Management & HR Related Articles

Rupee rise, economic growth make Indian cities costlier for expats

2007-11-26T20:28:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: India's fast economic growth and appreciation of rupee have made its cities more expensive for expatriates this year, though they remain cheaper when compared to other leading Asian cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, a latest survey says.

Seven Indian cities - Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore have all moved up by 14-21 ranks in the survey titled "Worldwide Cost of Living Ranking 2007" prepared by Hong Kong-based solution provider for international HR professionals ECA International.

"The region's most notable changes have been in India where fast economic growth has pushed up the cost of many goods and services. This, coupled with the appreciation of the rupee against most major currencies, has made Indian locations significantly more expensive for expatriates," a ECA statement said.

Mumbai and New Delhi have risen 14 and 16 places to 177 and 178th ranks respectively, while Hyderabad is up 21 places at 189. Bangalore has risen 15 places to 205th position, distancing itself for the first time from the bottom five in the ranking, it said.

While Chennai is at the 186th place, Kolkata is at 193rd followed by Pune at 194th.

The Cost of Living survey is topped by Korea's Seoul as the costliest city for expats in Asia followed by three Japanese cities Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe at the second, third and fourth ranks in that order.

Hong Kong (5th), Taipei (6th), Beijing (7th), Shanghai (8th), Singapore (9th) and Guangzhou in China (10) are the other cities among the ten costliest places in Asia.

Among the Asian rankings, Indian cities Mumbai and Delhi occupy 24th and 25th positions while Chennai comes at 27th place followed by Hyderabad (28), Kolkata (30) and Pune (31). Interestingly, Bangalore (37) has the least cost of living among Asian cities, followed by the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo (38) and Pakistan's capital Islamabad (39).

Living costs for expatriates are affected by inflation, availability of goods and exchange rates, all of which can have a significant impact on expatriate remuneration packages, added the statement.

"... the commodity boom in recent years has led to considerable currency appreciations in commodity-exporting markets such as Angola, making it an increasingly expensive location for expatriates," said General Manager of ECA International (Hong Kong) Lee Quane.

ECA's cost of living survey is based on comparison of a basket of 128 consumer goods and services commonly purchased by expatriates in over 300 locations worldwide.

Globally, the most expensive city for expatriates is Luanda in Angola, followed by Norwegian capital of Oslo, Moscow, Stavanger (Norway) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

I'm desicritic of the day

2006-05-06T00:25:00.000+05:30

Hey all loyal readers. I'm desicritics "Desicritic Of The Day" today.

Read all my articles on Desicritics.org

I'm not proceeding with this blog for awhile

2006-03-12T00:40:00.000+05:30

If any of u have noticed, I haven't been updating this particular blog of mine for awhile. Could b because I'm not reading too many management related articles online these days.

If u r looking for Management or HR related articles, please visit my pal GG's blog
Gautam Ghosh on Management He brings your attention to some really good articles.

If u would like to read more of what I have written, take your choice :

XLRI: News, Views & Reviews

Freein My Mind: Free Thinking, Free Speaking

What's Up in Mumbai (Bombay)

My Reviews of Restaurants & Pubs

Around The World: My Travel Diary

More Pub Reviews from all Over the World

What's Up in Hyderabad

Jobs for MBA's in India

So thats it for now, maybe I will post more on this site in future... that's y I'm not deleting it as yet....

Help Required - Manjunath Shanmugam

2006-02-22T18:17:00.000+05:30

Hi Everyone,

Most of you must be familiar with the name Manjunath Shanmugam. He was the bright young lad from IIML - 2003 batch who was killed for doing his job honestly & trying to clean up the system. I am sure that when you read the stories in the newspapers last November you would have reacted to them in some way or the other. You might have admired his honesty, felt sorry for the loss of an innocent young life, despaired over the situation in India which allows such things to happen or a million other possibilities.

But did you do something about it ?

Didn't you feel a tiny twinge, a prick of the conscience ?
"What can I do to change the system ?"

Anjali Mullatti - IIML class of '93 is one of those who decided to do something concrete about it. I have pasted her mail below, so you can read in her words, what they are trying to do. It is an onerous task that she has undertaken, the least we can do is help in whichever way that we can. It need not be just financial but also through your network of contacts.

Karthik Karunakaran of the XL 93 batch knows Anjali as a batchmate (albeit a different college) and a friend. He will vouch for her genuineness. If any of you would like to verify any details with him before making a contribution, Karthik can be contacted at
Karthik Karunakaran (BMD'93)
email: kkDELETETHIS@stringinfo.com
mobile: +91-98410-72439

Anjali can be contacted directly at
Anjali Mullatti - IIML class of '93
Catalyst Consulting
Dir: +91.821.4288688
Cell: +91.98801 91323
anjaliDELETETHIS@corporateacademy.com

Now that someone HAS taken the initiative, let's do what we can to help.

Regards,
Karishma
XL 99

-----Original Message-----
From: Karthik Karunakaran

Hi - Here is an appeal for a good cause. Anjali, who is spearheading this, is a friend of mine -KK
-------------------------

All,

Feb 23rd is the birthday of Manjunath Shanmugam - an IIM L (2003) alumnus who lost his life for his fight against corruption. He died on November 19th, 2005.

As a Sales Manager with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL), Manju turned down bribes and ignored threats, to do his job – check rampant adulteration of petrol. He was shot dead in Lakhimpur Kheri by a petrol pump owner and his gang.

To most of us, though we never met him, Manju is extremely familiar and is, in part, within every one of us. This is one cause we CANNOT turn away from. We have no excuse. We must ensure that his death does not go in vain.

The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust is now a legal entity with 2 trustees - Anjali Mullatti (IIML '93) and H. Jaishankar (IIMB '91).

The immediate and urgent focus of the trust is to take up the legal battle and ensure quick justice for the murder case. The murderers must not go free.

The broader objectives of the trust are

a . To establish and maintain an award for individuals/institutions working to uphold the values of truth and honesty in the face of danger to themselves.
b. To provide aid to individuals fighting a legal battle to uphold the values of truth, honesty or justice in the Indian corporate, government or public matters.

For updates on what we have done to date and our next steps, please visit the trust website:
www.manjunathshanmugamtrust.org

How can you help?
Firstly – funds are needed to pay lawyers' fees, case costs, build an award corpus.. this will be a long and tedious battle. Please donate just one day's salary for the cause.
Our first donors: Rs. 44,500 ($ 1000) from Sanjay Khanduri, Wharton Class of 2006, and Rs. 30,000 from Akhil Krishna, IIML 2003.

Secondly, if you can commit time and effort, please write in and be part of the team.

Thirdly, if you have close contacts in media, police, legal, judiciary who can help, please let us know.

It is heartwarming that so many people have already reacted immediately and generously – across the spectrum of media, legal, police and the IIM fraternity. Be part of that group.

How do you donate?
Write a cheque favouring 'The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust' , and courier it to:
2909/1, Raghavapriya, 3rd Main, V.V. Mohalla, Mysore 570 002, India

Write a cheque favouring 'The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust' , and deposit it in any HDFC bank drop box, with a deposit slip, account number 0651000091870.

Do an online money transfer, to the HDFC Bank a/c, from your ICICI /HDFC/Citibank a/c. Account number 0651000091870.

Currently FCRA regulations prohibit us from accepting foreign remittances - we're working on getting special permission. For now, please route all overseas donations via your regular Indian rupee accounts.

We have also applied for income tax exemption for donors under Section 80 (G).

Please contact me for any further clarifications - anjaliDELETETHIS@corporateacademy.com.

Regards,
Anjali Mullatti - IIML class of '93
Catalyst Consulting
Dir: +91.821.4288688
Cell: +91.98801 91323
www.corporateacademy.com

Should We Revert to Classroom-Style Orientations?

2004-12-18T04:13:00.002+05:30

E-learning initiatives have not proven as effective as we expected. Hence, we are considering reverting to a classroom-style orientation program. Would this be a good way to assimilate new hires into our organization?

Orientation programs are really the first opportunity to set the stage and create a smooth transition for new employees into the workforce. The session or sessions you run are a great opportunity to represent the organization’s culture. This introduction should not be taken lightly. A good orientation can catapult a new employee to be extremely productive or deliver a sour note that makes an employee question his decision to join your firm.

Orientation programs can run from a few hours to several months, depending on what you want to accomplish during that time. There are a few things to consider:

1) How difficult is the learning curve for the new employee? How long will it take them to be considered fully productive in their work environment?

Read Full Article

Holiday Office Parties Really Aren't Any Fun If You're the Spouse

2004-12-18T04:13:00.000+05:30

Holiday Office Parties Really Aren't Any Fun If You're the Spouse
By Jared Sandberg
The Wall Street Journal December 15, 2004

The holiday office party may officially begin at 7 p.m., but for spouses it starts during the car ride over. That's when Katherine Hughes has to cram her head full of data whose main purpose is to keep her from trashing her husband's career.

First, she memorizes the roster of executive names, some of them many syllables long (Mukhopadhyay), that don't exactly sound the way they're spelled. Then there's keeping track of the many things she's not supposed to know, such as potential layoffs and the secret details of projects. "Remember," says her husband, "you don't know anything about Eagle," the code name for some new product. "And I didn't mention that the COO is considering firing" so-and-so.

And the party hasn't started yet. Once it does, she says, "you're eating and drinking food and wine that you would never settle for in a restaurant, listening to music you hate, you don't know a soul, and if you say the wrong thing or let on that you are not having fun, you might torpedo your spouse's chances for that big promotion."

In a recent survey conducted by the employee-assistance firm ComPsych Corp., 28% of nonattendees said they planned to skip their company's office party because they didn't like their co-workers; an additional 38% thought the party was too formal and not enough fun.

Just imagine what their spouses think. After all, nowhere in their wedding vows, amid all the talk of sickness, health, richer and poorer, is there any mention of the holiday office party. But annually at this time of year, there it is: a high-stakes pressure fest poorly disguised by awkward smiles, pregnant pauses and the nagging knowledge that much more can go wrong than right. For spouses, holiday parties are the workplace equivalent of meeting the in-laws.

"It is going way beyond the call of duty for work, and maybe even beyond the call of duty for marriage," says Daisy Chin-Lor, a former marketing executive. She says she no longer asks her husband to attend her office parties, adding that she used to warn him to "remember not to say this and this," but some things fell through the cracks. He once asked a staffer and his spouse if they were excited to be moving to Australia from Hong Kong. But the spouse didn't know about the move. "What happens after that," says Ms. Chin-Lor, "is they go home and have a fight."

Bill Kalmar, a quality consultant from Lake Orion, Mich., says he got so many preparty instructions that "I wished that I had taken a written script so that I could remember all the things I shouldn't discuss!"

Another problem is that spouses tend to get clumped together, a result of the fact that the only thing they have in common is that they have only one thing in common with everyone else. If things get awkward enough, they can even turn mutinous. Years ago, Craig Sparks worked for a large law firm where couples were separated from each other during the holiday dinner. "It was really awkward for the young lawyers who were bringing a date instead of a spouse," says Mr. Sparks.

Perhaps that's why Mr. Sparks's wife simply "picked up the card of the woman who was to be seated next to me and moved it," he says. Since then, the firm, which he left, no longer splits up couples.

Marketing consultant David Carrithers notes that the problem for spouses isn't just what they know about the people at the office. It's what those people know about them. "There is fear they will bring up that operation you had, or the really smelly shoes you always wear," he says. In his case, it was the time he fell into the trunk of his car, an event memorialized by his wife in a photo that she had apparently shown to all her colleagues.

He also recalls attending a party where an executive got so drunk that he made lascivious pronouncements to one of his female colleagues. The man's wife, who witnessed the exchange along with everyone else, immediately "went down to the garage, took his new Cadillac and slammed it into a big concrete pillar," he says. Ultimately, the recipient of the advances was promoted, and the executive was moved into a "special projects" division.

That's not to say that some spouses don't love to attend holiday parties. If Tom McCall's wife, Karen, were to miss the office holiday party, it would be "like sitting in the last row of the balcony," says the chief executive of a Dallas insurance company.

In fact, some spouses end up saving the party. Mr. McCall, who tends to throw the office party at his house, once had a staffer who had spousal problems and made a few too many trips to the punch bowl. At one point during the party, "she tipped over and we tucked her in," he says.

In fact, his wife discreetly did the tucking and made sure the woman had fresh towels the next morning, which was a little more than awkward. "She apologized and it took a long time for her to look us in the eye," says Mr. McCall. "But we love her."

Communication Gap ???

2004-12-03T17:55:00.000+05:30

Ever found that you instruct your employees on doing X and they end up doing Y ?

Is this a problem with your communication skills or your employees understanding skills ?

Here's a humorous example, which is supposed to be true...

This allegedly took place in a factory in the USA which makes the 'Tickle Me Elmo' toys, (a children's plush cuddly toy which laughs when tickled under the arm). The legend has is it that a new employee is hired at the Tickle Me Elmo factory and she duly reports for her first day's induction training, prior to being allocated a job on the production line.

At 08:45 the next day the personnel manager receives a visit from an excited assembly line foreman who is not best pleased about the performance of the new recruit. The foreman explains that she is far too slow, and that she is causing the entire line to back-up, delaying the whole production schedule. The personnel manager asks to see what's happening, so both men proceed to the factory floor. On arrival they see that the line is indeed badly backed-up - there are hundreds of Tickle Me Elmos strewn all over the factory floor, and they are still piling up. Virtually buried in a mountain of toys sits the new employee earnestly focused on her work. She has a roll of red plush fabric and a bag of marbles. The two men watch amazed as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around a pair of marbles and carefully begins sew the little package between Elmo's legs.

The personnel manager begins to laugh, and it is some while before he can compose himself, at which he approaches the trainee. "I'm sorry," he says to her, not able to disguise his amusement, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday.... Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles."

Industrial Relations Blog maintained by students @ XLRI

2004-11-28T15:52:00.000+05:30

Forum For Industrial Relations @ XLRI maintains this blog.

The Looking Glass of Employee Relations

Recent topics covered, include
Government To Emphasize On Employment-Led Growth
China: Wal-Mart and the ACFTU, will they or won't they?
Press workers protest dismisal of 362 Hindustan Times workers
Assured Job Is the Best Social Security
Improvement in Financial and Social Condition of Child Labour
Recognizing the Potential of Unorganized Sector
Raising India’s Work Force to International Levels
Everything is Evidence
Productivity Improvement and Labour Relations in the Tea Industry in South Asia
Labour relations - Hyundai style

Personality Testing

2004-11-25T05:47:00.000+05:30

Career Personality Test
Frustrated from not getting the right job? Stuck in a dead-end career? Find out which occupation is right for you!

What's Your Gift For Gab?
Do you spill the beans or crack the jokes? Find out what's your speaking specialty.

What's Your Beauty Secret?
Find out what keeps you looking and feeling your best - inside and out! Take our quiz now!

What's Your Driving Fantasy?
What makes your inner engine tick? From off-roaders to Sunday drivers, we all have an inner driving dream. What's yours? Take Tickle's What's Your Driving Fantasy? test now!

The 10 best employers in India

2004-11-25T01:56:00.000+05:30

The Bangalore-based, Rajiv Mody-founded Sasken Communication Technologies has been ranked as the best company to work for in India, in a study conducted by international HR Consulting firm Mercer in association with Business Today magazine.

The other companies that feature in the '10 best companies to work for in India' list include IT giant Infosys Technologies at the second spot; energy and environment management firm Thermax at number 3; HCL Technologies' subsidiary HCL Comnet at the fourth place and home finance major HDFC at number 5.

National Thermal Power Corporation is the only public sector unit to feature in the top10 list and has been ranked as the sixth best company to work for in India.

The other companies that complete the top 10 list are: pharmaceuticals major Dr Reddy's Laboratories at number 7; IT major Satyam Computer Services at rank 8; India's sixth largest IT firm Patni Computer Systems at number 9; and Hughes Software Systems at number 10.

To create the rankings, Mercer worked with international market research firm TNS and surveyed companies across 14 different industry groups.

For the study, all the companies were evaluated in four key areas. These include employee perception, HR processes and policies, HR metrics and stakeholder perception.

Commenting on the participants and the results, Nitin Dheer, Senior Consultant, Mercer Human Resource Consulting (XLRI, 98)said, "Mercer was responsible for the design of the process as well as analysis of the results, which was done on a no name basis to pre-empt any situations of bias or consultant client conflict, while TNS took care of actual client interface. This insured that the survey results were completely neutral and reflective of the actual caliber of the company."

Rank Company

1 Sasken
2 Infosys
3 Thermax
4 HCL Comnet
5 HDFC
6 NTPC
7 Dr Reddy's
8 Satyam
9 Patni Computer
10Hughes Software

Getting Emotional About Brands

2004-11-24T05:47:00.000+05:30

What role do emotions play in consumer decisions? And what impact do
those emotions have on hard-number business outcomes? Gallup scientists have been wrestling with these questions, and this article reveals six key findings.
http://gmj.gallup.com/content/default.asp?ci=12910

Are You Selling Your People Short?

2004-11-24T03:28:00.003+05:30

Corporate managers routinely subject employees to performance reviews that emphasize people's "areas for improvement," not their talents. The problem with this approach is that by focusing on weaknesses, organizations fail to capitalize on their employees' strengths. It's time to view your people differently.

Don't Be a Cat-and-Mouse Manager

2004-11-24T03:28:00.002+05:30

When managers intimidate and antagonize employees, the organization
suffers. In fact, Gallup's research with millions of employees and tens of thousands of managers reveals this simple truth: People perform better for managers who care about them.

Are Your Employees Scaring Off Customers?

2004-11-24T03:28:00.001+05:30

Disengaged and poorly managed workers could be chasing business out the door, write the authors of How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life. What's more, workgroups drained by excessive negativity also have higher turnover, more accidents on the job, and lower customer satisfaction, innovation, and quality scores.

In Search of the Perfect Office

2004-11-24T03:28:00.000+05:30

Dr. Philip Stone, a psychology professor at Harvard, has spent the past 40 years studying the mentality of employees, from cube dwellers to business leaders. In this Q&A, he discusses what he's learned about the optimal work environment, whether employees need to meet in person, and how a phone conversation may be a good lie detector.

How Marriott Vacation Club International Engages Talent

2004-11-19T13:37:00.000+05:30

When Marriott Vacation Club International launched two new initiatives in 2003 aimed at improving employee performance, some in the company doubted whether the investment would pay off. But one year later, the financial results convinced even the skeptics: "I'm finally seeing a people solution that really impacts the business," says a top MVCI executive.

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.

Evaluating Employee Performance (Part 1)

2004-11-19T12:37:00.002+05:30

How to avoid the flaws inherent in two of the most common performance evaluation approaches.

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.

Why Satisfaction Isn't Satisfying

2004-11-19T12:37:00.001+05:30

Car buyers and dealers are disenchanted with customer satisfaction ratings. It's time for the industry to measure what matters most: customer engagement.

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.

HR for Dummies

2004-11-19T12:37:00.000+05:30

Out with the paper pushers from the old personnel-office days: why organizations should hire and develop strategic human resources executives who think like CEOs.

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.

Taking Humor Seriously in the Workplace

2004-10-29T20:12:00.000+05:30

By Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D.

"How serious can we be about humor in the workplace, and how
humorous can we be about the seriousness we often find there?
According to a Robert Haft International 1985 survey only 15% of
workers are fired because of lack of competence. The remaining 85%
are let go because of their inability to get along with fellow
employees. When asked about the qualities of an effective employee,
senior administrators and human relations personnel check humor as
one of the choice attributes of a desired employee."

Full article at:
http://www.humormatters.com/articles/workplac.htm

Learning by Numbers: The Thinkers 50

2004-10-29T20:10:00.000+05:30

Here is a list of the top 50 management and leadership gurus and
thinkers.

If you click this link to get a brief explination of each of the
thinkers:
http://www.thinkers50.com/

"Thinkers 50", a ranking of the Top 50 management gurus at:
http://www.thinkers50.com/

Accenture's take on the Top 50 at: http://tinyurl.com/5eyeg

and Financial Times (FT) has their own take...
http://news.ft.com/jobs/businessed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Thinkers 50
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Peter DRUCKER
2 Michael PORTER
3 Tom PETERS
4 Gary HAMEL
5 Charles HANDY
6 Philip KOTLER
7 Henry MINTZBERG
8 Jack WELCH
9 Rosabeth MOSS KANTER
10 Jim COLLINS
11 Sumantra GHOSHAL
12 CK PRAHALAD
13 Warren BENNIS
14 Peter SENGE
15 Robert KAPLAN & David NORTON
16 Stephen COVEY
17 Edgar H SCHEIN
18 Chris ARGYRIS
19 Kenichi OHMAE
20 Bill GATES
21 Kjell NORDSTROM & Jonas RIDDERSTRALE
22 Clayton CHRISTENSEN
23 John KOTTER
24 Nicholas NEGROPONTE
25 Jim CHAMPY
26 Andy GROVE
27 Scott ADAMS
28 Richard PASCALE
29 Daniel GOLEMAN
30 Naomi KLEIN
31 Chan KIM & Renee MAUBORGNE
32 Don TAPSCOTT
33 Michael DELL
34 Richard BRANSON
35 Edward DE BONO
36 Ricardo SEMLER
37 Thomas A. STEWART
38 Geoffrey MOORE
39 Jeff BEZOS
40 Paul KRUGMAN
41 Lynda GRATTON
42 Alan GREENSPAN
43 Manfred KETS DE VRIES
44 Robert WATERMAN
45 Watts WACKER
46 Patrick DIXON
47 Geert HOFSTEDE
48 DON PEPPERS
49 Stan DAVIS
50 Fons TROMPENAARS

Chick-fil-A's Recipe for Customer Service

2004-10-28T20:23:00.000+05:30

Not all fast food chains are fast companies. Chick-fil-A is an
exception.
by Chuck Salter

All too often, top-notch fast-food service is an oxymoron, like having high tea at a NASCAR race. Speed is the top priority, a strategy that produces high volume, but leads to notoriously inconsistent, impersonal, and uninspired interaction with customers.

Chick-fil-A is different. Its staff focuses on being swift and
attentive. For the past two years, the Atlanta-based chain was named
"best drive-through in America" by the quick-service restaurant trade
journal QSR.

President and chief operating officer Dan Cathy infuses everyone from
franchise owner-operators to teenagers earning $9 an hour with his
passion for service and his conviction in its intrinsic worth -- to the individual as well as the company.

As we noted in our Customers First Award to the company, customer-centered leadership is the cornerstone of Chick-fil-A's
service. Here are some of the other ideas that keep its customers coming back:

Mind your manners.
At the end of each transaction at Chick-fil-A, you don't hear,"You're
welcome," "Glad to help," or "Come back and see us." You hear these two words: "My pleasure." It's distinctive and classy, the sort of service you expect at a much fancier and expensive establishment, like Ritz Carlton, which is where Cathy says his father got the idea.

Cathy loves to add service touches that people don't expect from a
fast-food restaurant. His latest is folding the last sheet of toilet
paper into a triangular point. He believes it conveys a sense of
cleanliness and meticulousness that customers appreciate. When he or one of the operators comes up with a new twist, he promptly sends out a voicemail message to owner-operators at the nearly 1,200 locations.

Nobody sells your business like your customers.
When the chain opens a new restaurant, it goes out of its way to find
Chick-fil-A fans in the area. Regulars at other locations and people who stop by the construction site eager about the opening get invited to a special dinner the night before the official opening. After serving the crowd a free dinner, Cathy gives them 10 coupons for free meals and deputizes these "raving fans" to act as Chick-fil-A ambassadors. They promise to spread the word and hand out each coupon to a different person, someone unfamiliar with the restaurant.

If you want to race, build yourself a race car
Chick-fil-A employees strive to complete orders within 90 seconds in the drive-through window and 60 seconds at the counter. The technology behind the counter helps them get the job done; a timer on the computer monitor flashes yellow if an order is cutting it close, red if it runs over. Owners also create a sense of competitiveness among the crews. In Louisville, Kentucky, owner Chris Flanagan erected a big red "drive-through wall of fame" to motivate employees. It lists the current record (110 cars an hour) and the names of the employees who achieved it. Whenever a team sets a new mark, he rewards each member with $50.

Know what matters to customers
Every year Chick-fil-A spends more than a $1 million evaluating its
service. In addition to traditional focus groups, the company conducts a quarterly phone survey with customers from each restaurant (the incentive: a free sandwich). The 20 or so questions focus on four factors that most affect loyalty according to Chick-fil-A research: taste, speed, attentiveness and courteousness, and cleanliness. Each location receives a two-page report detailing how it's doing in each area and how it compares to the chain's top performers. In other words, what's working and what needs improving.

You can't be too thorough about hiring
The process of selecting new franchisees is so painstaking and lengthy (up to a year) that it's easier getting into the CIA, Cathy likes to joke. Applicants work in a restaurant and endure countless interviews; often, their spouses and parents get interviewed as well. Cathy wants to be sure that new operators share Chick-fil-A's corporate values. All the restaurants, for instance, are closed on Sunday, as a day of rest and worship. Operators don't necessarily have to be Christian, Cathy says, but they do have to exhibit humility, passion for service, compassion, and genuineness.

The main idea of "servant leadership," says Cathy, is that leaders serve the staff. Managers treat their employees how they want those employees, in turn, to treat customers. "If we have to keep telling people what to do, it means we're not modeling the behavior ourselves," says Cathy. "If we're living it every day, we don't need to talk about it."
~~~~~~~~~~

CopyrightÂ© 2004 Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Multiple Strategies and then Skill - or - Single Strategy,Skill, and Then Additional Strategies?

2004-10-28T20:20:00.000+05:30

This is actually the thoughts of a Mr. Pete Blair of Tampa. I found this on the net and didnt know how to contact him n ask him if I could put this on my blog. So Mr. Blair if u read this, Im giving full credit to u, but forgive me for not being able to ask your permission.

~~~~
In today's Tampa Tribune, there is an article that brings an argument to my thinking, and I'd like others in this forum to express both their opinions, their experiences, and any research that backs up either argument.

The article in question indicates that in this county's elementary schools, students are simultaneously taught multiple strategies and are then expected to use the method or strategy they understand.

The example cited was the addition of two numbers, 37 and 46.

In strategy 1, students are taught to add the columns starting with the left most column and then adjusting that column if the next column figures exceed 9. Using this strategy, 3 + 4 = 7 and 7 + 6 = 13. Since the 13 exceeds 9, the 1 in the 13 is used to "adjust" (add to) the 7, resulting in 8. The final answer therefore is 83.

Strategy 2, which is similar to strategy 2, says to add, again from right to left, but in this case, treat the sums of individual columns as partial sums and then add those sums. Once again, 4 + 4 = 7 and the 7 goes below the "tens" column. 7 + 6 = 13 with the 3 going below the units column and the 1 going below the tens column. Adding the numbers in the tens column (7 + 1) again results in 8. Since there is only one figure (3) in the units column, the number is simply brought down resulting in a total of 83.

Strategy 3 strives to convert at least one of the original numbers to a number ending in zero because numbers ending in zero are easier to work with and are considered "friendly numbers." To achieve this, the student would be taught to add 3 to the 37 to bring it up to 40 (a friendly number), and then to subtract that same number from the 46, reducing it to 43. Adding 40 to 43 yields 83.

As a side comment, I was taught to add from right to left, carrying the tens value of numbers greater than nine into the next column and repeating this process until all columns had been added. However, that was in the pre-enlightened era, back in 1941, so you will just have to bear with me.

Here's my argument and the one which I would like feedback.

I believe, on the contrary (and based on many years of personal experience in developing industrial training), that it is more difficult to learn a skill while assimilating multiple strategies than it is to be taught a single strategy, gain experience and skill in applying it, and then to be introduced to additional strategies.

Do you agree with me or the learned ones running the Hillsborough County schools?

My second question is, "does the principle apply differently to adult learners than to children?"

If you agree or if you disagree with me, what is your rationale for doing so?

Pete Blair, Raleigh, NC and Sun City Center, FL

Gurus Galore

2004-10-28T18:43:00.000+05:30

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gurus Galore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Theory-of-the-month' books, buzzwords have made millions for their creators Most offer little new insight into management, say experts.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename==thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c==Article&cid=98181264778&call_pageid=—0599119419
or
http://tinyurl.com/6lf7y

Cubicle Culture by Jared Sandberg

2004-10-27T20:15:00.000+05:30

Bleeding Indicators, Other Indexes Gauge Workplace Health
by Jared Sandberg
October 20, 2004
The Wall Street Journal

The barrage of economic data coming at us with extra topspin during this election season suggests that macroeconomic figures actually mean something to the average office schlep.

In an effort to supply more relevant data about the health of your
workplace, here's my own list of Office Economic Indicators. My
apologies if they remind you a) just how badly your company is actually doing, and b) that it's time to pull out your rÃ©sumÃ©:

Really Gross Domestic Product: One of the most important quarterly
measures of a company's performance, this figure gauges increases in
output, specifically trash piling up in office garbage cans as a result of janitorial cutbacks.

Changes in the index are sometimes overlooked because of false
assumptions that the cleaning team is undergoing a temporary blip. When Allan Whitescarver, who worked at a Colorado ski resort that had fallen on tough times, noticed that the prior day's trash was still in the can, his first reaction was that it was just weird. He says he figured "maybe someone got sick in the janitorial pool." In fact, though, the resort had pared its cleaning services to once weekly, citing downward revisions in "perceived need."

Perk Deficit: Measures the drastic reduction in available workplace
assets, ranging from free food and paper products to office supplies
(seasonally adjusted to exclude September's back-to-school theft).

The numbers also take into account new limits on the number of light
bulbs that have to burn out before someone fixes them, increases in
brown-bag lunch meetings, and changes in holiday party venues. "We went from a big hotel with a night of endless shrimp," says marketing
consultant Susan Johnson, "to an in-house pot luck with a colleague
singing on the guitar."

Fudge-It Surplus: This measure of the depth of trouble a company is in is based on the number of times the management insists that it's
healthy.

Coleen Flathman was a financial analyst at a Texas bank on a buyout
binge, including the acquisition of some questionable loans, when her
employer began to attach memos to its bimonthly paychecks. The memos
"would tell different statistics about why it was such a great company," negative news reports notwithstanding, Ms. Flathman recalls. Attached for six months, they always concluded "that we did not need to worry; there were adequate funds to cover payroll." But, she notes, "a solvent company doesn't feel the need to tell you that your paycheck won't bounce."

After the bank started providing the memos, Grousing Starts and
Disinterest Rates spiked. "People started leaving left and right," Ms. Flathman says. (See also Bleeding Economic Indicator.)

Disposable Personnel Nincompoops: This real-time index gauges the
inventory of idiots-on-hand. Applicable to all industries, the DPN
measures people's stupidity as indicated by everything from their
suggestion-box entries to their PowerPoint presentations.

Downticks in the index, though rare, suggest that despite all odds,
smarter heads have actually prevailed. When Robbie Jennings worked for a hospital, its chief financial officer proposed to reduce the number of ply in the toilet paper from three to one. At that point the chief operating officer raised his hand and said, "If we go from three-ply to one-ply, I'm outta here," recalls Ms. Jennings.

Bleeding Economic Indicator: Charts the departure of key personnel,
giving extra weight to the lameness of a former executive's new job and excuses about wanting to spend more time with the family.

When Bob Cly was an Air Force contracting officer, he witnessed the
problem every time word spread that certain projects wouldn't be funded. "Everybody who could jumped ship right away," he says. "It was the most depressing thing you can imagine."

But an associated index -- the Parking Availability Index -- can rise, too. When that happens, says Mr. Cly, "I have no problem getting the very best parking space."

No-Confidence Index: This measure emerged to track the rise and fall of company T-shirt production during an era when a company initiative, product or trade show wasn't an initiative, product or trade show without its own T-shirt. The past four years have seen the lowest NCI in the postwar era. "No one seems to wear company clothes anymore," says Suzanne Ambiel, a competitive analyst for a major technology company.

A downward trend in the NCI frequently tracks closely with the Office
Park Agricultural Index, which weighs the ratio of costly annuals to
cheaper perennials. "Many campuses went to geraniums, which are
self-seeding, from pansies and snapdragons," she says.

Underemployment Index: Tracks the number of fliers on the office
bulletin board from employees who are seeking to moonlight in order to make ends meet. The fliers solicit new clients for such services as notarizing documents, in-home child care and scrapbooking. "You know, selling stickers or scrapbook lessons," says Ms. Ambiel. "You can become a franchisee for a scrapbook-supply company."
----

Sharky's add on :

This should include:
Caffeine Allocation Ratio (CAR) : The word 'ratio' is actually a
misnomer, as this indicator is actually presented as a graph where the X-axis measures the average % Volume Utilisation of each cup of coffee dispensed by office coffee machines, and the Y-axis measures the % (of total) buttons on the same machines for different varieties of coffee that actually work.

In times of growth, points representing CAR for individsual companies
when plotted on the graph are known to cluster around the top right
corner, and so on...

N R Narayana Murthys message to HR professionals

2004-10-27T17:52:00.000+05:30

Message delivered at the International NHRD Conference 21 October 2004
----
Indias exports currently account for about 11% of the countrys GDP bringing in earnings of $ 70 billion. If India needs to grow and become a developed nation, it needs to focuson expanding its export base from the current level of $ 70 billion to about $ 250 bllion. It would require a focus on being globally benchmarked which is possible with high quality people. However, we often find that high quality people donot have the requisite experience and this is something that the HR fraternity needs to address.

Another issue which the economy would need to address, is the vexatious problem of low productivity displayed by the countrry"s agriculture sector which despite employing 65% of the nations workforce produces oly about 220 million tonnes of foodgrains. A portionof the workforce needed to be redeployed in either the services or manufacturing sector.

One of the biggest obstacles to eradicating poverty in India has been the inability to raise the peoples aspirations whichin turn could lead to growth and prosperity. We have built huge iron and steel industries, sent rockets in the space still we have 30 crore people who are illiterate. there is no drinking water for more than 25 crore people. There are no sanitation facilities for more than 75 crore.

There has been failure of leadership as well as failure in our HR function. In 57 years of independence India had achieved major landmarks like construction of bridges, dams and building of world class educational institutions, but the country still had to combat evils like rampant poverty, illeteracy and lack of educational facilities. More than 50%of the rural classes do not have adequate teaching staff. Indian political and administrative leadership has failed in their duty. Standard of living of indians is gong down day by day. we have failed in putting the nations interest above personal interest and to increase in aspirations of the people.

HR professionals have a challenge to build the leadership meant for the public sector, academia or even the political establishment. The Nehruvian view of a large population being bneficial to a nation was no longer corrrect and that the quality of workforce was deteriorating by the day.

It is time for the HR professionals should awake to this need of the hour. Coming out of their airconditioned rooms they should play active role in society. They should develop human resourse which will provide leadership in political, admnistrative and corporate world.

HR professionals should not have limited agenda of having human capital but also should aim at developing high aspirations among the peopleand create a feeling that we Indians are second to none. It is essential that young professionals to have higher aspirations, nobler goals and not to get satisified too easily.

The Big Impact of Small Interactions

2004-10-20T12:37:00.000+05:30

Your employees have thousands of interactions each day, according to the authors of How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life. For better or worse, some of those interactions are life-changing.

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.

Google Desktop Search: Security Threat?

2004-10-19T18:08:00.000+05:30

Google Desktop Search: Security Threat?
Posted by Tom Spring
Friday, October 15, 2004, 06:29 AM (PST)

Google Desktop Search might just be too good. Using the new software, I was able to bypass user names and passwords that secure Web-based e-mail programs and view personal messages sent and received on public PCs.

Using Google's new software on a shared computer at the Google booth at the Digital Life trade show floor I was able to easily search for, find, and read private Yahoo e-mail sent on the computer by previous users earlier in the day.

Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products, told me she wasn't surprised. "This is not a bug, rather a feature," she says. Google always intended people to be able to index and search Web-based e-mail viewed and composed on PC, she says. Google Desktop Search is not intended to be used on computers that are shared with more than one person, she says.

Whether or not Google intended this, I take great pause at knowing any e-mail I write or read on a PC with Google Desktop Search could be called up and read by a complete stranger.

To find old e-mail on the PC, I searched for "compose" and "inbox" using Google Desktop Search. This allowed me to view pages that Google Desktop Search had indexed. I was not able to access the query results directly, but Google Desktop Search stores cached versions of search results found on your desktop, just like it does for its Web searches. The cached versions of the pages could be viewed.

By accessing Google Desktop Search cached pages I could then easily access multiple Web-based e-mail accounts and view some of the messages that had been opened previously in the browser. Searching for "compose" yielded the most startling results. I was able to read private missives sent on the PC very easily.

On one computer alone I was able to access no less that 10 personal e-mails that had been sent using password-protected Web-based e-mail accounts.

Mayer dismissed my concern that this is a security issue. She points out that you can configure Google Desktop Search not to index Web pages or specific domains. That would prevent Google Desktop Search from indexing and caching the URL "mail.yahoo.com".

Google has had to face security questions in the past over its GMail Web-based e-mail service.

Looking for the Perfect Process?

2004-10-18T12:37:00.001+05:30

In their efforts to increase productivity, organizations continue to search for the perfect process that they can impose company-wide. The problem: It doesn't exist. But some processes are much more effective than others. Find out which ones.

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.

Are You a Winning Coach?

2004-10-18T12:37:00.000+05:30

Coaching courses are now among the most popular training programs offered to managers. And many organizations are evaluating managers "coaching skills" during their annual performance reviews. But what does "coaching" actually mean? And what separates great coaches from all the rest?

Click on the heading to be directed to the full article.