Managing Talent & Careers &
Succession Planning
Human Resource Management
Submitted by:
Aditi Shinde – 156
Lovenish Ruhela – 131
Vijay Singh – 158
Aditya Vaidya – 169
Kundan Ramteke- 126
Neha Sabnis- 132
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INDEX
Sr. No. Topics Page No.
1 Introduction 4
2 Managing Talent 7
3 Finding New Talent 22
4 Retaining Talent 27
5 Assessment Of Potential 34
6 Managing Talent In Virtual Teams 41
7 Succession Planning 51
8 Ethical Issues In Career & Succession Planning 60
9 Bibliography 63
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are grateful to Mr. Amit Nayak, General Manager- HR of Bluestar for giving us
his valuable time & sharing his immense knowledge in the field of HR.
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INTRODUCTION
All organisations, whether in the private or public sectors, need to be able to find people with the
right skills to fill key and top leadership jobs. This process needs to be managed, and traditionally,
large blue-chip companies ran highly-structured, mechanistic, secretive and top-down schemes
aimed at identifying internal successors for key posts and planning their career paths to provide
the necessary range of experience. These schemes worked reasonably well in a stable environment
where structures were fixed and careers were long-term. But with growing uncertainty, increasing
speed of change in the business environment, and flatter structures, succession planning of this
sort declined in the 1990s. How could one plan ahead, it was argued, for jobs that might not exist
next year? One apparent result was that more and more people came to be appointed to top jobs
from outside organisations. A further problem with traditional succession planning was that it
failed to take account of non-managerial roles – a brilliant scientist, for example, who might be
crucial to the future of the organisation and who wanted to stay in a research role.
In a climate of growing skills shortages and lack of confidence in the leadership potential of the
existing workforce, interest in succession planning has revived. The new succession planning
looks quite different from the old version, with a broader vision and far closer links to wider talent
management practices.
Through this project report, we try to understand the important function of HR i.e. talent
management, career & succession planning & its implications on the organisation. Moreover, to
get a better insight on these functions, we visited Bluestar to understand their HR practises.
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Blue Star is India's largest central air-conditioning company with an annual turnover of
Rs 2900 crores, a network of 29 offices, 6 modern manufacturing facilities, over 1200
dealers and around 2800 employees.
It fulfils the air-conditioning needs of a large number of corporate, commercial and
residential customers and has also established leadership in the field of commercial
refrigeration equipment ranging from water coolers to cold storages. The Company also
offers comprehensive Electrical Contracting and Plumbing & Fire Fighting Services.
Blue Star's other businesses include marketing and maintenance of hi-tech professional
electronic and industrial products.
Blue Star has business alliances with world renowned technology leaders such as
Rheem Mfg Co, USA; Hitachi, Japan; Eaton - Williams, UK; Thales e-Security Ltd.,
UK; Jeol, Japan and many others, to offer superior products and solutions to customers.
The Company has manufacturing facilities at Thane, Dadra, Bharuch, Himachal and
Wada which use state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to ensure that the products
have consistent quality and reliability.
Blue Star primarily focuses on the corporate and commercial markets. These include
institutional, industrial and government organizations as well as commercial
establishments such as showrooms, restaurants, banks, hospitals, theatres, shopping
malls and boutiques. The Company has started pursuing the residential segment with its
wide range of sleek and contemporary Room ACs. In accordance with the nature of
products and markets, business drivers, and competitive positioning, the lines of
business of Blue Star can be segmented as follows:
Electro Mechanical Projects And Packaged Airconditioning Systems
Cooling Products
Professional Electronics And Industrial Systems
Our visit to Bluestar gave us a lot of insight to the HR function in Bluestar. Through the
interview of Mr. Nayak, we noticed that the all the HR functions are completely
transparent & the department continuously strives for the betterment of its employees. It
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does everything possible to keep the employees happy & satisfied with the company. The
company believes that the employees are a very important factor in the success of the
organisation & keep them satisfied will ensure the success of the organisation. The
company is not involved in any unethical practises & ensures that no biases are made
towards any employee.
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TALENT MANAGEMENT
Talent management refers to the skills of attracting highly skilled workers, of
integrating new workers, and developing and retaining current workers to meet current
and future business objectives. Talent management in this context does not refer to the
management of entertainers. Companies engaging in a talent management strategy shift
the responsibility of employees from the human resources department to all managers
throughout the organization. The process of attracting and retaining profitable
employees, as it is increasingly more competitive between firms and of strategic
importance, has come to be known as "the war for talent."
Talent management is a mission critical process that ensures organizations have the
quantity and quality of people in place to meet their current and future business priorities.
The process covers all key aspects of an employee’s “life cycle:” selection, development,
succession and performance management. Key components of a highly effective talent
management process include
A clear understanding of the organization’s current and future business strategies.
Identification of the key gaps between the talent in place and the talent required
to drive business success.
A sound talent management plan designed to close the talent gaps. It should also
be integrated with strategic and business plans.
Accurate hiring and promotion decisions.
Connection of individual and team goals to corporate goals, and providing clear
expectations and feedback to manage performance.
Development of talent to enhance performance in current positions as well as
readiness for transition to the next level.
A focus not just on the talent strategy itself, but the elements required for
successful execution.
Business impact and workforce effectiveness measurement during and after
implementation.
The term "talent management" means different things to different organizations. To some
it is about the management of high-worth individuals or "the talented" whilst to others it
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is about how talent is managed generally - i.e. on the assumption that all people have
talent which should be identified and liberated
Role of Talent Management
The role of talent management is to make confident that the organization has the accurate
community in position to accomplish all the essential roles. It diminishes the threat to the
long term prospect of the business or organization by make sure that there is a channel of
inhabitants with the right expertise, practice and behaviours to complete key point in the
opportunity. There are several strategies implicated in talent management and
responsibilities that necessitate to be accepted. Employee consideration and constant
employee assessment are two essential tasks. If you want to make sure you have the very
most excellent strategies and procedures in position to spot talent and develop the
abilities of your group then employing professionals in this field is a high-quality
thought.
As well as recognize the talent and carrying out consideration to see who might be
appropriate for undertaking future roles and responsibilities, a thorough development
program will need to be put into practiced. By helping members of staff gain more
knowledge in a exacting area or providing them with a comprehensive training program
towards the very top you will make sure smooth transitions at a later date with observe to
staff moving into new jobs and taking on extra responsibilities.
It is the strength of character of any organization. Without competent employees it's
tough to visualize any organization succeeding. A particularly fundamental role of talent
management is to make available leadership development training to potential and
existing manager. Talent can either be get hold of from outside the organization or raise
from the inside. Talent management ensures that all potential employees get the position
they justify by provided that training and accepted feedbacks.
Lots of organizations have a preference their potential employees to receive recognized
leadership development training and concentrate leadership programs. These training
programs can be carrying out in the organization's own educational services through a
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simulation program managed by human resource companies that play the trainers' role,
and even by outsourcing the training to a guidance organization.
Leadership development training can be classified into following categories:
On-job training,
Official training
Judgment
Mentoring
To develop leadership expertise on the job has need of employees to take jobs or project
coursework that include leadership farm duties. Employees can learn from colleagues
with more experience. For those who prefer a more special approach can hire a personal
leadership adviser. Personal instructor can provide intensive leadership development
training.
Components of Talent Management
Talent management includes seven components that, when implemented strategically, combine to keep an organization on the leading edge.
1. Strategic Employee Planning- Developing your organizational goals and strategic plan is the first step. Next you must think about how to reach your goals and implement the plan. More specifically, you must identify the key roles and personnel who will get you there. You may already have the positions and people in place, or you may need to adjust the current structure to fill the gaps.
2. Talent Acquisition and Retention- Bringing new talent into your organization is important, yet equally so is recognizing and cultivating talent you already have in-house. Hiring from within your organization is more cost-effective, so when you’re working at talent pooling, remember to look internally as well as externally.
3. Performance Management- Aligning the right person with the right role is the heart of performance management. Its ultimate goal is to ensure that roles align with business strategy to achieve goals. It enables you to ensure that you’re aligning a talented employee with a role that suits them, develops goals for success, supports their development, and moves the organization forward.
4. Learning and Motivating- Semantics become important here, because learning is more than training. Learning is the acquisition of information and skills, which yields knowledge and experience. Implement learning programs that include activities and tasks that support the organization’s culture and initiatives. When employees see how their growth impacts the organization, they’ll see just how valuable their role is.
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5. Compensation- Alignment remains the important concept. Aligning your strategic goals with incentives means recognizing employees, rewarding contributions to success, and acknowledging their value to the organization.
6. Career Development- This ties back to the talent retention component and the notion that hiring from within is not only an option, but often preferable. Nurture potential leaders by providing professional development tools that can advance their career.
7. Succession Planning- Knowing the talent within your organization is a start. Knowing the key roles essential to its success is equally vital. Which roles are critical to success? Who currently fills those roles? What happens when those positions become available?
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Talent Management Process
1. Entry- Determine the key leverage skill sets required by the organization in order
to move into the future. The organization’s strategic plan should give an
indication of these, as well as what constitutes the core competence that will
ensure a future for the organization. This will all, in turn, direct you to what talent
you should be sourcing.
a. Source the required people from the appropriate avenues.
b. Be sure to have very detailed job descriptions that include specific
competencies required.
c. Apply behaviour-based interviewing to select the best candidates.
d. The ability to retain talent starts from the quality of the first point of
contact.
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e. Carefully consider how you orientate a new employee into the culture of
the organization, the work area, and the specific job.
f. Assist a new employee to transition into the organization and to be able to
produce a quality deliverable within the first three months of tenure. This
will go a long way to ensuring that the placement will be successful.
2. Retention- Retaining your talent will not solely depend on what you pay them.
We have found from exit interviews that many high performing individuals will
leave an organization for the same or, in some cases, even less remuneration if
other needs of theirs are not being met.
a. The culture, the way things are done around here, plays a huge role in
creating a work environment that will draw individuals in or repel them.
The culture is created through the systems, processes, technology,
structure, leadership, and behaviours of people and teams in the
organization.
b. Congruity in values between the organization and the employee will also
exert influence on an individual’s decision to commit to an organization.
c. The most important relationship for any individual in an organization is
the relationship with one’s immediate manager. Ensure that your
managers have the skills to constructively lead their direct reports and
their teams.
d. Involve individuals in decision-making in their areas of responsibility.
Involve high performers in cross-functional projects. Allow people to feel
that they are making a difference.
e. Make sure that each new employee is the right fit for the organization’s
culture, and then ensure fit with the work area, and then the actual job.
Revisit this person-environment fit, as people and circumstances change
and some adjusting or repositioning may be required for best results.
3. Development- Development is about growing people to meet both own and the
organization’s needs. Development plays a large part in talent management. No
organization can afford to promise a person a particular job through development.
At best, you can offer the promise of making a person more eligible to be part of
a pool of talent who would be looked at when positions open up, and then only if
the existing skills match the position requirements.
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a. Competencies need to be broken down into their four components:
i. Knowledge(what you know)
ii. Skills(what you know how to do)
iii. Behaviour(what you do)
iv. Attitude(what you are willing to do)
b. Assess every employee’s competency profile. This would include
establishing if there are any competency deficiencies that are responsible
for the gaps that exist between the actual and desired current performance,
as well as gaps between current competencies and possible future
performance needs.
c. Avoid getting trapped into only developing weaknesses; focus on keeping
strengths at the cutting edge.
d. Create opportunities for development through different methods; such as,
training, job shadowing, job rotation, involvement in projects, cross-
functional exposure, and teamwork.
e. Make sure that the training provided is linked to the strategic needs of the
organization.
f. Mentoring can play an important role in developing others, as well as
strengthening relationships. This goes a long way to influencing feelings
of belonging to an organization.
g. Build in stretch deliverables for high potential individuals to produce, as
being challenged by what they do often meets individual’s personal
needs.
h. Link talent development into the performance management system.
4. Performance - Identifying potential is one component of talent management, but
actual performance reflects on usable talent. Sound performance management
practices are crucial.
a. Clarify roles throughout the organization, ensuring alignment with the
strategy, as well as across functions.
b. Involve individuals in setting their own performance agreements. These
agreements need to be firm on objectives to be met, deliverables to be
produced and at what quality standards, actions to be taken, and the
deadlines.
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c. People need to be held accountable for what they deliver, but against
performance agreements that function as working documents so that
adjustments are made to them as circumstances dictate.
d. Feedback is essential - ongoing, objective and constructive.
e. Positive reinforcement, when done with genuineness, goes a long way to
making people feel recognized.
f. Tap into what would make talented individuals within your organization
feel rewarded; it is not necessarily always about money or upward
mobility.
5. Pass it on- Identify high performance individuals who display characteristics
favoured by the organization. Use this pool of talent to help transition new
employees into the organization. This will ensure the entrenching of desired ways
of operating. It has also been found that the better the first experiences of a new
employee, the more likely the individual is to be retained by the organization and
the quicker performance results can be achieved. Talented individuals can also
serve as mentors throughout the organization and it can be seen as recognition or
as a reward to do so. Innovations by talented individuals can be introduced into
systems, processes, and approaches in the organization in the pursuit of
continuous improvement. They should also be recognized for this.
The human resource professionals are the cornerstone of any organizations. They not
only solve business problems today but also participate in strategic aspects of the
organization; talent management is one of them.
Talent Management Strategy
Formulation of a talent management strategy is the responsibility of the HR function.
This is often done in consultation with the business function. Be it talent mapping and
planning or performance, recruitment and retention the human resource professionals of
the day are seeking out ways to streamline and integrate their functions with the broader
business functions.
In Aditya Birla group, for example there is huge dearth of leadership positions at the top.
The company is expanding globally and at a rate faster than it can grow its human
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capital. This has lead to talent deficit and this is common in many organizations. The
problem requires a comprehensive set of solutions.
Again in the same organization as mentioned above, people are empowered very early in
their careers to give them more responsibilities and build more competencies in
employees. This enables to develop high potential personnel. The organization runs an
internal programme IDventure where they promote entrepreneurship. You have an idea;
you come forward, share and develop a comprehensive business plan. The best plan
receives a support from the organization!
Needless to mention now, organizations require an integrated approach to talent
management. There is a need to strategize in HR functions to enable and support the
business functions. Some strategies in this direction could be:
Aligning Business strategies with the HR strategies: Business HR is one
function that is developing fast as part of the human resource department. The
person is responsible for ensuring a smooth relationship between business and HR
functions. They work with business heads to develop people strategies to support
both short term and long term business objectives.
Performance Planning and Evaluation: An integrated HR approach means that
are uniform and standard procedures for employee performance evaluation and
compensation, up and down the organization. Performance is linked to growth
and the process adds value for employees to evaluate their work on their own.
Indian digital disk giant Moser Baer employs such process.
Strategic Manpower Planning: HR and Business function are interrelated. None
can exist without the other. HR functions need to work in collaboration to assess
current and future manpower requirements are plan for the same. They need to
strategize on the approximate manpower requirements, the relevant skills and
educational qualification, compensation and the like. This has to happen well in
advance. Recruitment itself means a host of other activities like training and
development, compensation, induction and orientation etc.
Mapping your Talent: An ever increasing emphasis is being laid on identifying
the top performing and talented employees to think of ways to develop, nurture
and retain them. Further organizations also like to keep skill inventories for
contingencies. As organizations realize the skills and abilities of individuals, they
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can then be more focused on devising means and strategies to attract, develop and
retain these people.
Miller-Talent Pipeline- This is a concept given by Tony Miller in which he explained
how different employees should be managed in the company. This pipeline defines that
how the employees recruited should be managed in the organization according to their
performance. The model is shown below:
The above model, known as the Miller talent pipeline model enables us to understand and
be able to explain to others how the process works. Looking at stage one of the model it
is a design and process which will help in attracting talent to the organization.
At stage one of, we have filtration process namely testing, profiling and interviewing.
This process needs to be exceptionally good. This process will also be used for
promotion within the company for internal and external candidates and everyone needs to
be treated exactly the same.
The second stage is to populate the model of the movers. We should have a clear idea of
how many we want in this model and before we have spoken about 20% (this is our
talent powerhouse). This requirement will drive our recruitment which can be either
internal or external. Succession planning which is critical to any organisation will draw
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its requirements from 20% pool. Depending on the type of job and level of job suitable
people will be plugged in at any of the five levels shown on the diagram. They will either
be an immediate fit or may require some further training and development prior to their
taking up the position.
The 70 - 20 - 10 principal was the brainchild of Jack Welch. The principle is very easy to
understand what is important is to recognize that the bulk of the organisation and
accounts for approximately 70% of the organisation's staff-this 70% we label as stickers.
They represent the solid fabric of the organisation and require training and motivation to
ensure they are fully engaged with the company's activities. The next number is 20%, this
forms what we have referred to as movers in the Company. This is talent pool for future
development and of course for succession planning. The 20% the employees of the
company who should receive the maximum amount of training and development and
should be earmarked for various positions as part of your integrated succession plan. The
next group is the one that causes great concern. This is the group that comes under
bottom performing 10%. They don't require more training, they don't require coaching,
what's needed is swift exit from the organisation.
This is not a well renowned model for talent management but as this model defines what
has to be done for the organization in present and in future it can be really helpful for an
organization.
Talent Management Principles
Principle 1 - Avoid Mismatch Costs
In planning for future manpower requirements, most of the HR professionals prepare a
deep bench of candidates or manpower inventory. Many of the people who remain in this
bracket start searching for other options and move when they are not raised to a certain
position and profile. In such a scenario it is better to keep the bench strength low and hire
from outside from time to time to fill gaps. This in no way means only to hire from
outside, which leads to a skill deficit and affects the organizational culture.
Such decisions can be taken by thinking about the ‘Make or Buy’ decision. Perhaps
questions like - How accurate is the demand forecast? How long is the talent required?
Can we afford to develop? Answers to these questions can better help the talent
management to decide on whether to develop or buy talent.
Principle 2 - Reduce the Risk of Being Wrong
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In manpower anticipations for future an organization can ill afford to be wrong. It’s hard
to forecast talent demands for future business needs because of the uncertainty involved.
It is therefore very important to attune the career plans with the business plans. A 5 year
career plan looks ridiculous along with a 2 year business plan.
Further, long term development and succession plans may end up as a futile exercise if
the organization lacks a firm retention strategy.
Principle 3 - Recoup Talent Investments
Developing talent internally pays in the longer run. The best way to recover investments
made in talent management is to reduce upfront costs by finding alternative and cheaper
talent delivery options. Organizations also require a rethink on their talent retention
strategy to improve employee retention.
Another way that has emerged of late in many organizations is sharing development costs
with the employees. Many of TATA companies for example sponsor their employees’
children education. Similarly lots of organizations use ‘promote then develop’ programs
for their employees where the cost of training and development is shared between the
two. One important way to recoup talent investments is spotting the talent early, this
reduces the risk. More importantly this identified lot of people needs to be given
opportunities before they get it elsewhere.
Principle 4 - Balancing Employee Interests
How much authority should the employees’ haves over their own development? There
are different models that have been adopted by various corporations globally. There is
‘the chess master model’, but the flipside in this is that talented employees search for
options. Organizations can also make use of the internal mobility programs which are a
regular feature of almost all the top organizations.
Current Trends in Talent Management
1. Talent War : Finding and retaining the best talent is the most difficult aspect of
HR management. HR survey consultancies are one in their view that
organizations globally are facing a dearth of talented employees and it’s often
more difficult to retain them. Further research has also shown that there is clear
link between talent issues and overall productivity.
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2. Technology and Talent Management : Technology is increasingly getting
introduced into people development. Online employee portals have become
common place in organizations to offer easy access to employees to various
benefits and schemes. In addition employees can also manage their careers
through these portals and it also helps organizations understand their employees
better.
3. Promoting Talent Internally : An individual is hired, when there is a fit between
his abilities or skills and the requirements of the organization. The next step is
enabling learning and development of the same so that he/she stays with the
organization. This is employee retention. An enabled or empowered means an
empowered organization. It is also of interest to organizations to know their skills
inventories and then develop the right individual for succession planning
internally.
4. Population Worries Globally : World populations are either young or aging. For
example, stats have it that by 2050 60% of Europe’s working population will be
over 60! On the other hand a country like India can boast of a young population
in the coming and present times. Population demographics are thus a disturbing
factor for people managers. Still more researches have predicted that
demographic changes in United States will lead to shortage of 10 million workers
in the near future!
5. Talent Management to rescue HR : HR has been compelled to focus on qualitative
aspects equally and even more than quantitative aspects like the head count etc.
Through talent management more effort is now being laid on designing and
maintaining employee scorecards and employee surveys for ensuring that talent is
nurtured and grown perpetually.
6. Increase in Employer of Choice Initiatives : An organization’s perceived value as
an employer as helps improve its brand value in the eyes of its consumer. Most
importantly it helps it attract the right talent.
Benefits of Talent Management
1. Right Person in the right Job : Through a proper ascertainment of people skills and
strengths, people decisions gain a strategic agenda. The skill or competency
mapping allows you to take stock of skill inventories lying with the organization.
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This is especially important both from the perspective of the organization as well
as the employee because the right person is deployed in the right position and
employee productivity is increased. Also since there is a better alignment between
an individual’s interests and his job profile the job satisfaction is increased.
2. Retaining the top talent : Despite changes in the global economy, attrition remains
a major concern of organizations. Retaining top talent is important to leadership
and growth in the marketplace. Organisations that fail to retain their top talent are
at the risk of losing out to competitors. The focus is now on charting employee
retention programs and strategies to recruit, develop, retain and engage quality
people. Employee growth in a career has to be taken care of, while succession
planning is being performed those who are on the radar need to be kept in loop so
that they know their performance is being rewarded.
3. Better Hiring : The quality of an organization is the quality of workforce it
possesses. The best way to have talent at the top is have talent at the bottom. No
wonder then talent management programs and trainings, hiring assessments have
become an integral aspect of HR processes nowadays.
4. Understanding Employees Better : Employee assessments give deep insights to the
management about their employees. Their development needs, career aspirations,
strengths and weaknesses, abilities, likes and dislikes. It is easier therefore to
determine what motivates whom and this helps a lot Job enrichment process.
5. Better professional development decisions : When an organization gets to know
who its high potential is, it becomes easier to invest in their professional
development. Since development calls for investment decisions towards learning,
training and development of the individual either for growth, succession planning,
performance management etc, an organization remains bothered where to make
this investment and talent management just make this easier for them.
Apart from this having a strong talent management culture also determines how
organization rate their organizations as work places. In addition if employees are positive
about the talent management practices of the organization, they are more likely to have
confidence in the future of their organization. The resultant is a workforce that is more
committed and engaged determined to outperform their competitors and ensure a
leadership position in the market for their organization.
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AT BLUESTAR
What kinds of training programs are carried out at Bluestar?
- Bluestar has 3 types of training programs:
1. For freshers selected through campus placement:
They give three months training for those who are recruited from campus. Training
mainly includes behavioural, functional and technical aspects.
2. Onboarding:
They provide 2 days on boarding process to understand the organization culture so that
newcomer gets familiar with the organization.
3 Reference:
They provide the 5 days self development program on functional , behavioral and
technical aspects.
How does Bluestar help its employees in career development?
The employee is always for challenges & seeks to outperform them. With good package,
they also look for growth in career. The employee is at first taken as an understudy by his
superior. Working under his superior, he gets to learn a lot of things about his job & the
key decisions he takes. After understanding the working of the organisation, the
understudy is given more responsibilities. The responsibilities go on increasing from time
to time. He is, later, transferred to another location to understand the different cultural
setup. This process continues with the promotion of the employee.
What team building activities are carried out at Bluestar?
Bluestar execute various forums like trekking, management games to strengthen their
team. Among these many are done informally.
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FINDING NEW TALENT
Talent management implies recognizing a person's inherent skills, traits, personality and offering
him a matching job. Every person has a unique talent that suits a particular job profile and any
other position will cause discomfort. It is the job of the Management, particularly the HR
Department, to place candidates with prudence and caution. A wrong fit will result in further
hiring, re-training and other wasteful activities.
In order to find the right talent, it is important to determine the key leverage skill sets
required by the organization in order to move into the future. The organization’s strategic
plan should give an indication of these, as well as what constitutes the core competence
that will ensure a future for the organization. This will all, in turn, direct you to what
talent you should be sourcing.
Source the required people from the appropriate avenues.
Be sure to have very detailed job descriptions that include specific competencies required.
Apply behaviour-based interviewing to select the best candidates.
The ability to retain talent starts from the quality of the first point of contact.
Carefully consider how you orientate a new employee into the culture of the organization, the
work area, and the specific job.
Assist a new employee to transition into the organization and to be able to produce a quality
deliverable within the first three months of tenure. This will go a long way to ensuring that the
placement will be successful.
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STRATEGIES TO ACQUIRE TALENT
1. Campus recruitment
Campus placement or campus interview is the program conducted within educational
institutes or in a common place to provide jobs to students pursuing or in the stage of
completing the programme. In this programme, industries visit the colleges to select
qualified students
Types of campus placement:
There are two types of campus placement. They are on-campus and off-campus
On-campus placement
This is the placement program organized only for the students within the educational
institute. In most cases student in the final year of a program will participate in this
placement program.
Pool Campus
This job placement program is conducted within a group of colleges.
Off campus placement
This job placement program is for students from other institutions. This program will be
conducted in a common place (it may be in a college or in some public place) where
students from different colleges will take part.
Project Placement
Companies recruit students to do their academic project in the industrial environment.
Student Internship Placement
Companies recruit the students as interns. Internship will be during their student period.
2. Job Portal
A web site where employers can post job offers, and people looking for employment can
post their skills.
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3. Advertising
Advertisements are the most common form of external recruitment. They can be found in
many places (local and national newspapers, notice boards, recruitment fairs) and should
include some important information relating to the job (job title, pay package, location,
job description, how to apply-either by CV or application form). Where a business
chooses to advertise will depend on the cost of advertising and the coverage needed (i.e.
how far away people will consider applying for the job
4. Recruitment agency
Provides employers with details of suitable candidates for a vacancy and can sometimes
be referred to as ‘head-hunters’. They work for a fee and often specialise in particular
employment areas e.g. nursing, financial services, teacher recruitment
5. Social Media
The latter part of this past decade is proof of the unyielding power social media networks
have on talent management. Since inception in a Harvard dorm room only 6 years ago,
Facebook has grown to more than 400 million users worldwide. To put this figure in
perspective, that’s more than the population of the United States and Canada combined!
Even more remarkable, the fastest growing age bracket of active Facebook users is 35 –
49 year olds, highly contributing members of the workforce1. Add Twitter, LinkedIn,
Ning and the countless other social networks, and you have a powerful talent acquisition
tool.
Throughout the coming decade, social networks will continue to be the best way toform
relationships with both passive and active candidates. Instead of the one-time static
relationships candidates might have expected from recruiters, social networks will allow
recruiters to have long term dynamic relationships with an extensive talent pipeline. With
passive candidates making up more that 70% of the workforce, leveraging these
relationships through social networks is more important than ever
6. Search Engine Optimization
While job boards will continue to play an important role in sourcing and identifying
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qualified talent in the coming decade, search engine optimization will also become a key
component in strategic recruiting. Search engine optimized talent hubs will gain
popularity, allowing candidates to filter jobs by class, location and company. Organic
search engine optimization is now viewed as one of the most cost effective and under
utilized ways to generate applicant traffic to a company’s listed job openings. Every
month, there are over 226,000,000 job related searches on Google. A rapidly increasing
proportion of job seekers are now turning to a limited number of search engines to locate
opportunities that were previously found through traditional jobsearch channels8. This
means that in order for candidates to find job openings within your organization, your job
descriptions must be optimized to rank well with search engine results.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is defined as the process of developing and structuring
Web content to be easily discovered by search engines and therefore by people. SEO has
long been part of an organization’s strategy to drive traffic to their individual corporate
website. The concept is simple, the higher your website or job *description appears on
the list of search results for a given set of terms, the more web traffic your website and
job description can expect to receive. Quality content that is search engine optimized will
get picked up for a wider range of relevant searches, resulting in a higher number of
quality candidates and essentially a more effective recruiting campaign.
7. Personal recommendation
Often referred to as ‘word of mouth’ and can be a recommendation from a colleague at
work. A full assessment of the candidate is still needed however but potentially it saves
on advertising cost.
AT BLUESTAR
Finding new talent is a challenge for the HR.
Which sources do you to tap to find new talent?
In Bluestar, 20% recruitment is done through campus placement, 30% through Job
Portals, 20% through placement agencies and 30% through Employment Reference
Scheme (ERS)
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Under ERS the employee below managerial level who has referred the person
selected receives 10,000 and employee at managerial level receives 20,000.Bluestar
recruits Engineers, Diploma engineers and MBAs.
What is the screening process?
A criterion followed by the company is: minimum 60% aggregate in all examinations
followed by a written test, group discussion, HR interview and functional interview.
The screening of candidates will take place at every round.
Do you try to maintain diversity in workforce?
Bluestar does not take any proactive measures to maintain diversity in workforce.
However it does not differentiate employees on any basis (gender, religion, etc.) &
has a diversified workforce.
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RETAINING TALENT
Gone are the days when a person would join an organization in his mid-20s and would
work till his retirement in the late-50s. Today the young professionals hop jobs,
especially during the first 4-5 years of their work life. Though the Indian service industry
is basking in the light of outsourced jobs from the developed countries, they also cannot
ignore the fact that the BPO industry is also facing one of the highest attrition rates,
infact never heard before in India, of around 35%.
It is a fact that it is the people that add value to organizations. It is also a fact that human
is a restless species that, unlike the immovable Banyan tree, cannot stay rooted in one
place. People need to move on for one reason or another, and the organization stands to
lose. Let us look at some of the reasons behind the massive attrition rates: -
1. Gap between organizational and personal values and goals is one of the major
reasons of the attrition rates. If they go parallel, there is no way both would be
satisfied and inevitably, the organization would lose out on a talented
employee.
2. Working environment is another major factor. Employees in the knowledge
era demand creative and a democratic work environment. Failure on the part
of the management to provide such an environment will result in a talented
employee leaving the organization.
3. The competitive world has made sure that there is high work pressure on the
employees of any organization. This has led to psychological problems like
stress, and in extreme situations, total burnouts. It also leads to other health
related problems.
4. Movement for higher salary is also common among the younger
professionals. There is no shortage for organizations who are looking for
talented employees and who are ready to shell out a hefty salary for a talented
person. Other lures like better job opportunities, higher posts and overseas
assignments are also major factors in the attrition rates.
5. Not taking proper care during the recruitment and selection process and not
taking proper care to fit the right person to the right job also breeds
dissatisfaction among the employees.
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6. Bad or opaque policies from management on issues of succession planning
and promotion, appointments for senior positions also is a major factor which
makes the organization lose out on the talented employees.
The professionals have different aspirations at different times of their career. During the
initial years, they have good salary and foreign assignments. Next on the list is working
on cutting edge technology. More seasoned professionals look for learning opportunities.
So employees tend to move to those organizations which provide them with means to
fulfill their aspirations.
Retaining the present employees is of the foremost importance to the organizations
because; the company would have already incurred heavy costs in the form of training
and development. Now if the organization has to look for a replacement for the employee
who has left, it involves a lot of costs like - hiring costs, training and induction costs and
over and above the biggest loss it has to bear is the loss of time which is irrecoverable
and is very costly, so to say, in this era of severe competition.
At the same time, it takes time for the new employee to adjust to the new work
environment. During this time the productivity of the employee will be low. The HR
department will have to fit the new employee into a proper role in the organization. Apart
from causing the company a monetary loss and breaks in their day-to-day operations,
attrition contributes to knowledge transfer, which is a great loss and adversely affects
business.
Some ways to help keep your employees motivated, engaged and committed to your
business:
Role of organisation
Empower and Enable
For employees to succeed in their role, a sense of personal ownership in their work is
important. Provide a clear understanding of deliverables and timeframes, then give your
people the freedom to decide how best to complete the work. Supporting your employees
means they can focus on producing their best work. And where possible, involve them in
decisions that affect their work and the overall direction of the company.
Reward and Recognise
Frequently recognising and rewarding accomplishments is one of the most powerful staff
retention strategies. One way to do this is to boost your employee’s visibility by
publically recognising them at staff meetings or through a business-wide email. Also,
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take the time to say a genuine “thank you” to make people feel valued and appreciated
for their efforts. You can also acknowledge your employees for their hard work with
appropriate monetary rewards (such as a salary increase or bonus) or non-monetary
incentives (such as the opportunity to lead a new project) to assist with career
progression.
Challenge and Develop
Opportunities for growth and advancement are key to retaining your top performers.
High achievers tend to be life-long learners, so providing them with ongoing training will
enable them to keep their skills up-to-date and assist with their career progression.
Challenging your staff with new responsibilities and allowing them to lead projects
where they can be stimulated and acquire new skills is an effective strategy to keep them
in the business.
Lead and Support
The quality of an employee’s relationship with their manager and co-workers is a critical
factor in their overall satisfaction at work. For leaders interacting with a team; ensure
your expectations are clear, communicate openly and honestly, and keep promises.
Having a good relationship with staff members will help managers to develop a positive
work environment where frequent feedback and new ideas can be shared. By spending
one-on-one time to discuss progress, employees will feel like a valued member of the
team.
Equitable treatment of employees.
Most human resources professionals are well attuned to the surprising speed with
which employee-related information can flow through an organization. News about
marked differences in salaries and assignments spreads particularly fast and creates a
perception of unfairness. When employees perceive their work environment as unfair,
they'll seek greater equity with another employer.
Cultivate a sense of ownership.
Employees can be profoundly motivated by personal investment in their work. Some
employees are motivated by creative or intellectual challenges in their jobs. Other
employees are inspired by the knowledge that they are contributing to something
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meaningful. Successful work environments encourage and support these personal
investments by offering employees a sense of ownership in what they do.
Meaningful opportunities for growth.
Talented employees don't become that way by happenstance. Typically, they seek out
and capitalize on opportunities to learn new skills, meet new challenges, and
diversify their workplace experiences. In short, talented employees are not satisfied
unless they are in a work environment that supports their continued growth.
Professional development libraries, mentoring programs, and lunch-and-learn
seminars are all affordable ways for your organization to demonstrate that it values
employee growth.
Acknowledge and appreciate good work.
Most organizations have incentive plans that reward the achievements of outstanding
employees who exceed targets or quotas. But too often organizations overlook the
importance of acknowledging the consistent, everyday work of their most responsible
employees. Opportunities for raises and promotions are certainly important
incentives, but so is simple gratitude. For example, celebrating employee
anniversaries with a day off, gift certificate, or savings bond is an easy, affordable
way to say thanks.
Role of managers and supervisors
When employees make the difficult decision to leave their jobs, it's often because
they've experienced dissatisfaction with their supervisors rather than dissatisfaction
with the organization. The management styles and leadership ability of your
supervisory staff therefore play an important role in employee retention.
For most employees, their work experience is shaped by their direct interactions with
management. Employees who enjoy supportive, communicative relationships with their
managers are much more likely to report high job satisfaction than employees who don't.
But mutually pleasant relationships between employees and their managers aren't always
enough to retain employees.
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To actively retain employees, managers and supervisors must:
Take time to identify each employee's unique attributes — both strengths and
weaknesses — and delegate assignments accordingly.
Set clear, stable, and achievable expectations for each employee.
Communicate often with reporting staff.
Establish — and adhere to — a regular meeting schedule.
Provide regular performance feedback.
Seek employee input and ideas.
Many times, managers are promoted to supervisory positions because they possess
expertise in a particular operational area. As valuable as this expertise is, an effective
manager also should possess strong leadership skills, with the ability to encourage,
motivate, mentor, and coach others. Organizations that have a commitment to attracting
and retaining talented employees know that ongoing leadership training for management
is crucial.
Learning from employees
In developing an employee retention strategy, get help from the experts: your employees.
Too often, organizations overlook this invaluable resource.
Many sophisticated survey tools are available to help human resources professionals
assess morale and solicit suggestions for improving the work environment, but
sometimes less formal approaches work just as well. For example, traditional suggestion
boxes can be effective, if they're implemented properly. Whatever approach you take, be
sure that:
Senior management has clearly communicated to employees a genuine
commitment to improving the work environment.
Employee respondents are assured of anonymity.
A mechanism for providing feedback is available to employees at all times, not
just when a special assessment is being conducted.
Information that you receive from employees is actually incorporated in the work
environment — and employees see it in action.
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As you gather suggestions from your staff, be sure to also schedule exit interviews with
departing employees. Exit interviews can be conducted in writing, but in-person
interviews will generate more useful information, particularly if they are well structured
and end on a positive note.
During the first part of an exit interview conversation, query the employee for
information about his or her decision to leave. For example, you could ask the following
questions:
What factors led you to accept a position with another company?
Was your job with us what you expected?
How would you evaluate your performance? Your manager? Our organization?
In the second part of the interview conversation, solicit suggestions from the employee
for improving the work environment, such as, "If you were running this organization,
what changes would you make?" By concluding exit interviews in this way, employees
leave with the sense that their opinions were heard and valued.
AT BLUESTAR
What measures do you take to retain the existing talent?
Bluestar follows three strategies to retain employees.
Bluestar engages in welfare activities such as ESOPs, immediate financial assistance
during personal crisis, allowances, etc.
It engages in developmental activities such as grooming, up-skilling, etc.
The third is brand equity which boosts the self-esteem & satisfaction of the employee
that he gets from working in the company. Any employee craves for attention &
respect he earns at any public event due to alliance with Bluestar.
How do you deal with poaching?
According to Mr. Nayak, poaching is unavoidable in today’s scenario. If a key employee is
being poached, Bluestar increases the pay package of the employee to retain him. However,
there is a limit to which they can do it.
32
Also, Mr. Nayak believes that employees do not leave organisations, they leave bosses.
Hence it is important to understand the trigger for the employee to leave the organisation.
Therefore, 3 things that can retain the employee in the organisation are: comfort level,
freedom & empowerment and organisational culture & transparency.
The culture of the organisation is such that there is a sense of belongingness among the
employees.
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ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL
The talent “pipeline” for applicants to fill key leadership positions may be drying up due
to imminent retirements and increased productivity demands.
Many organizations report that they aren’t fully confident that they can staff key
leadership positions in the next five years.
Internal organizational programs that focus on leadership development of high potential
employees can provide a more reliable source of qualified supervisors, managers and
executives to meet the forecasted needs.
Potential assessments are tools used to determine an employee’s skill set and potential for
leadership. Using the assessments, organizations can identify future leaders and help train
them for leadership roles.
Identifying employees
It is important to differentiate between high performing and high potential employees
when selecting applicants for participation in leadership development programs.
• High-performers give immediate return on investment, with estimates averaging from
more than 50% additional value, to as much as a 100%increase in productivity over
average performers.
• High-potentials are typically defined as those demonstrating high-level contributions,
organizational values, potential to move up to an identified position within a given
timeframe, and potential to assume greater responsibility.
For example, some organizations operationally define high potential employees as those
who are able to assume greater responsibilities within the next two years and who exhibit
a history of high-performance and leadership potentials; also may be defined as
employees who are able to advance two leadership levels within 4-8 years and who
score well on various assessment criteria.
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Three general types of high-performers typically fail to become high-potentials:
• “Engaged Dreamers” have high motivation, but only average ability.
• “Unengaged Stars” have aspiration and ability, but do not fully believe in their work or
organization.
• “Misaligned Stars” have ability and organizational commitment, but lack the drive and
ambition for success at the next level.
Ten “fatal flaws” that can derail managers from a high-potential path:
1. Specific performance problems with the business
2. Insensitivity to others
3. Coldness, aloofness, arrogance
4. Betrayal of trust
5. Over-managing: failing to delegate or build a team
6. Excessive ambition
7. Failing to staff effectively
8. Inability to think strategically
9. Inability to adapt to a boss with a different style
10. Overdependence on a mentor or advocate.
NINE BOX PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL MATRIX
Nine Box Matrix measures each employee’s performance against his or her potential to
lead in order to assess an employee’s matrix position.
Performance criteria can include progress against goals, results delivery, performance
level and direct report development levels. Leadership potential may be comprised of
learning agility, potential next moves (vertically and horizontally within the organization)
and willingness/ability to address weaknesses. Additionally, it is the use of a
35
competency-based tool within an assessment center context, augmented by human
resource assistance, to identify high potentials.
The matrix is used to evaluate an organization’s talent pool.
The X axis (horizontal line) of 3 boxes assesses leadership performance and the Y axis of
3 boxes (vertical line) assesses leadership potential. A combination of Y and X axis
makes up the box within the grid that the leader is placed. 1A - High Performance/High
Potential, 3C - Low Performance/Low Potential, etc...
1A (high potential, high performance):
Stretch assignments, things they don’t already know how to do, assignments that
take them beyond their current role; high profile, where stakes are high
Give them a “start-up” assignment, something no one has done, a new product,
process, territory,etc…
Give them a “fix-it” assignment, a chance to step in and solve a problem or
repair someone else’s mess
Job change, rotations, job swaps, - an opportunity to experience a brand new
role, short term or long term
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Help them build cross-functional relationships with other A players
Find them a mentor – at least one level up. Provide an internal or external coach
Access to exclusive training opportunities
Access to meetings, committees, etc… one level up; exposure to senior
managers, VPs; advisory Councils
Watch out for signs of burnout
Watch for signs of retention risks; know how to “save” a hi-potential
Next level up exposure, responsibilities, shadowing
2A (high performance, moderate potential):
Development activities similar to 1A
Difference is often degree of “readiness” for larger roles. Development is
preparation for longer term opportunities
3A (high performance, limited potential):
Ask what motivates them and how they want to develop
Provide recognition, praise, and rewards
Provide opportunities to develop in current role, to grow deeper and broader
capabilities and knowledge
Provide honest feedback about their opportunities for advancement if asked
Watch for signs of retention risks; know how to “save” a “hi-pro” (high
professional)
Ask them to mentor, teach, and coach others
Allow them to share what they know, presentations at company meetings,
external conferences, to be “the highly valued expert”
1B (good/average performance, high potential):
Development activities similar to 1A
Difference is current performance level
Focus more on competency gaps that will move them from B to A performance;
good to great performance
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2B: (good/average performance, moderate potential):
May not be eager or able to advance; don’t push them, allow them to stay where
they are
Continuously check-in regarding willingness to advance, relocate
Provide occasional opportunities to “test” them
Provide stretch assignments
Provide coaching and training
Help them move from “good to great”
Tell them they are valued
Listen to their ideas
Praise their accomplishments
Trust them
3B (good/average performance, limited potential):
Combination of performance management, training, and coaching to help them
move from “OK to good”
Provide honest feedback about their opportunities for advancement if asked
1C (poor performance, high potential):
Find out the root cause of poor performance and together develop an action plan
to improve
Consider moving the high potential to a different role (may have been a poor fit)
Provide additional support, resources
Look for ways to “attach” to 1As, 1Bs, or 2As
After a “reasonable” period of time, if performance does not improve, then re-
examine your potential assessment
2C (poor performance, moderate potential):
Focus is on boarding, orientation, relationship building
Provide a peer mentor
Provide formal new leader training
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3C (poor performance, limited potential):
Use a performance management approach, not a developmental approach·
Improvement action plan vs. an IDP
Clarify expectations
Identify and remove “blockers”, poor performers that are standing in the way of
high potentials · Provide clearly defined goals
Be explicit about the ways in which they must improve
Provide remedial coaching and feedback
After trying all of the above, after a ”reasonable” amount of time, move the
person out of the role. Dismiss or move to individual contributor role
Benefits:
1. It’s a simple way to assess any population of leaders on two important dimensions
2. It’s a great way to facilitate a dialog amongst a senior leadership team. Teams use it to
calibrate their expectations and ratings
3. With a good open debate, the multiple perspectives provide for a much more accurate
assessment (vs. one person’s opinion)
4. The process can facilitate a shared sense of ownership for the organizations talent pool
5. It’s a great way to identify development needs and transition to development planning
AT BLUESTAR
Does bluestar take any special efforts to track the potential of an employee?
If yes how successful were these assessment strategies?
A: Yes, we have been trying to find good talent in our organization itself. These days
it’s becoming very difficult to find good people as there is huge demand supply
mismatch in the job market. There are lot of jobs available but too less applicants.
Plus the entire process of recruitment is often very costly. Thus we are improving our
internal potential assessment systems to generate the pool of talent within our
organization so that we can nurture good potential leaders.For this purpose we have
many initiatives. Our culture plays a major role in assessment of potential.
Each employee in the organization has a reporting manager who tries to assess the
39
employee’s potential under him. The HR personnel frequently take feedback from
the managers to know the progress of their subordinates.
This activity is carried out at regular intervals and is an independent activity and not
related to appraisal process. The appraisal process happens just twice a year but this
activity of feedback happens quite often. We generally generate a pool of employees
with good potentials
We try to nurture such employees by assigning them a basket of training program,
making them capable to carry out greater responsibilities in future.
This is a very effective way for finding good potential within our organization.
What criteria are considered while assessing an employee?
A: We look for a competent employee. The employee has to be functionally suitable
and behaviourally sound. A person with good knowledge but lacking behavioural
skills, unable to work in a team, not willing to take initiatives typically gets
eliminated in this process and his growth in the organization remains stagnated. On
the other hand person with average functional competency but a good team player is
always given preference.
Bluestar has always been in search of good talent and our effective potential
assessment techniques have helped us to strengthen our organization. The success of
this assessment can be learnt from the fact that about 80% of our top manager today
had started their career at Bluestar doing some entry level job.
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MANAGING TALENT IN VIRTUAL TEAMS
Virtual teams, or, as they are sometimes called, “geographically dispersed teams” (GDT),
are rapidly becoming the way the world does business. They consist of a group of
individuals who are able to work together across time, space, and organizational
boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology. Companies
are now able to hire the best of the best, regardless of location. In theory, the members of
these teams complement each other and share common goals as do most any other type
of team that you may think of. They are each committed to a common purpose and while
working together, hold each member as well as themselves accountable for getting the
job done. Virtual teams do not simply consist of individuals working from their homes
(“tele-workers”), but rather they are comprised of employees working at home or in
small groups in offices all over the world. With advancements in technology and the
constant outsourcing that companies all over the world are implementing, virtual teams
may eventually be the “norm” in the way to do business.
The Technology
The technology plays a vital role for virtual teams. Without the use of advance
technology, virtual teams cannot be effective. The Internet is the primary technology
used by the virtual teams. The Internet offers many facilities for the virtual teams. Some
of them are:
1. Email
2. VoIP (Voice Over IP) . voice conferencing
3. Video conferencing
4. Groupware software programs such as Google Docs where teams can work
collaboratively.
5. Software for conducting demonstrations and trainings such as Microsoft Live
Meeting and WebEx.
When it comes to the technology, not only the software matters. The virtual teams should
be equipped with necessary hardware as well. As an example, for a videoconference, the
team members should be equipped with a web camera can a microphone.
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Types of Virtual Teams
There are many different configurations of virtual teams. Although virtual teams can
undertake almost any kind of assignment, team leaders and members need to have a solid
understanding of the type of virtual team they work in and the special challenges each
type presents. What these teams have in common with all teams is that team members
must communicate and collaborate to get work done and/or to produce a product. Virtual
teams, unlike traditional ones, however, must accomplish this by working across
distance, time, and/or organizational boundaries and by using technology to facilitate
communication and collaboration. There are seven basic types of virtual teams:
Networked teams
Parallel teams
Project or product-development teams
Work or production teams
Service teams
Management teams
Action team
1. Networked Teams- A networked virtual team consists of individuals who
collaborate to achieve a common goal or purpose. Such teams frequently cross
time, distance, and organizational boundaries. There typically is a lack of clear
definition between a network team and the organization, in that membership
frequently is diffuse and fluid, with team members rotating on and off the team as
their expertise is needed. Team members may not even be aware of all the
individuals, work teams, or organizations in the network
2. Parallel Teams - Parallel virtual teams carry out special assignments, tasks, or
functions that the regular organization does not want or is not equipped to
perform. Such teams frequently cross time, distance, and organizational
boundaries. A parallel team is different from a networked team because it has a
distinct membership that identifies it from the rest of the organization. It is clear
who is on the team and who is not. The members of a parallel team typically work
together on a short-term basis to make recommendations for improvements in
organizational processes or to address specific business issues. Virtual parallel
teams are becoming a fairly common way for multinational and global
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organizations to make recommendations about worldwide processes and systems
that take into account a global perspective. Parallel teams also are used
domestically when expertise does not reside in one location or in one
organization.
3. Project or Product-Development Teams - Virtual project and product-
development teams also can cross time, distance, and organizational boundaries.
Team members conduct projects for users or customers for a defined, but–
typically–extended, period of time. Their tasks usually are non-routine, and the
results are specific and measurable. A typical result is a new product, information
system, or organizational process. The difference between a project team and a
parallel team is that a project team usually exists for a longer period of time and
has a charter to make decisions, not just recommendations. A project team is
similar to a networked team in that team members may move on and off the
project as their expertise is needed. It is different from a networked team in that
membership is more clearly delineated from the rest of the organization, and a
final product is clearly defined.
4. Work or Production Teams- Virtual work teams and production teams perform
regular and ongoing work. Such teams usually exist in one function, such as
accounting, finance, training, or research and development. They have clearly
defined membership and can be distinguished from other parts of the
organization. Many work or production teams are now beginning to operate
virtually and to cross time and distance boundaries.
5. Management Teams- Management teams can be separated by distance and time.
Today, many management teams are dispersed across a country or around the
world but work collaboratively on a daily basis. Although these teams often cross
national boundaries, they almost never cross organizational boundaries. The team
members collaborate on a regular basis by means of audio conferences or video
conferences about the achievement of corporate goals and objectives.
6. Action Teams- Action teams also can work virtually. Such teams offer
immediate responses, often to emergency situations. They cross distance and
organizational boundaries. These teams are formed during emergencies and when
quick decision has to be made.
.Managing virtual teams
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Today it isn't uncommon for companies to have as many as 50 percent of their employees
working on virtual teams due to globalization or expansion by their own company. So it
is necessary to manage virtual teams but the problem is that too many companies treat
their virtual teams the same way they treat teams that share the same physical locations
but these teams need to be managed in a different way and the main challenges that are
faced by the companies are :-
Lack of clear goals, direction, or priorities – Because it is tougher to
communicate with and inform team members who are geographically dispersed, it
is often difficult to keep all team members focused on the same goals, especially
over time.
Lack of clear roles among team members– In virtual teams, it is especially
important for team members to clearly understand their individual roles and how
their work impacts other team members.
Lack of cooperation and trust – Because there is a lack of face-to-face contact
inherent in virtual teamwork, the process of establishing trust and relationships
that lead to group cooperation can be very arduous. Over time, this lack of
collaboration can lead to a lack of trust amongst team members.
Lack of engagement – With virtual teams, people can easily become bored and
"check out" because there is a lack of dynamic face-to-face interaction and
because there are more distractions.
These challenges or pitfalls can be met by taking some actions which can be as follows:-
I. Focus on people issues. Essentially, successful teaming depends largely on the
effective interaction of team members. Virtual teams need to compensate for the
inherent lack of human contact by supporting team spirit, trust, and productivity.
This can be dealt with by taking following steps:-
Develop a team web page where virtual team members can share information and
get to know one another.
Create ways for team members to interact and communicate informally. Use real-
time communication tools like Instant Messaging or social media sites such as
Facebook or Twitter to create a virtual water cooler of sorts that allows people on
virtual teams to communicate more spontaneously.
Build a collective online "resource bank" to share information and experiences.
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Find ways to "spotlight" team members.
Send electronic newsletters or updates to the team.
Create ways to virtually celebrate successes as a team.
Partner team members at different locations on projects and rotate these
periodically.
II. No trust, no team. Task-based trust is one of the factors that differentiated top
performing teams. In virtual teams trust seems to develop more readily at the task
level than at the interpersonal level. There are four warning signs that trust is in
low supply in virtual teams:-
team members do not refer to themselves as "we"
they do not appear to know one another very well
they are openly negative;
they do not regard others as credible.
Actions that can be taken:-
Make sure teams meet face-to-face at least once early on in the team's formation.
Spend some part of the meeting focused on building relationships and learning
about team members' capabilities.
Be sure team members feel empowered to make and act on decisions. Because
virtual leaders do not have "face time" with team members to check in, leaders
are more likely to micromanage team members without realizing it.
Help people manage conflicts, not avoid them. Conflict is likely to be ignored or
may escalate quickly in a virtual setting. Therefore, leaders need to more
proactively manage conflict.
The team leader should model and reinforce these positive behaviours.
III. Watch out for performance peaks. While virtual teams who have been working
together for more than three years tend to be more successful than teams working
together for less time, many virtual teams face a performance peak around the
one-year mark. After that, performance tends to level off or even decline.
Clearly define team roles and accountabilities to minimize frustration and
misunderstandings that can damage morale and derail productivity.
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Review and refine team processes regularly.
Periodically examine the level of team performance. Collect feedback from
various stakeholders to assess the team's performance.
Based on the outcomes, identify barriers to high performance, as well as steps that
can be taken to overcome these barriers.
IV. Virtual team leadership matters. Leadership is the factor most important to the
success of virtual teams. To overcome the limitations of distance and to be fully
effective, team leaders in a virtual environment must be especially sensitive to
interpersonal communication and cultural factors. To overcome the limitations of
distance and to be fully effective, team leaders in a virtual environment must be
especially sensitive to interpersonal communication and cultural factors.
Organizations can avoid this performance barrier by selecting team leaders who
not only have the necessary technical skills but also have the soft skills required
to effectively lead in a virtual environment. If you're a team leader, it's not easy to
learn that you may be the cause of your team's poor performance. But there are
many ways to improve your performance and get your team back on track. Some
of them are as follows:-
Set clear goals and direction and revisit these as priorities shift.
Engage team members in the development of team strategy.
Provide time for team building through periodic face-to-face meetings.
Provide timely feedback to team members. Be responsive and accessible.
Emphasize common interests and values and reinforce cooperation and trust.
Create a system to easily integrate new team members.
Teach the importance of conflict resolution.
Celebrate team achievements and successes
Six Critical Success Factors
Seven factors affect the probability of a virtual team’s success:
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1. Human Resource Policies- Human resource policies should support working
virtually. Systems must be integrated and aligned to recognize, support, and
reward the people who work in and lead virtual teams.
a. Career-Development Systems-Team leaders can help to support virtual
team members by providing career opportunities and assignments that are
comparable to those in traditional team settings. Applying promotion and
career-development policies and actions fairly to people who work in
virtual settings helps to reinforce the perception that working virtually is
an accepted career option. Virtual team members often mention that they
fear that they will be looked over for promotional opportunities because
they are not seen every day. This fear is not unfounded. Managers who
lose visual and verbal proximity to their employees often put up the
strongest resistance to alternative work and team arrangement. Virtual
team leaders must ensure that the members of virtual teams have the same
career-development opportunities as the members of traditional teams.
b. Rewarding Cross-Boundary Work and Results- Organizational reward and
recognition systems often favor individual and functional work. Virtual
team members, however, frequently operate in a cross-functional and/or
cross-organizational environment. Changes must be made in the ways in
which people are recognized and rewarded. Leaders must develop
performance objectives for team members that include working cross
boundaries and sharing information to support virtual teamwork.
Providing Resources and Support for Working Virtually. Create and
support policies that provide your team with technical support for working
remotely. All team members should have equal and immediate access to
electronic communication and collaboration technology, training, and
technical support. Many virtual team leaders set a standard for technology
and make certain that everyone has access to the same hardware, intranet
and Internet connections, and applications. They ask the information
systems group to assist in the implementation.
2. Training and On-the-Job Education and Development-Formal training in
using technology is vital for success. In addition to a formal training curriculum,
make certain that the team members have access to continual on-line training and
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technical support. Ask your training department about the feasibility of creating
and implementing these types of systems. Learning how to use technology is not
enough to guarantee success. Team leaders should make certain that they get the
training and support they need to be adept at facilitating meetings using technical
and nontechnical methods. Training in facilitation skills should be an integral part
of a development curriculum for team leaders and team members. Provide
training and support for your team in working collaboratively across
organizational, cultural, and functional boundaries. Many organizations provide
direct consulting support and training to virtual teams in this area.
3. Standard Organizational and Team Processes- Consider developing and
implementing standard team processes. The use of standard processes reduces the
time needed for team startup and may eliminate the need for unnecessary
reinvention of operating practices each time a team is chartered. Practices need to
be flexible, however, to promote adaptation to a particular virtual team’s
situation. Common standard technical processes, especially for parallel, project,
or network teams include
• Team charters
• Project planning
• Documentation
• Reporting
• Controlling
4. Electronic Collaboration and Communication Technology-As a virtual team
leader, they need to select electronic collaboration and communication technology
that meets the needs of your team. You also will need to ensure that the
organization is ready to support your technical needs. Introducing the electronic
communication and collaboration technology needed for virtual teamwork, such
as desktop video conferencing or groupware
5. Organizational Culture- Organizational culture includes norms regarding the
free flow of information, shared leadership, and cross-boundary collaboration.
Help to create organizational norms and values that focus on collaboration,
respecting and working with people from all cultures, keeping criticism
constructive, and sharing information. The organization’s culture sets the standard
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for how virtual team members work together. An adaptive, technologically
advanced, and nonhierarchical organization is more likely to succeed with virtual
teams than is a highly structured, control-oriented organization. The success of
virtual teams is related to how the organization fosters or impedes trust between
itself and its external partners.
6. Team-Member Competencies-The people who work as virtual team members
have to develop their own competencies. First, virtual teamwork is not for
everyone. Serving on a virtual team may seem too transitory for some individuals
who need face-to-face interaction and stability in a work environment. Without
the structure of a co-located setting and day-to-day contact with team members,
they may feel lonely or left out. All members of traditional and virtual teams need
solid grounding in their respective disciplines. However, virtual team members
need new competencies. Team leaders can help to facilitate competence
development by working with team members to create learning plans that use
training and on-the-job assignments. The definitions of team member
competencies will vary, depending on the team’s type, mission, and composition.
There is, however, a relatively stable set of six critical competencies:
a. Project-management techniques
b. Networking across functional, hierarchical, and organizational boundaries
c. Using electronic communication and collaboration technologies
effectively
d. Setting personal boundaries and managing time
e. Working across cultural and functional boundaries
f. Using interpersonal awareness
AT BLUE STAR
Does Bluestar have any virtual team in their organisation?
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Bluestar does not maintain virtual teams in their daily operations but sometimes
the top management comes together momentary to deal with a certain problem or
to make any changes regarding policy or structural changes in the organization.
Currently bluestar has management virtual team in which is dealing with the
change in performance appraisal system.
What measures is bluestar taking for the smooth functioning of virtual
team?
Smooth functioning of virtual team is ensured by proper communication
between the team members via different modes of communication like, mobile
phones, e-mails, video conferencing etc. Their current virtual team which is
working on changing the performance appraisal policy has the top management
including the HR head. Communication between the team members takes place
on a regular basis and meetings are also arranged according to the time available
and the importance of the meeting.
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SUCCESSION PLANNING
Succession planning is a process for identifying and developing internal people with the
potential to fill key business leadership positions in the company. Succession planning
increases the availability of experienced and capable employees that are prepared to
assume these roles as they become available.
Models of succession planning
1. Succession planning by position - management driven
Incumbent identifies the individual(s) who are in their view best qualified to
move into the position in the short term (say within 1 year); the medium term
(within 2 years) or the longer term (3-5 years);
The incumbent may also identify their perception of the development needs of the
candidates they have named;
Sometimes the organisation decides that the succession plan is a strictly
confidential document; consequently the only people who are aware of the
succession plan are those who develop it. Even when there is some awareness that
a succession plan exists, frequently the people on the succession list are not told
that they are, unless the company decides to create "fast track" programs for these
individuals. Sometimes the information is leaked informally, however employees
are rarely consulted or asked to participate in the process; and
Following the development of the succession plan, there may or may not be
specific development for the individuals who made the list. Sometimes the
incumbent will take a special interest in one individual who has been identified as
a potential successor, and will develop a mentor/protegee relationship, in which
the incumbent coaches and guides the person who has been identified for their
role.
Advantages of this approach:
This is the simplest model; based on the assumption that the best person to
identify who would be able to do the job is the person who is currently doing it;
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The most common reason why organisations use this model is that it is often the
approach the CEO is most comfortable with. He/she is able to scan the list and
see if there are any positions which have no identified successors (thus
identifying succession gaps in the organisation); and is able to look at which
names tend to arise most frequently; providing a snapshot of those who are
generally perceived to be the "stars"; and
This approach is the least costly and the quickest; and does not require a high
level of organisational commitment. It serves the purpose of ensuring at a
minimum that managers are thinking about succession issues; and are aware that
succession planning is partly their responsibility.
Disadvantages/risks:
High risk of encouraging corporate "cloning". This can have serious business and
EEO implications. The incumbent (who may have a fairly narrow perspective of
the world) tends to identify individuals who are most like him/her in terms of
educational background, experience, and personality style. Unconsciously, they
may be also looking for someone of the same gender, socio-economic status, and
family situation (indeed some will even acknowledge that they believe these to be
relevant to the ability to do the job; although such biases often "go underground"
and the managers know better than to openly acknowledge that these are their
belief systems!);
Problematic in large organisations in which the incumbent in the position does
not know employees across the organisation. The identified successors tend to be
people the incumbent works with, and candidates from other areas are not
considered; and
Risk that the person identified does not aspire to the promotional positions they
have been identified for.
2. Creating succession planning "pools"
In this model, high potential candidates are identified within the organisation as
the senior managers of the future;
They are usually selected by a task force of senior managers (often with the
assistance of Human Resources) who set aside a day or more to go through a list
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of all employees above a certain level and assess which individuals should be
identified as high potential. To facilitate decision making, they will often agree on
some criteria by which to select the individuals, and may have the person's most
recent performance appraisal as an additional resource;
In some cases, candidates may be further narrowed down through an assessment
centre process or through an interview/evaluation process; and
Once the pool has been identified, those who make the list will generally receive
some special attention. How much attention will depend on the organisation's
willingness to make a financial commitment to the program. Often the Human
Resource Department puts together a "fast track" program in which they assist the
person to develop an individual development plan. They may provide some group
training; they may institute a mentoring program, and identify certain training
programs these people should attend.
Advantages of this approach:
This type of approach tends to be somewhat fairer because more managers are
involved in the selection of the people who are identified for the High Potential
program; thus providing some checks to offset bias. However for this to be
effective it is essential that the committee undertaking the selection is itself both
diverse and open to organisational diversity. It also tends to be fairer because
some criteria for selection of high potentials are usually applied; and
This approach is also more likely to recognise the value of providing broad
background for the high potential employees rather than a single functional
stream of experience.
Disadvantages/risks:
In large organisations the majority of employees may not be well known to the
task force members, and their view of the person may be influenced by the level
of visibility the person has in the organisation (which of course can be limited by
the type of work they do and even their relationship with their manager). As a
result, talented employees who do not have a high profile may be overlooked all
together; and
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An even more insidious problem is the effect on employee morale of having such
a program for those who are sometimes called "the anointed ones". In many
organisations, it is widely known which employees have been identified as high-
potentials, the other non-identified employees can be severely discouraged and
demoralised. Some organisations have discovered that the backlash from a high-
potential program offsets any benefits it may have. Some organisations
discontinue their high potential/fast track programs for this reason.
3. Top-down/bottom-up succession planning
This model is based on the current and expected future needs of the organisation, as well
as on ongoing two-way communication with employees. It has the greatest potential to be
able to deliver improved outcomes for women. This process involves:
Senior management as a group determines what competencies are required to
enable a person to take on the key roles, for example, at a middle or senior
management level, considering organisational requirements for "the
manager/employee of the future". Certain criteria for progression are determined
as across-the-board requirements for development, for example, education levels,
organisational cross training, participation in management training;
All employees at a pre-determined level are provided with the information
developed by Senior Management via a session about succession planning and
career development. This session outlines clearly the requirements for
progression in the organisation. This enables staff to determine whether or not
they are interested in progression; and to self-identify if they wish to be involved
in a program which will help them to meet the criteria for development and
progression;
Employees who signal their interest in progression then participate in a workshop
in which they are given guidance and led through such processes as: a) using 360
degree feedback to determine their strengths and weaknesses particularly relating
to management skills, b) developing their own individual development plan and
reviewing it with other appropriate people, c) learning how to take responsibility
for their own career growth, and d) considering what would be good "next
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moves" for them to make in their careers. Assessment centres could also be used
as part of the workshops;
The results of the 360 degree feedback, as well as the individual development
plans, and possible "next moves" would be maintained by a manager on a human
resource information system. Each person's file would be updated annually or
more frequently;
A report on each of the people participating in the development program would
be generated annually. This report would provide input for any senior level
succession planning taking place. Thus senior management would be able to get a
snapshot of how many people aspire to progression, and what progress they are
making in working through organisational requirements; and
Employees who initially opted not to participate in the development program are
able to change their mind at any time and join the development program.
See Succession Planning Pilot Process for a suggested strategy to implement this
succession planning model.
Advantages of this approach:
Because the program leans so much on employee self-selection, there is less
likely to be conflict with EO principles and thus ensure that a broader group of
people participate;
The program serves to empower employees; to help them feel that they have
some control over their careers and are not at the mercy of others;
The across-the-board criteria for progression ensure that there is less chance to
"work the system" (e.g. to wire jobs for favoured applicants); and
The process is transparent. There need be no secrets or hidden agendas. This
engenders a higher level of trust.
Disadvantages/risks:
Three things are pre-requisite for the success of this program: Strong across-the-
board support at the most senior levels of the organisation, consistency in application,
and follow-through. A program like this should not be introduced if there is not a
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strong commitment to its continuation. At a minimum, two years would be required
in order to see significant results and a changing culture.
To ensure that gender equity outcomes are enhanced, it is also important in this
process to:
Have consistency and uniformity in the process of job analysis, definition of
competencies and in performance evaluation processes;
Ensure that high-potential women are identified and that managers are proactive
in this process (see the description of the Motorola plan below); and
Have diversity or equal employment outcomes included in the performance
indicators of management, for example, retention of women or number of women
included on the succession plan.
STRATEGIES
The first step for an organization is to identify its core strategy, which may not be the
same across the whole company. Do you tend to buy or build? Look not just at
whether people tend to be promoted from within (building) or hired from outside
(buying). Also review the firm's modes of adding new systems or functions. Are they
bought from outside or built inside? Then assess the advantages of each: Hiring from
outside can bring in new technologies not available inside, as well as new ideas and
ways of doing things. Companies that always promote and develop existing
employees can become very insular. But the down side is that acquiring new talent
can be extremely expensive.
By going internal, you save money, enhance employee engagement and morale, and
gain ample time to get to know promotion candidates quite well. Another good
preparation step is to evaluate the organization's approach to two goals: Is it primarily
results-oriented, mostly focused on organizational culture, or is there a good balance
between the two? Finally, there are five strategies for effective succession planning.
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1. Measure for the three C` s of fitness
Continuously measure of potential future leaders on the basis of their competence,
connection, and culture. How strong are their business and planning skills? How
well do they connect with other people? And how closely, and with how much
passion, do they model the organization's chosen culture? Competence and
connection are both crucial.
2. Implement tools for development.
Magic in the mix is a set of tools for developing those chosen as future leaders.
There are three--job experience, coaching, and formal learning. Job experience is
not what's on the employee's résumé when he or she was hired, but the job
rotations, projects, and special assignments that the individual is given once in
the company. Coaching should be done by as many different managers as
possible, and top management participation in coaching key candidates is crucial.
Formal learning involves identifying personal attributes that the company wants
in its leaders--usually soft skills--and bringing high potentials together
periodically to learn them. Candidates also use these sessions to network with one
another.
3. Involve talent in the planning.
Candidates should be interviewed periodically about what they would choose as
their next job, what they feel they learned most from the past job, and other
wishes.
4. Cast a wider net--in a bigger ocean.
Developing a small coterie of candidates to eventually fill a handful of key jobs
can be short-sighted. Dig deeper, select more potential leaders, and don't pigeon-
hole them. See how each develops and how the business changes, keeping each in
mind for any one of several possible slots.
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5. Focus on the future.
The talent you need today isn't the same as you'll need in 5 years, so develop both
flexibility and vision. Imagine coming business developments and then seek the
talent that may be needed for the changes.
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AT BLUESTAR
Which model of Succession Planning do you use?
Bluestar uses ‘creating Succession Planning pools.
What are your succession planning strategies?
Bluestar has created a Leadership Development Program through which they
identify high performing employees who can replace a key position. Except for
the top management, nobody is informed about the selected employees. The
employees are watched for their behavioural skills & monitored for their
performance. They are given certain responsibilities to analyse their managerial &
decision-making skills. Certain training, if required, is imparted. Finally, when
the need arises, the employee is promoted to the position.
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ETHICAL ISSUES IN CAREER & SUCCESSION
PLANNING
Ethical issues in talent management and succession planningSuccession planning as part of talent management is not finding crown prince or pre-
selection. It is the action taken to ensure that qualified professional people are available
as needed It is about building an executive and professional cadre of excellence. While
planning for succession, an HR manager needs to remember that Ethics and values in
selection at senior levels changes culture throughout the organization. The HR manager
needs to follow an ethical approach as the decision to select a particular person for a
particular position is going to have a long term impact on the organization’s integrity,
culture and reputation.
The HR managers must ensure that by their actions they portray a strong ethical
behaviour in turn help in retaining the worker’s trust and faith in the organization.
Aspects like fairness, confidentiality, honesty, in dealing with people, openness,
transparency of processes of evaluation and selection are immensely important. Apart
from that, treating people with dignity and respect helps the employees’ self-esteem. A
clear message should be sent across the organization through the HR manager’s actions
that ‘Individuals are accountable for their own careers’ and the good performers will
always find higher responsibilities, important roles and better benefits in the
organization. At the same time, it should be conveyed to all the employees that the
management will not shuffle around their poor performers. Poor performers will be dealt
with using a plan of action to improve or to choose another career
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Q 1. The pressure of hiring someone who has been recommended by a friend, someone
from your family or a top executive?
- The HR executives have faced this situation sometime during their career. They
don`t hire the employees because they came through reference but they select
them on the basis of their qualifications. But at times they have to surrender to the
pressure if the recommendation comes from a top management
Q 2. Poaching/head hunting candidates from competitors for key management
positions
- It happens very often and it can have a negative impression of the company in the
market.
Q 3. What measures do you take to carry out an ethical and un-biased succession
planning?
- There is a structured process for measuring talent. A committee of 5 members is
set up for succession planning which includes top management, functional head
and HR head. As there is a team of 5 different members from different
department the chances are of unethical and biased decision don’t arise.
Q 4. Internal candidates who are competent (Knowledge Skills, Abilities) and eligible
for promotion are overlooked and external candidates are sought for key
management positions.
- It is not applicable and the company gives preference to the internal employees
first.
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CONCLUSION
Highly demanding business environment makes it imperative for the organizations to
build competence in the form of superior intellectual capital. It is agreed by almost all
CEOs of big companies that it is the human resource - a talented one - that can provide
them competitiveness in the long run.
It has become the duty and responsibility of the new age HR managers – who are now
termed as Human Capital Stewarts to manage the human capital as well as the knowledge
capital and become not only a HR manager but also a knowledge facilitator.
So it is the duty of the HR department to nurture a brigade of talented workforce, which
can win them the war in the business field. The talent has to be spotted, carefully
nurtured and most importantly preserved.
Right person for the right job - is the new mantra.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.icims.com/content/company/whitepapers/
evolving_talent_trends.asp
http://www.sergaygroup.com/Smart-Talk/Talent-Management.html
http://www.tony-miller.com/talent_management.asp
http://www.ddiworld.com/DDIWorld/media/white-papers/
ninebestpracticetalentmanagement_wp_ddi.pdf?ext=.pdf
http://www.icims.com/content/company/whitepapers/
evolving_talent_trends.asp
http://www.humanresourcespeople.com/profiles/blogs/talent-management
Succession Planning Insights & Experiences- V. V. Ramani
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