IMR JAN 2013 - Indira Institutes

Seth Consultantsattached to a particular business andrequired to report to the respective BusinessHead.A couple of years after the launch of the newinitiatives to revitalize the organization,SPCL decided to review the progress thathad been made towards the objectivesspecified. Accordingly, a meeting of the CEOwas scheduled with the management staff.Brief Summary of CEO's AddressCEO: "We thought we would share a fewthings with you. I understand that all of youare busy at this time of the year, but the newinitiatives for the revitalization of SPCL hasbeen going on for about two years now andwe in the management thought we shouldtake stock and assess how things have been.A few concerns have been brought to us sowe thought we should share someinformation and perhaps remove the doubtsand answer the rumours that have beencirculating.First, certain rumours have been brought tothe attention of top management regardingthe new performance appraisal system. Letme clarify that the new performanceappraisal system is not for the purpose ofdownsizing. We are not downsizing. There isno truth to the rumours. For every role wehave now come up with a set of clearguidelines – what the employees arerequired to do, the criteria for performanceappraisal and the basis on which rewardsand promotions will be made. The purposewas to bring clarity and objectivity to theprocess so that everyone knows the basis onwhich these decisions will be made. Therewere some doubts, some worries that thegoals are too challenging and we haveaddressed them adequately.For example one common question is thatemployees are assessed on their overall allround performance. Let us say that anemployee is very good at routine performanceand poor at meeting developmental goals(individual or organizational). So whathappens? We do not have any simple answer.The committee will review such cases anddecide. But, in general, an acceptable level ofperformance across all criteria will berequired. Exceptional performance in one ormore criteria will be considered provided thatthe performance in each area is at least of aminimum standard. Yes, people who are notable to meet those standards will be givensome chances but if they don't improve thenwe will not be able to continue our associationwith them. Our organization is not a free busto carry ticket less passengers. Every one hasto pull their weight.Another point of concern that we have beenhearing about relates to the distribution ofwork across locations. Since our centre hereat Madhyampur was the first location whereSPCL was established and is still the HeadQuarters and largest workplace of SPCL Iunderstand that many tasks were centralizedhere. Now of course, the other locationswhere our operations are carried out aregetting larger, particularly Pashchimpur,Poorvanagar and Dakshinpet. Thedistribution of work across locations relatingto both operations and administration mustbecome more equitable. All operationscentres must contribute their fair share and abeginning has been made. On the other hand,the need is to ensure that the same standardsare maintained across locations.In a similar fashion, we are also movingtowards uniform application of HR and otherpolicies across locations, standardization ofprocedures across locations and for thatIndira Management Review - Jan 2013 71