Succession planning is a difficult undertaking under the best of circumstances. It becomes even more of a challenge when the plan involves the development, hiring, preparing or replacement of a new CEO. In fact, it has been suggested that something is seriously amiss in the business of developing and hiring CEOs. Surely, when a CEO is ready for replacement, the boards of large organizations have a clear view of who the likely successors are, or which competencies are required of…    Read More >>

The business case for succession planning is not new, however, the business mandate for succession efforts has never been stronger. In the labor market, both the demand and supply side has shifted as the seasoned Boomers and the well experienced Gen-Y leaders exit the workforce. The shifting agemix of employees brings to the forefront the need for effective succession planning. Besides the need to invest in succession planning efforts, it has been shown in various research studies that companies that…    Read More >>

People First’- the comingof-age mantra, proves its usefulness not only as a part of organizational values but also as a tool for managers to get the best out of their teams and meet delivery objectives. The manager is expected to play multiple roles for this purpose. He needs to demonstrate the ability to drive, motivate and engage the team members in creative ways. Additionally, an inspiring managerexhibits all the skills of a good coach. Lately, organizations have developed roles such…    Read More >>

In today’s world of constant advancement, dynamism has become the new status quo. Globalization, innovation and demanding consumers are emerging as drivers of change for enterprises. Ways of working are evolving like never before. Increasing number of Baby Boomers in the West and millennials in the East are augmenting organizational challenges. Employees and consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the organizational responsibilities towards the society and environment. All this, along with increasing customer expectations, makes comprehension of business perplexing at…    Read More >>

Sustainability’ is one of the most commonly used words today across different walks of life – be it in business houses, schools, government institutions, or social organizations. It is difficult to keep track of all the articles and books based on sustainability, I come across daily. However, a chance incident that grabbed my attention recently set my brain ticking. One fine morning, when I logged on to LinkedIn, a status update from my ex-colleague surprised me- ‘setting up an NGO…    Read More >>

It is an all too common fact that out of the 100s of MSMEs that spawn every year, globally speaking, an overwhelming majority of such MSMEs do not survive beyond the first 5 years of their existence. While there are a host of interesting reasons and theories that explain the early demise of MSMEs ranging from Leadership to Learning, one of the most common factors that gets missed out in the regular postmortem is People Management. For very often, those…    Read More >>

Earlier this year Japan was hit by a severe earthquake and tsunami that mauled their 35-year old nuclear power generation complex in Fukushima. Recently Tepco, the power company responsible for running the plant, invited journalists to a guided tour to show how well the damage is being managed. One condition: no women were to come.Reason: there were no toilets for women in the entire complex. It is shocking to learn that a hightechnology complex that had been running for more…    Read More >>

Today’s dynamic environment signifies that the nature of workforce is changing rapidly. A large number of the staff is young, energetic and tech savvy who are well connected to their peers, friends and all those who matter to them. Social media platforms with their user friendly and interactive features that help transcend geographies and cultural boundaries have ensured that this generation stays constantly connected. Also, ‘anywhere anytime’ internet access through mobile phones allows this workforce to be well informed and…    Read More >>

Any discussion on personality assessment would be incomplete without Projective Techniques. Projective Techniques have had a lengthy and vital history in personality assessment, however they have evoked minimal interest in Human Resource Professionals. There are several reasons for this : Lack of training/expertise in their usage, obscure quality of instruments and psychometric limitations have restricted their usage. It would be interesting to reintroduce this important technique to the readers through this article. Projective techniques A Projective technique or test is…    Read More >>

Gallup polls a sample of US employees every month to assess their perceptions along multiple dimensions and publishes the findings as the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. This was started in Jan 2008. Given the recession in the US economy its is no surprise that the score in the Work Satisfaction category of questions was lower last month than ever before. Frozen or declining wages and the shrinking number of jobs cannot lead to anything but gloom. What does this mean for…    Read More >>