CAREER IN THE TIMES OF DOWNSIZING AND RESTRUCTURING

New Lexicon of HRM

Managing exits Career is passé

Why Bother Retention & Career?

Organisations are Social Entities

Collective work Informal structures are critical Organisation culture

“Its not technical skills we’re looking for, its nice people. We can train people to do anything technical, but we can’t make them nice.” (Heskett et al., 1997)

Why People Join Organisations?

Money Career Emotions - ‘pride of performance’ Peer Learn Freedom Recognition

Knowledge Management

Information to be transmitted ‘Local knowledge’

Learn from past experience Organisation memory

Process of managing previous situations ‘Tacit’ knowledge

‘Seamless Service Delivery’

Idiosyncratic customer Co production Win – Win – Win Strategy

“My father (Marriott Sr.) knew if he had happy employees, he would have happy customers…”

Sears: high turnover negatively related to customer satisfaction

Why Career?

Changing expectations Changing organisation Long-term relationship of individual and

orgn. Long-term survival/ sustainability Proven record Trust-based ties between employee &

orgn.

Seniority vs. Merit

Fairness Objectivity Commitment Japanese system

Govt. restrictions Investment in trng. Ease of automation

Career and Development From jobs to individuals Customising career Career planning workshops Communicate career plans Mentoring Dual career paths Boundaryless career

Firm specific vs. generic knowledge Occupational vs. industry knowledge

Training

Relating training to individual and organisation needs

Policy on training Types of training

Skills Knowledge Behaviour

Measurement of training outcomes Application of training

Successful Career Management Practices Providing

Clear expectations on employees Opportunity to get a transfer Clear succession plan Performance through rewards and recognition Resources for short and long-term career goals Continuous assessment of skills vis-à-vis career

Diversity issues Glass-ceiling audits – “artificial barriers due to

attitudinal and organisational bias”

On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors…

Goddamnit! I served my time picking up my bosses at the airport. Now you guys are going to do this for me.

- Pete Estes to John De Lorean ‘Promotion of the unobvious choice’

Obsession about Measurement

Competition with disciplines like accounting

Reduce HR to measurable: short run Obsession with monetary incentives

Incentives as an end

Exits How do you ‘manage’ them? Interviews

Communicate Learn

Seniority Alternatives

Pay off Time off Spin offs

Policy issues

Mergers & Acquisition

Loyalty? Changing HR policies Global hierarchy Asymmetry of equation

Historical Context

1900-1950 US: Welfare Capitalism Companies like International Harvester

& Polaroid provided long term employment and benefits to those who did not join unions and did not take part in strikes Recreational services, clinics and health

care, pensions, stock share, housing, educational benefit

Human Resource Management as an Investment and not a Cost

At par with capital investment or R & D Mostly we treat is as a consumable