ARTICLES - Organization

TOWARDS A SYMBIOTIC MODE

Ganesh Shermon
The electrifying pace of change faced by corporations today has not been seen before. The change does not confine itself to economics, political impact, information management or labor market in isolation or exhaustively. Change appears to have taken charge of running the business organization. The power and capabilities available to the corporation is competitively positioned for it to be leveraged and built or seems to be disappearing before our eyes. The complex business realities of the coming future will demand the ability to quickly and globally offer products and services to customers whose demands are never ending. Internal process will have to keep pace with this service demand. The challenge posed by this business upheaval would expect that competitiveness of the future world does not boundary base with technology, information and human resource. There appears to be a far-reaching and rapid integration of the business process to make the service to the customer happen. Xerox is looking at this integration process happen. Several initiatives involving design cycles focus quality, empowered employees, small and long term vendor team and human resource evaluation is taking place concurrently. With hierarchical management systems being replaced by networked, flexible and team based structures, with information available to all players in an equitable manner, with well trained employees dealing directly with a situation can now make decisions at the point of impact. The New World order has made this happen. In the organization building process several factors continue to play a critical role in an on going organization. One of the factors integrating the systemic HRD linkages is the Performance Management System (PMS). In an unlinked platform PMS is seen only in the context of goal setting, appraisals, goal evaluation, performance and review/Feedback. Fundamental changes in the Human Resources Management (HRM) processes are down the horizon:

1. Hiring focus has changed from short/long term job related search to medium term, person
specific, appointments.

2. The corporate person of today is being demanded to gain knowledge and appreciate the
corporate set up for its vision and business process than just profitability and bottom line.

3. Motivational methods have changed for the average worker towards to work and thought the 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
intellect and contribution. Retraining, learning and business process training to keep pace with performance objectives have become fundamentals for management development. Career context in the eyes of the individuals and the organization has significantly and permanently changed. The current visuals of pyramidal growth have been seen to be deceptive. Compensation is now a function of business goals and individual contribution. Organization design emphasis is on team structures with pre defined role demands. Culture theorists are bringing in pay, performance and productivity linkages. Unions are receptive to performance orientation to the operative class. Rewards and life style demands in the up market socio-economic world is keeping pace with the developed world.

PMS AT THE CORE INVOLVES,

1. People are effective in a culture with a vision, a common purpose and a reason for
existence. The importance of vision cannot be understated. The concrete possibilities that are thrown up in an open-ended vision statement are often missed for its dream like articulation. But in this dream like articulation are the power of people link, the bondage, the spirit and a superordinate goal. A vision of the corporate that we would like our future generations of people to perform. At the minimum vision should encompass value based articulation to include long term business direction, focus on the core competence of the organization, concern for stakeholders and in particular customers and employees, performance standards and benchmarks and should be collaborative and supportive. Effective vision statements challenge and stretch the organization. The PMS linkages are evident in the individual/team goals that are congruent with the corporate vision. The will to perform is inspired by the cohesive and all pervading vision statement. Built into the organizational existence is the power of values. The thread of beliefs, norms, practices, concerns and goals shared, imbibed over time and used as a basic for shaping behavior, the corporate invincible, the ethos so very fundamental for survival. JacksonFrigon Company (JFCI) has not only articulated values for the individual, it has gone a step further to speak of the JFCI Leadership Team values, be it freedom, stability, trust, loyalty, innovation, communication, profitable, growth, customer is right, emphasis on quality, wealth generation for the shareholder, contribute to society, teamwork and many more. They see it as an important step for achieving a competitive edge. Values are possible in several forms but the core human values, although it exists in our soul, needs speaking. They could be respect, value and dignity for the individual, care in consonance with nature, trust, mutuality, openness and transparency, integrity, equality, work ethos, positive attitude and standing by people in good and bad times. The PMS linkage is soft yet far more powerful than many quantitative goals and tasks. The individual working in a value-based environment asks not for details of the things to be done. The teams do not seek role clarity, do not wait for work demands, things to arrive at their desks and so on. The binding values make many things simply unspoken, never dealt with happen all on its course. At the operative level starts the business mission and the strategic management, the core purpose of the organization, the clarity relevant for business goals, the direction to compete, the plans, aspirations, resource allocation, target setting and results. All with a measurable destination. The basics of planning deals with converting the vision, mission into operative plans at the top management level, at the management planing stage and into key tasks and core benchmarks at the operative stage. Planning establishes the journey and the milestones. It horizons for all, resources, time frames, environment scans, competitive challenges, critical paths, current state SWOT to enable universal understanding of where does the corporation stand today and where does it aspire to be. Leadership works to create an atmosphere to perform, lead tasks, set standards, and seek excellence in all times. Leadership would be an active process in PMS management, exhorting people to come and give their best, provide the framework for vision, work with the teams on mission and strategy and set the internal process for action planing, review, Feedback and success parameters. The leader plays the pivotal role in the culture building act. Much of PMS depends on the leader and the team processes that have set in the organization. The strategic plan, performance goals, communication, change management, measurement methods, team working norms, policy framework, people building activities, technology process integration, information management, basic review and Feedback are possibly the first few. The inspirational leader brings in conviction, commitment, competence and courage in facilitating change. PMS is not a one best solution. It is an important process to bring in flexibility and dynamism to performance. What is normally not included in the performance appraisal but is an important element of the PMS is the behavior modification facilitating, creating and nurturing a culture which fosters sharing, trusting, collaborating and contributing towards the goals setting and

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achieving process. Culture and change management priorities involving PMS are many. The PMS method assumes knowledge worker, premium on the intellect, structures that are networked, flexible, diverse, processes that make management style easy to execute, open communication, close product-customer interface and teams as a way of working. The behavior transformation and attitude building process involves induction/ socialization training, process adaptation facilitation, system comfort, self motivation, on going learning and business connectivity in all decision making. PMS BUSINESS INTERVENTION TOOL The PMS process is a performance improvement process based on a joint problem solving approach rather than an evaluation and control system. It is a business intervention tool seeking to achieve a effective mix of organizational variables. The system should provide for internal systemic facilitation wherein the participants to the process see it as a dynamic on going database for achievements of results. The follow through for emphasis on corporate strategic plans and goals would help the individual and team goals to be integrated, congruent and on line. The system recognizes that performance cannot be assessed solely by quantified measurement- qualitative performance indicators become relevant and imperative for a holistic view. The relative importance of long and short-term goals is emphasized. More importantly given the changing economic circumstance several medium term strategies become performance factors. The result orientation necessitates priorities on the means, on how targets were achieved, with a special concern for teamwork. In several organizations team based result orientation is real and is concurrently rewarded. It is a process and not a system, owned by the doers and not by the administrators. The archaic forms of HR follow up for appraisals to be completed on time are in todays time only in traditional poor internalization organizations. The end is always pre determined for clarity and credibility of the teams. The focus stated up front is meritocracy. High performing organizations do not mean high performing people or vice versa. There is a need to critically look at performance systems to reach a fair conclusion. THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROCESS (PMSP) The PMS process at the operative stage involves defining the input, process, output, outcomes and Feedback all in measurable terms. The measurement of performance is immediate for managing and sustaining a climate of organizational success. It follows to state that measurement presupposes improvement and the details of how well, how far, who did, why this way, why not, what if, what time frame and so on. The system measures performance, differentiates for blockbusters, sets challenging targets, offers opportunity for developing people, manages people moves and placements and finally acts as a credible backdrop for rewards. Time strategy will then be the timetable for blending the activities and operations of individuals and teams to achieve plans and goals. The PMS defines for both individual and team working:

1. Quantitative goals on the basis of measurability, with a deadline, with numbers to chase for, 2. Qualitative goals as that which involves value addition, doing things differently, team spirit, 3. 4.
organizational clarity, influencing the culture and climate of the organization, People management goals to involve value orientation, team building, learning , peer working, self management, cooperation & support, training/retraining and an overall responsibility towards people, System goals necessitate on going systemic improvements in process, methods and activities, new ways of working, simplification, make organization information friendly, bring in objectivity to the performance orientation, developing sub teams, transfer success experience in a systemic form,

5. Unique goals make ordinary people do extraordinary things, stretches people to surpass
their standards, make their presence invigorating, goals which are completely over and above the job role demands, creative, rare and requires the teams and individuals to work in an exceptional manner at all times. Self appraisal to performing groups to recapitulate the correlation of work performance to results, focus on competencies and capabilities which were required to undertake ones role, the learning necessities, Critical attributes identification to match skills with person and job demands. To make learning and development activities a function of skills and competencies relevant to the incumbent and the job. To facilitate team members to bring up colleague laggards, train each other on functional skills, bridge skill gaps. These could range from work planning, people management, conceptual skills to business appreciation, technical skills, innovation and team working. Skill inventory is a sub set of the role demands and needs customization. Overall summary in a free form essay format to comprehensively analyze achievements, failures, means adopted, listing of key factors which facilitated or hindered success, Team and individual strengths, weaknesses, areas for development with a focus on special assignments, self development activities, task force contributions, problem solving meetings and customer facilitation activities. Potential assessment in the short and long term to make early identification of high performers, tracking, monitoring inputs, bringing in mentors/role models, list of possibilities of growth, lateral movements, cross functional exposure, development of leaders for the future and planning for succession at various stages. Performance review, Feedback and counseling to conclude the process of the performing year in question with the superior playing a constructive role for development planing and improvement opportunities. A similar role for teams has become an important activity. The Feedback process and method needs a special mention given the numbers involved with the superior for the performance measurement session. It is no longer one on one. It is one to many and care and climate is necessary to make the self managing teams continue to be effective and motivated. It is critical to focus on specific data facts, displayed behavior, focus on critical incidents and make the dialogue meaningful and forward looking. Overall ranking on a four-point scale to measure for capabilities ranging from outstanding to weak. The scoring pattern for self managed teams differs from individual evaluation patterns and keeps in perspective team purpose, mission objectives, pre determined goals, activity schedules, methods of measuring success, closure criteria, achievements and rewards. Team performance is a function of communication of goals, cooperation, effective coordination and concrete completion.

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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: CONCLUSION In conclusion PMS is an adaptive integrated system available to organizations who wish to make the all pervasive components of the corporation, be it vision, values, mission, strategy, planning, leadership, behavior, culture, team working, business results and performance evaluation work together. It is not a system in isolation of the business process and focus. In fact it is more of an on line people process symbiosis than several independent performance evaluation systems. The culture demands are specific. It calls for an organization where people can join in and given in their best, encourages people to express feelings, doubts, concerns, has a supportive-coordinate climate, can transact business on the premise of intellect and performing brilliance and the bottom line is performance in a culture which fosters meritocracy.