Self Appraisal-Amuse Yourself What is  Self Appraisal: Self evaluation process involved in determining the level of self efficacy . By and large, corporate companies go for a one tier system of appraisal-where the supervisor generates a confidential report about his subordinates as and when required. This serves as a basis for the management to decide on increments or promotion for the respective candidate. But the question is, is this system fool proof? Definitely not. There are certain lapses that deserve mention and the management has to design suitable appraisal formats to improve or strengthen the weak areas. Purple Minimalist We Are Hiring Project Manager Poster by managementguru.net Some areas where the appraisal process can take a deviation: A biased report given by the appraiser due to various reasonsPerception of appraiser may be wrongThe appraiser sees the appraisee through his ideas and not from the management’s view point, which may lead to clash of ideas where the appraisee is made the victimFlaws in the design of the appraisal process where the top management may not come to know the real need of the appraiseeAppraisees sometimes don’t identify themselves with the organization and its objectivesAppraisees may not know what kind of behavior traits is expected of them by the management So it is imperative on the part of the management to introduce self appraisal process in its agenda, where the appraisee himself becomes the appraiser. This helps the organization to accomplish its overall objectives in a short time through a high performance system. This kind of appraisal by ‘oneself’ makes each and every employee to clearly understand where he stands against the expected scale of behavior. 7 ways to be professional at work Two-tier system as we may call it will help in the following manner: Participative approach infuses a sense of belongingness amongst the workforcePotential of the appraisee can be brought outThe real problem of the employees is knownHigher level of approach or interest to know or evaluate one’s own behavior is seen. Basically, organizations must examine their assumptions about human behavior and come to a common belief about people. If they believe people are basically “bad” management might go for hiring “watch-out-look-out” supervisors, rigid disciplinary regulations, and separate facilities such as parking, dining and rest rooms. All these clearly spell out the existence of distinction between the management and workforce. If the organization comes to a common agreement that people are basically “good”, entirely the approach will be different. Every worker becomes a manager and uniform treatment is given to both the employees and managers of higher cadre. Essentially in my opinion, no organization or work society will succeed without visionaries and uniform treatment that is consistent with basic principles and ethics. It has to be understood that work attitudes and values are ultimately a company’s best competitive advantage. Note: Larsen & Toubro – Engineering major Larsen & Toubro has developed a competency matrix which lists 73 competencies-that vary across managerial levels-to measure performance and gauge developmental needs of its employees. National Panasonic – The Japanese white-goods major has developed a performance-assessment system driven by Key Result Areas (KRAs). KRAs describe performance goals-business, functional, and behavioural ones-with defined time-frames and are decided jointly by the employee and his manager at the beginning of the...

Executive Development – Options are Wide Open Who is an Executive: A person or group having administrative or managerial authority in an organization. While “executive” and “manager” and “leader” are often used interchangeably, “executive” is commonly used to signify the top 5% to 10% of the organization. Executive Development : aimed at developing the skills and competencies of those that (will) have executive positions in organisation. Capabilities of a Good Manager: A good manager can make an organization grow, survive and shine amidst tough competition, if he is bestowed with corporate competencies such as perseverance, capacity to put in hard work, sense of loyalty and responsibility, all of which may be inherited or acquired qualities. Loyalty stems from internalized morality that may be a result of his value system. Executive success is what the organizations should aim for, and firms should try to figure out the fundamental components that make up the success formula or equation. Road to Self-Development: In less developed countries, employees are more than satisfied if they are provided with a job that offers safety and security. Their thinking is restricted to mere physical and biological comforts and does not go beyond that point, where self development and self-actualization come into the picture. In developed countries, the situation is quite different, where the workers aim for empowerment and look for reasons that motivate them to do a job. Money also has its due role to play, and people whose wages are very meager cannot be expected to aim for empowerment, where their single motive is mere survival. Abraham Maslow’s Point of View: Abraham Maslow puts forward the hierarchical needs theory, arguing that, there are five levels of needs for people in general, right from physiological needs at the bottom of the pyramid and need for self actualization at the top, and safety, security and esteem needs coming in between. He points out that, once a need is satisfied, it ceases to be a motivator. This is so evident in our day to day lives, where wants and needs never cease to exist and once a want is satisfied, human mind wanders to catch hold of another. So, organizations should understand and analyze, what factors best motivate their employees, particularly their managers (who might serve as a source of inspiration to their subordinates).It should be remembered that non-availability of jobs leads to dissatisfaction whereas availability of jobs need not motivate employees. Some factors which have been proven to be real motivators are as following: Recognition Opportunities for self development Additional responsibilities(lateral expansion) Timely rewards(in terms of money and appreciation) Security Inculcating a sense of belongingness Conducive corporate atmosphere Corporate culture Good human relations Economic burden makes people less enthusiastic and anxious in developing countries and this hinders them from delivering to their fullest potential. Also the bureaucratic approach followed by conservative firms, autocratic leadership style and lack of supportive atmosphere make people work like automatons devoid of creativity. Such firms may show good results in terms of productivity initially, but in due course has to pay the price, in terms of absenteeism, high attrition rates and less efficiency. It has been proven that job satisfaction is directly proportional to efficiency. When people find a job tedious and monotonous, they tend to lose interest, which will be evident from their lack lustrous performance. Performance management has its bearing on executive success and by providing with ample scope for career advancement and autonomy; managers prove their mettle even within limited scope of resources. Acceleration of executive change implies the development of the executive mind for performing managerial activities in a better way. Note : A survey of CEOs in Fortune 500 enterprises indicated that executives spend little time with their...

Smart Retention Strategies: Before going into the details of how to handle attrition, the first thing you must understand and realize is this. Each person working for you will have different expectations, perspectives and demands about his job, work environment and compensation respectively. Right at the time of recruiting and selecting the employee, his ideas must be taken into consideration and then it becomes the prerogative of the management whether to hire the person for that particular job. So the first step will be the right person for the right job, giving due importance to the anticipation of the employee who is going to become a member of your business family. Udemy Best Sellers:New Manager Training in Essential SkillsLeadership: Practical Leadership Skills Need for Open Conversation: In case of a small firm or company, it is easy for the manager to have a one on one conversation with each employee to settle his score of grievances then and there. Managers must have an open conversation without room for any ambiguity in the minds of his workers. The manager should try to protect the interest of the employees by representing their demands to the management at the right time. Many employees quit their positions because they have a nagging feeling at the back of their minds that their immediate boss is not the right kind of person to whom they can look up to and ask for support. In big corporates it is not easy to go for a one on one approach. A unique corporate culture that Trains the employees to have an uniform approach to all the systems of routineLed by an effective leader who controls and monitors the behavior and attitude of the workersPossesses sound management practices that make the employees come out with their suggestions freely and induce them to participateProvides satisfactory compensationIncorporates an open door policy catering to the different needs of people and also to the different levels of management, will help the managers to have a healthy relationship with the employees. Human Wants and Needs: Human wants are unlimited and when one want is satisfied, we want more of the same or yet another of a higher order. Approach your workforce to satisfy their craving either in terms of compensation or recognition which will also help to retain your workforce to a greater extent. There should be room for growth, especially for entrepreneurial minds and minds that have parallel thinking. Pic Courtesy: CuteHR Self-Motivation is the Key: Although motivation brings cheer amongst your workforce, self-motivated employees produce better results. Job satisfaction is a relative term; it differs with individuals, some like challenges and some are easily satisfied with an increase in salary quotient. A comprehensive appraisal on the personality of your workforce will give you a clear picture of the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EI (Emotional Intelligence) range of your employees which helps in designating employees in the appropriate slots. Such human rationing saves you a lot of time, energy and money as the employees are guaranteed satisfaction in their jobs. Contracts and Agreements: Contracts and agreements bind the employees to the firm only legally. How is that going to help you in terms of productivity? If one of your employees is going to work with discontent, he becomes a problem source spreading the same kind of feeling to others working with him. So it is also necessary for the management to spot out these problem persons either to bring them back into the groove or fire them without any further delay. Rising costs of living and unemployment ratios are really of economic concern, but still we find employees just like that quitting...

Personnel or Human Resource Management: is the strategic approach to the management of an organization’s most valued assets – the people. Human resource is always in great demand as competent or skilled labor is in short supply. It is important to remember that no one is born with the value of excellence, as the acquisition is gradual in nature and only possible through proper training and one’s own cognitive perception. It is not that people have to belong to the elite group to make their mark in the respective fields. The best leaders and managers often are ordinary people creating amazing results and astounding success. Try some of these golden etiquettes for achieving excellence in the management of human resource: Clear objectives have to be set with the consensus of the employees Recognize the progress Confront problems Manage with flexibility Understand the value of quality Manage time for better results Enhance decision-making skills by delegating authority Master stress Motivate people Think like a winner Pursue a participative style of leadership To achieve the goals of the organization, the HR department will have to reorient itself on the following lines. It is very important that ‘Right people are chosen for the Right job’. During the induction stage, employee attitudes must be shaped in harmony with the culture of the organization. Dynamic training system should be introduced which is supposed to be a continuous process rather than a sporadic exercise. Quality of Work Life: Organization should ensure satisfactory quality of work life in order to minimize the sense of alienation, found in the workplace. It should contribute to an atmosphere to improve self-discipline, self-motivation and self realization for the purpose of production optimization in terms of both quantity and quality. The presence of a fair performance appraisal system will facilitate the growth prospects of employees in terms of career advancement and development. Fair Compensation: Institutions must work out a fair compensation package for all categories of workmen so that they may be able to receive the living wages instead of subsistence-level wages. The accent should be on production and productivity, without any compromise. Opportunities are aplenty, particularly for experienced personnel as the industries offer wide job prospects for the prospective candidates. Now-a-days job hopping is rampant which is a serious issue to be managed. A number of organizations offer bonus in the form of stock that interjects a feeling of oneness, which ensures alignment of interest between employees and the management. Favored position in terms of enhanced performance from the work force is possible only if the management comes down to embrace and lend their ears to certain rational demands form the other end. Security of Employment Increased wages Employee ownership Participation and employment Internal promotions Information sharing Incentives etc., The personnel function can 1) Attract attention to indicate the importance attached to management’s process and the various policies, practices and systems that support the process. 2) Provide necessary information and expertise on best practices in rival companies to benchmark the process and provide with analytical support for diagnosing and recounting solutions to problems arising in the employee management relation. 3) Engage in business decisions and accelerate change that is consistent with the underlying values of the company. Note: The laws and matters relating to wages and bonus come under the purview of the Ministry of Labor and Employment. The Minimum Wages Bill was passed by the Indian Dominion Legislature and came into force on 15th March,...

Leader vs. Manager – what is the connecting thread? Who is a Leader? A leader is always looked up to, by his followers as they are truly inspired by his personality, behavior and the power of his words and actions. The intellectual ability of a leader is definitely on the higher scale than a non-leader and also the perceptual ability and decision making skills are amazing. The main idea of pondering over leadership is that how the qualities of a leader make him more successful and how those unique qualities can be acquired by a manager of a firm to influence a group towards achievement of goals. What makes a leader unique? Every individual is bestowed with at least one special quality that makes him unique. A leader obviously is inherent with so many good traits and qualities that influence others and the best part of the story is that he understands his own potential and employs the right skills at the right time. It is basically a personal quality of character in a man that influences the behavior of others in a productive manner.     Top 10 qualities of an effective leader; A man of charisma-the followers should be attracted by his magnetism and willingly contribute to the cause Should have a clear idea of future plans-Here he differs from the manager who is concerned more about the productivity Should be action-oriented, dare to achieve the impossible Should be tough at heart -stick to his principles and not a victim to circumstances Should be  flexible, when it comes to the #welfare of his people Maintain integrity and humility Value-driven to gather trust Open and honest in his endeavors Creative-the ability to think out of the box Should possess sense of humor that makes him an affable person and even serious issues can be dealt with ease     Is Manager a Leader too? Is it necessary that a manger has to be a good leader too? Of course yes. By virtue of being selected for the post of the manger, a person cannot manage the show. Unless he possesses the true qualities of a leader he cannot pull the strings tight and lead the organization in the right track. Without the right elements of leadership, he merely becomes a care-taker enjoying his pay and perks. He will not be liked by his subordinates if he doesn’t have that drive to make a mark of himself as an assertive person and in due course of time either he becomes the entertainer of the firm or he loses his integrity, both of which is not good for the organization’s efficiency and productivity. Roles of an efficient manager: A manager has the necessity to prove himself in terms of planning, formulating strategies, successful completion of targets, increased production, increased sales, acquisition of more orders, managing his team without much conflicts and above all make the team to abide by and obey his rules. A manager to be a successful leader need not be aggressive to prove his point but tough and determined to get things done. Big corporate firms frame ‘systems’ which are nothing but templates of action incorporating all the elements needed for execution in a tailor made fashion. A manager has to now focus on the strategic elements of management since the technicality is being taken care of by the systems. What is the right management approach? Managers expect subordinates to nod their heads in approval to whatever they say. This not the right approach; there should always be a reciprocal relationship between both the parties as in the case of a leader and his followers. A give and take policy makes you more...