Lessons of Human Resource Management

Though not being an insider in the functional area of Human Resource Management {HRM} restrict me to touch its deeper dimensions albeit my exposures to Indian services industries imparts me some key insights about the current HR practices. My consciousness regarding the HR practices begun with the lethal world wide financial crisis that started in late 2007{with the demise of iconic Lehman Brothers}and still being far from over.
Two pivotal trends, I have noticed in the wake of post financial crisis phases are I. Education is completely a commercial entity now barring very few and II. Permanent and safe jobs would remain thin…such repulsive and unfortunate developments are surprisingly not being seen as a havocking factor by the academicians and persons of industries. Even at the primary level of such propositions, exact fallout could be sensed out through placing oneself at odd with either of two or both? Imagine the curse of exclusion in the hyped age of knowledge economy…there can’t be denying that education is a great enabler as our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh often explicit it through his own journey to the top but for such inclusive replication, education has to be sustainable and affordable which is hardly in sight today.

It’s quite shocking to note that when labour laws across the world are under radical makeover, India stands on exception side? Workers of India are not being able to unite in the absence of strong working class movement in the country. Workers vulnerability emerged as most shocking by-product of India’s economic convergence to the world trade…most of cosmetic surveys embarrassing the Indian growth story are largely prepare with an out of mind assertion on these issues.
Even in business terms, flawed HR policies restrict India to avail its demographic edge over China that poses grave impediments before India to succeed with proper innovation. When world markets are increasingly global over management thinking is still predominantly local that driving an unpragmatic gulf of policies and appears devoid of local needs. HR notions like, creating the talent management or fostering the social and cultural drive for leader and leadership have to be in backseat in the absence of opportunities scaling. Such mismanagement of HR is matter of grave concern…talent pool is not expatiating with the rapid economic growth in the domain of HRM, this reflects a major challenge.

With anticipating the costs as vital point, growing economies like India must have its specific redressal for HR issues…frugal innovation should be the principle along with following the time-line as catalyst. Peoples must be considered more then a statistical entity; work must go to the peoples-technology will remain an enabler…further, touch and feel needed at workplace would be accomplished through symmetric engagement. Globalization of trade have out scaled the erstwhile cultural and regional practices; now there are no denying for cross cultural leadership…streamlining of a single line team across the globe is swiftly taking place.
For geographic consideration, Harvard Business School {HBS} case study “Think globally and act locally” becomes very pertinent. Academic inception of HRM could be traced back in 1940’s when the debate over labour welfare necessitated to mould an expertise within the management stream for taking into account of staff management…role of HR department in any organization is equally imperative today as it in 1940’s, only adaptation to new challenges needed vehementally.

HRM have to be reckoning with the humane dimensions during policy formulations and at all level of practices…the growing misperceptions about the HR departments are not baseless as it’s emerged through the chronic flaws. In Indian context, things should be essentially in favour of labour intensive skill creations as by engaging the maximum workforce, our economy could do much better than today. Economies of scale at production level and huge domestic consumption are our two positive sides-theirs potential are huge in terms of backing the Indian economy towards a new trajectory of growth. By enhancing these prospects, huge employment generation is possible and effective HRM would indeed make lot of footprints over the productivity and morale of workforce…encapsulating from such angle would make life happier for all.
Atul Kumar Thakur
August28th, 2010, Saturday, New Delhi
atul_mdb@rediffmail.com