What are your Values?

Values: They Make Sense…

 When I was child, one day, I found the coin of 50 paise on the street while coming home from the school. 50 paise was also reasonably good amount for me. I could buy 10 candies with 50 paise that time. When I reached at home, I showed  the coin to my mother happily…I thought my mother would allow me to take candies with that coin. But when she saw it, she started asking questions after questions. She ensured that I really found it on the street. Then she said..

“Have you tried to find the owner of this coin?” I said, “No, nobody was there that time…"

“Son, this is not our coin, somebody must have lost it and we don’t have the claim on this. Please go in the temple and put it in the donation box.” She ordered firmly.   

Above incident taught me a lot. The integrity and no claim on other’s money are the fundamental values, I learned and I still follow the same today…

Fundamentally values mean our belief on something, the way we work and the fundamental dos and don’ts while living our life. Values are beliefs about what is more important to any individual in life. These values are based on the purpose of our life.  Values represent basic convictions that a “specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence.”

Milton Rokeach created the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) which consists of two sets of values:

Terminal values: These  values are desirable & end-states of existence. For example a world of peace, a sense of accomplishment, a world of beauty, equality, freedom, and salvation.

Instrumental values: These are preferable modes of behaviour or means of achieving the terminal values. For example, capable, cheerful, courageous, imaginative, logical, loving, and responsible.

However basically all values are for the purpose of life…may it be fulfilling our need, performing our obligations, achieving our aim or goals, discharging the duties as citizen- corporate or social, or satisfying our conscience etc..

Our values are developed from family background, our childhood perceptions,  surrounding, our teachers, reading, education, friends, inspiration from our role models… sometimes it keeps changing as per the situation, however there are some values which came from our parents and elders on which we would not like to compromise.

We should keep in mind that our value system govern our thinking, influence our attitude, motivate our actions. They decide the right or wrong of a choice and they determine our image as a person who is right or wrong, trustworthy or untrustworthy.

If your personal values are aligned with organizational
values, then only you would get sense of achievement.

What’s about the individual values and organizational values?

There are lot of changes in the way we operate.  Every company is focusing on “new way of working.” The value systems, also, have undergone a gradual shift over the past few years. This shift is driven by an increased focus on customers and on the individual contribution that employees can make to the business. This shift in values creates an interesting dilemma and potentially serious issues for managers wanting to introduce top-down changes or large change initiatives today. Now everyone in the organization is on Facebook, twitter and companies are recruiting social site experts to gain the competitive advantage. The value system is also changing the basic assumptions. For example, in past people were not open to speak about their pleasure & personal issues unlike today. Now everybody wants to drum his life open on the social media without thinking the consequences of the same.   

Does this means values are also changing? Earlier companies were managing the business and changes thereon under a strict chain of command. Managers had tight control over employees and they would expect compliance with any change. Elders and parents were playing the role of command at home… 

In the organizational context, the individual have different types of vales. These values are

Interpersonal: Values that refer to relations with others.

Extrinsic: Values that refer to motivating factors at work.

Intrinsic: Values that relate to personal beliefs and attitudes.

When somebody does the job in the organization, his values also reflect in his behaviour. However if values of the person contradict with organizational values, then dissatisfaction is common phenomenon. It also has the impact of the culture of organization. For example, if family first is employee’s value and his job in the organization has a tough issue for getting the time for family, there is a contradiction. After few days, employee either have to compromise on his value or he would have to find another job.

In life, you finally have to decide which value you would like to compromise over other. But keep in mind few values can’t be compromised… what are yours’ that you would not compromise?     

If you are an employee, check if your values are aligned with the organizational values. If you are a manager, check how you assess your employee for values and coach our employee so that he gets engaged.  

My thoughts on Education, Industry, Professionals and HR

Recently siliconinida published my thoughts on different aspects of the HR profession. Here is the details script for my blog readers. This interview is also available on http://www.siliconindia.com/profiles/Vinod-Bidwaik-EmM5yIfH.html

 What are your thoughts on education system in India? What measures to be taken into consideration to improve its quality?

Speaking on "HR as a Game Changer" at MIT.

I came from the middle class family. I educated from vernacular medium school till SSC. Teachers, that time, were more committed. I remember when our teachers used to take extra classes without any extra tuition fees. It does not mean that they were earning well, but their commitment to the teaching profession was high. My success still is in the commitment and values taught by my parents and committed teachers. It does not mean that it was best education system, but teachers were going extra mile and students’ success was considered their success.  

Our education system is focus more on instructions.  It is a time to re-look the whole system.  More focus on modeling and experiential sharing should be given. Academics and theory make your foundation sound, but students should be allowed more experiments. To summarize with the education should be more practical, on the shop floor rather than in class rooms, with the use of technologies. We should en courage to do the as much as experimentation and innovations.       

What can professionals do on their own to help India become a developed country?

Winning professionals are successful because, they made experimentation. They learn from mistakes and they excel in their professional world. Most importantly, they succeeded in adverse conditions. There are no ideal conditions. I think their experience can be the motivation to the aspiring professional. These professional can support India by giving their inputs for making policies. They can be mentor and coach to the students and researchers. They can be viewed as role model. Let’s use their expertise. Unfortunately, their expertise is not fully utilized. In business colleges and institutes, these professionals are invited just for the rituals. Is there any motivation to these people to share their wisdom and expertise? There are autonomous industry association bodies, but does government has invited these professional? Very few.

I think their role should be recognized in economy and should be proper system of acknowledgement. Professional are happy to support the nation.            

How do you recruit & retain the diverse and ambitious Generation Y. Are they really ambitious?

There are different perspectives to this. Generation Y from metro cities are different from Generation Y from tier 2, small town or rural areas. In totality they are different from each other. Students from metro cities have more opportunities due to their socio-economical background. When I look back and see myself, I think, I was the thinking the same what so called generation think today! They are ambitious because their social values. The youth from rural area may also be ambitious, but will not change the job so frequently, because his priority may be different.  We recruit all these guys considering all these dimensions.  The correct value proposition as per the generation’s requirement is required. The expectations and ambitions are high because there are lots of opportunities in the market. Their engagement is crucial. We need to understand their motive and drive first. They need Empowerment, Entertainment, Education, Enrichment, Enlightenment and Encouragement.      

What are the biggest pain points for HR?

As said by Jack Welch, business is the game and it is all about winning. The team that wins is the team with the best players.  HR’s job is to field the best players. Biggest pain areas are deploying the right talent. I believe that talent is vital in business growth, but right talent is. The struggle of line managers is to identify the right talent in their team. Another pain point is engagement and retention of the right talent. Now a day, employees have lot of expectations; their target year in any company is, maximum 3 years. Their drive is totally self-centric but still believes on hardworking and performance. The issue is how to match their expectations. 

What kinds of Challenges are there in panning Human Resource Strategies in an ever changing business?

Business situation is dynamic. There are no ideal conditions now. Situation is always turbulent. Yesterday’s strategy will not work today. There is no one solution for all issues. You have to work on tailor made solutions of different talent and again as per the business need. These are main challenges. 

Do you have any advice/suggestions for fellow HR Leaders?

I have seen most of the HR professional don’t update themselves.

My suggestion is “don’t stop learning.” Update your concepts on different HR practices. Benchmark with others and try to implement the best things. Improve on soft skills. HR success is not only for functional expertise, but is on how you play the role of partnering the business. HR needs to be more credible and advise business leaders on their HR issues. Another factor is how you engage your employee with creating your own personal brand. So, network in the organization for selling your HR ideas.      

What are the upcoming trends that you see in HR world today?

Speaking on "Employability" at SCMLD.

There will be different roles in HR function itself. HR experts, HR services and HR business Partner. As per the drive of HR professionals, they can move in all these functions. Use of technology will be crucial for right HR decisions in Talent Management. HR business partners will be expected to play the role of advisors to business leaders supported by other two functions. They are expected to be change agent drive the HR strategy.     

How do you identify leaders and promote them to the next level?

Talent in the organization is calibrated and identified as per their potential. This is validated by different functional leaders based on their interaction with the person and his performance. The identified potential also goes through the development center.

What are some of the different qualities you look out for while hiring people?

First: Culture fit

Second: Team Fit

Third: Job Fit.

Apart from this their attitude is important. Off course their knowledge and skills are important, but more important are their attitude and soft skills, like team skills, communications skills, his way of interacting etc. However it is purely depend upon his area of work.

What is the relationship between the HR Department and the CEO?

HR is the culture and it is driven by the top management. Hence, HR is always important agenda on the table along with other business issues.

How do you attract good people, retain the better performers and advance the best?

We have the best practices in the company for all functions. The company brand is the solid. We adopt best in the industry.   

What Websites/Books/Magazines Do you Recommend to fellow Professionals in the industry?

Vinotbidwaik.blogspot.com, Silicon India, CiteHR, HRlink.in, Human Capital, APS Labour digest, Harvard business review, Indian Management and book written by Dave Ulrich, TVS Rao etc. I also suggest reading motivational books written by Steven Covey etc.

Books like HR transformation, HR Champion, Mind of Strategist, The Duckling Duck, One Minute Manager are worth readable books. “Daily Drucker” should be on every manager’s table.

Communication Technology Syndrome

Communication Technology syndrome is the abnormal behavior seen in human being (especially in educated human being) where s/he becomes a slave of technical instruments like mobiles, software and gazettes and social networking sites.

I have seen people checking their mobile phones for SMS, some unnecessary updates. By doing this they ignore the person seating next to them. They are unaware about their surrounding. People speaking on mobile while driving and putting their and other’s life in danger are really idiots. The height is wearing hand-free and sometimes Bluetooth instrument. The person wearing Bluetooth instruments looks funny to me. The question comes in mind, “how busy the guy is? And if he has not responded to the mobile alert will the world end?” 

“We have nothing to discuss when I go at home; we shared everything on phone, or face book.” One person was sharing. “We go home, eat, watch TV and go to sleep.”

Now a day, people communicate more through mails, mobile phones, and facebook status update. The communication has been through technology and one to one communication has been totally ignored.

I have seen the status update of one person expressing his love to his wife on the fecebook. Human being has the need to glorify himself. Every person has the desire to appear extraordinary among the crowd. Every like and comment on facebook update makes them happy.  Hence they are eager to post the happening in the life, but sometimes they ignore the privacy part of the life.   

This behaviour is a habit. Checking updates on facebook, being on mobile continuously is the obsession. This can be converted into the compulsive obsession. Is it normal? I don’t think so. This behaviour is definitely abnormal. People do the farming, grow their chicken and spend half of the day on social networking sites. They live in second life on web.  This is resulting into loss of productivity.

Blackberries show red signal when some message or email appears in the inbox.  This is distracting and there are people who even can not sleep peacefully checking and responding to those mails.   

Technology is for human being and human being is not for technology. You can not replace the technology with human interaction, interpersonal communication and relationship. Technology is the mean to improve the relationship and communication and hence we should know where and how to use these tools.      

The Poor Boy

That little boy has a curiosity about children waiting for their school bus. The 5-6 year old boy with running nose, long shirt and without pant is observing all the children. His parents are construction workers. They stay in temporary shed provided by the builder. When children gather on the bust stop, he also comes outside from his hut and just observes children.

He must be curious about what these children do and why they wait there. Instead of playing why all these children goes somewhere from their home. He perhaps also must be thinking, why he is not admitted in school as these children.

After some days, he comes closer to the children. His intention is to speak with the children, but he hesitates. Perhaps he wants to ask the children where they go, what they do etc etc. But he does not dare. He has the fear of ladies, mothers of children, standing with the children.

One day, the boy dares to speak with the children. He walks towards the children.

One girl sees him, “Oh, dirty boy, what are you looking here? get loss from here.” Her mother smiles and anybody can see the pride on the face of mother, “how brave my daughter is?” she must be thinking.

“Oh, he is a poor boy, must be dirty, but he is also a child.” Another boy responds to the girl, “But see how happy he is?”

On this response girl shows funny face to the boy.

“No need to make funny face. If any rich child than you says same to you, will you not hurt?” Another boy takes the side of poor boy.” Mother of this child feels more proud now.

This is a small incident, however teaches us the different perspective of thinking pattern of two different children. I think it comes through the influence of the value education from parents.