Crucial Conversations

I attended an online talk on 16th December 2020 organized by Mr Praksah Sharma, Founder Director, Bija Training under their Mask Leadership initiative. The speaker was Mr Pandian Palaniappan - GM National Sales Training Hyundai Motor India Ltd on the topic "Crucial Conversations".  Mr Pandian said the topic  for the day  was selected inspired by the book "Crucial conversations - Tools for talking when stakes are high" by Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny. Explaining the concept of crucial conversations he said that the following situations can be held as crucial- (1)  when dealing with opposing opinions (2) When stakes are very high and (3) When  high emotions are involved. He gave the "performance appraisal discussions" as an example of crucial conversations. 

How to handle crucial conversations: The first step is to recognize the conversation as a crucial conversation. It is seen that when emotions enter into the conversation, the logical brain doesn't work. It either tends to turn silent (not saying what you want) or engages in an emotional outburst which also results in not getting what you wanted to achieve through the conversation. It is important for leaders to be aware that they are  entering into a crucial conversation and be prepared for it. The speaker gave an example of Mr Muralidhar Rao who was his leader when he worked for NIS Sparta. If during a discussion, he realized that he had lost his cool , Mr Rao would announce " When I count from 1 to 10  I want everyone of you  in the room to disappear. We can come back and discuss this later". 

Just as it is important for the leader to be aware about himself/herself, he/she should also be empathetic and be  aware of the emotional state of team members. One can look out for tell tale signs such as a team  member 'gulping down glasses of water'- could it be due to  emotional  stress? The leader can create a safe environment in which  team members can share issues if they feel like it. 

Mr Pandian said that the principles involving crucial conversations would apply equally  to the interactions at home. Perceptions of individuals differ. A husband who is coming home after a hard day's work, looks forward to relaxing at home . When his wife who was watching a serial on TV goes to the kitchen to prepare tea, he changes the channel to watch his favourite cricket telecast. The wife is annoyed on returning . She feels that after being tied down to the house and working all day long,  she is denied the  only source of relief and entertainment, the moment her husband  arrives. The conflict can take the form of heightened emotional levels. 

In such a situation, it would be advisable to probe deeper as to what the real problem is. Is it just changing of TV channels or are there deeper issues? Are you inadvertently bringing home 5 S concepts from work and insisting that every room be spic and span all the time? Or is it about your always coming  back from work with a frown on your face? The issues are to be separated and addressed individually instead of seeing it as a big package of discontent. Instead of thinking I am OK, the other person is not OK ask the question “why is this person behaving the way she/he is?"  When you go by the belief that all human beings are basically good and humanize them , things begin to look a lot less problematic.

 In this connection the speaker shared his experience of frequently finding a two wheeler parked at this car parking place in the apartment. As he left early in the morning and returned late in the evening, he was not able to meet the 'culprit' who was doing it. Each time the scooter had to be removed before he could park his car and he internally cursed the guy who was causing so much of annoyance. However, one day he decided to follow the maxim of "humanizing" him and not think of the guy as stupid or a villain. He left a written note on the scooter explaining that it was his parking place and that the wrong parking was causing him a lot of bother.  The speaker was surprised to get a reply note apologizing for the misdeed, explaining that he had thought it was a vacant parking place and assuring that it would not happen again. 

When you humanize other people, you are able to respond in a kinder manner. In the absence of empathy, things can sometimes times go terribly wrong.  I was reminded of the incident involving the cricketer Navjot singh Siddhu in December 1988, wherein he had  hit a 65 year old man after a heated argument over wrong parking resulting in the death of the senior citizen. Having a human story in place of a villain story makes all the difference. In crucial conversations, we would do well to revisit the facts rather than the emotions of the story before engaging in a conversation.  

In webinars, at times conversations can ramble on aimlessly with the speaker talking  a little of this and a little of that of whatever comes to mind at the spur of the moment. However, the conversation of the evening was one of undiluted clarity as the speaker Mr Pandian was clear right from the beginning as to what he wanted to include in the discussion. It was laced with relevant examples to make it very engaging and interesting for the participants- truly a very rewarding experience! 

Towards a Self Disciplined and Result oriented Marketing culture

On 27th September 2020,  I attended a webinar organized By Mr Prakash Sharma Founder Director- Bija training under their Mask Leadership series. Under the series, accomplished leaders from the industry are invited to speak to an audience consisting of customers and invitees of Bija training, who are looking to enhance their leadership skills. The speaker of the day was Mr Kuldip Sharma, National head Sales and marketing of Amara Raja Batteries Ltd who gave insights on  developing a result oriented marketing culture.

Mr Kuldip sharma started out by saying that after the disruption caused by the covid 19 pandemic, his organization was recovering rapidly. The auto industry has seen an upturn post Covid in view of  people being reluctant to use public transport. Another aspect that went in the company's favour is an increase in demand for their batteries amongst those, (particularly employees in IT) who previously preferred to use imported brands. The company used the opportunity to win them over and convince them that the batteries made by them are equally good if not better.  

Moving on to the subject of sales, the speaker conceded that it is a very demanding job. Those working in this area have to be constantly on the go and cannot afford to relax. Excuses are not acceptable. A sales person is required to model himself on the "Hunter" rather than the "Farmer". A farmer tends to wait for the opportunity and right circumstances such as timely rains. The hunter on the other hand has to relentlessly pursue his target or he would have to go hungry. Similarly placed is a sales executive who needs to be a result oriented hunter. Mr sharma  said that there is a need for deep passion (He used the Hindi/ Urdu word "Junoon") peppered with discipline and effort. Halfhearted attempts simply won't do . " If you have the passion, opportunities will fall into place"  

The key word here is the effort. If  consistent efforts are put in, the results will come sooner or later. The speaker said that one has to ask oneself the question" Have I put in my 100%?" If the answer is yes, there is nothing to worry as results are bound to come. On the contrary if the answer is "No', suitable plan has to be devised and implemented giving your best shot consistently. 

Another thing that is very crucial to success is "Team effort". Nobody can work by himself and hope to succeed in the long run. Contribution by everyone is important. The speaker gave an instance of  an activity of  picking up as much rice as possible from a bag that one hand can hold wherein a condition is stipulated that you cannot use the little finger . It is obvious that a lot more quantity can be held in the hand if the little finger is also available for use. Many companies talk about teamwork but when it comes to compensation, individual contributions are valued. Therefore I asked a question as to what is being done in the company to enhance teamwork which has been identified by them as a key factor for success?. It was heartening to receive Mr sharma's reply. He said " In Amara, all incentives are team based". Practicing what we preach is so very important. 

The speaker concluded his talk with the declaration that "Self motivation is the key". He advised participants  to keep investing in themselves for learning new skills, understanding new fields and constantly upgrading oneself. The discussion  during the evening was matter of fact, yet insightful underscoring the basics for building a result oriented marketing culture in organizations. Indeed, it was a very rewarding experience!   

NB: Readers working in marketing may like to also read my post on "Dhakad Marketing" at this link   

https://hrdian.blogspot.com/2020/06/dhakad-marketing-how-to-build-brands.html 

Glimpses from the United Nations Virtual Forum Discussions

The United Nations Virtual Forum on Responsible Business and Human Rights : New Challenges New Approaches (for  Asia and the Pacific) happened from 9th to 12th June 2020. These webinar discussions  are to be seen in the light of the concerted efforts of UN to strive for responsible business and human rights discourse in Asia and the pacific. 

In 2020, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNWG), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and United Nations Economic and Social commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) have joined forces to provide further stimulus in this regard.  

As the conference was held virtually this year on account of the Pandemic Covid 19, it afforded an opportunity  for a larger and wider audience to participate from around the world. I registered for and attended four of the many sessions that were available. I chose the sessions  based on the relevance of the topic to India and  those with a panel that included Indians or persons of Indian origin so that more insights relevant to our country could be gained. In this blog, I propose to give the gist of what was discussed rather than who said what. The topics of the sessions attended were (1) Overcoming Human Rights challenges (2) Managing Human risks in supply chain (3) Business in times of disruption and (4) Responsible business and human rights.

• Companies have a big impact on people around the world. The process of Globalization  has necessitated Human rights policies. The UN operating practices are required to be reinforced by the states. There is a need for industry to respect HR, redesign and restructure supply chain to protect human rights. It is essential to promote, respect and remedy.  
• The sustainable development goals of UN are to be pursued relentlessly and continuously, monitoring the risks and opportunities (The sustainable development goals are a collection of 17 global goals designed to be a " a blue print to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs  set in 2015 by the United Nations General assembly and intended to be achieved by the year 2030 are part of a UN resolution called the "2030 Agenda")    
• It is necessary to work closely with Governments to develop a National plan which in turn can help industries to develop framework and implement.  
• The labour challenges such as the ones thrown up by the pandemic can be addressed by looking at the root causes much before a crisis strikes- issues such as low wages/ under payment, non access to social security systems,  non access to food and nutrition.  
• The Covid 19 experience has dealt a blow to the motivation of migrant workmen to come and work in cities. Their trust is to be regained. Those returning should not be stigmatized. Companies should follow ethical recruitment practices. More information should be provided during the the on boarding process and Governments should intervene to ensure improved living conditions.  
• Covid 19 crisis has thrown up problems such as orders being cancelled by buyers, inability of many companies to pay workmen and the problems faced by migrant workmen.  
• A panel member said that in the Brisbane area in Australia vulnerable communities such as the aboriginals and indigenous communities living in remote areas have not been adequately educated on the importance of social distancing. There is a need of a separate fund to support them.
• A survey was initiated to understand how suppliers are affected as also the migrant workers. Migrant workmen have been stranded in international locations and are living in dormitories. Based on information obtained from the survey, follow up calls/ video calls were made with suppliers.  However, face to face interaction with workers have not been possible.    
• An innovation that happened in a company during the Covid setback, is that training was organized through QR code with participation of suppliers.  
• Another thing that Coco Cola did was not to stop their financial audits but to conduct them virtually - 20,000 audits in 200 countries. In a couple of regions follow up assignments were also taken up with third party audio and video facility. As the exercise was very encouraging the company feels that in future this method can be used to supplement the activity if not to  supplant it.   
• This is the time to examine cross sectoral collaboration. As for example in expenditure on CSR activity can be collaboratively made by companies to address major social concerns. This enables chipping  in by more than one company. Collaboration from impact investors could also come wherein finance can be extended at reasonable rates to manufacturers for the environment sustainability programs . The Government can also involve and contribute in this regard.    
• As Covid 19 has resulted in many people returning to their villages, scouting for local work force has become necessary and reverse migration could be a solution.  
• The challenges of the changed scenario would be meeting an increased demand  when the opening up happens, which would put a huge pressure on the supply chain. One has to be vigilant about increased working hours and increase in overtime working. Another problem that could come up is harassment. When more hiring happens once the economies open up, it is necessary to see that the foreign migrant workers are ethically recruited.  
• There tends to be a modern slavery of migrant foreign workmen. This happens when their supply is more as against the demand. Detailed study of the situation in the Middle East in 2007 revealed many wrong practices such as retention of the passports of workmen by employers, collecting fee for applying/ securing job, manipulation of contract etc. The auditory programs that followed provided for updated policies to avoid such practices.  
• One of the solutions to the kind of problems faced by migrant workmen in India during the Covid crisis is to start industries in the source states like Bihar and Jharkhand.  Reskilling and reintegration policies need to be developed. The Government should keep some emergency funds for handling industry upheavals.  
• Communication plays an important role in assuaging the anxieties and concerns of all those affected.The job issues  of white collared  employees also need to be addressed. National plan for businesses in India in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of UN is most essential. Empathy is the need of the hour.  
• The pandemic magnified social inequalities in the society with many job losses. Asian migrant workers and informal economy workers were affected the most. Earning from foreign countries was severely impacted with 9 million Bangladeshis, 10 million Indians, 1 million Nepalese working abroad, losing their livelihood. They tend to be stigmatized even when they come back. Further, it is not economically  possible  to stay back and not return  in  view of the uncertainty.  
• Protecting people is critical  more so in supply chain ( 70% of the work happens here) . In this connection industries, such as Petronas,  an oil and gas company based out of Malaysia have gone into manufacture of medical equipment such as ventilators to meet requirements of the day. Focus should be on strengthening finances and on the resolve to come through this period.   
• Companies have been receptive to their employees working from home, post Covid. Surveys show that travel, hotel and tourism industries have been hit the most. Crisis has enhanced the opportunities of businesses in the field of mask making and other medical equipment. 
•  This is a wake up call to business to make alternative plans. 
• It is however a fact that only large businesses may be able to plan long term and act in a more responsible manner. Malaysia's Petronas and a company in Bangladesh have adapted to the situation and are now manufacturing products like medical equipment  that meet the current needs. 
• Matching skills of your workmen with skills required by other companies will come in handy to help them find jobs when the company no longer needs them. It is to be noted that the scheme "PM cares" takes away the money that the company could have used for paying salaries to their workmen and meeting other obligations.  
• To a question as to whether reputed brands failed to show character in line with a branded company in  their action during the crisis, it was opined that some companies lived up to their commitment and bought the goods at the rates contracted. However, other brands failed to do so. 
• In difficult times Governments tend to relax labour legislation. In such a situation it is necessary  to be in the shoes of both the business and the workers and then take decisions and actions in overall interest. During the process it is very important to be  transparent. 
• Paying labour low wages or assigning them degrading work will not pay in the long run. Business should take the initiative to pay workmen better and acknowledge their skills.  
• As the way forward,  it is necessary to listen to the voices of all stakeholders who are affected and that of the Government and then jointly work for solutions. Questions need to be asked like " What will make sense to small scale industries? .  What is the space that has been created  to have an honest conversation for moving everyone to mainstream?" 
• How far should regulations and incentives go?  What should be the role of big organizations  and the role of industrial associations for coming out of the crisis?  What are the things we do well and what are the things we do not do well?   it is important to give enough time listening to each other.   
• To a question  "which are the countries if any that managed the situation well or better,"  it was informed  by a panelist that the Central and  North European countries have done well. They have more social dialogue and  developed trust. There is accountability for health and a collaborative approach is adopted for problem solving. 
• Asian countries don't do well in corporate governance. There are no internal challengers. The weakest link is the alignment of pay and reward.   
• The panelist from China stated that some industrial associations have social guidelines in terms of Human rights. Awareness amongst the business community and technical assistance are necessary to put UN guidelines into practice. There is also a need to share stories and best practices. 
• Supply chain management is a challenge area and more needs to done. UNDP rankings showing  the companies following the guidelines will go a long way, in alerting companies to do better. 
• In China, Multinational companies are better when it comes to following the UN guidelines. In Japan, only 45% are following the guidelines. It is necessary to ensure that all the tiers in the supply chain are covered in the implementation.   

I enjoy attending the monthly meetings of the professional bodies in HR and writing about them in my blog. This time. covering this virtual forum of UN  was a trifle more satisfying as the perception gained  from the discussions was more global in nature. The discussions centered around  a very important subject that of combating a global pandemic which is a challenge not just for  one or two countries  but the whole of mankind. It is my earnest wish and hope that my readers enjoy reading and benefit from the contents of this blog. 

Managers who make a Difference

I attended a  webinar 26/8/2020 organized by NHRD Hosur chapter featuring founding father of HRD practices in India Dr TV Rao who along with  Dr Udai Pareek mooted for the first time  the replacing of  personnel department with HRD department.  As a result the focus changed from traditional maintenance activities of personnel departments  to developmental activities..  The topic for the day was " Managers who make a difference" which is also the title of one of Dr Rao's books . 

 During discussion, the speaker  also referred to ideas discussed in his book "HRD Missionary" that talks about four levels in which a person may operate (1) Performer (2) Achiever (3) Visionary and (4) Missionary. Most people are content with  being performers. Organizations also prefer having on their rolls performers with a few achievers. They don't promote visionaries and missionaries, busy as they are with the bottom and top lines. 

Dr Rao said that one should aspire to be in higher levels than that of a performer. Not everyone would like to be missionaries like Mother Teresa or Dr Verghese Kurian Founder of Amul. But one could and should aspire to reach the level of a visionary. Dr Rao said that a person does not have to be senior in age or an IIM graduate to become a visionary. It is sufficient if you have a different way of thinking. He cited the example of Narayanan Krishnan, Indian chef turned social worker who preferred to feed the homeless and mentally disabled  in the city of Madurai Tamilnadu  rather than take up an an elite job in Switzerland. The speaker asked the participants to assess where they are at the moment in terms of the four levels and where they would like to be.   

Dr Rao said that the HR people are favourably placed to slip into roles of visionaries as they have the advantage of constantly dealing with people, be it the employees, customers or other persons related   to the organization. Today, with covid 19 staring at our face we become more conscious of the role of a doctor in saving human lives. HR is a profession that takes care of both lives and livelihoods of people. The challenging times are to seen as opportunities to experiment and come out with solutions for sustained employment and livelihood. HR should go beyond the rule book  and seek to explore and engage in building culture. 

 People working in organizations have the opportunity to use time beyond their 9 to 5 jobs for activities that would fortify them to become visionaries and later missionaries if they wish. For becoming an achiever from a performer ask questions, get feedback and do more and different things. As our actions are influenced by thoughts it is important that they are focused on matters  like life stories of achievers and being in the company of people with aspiration. It is when you aspire to be higher and better instead of being content and comparing with those who are doing less than you that you become an achiever. 

Visionaries exhibit a novel kind of thinking, always looking for opportunities in problems. As for example the covid 19 challenges, the migrant worker issues etc.  are all looked at from a problem solving mindset. Visionaries are always on the lookout for long term benefit of society in any area. Senior managers can look at providing opportunities to juniors for playing role of achievers and  visionaries.

There was a question from the audience as to what one should do if the bosses do not allow you to take up activities of an achiever/ visionary. The speaker said beyond your eight hours of duty, the time is your own, to be used as you wish for your development. If the boss does not agree even to this it is  advisable to quit the boss and the company.   The concept of 360 degree feedback  was evolved specifically for this reason to promote upward feedback and letting bosses know what their people are thinking about them.    

What I particularly liked about this session was that Dr Rao was very relaxed and candid while sharing his thoughts.  He encouraged participants to raise queries on the matters discussed. I would like to conclude by stating that this was a very rewarding session that gave interesting  insights as to how to  become effective managers "who make a difference".  After all, the talk was given by none other than the father of HRD practices in our country!

Dhakad Marketing: How to build Brands

I had the pleasure and  privilege of attending a webinar on the subject on 26th June featuring Mr Pradeep Gidwani, India's foremost Marketing Guru. He was in conversation with Mr Mukesh Kheterpal, CEO & Founder Indus Management consultants Pvt Ltd. The term 'Dhakad' Marketing can be understood in English  as 'aggressive' marketing. 

At the outset Pradeep explained the basic requirement for Dhakad marketing which he referred to as  "Brand architecture" . This should be concrete and thought through in detail  to achieve success. The basic questions such as "Who are you?"  "Whom are you targeting?"   "What is your price point?" etc should be answered with clarity. As for example brands such as Van Heusen, Allen solly and Peter England were very clear as to whom they were targeting. They were looking at people in the higher income group who would like to stand out from others in terms of power dressing or distinct Friday dressing. 

Mukesh then asked the question " How did you work on and develop the brand architecture for Fosters Beer , an Australian beer when it first entered the Indian market. After all, beer is just beer whether called by this or that name? "  The interviewee explained that building a brand architecture involves not only the quality of the product but the emotional connect that customers feel towards a product. The customer gets a kick out of a brand that he can relate to.The emotional connect battle is in the mind of the customer.

As Fosters was an Australian beer, attention was paid to bringing in a feel of the country and targeting the young Indians as customers. The Australians are more casual in their approach to life unlike the Brits who tend to be formal. The company's employees wore jeans and T shirts and began their Emails with an informal "Hi Mate" and ended them with "Cheers". The ideas you implement needs to link back to what you want to do. He said that pricing Foster 30% higher than Kingfisher and still gaining customers was also part of  the strategy of reflecting their brand architecture.

To another question on employing women and also getting people from outside the industry to work for them, Pradeep said that employing people with different experiences was deliberately done to circumvent the tendency of  "This is how we have always done" mindset and get their people to think and work innovatively. The employment of women was also done in line with the brand architecture in niche locations such as  Five star hotels. When asked if there wasn't any resistance from the industry and retailers to the Fosters policy of not extending discounts, the interviewee said that the company was able to convince their associates that the higher margins of their brand would offset any disadvantage of not receiving discounts. "We believed that merely selling more to retailers offering discounts was meaningless until actual sales happen with the consumer opening the bottle and drinking from it. 

If a company has developed  a brand architecture and positioned itself in a segment, abrupt deviation from the strategy can confuse customers. The case of Audi was cited which was competing with the Mercedes; both German cars of good quality. Slowly and steadily, the business grew and at one time it looked like Audi was beginning to win the race, when the company offered  discounts with an aim to capture a bigger size of the market. Contrary to expectations, Audi found itself losing customers after this move. There is a finite number in this market. A premier brand reducing price doesn't make sense. 

The prime aspect of the strategy is to share your brand architecture and vision as widely as possible, to your employees, customers and the public at large. Pradeep said that in the initial days advice was given by well wishers to seek the services of  Sachin Tendulkar or Amitabh Bachan as their Brand ambassador. However, Fosters in line with their brand architecture of Australian Life style - sporty and free outdoors chose to associate with Formula 1 racing events in India. Customers were shown having beer and samosa as they watched and discussed Formula 1. The experiencing of the beer by customers was a prelude to introducing it to five star hotels. Then there was the combination of Barbecue and Fosters beer for great Sundays. Launching a brand is not about launching a product. You should get the start point correctly- 'Who you are' and be able to say what your brand stands for in three to four words.

Building a brand is like developing the persona of your company and its products. Spend time on your thinking and developing the brand architecture. It is not just about achieving numbers but getting there on the path charted out in the brand architecture. The interviewee gave a tip  to capture pictures of advertisements from the past four to five years and then show them to your advertisers and  employees to let them know as to what you want your product to be.  Allen solly moved away from its original brand architecture and thereby confused its customers. The same happened with Fosters also later on. However, it may be noted that brands which are successful long time, tend to be faithful to their brand architecture. As for example the lifebuoy soap was always associated with health. Over the years although its shape and packaging changed, it continues to be associated with health.  The same is the case with Lux which is linked to beauty and film stars.

The webinar  concluded on this note that "You cannot be everything to everybody. You have to be something to somebody."  Of course you may have different segments for the business like the automobile companies  Maruti and Hyundai having different segments such as SUV, premium, mid size or the base car. They do not confuse their customers and the vital element of brand architecture is firmly in place. It was a very rewarding experience attending this webinar and the biggest take away for me was the information about  the importance of having a 'Brand architecture' if you want to build brands!  

Challenges for HR - Post Covid 19

Covid 19 and the lock down has adversely affected life in general including the livelihood of people all over the world. Locked down businesses  take time to limp back to normalcy. The schedules for delivering a company's products and the supply chain for receiving raw materials have all gone for a toss. Under these circumstances the role and challenges of HR also is bound to be different. I attended two or three webinars during lock down period  that discussed this subject . Although no one can tell for sure how the future will pan out, calculated or if you prefer educated guesses of experts could be a pointer for putting our best foot forward as we tackle an uncertain future.

I would like to share the following insights gained from experts in the webinars  by way of bullet points :-   

• The approach of HR has essentially to be based on the manner and extent to which the business of the company they are working for, has been impacted by the crisis. 
• Some of the challenges that business could face is the raising of capital.Venture capitalists are likely to be more conservative in investing.
• Job creation would be adversely affected and expansion plans put on hold.
• It would be important to sustain MSMEs (Micro, small and medium enterprises) in spite of challenges, as it is in this sector that more jobs are created. 
• An important challenge would be replacing the migrant workmen as many of them have returned to their native places.
• Financial costs are expected to be up by 10%. The challenge is to move the wheels of commerce to the old levels gradually.
• We could hope for diversification of supply chain management leading to some of the orders being diverted from China to India. 
• The new requirement would be for leaders who are adaptive. Those who play fair, take responsibility and have fun. HR has to focus on fulfilling this requirement.
•  Covid has added to the "high degree of  unpredictability" and VUCA would be the new normal.
• Employees are expected to be a lot more stressed and addressing this would be HR's  priority.
• HR has to contribute to solving of the new challenges such as managing costs, supply chain issues, manpower availability and weakening of Rupee. 
• It is important to achieve digital maturity at the earliest (Digital maturity is about adapting the organization to effectively compete in an increasingly digital environment).
• It is believed that 47% of the jobs will disappear and new ones will emerge. 
• In this scenario HR will have to plan for a flatter organization, networking of teams and "Gig economy" working. 
• By 2025, 75% of the work force will be millennials and HR would need to understand their nature of working/ drives and address their needs  effectively.  
• Reassurance and counselling may have to be provided to address issues of insecurity, fear, doubt or worry.
• Online learning is likely to increase with increased use of gamefication.
• HR needs to prepare its employees quickly towards a 'Digital mindset'. 
• It is an opportunity to engage in agile  retrospective (reflect on way of working and continuously become better) and renewal. Take L&D initiatives to proactively prepare the organization. 
• HR should sit in on business meetings ask relevant questions, purposefully initiate conversations in order to contribute meaningfully. 
• HR needs to build credibility in the organization so that people listen to them. 
• At the company level "What next" and "What else" questions can be asked for taking risks and being agile.

Webinar on Creativity and Innovation

During the locked down period, people have been trying out different things to keep themselves occupied. Some have also been hosting webinars with an aim  to  disseminate knowledge and help others to be more effective when they return to their normal lives. As for instance in a webinar organized by MHRD's (Ministry of Human Resources Development) innovation cell,  Mr BVR Mohan Reddy , Ex Chairman Nasscom & Chairman, Cyient, speaking on the topic "Impact of  current situation on education" said that it is an opportunity for students to learn new things that will be useful for them in the future. They could gain more knowledge on AI (Artificial intelligence), Machine learning and other subjects. Learning 'ahead of time' stands one in good stead. It is the time to  enhance what you have already learnt and also use the  period to learn a new skill. He opined that one learns much better while engaged in group learning online. Further, in online learning, one can customize (can replay videos) individual learning path with focus on assimilation and application. The use of learning management platforms effectively, makes one fit and future ready for higher skill jobs.

After I had attended the said webinar, I received an invitation on What's app from Dr Annamalai Natarajan, subject expert and Author of the book "101 Ways to Create and Innovate"  to attend his webinar on "Creativity and Innovation". Dr Annamalai was no stranger to me. while working for Hyundai Motor India Ltd as the Team leader of Learning and Development, I had availed of  the doctor's services a number of times for bolstering the knowledge and  skills  of our employees in creativity and innovation. As HOD, I used to drop in to classes whenever I was free and participate in the training sessions facilitated by external trainers. Therefore, I was familiar with the material shared by Dr Annamalai in the webinar and it was in fact a pleasant recap/ refresher for me. I am sharing the learning here for the benefit of readers.

The presenter started out by displaying this quote from George Bernard Shaw "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." Building on this quote, Dr Annamalai explained how it was the 'unreasonable' guy who insisted on viewing a sports event that happened in another city that led to the innovation of television. Similarly, the 'reasonable' guy doesn't feel it uncomfortable to get up a number of times and walk up to the TV to switch channels. But the lazy,  unreasonable guy looks at alternatives and comes out with the 'remote'.

The moral of the story then is that it is necessary to become 'unreasonable' . However this has to be  at a ratio of 80:20 in favour of being 'unreasonable' so that  the approach  is worthwhile and beneficial.There has to be a balance between system and performance. We tend to forget the reasons for what we are doing what we do. As for example the system tells us to water the plants in the garden every day. But are we doing it blindly even when it is raining?

A problem arises when there is a difference between "what I have" and "what I want". You can experience it in the form of botheration, uneasiness, worry, fear, anger etc. A person may attempt to solve the problem using the left brain (Logic, analysis, language and numerical skills etc) the right brain (imagination, music, humour, day dreaming etc.) or a combination of both. Most people tend to approach the problem with the left brain. Yet a problem does not have only one solution. You can look at it from different angles to solve it. Therefore it is necessary to use a combination of right and left brain thinking with right brain getting its due place.

The right brain is evoked when you keep asking questions like "What else?".  The question provides scope for a number of solutions. Similarly, the question "Are you lazy?" is significant. After all, it is the lazy guy who invented the remote for television. It is to cater to the needs of the lazy person that various modifications had to be made to wrist watches which initially was hand wound, then made automatic (required shaking), to quartz watch and now to eco friendly watches not requiring replacement of cells. Inconveniences are the sources of creativity. It was when he saw a family of husband, wife and three children travelling on a scooter that Tata Chairman, Ratan Tata thought of a safe and affordable car and Nano was visualized (though it may not have become a big commercial success, the need/ inconvenience triggered a solution.)

There are 134 crore innovative people in India. Creativity needs to be inculcated and sustained by encouraging the use of both right and left brain resulting in an innovative whole brain. Our brains can be kept in a continuously active condition by exposing it to puzzles, scrabble and other brain teaser exercises. Further, one should also set a deadline / put a time pressure for completion of project in order to get the creative juices flowing. Although we may start the "What else exercises" consciously, over a period of time, it becomes natural and unconscious. This is similar to learning to drive a car. We start out learning  to drive a car by paying full attention to the process and then reach a level of unconscious mastery.

 During the lock down time, this webinar on a very interesting and relevant topic of "Innovation and Creativity"  was truly,  a precious gift that the presenter Dr Annamalai gave to the viewers and it is  with  great pleasure that I  pass it on through this blog to my readers!   

( Here is a link to the preview of the book 101 ways to create and innovate by Dr Annamalai Natarajan :    https://books.google.co.in/books/about/101_Ways_to_Create_and_Innovate.html?id=kiJLzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y )https://books.google.co.in/books/about/101_Ways_to_Create_and_Innovate.html?id=kiJLzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Aligning Talent and Business

The monthly meeting of NIPM was held on 11th March 2020 at Hotel Capitol Bangalore. The speaker for the evening Mr Rajnarayan Sr VP & CHRO Titan company Ltd spoke on the very interesting and pivotal topic "Aligning Talent and Business". The speaker started out by declaring that the context is very important  while deciding on a strategy for meeting the needs of talent management- both the context of the business and the context of the organization. He said that talent management is a business process and is to be seen as such by everyone in the organization and not as a HR process.

Mr Rajnarayan said that talent management is crucial and that in the absence of a robust talent management process,  a company would be moving towards disaster. Talent should be developed in advance and be ready for filling positions as and when the need arises. It is precious and needs to be protected. The Titan Group has presence in a number of products such as watches, jewelry, Eyeware, Fragrances(perfume) and  Fastrack helmets that involves activities in the areas of manufacturing, design, retail, distribution, after sales service etc. It is therefore necessary to find and nurture talent in various areas/ disciplines across the value chain of the company.

The strategy of the Titan Group which came into existence in 1984 has been to focus on 'adornment' or lifestyle products with adequate branding. Another strategy is to enter business areas that are unorganized or under serviced and cash in on bringing some order into the business. Appetite for risk and a love for creating brands has been in the DNA of the company. The drive engine has been a culture of collaboration with a healthy balance between processes and uncertainty.

Reinventing the Foundation:  Organizational culture    

The culture of the company build over a period of over 30 years has served it well. The company today has a PBT of Rs 3000 crores. However, many of the seniors started retiring from the year 2019 and soon the entire top team is expected to change. There is a need for a robust pipeline and also a re look on the priorities and the focus areas in the coming years.In this connection the company organized a series of seminars and interactions involving all stake holders- employees, customers, suppliers and came up with 7 elements that are important to the company. It was decided to have a four pronged approach  namely (1) Foreseeing  (2) Dreaming (3) Owning and (4) Acting 

The policy of Titan is to have an unconditional positive regard for its people. This also includes a willingness to share wealth with employees when the company is successful. A "Can Do" DNA is sought to be developed in the employees. In respect of customers, the focus is on understanding the customers' needs, meeting them and rectifying wherever applicable. The Titan Group attaches a lot of importance to its obligation to the society. "Educating the Girl child"  a premier initiative of the company titled "Titan Kanya" aims to support 10,000 children living in urban, semi-urban, rural and tribal areas.

Another initiative of the company is aimed at sustaining the craft of the artisans which is slowly dying away due to the poor prospects and living conditions of these craftsmen. Titan with the twin objective of utilizing their talent for the jewelry business and also giving them a sustainable source of living have invested in over 14 Karigar parks. In these parks/ centers, the artisans are provided  lodging and boarding with recreation and gymnasium facilities. The company provides the equipment, material and training support  to the karigars enabling them to use their skills for producing jewelry of the highest standards and design. In the manufacturing process, the company ensures the best working conditions and safety practices. As a result, the life expectancy of artisans engaged in this tough occupation has gone up from  40 to 60 years and the younger generation are motivated to take up their traditional profession.

The speaker said "we need to get better in innovation, in the way we anticipate change and at being accountable." The challenge is to build leaders for the future around the cultural core of the company viz People, customer and society. In this connection, the company asked itself questions like " What do we need for the future?",  "Who has the potential to take on the needs of the future?" and "What do we want from the Titan leader of the future?"  These were discussed with people across a wide cross section of people including the first MD of the company, Xerxes Desai.

As a result of the deliberations, it was decided to evolve a Leadership competency framework for the leaders of the group. The behaviour in respect of each competency would be defined for various levels of leadership such as Senior executives, Managers, Assistant managers and junior managers. As for example the behaviour for  a competency of being 'Business savvy" would be described differently and appropriately for the various level of leaders. In order to ensure the successful implementation of the Leadership Development framework, a  Leadership sub committee of the board was formed who would oversee all connected subsystems like training and recruitment. All the members of the senior management team went through assessment centre/development centre exercises that included presentations, role plays and other processes of evaluation to identify strengths and three to four big ticket areas of improvement. 

Mr Rajnarayan said that their experience shows that working on strengthening the strengths is more effective than focusing on the weaknesses. The aligning of "development of people" to "the business" of the company  process is extended across the organization for identifying suitable talent. 100% of the top and senior management are covered under it. Potential appraisals are done for identifying the potential of the middle management against the parameters of aspiration, engagement and agility. Around 110 to 120 emerging leaders are identified who go through a eighteen month program. This  includes class room sessions at XLRI and a certification at the end of the program. After the certification, they are taken off from their regular jobs and posted on a project in a different area for a period of one year.

The entire development of people at Titan is based on the company's career philosophy of  2X2X2 +7.  This denotes that in his/her career, an executive should have been exposed to at least 2 businesses of the company, across 2 geographies and in 2 functions. While going about such exposures they should have had 7 different types of experiences across company projects. This equips them for strong inter mobility within the organization. The aim is to have all this happen as part of a co creation involving the employees. This ensures buy in and sponsorship of employees. HR has a big enabling role to play here, facilitating inclusive partnering and getting people involved in the solution. Leaders take on the role of trainers, teachers and coaches. It is important to have  all this  dovetailed to one's particular context and business. 

The speaker said that it is critical to have a succession plan. The strategy of Titan has been to recruit a large number of people as management trainees and groom most of the senior management requirements from within. Although a few are recruited laterally, it is seen that presently, out of seven senior executives five have been with the company for decades. 70% of the leadership team have put in 15 or more years with the company. Mr Rajnarayan said that although developing successors is important, it is not advisable to name a successor too early.  A pool of successors should be developed , giving them individual inputs as well, customized to specific needs. The ones not selected for an identified position can be utilized in other roles which would emerge as the organization grows/ expands.  The person identified is posted six months in advance as an understudy to the incumbent with some of the job duties being passed on to him/her with clear deliverables.

Aligning Performance to Business   

In line with the corporate philosophy of "employee inclusion", the first step of the business planning process is Bottoms up .  Initial planning and goal setting is done at departmental levels with wide consultation of employees.  These inputs and proposals are consolidated and discussed by the board which finalizes the business plan. Thus, what starts as bottoms up, now takes the form of top down goals which are accepted and strived for by everyone in the organization. This process is sharper and more agile than the traditional methods and also supported by goal labs (How to focus on the right goals and make sure the goals are pursued the right way) to make it relevant and sharp.

Goal audits are done from the top - down to the intermediary roles. The company does not have the practice of a mandated Bell curve. Since the last five years a system of calibration is followed wherein performance is discussed and justified. Each store discusses its performance with justification. This requirement of justification gets the manager thinking on the lines "If I am to justify the rating, I need to have the goals sharper."  Titan has always had a combination of group and individual productivity norms as the company believed in the importance of group contribution. However, the individual content has been increasing gradually over a period of time.

It was a very rewarding experience listening to the talent management strategy and initiatives of a very progressive company like Titan which has been following a pro people policy ever since its inception. I was particularly happy to note that the company discusses and involves its employees in the talent management decisions and the day to day operation . By this approach it has been ensuring buy in and engagement of everyone towards the short term and long term objectives. 

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Employment

The 70th International Conference & HR congress was organized by the university of engineering and management(UEM) on 22nd February 2020 at IISC Bangalore. Although the organizers are based out of Jaipur and Kolkata, they hold the annual conferences in various parts of the country in order to ensure participation  and sharing of thoughts by HR practitioners from diverse geographical and industrial backgrounds. With a theme titled " Impact of emerging technologies on employment", the conference design had two panel discussions (1)  Future of work: Impact of latest technologies on job market and (2) What are the types of jobs expected to be lost and created  which were preceded by a key note address before each discussion.  The conference commenced with a welcome address by Prof.Dr. Sathyajit Chakrabarti, President IEM-UEM Group.

The first keynote speaker Mr Praveen Kamat Kumbla, GM & HR Head, Global delivery & Enablement Wipro Ltd set the tone for the discussion sharing his thoughts on what HR can do to remain relevant at a time of emerging technologies that have quite an impact on employment. He said that HR should be able to ask itself " With the talent I have , how can I ensure that delivery happens at the earliest?' Some of the challenges faced in this connection are -  people have done certifications but are not able to make money out of it, employees don't want to come back after an assignment in the US,  arresting wastage of talent when value is falling from say $60 to $25, prep up and prepare  of one's own HR organization. He said, HR should constantly focus on adding value to the bottom line. 

Talking about recruiting students from premier educational institutions, Praveen said that it would be worthwhile to engage in 'parent connects'. "First sell your brand to parents and teachers. Then take care of HR, managers and other parts of the ecosystem."  As the Geeks of today love to be occupied 24x7 , doing varied and interesting activities ranging from being a techie to a  guitarist, a content writer and Football commentator it would be wise to allow them to do hobby projects. Give them a sabbatical after one year of working. Early boredom and an attention span down to seven minutes is the reality of the day.

The speaker also advised giving  the Gen Y opportunities for acquiring certifications and for personal learning. In order to have an effective, robust work force, he suggested replacing the bottom 20% periodically. The speaker also opined that the mentor- mentee relationship should happen naturally and advised against running a mentorship program as an intervention. He concluded his  address by observing that "application based learning is the only way for success"  and that hungry start ups may be more receptive to this idea.

The members of the Panel for the first  discussion on " Future of work" moderated by Mr Suraj Chettri,  Regional director(HR), Airbus group,  included Mr Adityapal Singh Director Talent acquisition India Informatica, Mr Vishwanadh Raju, Global head Talent Acquisition,Axiscades Engineering Technologies, Mr Indraneil Roy, Associate VP, Global talent acquisition, DMI, Ms M.D. Mohana, Director HR, SAP Labs, Mr Nadeem Pasha, Talent Acquisition Head, Inspirage and Mr C.N. Mahantesh, Head global , Recruitment Tech Mahindra.


The gist of the discussion in which all members participated is given below:

• The mode of recruitment and the tools have changed drastically right from the planning stage with candidates leaving their digital footprints in various places beginning from their student days.
• Engaging with prospective employees through regular chats and  tools like Gamification  is the order of the day.
• While the focus is to bring in the right people, agility is a key factor. As multiple generations of employees are working at the work place today, technology can be used to bridge the gap between employee aspirations and organizational needs.
•  Give employees opportunities for lateral careers encouraging them to acquire skills more relevant to the company.
• Whenever there is a change in the way of life or in technology, there would be disruption but new opportunities emerge. This was true when mankind shifted from being hunters to farmers or when the wheel was invented or when new technologies are emerging and replacing old ones in the modern times.
• Therefore, it is not about lack of jobs but equipping oneself with skills so that a skill set match can happen. There is a need to break the 'Herd mentality' of doing what most people are taking up like say Engineering disregarding one's own interest and emerging requirements of skill sets
•  Matching the SWOT analysis of a candidate with the new jobs being created is the key
• One should aim to be hands on as early as possible taking the help of incubation labs as per need. Candidates/ employees should do courses of natural interest to maintain motivation.
• Today, many cognitive jobs have been taken over by technology. Gig worker is a reality and it is going to be even more in the days to come. 
• The typical resume format has changed drastically with more focus on application and what you have actually accomplished. 
• 90% of students passing out lack social skills as also hands on experience which is expected by industry.Attaching mentors from the industry to students could equip them to bridge the gaps.
• Reinforcement Learning using AI (Artificial intelligence) is being experimented more and more. In this form of machine learning, the machine gives feedback to the learner of what has been done (trial and error)  in say the last three months.  
• The job descriptions have become more gender inclusive and company specific algorithms are available. Constant updating of one's skills is most essential.
• Whatever may be the changes in technology, the basic foundation should be kept strong. If the foundation is strong, anything can be built upon it. 
• It may appear as if computers are killing jobs what with hybrid cars, electric cars and even driver less cars!  But this is not true. although there could be loss of job for the driver, opportunities are created for others in the engineering area.
• There is a big gap between the syllabus of universities and the industry expectations which need to be bridged. It is very necessary that the fundamentals ( Math, statistics, algorithms) of engineers are strong. They should attend seminars and be exposed to live assignments. They should preferably have one patent in their name before passing out of the engineering course. 
• Rather than the conventional jobs changing with the changes in technology, it would be about a transformation of job happening with value addition in the content.
• The extraction technology has altered drastically with higher levels of production with less people. Today the jobs are more cerebral, deeper and diverse with employees being more educated and motivated. Aspirants need to look out deeper and diverse, beyond the basic job choices.
• The talent acquisition process has been revolutionized with availability of Sniper AI  that offers greater agility and hiring accuracy.  However, both 'touch' (Meet ups) and 'touch less' (BOTs handling routine tasks effectively) will be relevant and necessary  in the future as well for an effective recruitment process. 
•  Do not get carried way with what the business may demand. A 70% fit of the candidate to the job requirements is good enough
•  As toxic workplaces do not attract people, care should be taken to ensure that you have a positive environment for retention. 
• Millennials and  Generation Z rank D&I (Diversity and inclusion) high among what they value in employers. Today, technology can help in a big way in this connection for enhancing productivity, engagement and culture. There are daily based solution to training based technologies to create awareness among companies not familiar with D&I issues. Platforms ( such as Pluto and SAP) can help build diverse culture through analytics, to avoid unconscious bias and identify suitable mentors. 
• We should not be under a wrong notion that technology alone is sufficient for effectiveness in the company. Good /talented/ skilled humans are required to get the machine to learn the right things. While jobs are changing, the skills would remain the same.
• If we desire innovation in the work place, we have to adopt to sudden changes. It may be necessary to hit out at the last ball aiming for a six. 
• Mondays and Thursdays being on boarding days can be a nightmare for recruiters with candidates often just not showing up. 
• Engaging with people and getting them to imbibe the objective of the company is the key.   

The second panel discussion on "Types of jobs expected to be lost and created" was preceded by the key note address by Mr Satish Rajaratnam Senior VP & Global Head Strategic Resourcing Mphasis who spoke about the impact of technology on work transition leading to the year 2030. He spoke elaborately of the likely impact in a VUCA world which include disruptions in operation, in the business model (e.g. Ola transportation services) and in technology. This  complexity can be dealt with by better communication. 

The speaker made predictions about changes in competence and agility. Six out of ten jobs will undergo big changes. 15% of activities will change. Globally 800 million jobs will be dis-positioned ( process of informing candidates they are no longer being considered for a particular role) by 2030. There would be changes ranging from  3 to 60% in the way children are educated. The agricultural activities will see a reduction as also activities which are physical in nature. The financial services will see an increase by 9%. 

The second panel was moderated by Mr Surya Prakash Mohapatra, Global Head Wipro Digital Operations and Platforms. The members were Mr Anupam Srivastava, Director Talent Acquisition EMEA/APAC Tivo, Mr Muralidhar Teppala, Founder & CEO Shenzyn, Dr Grace Samson HR Head Informatica, Ms Asha Subramanian Sr Director (HR), Gobibo Pvt Ltd and Prof P.K.Mishra IEM-UEM Group. The gist of the discussion  is indicated below:    

• Unskilled and semi skilled jobs may be lost even as technology would make it possible to work more efficiently. As for example with the introduction of Fastag at toll booths, at least half of those originally employed would lose their jobs. This works out to 20 Lac persons overall in the country losing their jobs
• With the introduction of GST and Fastag, the running time of trucks (that run an annual average of  60,000 Kms)  have reduced considerably. Trips that previously took 10 days to cover are now completed in 7 days. This has also resulted in reduction of the number of commercial vehicles sold. 
• In respect of skilled jobs, where layers can be automated, there is  loss of jobs. Jobs like that of data visualizing expert and latest updating will survive. One has to run faster to stay in the same place. 
• Technology does not make humans irrelevant. Humans are required to effectively utilize the technology available. L'Oreal which has an employee strength of 80,000 in 150 countries receive 2 million unsolicited resumes / applications at a time. They handle it with the help of chat bot Mya  who interacts with applicants, provides clarifications,  screens for qualification & suitability and provides recommendations about the 'best fit' and 'non fit' for the job role. You need to be in control of the technology while focusing on upskilling  and motivating the employees. 
• A National employment policy is most essential which will provide the guidelines for studying trends of demand and supply of workforce in various areas and also inputs on what academics can do in a given scenario. 
• Academic institutions should be in constant touch with industry and be willing to dovetail syllabus to changing requirements. Attention should be given also to developing Spiritual Quotient (SQ)  of students as also to networking with the industry. This will provide inputs on what jobs are required for the future. 
• How can one prepare for the future challenges?  Those working in unskilled areas (Switch board operator, Lift operator,check out cashier, factory worker doing physical labour) should take steps to become semi skilled and skilled. 
• Reskilling and skill replacement is the need of the hour. It is pertinent to note here that there is a 9% increase in the robotics industry. 
• How does one match the pace with technology? -  As technology is impacting all businesses and all areas of the business, You need to ask yourself questions such as " How is it impacting my business?- Manufacturing automation, shop floor manufacturing, the retail. Having understood the impact suitable action is to be taken to meet challenges..  

The Three crisp  tips given at the end of this efficiently managed, rewarding conference organized by the  IEM- UEM Group  were 

1) Don't be scared.

2) Run faster to stay in the same place- Accept  'Reskilling' as the Mantra  of the hour.

3) Don't be complacent.   

Talent Re-imagination in the Digital Era

In the November 2019 meeting of NHRD Bangalore, Mr Shreekant Arimanithaya, Global talent leader EY Global Delivery Systems spoke on the subject of "Talent Re-imagination in the Global Era". The speaker has over 26 years of experience in companies such as Britannia, Toyota, Phillips and GE. His present company, Ernst & Young collaborate across borders and provides innovative and strategic in-house services from one of the EY delivery centers in Argentina, China, India, the Philippines and Poland.  It helps clients embrace change as an opportunity.

 The speaker started out by saying that 'Re-imagination' is not an incremental change but an exponential one, turning the business model upside down. It would involve extensive use of digital technology. It would mean leveraging intangible assets such as culture, attitude, creativity. Re-imagination would mean obtaining learning lessons from outside one's own domain as also agility lessons from other domains,other companies and functions. It would require agile change management- being able to adapt, stand up on falling down.

The exercise would involve reshaping yesterday's workforce for tomorrow's talent requirements. The existing employees are to be made 'future ready' and  then use them to recruit appropriate future employees. Harmonious working is to be achieved in a situation wherein five generations of employees are working together. 62% of companies are using flexible work force. There is a need for globally mobile employees. Curiosity, creativity, empathy and taking initiative is the need of the hour as robots are being increasingly used for routine jobs. To be able to work flexibly has become a workforce expectation. 

While 'Re-imagining talent' there is a need to focus on employee well being. The new generation tend to change jobs every three years as they get bored easily. Therefore, preparedness is crucial by paying attention to new operating models, leadership capabilities, skill sets, workforce agility, culture and new working environment. Creating long term value is important. Here is where questions like "Why we should exist?" is important.  Shreekant quoted Simon Sinek, Author & motivational speaker "Today, leaders and employees want a clarity on purpose". He also recommended that the audience watch the video of  sinek available on you tube.  I have included the video " Finding Purpose and Inspiration" here for the benefit of  readers.

Building trust, being distinct from others through client centricity, attracting exceptional talent and extensive use of data and technology with values as the foundation is the need of the hour. The employee is to be encouraged to build and personalize his/her career- You can be yourself, your voice will be heard and you can make a difference. EY supports clients in the journey for making this happen.  Curiosity is the key for building a better working world and keeping employees effective, efficient and fit for the future. Collecting listening data , mood tracking, culture survey etc. are to be done in an agile fashion to ensure social listening and a healthy culture. 

Insights into the rate of engagement, reasons for separation, emerging trends, opportunities, and potential problems can be gained by an automated HR dashboard.  With the support and insights gained from use of technology, you are in a position to give the message to employees that "You can leave us but we can't leave you and will continue to engage with you." Hybrid data management platforms like Boomerang commerce enables organizations to collect data of any type, source and structure to make data simple and accessible across multiple vendors, deployments and workloads. The information thus obtained is descriptive, predictive and prescriptive and enables decision making like those made by a medical doctor. 

There would be a role for counselors to build life time relationships. In the circle of attracting, joining, working and succeeding, a lot of personalization is to be done within generalization. for which algorithms(Set of steps to accomplish a task) have to be developed.The speaker discussed many more data platforms that would be relevant and important in the digital era. As for example interns are given tasks even as they are studying in college that skill them appropriately for the needs of the company . Subsequently,their credibility score is tracked and employment is offered if  they meet the requirements. 

Shreekant, while signing off, underscored the importance of culture in the organization which comprises of the values and behaviour of the employees. It is not about playing the game out of fear with an intention of 'not losing' but playing on purpose and 'playing to win'. In the former case the focus would be on controlling, being critical and pleasing.  However, for achieving the latter, purpose driven transformative leaders are necessary.