HEART POWER

HEART POWER

‘BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF EVERY ORGANISATION, THERE LIES THE COLLECTIVE EFFORTS OF ITS COMMITTED PEOPLE”

BUILDING, LINKING, BONDINGPEOPLE AND TEAMS IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR
In the past one decade, the economy world over and Indian economy in particular has witnessed unprecedented changes. Production oriented, highly monopolistic markets have turned into consumer oriented, customer centered markets. Competition, knowledge, technology, information, service – these are the words in circulation day and day out. E-commerce, telemarketing, B2B, B2c, B2E are the technical jargons banging the ears during day and lingering in mind at nights. Changes are taking place at such a rapid rate that business establishments are running fast to stay where they are let alone moving ahead. Constant change itself seems to be the order of the day. The shift is clearly from Capital to Knowledge, static to speed, monopoly to diversification, production to service and marketing. Hence, millions and billions are spent on media savvy advertisements just to push the same featured products in different styles under different banners.

This information based, knowledge driven service intensive economy requires speed, FLEXIBILITY and SELF RENEWAL as an ongoing process. For progress and prosperity of any organization, analysis of external competition should match with internal competency assessment. Core competency perspective focuses on knowledge creation and knowledge retention. Thus competency based strategies depend on people. People who can command machines, people who can master technology, people who can innovate ideas, empowered, a satisfied, committed people, who can take an organization to glorious heights, with a sense of belongingness and feeling proud to be part and parcel of the organization. Hence, in the present economic scenario, competition is not for CAPITAL but for HUMAN CAPITAL, that scarce human resource which is vital for any organization. Between two similar organizations, with the same service products, it is the quality of human resource that cuts the competitive edge. Hence, this is “war for talent” era and employees are ‘TALENT INVESTORS’. Because “Behind the success of every organization, there lies the collective efforts of its committed people”.
Building, linking and bonding people and teams is the need of the hour.

For building a team, search for talent should be an ongoing process at every level. Recruitment process should not be just selecting the best out of 100 or 1000 odd entrants. Strategy should be to go out and to locate, attract, select the best from every source and from every standard, right from campus selection to maintaining a team of recruiting experts, constantly on the look out for young, energetic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and capable human talent.

Just capturing the talent with high pay pockets will not suffice. Building this scarce human resource also requires constant developing and nurturing. For this training system should be effective, and self renewing. Just a few days of external training or marathon sessions will not groom and nourish the talent. Development should be embedded in the blood stream of the organization, with each and every leader of a team, constantly coaching, giving feedback, motivating and keeping high the spirits and morale of team members even at times of setbacks.

Just selecting and collecting individual expertise cannot do wonders for any organization. The same is to be linked, focused and made into teams of excellence. INDIVIDUAL EXPERTISE IN ISOLATION CAN SPARKLE LIKE STAR WHILE LINKED, TEAMED UP HUMAN CAPITAL CAN CONSTANTLY RADIATE THE PLEASANT BLISS OF FULL MOON LIGHT STREAM.

Unlike capital, knowledge increases when shared. Knowledge/information is shared both in a group and a team. But there is a difference between group and team.

Having discussions and sharing information in a group helps each member to perform well in his area of operation while in a team, individual inputs and efforts lead to focused performance of the organization, output of which is much greater than the sum total of individual inputs. Synergy of team member, homogenic combination of skills and knowledge, trust, honesty, harmonious inter personal relationship and consistency of purpose are the haulmarks of a team. Hence a well captured and developed scarce human talent/expertise/knowledge when properly linked into a TEAM and interwoven into main STREAM of the organization, INDIVIDUAL EXPERTISE CAN BECOME EMBEDDED INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL OF AN ORGANISATION. This should spread through people, through social network, which again lays emphasis on interpersonal relationship, trust based culture etc.

Acquiring the most scarce asset and moulding the same into a team will be in vain unless there is a proper strategy for spontaneous retention of the same. Thus bonding the culture, imprinting the logo and the stamp of the organization in the breath and blood of the scarce human resource is all the more important.

High salaries, luring perquisites, stock options, may attract the talent to some extent. But it also inculcates the trend of “job jumping” and “frog leaping”. Competitors can always sweep away the talent with fresh attractions. Outsourcing and contractual transactions can bring the technological inflow. But the same expertise will be available to competitors also. It is also true that high productivity, better service may lead to high satisfaction.

Thus real challenge of building teams, is the employee COMMITMENT to the organization and the retention of scarce human resource. Any company is not just an economic entity. It is a social institution through which dedicated people acting together can achieve and excel. Hence, what is required is not just “brain storming”. It is HEART STORMING” that is essential. Any organization bet on retention, should capitalize on “heart power”, the heart which can feel and involve in the tasks, the heart which can experience the excitement of challenge, the thrill of a photofinisher and the childlike heart which can exude the joy of success. When once the heart of human talent is grabbed, sense of belongingness, self born strong commitment to the organization is automatically ensured. Companies are trying to accomplish this with B2E employee self service, mass customization, worklife bundling etc.

At employees self service site, employees can chose their training mode and schedule studying their need within office hours, after office hours etc. Mass customization helps employees to get things readily and at discounted rates. Work life bundling is nothing but fusion of work and family life. When wasting of time and energy on certain daily cores is reduced by offering small things like laundry service at B2E sites, not only efficiency is assured but also the feeling of gratitude.

To capitalize on the heart power, an organization has to make their employees live with a vision, work life and family life of employees are to be balanced properly and success is to be shared, recognized and celebrated. When a heart sp;eaks to heart with a genuine care and concern for family matters the sense of belonging and commitment that it creates cannot be swept away by any competition. Any company desirous of carving a niche for itself and aiming to survive and succeed competition should make out a strategy to balance “legitimate responsibilities of employees with legitimate desires to have life”. Unless this aspect is addressed properly , company either suffer “burning out” of talent or “loose the best talents”. Recognising individual achievements and sharing company’s success and celebrating the same with genuine fun creates a sense of pride being part and parcel of the organization.

A committed employee wants to remain as an active part of an organization with heart, soul and mind participation. He believes, cherishes, nourishes, spreads the values and ideals of the organization

They are the unofficial ambassadors carrying with them the name and fame of the organization. A committed employee, on his own, willingly goes out an extra mile for the sake of organization.

The squirrel of of Ramayana, sincerely earnestly contributed its mite for the construction of bridge without any intention of being recognized. But Rama made it immortal and inseparable part of Ramayana by recognizing and approaching its efforts. That is what is required for talent retention today.

As rightly said by Roosevelt – ‘THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY OF THEIR DREAMS’

‘WHEN A TEAM OF DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS MAKES A COMMITMENT TO ACT AS ONE – THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”

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