HRD Missionary: Ugly HR: You are your own Resource: Why Curse or D...

HRD Missionary: Ugly HR: You are your own Resource: Why Curse or D...: You are your own Resource: Why Depend on HR?                                                      T. V. Rao                             ...

Ugly HR: You are your own Resource: Why Curse or Depend on HR?

You are your own Resource: Why Depend on HR?

                                                     T. V. Rao                                                      

In recent times, while travelling, I found the number of conversations I hear from strangers are surprisingly filled with references to HR. The other day when I was travelling from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad, the girl next to me was on her cell phone for almost 20 mts until the doors closed. I could hear the word “HR” several times loudly. The other words in conversation slows down but whenever she uttered HR it was loud. In another group of youngsters, the other day at Pune airport were repeatedly talking about HR and having fun at them for doing some gafla in recruitment, posting and incentives. It looks today most people are concerned about HR and depend on them for recruitment, placement, offer letters, injustice done in fixing salary, change of jobs, pink slips, blue slips, no slips, transfers, vacation, change of boss, KRAs, incentives, accommodation, postings and so many things.

In all this, HR seems to have to faces: The Ugly face and the Happy face. Most of the time stranger conversations deal with the ugly face, and they seem to be on the increase. I get touched and sometimes pained that the term HR is applied for anything that obstructs you in fulfilling you desires. Originally when we decided to create a department of Human Resources Development it was meant to separate the ugly face of Personnel and create a new face which is for creating happiness at work through competence, commitment and culture building. I am not myself a HR person. If any I am student of mathematics, science, education and psychology by my degrees and created the first HRD department to make the place of work developmental and enjoyable. Over the years many departments have re-named themselves starting from Personnel to Training and Employee relations. The intentions were good but never the same as what we originally conceptualized. As a result, HRD has become a dirty department at times and strategic department at other times but rarely a happiness department. 43 year after the first HRD department was o conceptualized in India, and bodies like the National HRD Network have started with the primary purpose of promoting this philosophy and isntruments, there seems to be failure all over in achieving this goal. This is not to say everything done in the name of HR is bad. HR work has grown in complexity, contributed a lot to growth of firms, lifted itself to a strategic and Board level function. There are many HR people who have started in a big way using HR to ensure great places to work, enhance employee engagement, promote organization development, clarify and create a vison and values, promote learning and development at work place, create a learning organization etc. However, these don’t seem to dominate the common conversations among employees. The ugly face of HR seems to dominate the minds of most employees.

What is the way out? The way HR functions today in most organizations, I don’t expect much to change. The ugly face of HR is likely to be talked a lot more than the happy face of HR. In our country, we hardly remember those who do good to us but remember intensely and emotionally all those that annoy us or cause unhappiness. Most of what HR does is bound to cause unhappiness in the lives of almost every employee at some point or the other by denying what they desire. HR must totally change to be Happiness Responsible Department.  Even if it changes to become happiness department, most employees will hate it for giving more happiness to their neighbors or colleagues than to them by asking questions like why is he sponsored for foreign training and not me/ or why is he given access to self-learning material and not me etc.? Sometimes I wonder if our culture is by nature an unhappiness highlighting culture.

What is the way out? I am increasingly getting convinced that  spirituality at work place is perhaps a significant way out. I have come to believe that no one can help you grow, develop or become happy without your permission. In fact, we all should be facilitators and owners of our own happiness and development. We should not depend on HR department to create happiness and growth in our lives. HR departments are more likely to be disciplining, controlling departments besides diagnosing and developing departments. The latter occurs at group level and the former at individual level. Hence HR has difficulty serving individuals. So why not take charge of your HR. You are the master of your life, you are the planner, dialogue creator, actor, director, marketer and event manager. Why depend on HR department? If any they may be unknowingly creating constraints to be managed by you at times. So, take ownership and start playing your role as “Your own HRD Manager” and be responsible for your happiness, engagement, enhancement and growth. Don’t expect anything from HR. If they do something sue it to your advantage.

Advice to HR: Having said this my advice to my HR Friends is that it is high time you change your course of action. Gone are the days where you must take ownership for developing people. You must reorient yourself and convert the HRD department to be one of Human Response Development department. Your job perhaps is to help people to see sense in various organizational interventions and take charge of their happiness by altering their responses to various organizational or HRD interventions; be it training, Performance management, 360 Feedback, Assessment and development centers, recruitment, postings, incentives, facilities, leaves, job enrichment exercises and the like.

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HRD Missionary: Publications of T. V. Rao

Publications of T. V. Rao: Books by Talam Venkateswara Rao (T. V. Rao) Books by Dr. T. V. Rao 1.         HRD, OD and Institution Building: Essays in Memory of ...

Publications of T. V. Rao

Books by Talam Venkateswara Rao (T. V. Rao)

Books by Dr. T. V. Rao

1.       HRD, OD and Institution Building: Essays in Memory of Udai Pareek. New Delhi: Sage Response Books, 2016 Edited jointly with Dr. Anil K Khandelwal

2.       Effective People: New Delhi: Random House, 2015

3.       Performance Management: Towards Organizational Excellence: New Delhi: Sage Response Books, 2016

4.       HRD Audit: Evaluating the Human resources Function for Business Improvements, 2^nd edition, New Delhi: Sage -Response Books, 2014

5.       Organization Development: Accelerating Learning and Transformation: New Delhi: Sage: Response Books, 2011 (S. Ramnarayan & T V Rao

6.       The Power of 360 Degree Feedback: Developing Leadership the India Way: 2^nd edition, jointly with Dr. Raju Rao, New Delhi: Sage- Response Books, 2014

7.       100 Managers in Action: New Delhi: Tata McGraw-hill, 2012 (with Charu Sharma)

8.       Entrepreneurship: A South Asian Perspective by D. F. Kuratko and T. V. Rao: New Delhi: Cengage Learning, 2012

9.       Nurturing Excellence: Indian Institute of Management, New Delhi: Macmillan, (Co-authored with Vijaya Sherry Chand, 2011)

10.    Managers who Make a Difference: New Delhi: IIMA Book Series, 2010 Random House. (Second edition 2016 with added chapters)

11.    Life after 360 Degree Feedback and Assessment and Development Centres; Editors T. V. Rao, Nandini Chawla and S. Ramnarayan): New Delhi: Excel Books, 2010.

12.    HR Best Practices; New Delhi: Steel Authority of India (jointly with Nisha Nair, Neharika Vohra, and Atul Srivastava), 2009.

13.    HRD Score Card 2500; New Delhi: Sage, Response Books, 2008

14.    Hurconomics; New Delhi: Oxford & IBH, 2008 Republished by Pearson Education: New Delhi, 2011..

15. The Power of 360 Degree Feedback; (Jointly with Mr. Raju Rao), New Delhi: Response Books, Sage, 2005. (Won Two awards as best Management book of the Year: DMA and ISTD)

16. The Future of HRD; New Delhi: Macmillan India, 2003

17.    HRD in Asia: First Asian Research Conference on HRD; (jointly with Ramnarayan, Udai Pareek, AAhad Usman Gani) Academy of HRD, New Delhi: Oxford and IBH, 2003.

18.    HRD Audit; New Delhi, Response Books, Sage Publications, 1999

19. Institutionalization of Innovations in Education; Ahmedabad: Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation & TVRLS, 1999  (With Jaya Indiresan and M G Jomon)

20. Changing Teacher Behaviour through Feedback; Hyderabad: ICFAI, 2006, (With Udai Pareek)

21. Training for Education Managers; New Delhi: Macmillan, 2005 (With Udai Pareek)

22. 360 Degree Feedback and Assessment & Development Centers; (edited by T V Rao and Nandini Chawla) New Delhi: Excel Publications, 2005

23. Performance Planning and Review Manuals; Ahmedabad: TVRLS, 2005

24. HR @ Heart of Business; (edited by TV Rao, A Gangopadhyay, RSS Mani), New Delhi: Excel Publications, 2002.

25. Performance Management and Appraisal Systems; New Delhi: Response Books, 2004

26. 360 Degree Feedback and Performance Management Systems; (Editors T V Rao, Gopal Mahapatra, Raju Rao and Nandini Chawla) Volume 2, Excel Publications: New Delhi 2002.

27. 360 degree Feedback and Performance Management systems Volume 1; (Editors: T V Rao and Raju Rao), Excel Publications: New Delhi, 2000.

28. Organizational Renewal in NGOs: Experiences and Cases; (Co-author with Uma Jain), Hyderabad: Academy of HRD, 1996

29. Organization Development: Interventions and Strategies; (Co edited with S Ramnaryan and Kuldeep Singh), New Delhi: 1998, New Delhi: Response Books

30.    Pioneering Human Resources Development: The L&T System; Ahmedabad, Academy of HRD, 1998 (Co-author)

31.    Redesigning Performance Appraisal System; 1996, Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi

32.    Human Resources Development: Experiences, Interventions Strategies; 1996, Sage Publications, New Delhi

33.    Performance Appraisal and Review: Trainers Manual, Operating Manual and Skills Workbook; Learning Systems, New Delhi, 1978

34.    Designing and Managing Human Resources Systems; Oxford & IBH Publications, New Delhi, 1981, 1991, 2003 (Co-author) (This book has won ESCORTS award as best management book in 1982)

35.    Performance Appraisal: Theory and Practice; AIMA-Vikas Management Series, New Delhi, 1984 (Also translated into Bhasha Indonesia by PPM, Jakarta).

36.    Recent Experiences in Human Resources Development; Oxford and IBH, New Delhi (edited by T.V. Rao and D.F. Pereira)

37.    Alternative Approaches and Strategies of HRD; (edited by T.V. Rao, K.K. Verma, E. Abraham and A. Khandelwal), Rawat Publications, Jaipur, 1987

38.    Excellence Through Human Resource Development; (editors M.R.R. Nair and T.V. Rao), New Delhi, Tata McGraw Hill, 1990

39.    Designing Entrepreneurial Skills Development Programmes; London, Commonwealth Secretariat, 1990 (co-author)

40.    The HRD Missionary; New Delhi, Oxford and IBH, 1990 (Second edition: 2009 TVRLS)

41.    Readings in HRD; New Delhi, Oxford and IBH, 1991

42.    Career Planning and Promotion Policies;  Ahmedabad, Academy of HRD, 1982 (co-author)

43.    Appraising & Developing Managerial Performance; AHRD Publication, 1996, reprinted at New Delhi: Excel Books, 1999

44.    Institution Building in Education and Research: From Stagnation to Self-Renewal; (Eds. R.J. Matthai, Udai Pareek and T.V. Rao), All Indian Management Association, New Delhi, 1977.

45.    Adult Education for Social Change; Manohar Publications, New Delhi, 1980 (co-author)

46.    Handbook for Trainers in Educational Management with special reference to Asia and Pacific; UNESCO, Bangkok (Co-author) 1981

47.    Management Processes in Universities; New Delhi: Oxford & IBH (PSG Monograph 1, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad 1978, co-author with R.J. Matthai and Udai Pareek)

48.    Behavioural Sciences Research in Family Planning; Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi, 1974 (co-author)

49.    Doctors in Making; Sahitya Mudranalaya, Ahmedabad, 1976

50.    Managing Family Planning Clinics; Asian and Pacific Development Administration Centre, Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia, 1977 (co-author)

51.    Change Agents in Family Welfare: An Action Research in Organized Industry; Academic Book Centre, Ahmedabad, 1978 (co-author with Pramod Verma)

52.    Developing Entrepreneurship: A Handbook for Policy Makers, Entrepreneurs, Trainers and Development Personnel; Learning Systems, New Delhi, 1978 (co-author)

53.    Identification and selection of Entrepreneurs; (Eds. T.V. Rao and T.K. Moulik), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, 1979

54.    Developing Motivation Through Experiencing; Oxford and IBH Publications, 1982 (co-author with Udai Pareek)

55.    Entrepreneurial Skill Development Programmes in Fifteen Commonwealth Countries: An Overview; Commonwealth Secretariat, London, 1991

56.    Handbook of Psychological and Instruments; Samasthi Publications, Baroda, 1974 (co-author)

57.    Stewart Maturity Scale: Indian Adaptation; Manasayan, New Delhi, 1976

58.    Sales Styles Diagnosis Exercises; Learning Systems, New Delhi, 1976

59.    Behaviour Processes in Organizations; Oxford and IBH Publications, New Delhi, 1981 (Co-author with Udai Pareek and D M Pestonjee)

60.    Measuring and Managing Organizational Climate; Ahmadabad: Academy of HRD, 1996 (With Dalpat Sarupriya and Dr. Sethumadhavan)

61. Selected Readings in HRD; New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill, 1998 ( with Singh, Kuldeep & Nair, Baburaj)

62. HRD Philosophies and Concepts: The Indian Perspective; Ahmedabad: Academy of HRD, 1994 (with  Abraham, E & Nair, Baburaj V. Eds.)

63. HRD in the New economic Environment; New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill, 1994 (co-edited with Silveira, D. M., Srivastava, C. M. and Vidyasagar, Rajesh)

64. Competency Mapping Education Kit (4 Volumes), Ahmedabad: TVRLS, 2005. 

Types of HR Leaders

Types of HR Leaders

T V Rao

I have earlier offered a classification of leaders as: 
1. Talk leaders (those who can articulate and talk well about HR and what needs to be done, what is wrong etc.), 
2. Thought leaders (who think ahead of others have vision for the function and department) and Walk leaders (those who are good in action); and 
3. Integrated leaders (those who think, talk and practice what they preach).

Another classification is as follows:

1. Positional Leaders: Those HR leaders who are designated as leaders by virtue of being called as Directors of HR or CHROs or Presidents of HR.
2. HR CEOs: Those HR Managers who have become Chairman, MDs and CEOs of companies or other organizations and took charge of independent business units or SBUs are in this category;
3. HR Entrepreneurs: Those who have established their own firms and have made mark in the filed as consultants and have independent existence and are doing well providing employment to others. Entrepreneurial leaders.
4. Impact making Humane Leaders: Those who established themselves as humane and impact making human beings are this kind of leaders. These are the people who care for others always try to do good and helpful and are always remembered
5. Networked Leaders: These are leaders who established themselves as well networked, media favorites and can be found in all social media
6. Professional Leaders: These are recognized leaders in the profession and head various professional bodies as presidents and other office bearers.
7. Award winning leaders: These are leaders who keep getting awards and citations quite frequently.
8. HR Academics: Those who excel in teaching and research and are happy serving academic Institutions (Business Manager: A magazine published a special issue on them)  
9. Please add any more...

Father of HRD

Father of HRD

The other day a friend of mine who is one of the Global Top Management Gurus from USA sent me a mail requesting me to vote for him to be nominated once again among the top 10 management gurus. I did that promptly as I know the wonderful work he has been doing. I always felt Indians don’t always respect their fellow Indians and it is my duty to take time to vote for him. In India we have no such system though some agencies have started recently. However, we are good at giving our own titles. It satisfied both the giver and the receiver. I must confess that some times like any one else I also enjoy these title though feel embarrassed at other times. The best title I have and no one can take away from me is "Professor". 

I don’t know who gave me the "Father of HRD" this title. It started almost 15 years ago. In one of the Conferences of SCMHRD, I was introduced as Father of HRD and Mr. T. N. Seshan who was on the dais got irritated and immediately said, " who says T V Rao or any one is Father of HRD? You have not read anything of Indian Vedas. Vyasa is the real Father of HRD".

Ten years ago most of the time when Dr. Pareek and I were present in seminars and conferences, he was called the Father of HRD and a few years later he became the Grand father and I the Father. Some referred to Udai as Bhishma Pitanmaha of HRD.

In India the best way to pull some one down is to give him a title. I know of many Padma awardees who are constantly pulled down because they become more visible. Someone did give me this title and some how it got in to Wikipedia. I had no heart to refuse the title for some time as it is nice to be acknowledged that way. It is true that for 50 years I have lived, talked, walked and breathed HRD. I got what I deserved- a lot of satisfaction of doing good work and enough respect and money to live a decent retired life. These were not my objectives of hard work in HRD. I believed it and what we preached and tried my best to practice. Whatever I got, I owe to IIMA and many others from whom I learnt a lot, and not HRD. At IIMA I was not professor of HRD but a Professor of Organizational Behaviour and also for some years Public Systems.  I am not even a member of HRM area. Whenever I taught course like HRD audit, Intellectual capital, Performance management etc. they were all offered by OB areas. In fact I remember still a piece of advice given by Udai asking me to spend more of my time in OB than getting so involved in HRD. He used to say that OB is larger than HRD. I don’t know if he changed his opinion in later part of his life as we never discussed it again. It is a mere matter of classification. In fact I am one of the two professors (the other was Prof. Sasi Misra) that opposed separating PMIR area from OB in 1975 by the Director of IIMA (Prof. Paul). I always believed in having them together as a part of the same OB or BS.

I certainly contributed and spent all 50 years of my life in HRD and for HRD. I proposed a center in IIMA. It did not work out. XLRI gave me that scope and appointed me as L&T Professor. Then we started National HRD Network and the Academy of HRD and popularized it. I don’t know what title I deserve to be given but the titles don’t matter because they are the best ways to create jealousy and pull one down.

Frankly speaking who is Father of HRD?

Certainly not me.  I have 3 children and none of them is named as HRD.

I was called some times as HRD Rao and National HRD Network used to be called TV (Rao) Network. Those were in eighties and nineties. Now HRD has so much grown to have any single father. It has many fathers: Fr. Abraham who is real Father as priest and is addressed as father and spent a lot of his time. Fr, E H McGrath is even greater. So there are clearly two Fathers of HRD. Jesuits will say many more. Like Seshan Indian Swamijis can identify many more.

Any HRD Manager who made a difference through HRD can be considered as father of HRD in that context.  A company can have a father, a city can have a father and any one can. It is contextual. Thus there are many Fathers of HRD. All those who have done a great Job in NHRDN or AHRD and pursued HRD as a philosophy and nurtured and have fathered it in their own contexts can be called Fathers of HRD. 

Lastly, why call someone Father of HRD. How about Mother? I think mothering HRD is a lot more creditable than fathering HRD. May be we should have a more appropriate title “Mother of HRD”. Mothers are a lot more nurturing than fathers and I think what many of us have done is mothering HRD than fathering HRD.

Be your own Father or Mother of HRD. Mother your own HRD or Father your own HRD. Best wishes!!!!

HR audit & 360 Feedback 2