subordinates of the roleholders and other role set members of therole (those who have expectations fromthe role holder and who interact withhim/her).

What Methodology is used?

The following methods are used incombination for competency mapping:

� Interviews

� Group work

� Task Forces

� Task Analysis workshops

� Questionnaire

� Use of Job descriptions

� Performance Appraisal Formats

� KRAs and Attributes

How are they Identified?

The process of identification is not verycomplex. Some of the methods are givenbelow:

1. Simply ask each person who iscurrently performing the role to list thetasks to be performed by him one byone, and identify the Knowledge,Attitudes, and Skills required toperform each of these

2. Consolidate the list

3. Present it to a role set group or a specialtask force constituted for that role

4. Edit and Finalise

Alternately appoint a task force for eachrole. The task force should consist of somecurrent incumbents of that role who areperforming it well, the reporting andreviewing officers of that role, some of thepast role incumbents who havesuccessfully performed that role. Makesure that the task force consists of at leastone or more members who have someunderstanding of the competencies and thenature of competencies. Most professionalmanagers with M B A degrees should havethis competence. If they do not it is easy toacquire by reading a few books. When theauthor worked with the Ministry of Healthin Indonesia along with Dr. Udai Pareekand Rolf Lynton, a three day workshop wasfound to be sufficient to train the localHealth Province staff in competencymapping. This in spite of the author havingto work with groups of Indonesians whospoke only Bhasa Indonesia.

TVRLS have developed a Role SetBased Competency Mapping (RSBCM)methodology and has been popularising itthrough their certificate programs. In thismethodology all role set members areinterviewed for mapping the competenciesrequired for a role. A role set consists of allthose who have expectations from a focal

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role holder and all those towards whomthe focal role holder has obligations. Therole set members share their perceptionsand expectations on the role holder’s job,its purpose, activities, and competenciesrequired. The RSBCM methodology makesthe role profile and competency profileexhaustive and also uses participativemethodology and hence enhancesacceptability of the output. TVRLS hasused this method successfully both in Indiaand its neighboring countries like SriLanka. Training the internal resourcesthrough competency mapping workshopsto use RSBCM methodology has beenfound to be cost effective. Illustrative listsof the corporations that have used thismethodology include Wockhardt, HDFC,Dodla Diary, Sampath Bank (Sri Lanka) etc.

The following are some highlights of thecompetency mapping practices of selectcompanies highlighted by Nair, NeharikaVohra, T. V. Rao and Atul Srivastava in theirbook on Best Practices in HR: ManufacturingSector (published by Steel Authority ofIndia, New Delhi, 2008).

HPCL has an exclusive competencymanagement team. Realising the potentialbenefits of the competency mappingprocess, HPCL has formed an exclusiveteam located at its headquarters and oneexclusive member at each of its differentzones. A total of 10 member team iscurrently operating and undertaking theresponsibility of implementation ofcompetency mapping processes at HPCL.(For details of Competency Mappingexperiences of HPCL see Rao, Ramnarayanand Chawla, 2010) Additionally, they havea Competency Mapping Website. Thisdedicated portal in their intranet is in placeunder ‘e-care’ for the benefit of all theemployees. Employees can upload theirindividual development plans, refer to thebehavioural and technical competencyframework and indicative project lists indifferent competencies, and assess their

own gaps between existing and desiredcompetencies. The site is also periodicallyupdated by a core team of CompetencyMapping.

At SKF India there was an initial pilottesting of the process sample roles. Since itwas an automated one, to ensure systemreadiness the process was first tested by theHR team to assess its user friendliness andintegrate feedback for processimprovements. This was followed byworkshops for senior management teamwhere the competency mapping systemframework and process was conducted forall the senior management team membersfor their understanding and inputs. Twentyfive one-day workshops were conductedacross the organisation, covering differentlocations and over 600 management cadreemployees to deploy the competencymanagement system. To empoweremployees, all information pertaining tothe competency model, competencydictionary, and competency map of all jobs,was also made available via a user friendlyIT platform called “My Competency” as partof their HRIS.

The process followed by Schneider ElectricIndia is much simpler and a morecustomised one. It is defined by a meetingbetween manager and employee calledICR (Individual Competency Review).This is essentially a self-assessment byemployees with the manager synthesising.In the meeting, manager and employeereview the assessment and close the reviewwith an action plan for competencydevelopment. The purpose of this jobcodification is to give a general andstandardised definition for each job,and to provide reference points for thejobs and their content, particularly criticalin an organisation continually evolvingwith new jobs.

At Philips Electronics India, the companyhas identified the key elements of

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leadership competency which makes theorganisation successful. Accordingly theymapped managers on their functional andleadership competency element. Thishelped to understand the gap which in turnbecame development needs for theirmanagers. Competency mapping is donefor managers, and skill matrix mapping isbeing done for technicians.

Similarly, Honeywell India engages incompetency assessment called skillassessment only for the shop flooremployees for technical competency. Theirprocess of skill development takes placebased on the identified competency gaps.

There is no one solution or method that isbest suited for any problem. In delineatingcompetencies as well we see a range ofmethods used. It is most important that themethod is suited to the context of theorganistion and also consistently applied.Continuous improvement of method isalso an important aspect of this process.”(Nair, Vohra, Rao and Srivastava, 2008)

Who can do it?

Competency Mapping is a task which canbe done by many people. Now-a-days allManagement schools and definitely thosespecialising in HR, train the students inCompetency Mapping. Recently when theauthor taught a course on Management ofTalent at the Indian School of Business withtwo hours or introduction to the processof competency mapping the students (allwith experience of more than two years)have done a great job of competencymapping for a set of roles.

The person who facilitates CompetencyMapping should have the followingcompetencies:

• Should have some familiarity withcompetencies and the nature ofcompetencies. This includes knowledge

of the terms used commonly incompetency identifications (sociability,activity level, monitoring ability,resource mobilisation, vision,communication skills, analytical skills,planning, organising, team building,imitative, strategic thinker etc.) andmeaning of most common terms.

• Should know the meaning ofknowledge (awareness, information),Attitude (predisposition) and skill(demonstrable ability to perform aparticular task or activity with a pre-designated level of proficiency —speed, accuracy, quality etc’)

• Should be able to differentiateknowledge, attitude, and skills. Abilityto differentiate motives, values, selfconcept and traits is an additionalcompetence

• Should be able to differentiate a taskfrom an activity

• Should be able to list a set of activitiesand tasks for a given role with the helpof a role holder (a person who iscurrently doing a the given job)

• Should able to classify a givencompetence (knowledge, attitude andskill) into technological arena,managerial arena, behavioral arena anda conceptual arena. This is a very simplecompetency which is useful but notessential.

• Should have interviewing and probingskills

• Should be able to document andcommunicate to others throughdocumentation (ability to communicateusing precise language and provideexplanations wherever necessary)

• Should be familiar with the nature ofbusiness done by the firm, its products,and markets, processes etc. or at least

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would be able to understand and graspthe basics of technology and processesused by the firm. This can be developedthrough a quick induction program bythe firm.

Any Masters in Management or SocialSciences or an employee with equivalentexperience and training can developthese competencies. Conceptualbackground and understanding of thebusiness is important. Familiarity withBusiness, Organisations, Managementand Behavioral Sciences is useful.HR Managers, Management Graduates,Applied Psychologists are quitequalified to do this. Most institutionsspecialising in HR train the candidates todo this.

Some Tips on Competency Mapping

The following are some of tips to docompetency mapping at low cost:

• Pick up a job or a role that is relativelywell understood by all individuals inthe company and use this as anillustration. For example SalesExecutive, Production Supervisor,Assistant HR Manager, Receptionist,Transport Manager, PR Manager, etc.are known to all and easy to profile.

• Work out competencies for this role ifnecessary with the help of job analysisspecialist or an internal member whohas knowledge of competencymapping. Prepare this as an illustration.

• Circulate these around and ask variousdepartments to do it on their own.

• Circulate samples of competencies doneby others

• Illustrate knowledge, attitudes, skills,values etc.

• Choose a sample that does not usejargons

• Explain the purpose

• Interview of past successful job holdershelps

• Current incumbent who are doing agood job along with their Reportingofficers is a good enough team in mostcases.

• Once prepared even on the basis of oneor two individuals inputs, circulate thefindings to other role set members

For an illustration of the competencies seeDesigning and Managing Human ResourceSystems by Udai Pareek and T. V. Rao,Oxford & IBH publication.

References:Rao, T. V. Hurconomics: New Delhi: Oxford & IBH

Nair, Nisha; Vohra, Neharika; Rao, T. V and Srivastava, Atul. “HR Best Practices. New Delhi: Steel Authority of India, 2008.

Pareek, Udai and Rao, T. V; Designing and Managing Human Resource Systems: New Delhi: Oxford & IBH, 2003

Rao, T. V; Ramnarayan S. and Chawla Nandini: Life after 360 Degree Feedback and ADCs: New Delhi: Excel Publications, 2010.

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About the Author

Prasenjit Bhattacharya is CEO of The Great Place to Work®Institute, India.

Prasenjit has about two decades of experience in Indian andmultinational corporations like HSBC, Grow Talent, EicherConsultancy Services (ECS Ltd.), Siemens, and CromptonGreaves. Prasenjit has worked closely as an internal HR consultantand as an external consultant with senior leadership teams atvarious organisations in the area of change management.

Prasenjit heads The Great Place to Work® Institute, India. Great Place to Work®Institute is the world’s leading Institute doing research and consulting in creatinggreat workplaces. He is a thought leader in the area of employee engagement andemployer branding, and his articles and comments appear regularly in Economic Times,Human Capital magazine, and other publications.

In his previous stint in consulting Prasenjit has worked widely in various areas inHR, and in Service Quality and TQM in industries ranging from telecom, cement,heavy engineering, automotive components, dairy products, software, hospitals andhotels.

Prasenjit has done his MA in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations fromTata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and is married to Puja who is an MA in Family& Child Welfare working as a freelance consultant to social and non – governmentalorganizations.

COMPETENCIES IN HR –HR LEADERS IN THE NEXT DECADE

PRASENJIT BHATTACHARYA

Is there anything left to be written on HRcompetencies?

The myth of being a strategic businesspartner

Ever since Dave Ulrich and WayneBrockbank started talking about movingHR from an “operationally reactive” roleto a “strategically proactive” role ( morethan a decade back) , there have been manyarticles talking about why HR should be a“strategic business partner”. The premiseof these articles is that HR’s first priority isto help in delivering business results by

enabling the organisation to align peoplewith the business goals.

In study after study we read about why itis important for HR to be the strategicbusiness partner. However, as studiesindicate, HR seems to be a strategicbusiness partner only in a very feworganisations.

Then again, which function should notaspire to be a strategic business partner? Ifyou ask procurement, administration,information technology, corporatecommunication, finance ….any function,

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they will all say that their function shouldbe a strategic business partner.Understanding business, getting peoplealigned to the business, and being“strategically proactive” (whatever itmeans) is a requirement of every function.

HR has to be a strategic business partner,but that is not, in my opinion, thepinnacle at the end of a long journey ofgoing through different phases. What iscommon to every function cannot be thedistinguishing feature for one function.What then, is the distinguishing featureof HR?

The changing needs of employees

Predicting the future is a tricky business,particularly if you happen to be aroundwhen the “future” arrives. I was remindedof Abraham Lincoln’s saying, “The bestway to predict your future is to create it!”Which are the organisations that are wellplaced to predict what people atworkplaces will be like in future? Are theynot likely to be the people who are alreadycreating great workplaces today? Thepeople, who seem to have understood theiremployees so well, are likely to be aheadof others in seeing how things shift in theworkplace. This rather imperfect logic ledme to interview a cross section of CEOs andHR leaders of some of the companies thatfeature in the Top 50 Best Companies toWork for list of Great Place to Work®Institute in India. This article, therefore, isrelevant only for the “creamy layer” in theorganised sector in India. Also, in line withthe language used by many of the CEOs Ispoke to, I have avoided using terms whichsound like jargon while describingcompetencies.

What are the key drivers for attracting andretaining talent today? Most HR managerswill name compensation (and resultantopportunities to fulfil esteem needs),

learning opportunities, career growth andinstant recognition as some of the moreimportant drivers. While these continue tobe important, executives in some of the bestworkplaces predict that another set ofneeds will become increasingly morerelevant among employees. This isparticularly true in India whosedemographic profile is very different fromthe western countries.

1. Autonomy & Freedom — A peek intothe future is visible in organisations likeMarriott and Google today. Both aremagnets for young employees. Bothhave an extremely high degree offreedom and empowerment. And bothhave open and transparentcommunication processes to shareinformation required by employees toexercise their freedom.

2. Higher flexibility and work-lifebalance — Employees are increasinglygoing to differentiate between sellingtheir skills and selling their life.Contracts will be based on deliverablesand not on time spent. Developedeconomies like US have more than 22per cent of their work force in the formof “free agents”- people who are not onthe rolls of a company. Even traditionalforms of employment will change. IBM,for example, has more than 50 work-lifebalance programmes and a significantsection of employees who work fromhome.

3. Customised career paths – Infosyshas devised 24 career streams, withmany organisations having only oneor two. Why stop at 24? How aboutone for each employee? Seemsimpossible in a paradigm wherestructure follows strategy and peoplefollow structure and roles. Yet in reality,the growth of each person is unique;why should his career growth notbe unique?

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4. Transparency — Mindtree has a rulecalled 95:95:95. In 2020 this rule willbecome 99:100:100 i.e. 99 per cent of theinformation will be available to 100 percent of the people, 100 per cent ofthe time.

5. Opportunity to make a differenceglobally – For many people, work willmove from being a source of living toproviding meaning to life. The socialimpact of business will transcendnational boundaries. Social networkingusing technology will override manmade boundaries. A Google, forexample, will not be able to justify toits own employees that censorship of itssearch results is not acceptableelsewhere, but acceptable in China.

The “unreasonable” needs of employees

It is not just that the needs of employeesare changing, but they can often beseemingly contradictory. For example, onthe one hand young employees inthe workforce today want entrepreneurialopportunities along with job security.Many would prefer variety at workalong with well-defined roles. Most wouldprefer challenging work along withwork-life balance. But who is to decidehow reasonable employee expectationsare? Do we have an option of buildinga strong employer brand promisingentrepreneurial opportunities, varietyat work and challenging work, but atlow levels of job security, role clarityand work-life balance? Increasingly,organisations have to manage the art oftightrope walking balancing seeminglycontradictory to the needs of employees.The best workplaces have managed thisbalance pretty well. A Google or Marico isable to offer entrepreneurial opportunitiesto its employees while providing areasonably high level of job security, aMarriott or a FedEx offers a variety of work

opportunities along with role clarity, andan Adobe or Agilent offers challengingwork, along with work-life balance.

Have our assumptions about peoplechanged?

For many of us who joined the workforceone or two decades ago (the Gen X andBaby Boomers), it is obvious that ourassumptions about work and employershave changed.

For the previous generations in theworkplace there were a set of assumptionswhich seemed to hold true, namely:

1. Respect for “authority”

I remember as a young executive,listening attentively to my Director’s“words of wisdom” every time hewould come down to the factory whereI was working. Few people realise thatknowledge, before the advent of theinternet, was acquired through a slowand steady process called “experience”and one reason experience wasrespected was because it often meantmore knowledge.

2. Denial of self-expression

Some time ago, I wrote a mail to all myteam members reminding them that wehave a mandatory 10 a.m. meeting.“You can come late if you want, butplease don’t come at 10:15 a.m. that isnot flexitime, it is tardiness,” I added atthe end of my email in a rather smugway. Prompt came a reply (marked ccto all others) from the youngest memberof my team. “I don’t agree,” was all hesaid. Gen X or Baby Boomer managerswould get irritated by such a reply. Theprevailing assumption when theyentered the workforce was that it isbetter to remain silent rather thandisagree with their bosses.

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3. Sacrifice in the present for unnamedfuture rewards

My first boss always used to exhort meto work hard. “You have a bright future,my son,” he would say, without evertelling me what it meant.

We all know that the above assumptionsare not working any more. What many ofus do not realise is why we had theseassumptions in the first place. I amindebted to Peter Block for pointing out inhis book, The Empowered Manager, that theabove assumptions are borrowed fromsociology and not management. These areassumptions of a social system calledpatriarchy. These assumptions are trueeven today for large parts of our societyand you can feel it if you are the youngestson or the daughter-in-law in a joint family.

A key challenge for HR managers fromprevious generations is to recognise thatpatriarchy is changing, particularly inurban areas and it has two significantimplications for workplace relationships:

1. The psychological contract betweenthe employee and employer isdifferent

Organisations changed this contractduring the downsizing which wasrequired to be competitive in thenineties. Managers and consultantswent about telling employees how theorganisation is trying to give employees“Employability” rather than“Employment security”

The knee jerk reactions of manyorganisations that went reducingemployees during the more recentdownturn, only to frantically recallthem a few months later have alsoconvinced employees that they cannottrust organisations with their careers.

Employees have taken the bit onemployability seriously. They have

specific personal goals and conditionsfor joining and staying, and will stay aslong as these are met. This is as true forthe CEO as it is for front line employees.

2. The balance of power has shifted tothe employee from the employer

For many middle age managers, all wehave to do is recall our first boss andcompare him with what our situationis today. Organisations may or may nothave become more democratic, but thepowers of managers over their teammembers have changed dramatically.Employees are no longer willing to putup with old patriarchal notions. Nor arethey willing to leave their careers in the“competent” hands of their managers.

What has HR done well?

HR in India has had some significantachievements in the last decade. The HRcommunity has been able to position HR,particularly talent management, as a keyagenda item for the CEO. Consequently, ithas created a place for itself in themanagement board of most progressiveorganisations. It has proved its executioncapabilities by creating many global casestudies of scaling up. HR has beensuccessful in developing leaders on aglobal scale. HR has also embracedtechnology in a big way. A case in point isNHRD Network and its use of technologyto deliver webinars etc. HR conferencesnow are dominated by well-known CEOs,as opposed to HR Heads in the past. MostCEOs claim to be spending the bulk of theirtime on HR issues.

However, the fact that CEOs are spendingmore time on HR issues does not mean thatHR heads have built appropriatecompetencies to be considered at par with,say, Finance heads. In fact, many Financeheads now wear the hat of HR head too!What does it say about current HRleadership and where do they struggle?

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The points given below are based on mydiscussions with a number of CEOs andHR heads of some of the best workplaces.If they are true about the best workplaces,it stands to reason that they might berelevant for all others too.

Key challenges for HR professionals -what are the current competency gaps?

1. One size fits all approach – This is, byfar, the most common refrain againstHR, even by HR managers! Amazon orGoogle is able to track the unique needsof each customer, yet there arebusinesses where the HR policies fordifferent businesses, say IT and ITES,are the same. Why are employeestreated as one composite group, whileeach customer is acknowledged asunique? Can we still take pride inimposing “uniform policies for all”?“Show me the person and I will showyou the policy” might just be the normfor the future! How do we customiseour approach for each employee, andyet be a fair employer? Some companiesare showing the way. RMSI, forexample, has an intranet site foremployees to apply for any policyexceptions by giving reasons. Decisionsare taken within a specified time frameand posted on the same site. Employeesknow that HR policies are meant toattract & retain people and not do theopposite.

2. Straight jacketed and inflexible careerpaths — Traditional career paths(specialists, people managers, projectmanagers etc) force people to keeptrying to climb the corporate laddersince it is the only way to meet theirfinancial and esteem needs. While thissystem produces some outstandingprofessionals, organisations have to paya heavy price in the form of raising alarge number of people to their “level

of incompetence”. We all know of goodperformers who would have happilycontributed for a long time, forced toleave an organisation, upon beingpromoted to a job for which they werenot ready. There are few organisationslike FedEx which allow an employee tointrospect by going to a specialprogramme, “Is Management for me?”before promoting anyone to amanagerial role. Most don’t becausethey have precious little to offer, apartfrom promotions, to meet the financialand esteem needs of employees.

3. Yesterday’s assumptions about people— There are managers who arestill conditioned by yesteryear ’sassumptions about people. They oftenforget that talented people now have farmore choices than before. While the restof Bharat still lives in a patriarchalsociety, the talent base for most peoplereading this article has changed. Theycan no longer expect blind submissionto authority, denial of self-expressionand sacrifice in the present for unnamedfuture rewards — all of which weretaken for granted during a different “Novacancy” era of the past. The supply-demand equation in the market, andhence the balance of power between theemployer and employee has changed,however, in many cases, our mindsethas not. A typical example of this is theway we design our recruitment orleadership development process –based on the assumption that all wehave to do is put a filtering process anda vast multitude of talent will surgethrough the filter to enable us to pickup the best.

4. Lack of people skills in line managers— This is too well known to needelaboration. This, perhaps, is the singlebiggest people challenge in allorganisations. “The HR function is in acatch 22 situation, they spend all their

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energy in recruiting people and the restof the managers (spend their energy) indriving them away!” remarked afrustrated HR manager. In the absenceof unions, it is often masked in manyorganisations. Attrition does not lead tothe kind of management reaction that astrike does. Organisations like Infosysare now deliberately looking at peopleskills before promoting people. Howwill this be taken by employees used tobeing promoted regardless of theirpeople skills, is yet to be seen.

5. Manages people, not adequatelyfocused on developing people —Many organisations, including HRfunctions are responsible for this. HRis focused on HR processes, a large partof which is compliance driven. Howabout clubbing all HR processes as aseparate support function, and puttingdevelopment of people as a “core” HRfunction?

6. High level of attrition in the HRfunction — In my organisation, we tryto maintain a database of HRprofessionals. Till last year, the primaryunit was the organisation. However,keeping this database updated wasa herculean task, since manyorganisations kept losing their HRprofessionals regularly. This year, weare changing the primary unit to theindividual. We will track the individualand keep the organisation as thesecondary field which will need to bechanged at regular intervals. I haverarely come across an HR head that haswords of praise for his predecessor.”You should have seen the state ofaffairs when I joined…,” is a commonrefrain. Three years later, the nextperson who takes the role says the samething! There are few organisationswhich have been able to retain their HRheads, and have enabled them to besuccessful, over a long period of time.

The Aditya Birla Group is one suchexample.

7. HR does not report metrics importantto business — Agilent has 35 headcountreports with businesswise cuts. TheHR function has to play a consultingrole with around 25 meetings withbusiness heads every quarter, exploringways to help them align people andbusiness. This requires anunderstanding of business. HR issometimes, unfairly, accused of being“Event Managers”. This notion isreinforced if they do not report metricsimportant to business, and do not coachbusiness managers on aligning peopleand business.

8. Not enough crystal gazing —Significant changes are currently on,changes that will redefine workplacerelationships and the way we look atemployers. You have to go no furtherthan the issue of a business magazinepublished in the beginning of the year.The magazine came out with a list ofBest Companies to Work without asingle company officially participating!Yet they rated 1000 companies! The trickwas an online survey taken by 8742respondents, an arithmetic average of8.7 employees per company! While wecan debate the methodology, it isincreasingly clear that our employerbrand, much like our corporate brand,is not controlled by us. If you think youhave significant control over youremployer brand, please visit vault.comand glassdoor.com to find out whatyour employees are saying about youbehind your back. Just as youremployer brand is slipping out of yourhands, so will your employees, as asignificant majority in future, be happyto be “free agents” – who sell theirexpertise and are loyal only tothemselves.

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While the above are current “competency-gaps” most CEOs and HR Heads of thebest workplaces I spoke to were fairlyclear about the future requirementsfrom HR.

Competencies needed by HR in future1. Understand business – After all

these years of Dave Ulrich andWayne Brockbank, the number oneexpectation remains the same!HR needs to understand businessand changing business needs. This,in turn, will help HR anticipate talentneeds better, and position theorganisation more effectively in thetalent market.

2. Align stakeholders around a sharedpurpose — There is a uniqueopportunity for HR to oversee themeaning that the organisation createsfor different stakeholders by driving ashared purpose.

3. Facilitate change in mindsets – HR canplay an important role in facilitating awin-win relationship with associatesand employees by aligning the businessgoals of the organisation with the lifegoals of the employee (and not the otherway round!) Facilitators in the HRfunction, called Sherpas, take all newjoiners through the “culture journey” atHilti, the real estate equipmentmanufacturer.

4. Obsessed about development andrenewal of people — This shouldbe true not just about seniormanagement talent, but should extendto developing talent at the bottom ofthe pyramid, and developing a strongand robust talent and leadershippipeline.

5. Establish HR as a distinct professionby building appropriate competencies— While the best workplaces recognisethe role of the HR function, HR is still

not perceived to be a distinct professionby many. But the marriage oftechnology, work and careers is set tomake the HR function not just abusiness partner, but a businessdifferentiator. For HR function to betaken seriously, HR has to impactbusiness results and show linkages ofHR initiatives with business results.However, increasingly, core skills in HRinclude understanding global HR (e.g.compensation trends globally, creatingglobal talent pipelines etc.), as well as,deploying appropriate consulting skillswithin the organization. HR cannot dothis unless all transactional aspects ofHR are outsourced externally orinternally.

6. Attract and build a diverse workforce,including those who do not cometo office — HR has to not onlypromote diversity at the workplace,but also be adept in using virtualcollaboration tools. This calls fornew ways to build values andculture in a virtual environment,using multiple channels ofcommunication. One of the challengesfor HR is how can employees, who donot come to office, bond with theorganisation?

Research findings of Great Place toWork® Institute in India

Data from over 600 organisations wereanalysed by us to discover the areas withthe biggest gaps in the perception ofemployees in the best workplaces andthe rest.

These areas represent issues or aspects thatare at the core, and are difficult to do verywell consistently, even for the greatworkplaces. They are a “tough ask,” butthey seem to separate Average and Goodfrom Great!

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1. Equity - fair share of profits/special &unique benefits & fair payA recent example is a financial servicescompany where we did a series of focusgroup discussions to find out whyemployee perceptions are not veryhigh. What transpired is that thisorganisation has implemented a seriesof cost cutting measures, includingsalary cuts, during the economicdownturn. But these measurescontinued even after the financialresults started looking up. Employeeswho could see the top line and thebottom line improving could notunderstand why they were expected tocontinue to sacrifice. Special and uniquebenefits need not cost money. Paypal (asubsidiary of eBay) has a PersonalBoard of Directors for employees. ThisBoard supports the employee inimplementing his or her developmentplan. HR can design processes thatpromote fairness in the share of profitsand in pay.

2. Reliability — management’s actionsmatch their words / managementdelivers on promisesNo amount of ‘best practices’ and ‘nextpractices’ can be a substitute for oldfashioned walking the talk. The bestworkplaces have excelled in feedbackmechanisms even for the senior mostmanagers. In a practice that is rapidlycatching up, Infosys has implemented‘Ask Krish’ – the Infosys online channelof asking questions to their CEO Krishis a transparent process where even themost uncomfortable question can beasked without fear of consequences.Other employees can vote to indicatewhich questions are more important.This is a process that this year’s numberone best workplace, Google, has hadfor years.When senior managers subjectthemselves to such open and

transparent feedback, they have afair chance of knowing if they arebeing perceived as someone who walksthe talk.

3. Impartiality - people avoidpoliticking/favouritism/promotionsgo to deserving people

One of the most difficult areas to dealwith, the best workplaces also strugglewith lower employee perceptions in thisarea. Why they are able to score overothers is because of the robust processesthey have to deliver justice. It is not thatthe best workplaces do not have valueviolations, in fact most have manyexamples even at the senior most levels.What sets them apart is what they doin such times. They almost always dothe right thing. As I write, the globalhead of HP, Mark Hurd, has put in hispapers after being accused of falsifyingexpense reports to conceal a “closepersonal relationship” with acontractor. The best companies use thesame yardstick for the CEO as theywould for any other employee. Andthey do not spend too much timeagonising over such decisions. HP’sshare price may temporarily fall,but they are likely to retain the trustof their stakeholders, not the least ofwhich is employees, by being perceivedto be fair.

Interestingly, the above three areas aretough areas for HR managers. These are theareas where they have to sometimes standup against their more ‘powerful’ colleaguesand vested interest. Only some HRmanagers with high personal credibilityand relationship building skills can advisethe CEO not to take a pay hike in the sameyear in which they have downsized toreduce cost!

The HR competencies that we talkabout are relevant only if they enable HR

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to play its fundamental role as employeechampions!

I started this article with a hypothesisthat every function wants to be astrategic business partner, so that alonecannot be a differentiator for HR. So, whatdifferentiates HR? First and foremost, inmy opinion, it is the ability to look atthe organisation from the employees’ pointof view.

A sales manager has sales goals to achieve.Since, in most cases, he cannot force peopleto buy, he has to think of a valueproposition which is a win-win for both –the potential customer and theorganisation. Purchase looks at a valueproposition for both the organisation andthe suppliers, Finance looks at a similarproposition for the investors and theorganisation and so on. So, why shouldHR’s primary job not be to arrive at a valueproposition which is a win-win for theorganisation and employees?

HR function that is simply playing the roleof a “strategic business partner” by“aligning” employees with the businessstrategy without “engaging” them mayhelp achieve business results for some time,with grievous long term damage to theorganization. Some CEOs may like to getrid of fuzzy concepts like engagement,fairness or trust in favour of alignment withbusiness results. Alignment withoutengagement is like a prison whereyou have to serve a specific term before youget out.

Why settle for one when you can haveboth?

So if you are an HR professional, being astrategic business partner is not just abouthelping the organisation align people tobusiness, it is about winning the hearts andminds of people. Indeed, that is the onlysustainable way of aligning people tobusiness.

References:

1. Dave Ulrich, Wayne Brockbank, Dani Johnson, Kurt Sandholtz, Jon Younger (2008). HR Competencies. Mastery at the Intersectionof People and Business

2. Dave Ulrich, Wayne Brockbank, (2005). The work of HR part one: people and performance: using HR “menus” to maximize valuefor all stakeholders, Strategic HR Review, Vol. 4 Issue: 5, pp.20 - 23

3. Floyd Kemske, The top 10 predictions in Workplace Flexibility, Global Business, Work and Society, Workforce Development,Definition of Jobs, and Strategic Role of HR, http://www.workforce.com

4. CII-NHRD HR Competency model

5. BCG & WFPMA white paper, 2008. Creating the People Advantage- How to address HR challenges worldwide through to 2015

6. Wayne Brockbank. If HR were really strategically proactive: Present and future directions in HR-Human Resource Management;Winter 1999

7. Peter Block. The Empowered Manager – Positive Political Skills at Work

Acknowledgements

The author expresses sincere gratitude towards Chief Executives and Human ResourcesHeads of numerous organisations for responding to his queries. Chief among theseorganizations are Accenture, Acclaris, Agilent, Bajaj Capital, Classic Stripes, Dr. Reddy’s,Eureka Forbes, Godrej Properties, HDFC, Hilti, Infosys, Intel, Interglobe, Intuit, Lilly,Mando, Marico, Quintiles, Tasty Bite and TCS.

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IN COMPETENCE WE TRUST? MAKING SENSE OFCOMPETENCE

Dr. VASANTHI SRINIVASAN

About the Author

Dr. Vasanthi Srinivasan, a product of XLRI, has pursued theFellow Program in Management, Indian Institute ofManagement Bangalore. She is currently the Associate Professorin the Department of Organizational Behaviour & HumanResources Management, IIM – Bangalore.

Dr. Srinivasan is the Chairperson in The Centre for CorporateGovernance and Citizenship.

She is a Life Member of the National HRD Network India and a Member of theNational Institute of Personnel Management, Bangalore chapter. She is also aMember of the CII Bangalore sub committees on Corporate Social Responsibilityand Disability. She is the Regional co-coordinator for the South and East Asia onthe Global Survey of Business Ethics Ms. Vasanthi Srinivasan has contributed tovarious articles and publications in national and international forums.

I borrowed the title of this paper from anarticle that I read in 2004 by Maurice

Grzeda where she was referred to theconceptual ambiguity so deeply embeddedin the definition of competency. During thelast decade, there has been a “competencymovement” in large organisations acrossthe world. One is not too sure if this is a“passing fad” or a “fashion’ in the field ofHRM or something more enduring thatwill alter the manner in which building thehuman capacity and capability occurs. Asan academic, one cannot however ignorethe increasing acceptance of thecompetency framework within the HRprofession and I believe these calls for somecritical understanding of the conceptualand empirical underpinnings of thissubject. In this paper, my attempt will beto outline the ambiguities that exist in theusage of the term competency, theimplications and the impact of theseambiguities in the implementation ofcompetency development programstowards achieving the strategic goals of the

organisation. The focus of the paper isprimarily on managerial competencies.

Making sense of competency models:The term ‘competence’ and ‘competency’tend to be used interchangeably. However,there are two distinct definitions currentlyin usage. The American ManagementAssociation has defined competency as an”underlying characteristic of a person whichresults in effective action and/or superiorperformance in a job (Boyatzis, 1982).However, the Management CharterInitiative in the UK defines competency asa “description of an action, behavior or anoutcome which a person who works in agiven occupational area should be able todemonstrate”. In the US definition,competencies are generic underlyingcharacteristics which constitute personaltraits, skills, knowledge and motives of theemployee that have been causally relatedto superior performance. In short, theemphasis and focus of this model is on theJob holder. In contrast, the UK model

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identifies standards of competence,relevant to employment in different jobsand an occupational competence is definedas ‘the ability to perform the activitieswithin an occupation to the standardsexpected’. The emphasis in this model ison the occupation, rather than theemployee.

This distinction in definitions thereforetranslates into differences inimplementation of the range of HRactivities that support and build thecompetencies. The dominant approach inthe US, has been to employ a personoriented job analysis through mechanismslike Behavioral event interviews to identifythose characteristics distinguishingsuperior performers. The dominantapproach in the UK has been to use afunctional analysis to identify thenecessary roles, tasks and duties of anoccupation, rather than the skills ofsuccessful job holders. This involves theidentification or definition of the keypurpose or function of an occupationfollowed by its subcategories in order toestablish the outcomes that must bereached for the key purpose to be achieved.This yields an extensive list ofcompetencies grouped under key roleareas. Performance criteria are developedto indicate appropriate minimumcompetence levels. Thus, the UK modelemphasises outcomes from theperformance of individuals at what isregarded as an average level ofperformance; in contrast the USAframework emphasises the performancefrom the perspective of superior effectiveemployees (Jones & Connolly, 2001; Cheng,Dainty& Moore, 2001).

The above difference is significant forpractitioners and ought not to be seen as atheoretical and intellectual discussion. TheUK framework provides a robust canvasfor a good competency based trainingprogram. Since each individual performinga functional role, is required to possess aset of competencies, the focus is on

identifying the key competencies that canbe acquired through vocationalqualification and training. The Americandefinition of competencies focuses onbehaviours, attitudes and personalitycharacteristics; however, very littleattention is paid to ethics and values inmost competence models. Does this meanthat it is unimportant or is it that it cannotbe developed or trained or is it not seen asimportant in the larger discourse ofmanagement in organisations?

The first question for HR practitioners whoare using the competency framework is toverify which definition have they used inframing their competency maps. Neitherof these definitions is right or wrong. Bothare relevant and appropriate in specificcontexts. However, unless organisationsare clear about what definition they havefollowed, it is likely that we will end upwith a series of HR training anddevelopment programs which may pull atcross purposes or not serve theorganizational goals that they wereintended to meet.

Generic competencies or specificcompetenciesDo successful managers display similarcompetencies or are competencies uniqueto specific contexts? The proponents of thegeneric perspective argue that a relativelysmall number of competencies areapplicable to every managerial position. Anumber of scholars have supported thisview of threshold competencies. However,it must be recognised that all of theseformulations are associated with roles,functions and the nature of organisationalcontexts and therefore the generalisationof these few competencies is questionable.Some authors suggest that in general,senior positions in organisations willrequire a more complex set of competenciesand therefore, the need for differentiatingcompetencies too. It is interesting to notethat competency maps in mostorganisations do contain a set of genericcompetencies that straddle across multiple

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jobs and also a set of differentiatingcompetencies that are more positionspecific. Therefore, what percentage ofcompetencies is truly generic is worthy ofinvestigation.

In my own work on leadershipdevelopment, I have faced numerouschallenges with respect to competencies.Firstly, some organisations have a long listof 10-12 competencies. When I look backat my experience the leaders that I haveobserved who influenced organisationssignificantly rarely possessed more thanhalf a dozen competencies. Secondly,articulating these competencies is done atthe levels of roles /positions inorganisations. This creates two sets ofproblems – in a dynamic and volatilecontext of global organisations, the roles/positions themselves are vulnerable tochanges. The nature of the competenciesrequired for the role and the time that ittakes to acquire these competencies oftenreflect a lead lag effect. Thirdly,measurement of competencies is a hugechallenge. In behavioural sciences,measuring a behavior at such a level ofgranularity creates problems related to thewhole. Since competencies are aboutKnowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Othercharacteristics (KSAO’s), the most visibleof the four elements namely knowledgeand skills are the ones that are easy todefine very specifically and hence getcaptured well in organisations. Thesignificant ones pertaining to attitudes andother characteristics are intangible, difficultto observe and need to be carefullymonitored, before they can be measured.Therefore, changes in attitudes and othercharacteristics are often not documented asexhaustively. Fourthly, development of

these competencies require interventionsthat involve special assignments, taskgroup nominations, coaching and personalfeedback, structuring jobs for the purposeof development, which go beyond thetraditional training approach. Fourthly,some competencies like “strategicdexterity”, “strategic perspective” are metacompetencies. While understanding thestrategic content and unique characteristicsof the sector and the organisation from atechnical and functional point of view iscritical, such competencies require“learning, changing, adapting, forecasting,anticipating and managing” as a way of lifeamong managers. How do organisationscreate conditions that allow formanifestation of these competencies in anongoing manner? How do individualscontinually adapt to acquire and build onthese competencies? Lastly, anycompetency frame work must be reliableand flexible to adapt to an increasinglyturbulent environment of the future. Sucha competency framework would need to,in perpetuity, manage the challenges of ashort term ongoing capacity building ofemployees and at the same time, allowthem to acquire competencies that will lastthem in the long run. This demands morethan a competency framework; it requiresa learning organization.

Every fad or fashion has a time periodassociated with it. Given what the futurewill demand, is it likely that competencyis on its way out? Is there a need for adifferent framework which will be basednot just on knowledge and skills, but willbuild action, reflection, judgment asintegral part of a holistic management/leadership development process?

References:1. Grzed, M M (2005) “In competence we trust? Addressing Conceptual Ambiguity” .The Journal of Management Development.

24(5/6)2. Cheng, M & Dainty A R J (2003) “The differing faces of Managerial competency in Britain and America” .The Journal of Management

Development. 22(5/6)3. Ruth, D (2006) “Frameworks of Managerial competence: limits, problems and suggestions”. Journal of European Industrial Training.

30(2/3)4. Burgoyne. J G (1993) “The competence Movement: issues, stakeholders and prospects”. Personnel Review. 22(6)

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CREATING A COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK FOR HR -THE JOURNEY SO FAR

R VIDYASAGAR

About the Author

R Vidyasagar - He has over 25 years of rich professionalexperience spanning the entire gamut of Human ResourcesManagement. He had spent a significant part of his professionalcareer in the IT sector leading the function in companies such asWipro Infotech, Motorola, Citigroup and Philips Software Centre.At present, Vidyasagar is the Senior Director - Human Resourcesat EMC, located at Bangalore.

An alumni of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, heholds a Post Graduate Degree in HRM. Known for his futuristic thinking and passionfor the profession, Vidyasagar had held leadership roles with some of the reputedprofessional fora - he was the Chapter President of National HRD Network atBangalore.

As the past convener and member of the taskforce, Vidyasagar had anchored‘CompMode’, HR Competency Model - an initiative of CII, National HRD Networkand XLRI. He is also a regular member of the facilitators’ team for the SeniorLeadership Development Program at Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

He serves as the member of the HR Core Committee of CII at the national level. Hewas also a member of the Business Advisory Council of SHRM India. His areas ofinterest/focus include Strategic HR, Competency Mgt, Talent engagement/Development, Change Management & Executive Coaching.

Vidyasagar’sco-ordinates: [email protected]

It all started during one of the NationalHR Core Committee meetings of CII, in

Delhi in the early part of year 2002. Wewere attending the bi-monthly meeting,presided over by Mr. Rajendra Pawar, whohas been synonymous with NIIT for morethan quarter of a Century. We werefinalising the agenda for the Committee forthe year when Mr. Pawar, known toeveryone for his penchant for futuristicthinking and progressive outlookchallenged us to choose an initiative thatcan provide a paradigm shift to HR as afunction and to the HR professionals as a

whole at the Country level. We were justout of the dotcom bust, economy waslooking up and what was needed tosupport the ‘next curve of growth’ was anupgraded and renewed HR function thatwill not look back and the one that can trulyenhance the capability of the organisationto deliver superior results to all itsstakeholders on a sustained basis. As manywould allude to the fact that next to theCEO’s job in any progressive enterprise,the HR leader ’s role assumes greatersignificance, especially as the World hasbeen moving towards a knowledge/

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service based economy where the humancapital is the primary driver for growth andsuccess on a sustained basis.

What followed the animated debate wasthe following agenda:

Create and deliver a competency framework forthe HR professionals that can be adopted by allsegments of the industry in the new millennium

Taskforce and the beginning of the journey- an idea whose time has come

I was tasked to lead a small taskforce fromamongst those who were present in themeeting. It comprised of late RanjanAcharya from Wipro, Mali Mahalingamwho currently heads the people functionat Symphony Services and PallabBandyopadhyay who currently heads theHR function at Citrix. I must state here thatRanjan Acharya was a powerhouse ofknowledge, a symbol of humility who hadendeared himself to one and all and it wasunfortunate he had been snatched awayfrom us by the cruel hands of fate. I hadthe rare opportunity of anchoring anunique initiative that brought together thecountry’s foremost industry body - CII,National HRD Network and XLRI, one ofthe well known premier Institutes for HRMin the Country. My endeavour here is tochronicle the journey that we hadembarked at the beginning of thismillennium and the various trials &tribulations that we had gone throughtogether as a team and the milestonesaccomplished so far on this journey.

We were given 15 months to deliver thebasic framework along with theimplementation/evangelisation plan. Theinitiative meant poring through lots ofliterature on the subject - from RichardBoyatzis to William Lyle Spencer to DaveUlrich to Wayne Brockbank to Lucia toSumatra Ghosal to Udai Pareek to TV Raoto organisation models such as the P-CMM,European Foundation for QualityMovement, Malcolm Balridge, discussions

with all the stakeholders that includedsenior HR practitioners across the Country,industry captains, academia et al. It wasperfect chemistry coupled with a lot ofgenerative learning amongst the four of usover several weekends and late eveningsafter our regular work.

As we were going through this journey, wewere providing regular updates to theNational HR Core Committee of CII andMr. Pawar provided all the support andencouragement through this journey.

The birth of CompModIn the summer of 2003 after a period of 15months, we delivered under the aegis ofCII, the HR competency framework titledas “CompMod”. It was a moment ofexhilaration and reckoning for the entireHR fraternity. The framework wasevangelised across the metros with around3000+ HR professionals. Synchronisingwith the above was the collaboration withNHRD and subsequently with XLRI as theknowledge partner for the next phase ofthe journey. The expanded core teamincluded Arvind Agrawal from RPG groupand Prof Premarajan from XLRI.

Phase II of the journey:Mr. Santhanam, President & CEO of SaintGobain took charge from Mr. Pawar as theChairman of the HR Core Committee of CIIwho has been passionately involved indriving the next phase of the journey withhis rich, diverse experience andprofessional insights. The next phase ofthis initiative involved:- Broadbasing of the framework to meet

the requirement of all segments- Assessor Training

Prof Premarajan, who is well respected forhis erudition in this field and practicalexperience had designed and delivered theAssessor Training. The plan was to createa pool of around 50 to 60 Assessors initiallywho would help enterprises assess the

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current level of competencies of the HRteam across the levels and work with themin their development journey. We havealready created a substantive pool ofassessors of senior HR professionals acrossthe Country.

CompMod to CompassWith the broad basing of competencies andtaking it to the next phase ofimplementation, CompMode was re-christened as Compass

As I chronicle now, Compass has beenembraced by many companies and thepilot implementation is already underwayin companies like Murugappa Group.

The Future Beckons for Compass. . . .It has been one of the most path-breakingjourneys that we had embarked upon andit is important to highlight the uniquenessand the richness of this endeavour whichhad brought together the collectivemindshare of CII, NHRD and XLRI. Thishas been the first time ever attempt,globally to create a HR CompetencyFramework that is truly segment agnostic,robust and comprehensive with all thenecessary ingredients and support that can

help HR professionals scale up in astructured and comprehensive way.

It is important that an effort of thismagnitude from the HR fraternity willhave to be embraced by one and all in itsevangelisation/implementation journey. Inparticular, I would like to mention thefollowing:• HR folks have to constantly renew and

upgrade one’s skills with the changingbiz landscape and needs. Compasscomes in handy here to provide therequired support to scale up in astructured way

• At the org level, CEO-s can support theHR function in its quest for renewal andconstant upgradation of their skillsets

• Academia must embrace Compass aspart of its syllabus and all B-Schoolsacross the Country must voluntarilyincorporate

Compass has been the outcome ofcollective mindshare of HR folks in theCountry and it’s just a matter of time beforeit becomes a reference point for individuallearning and growth that can support inthe creation of exceptional capability fororganisational excellence.

HR FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCY

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COMPETENCY BASED HUMAN RESOURCEMANAGEMENT IN INDIAN ORGANISATIONS:INTERIM RESULTS OF AN ONGOING SURVEY

Dr. RK PREMARAJAN and GAURAV GOYAL

About the Author

Dr. RK Premarajan, Ph.D. - Working as Professor ofOrganisational Behavior and Human Resources he is also theChairperson of HRM area at XLRI Jamshedpur. Dr Premarajanalso held the L&T Scholar of HR position at XLRI. His areas ofinterest are Competency Based HRM, Managerial CareerDevelopment and HR Measurement.

Gaurav Goyal, Currently working withInfosys Technologies, Gaurav Goyal has

completed his PGD PM & IR from XLRI School of Business &Human Resources, Jamshedpur. A Graduate in Electronics &Instrumentation engineering, Gaurav had worked as an AssistantSystem Engineer with TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd. Hehas also co-authored a paper on “Indian Penal Code & IndustrialRelations”, published in Labor Law Notes.”

IntroductionIn today’s increasingly competitivebusiness environment, organisations areincreasingly more aware of the need forhuman capital whose capabilities,attitudes, and behaviours align with andsupport the organisation’s specific businessobjectives. However, a fundamentalmanagerial problem is to develop humancompetence at work in a way that enablesan organisation to remain competitive.

Competency is defined as those underlyingcharacteristics of individuals causallyrelated to effective or superior performancein a job. The qualities include knowledge,skills, traits, motivation, attitudes andabilities. The superior performance can bedefined as performance one standarddeviation above the mean.

Over the last decade, HR professionalshave increasingly been urged to developnew competencies as ‘HR businesspartners’ in their ongoing search tointegrate business strategy with peoplemanagement practices (Ulrich andBrockbank, 2005; Ramlall, 2006). Inprinciple, competency models offer thepossibility of creating an integrated andconsistent framework for selecting,appraising, training and developing HRmanagers as business partners, as well asa mechanism for linking HR strategy andbusiness performance (Boyatzis, 1982,1993; Baill, 1999).

An organisation is stated to have aCompetency Based Human ResourceManagement (CBHRM) when its HRsystems are tightly integrated with the

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competency model. CBHRM is certainly agood tool of Strategic HRM as it helpsintegrate the HR Systems both verticallyand horizontally with the business strategyof the organisation. Competency modelsenable the standardisation of variousHuman Resource processes likerecruitment & selection, performancemanagement & appraisal, training &development, and development processesacross an organisation. The integration ofthese processes positively impacts acompany’s bottom-line and enablesconsistent, firm-wide leadershipdevelopment and process integration.

Objective of the surveyWhile attempts have been made tounderstand the trends and directions inCBHRM globally, no such attempt has beenmade in India. The objective of the study,therefore, aims to answer the followingquestions in Indian context:

• What are the objectives of thecompetency based system? What werethe main driving forces behind thecompetency based systems?

• What are the approaches adopted todevelop the competency based system?What are the characteristics of thesystem developed?

• How are the HR applications linked tothe competency based system?

• How are competency based HR systemsevaluated?

• What is the current level of satisfactionwith competency based systems andhow effective have they been?

MethodologyA specific survey questionnaire wasdesigned for the study. The questionnairewas divided into 18 questions covering thefive basic objectives of the survey listedabove. Also there were questions on

respondent characteristics, measures oforganisational size, employee strength.

The respondents were 170 HRprofessionals from various organisationsoperating in India. These were participantsof an HR Executive Diploma Programmeaimed at HR Professionals run by a reputedInstitute in India. The data were collectedfrom 4 different batches of participantsover a two year period. It is also to be notedthat only those questionnaires were usedwhere some kind of Competency Based HRSystems was operational. Someorganisations were represented by morethan one person – in which case an averageof the response was taken for most of theitems.

The specific survey questionnaire on‘Competency based HRM practices’ wasdesigned to explore the trends ofcompetency based HR systems in India.The goal was to use the survey data tobegin a preliminary exploration tounderstand the origin and nature ofcompetency systems and its impact onoutcomes.

Profile of organisations surveyedThere were 125 organizations representedin the survey. These organizations camefrom different sectors like manufacturing(18%), service (43%), IT/Telecom (38%).The organisations profiled are alsoclassified according to employee strength- organisations employing less than 2000employees (42%) and Organisationsemploying more than 2000 employees(58%).

Survey FindingsResult of the survey is described in thefollowing sections against the specificobjectives of the study. These include theobjectives behind the competency basedapproach, the drivers behind the approach,how it has been linked with HR processes,the evaluation of the system, etc.

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Objectives of Competency based HRProcessesMany companies use competency modelsto ensure that employees develop keyleadership characteristics and provide astandard by which to evaluate anemployee’s abilities and performance as aleader. These models may either beemployee-specific or company-wide,depending on the particular organisation.

The survey findings indicate that thefollowing are the major factors for thecompanies to go for competency based HRsystems.

The most important objective was to recruitand develop a talented workforce (73%).This was followed by creating andsustaining a strong culture (54%). A distantthird factor was using it as a Cutting EdgeHR Practice (21%). It was also observedthat the trend did not significantly differacross the sectors or the size of theorganisation

Drivers of Competency based HRProcessesWe tried to understand who initiatedprocess of developing a competency basedapproach. The results indicate that themain drivers for the competency based HRprocesses vary little across the sectors andthe number of employees employed. Allprofiled companies involve the topmanagement (66%) and the HumanResources Organisation (63%) in theorganisation in developing the competencymodel. Senior line managers formed adistant third with less than 20% influencingthe decision to go for a competency basedapproach.

Approach to developing the CompetencymodelMany large organisations have developedvery sophisticated and role-specificcompetency models for business partners,and an academic research and consultancy

industry has grown up around this area,especially for organisations that wish tomove into HR business partnering (Hunteret al., 2006).

As a sequence we wanted to know how themodel was developed. – whether it wasdone using internal consultant or was theprocess too dependent on externalconsultant. The following represents theapproach adopted by the majority of thecompanies for developing the competencymodel.

Developed in-house exclusively by internalresources (45%), largely by externalconsultants (20%), and combination of:(38%) of internal resources, externalconsultants and customisation of an off theshelf product

Characteristics of the Competency modelThe survey findings suggest that 58% ofthe organisations surveyed lay equalemphasis on behavioral and technicalcompetencies. While 35% emphasisedbehavioral competencies, 19% emphasisedtechnical competency, while 27% oforganisations used a UniversalCompetency Model, 24% had job basedcompetency model. A significant numberof profiled organisations maintain aseparate leadership competency model(40%). Around 40% of the surveyedorganisations communicate and educateemployees on the details of the competencymodel. Research has shown that emails,development process, leadershipconferences, leadership developmentprocess, web sites, and weekly newslettersare some of the common ways ofcommunicating and educating employeeson competency models.

All profiled companies have detailedleadership competency models, each withbetween 5 and 12 leadership competencies,close to 30% of the organisations have 5 to8 competencies in the model. The surveyfindings suggest that very few

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organisations in manufacturing sectoreducates their employees about the model,whereas half of the organisations in serviceas well as IT/Telecom sector educateemployees about the model.

Integrating the HR Processes withCompetency modelAs leadership competencies help create acommon language for leadershipdevelopment processes across anorganisation, companies should designleadership competency models that arerelevant and strategically aligned withbusiness goals. In order to align corporatevalues with existing employeecompetencies, companies often incorporatethose values into various HR applications.Most of the surveyed organisation’scompetency models are tied to recruitment& selection, training & development,performance management & appraisal.These processes are discussed in moredetail below:

SelectionCompetency-based systems of humanresources management facilitate theexecution of the functions related to talentmanagement, among them the selection.Competencies facilitate the creation of acriteria framework that may be taken intoaccount when carrying out the selectionprocess, but they may introduce somevariations to the traditional characteristicsof the process. To carry out a competency-based selection process, the enterpriseshould make explicit their competency-based management model, which is relatedto the directors’ will and which has a clearspecification of competencies that, in thiscase, become the language shared by themanagement office and the collaboratorsand, in sum, the guide of the selectionprocess and the human talentmanagement.

Of all the profiled companies, 82% of theorganisations have linked the model to

recruitment and selection. The surveyresults indicates that most organisation’sselection methodology consist ofBehavioral Interviews and PsychometricTests. The line managers are trained inconducting competency based interviewsand the interview is focused towards thecompetencies of the individualsinterviewed.

The survey result also indicates that exceptfor manufacturing sector organisations andorganisations employing less than 2000employees, there is a general feeling thatCompetency based Selection system hasthrown up better candidates.Manufacturing and organisations havingless than 2000 employees’ feels that gettingthe resource person from the organisationis a main constraint in effectivelyimplementing competency based selection.

It was also interesting to note that about13% of the organisations mentionedreference checks are competency based andabout 18% used competency basedapplication blanks. Similarly around athird of organisations highlight the keycompetencies in the job advertisement.

While larger organisations use AssessmentCentres (29%) and Psychometric Test (38%)both types of organisations useCompetency Based Interviewing in equalmeasures

According to a finding of the CharteredInstitute of Personnel and Development(CIPD) Competency-based selectioninterviews are now the second most widelyused method of hiring new staff in GreatBritain. Based on a survey of 712employers, the CIPD has found that onlybiographical interviews, based on personaldetails given in biodata or applicationforms, are more widely used thancompetency-based interviewing.Specifically, six in 10 employers usecompetency-based interviews.

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Training and DevelopmentThe survey study shows that all theorganisations had competency basedtraining. The need identification is donepredominantly through PerformanceAppraisal (60%). The effectiveness of thecompetency based training programs isevaluated mostly by feedback fromimmediate seniors. Other methods toevaluate the effectiveness of such programsare:

Feedback from participants and posttraining assessment in case of organisationshaving more than 200 employees, feedbackfrom participants by manufacturingorganisations and post training assessmentby IT / Telecom sector organisations.

Based on the training needs identified,majority of the surveyed organisationsirrespective of the sector and number ofemployees employed, decide followingactivities based on competencies:

1. Developmental Planning

2. Mentoring / Coaching

3. Job Rotation

4. Special Assignment

AppraisalThe findings of the survey show that formost of the organisations being surveyed,there is a formal system in place withrespect to the appraisal process andassessment of level of competencies forma part of the appraisal process. Also, regulartrainings are held to train the managers onthe competency based performanceappraisal in most of the organisations butthe trend is found to be weak inmanufacturing sector companies andcompanies having employees less than2000.

The problems faced or issues inimplementing the competency basedappraisal system are:

1. difficulty in measuring behavioralcompetencies

2. lack of clarity on the competencies

3. difficulty in measuring the success ofthe competency based appraisal process

Career Development SystemThe survey findings indicate that theorganisations having competency basedcareer development systems, exhibitscommon features of the system. Thesefeatures are:

1. Employees have access to thecompetency descriptions

2. All jobs are described by competencies

3. There is a self-assessment opportunityfor employees evaluate themselvesrelative to competencies

The trend of competency based careerdevelopment system features is sameacross all the sectors and the employeestrength of the organisations surveyed.

The other trend seen in competency baseddevelopment system is that all theorganisations, irrespective of sector andemployee strength possesses a database ofcompetency profiles for critical positionsand have development programs specificto competencies to help develop theemployees and help the organisationremain competitive in the industry.

Pay System

The survey result showed that theorganisations, do not utilise competencymapping to arrive at the salaries within theorganisation. The finding on competencybased pay is in line with the 2004/2005Mercer Human Resource Consulting U.S.Compensation Planning Survey1,according to which very few organisationsin U.S. have compensation plans based oncompetency mapping.

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Evaluating Competency based HRMThere has been limited research on the useand effectiveness of competency orcapability-based management educationby HR practitioners, although they appearto be increasingly very widespread.Sparrow (1995) has observed that thecompetency literature includes a hugerange of claimed benefits specific to HRprocesses in organisations. In summary,these are:

Improved recruitment and selectionpractices through a focus on requiredcompetencies;

Improved individual, organisational andcareer development programmes;

Improved performance managementprocesses due to improved assessment; andlastly

Improved communication on strategic andHR issues through a common language.

The survey findings regarding theevaluation of competency model suggestthat organisations evaluate theeffectiveness of the competency basedapproach.

Most of the organisations feel that theperformance of HR processes based oncompetency models is better than thetraditional HR processes. The reason couldbe strong integration of competencymodels with the business goals. Thecompetency model could be completelyintegrated into everyday language atprofiled companies because it permeateseverything from recruitment, selection tocareer development.

The research in this area also suggests thatintegrating competencies during hiringand reviews can provide the organisationwith the desired talent initially andthrough development. The above is a keysuccess factor for the successfuldevelopment of an effective competencymodel.

In the present survey, it was interesting tonote that overall, more than 60% of theorganisations were depending on feedbackfrom employees to evaluate whetherCompetency Based approach is effective.While 25% organisations in IT/Telecomand Services depend on ROI approach only12% in the manufacturing set up extend itto ROI calculation. Further, little over 40%organisations in IT/Telecom and Servicesdepend on impact on business result; thisapproach was used in less than 30% oforganisation in manufacturing sector.

1 Mercer Human Resource Consulting,“2004/2005 U.S. Compensation PlanningSurvey,”

From the survey findings, about 79% oforganisations feel that the competencybased HR processes has improved thework atmosphere and organisationalculture. The reason could be the strongintegration of competency models with theselection process which enables the linkageof employees with the business goals. Also,since the competencies are identified insuch a way that they are strategicallyaligned with business goals, competenciesalso forms a common link between mostof the HR subsystems. As a resulteffectiveness of various HR processes canbe measured from the data available froma different HR process. For example,performance review ratings can be used tovalidate the effectiveness of a selection ortraining subsystem. One of the key findingsof the survey data is the appreciation of theuse of one subsystem supports andreinforces the use of others. Using thedefinitions and rating scales successfullyin one subsystem reminds managers of theimportance of using them in otheractivities. For example, successfully usinga performance management systemorganized around competencies reinforcesusing a selection system organized aroundcompetencies.

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ConclusionWe have tried to take a broad look at theresult of an ongoing survey to understandthe trend in Competency Based HRM inIndian organisations. The results show thatthere is reasonable variation in theapproach to competency based HR System.The drivers of competency approach, the

References

• Baill, B (1999) The changing requirements of the HR Professional — implications for the development of HR professionals.Human Resource Management, Vol. 38 (2) Pp. 171– 176

• Boyatzis, R E (1982) The Competent Manager. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

• Caldwell, R (2008) HR business partner competency models: re-contextualising effectiveness, Human Resource ManagementJournal, Volume 18 (3), pages 275–294

• Corporate Leadership Council, the Advantages and Disadvantages of Competency Models, Washington: Corporate ExecutiveBoard (April 2005).

• Hunter, I., Saunders, J., Boroughs, A. and Constance, S. (2006). HR Business Partners, London: Gower.

• Markus, L.H., Helena D. Cooper-Thomas H.D., Allpress, K.N (2005) Confounded by competencies? An Evaluation of the Evolutionand Use of Competency Models, New Zealand Journal of Psychology Vol. 34 (2)

• Ramlall (2006) HR competencies and their relationship to organizational practices Performance Improvement, Volume 45 (5),pages 32–43

• Rothwell, W.J., and Lindholm, J.E. (1999) Competency identification, modelling and assessment in the USA, International Journalof Training and Development, Volume 3, Issue 2, pages 90–105,

• Schoonover, S., Schoonover, H., Nemerov, D., Ehly, C. (2000). Competency-Based HR Applications: Results of a ComprehensiveSurvey. Retrieved February 7, 2004, from http://www.humanasset.net/resources/htm

• Sparrow, P.R. (1995). Organizational competencies: a valid approach for the future? And a rejoinder to Anderson and Iles.International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 3 (3), 168-177 and 202-204.

• Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W (2005) The HR Value Proposition Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

development and nature of competencymodel, the way the various HR processesare linked to the competency models, etc.,show considerable amount of variation.Overall the result show that the impact ofthe competency based approach, thoughnot fully measured looks promising.

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EVOLUTION OF HR COMPETENCIES DURING LASTDECADE IN INDIA — A PRACTITIONER'S VIEW

HEMA RAVICHANDAR IN CONVERSATION WITH SMITA SAHA

About “Hema Ravichandar”

A Strategic HR Advisor with over 27 years of industry experience,Hema Ravichandar was the Senior Vice-President and Global Head ofHuman Resources for Infosys Technologies until 2005. In this capacityshe designed and drove the HR agenda for Infosys globally, as it scaledup from 250 employees in 1992 to 40,000 employees in 2005. Underher HR Leadership Infosys won several ‘Best Employer of the Year’

awards in India and Top 100 rankings, overseas. Hema is currently anIndependent Consultant to several Indian and multinational

corporations. She sits on the boards of several companies. She has held several key industrypositions and was formerly the Chairperson for The Conference Board, USA’s HR Councilof India and Member, National Advisory Council, of the National HRD Network of India.Hema has won several awards and accolades including three HR Professional of the Year

Awards and listings amongst the “25 Most Powerful Women in India” and“Successful Women Professionals in IT”. Hema is an alumnus of the

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Smita Saha- During the last decade therehave been two global recessionsinterspersed with periods of moderate tohigh growth. There have been terror attacksand regulatory changes. In developedeconomies there is a trend of theGovernment getting involved in themanagement of companies. Workforce inmany countries have seen tremendouslevels of uncertainties including increasedcompetition and work pressures,restructurings, job cuts etc. In India too

these uncertainties have played out in anumber of industries. What specific roledoes HR play in such ever-changingturbulent times?

Hema Ravichandar– Smita, I believe it iscritical for HR to balance differentstakeholder interests – Investors,Management, Customers and of course thekey constituency of HR, the employees.When this balance is not maintained itleads to tensions and internal stresses and

About “Smita Saha”

Smita Saha is currently with Oracle as Senior Director- HumanResources. Prior to Oracle she was employed with Cisco and IBM.With over 17 years of professional experience, in these large MNCIT companies, Smita has a solid understanding of business and aproven track of aligning HR strategy to achieve business results.Her special interest areas are skills and competencies required forsuccess in the new age, matrixed and complex organizations. Smitais an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

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pulls. I know it is difficult to achieve thisharmony. But HR can do it, provided itseeks out representatives from differentconstituencies and crafts a carefullythought-out solution. A solution designedwith participation from all constituents,including the employees, will bring lastingresults.

Smita - What should an HR professionalbe equipped with to succeed in such anenvironment?

Hema – We have a wealth of detail ondesired competencies through the variousstudies done in this space. The recent oneout of the Michigan School as also theNHRD study done by several of our HRLeaders like Pallab, Vidhi, Mali, Arvindand our very respected former colleagueRanjan, have also captured this very well.I would fully endorse all of that.

In addition and experientially, I believe itis critical that HR Leaders understand theirresponsibility to stakeholders. They are theinvestor ’s watchdogs, the ‘customerreassure’ and the employee’s ‘interestcustodian’.

Some other key competencies in my view,are the ability to envisage the future, theability to pull in people from crossfunctional backgrounds to designsolutions, the skill to aggressivelycommunicate, with messaging asappropriate for different levels. Here it isimportant to understand the ‘why’ of adecision and craft that into the messaging.Finally a successful HR leader brings inchange with sensitivity and empathy. It isimportant to understand differentstakeholder priorities and their concerns.This is demonstrated in howcommunication is done, how individualsare grandfathered into the new order orhow employee and manager feedback iswoven into every stage of the changeprogramme itself. HR would be welladvised to integrate customer feedback,both internal and external, into designingprocesses and policies. This listening to the

customer – employees, internaldepartments and even vendor partners –to understand their needs and concerns isa critical skill.

Smita - Over the years, Indian companieshave increasingly become global players.For instance Tata, Birla, Bharti, Infosys,Wipro etc. Many have gone into foreignacquisitions or set up offices in variouscountries. Business has truly gone global.What would be the change in the role forIndian HR professionals in this scenario?

Hema – Change, I don’t know. But HRneeds to have three distinct types ofcompetencies. First of all, a scrupulousfocus on employment laws andcompliance. Then, they should have cross-cultural sensitivities. This is not justunderstanding of business etiquette. But,goes far beyond to actual understandingof how work happens in differentgeographies. For instance, tolerance forcomplexity, uncertainty and ambiguity andhow different cultures handle theseaspects. And finally, HR should have theability to innovate. E.g. I once met a HRhead whose designation was ‘VP- Peopleand Places’. His mandate, as peopleincreased in the company, to reduce theoffice space required. What a beautifulbusiness rationale to encourage work fromhome!

Smita - There is increasing focus to ensurethat our leaders, managers and employeesare ready to do business in this globalenvironment. What challenges does thatpose to the companies and how does HRcontribute here?

Hema – For organisations that are in the‘take off’ mode, it is critical for investmentin business enablers i.e. functions likefinance, human resources, training, quality,information technology andadministration. Most successful growthtrajectories that we see across industries aredue to conscious and planned investmentin these enablers, at the right inflectionpoints. But, enabler departments also need

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to establish their credibility. For this thesame rigour in quality should bedemanded from them as from productionand client-facing departments. They mustbe held accountable with service-levelagreements and internal customersatisfaction surveys aimed at assessing thequality of their service to employees andother ‘customer’ departments. Also, a greatway to get business enablers to becomemore external and market focussed is togive them revenue-earning opportunities.

Feedback should be collected regularlyabout the effectiveness and health ofprocesses and more importantly, thefindings should be acted upon. Actioningthe SAT is often the most ignored aspect ofHR. However this is critical and should notbe missed out.

Smita - The changing business demandshave created new priorities for HR. Asorganisations become more multi-geography with complexities of virtualteams, multiple specialisations, matrixstructures, remote management, differentemployment practices, diversity etc, themandate for the HR team also changessignificantly. What would be the next waveof competencies to prepare for the future?

Hema – People strategists shouldconsciously plan for time to dwell on howthe organisation of the future will look.Could a ‘go green’ credo mean ‘walk towork’ like the old company townships orthe more au courant, work from homeoptions? Would we see the creation ofTalent Stock Markets, with individualsbeing priced as efficiently as financialinstruments and IPO meaning anIndependent Professional Offering? Theseand other such trends likely to shape thefuture world, should engage Chief PeopleOfficers. And they should proactively startnudging their organisational strategies inthese directions. The analogy is best withgreat football players. They instinctivelyhead for where the ball will be rather thatfollow where the ball is. And so with great

People Strategists. But for this one needstime. The QSQT pressures should behandled - Quarter se Quarter Tak. A harriedCPO caught in bush fires, the avalanche ofdaily emails and conference calls will findthis tough. Blue sky thinking andenvisioning should become part of thework regimen and time should be foundfor it. Else one will not be able to replacebusiness-as-usual thinking with thenecessary business-with-a-differencethinking.

Smita - We are now seeing a new ageworkforce who are more confident andclear about their professional and personalgoals, more open and unorthodox in theirwork practices (eg resolving complexissues through collaboration both withinand without), seeking flexibility inmechanics of working and delivery andhighly individualistic and questioning.What changes does it mean for the HRteam?

Hema – HR should have a greaterunderstanding of the constituents, their hotbuttons, how they relate and interact. Thesocial networks they embrace and theirresponses. Conventional notions ofwisdom requiring grey hair will bechallenged in the new world, changingtraditional power structures andorganizational hierarchies. The ability toguide, counsel and advise self-governingteams will be important. Whileorganisational middle layer may collapselike an air sandwich, it may contrarily alsoneed to be bolstered, much much more.Most employees experience theirorganisation through these middlemanagers. So equipping them better tohandle these complexities and addressingtheir challenges would be more criticalthan ever.

Diversity will also become more pervasive.And in a more holistic sense, to include arainbow coalition of several dimensions –age, gender, ethnicity, religious toleranceetc. But ultimately, diversity can become

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just a statistic. What is critical is aninclusive mindset. And HR must work tofoster this mindset at the workplace.

Smita - To succeed in this environment,what should be the critical competenciesfor HR Professional?

Hema – Great IQ, greater EQ and mostimportantly SQ. IQ and EQ are wellknown. But I would add one more – SQ,the Spiritual Quotient. I don’t mean this in

a religious context but in the ability to doyour best and leave the rest. To be able toreally live in the moment withoutobsessing about either the past or thefuture. To be able to tune out, to wind downcompletely at the end of the day for arefreshing night’s sleep so that you can takeon the new morn with renewed vigour.

In this highly competitive globalworkplace, I believe this will be a keydifferentiator for all of us.

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EVOLUTION OF HR COMPETENCIES DURING THELAST DECADE IN INDIA

SATISH PRADHAN IN CONVERSATION WITH Dr. UDAY SALUNKHE

About “Satish Pradhan”

Satish Pradhan, Chief, Group HR, Tata Sons, heads the Tata GroupHR function. Prior to joining the group in April 2001, he was withICI Plc in London at their Head Office as Organisation Design &

Development Manager (Group HR)

He has a Masters in History from Delhi University and has worked inPublic & Private Sector companies. During the last 30 years he hasworked with Steel Authority of India, CMC, ICI India, Brooke Bond

Lipton India Ltd (now Unilever India), ICI Plc in various capacities inthe HR area.

He is on the boards of various Tata group companies, professional bodies, NGOs and aChartered Fellow of CIPD.

About “Dr. Uday Salunkhe”

Dr. Uday Salunkhe is the Group Director of Welingkar Instituteof Management Development & Research (WeSchool) withcampuses in Mumbai & Bengaluru. He has extensive experienceboth in the academia & the corporate world and is recipient ofseveral awards.

He has pioneered programs in the areas of Business Design &Innovation, E-business, Retail and Health-care and has initiatedlinkages with foreign universities & innovation firms.

He is the President of National HRD Network, Mumbai Chapter and the Chairmanof the LMC of AMDISA, a SAARC initiative and Past President of the Association ofIndian Management Schools (AIMS). He is actively associated with universities andeducational authorities at the national and SAARC level to bring about reforms inmanagement education.

Excerpts from the interview:

1) How did HR competencies evolveduring the last decade in India?

The Competency approach has been inIndia for over two decades now. It beganwhen Indian subsidiaries adopted thepractices of their parent MNCs. RichardBoyatzis’ The Competent Manager containsa lot of the initial research on this subject.

Today the competency framework andapplication is a multi-billion dollarindustry.Earlier competencies revolved around thebehavioral orientation. Later, the ITindustry and the UK Education system’s‘National Vocational Standards’ moved ittowards knowledge and skills standardsbeyond the behavioural aspects.Competency models in India are now

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spread between knowledge, skills andbehaviour. In India the model tookmomentum due to various reasons, theofferings of a contemporary framework byconsulting firms to the questions that HRprofessionals were grappling with, like – howdo assess people, how do we develop peopleand do this in a business relevant yetindividual oriented way? There was also peerpressure emanating from “benchmarking”.It certainly has huge potency providedcompanies can manage this well and extractmaximum value out of it.

Some of the risks are: How do you arriveat these competencies? If you have a rearview mirror approach then it is risky aswhat was done in the past was done incertain past contexts. Demonstration of thatcompetence in the future will look likemaybe guesswork. It entails a step ladderapproach and wisdom to see what isrequired in the future.

One can’t have a laundry list ofcompetencies. A competencies list puttogether as a “set” must have somecharacteristics. A practitioner must havethe ability to see a set of competencies withcomprehensiveness and internal integrityamongst the elements.

Another risk in this subject is that thenotion of validity sometimes may get lost.The construct must have validity. Theinstruments and indicators need to be validas also these must have some predictivevalidity for the set of competencies to beuseful.

Basically the rigour that is required mustnot be left behind. To sum it up – theapproach must be ‘outcome oriented’rather than ‘input oriented’.

2) Please comment on the HRcompetencies at the entry level, mid leveland senior level.

The nature of work that needs to be donein any organisation has a balance betweenthree elements – Results, Business andPeople.

If someone whose nature of work entailsproducing tangible results, example, a shop

floor worker manufacturing a product, willrequire a high results orientation of acertain kind and less of businessorientation. People competencies of acertain kind for working with peers willbe required. So the ratio for him would be70:10:20 respectively.

At the next level when you are managingpeople who are managing tasks, for themhelping their associates with processimprovement, technical guidance etc andsome amount of people skills will berequired.

At the next level you are concerned withthe leadership of people who managepeople who manage tasks, in this case thebusiness thinking piece becomes large. Forthe senior most level of leadership,supporting people and the entirearchitecture below and a very highbusiness orientation is of utmostsignificance, making the people leadershipelement significant in a different way.

In sum, the balance and the nature ofleadership of results, business and peopleshifts at each level to different proportions.

3) With regard to HR competencies whatdo you foresee in the future?It sits on the enormous opportunity tomould itself to be a pathway fororganisational success. It thus makes it amore responsible task for consultants,CXOs, HR leadership to be far morethoughtful and mindful to not let it becomea distraction by being only a mechanisticmodel.

4) What has been the Tata experience inthis subject?We have the ‘Tata Leadership Practices’.Most of our companies have adopted it formost of their HR practices. The realeffectiveness comes not when people adopta framework out of compliance but ratherout of personal commitment as is the casewith the Tata Leadership Practices. Andthat would also prove how powerful theframework is.

To put it simply our framework is about‘Tata values in action’.

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THE NEXT OF WHAT AND HOW, FROM THE FUTUREOF HERE AND NOW

Dr. PRASAD KAIPA IN CONVERSATION WITH S. NAGA SIDDHARTH

Dear Sir, NHRD Journal is a practioners’publication for reflection, research andlearning and it is indeed our privilege tohave you share your thoughts on thecompetencies required to become aneffective global HR leader.

Sure, thanks for asking! First of all,competencies are only a part of what weneed for global HR leader in his/herportfolio. What allows a global HR leaderto shine would be the knowledge to pick

the right competencies, right attitude to usethe competencies in the appropriately andfinally, beyond competencies – the capacityand capability to partner and create valuein a professional and authentic way.Keeping this as background to ourconversation, let’s look at thecompetencies.

The most critical competency for global HRleader is becoming a business partner tothe business leader. The extent to which a

About “Dr. Prasad Kaipa”Dr. Prasad KaipaCEO Advisor & Coach, Executive Director, Center for Leadership,Innovation and Change (CLIC)

Dr. Prasad Kaipa has, over the last 15 years, evolved a refreshinglyunique approach to Executive Coaching and Education. By combiningBusiness, Science & Technology and Spirituality, Prasad has developed

an integrated framework to ignite the genius within executives. Hisframework and tools have helped 115 CEO, Senior Executives andBoard members in over 30 companies in 7 countries. Over 15,000

executives and engineers have attended his courses and workshops. His areas of consultinginclude Global Leadership, Innovation, Business Transformation and Personal Mastery.Some of his clients include HP, CISCO, Disney, Adobe, Apple, Xerox, Boeing, Mastek,BAE Systems Mastek and Navteq. Prasad is a visiting faculty at the Indian School of

Business and part-time faculty at the Saybrook Graduate School.

About “S. Naga Siddharth”

S. Naga Siddharth has gathered experience in areas businesspartnering, learning and development, leadership development,talent management, competency assessments and facilitation. Heco-authored a CD on Instruments in HRD & OD with Late Dr. UdaiPareek. He is a certified coach from Results Coaching Systems anda certified user of MBTI. His passions are coaching young achieversand innovating in HR. He has worked in companies such as AirDeccan, HCL Technologies and Perot Systems.

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HR leader can achieve this – by looking atbusiness from a people angle, processangle, systems and management angle –to that extent, business will flourish. In the21st Century, talent acquisition, motivationand retention are critical areas that canmake or break companies (especially theones that are into service or depend heavilyon innovation).

The ability to understand business issues,and focus, not only on HR processes, butalso on producing results is extremelyimportant. HR leaders of the past weresometimes looked only at HR processcompetencies without focusing on businessresults. This isn’t possible anymore. HRleaders often have to become facilitators ofwhat is happening in an organisation, evenbecoming the right hand of the CEO. If onewere to look at finance, quality, R&D,marketing — they appear to have a moregroundedness in terms of how the businessruns. HR leaders sometimes are too stuckin HR and unable to move to otherfunctional roles because they focus just onthe soft stuff and don’t learn how toproduce the hard results. Times arechanging and we need to figure out howHR leader can rotate, understand,appreciate and deliver results in other areasas well. Once HR managers have groundedexperience in delivering results in otherareas they become excellent processprofessionals because they connect thedots.

As of now, the first competency seems tobe one on being a business partner and inthat, someone who adds value throughdivergent thinking and second of beinghands-on, in a way someone who is aconcrete experience and activeexperimenter.Yes. The next one is about being an out ofbox thinker. We are global no matter whatcompany you work for and already in thesecond decade of the 21st century. To acertain extent, the HR manager needs to

learn how to utilise and apply peoples’creativity to come up with innovativeproducts, processes, services faster than thecompetitor. Though all of us are creativein some way or the other, understandinghow to ensure that creativity turns intomeasurable innovation is an art. It is aboutthe creativity engine helping developnewer products, processes and servicesfaster than the competition. The IBM reportcalled Capitalising on Complexity, releasedin May for which 1600 CEOs wereinterviewed around the world, says that80% of the CEOs are unable to manage thecomplexity. The 20% look at creativity asthe most important aspect. I have writtenseveral blogs with my CambridgeUniversity colleagues on HBR site on thisreport. As a HR manager, one has to thinkabout how to get people to think out of thebox and come up with creative solutionsand innovations that will help the companyleapfrog the competition. HR manager isthe only person who can get this done wellif he/she pays sufficient attention.

Going a little deeper into creativity, thestages could be sparking, sustainingcreativity and producing innovationsfaster than the competitors. At all theselevels, an understanding of the nature ofcreativity, crafting an ecosystem andcombining this with the first twocompetencies of partnering and beinghands on to produce innovation. At eachof these levels, there seems to be somethingdeeper that I an unable to put a finger on.

The language I would use to explain thatwould be igniting the genius within peopleand creating a culture where there is anecosystem for creativity. If there is noecosystem, the creativity of the individualcannot be sustained over time. Also, thecreativity of an individual may not beenough to overcome the barriers in anorganisation. How does one inspire andfocus creativity and sustain it for turningthat into innovation is very important.

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Having appropriate culture, systems,processes and rewards and recognition thatsupports converting the creativity intoinnovation makes the whole thingmeasurable and meaningful outcomes. Asuperficial approach to managingcreativity is not enough, but a deeperexamination of the culture one is creating,both explicit and implicit values, beliefs,principles, practices and ethical guidelinesare some areas that the HR leader needs toevolve – through partnership withfunctional leaders and a hands onapproach to producing results in otherfunctional areas – rather than just focusingon facilitation without actual experience inproducing results. Does that help explainmy earlier statement a little better?

Sure! That gave much more granularclarity on that. Thanks.

Coming back to the competencies, thefourth competency would be managingcomplexity – helping people findsimplicity in complexity. Ability for HRleader to inspire and find direction incomplexity is a rare and extremelyimportant competency in the 21st century.Complexity is seen to have fiveopportunities or challenges. I call them 5divas of complexity. They are:

Diversity: Globalisation creates enormousdiversity – gender, age, experience,backgrounds, culture, thinking, religious.So many ways in which we are all different.What works for one group does not workfor another. While creating an innovativeculture in one country, may not work inanother. Utilising and use the diversity toachieve innovation.

Interconnectedness: People areinterconnected. Creating interdependencevs. Co-dependence is an area for HRleaders to work on. In other words, gettingpeople to think in terms of synergy andoptimising the system (rather than sub-optimising the system by over-optimising

my own sub-system or my own role).

Velocity: Dealing with velocity – findingstability and predictability in the midst ofspeed. Even delivering products was interms of years, now it is in terms of quartersor even months. Companies like Nokia andIntel are even looking at cannibalising theirown products before their competitors can!The I-pad has sold 3 million of them in 4months. I wouldn’t be surprised to find thenext version in US before the originalmodel is introduced in majority marketslike India and China.

Ambiguity: The Western approach tocompetencies has been to deal withstructures, systems and 360 degreefeedback – all that assuming thatcomplexity hasn’t taken over. Withambiguity in a structure-less environment,finding clarity in a continually changingenvironment is a remarkable capability thatmost people do not have. When people donot know what needs to be done, there is ageneral direction pointing without muchclarity. Also, what is the temporal natureof the clarity? How far ahead of your nosecan you see is a question.

Scarcity: Needing to deliver results withless people, money and time. Scarcity ishere to stay. Helping people develop amentality of sufficiency or a mentality ofeven abundance mindset, synergisticinnovation, learning at the industry,company, team levels rather than only atthe individual level.

The Competencies we explored till nowfocused on only at managing the HRfunction. What is more important is thecapability and capacity to work withglobalisation and complexity. Finding asimple but not a simplistic way is whatdifferentiates a truly successful HR leaderfrom an ‘also ran’ HR leader. Such a leadercan replace the CEO as and when that isneeded. Dr. Santrupt Mishra is one suchexample of many such wonderful people

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who are able to take up a business managerrole. This is happening a lot in India, whilethere are very few examples in the rest ofthe world.

Absolutely. Thank you Sir. I would like torequest you to leave a few thoughts for thelarge number of young HR professionalswho are entering the profession whencomplexity is so abundant and certaintyis scarce.

Sure. One needs to really soak in and learnbefore thinking that one knows everything.Young HR professionals come with a lot ofknowledge and models, theories and so on.What is needed is the ability tocontextualise, listen, observe and ability toask right questions and make meaning andlearn from others to begin with. The secondthought is that one has to develop theattitude of humility. Among generation Ycome with a wonderful self-confidence.And along with comes a certain cockiness.That arrogance is one of the biggestAchilles’ heel if not managed very wellcould hurt us badly.

The third thought is that one has to reflecton the areas that one has been successfulin the past and find out where that strengthhas been useful, because that strengthcould turn into one’s core incompetence –in other words, it is important to knowwhere one’s feet are nailed to the floor.

The next three recommendations areexperiment, experiment and experiment.Do not try to only think in head butexperiment and find out how that thoughtpans out in reality. Many people areintellectually and conceptually rich inIndia. We also need to find how toexperiment, make mistakes early and learnfrom those mistakes quickly.

Finally, have authenticity – a certain abilityto self reflect and be yourself and notidentify who you are with what you do. Itgives you ethical grounding. In India wecall it Swa-Dharma. Is it authentic, is it mydharma, my organisation’s dharma. Whenworking globally, it is easier to look at whatis good for me and my organisation anddrop the ethics into the ocean, but that iswhat will drop one into the ocean whenone becomes cocky and blind. In acontinuously learning environment, onlyway to learn is from mistakes (henceexperiment) and success could becomeone’s Achilles’ heel. Paying attention tohumility, experimenting, authenticity andan ability to focus on a larger ethicalcontext, not just the immediate legalframework gives one a chance to becomevery successful over a period of time.

Thank you so much for your time and thewonderful thoughts – both for global HRleaders as well as the next generation ofHR professionals.

You are welcome!

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HR COMPETENCIES: TAKING THE HR PROFESSIONTO THE NEXT LEVEL

ANAND NAYAK IN CONVERSATION WITH L PRABHAKARAbout “Anand Nayak”

Anand Nayak, Executive Vice President, Corporate HumanResources, ITC Limited, has been with the Company for the past 37

years. After graduating from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore, he did hispost graduation in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations at

XLRI Jamshedpur. He joined ITC after his graduation and has beenwith the Company since then. During his long tenure, he has handledsenior HR responsibilities in several businesses of the Company. He

currently heads the HR function in ITC.In addition to HR, he has keen interest in education and social development and is

responsible for the overall supervision of ITC's SocialDevelopment initiatives.

He is also a Director on the Board of ITC Infotech India Limited and a member of theCorporate Management Committee of ITC Limited.

He is actively associated with National HRD Network.

LP – Thank you for agreeing to thisinterview for the next edition of theNHRDN Journal, a quarterly publicationof the National HRD Network. This editionis on the theme “HR Competencies.” Thepurpose of this interview is to seek yourviews on how HR competencies havechanged over the years and what, in yourview, are the focus areas for the future.

AN – It is indeed a privilege to share mythoughts with readers of the NHRDNJournal, based on my experience over allthese years in ITC. Thank you for givingme this opportunity.

LP – You joined ITC from campus (XLRI)way back in 1973 and have been a part ofITC’s growth and transformation over thelast three decades. I am tempted to startby asking what contributed to your stayingon with ITC.

AN – I think it is a matter of individualchoice. I have all along seen a congruenceof my personal aspirations and goals withthe mission and vision of ITC. Workingwith ITC has given me the opportunity tocontribute to the building of an institutionand working as a ‘trustee’ of the variousstakeholders of ITC, prominent amongst

About “L Prabhakar”Prabhakar is currently working as Vice President – HumanResources at the Agri-Business Division of ITC and is a member ofthe Management Committee of that business.He has been associated with ITC for over 15 years in differentcapacities in different businesses and in Corporate.He has also worked with TVS Motors at Hosur for 4 years and theMurugappa Group at Chennai for 3 years.He joined the profession after doing Engineering from REC Suratkal

followed by a Post Graduation in Personnel Management and Industrial Relationsfrom XLRI.He is actively associated with National HRD Network.

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them being society and the nation. ITC hasbeen able to innovatively develop businessmodels that engineer a congruencebetween delivering business results andcreating shareholder value on the one handand simultaneously serving society on theother. Working with ITC has thereforegiven me a sense of purpose and meaning.What more can one ask for?

It is not entirely true to say that I have neverever considered other career options overthese past 37 years. Every individual goesthrough a period of ‘ups’ and downs’during one’s career and sometimes, thereis a tendency to consider other options,especially when passing through aprolonged difficult phase. Attractive offersalso do come one’s way, especially whenworking for a company with great brandequity. However, in the ultimate analysis,there have always been compelling reasonsfor me to stay on and be part of a great andunique institution that is ITC. Anorganisation that is professional, cares forpeople and pursues a mission that is trulyinspirational. And more than anything else,ITC has been family to me and aninstitution to which I feel privileged tobelong. Just as Jim Collins said in his bookGood to Great, in ITC “people love whatthey do, because they love who they do itwith.” I have really enjoyed working witha team of talented and passionate people.And I feel privileged to be part of this greatteam.

LP – If you look back on your career ofmore that three decades in ITC, would yousay there are certain core competencies thata HR professional must posses, irrespectiveof the industry and the nature of thebusiness environment in which oneoperates.

AN – Yes, I certainly think so. And thetragedy is that there is inadequateemphasis on these “competencies” that Ibelieve are core for a HR professional to beeffective and make a contribution.

My biggest regret is that most managementinstitutes that turn out HR professionalstoday, focus on theoretical frameworks andmodels, skills and techniques. I believe allthese can be learnt and imbibed, even if onedoes not have the opportunity to study ina management institute. What is moreimportant in my view, are the humanqualities and personal attributes that a HRprofessional must possess and I believethese are not being focused adequately atmanagement institutes, probably becausethey are difficult to be “taught” or “learnt”.

Prominent amongst these personalqualities and attributes is the desire andcommitment to stay and build aninstitution. And if one is to do thissuccessfully, one has to have the capacityto persevere, to face adversity withdetermination and equanimity and possessthe stamina to run the marathon. Acompetent HR professional must have theability to genuinely engage with people,to be passionate about one’s point of view,yet be equally open to the other’s point ofview, with the genuine intention of arrivingat “third alternatives” that could lead tosuperior outcomes. One must have theability to “listen” and provide“psychological” space to people, be it acolleague, direct report, union leader orshop floor worker. The humility to learnfrom others; to learn from other membersof the team, irrespective of where they arepositioned in the “organisation hierarchy”is another quality. Most of all, a good HRprofessional must have strength of“character”, the willingness to stand upand take responsibility, a person who canbe counted upon and relied upon. Someonewho is totally dependable. Andimportantly, a person who walks the talk.In short, a HR professional must have“credibility”.

When HR professionals focus ondeveloping and enhancing these personalhuman qualities and attributes, they will

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make a huge difference and will be countedupon and valued immensely. The questionto ask is: “When the Chief Executive of myorganisation has to put together a crackforce to go to war, will I be amongst them?”

LP – When you look back qt your career inITC, can you think of some of thesignificant shifts in your thinking over theyears?

AN – Indeed I can think of several suchshifts and can list some of these which Ibelieve are significant.

a) In my early years as a HR professional,I often adopted a policy drivenapproach in my role. My concern waswith implementing policies andmanaging systems and processeseffectively. But I soon realised that if onewas to make a solid contribution tobusiness results, one had to shift froma policy-driven approach to a strategy-driven approach; that it was of littleconsequence to have the best thought-out HR policies and systems, if they didnot contribute to the effective executionof strategy and did not result indelivering enhanced customer valueand to an enlarged bottom line as aconsequence. Fortunately, I learnt thisfairly early in my professional career.

b) The awareness that mindsets can havea huge and telling impact on the wayone manages one’s role. Re-visitingyour mind-set and examining the “lens”through which you view the world canmake a huge difference to your owneffectiveness. For example, my ownapproach to managing employeerelations changed dramatically when Irealised, perhaps two and a halfdecades ago, that unions and unionleaders were partners and stakeholdersof the enterprise and not adversaries. Itis amazing how this one insightchanged my approach to managingemployee relations. And in this context,

how insignificant things like“negotiating tactics” can actually be,when one adopts them using the wrongmental “lens.”

That the role of the leader of a team isone of “enabler”, “developer”, and“facilitator”, rather than a position of“authority”.

That even questioning the definition ofyour market or your consumer caneither limit business opportunity orexpand business opportunityexponentially. I have seen thisdramatically unfold in my own careerin ITC when we, in the initial years,defined our market as the cigarettemarket; later altered this definition tothe tobacco market and then years later,changed the definition further toinclude a host of fast moving consumergoods that occupied shelf space in aretailer’s outlet. Finally, we changed thedefinition yet again, to target for a largershare of the consumer’s wallet. It isamazing how changes in mind-sets andmental models can radically alter yourapproach to business strategy.

These changes in mindset haveradically altered the fortunes of ourenterprise and I now realise thatsignificant and quantum leaps inprogress can be made by periodicallyquestioning the mindsets and mentalmodels that we hold.

c) The realisation and conviction that HRcannot be alienated from business. Ihave a different view on role of HR as a“strategic business partner”. I believeHR is more than a business partner andhas a role and legitimacy only if itactually contributes to enhancingcustomer value and to value creation forall stakeholders of an enterprise.Therefore, it is my firm belief thathowever superior may be the quality ofits systems and processes, HR is of little

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consequence unless it directly andimpactfully contributes to businessresults. Sadly, very often HRprofessionals even today, focus on“sophisticating” systems and processes,without paying heed to whether or notthese actually impact the bottom linesignificantly.

LP – Over the past few years, in what waydo you believe the nature of HR leadershiphas changed?

AN – The nature of HR leadership haschanged significantly over the years. If Iwere to look at the past decade, theoperating context has changeddramatically and continues to change evenas we speak. This is one area in which HRprofessionals have had to adapt the most.And, there are plenty of examples toillustrate this.

LP – By operating context, you mean theexternal environment.

AN – Yes. One competency that HRprofessionals have needed to strengthenand sharpen the most in the past decadehas been the ability to understandemerging trends and proactively shapestrategies, policies and processes to meetthe challenges that these trends havebrought in their wake. And, the rapid paceof change has kept HR professionals ontheir toes.

LP – Could you please give someexamples?

AN – Yes, of course. The profile ofemployees has changed significantly overthe past decade. There is more diversity inthe workforce today. And the complexityhas increased, especially if you look at adiverse business portfolio, as is the casewith us in ITC. At a leadership “style”level, one has to be more open andreceptive to thoughts and ideas of a newgeneration, give more space for dialogueand discussion and deal with a “better

informed” work force. Today, most shopfloor employees are graduates and diplomaholders. They are far more aware of theworld, given the revolution that has takenplace in the media and the compulsions ofthe information age. Young managersentering organisations today have grownup with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter,Youtube and perhaps something even morerecent as we speak. You cannot just tellthem what to do. It is important for themto understand the “why” and get the bigpicture. They want to be a part of the“how”. And it is so important to align themwith the overall mission and vision of theenterprise, given the several career optionsavailable to them today.

LP – Are you saying that this change in theprofile of employees was not a fact inearlier years as well?

AN – I am sure it was there before, but thedegree and intensity has changed. Todaythey express their needs more forcefullyand do not hesitate to voice theirexpectations.

LP – Any other aspect of the externalenvironment?

AN – There are many, but I would like tohighlight a few of the importantstakeholders that the HR leadership mustfocus on. These include society,government, media, NGOs and otherinterest groups. Over the last decade,stakeholder engagement has become acritical dimension of the HR leadershiprole. In earlier years, there were a fewidentified resources to look into these areas.However, HR leadership today is calledupon to take the lead and play a proactiverole in these areas. HR leadership mustsensitize the organisation to the demandsand expectations of these stakeholders. HRleadership must sensitize the enterprise tothe need to protect the environment andmake growth inclusive. It must thinkthrough and suggest ways by which

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business models can be tweaked to makegrowth more inclusive, whilst at the sametime delivering customer and shareholdervalue. HR leadership must make theorganisation aware of its responsibility tosociety and the fact that it therefore has tobe accountable to society.

Another compulsion of the information ageis managing with speed or managing speedcapital as it is commonly referred to. Goneare the days when organisations had theluxury of time on their side. The presentday business environment waits for no one.And HR must play its role in building aculture of urgency and speed through theenterprise. Indeed this is today animportant managerial competency. AndHR professionals must be the first off theblock to make this happen.

LP – While working with you, I recall youoften spoke of the importance of an inter-disciplinary approach to developing HRprofessionals. Could you expand on thisfurther please?

AN – I have been noticing a significantdifference in this area over the years. Firstly,I do not see HR professionals emergingfrom as diverse a background as was thecase earlier. This I believe is due to thenature of the entrance test and selectionprocess that students who want to studyHR are subjected to these days. In ourdays, there used to be a good mix ofstudents from different disciplines likeliterature, economics, sociology,psychology, political science, science, math,engineering etc. This does not seem to bethe case today. The diversity of thoughttherefore, has been a victim of the changedsituation. And absence of diversity ofthought has limited perspectives andrestricted options as a consequence.

Secondly, there is a tendency not to applyprinciples that other functions likeMarketing, Finance and Operations applywhen formulating HR policies and

systems. For example, there is a great dealthat HR can learn from the Marketingfunction, like engaging in “marketresearch’ before launching newinterventions and initiatives;“segmenting” employees to fine-tune HRpolicies rather than have a “one size fitsall” policy. “Branding” of all HRinterventions and initiatives can also playa key role in alignment, creating a buy-inand enhancing re-call.

Similarly, like in Operations, HR canbenefit from adopting an “assembly-lineapproach” for on-boarding employees andgetting them operational, especially in ahigh people dependent operation,accentuated by high attrition. The “supply-chain” perspective on managing the talentpipeline enunciated by Peter Capelli struckme.

The importance of “data mining” that cangive a whole new dimension tounderstanding the needs of employees andto the impact of initiatives that are rolledout for them.

LP – In your view, do you think technologyhas had an impact on HR competencies?

AN - Absolutely. Personally for me, it hasbeen difficult to keep pace with technology.I can just about manage using the companyintranet and can make a power pointpresentation with difficulty, using helpfrom my friends! Earlier, HR was notnecessarily tech-savvy. In the last decadeor so, I notice both a need for and comfortamongst HR professionals withtechnology. And, by technology, I don’tmean expertise in MS packages and HRISalone.

LP – You mentioned technology beyondHRIS.

AN – Technology, like other disciplines, isforcing a re-think, a change in mind-set.On-line appraisals, interviews over video-conferencing, help-lines, ‘ethics line’, etc.

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A few days ago, one of my colleagues wasmentioning that in years, sorry not years,but days to come, I may have to downloadvideos from Youtube to short-list potentialcandidates for employment. My onlyconcern is that “human touch-points” aregetting reduced significantly, andchallenge for HR is to adapt technology ina manner that is not at the expense of these“touch-points”.

And more than just the impact oftechnology on HR competencies, I think weneed to be more alive to the impact thattechnology is having on the environmentfor business. IT, telecom, nanotechnology,biotechnology etc will continue todrastically alter the environment forbusiness, making it mandatory forenterprises to reinvent themselves. Thesechanges could lead to the prematuredemise of several businesses, if they do notsee the writing on the wall and transformthemselves. And at the same time, thesechanges can throw up opportunities forexponential growth, if enterprises are ableto anticipate them and proactively managethe way they need to change and transformthemselves. Today they refer to this asdisruptive innovation.

LP – We looked at the changing role of HRleadership. Are there any other relatedaspects that come to mind before we movefurther?

AN –Yes. A few more thoughts based onmy experience so far. Like in any otherfunction, HR professionals are also calledupon to manage paradoxes. In our case,this is a unique challenge as theseparadoxes involve people. HR is expectedto be a ‘champion’ of employees andcontribute to business results at the sametime. I have come across several situationswhere such paradoxes need to be deftlymanaged – rationalisation of operations,down-sizing euphemistically referred to asright sizing, performance management,

differentiation in remuneration based onperformance, etc.

LP – Managing paradoxes and dealingwith ambiguity are indeed key challenges.How have you dealt with them?

AN – It is difficult to be precise inresponding to your question. It is likejuggling several hats. When managingparadoxes, I invariably put my thoughtsand plans through the filters of theorganisation’s philosophy, values andculture and through my own value system.If rationalisation is necessary for the long-term sustainability of the business, it doesnot conflict with the need to be people-centered. HR then needs to have the abilityto influence the “how” of the process in amanner that is consistent with the beliefsand values of the organisation and ensuresthat the process of rationalization ismanaged humanely and with dignity.

With regard to ambiguity, you will neverhave a perfect setting. You have to makeassumptions and anticipate differentscenarios. The better you understand thecontext and the subject, the better wouldbe the quality of your assumptions, as alsoyour ability to fine-tune policies and planslater.

LP – I guess this discussion itself is anexample of ambiguity and uncertainty. Ihad thought we will specifically discussHR functional competencies, but we havelooked at many more fundamental issues.

AN – This is what I believe is mostimportant as a HR professional. Oneshould have the ability to adapt to thesituation and yet at the end of the day,seamlessly connect all the aspects andcommunicate coherently andcomprehensively.

LP – So true. I would now like to brieflylook at HR functional competencies? Haveyou noticed any changes in the last fewyears in this area?

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AN – Whilst, the basic functionalcompetencies like HR Planning,Organisation Design, Employee Relations,Performance Management, Learning &Development, Compensation & Benefits,Career Management etc have remainedmore or less the same, complexities haveincreased significantly. For example,organisation structures today need to bedesigned not only to facilitate executionexcellence, but also to ensure propergovernance, cost competitiveness and atthe same time, provide stretch and growthopportunities to employees. Similarly, withthe design of compensation systems. Otherareas that have recently acquiredimportance are “KnowledgeManagement” and “Sustainability andGovernance”. And it is so important torealise that whatever is the system beingdesigned, it has to keep the uniqueness ofthe organisation in mind. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to designing HRsystems. These systems have to be relevantto the organisation and in tune with its ownethos and culture. I am a great believer inhomegrown systems and processes thatalso take into account what iscontemporary and relevant in otherorganisations as well.

LP – Are you then suggesting that all HRprofessionals should possess all functionalcompetencies?

AN – Yes and No. Yes, basically on thepoint, that all HR professionals need todefinitely understand the “what” and“why”. However, the “how” stems from“specialism”, which can be developedwithin the organisation or “sourced” fromoutside.

LP – Any functional competencies, whereyou feel, there has to be more focus?

AN – It is more to do with skills - skillsthat are developed and enhanced withexperience. The last decade has generallybeen a period of growth, “abundance”, and

harmonious employee relations. As aresult, young HR professionals have nothad the opportunity to hone their skills tooperate in an environment of “constraints’,to manage conflict and adversity. Similarly,the skill of “engaging” with “line” isbecoming critical – engaging in a mannerthat is not based on a “we-they” approach,but is based on “our” approach, for thegood of the organisation and itsstakeholders. I would refer to this as“facilitation skills” or “influencing skills”.This is a key competence that HRprofessionals must develop.

Another skill that is assuming criticalsignificance is the ability to co-create andcommunicate vision and values; andinspire and align stakeholders in order toenhance organisational vitality.

LP – How do you develop such skills?

AN – These cannot be developed in aclassroom or at training programmes. In atraining programme, you can onlydemonstrate and explain. Thereafter, it isthe “attitude” and “passion” that will helpdevelop these skills – attitude towardslearning, experimentation, reflection andintellectual rigor. Of course, the workculture needs to encourage this attitude.

LP – We seemed to have covered alldimensions of a competency framework.One other dimension that I wish tohighlight is humility, a trait so essential tobe a good leader. Lastly, it would beinteresting to discuss as to how ITCdevelops HR professionals.

AN - We have been experimenting anddoing different things to develop HRprofessionals and thus enhance the salienceof the function in ITC. To name a few:

• Structured induction to understand theethos, values and philosophy of ITC

• Tiered leadership developmentprogrammes

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• Experiencing different contexts andbusinesses through postings infactories / Head-quarters, within andacross businesses

• Programmes to enhance functionalskills like Selection & Recruitment,Organisation Design, Appraisals andPerformance Management,Negotiation, Compensation & BenefitsAdministration, etc

• Business related projects/task-forces

• Learning from best practices within andoutside ITC.

But most important of all, is thecommitment of senior HR managers todevelop HR managers down the line. Thewillingness and desire to “mentor” youngHR managers. The belief that the future ofthe organsation depends on the quality ofthe talent and leadership pipeline. Anenvironment where every senior HRmanager believes it is his or her role andresponsibility to “teach” and “nurture”young HR talent.

I would like to make mention of anintervention currently underway in ITC.All HR team members across ITCresponsible for the HR function in a unit/geography or in equivalent roles, arecurrently going through a three modulecapability development intervention. Eachof these modules runs for 6 days, designedby a team of two internal senior HR leaders.The three modules focus on HR Strategy,Structure and Competencies; Employee

Relations and Engagement; andFacilitation and Change Management. Theintervention will conclue in January 2011.By the end of it, we believe the functionalcompetence of over 65 HR managers in ITCwould operate at a higher plane altogether.

LP – That is quite an investment.

AN – Yes. It flows from our belief that theHR team will contribute more effectivelyto the success and growth of ITC, apartfrom making them better HR professionals.I am confident they will cascade theirlearning to their team members andthus the organisation will benefit fromthe multiplier effect of this uniqueintervention. And I must tell you howhappy I was to find that Chief Executivesof Business Divisions nominated managersfrom other functions to attend these HRTraining Modules as well!

LP – Any concluding thoughts?

AN – I am delighted to see the thrustthat NHRDN is providing to developHR professionals, especially youngprofessionals, and the active engagementof experienced HR leaders in thisendeavour. I think this is a great time foryoung HR professionals. It is anopportunity for each of them to stand upand be counted. To make a commitment tobuild institutions that will create value forall stakeholders and make a hugecontribution to society and the nation. It isan opportunity for them to leave a legacyof value. Let history not say that they letthis unique opportunity pass.

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About “Harish Devarajan”

Harish Devarajan is the current President of the National HRDNetwork, Bangalore Chapter. He has had a long anddistinguished career with Unilever He was Vice president -HR for Unilever South Asia till 2007. In 2007 he was awardedthe Exemplary Leader Award for Excellence in HR by IndiaTimes’ Employer Branding Awards. His last assignment withUnilever was Vice President - HR Services (Asia, Africa andAustralia) and he was responsible for Transformation of HR

across 40 countries. Since 2008 he is a free-lance Organisation consutant and aLeadership Coach. www.peopleunlimited.co.in

HR COMPETENCIES IN TODAY’SBUSINESS CONTEXT

RR NAIR IN CONVERSATION WITH HARISH DEVARAJAN

About “RR Nair”

“RR” is a Consultant to business on ‘HR Strategy’ and ‘Leadershipand Organisation Development’. He served Unilever Group companies

and as HR Director he was involved in strategic HR and Businessprocesses. He is an independent director on company Boards, an

executive coach in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 to largeIndian business houses and a management educator. He brings to

business and academic scene both local and international perspectives.A past President of NHRD Bangalore Chapter, he was chosen for the NHRD National

Award for outstanding contribution to the HR function, and was later conferred Life-timeAchievement Award by CNBC-KPMG. He is an Honorary Fellow of Coaching

Foundation India.

Harish Devarajan: Let me tee this upfor you RR, the demands and

expectations of the HR professional havechanged over times. The Competencyframework applicable to the HRprofessional is also therefore evolving.What do you think have been the keychanges over the last decade or so? Andwhich competencies are occupying centrestage in the recent years?

RR Nair: When I reflect upon the evolutionof HR Competencies I feel that someaspects have not really changed. For

example, the competency of peoplerelationship or people leadership, thiscontinues to be a business criticalcompetency - especially in the context oftraditional engineering and manufacturingindustry. While we may not have themilitant unionism that one hadexperienced in the 80’s, the challenge ofunderstanding and managing theaspirations (often mismatched) of the newgeneration employees is daunting for themanagement. Everywhere employees saythat they are “stressed out”. Indices likeloyalty and trust have taken a beating. The

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large numbers of temporary workmen toohave their grievances. Food inflation hasaffected a large section of the unorganisedworking class. We have already witnessedthe revival of industrial action in someparts of the country. The assertion ofmanagement’s right to take action againstsuch indiscipline is unfortunatelyunpalatable for both unions and stategovernment.

The business leaders of today are becomingaware of the business critical nature of thisdomain, especially in the context of a globalsupply chain pressures. They thereforeseek multiple dimensional assessments ofthe health of the relationship andengagement, and assurance of the smoothcontinuance of operations. What this callsfor is a process and measurementorientation combined with a strategicallyproactive approach amongst the traditionalindustrial relations functionaries. Thanksto NHRD, the refreshing development I amalready noticing is that more and more HRinterventions are happening in theemployee relations domain.

In emerging sectors like ITes and BPOs toowhere large youth work force is present,the subject of employee engagementshould be driven by the CEO. Actionablesteps must be taken to assess the quality ofemployee engagement, and correctiveactions are taken with the activeengagement of operations management.HR competency lies in sensitising the CEOand the line managers in bringing peoplemanagement and engagement to the centrestage. They should play a more innovativerole in finding new ways to step up the softskills amongst the line management, andthis can never go out of fashion.

Harish: You are quite right RR. While sucha profile and orientation is noticed in thewhite collar environment, it is still notwidely prevalent in the blue collar context.If this is one aspect that has not changed

much what would you say is a totally newcompetency expectation from the HRprofessionals?

RR: I am aware of the growing presence ofthe Family owned businesses in India andtheir desire to match the professionallymanaged MNCs in terms of businessperformance and management practices. Inpursuit of this we hear and see more andmore family members equippingthemselves with functional andmanagement education from the best ofschools before they step into the portals ofthe family business. Given the fact that thecurrent family leadership has inductedprofessionals into the ranks of managementthey are cautious and sensitive in themanner of inducting the next generation offamily members into the business.

It is in this context that I see the newexpectation from HR Professionals. Thebusiness leader expects the HR leader toplay a key and balanced role in theinduction of the young family member intothe business organisation.

Harish: What exactly is the expected fromthe HR Leader?

RR: I would classify the expectation inthree distinct buckets – first and foremostis to design and manage a suitable programof exposure and experience appropriate tothe incumbent’s interest and ambitions.This is probably the one that most HRLeaders find easy to accomplish to thesatisfaction of all concerned.

Secondly, to provide practical real lifeinputs to the young family member in theareas of organisational culture and valuesas practiced by the managers andexperienced by the stakeholders. Often theYoung Turk has many questions andcomments which need to be addressed fortrue appreciation and assimilation of thevalues and cultural essence. This is a

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challenging one for many HR Leaders bothfrom their own grasp of the subject /realities and also their ability to deal withthe approach of the new generation familymember.

Third and lastly the expectation to play therole of a mentor / coach as the new premiertrainee begins to find his/her feet in theorganisation. This not only calls for skillsin playing that role but also the stature todon that hat without creating any ripples.

Harish: That is really new and distinct.Would you say that this can be comparedto the succession planning role, especiallyinvolving high potential managers inprofessionally managed companies?

RR: Yes. The crux of the competency is thementoring / coaching role handling. Thisis a new and growing expectation from theHR Leaders. It is a crucial competency thataids and enables the Leadershipdevelopment in any organisation. In manyorganisations this is played by the CEOhimself / herself, for it is easy for them toplay that role without any challenge andwith great conviction. Sometimes theyeven find a senior operational leader whohas the stature and experience to play thisrole (buttressed with some externalprogram to build the theoretical conceptsof coaching / mentoring).

Harish: Would you not expect HR Leadersto become comfortable and accepted inplaying that role in their respectiveorganisations? Don’t you think that thatwould signal their true professionalcompetence and stature?

RR: Yes, it is not easy but definitely theaspirational path. For starters they shouldbuild their capability to mentor / coach,practice this with young buddingmanagers and build their reputation fordeveloping next generation of leaders.

Harish: While there are a range of HRcompetencies that have evolved over theyears, what in your opinion is the one thatmost HR professionals seem to strugglewith the most?

RR: While you asked for one I am going todwell on two competencies that seem totrouble many HR professionals.

The first is “Business Connect”. Inspite ofthis being around for some time now , evenafter many have read about WayneBrockbank’s Strategic HR approach andDave Ulrich’s Business Partnership role,many HR leaders struggle to establish trueconnect with the Business. It is true thatmany of those in HR don’t necessarily havea business education background andhence many of the business thrusts are abit alien to them at least in the beginning.But the irony is that given their non-business background they do not takeefforts to quickly adjust to this keyrequirement. What is called for is theirinclination to spend time on the shop-floor,office and market place, with a ‘businessoutlook’ and engage with their colleaguesfrom other functions to appreciate thenature of their work and the businessrealities.

The second is deep “functional value add”.The reality is that unlike Engineeringor Finance where the organisations alwaysturn to functionally qualified people totake the lead in addressing the needs ofthe organisation in these aspects, whenit comes to HR the need or confidence toturn to HR professionals is still not verystrong. Even amongst many organisationswhere HR is part of the senior team,most tend to refer matters to them moreas an administrative or transactionalprocess rather than from a changeor ‘transformation’ perspective. HRprofessionals must seize opportunities tomake a difference.

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Organisations fail to recognise the truevalue that professionally competent HRleaders can provide. Many HR leaders(with no HR professional background orlow HR competency) tend to focusattention mostly on the lag indicators ofattrition, productivity etc. The competencyof tracking lead indicators like organisationculture, employee survey results, otherdiagnostic insights and being able toinitiate pro-active steps to enhance thebusiness relevant HR outcome requiressome deeper skills and competencies andthis is what is yet to be adequatelydemonstrated. Wherever this competencyexists and is leveraged, the professionalvalue add is obvious to every one andindeed very significant. The good news isthat there are some shining examples ofsuch value add both in the traditional andemerging sectors.

Harish: How true. In fact a decade backHR professionals were not evencomfortable with lag indicators and thefocus on the quantifiable results by theirCEOs and other senior line colleaguesmade them start calculating and providingthese. What you are pointing out is the realvalue-add is when they go to the root ofthe issues and these require diagnosis ofsofter qualitative aspects. While this maynot be familiar territory for many of theCEOs and line colleagues it actually bringsto the fore an opportunity for realprofessional value add which is not easyto replicate by those without the adequatebackground.

RR: Yes, I feel most HR professionals facesome challenge to influence their seniorsor peers or young subordinates withinsights from such diagnostic studies andinterventions. The real respect for HR

Professionals will come when they are ableto add a strategically proactive perspective,that is not normally available to the linemanagers, and make a significantcontribution to the eventual achievementof business success.

Harish: Which competency do you believewill have the biggest impact in the future?

RR: I find that a number of HRprofessionals are busy benchmarking withother companies to find best practiceswhich they then replicate in their ownorganisations. While it is good to have an‘external orientation’ one should be carefulnot to blindly adopt the successful practicesbut to consider the appropriateness of thepractice to their own context and thenadapt it with suitable modifications. Butthe competency which I believe will be thekey in going forward is the ability to thinkcreatively from first principles,understanding the context, questioning theassumptions, analysing deeply mined dataand developing purposeful solutions bothproactively and strategically.

This I feel requires a relentless desire toexcel, a restless quest for learning and aninclination to network (apart from netconnect) for both knowledge andrelationship.

Harish: Thank you RR. As usual thisconversation with you has been soenriching and has triggered some keyquestions. I’m sure this will set many ofour fellow professionals to reflect deeplyand take steps to further enhance theirprofessional capabilities.

RR: Thank you Harish for this greatopportunity to dialogue with you!I enjoyed the discussions.

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RESPONSES FROM Dr. SANTRUPT MISRA

About “Dr. Santrupt Misra”

Dr. Santrupt Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business & Director,Group H.R. He is also Director on the Board of UltraTech, Indal,PSI Data Systems and Birla NGK. Prior to joining the Aditya BirlaGroup in 1996, Dr. Misra worked with the J.K. Group, the TataInstitute of Social Sciences, and Hindustan Lever Ltd. He has alsobeen a trainer and consultant to about 40 organisations.

Dr. Misra has published a book and several articles. His areas ofinterest include organisation development, change management,

management training and leadership. Under the aegis of the Mid Day Big Break andDAKS awards for HR Excellence, Dr. Misra has been presented the Outstanding HRProfessional of the Year Award (2004). He has also been conferred the OutstandingHR Chief Award by the National HRD Network (2000), and the HR Professional ofthe Year Award by the India HRD Congress (2002). He was identified as among the20 hottest young executives by Business Today (2002). Currently, Dr. Misra is theNational President of the National HRD network.

Dr. Misra has two post-graduate degrees — in political science, and in personnelmanagement and industrial relations. He also has two Ph.Ds — one from India andthe other from the UK — in public administration and industrial relations. He won aCommonwealth Scholarship in 1990 for three years, and was awarded the EisenhowerFellowship in the year 2000.

Director, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Ltd.

1. Like any other function, HR functionhas also been developing anddemanding certain competencies fromits professionals from time to time.What do you think are the criticalcompetencies missing today?

It will be incorrect to say that criticalcompetencies are missing in all HR people.It is unevenly distributed and perhapscould be more with each one of them. Someof the competencies that could be morepronounced (which some may see asmissing) are:

Seeing the big picture and connecting it tomicro action, effective HR ProjectManagement; Rigour in measuring impactof HR initiatives, stronger financialanalysis of HR projects; change

management skills; partnering with otherfunctions and research to plan morerelevant HR interventions. Long termplanning for an anticipated future issomething we need to do far better thantoday.

Attitudinally (if we were to accept attitudesas also relevant for HR delivery) HRleaders need to display stronger courage,distinctive point of view on organisationalissues, learning agility and persistence.

2. What role do you think the senior HRprofessionals, CEOs and Line Headscan play in facilitating growth of theprofession and professionals?

Growth comes out of exposure anddemand for delivery. So the levels of

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exposure need to be enhanced throughmany means - project work, participationin task forces, continuous education,rotation to other functions and holdinginformal influence roles in outside theorganisation. Professionals can also growwith larger demand put on them for realdelivery of business results and businessvalue. We need to differentiate the growthof the profession from the growth of theprofessional. Professions grow through afew distinctive professionals who bringglory to the profession through their owncontribution and growth. But a profession’sgrowth also depends on the economicevolution, growth of professional bodies,and creation of knowledge that isdistinctively value creating, visiblepartnership with other professions and soon. The growth of a profession is alsosignified by the demand for education inthat area and the quality of people whocome in. Professions grow when theycreate distinctive capability to solve humanor organisational issues. The CEOs, Lineheads and others have a role in creating theenabling environment for a profession togrow. But the primary responsibility forsuch growth lies with the professional andthe profession.

3. Projecting in to the future, what doyou foresee as critical competenciesthat will be demanded in the future?

Global mindset, inter-cultural comfort,scale thinking, networking, understandingof labour market dynamics and macro-economic trends. Emerging body ofknowledge in the HR space from practicesand research

4. What role do you think educationalinstitutions grooming these HRprofessionals need to play innurturing future generation of HRprofessionals?

Modernisation of curriculum, realisticsense of nature of work and theexpectations, basic skills in management,conceptual clarity and skills in peoplemanagement. The Faculty training to keepthem in touch with practitioners andcontinuous engagement with real worldissues are areas that educational institutesneed to focus on.

I do not need to highlight the role ofcredible research and case studies as thesehave always been base-line expectations.

Interview conducted by Dr. PVR Murthy.

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RESPONSES FROM VIVEK PARANJPE

About “Vivek Paranjpe”

Vivek Paranjpe is a product of XLRI Jamshedpur. CurrentlyWorking as a Management Consultant & an Executive Coach withseveral organizations in India.

He is associated with Reliance Industries as an advisor to theChairman since 2003.

Officiating as Group CHRO, Reliance Industries since September2009.

Started his career with Hindustan Lever in 1975, and worked with few companies inIndia like: ICIM, Hotel Corporation of India and Johnson & Johnson. , Hewlett Packardin India and Asia Pacific.

1. Like any other function, HR functionhas also been developing anddemanding certain competencies fromits professionals from time to time.What do you think are the criticalcompetencies missing today?

I somehow get a feeling that holistic andstrategic mindsets are missing. In highpaced environment where industry isfacing high attrition and thereforetremendous pressure on recruitment exitsthe HR professionals have becometransaction focused rather than focused onstrategy and taking a holistic view of thefunction. Every sub function within HR,every function with a corporation areinterlinked we can’t have siloed look at anyone of these pieces. Somewhere HRprofessionals have not been able tocomplete the collage.

This is accentuated by the sub functionalsilos that are created in most MNC whereineach sub function has direct functionallinkage right up to corporate HeadQuarters (ex. C&B, Staffing, L&D etc). Ateach one of the geographies and at eachbusiness we need an integrator – a “HRgeneralist with outstanding leadershipcapabilities” – that is missing in most cases.

Business HR Partnership role is not yet wellunderstood by the professionals. HR guys

are becoming too transactional. As truebusiness partners HR function has to takefull accountability and responsibility forHR function / actions. Gone are the dayswhen we in HR said that “managers tomanage and HR will just facilitate”.Business HR has to develop competenciesin: Consulting skills, Diagnostic skills,Integration skills and thereafter the holisticconceptual mindset. This has to besupported by the strong knowledge of thebusiness.HR professionals have to come out of thefads and fashions. They have to becomegrounded in to realities. Most companiesend up doing competency assessmentswithout taking them to the logical end.Competency assessments for the sake oflatest trends, 360 degrees feedback justbecause a consulting firm recommends it,has to stop. My guess is either the HRprofessionals don’t know what to do withthe outcome of competency modeling orassessments thereafter or just don’t havethe courage/will to follow thru.

2. What role do you think the senior HRprofessionals, CEOs and line headscan play in facilitating growth of theprofession and professionals?

CEOs, Senior HR Professionals and LineHeads by and large are frustrated with HR

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Professionals since they are not able to riseto the occasion and deliver what isnecessary. In knowledge Economy thepeople cost can be as high as 30 to 60+ % ofthe total cost structure. This is a significantdeparture from the Industrial Economycorporations wherein the people cost usedto be as low as 2% to 8%. People are trulythe most valued assets of the Corporationstoday unlike the old Economy corporateworld.

In this new world HR is evolving in to morelike a Line function rather than the stafffunction of good old days. This means newskills, direct accountability and moreresponsibility. HR professionals have to bethe significant contributors at the BoardRooms and have to take the leadershiproles. I will not be surprised if more andmore Line managers will move in to HRfunction unless HR professionals don’tmove up in the skills and capabilities.

3. Projecting in to the future, what doyou foresee as critical competenciesthat will be demanded in the future?

In the future I can foresee the HRprofessionals to be the most criticalresource in any corporation especiallythose industries that are part of theknowledge economy or are the serviceindustry.

Technology or the financial investmentswill not be major differentiators.Innovation and the creativity will be themost significant differentiators as we moveahead. Technology can be easily purchasedand similarly finances are easily available.When knowledge is no more the “power”the application of the knowledge andspeed to go to the market with the rightsolutions will be the major differentiator.

Agility, speed and creativity will be the keyto success. HR professionals will have toplay a significant role in creating rightculture and create enablers that willsupport these behaviors. This meansdeveloping competency in culture

building, putting vision, mission andvalues in to action, creating dynamicrewards and recognition programs thatwill support the right and ever-changingbehavioral expectations, will become moreand more crucial.

I can see future HR professional more likea Line manager who understands businesslike any other SBU Head, a person who isfully aligned to the business and thinksbottom and top line keeping in mindpeople perspectives all the time.

4. What role do you think educationalinstitutions grooming these HRprofessionals need to play innurturing future generation of HRprofessionals?

I see two major initiatives that can beundertaken by the Educational institutions:

• Revamp the current curriculums toensure right fresh MBAs, MSWs etc aredeveloped. These young post graduatesare critical for long term success. Thebroad based curriculum needs to becreated jointly by the academicians andthe practicing HR Leaders. PracticingHR Leaders should not only be ropedin to create the curriculum but also bepartnered to teach the subjects tosupplement the academic inputs. It isnever an either or situation, both theinputs are necessary for well roundeddevelopment.

• Create a broad range of MDPs todevelop the current workingprofessionals in various competenciesand capabilities for today. Theseprograms can be based on thecompetency maps created byNHRDN / CII / XLRI joint venture.One of the shortcomings today is wehave the competency model in place butnot the curriculums and the modulesto fill in the gaps.

(Not a place to talk about thecurriculums, teaching methods andoverall quality of education)

Interview conducted by Dr. PVR Murthy.

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BOOK REVIEWS

1. HR TRANSFORMATION: BUILDING HUMAN RESOURCES FROM THE OUTSIDE IN

Author : Dave Ulrich, Justin Allen, Wayne Brockbank, Jon Younger, Mark Nyman

Published by : McGraw Hill, July 2009

This book comes from the stable of some of the best minds in HR whohave made HR to think strategically. Dave Ulrich is an author, speaker,management coach, and consultant, Wayne Brockbank is a ClinicalProfessor of Business of the Strategic Human Resource Planning Programat the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, Jon Younger’scareer has been a mix of consulting, executive management and HRleadership, Justin Allen is the Managing Director of The RBL Institute anda consultant with the firm, and Mark Nyman is a Principal with The RBLGroup. The book covers a whole range of research and thoughts on whyHR needs transformation.

The book is broadly covered into three sections. The first section builds the business case for theHR transformation and dwells on the how and why of it. The second section provides case studiesof some of the well known organizations and these provide good examples of transformation. Thethird section provides tools and additional reading list.

I recommend this book highly for HR and OD consultants, Management experts, Academicians,and as an additional reading for management students in the subjects like Human ResourceManagement, Organizational Development, and Strategic Human Resource Management. Aninteresting aspect here would be the competencies required for HR professionals to act at a strategiclevel and the tool sets available in the book are featured in a website dedicated to the book(www.hrtransformationbook.com).

Overall this book gives a detailed step by step approach to building Strategic HR professionals anddepartments. I strongly recommend this book to be read along with Human Resource Championsof Dave Ulrich.

Reviewed by :

Dr. Sandeep K. Krishnan,Vice President - HR and Corporate Development, Acropetal Technologies Ltd.

Sandeep is a Fellow of IIM Ahmadabad and an HR professional with experience in HR andConsulting with organisations like IBM, Ernst and Young, and RPG Group. He can be reached [email protected].

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2. HR COMPETENCIES: MASTERY AT THE INTERSECTION OF PEOPLE AND BUSINESS

Author : Dave Ulrich, Wayne Brockbank, Dani Johnson, Kurt Sandholtz, Jon Younger

Author : Society for Human Resource Management, March 2008

People Management, Personnel Management, Human Resources, TalentManagement, People Relationship Management ~ the evolution of HR

has been more than just terms or names. From being labeled as mereadministrative functions to being an integral value addition to organisationsand its workforces, HR has travelled a long and progressive journey.

Competence is the state or quality of being adequately and well-qualifiedand having the ability to perform a specific role. This is, indeed, a simpleenough concept to grasp. However, there is a lot more required than themere understanding of Wikipedia’s definition of competency. In-depthknowledge of the overall organisational operations is the essence. There istoday an increasing realisation that Human Resources are the real assets

of any organisation on whom its success or failure depends on. Therefore HR professionals areconsidered the trustees to the real assets of any organization. Hence there is a growing need forcompetent HR professionals and this is where the need to understand, create and establish HRcompetency models comes into play.

This comprehensive book is a product of 20 years of painstaking research and the findings havebeen presented with clarity. The following questions that inform and guide one to be an effectiveHR professional are raised, such as:

• Which HR competencies have the most impact on performance?

• How do they affect business performance?

• How do HR departments affect individuals?

• What makes a successful HR professional?

With time as witness, various kinds of Human Resource competency models have been developed,tried and tested. While some results proved to be ineffective, other results proved to be extremelysuccessful. The techniques given in this book will help the professionals to design, coach andfacilitate programmes for effective operations.

Dave Ulrich’s professional focus has addressed questions on how organisations add value tocustomers and investors through both leadership and strategic human resource practices. In thehuman resource area, his colleagues and he have worked to redefine and upgrade HR. With hiscolleagues, Wayne Brockbank and Jon Younger, he has also co-directed research on over 40,000respondents about the competencies required for successful HR professionals. The studies haverevealed that to be successful, a HR professional needs to be on who is a,

• Credible Activist

• Cultural Steward

• Talent Manager / Organisational Designer

• Strategy Architect

• Business Ally

• Operational Executor



3. HANDBOOK OF STRATEGIC HRM

Author : Michael Armstrong and Angela Baron

Published by : JAICO Publishing House, ISBN 81-7992-568-4

The Handbook of Strategic HRM is organised in four parts. The first part is dedicated to theconceptual framework of strategic HRM and looks at the concepts of strategy, strategic HRM,intellectual capital, models of strategic HRM and the key concepts and issues in the developmentand delivery of HR strategies. The second part delves into the impact of Strategic HRM onperformance and the role of HR (including the key role holders). Part three looks at bothorganisational and functional HR strategies. The final part looks at strategic HRM in action andimproving business performance through strategic HRM.

The book is replete with research references and is unbiased in its articulation of different approachesand models in each of the chapters, almost nudging the reader to assimilate and come up with hisown perspective and opinion. The authors take care to articulate and in great detail, differentiatefundamental concepts while steadily building the momentum to complete the larger picture as thereader toils through the book. One is almost tempted to wonder if the book is a ‘meta’ compilationof research on Strategic HRM, but is weaned away from such a conclusion given the large numberof real life examples quoted as well as a very reader centric approach of the authors.

Very well balanced for all types of learning styles, the book includes visuals and block diagrams foreasy assimilation. All in all, the book is definitely a gift to the serious learner of Strategic HRM,especially given its India price at INR 350.

Reviewed by :

S. Naga Siddharth,HR Generalist, Citrix R&D India

However, although a commendable report of the successful HR competencies required inorganisations is enumerated, it does not offer a step-by-step guide to setting up viable HRcompetency models in organisations. Through this book, every HR professional is given advicewhich will help them be more successful, effective, and valuable to their companies. Dave Ulrichand his team states the knowledge, skills and values required to be demonstrated in all types ofpositions, companies and geographies by successful HR professionals. They identify the areas inwhich HR professionals need to be more than good but also where they must be great.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in improving their functionality as HRprofessionals as it provides great insight on how to progress and motivate organisational membershipthrough various types of HR competency models.

Reviewed by :

Saathvika Raj,Research Assistant, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants, Chennai.


NHRD Network Journal

HR Competence

Volume 3 Issue 4 October 2010

NHRD Network Board Members

National President: NS Rajan, Partner, Human Capital and Global Leader – HR Advisory,Ernst & Young

Past National Presidents: Aquil Busrai, Chief Executive Officer - Aquil Busrai Consulting

Dwarakanath P, Director-Group Human Capital - Max India

Dr. Santrupt Misra, Director - Aditya Birla Group

Regional Presidents:

East: Saurav Das Patnaik, HR Director, Apeejay-Surrendra Group

South: Gopalakrishna M, Director Incharge, A.P. Gas Power Corporation Ltd.

West: Satish Pradhan, Executive VP, Group HR, Tata Sons

North: Sy. Siddiqui, MEO (Admn - HR, Fin & IT), Maruti Suzuki India

National Secretary: Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder & EVP, PeopleStrong HR Services

National Treasurer: Ashok Reddy B, VP-HR, Info Tech Enterprises

Executive Director: Mohit Gandhi

Editorial Board Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay, Director - Human ResourcesCitrix R&D India Pvt. [email protected]

(Guest Editor for this issue)

Dr. PVR Murthy, Managing Editor,CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,[email protected]

Aquil Busrai, Chief Executive OfficerAquil Busrai Consulting, Human Resources, Gurgaon, [email protected]

Publisher, Printer, Owner Mohit Gandhi on behalf of National HRD Network,and Place of Publication National HRD Network Secretariat, C 81 C, DLF Super Mart, DLF City,

Phase IV, Gurgaon122 002. Tel +91 124 404 1560

Printed at Nagaraj & Co. Pvt. Ltd., 156, Developed Plots Industrial Estate,Perungudi, Chennai 600 096. Tel : 044 - 66149291

The views expressed by the authors are of theirown and not necessarily of the editors nor of thepublisher nor of authors’ organizations

Copyright of the NHRD Journal, all rights reserved.Contents may not be copied, emailed or reproducedwithout copyright holders’ express permission in writing.

NHRD firmly believes in and respects IPR and we appeal to thecontributors and readers to strictly honour the same.

For any further clarifications, please contact :

The Managing EditorDr. P V R Murthy, CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,

#8, Janaki Avenue, Off 4th Street, Abhiramapuram, Chennai 600 [email protected]

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The National HRD Network publishes a semi-academic quarterly journal where in each issue isdedicated to a theme.

The journal publishes primarily three categories of articles :

• Conceptual and research based

• Contributions from thought leaders including a limited number of reprints with due permission

• Organizational experiences in HR interventions/mechanisms

Publications so far include on the themes “IT in HR”, ”Performance Management”, “Attracting andRetaining Talent”, “Career Management”, “Organizational Change”, “Global HRM”, “Women in CorporateLeadership Roles”, “Organization Development” and “Learning and Development”, “Leadership”,“Work-Life Balance”, “Institution Building”, “Coaching For Performance and Development” and “HumanResources Management in Rapid Growth Organizations”.

The current issue is on the theme of “HR Competence”.

The following persons have agreed to anchor as guest editors for the future issues :

1. P Dwaraknath, Director - HR Max Group on the theme HR and Employee Relations.

2. Dr. Santrupt B Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business & Director, Group H.R. Aditya Birla ManagementCorporation Pvt. Ltd. on the theme CEOs.

Editorial Board Members :

Dr. P.V.R. Murthy, Managing Editor is a product of I.I.T., Kharagpur and IIM, Calcutta with close to thirtyyears experience in H.R. field. He is founder and runs an executive search firm Exclusive SearchRecruitment Consultants. He is associated with a number of academic institutions. He is trained inTQM in Japan and in human processes from ISABS and NTL, U.S.A. He is the Immediate Past NationalSecretary of National HRD Network.

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay is Director - Human Resources Citrix R&D India PVT Ltd. A doctoral fellowfrom XLRI and AHRD, he is trained in OD and Human Processes from NTL, USA and he believes inapplying HR concepts to practice to make it more meaningful and effective. He is a mentor and coachto many young HR professionals.

Aquil Busrai is Chief Executive Officer at Aquil Busrai Consulting. He has over 36 years HR experience,both in strategic and operational HR with blue chip organisations like Unilever in Kenya and India,Motorola in Asia Pacific and Shell in Malaysia. He was Executive Director, Human Resources atIBM Corporation, National President at National HRD Network, HR Director Shell Malaysia and MDShell People.


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www.nationalhrd.org

National HRD Network

The National HRD Network, established in 1985, is an

association of professionals committed to promoting

the HRD movement in India and enhancing the

capability of human resource professionals, enabling

them to make an impactful contribution in enhancing

competitiveness and creating value for society.

Towards this end, the National HRD Network is

committed to the development of human resources

through education, training, research and experience

sharing. The network is managed by HR professionals

in an honorary capacity, stemming from their interest

in contributing to the HR profession.

The underlying philosophy of the NHRDN is that every

human being has the potential for remarkable

achievement. HRD is a process by which employees in

organizations are enabled to:

• acquire capabilities to perform various tasks

associated with their present and future roles;

• develop their inner potential for self and

organisational growth;

• develop an organisational culture where networking

relationships, teamwork and collaboration among

different units is strong, contributing to

organisational growth and individual well-being.

HR

Competence

ISSN - 0974 - 1739

NHRD Network JournalOctober 2010 Volume 3 Issue 4

www.nationalhrd.org

A Quarterly Publication by The National HRD Network

Dr. Sripada Chandrasekhar

Dr. Jyotsna Bhatnagar

C Mahalingam

Dr. Arvind N Agrawal

Yogesh Patgaonkar

Abhijit Bhaduri

Bimal Rath

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay

Ganesh Chella

Dr. TV Rao

Prasenjit Bhattacharya

Dr. Vasanthi Srinivasan

R Vidyasagar

Dr. RK Premarajan

Hema Ravichandar

Smita Saha

Satish Pradhan

Dr. Uday Salunkhe

Dr. Prasad Kaipa

S Naga Siddharth

Anand Nayak

L Prabhakar

RR Nair

Harish Devarajan

Dr. Santrup Mishra

Vivek Paranjpe


nhrd network journal issn - 0974 - 1739...nhrd network journal hr competence october 2010 national...

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