Management Problems of Today and Further

This new “Flat” world, non-job environment is representative of the disruptive, discontinuous change that is taking place now in the foreseeable future. It represents a new paradigm, a new way of thinking about the workplace.

Some things never really change:

A powerful charismatic leader is having problems. A well-known consultant is called in to help. The consultant notices that the leader tries to handle all problems and conflicts of his people himself. People queue up before his office; because he is overwhelmed he cannot handle all the business. So the consultant has a private talk with the leader and tells him to structure his organization by delegating authority, empowering subordinates to handle the workload. These subordinates should be selected not only on their leadership abilities, but also on their character. They should be truthful not driven by material gain. The new structure should resolve all daily issues at the lowest possible level; only the big and difficult issues should be brought before the leader. He should focus on strategy — on dealing with the higher authority, on establishing new approaches and teaching these to the people, on showing them the way to go and the work to be alone. The case states that the leader listens to the consultant and carries out the reorganization which is a success and the consultant returns home.

All the speculation and speeches about the challenges in the new century have come and gone. Now trying to effectively manage 21st century organizational has become the harsh reality. Ask anyone today management professors, practitioners, or students – what the major challenges are in today’s environment and the answer will be fairly consistent: An uncertain economy and turbulent geopolitics preoccupy everyone’s concerns. However, at the organization level, advanced information technology, globalization, diversity, and trying to solve ethical problems and dilemmas come to the fore. These are unquestionably major issues facing contemporary organizations. However, the basic premise and assumptions of the fields of organizational behaviour in particular are that managing the people, the human resources of an organization have been, are, and will continue to be, the major challenge and critical competitive advantage

Courtesy: Citemanhr.com by RamaRao

Five Signs You May Get Laid Off

Anyone who thought the job market was getting back to normal received a nasty shock on Monday when Goldman Sachs laid off approximately 50 people, many of them managing directors. These and other layoffs may have caused some people to wonder if they might be the next ones on the chopping block.

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CNBC.com spoke with human resource experts to find out the five tell-tale signs that you may need to update your resume.

1. Mergers. According to career coach Cheryl Palmer, mergers that result in duplicated job functions can spell trouble. “If you have a position that has a counterpart in the acquiring company, your job could be very much in danger,” she told CNBC.com in an e-mail. “Generally speaking, the acquiring company will eliminate duplicate positions.”

2. Passed Over for Promotion. Fred Cooper of Compass HR Consulting told CNBC.com that if “you are passed over for an internal promotion where your qualifications (not just seniority and longevity) are in fact greater than those of the one selected,” then the powers that be may have already decided that you’re on the way out.

3. Sharing Your Files. “A tell-tale sign you are going to be laid off is being asked to share your files, and update another team member on all of your projects," Debby Carreau of Inspired HR told CNBC.com. “If you are asked for passwords, client lists and contact information, this is further evidence the organization is preparing to have someone backfill your position.”

4. “Special” Projects. Fred Cooper told CNBC.com that if you’re assigned to a short-term project that has little — or nothing — to do with your regular job, then you have good reason to be wary. “When completed, you may not have a job waiting for you,” he said. “Even long-term special projects have similar risks associated with being assigned that ‘honor’.”

5. There’s a Computer That Can Do That. Palmer said that any job that can be automated is a dicey proposition for the human being that’s currently performing it. “If the type of work that you do can be done by a machine instead of a person, you may need to look for another type of job,” she said bluntly. “It's usually just a matter of time before your company decides that a machine can do your job for less money.”

Luckily, there are some things you can do that can help you survive a human resources bloodbath. According to Morgan Norman, co-founder and CEO of theWorkSimple social performance application, “requesting real-time feedback, documenting and tracking your goals, sharing your work socially, and building a visual portfolio of your accomplishments are all ways you can prove that you're an asset to the company and not someone who should be handed a pink slip.”

Courtesy: Daniel Bukszpa @ CNBC.com

Budget 2012: You get to save Rs 22,000 in Income Tax, but be ready to spend more on everything else

He's attempted to put more money in your pockets by nudging tax exemption limits upwards. But that will still prove to be loose change when you consider that the finance minister hopes to shore up revenues by making almost everything you set out to spend on more expensive. In already inflationary climes, that's not going to help bump up consumption. "The signals are not good considering consumer demand is anyway low due to recurrent price hikes on account of commodity inflation and other macroeconomic conditions," says Manish Sharma, managing director, Panasonic India. "Demand will get dampened and we expect the (consumer durables) industry growth to be hit by 10-15% this year, after last year's dismal singledigit growth rate," he adds. Here's why Sharma is so downbeat. The FM's income-tax proposals will save a maximum of Rs 22,660 for individuals. Now counter that with the relative havoc his move to tax all services (except those on a negative list) and hike the service tax as well as excise duty from 10% to 12%, will wreak on prices of consumer goods.

HR’s New Method of Stress Busting - Walk on Fire

By V S Rama Rao

Organizations are taking many initiatives to help their employees address issues arising out of stress at the workplace, the latest stress busting measure that HR is resorting to increase morale which will help employees’ true potential to come out and will help them in their work. HR initiatives taken is gaining immense prominence at the workplace.

It expects the employee to do what we can call is “walk on fire”. Fire – walking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones. It has a long history in many cultures as a test or proof of faith and is also used in modern motivational seminars and fund-raising events as a self empowering, motivational activity. There is a lot of fear in our minds. The kind of result we obtain depends on the way we think and how we behave. We are empowered with lots of energy and power within ourselves and once we realize that power, every fear fades away and success becomes achievable. Talking about how an organization came up with the idea of getting their employees experience this unique exercise. A company had started a new business vertical in India with new product lines. At that time, employees were subjected to a lot of pressure due to added responsibilities they had to shoulder, in a quest to attain superior delivery. It was important to make, employees acquaint with this concept and imbibe in them the need to understand that success, under stressful times, can be achieved through self-confidence and persistence.

Towards the end of the day, one feels more rejuvenated and self-reliant about one’s skills and self. So, how has this initiative helped people fight stress and made them feel more confident about themselves? A few endeavors may seem difficult at the workplace, but when you actually attempt it, you may find them easy. The fire walk too seems to be impossible at the start, but then the misconception gets shattered eventually. Employees are more confident of themselves now. They have grown more competent and are more interested to work with the best of their efforts to get the best of their output. Individual and company goals seem to run hand in hand in the minds all employees.

HR in the organization creates impossible situations through our mental blocks. This program hammers out those blocks and makes the mind more stable, erases fear and helps take more practical decisions. HR says they can certainly challenge and break our limits. They also say they need to find out their real potential and the power hidden inside. Once we do it, we can perform well in ways more than one. We make the participants focus and concentrate on the mission are targeting. This requires patience and concentration. On completion of the seminar, the participants gain confidence, patience and become more goal oriented.

The increasing popularity of this concept is that it says, people keep harboring guilt about relationships, financial problems, health issues etc. But the fact is that all guilt must be eliminated if we want to realize our true potential. Strong conviction and guilt make uneasy companions. They work for the complete transformation of individuals that includes the acceptance of accountability and responsibility.

So if you feel that stress at work or home is taking its toll on you, go ahead and experience this mind boggling exercise of walking on fire and unleash the power within you.

Courtesy: citemanhr.com