The best way to tackle attrition is to listen to the individual

The best way to tackle attrition is to listen to the individual.

http://timesascent.in/index.aspx?page=article§id=2&contentid=200705212019024842644dc48

I said the same thing :) See here and here.....

Amazing forward FW: Toast to the Jams of Bangalore - Another creative work from a jobless s/w engineer... :)

Awesome !!!!

Over these last few years of living in Bangalore, I have slowly grown to like the jams, which this city provides in abundance.

These jams do build your patience and character.

Is it a coincidence that India's most patient cricketers, Dravid and Kumble, hail from this city of jams? (Dravid is even nicknamed "Jammy").

Does it tell you something? Sri Sri Ravishankar; does he get his daily dose of spiritual inspiration while in a jam??
And will I also get a halo after a few more years of this "character building"??

There are, I am sure, thousands of future Anands stuck in the Adugodis and Anand Rao circles, who are plotting their moves against future Kramniks those poor little Kramniks stand no chance.

And if you see a professor-like guy prancing around the Palace road jam, you can deduce that a postulate in Physics has just been proved.

A few days back, I had a thought - If we can have reviews of movies,
which occupy only a few hours of our life in a month, why not reviews
of traffic jams, which takes up significant hours of our day?? So here
is my review of some of Bangalore's famous and not-so-famous jams(in
no particular order).

But before that, a general comment - As they say, the taste of food
in a restaurant is dependent on the ambience ; similarly, the way I
see jams, cozy inside the office shuttle or public transport, is
different from the way the owner of the swank new SUV sees it. (btw,
if you are the owner of the swank new SUV, don't run me down).

1. The Hosur Road Jam - Unarguably, the mother of all jams. We (ex-)
Infoscions are proud of being associated with a great company.
We are equally proud of contributing in no small extent to this jam.
This jam gives a great glimpse of the Other India - colorful
music-blaring interstate buses, garment factory workers, highway
trucks, smoke spewing lorries and such. Provides ample food for
thought for socialist minds. (Rating: ***1/2)

2. The jams around K'mangala/Forum mall - Definitely the best jams in
town. PYTs (Pretty young things), fancy cars, and fancy restaurants;
this has it all. But you can't afford any of those. Never mind!! Your
sadistic brain can take pleasure in the fact that the guy in the fancy
car next to you is cruising around for a parking space, feasting his
eyes on the PYTs , while his family is having dinner in one of the
fancy restaurants. (Rating: ****1/2)

3. The KG Road jam - To be experienced in the evenings before a long
weekend. Every auto/taxi in town seems to be stuck while going towards
the City railway station - your hair stands on end, you start
sweating, the heart beats faster, and you get the rush that a Michael
Schumachaer gets on his last lap. And just as the auto moves, a movie
show ends and a few hundred more vehicles pour out. Which was the
train that hooted just now?? (Rating: ***1/2)

4. The Jayanagar jam - The puzzle-lovers jam; Jayanagar is maze of
bylanes, one-way streets, no right-turns, no left-turns, traffic
signals and whatnot. It is an establised fact that Point A to point B,
in Jayanagar, can be reached in 6436 distinct ways. But whichever way
you take, you are left with a hollow feeling that another route had a
better and bigger jam? (Rating: **1/2)

5. The jams around Marathahalli/Whitefield - The IT professional's
dream jam; As she sits in the office shuttle looking at other office
buses, she can make her career plans. A typical evening in this jam
goes thus:

Voice from Company A bus : "Any J2EE developers in your bus?". Three
guys from Company B bus respond "Yeah" and get down. By the time, the
bus crosses the Marathahalli bridge, the first guy is hired as a J2EE
developer. The second guy, who didn't know what J2EE meant, is hired
as a project manager and the third guy is rejected as he realised late
that he has already worked for Company A last year.

(Rating: ****)

6. The Airport Road jam - Similar in taste and character like the
Koramangala jam but has socialist twist. This jam treats the rich
businessman, who will later travel business class on Jet, the same as
a poor programmer, who had unusually come to office early in the
morning, 3 months back, to buy one of those cheap airline tickets.
(Rating ***)

7. The BTM 7th Main x 7 Cross jam - Close to my home, so close to my
heart. But alas, the spoilsports at BDA finished the flyover at the
Jayadeva circle and brought an end to this jam. But for a couple of
years, this jam used to give me pure joy as vehicles of all types
created a tangle in the small bylanes of BTM layout. The BDA is now
planning a new flyover at the Udupi Garden junction; so there is still
hope (Rating ***1/2).

We jam lovers - currently this club consists of only me - have
petitioned the government to protect and preserve traffic jams as a
cultural asset of Bangalore. Just so that traffic jams are not
endangered in the future, we have these suggestions:

1. Build more flyovers - Flyovers do not reduce jams. They just
transfer it to the next junction. And in the 2 years that it takes to
build them, you are assured of some joyous jams. I am drooling...

2. No public buses - If everybody goes by buses, where will our culture go?

3. Make Tata's 1-Lakh car cheaper by making it tax free - Imagine
every two wheeler replaced by a car...The prospects are
mouth-watering.

Strategy for IT and ITEs companies

The dollar is soaring, thus the margins for IT and ITeS companies are reducing. They (Indian Companies) have a habit of profit margins of 20 %. The share prices are also based on similar expectations.

So what are the alternatives to maintain these margins

1. Increase rates -- less likely as there is more competetion and companies like Infosys are already enjoying premium rates
2. Increase productivity -- Redcuce attrition and reduce bench strength
3. Increase Business -- Capture newer markets and businesses
4. Capture Indian companies -- Indian non IT companies can be captured
5. Reduce costs -- reduce over heads, reduce variable costs, reduce fixed costs -- But for how long and till when? You can stop transport, tissue paper or free coffee but will that solve or open some other issues :)
6. Practice Lean Servicing
7. Increase the value add ( Do higher end job )
8. Climb up the value chain
More focus on consulting. Use your connections and start with freelance consulting. Once they are accustomed then you can start charging
9. Productise your services -- Now this is a new one... I think that the services that you provide to one kind of customer that you can provide to similar kind of other customer also. Hence make your services as a product and start selling it. Takes time. But can think of the same. This is the same model as the news agencies use to sell the news to various channels and news papers. Similarly try and sell similar researches to various clients :) INTERESTING ISN'T IT ? :)
10. Automate your services -- Let smart IT do more of your job
11. Collaborate with Captive IT companies and take their businesses


Anything else you suggest

Think Beyond. Next strategy for Service Companies :)

Think Beyond. Next strategy for Service Companies :)

Lean manufacturing to Lean servicing

Main advantages for IT in India

The IT industry growth has been the highest in the last few years. India has been serving the growing IT needs of almost all parts of the world. The US, EU, Middle East Asia, Far East Asia or Pacific regions, all have seen IT services given by India. India has been able to do the same due to various advantages that it has. The advantages that it has due to its geographical location or has grown and developed in the past. Now these advantages have been harnessed in terms of IT revolution.

The main advantages as we can all see and know are

1. Great technical know how
2. Large availability of talent pool
3. Cost advantage – low cost work force
4. Largely English speaking population
5. 12 hour advantage over US. When US sleeps India works
6. Political will and an willingness to open the economy

These factors paved a way to the development of necessary infrastructure and were also captured by the visionaries of India which ultimately led to the development of IT industry. Hence India’s face was plastered in the growing business demands for IT solutions.

But today, after 25 years of this exponential growth these advantages are fading away. A lot is being done in order to keep the USPs in place.

There has already been a scarcity of good technically sound people and the organizations are trying to groom the available talent. Simultaneously the country is also gearing up to produce more technical people by setting up better education facilities and training grounds.
English advantage is being challenged by other languages coming in for IT solutions and also the developing nations are getting proficient in English. Though India’s English speaking population is also increasing at a phenomenal rate.

The cost advantage is reducing as the cost of manpower is increasing due to high demand and less supply. This is becoming a major reason for the reduction in the profit margins of IT organization. The gross profit has not grown in the same proportion as the sales figures or the total income. See attached graph.

This scene is going to continue until some thing is done that brings back the USP of cost advantage.

What can be done? What was done in other industry?

In manufacturing Toyota led the way to move to Lean manufacturing and it can be said that days are not far away when we start following Lean servicing. Now who is going to be the pioneer in doing the same?

Lean manufacturing to Lean servicing

Lean manufacturing (from wikipedia.org) is a management philosophy focusing on reduction of the seven wastes

• Over-production
  
• Waiting time
  
• Transportation
  
• Processing
  
• Inventory
  
• Motion
  
• Scrap in manufactured products or any type of business.

Lean servicing

A management philosophy focusing on reducing various types of wasteful activities in a service industry

• Wrong designs (not understanding the user requirements completely and redoing the job)


• Reinventing the wheel (doing what has already been done by some one else in the organization for some other customer)


• Finding of right knowledge


• Reducing wastage of talent of human capital


• Time spent in coordinating activities

There will be more definitely. There are many methods and many models. But on the ground level how to do this is a thought to ponder

Knowledge Kinematics

This is what is needed. To be able to leverage the existing knowledge and to be able to build more knowledge and build capabilities is what is required. Take each one of the waste and you will find that Knowledge kinematics can be leveraged to actually have a unique way of reducing the wastes and thus a Lean Servicing

Leadership By Walking Around

I loved this approach. It seemed as if someone has written my own thoughts here. I strongly beleive in the same. In fact I have an increment to this post.

The post is called "If I Were The CEO..." http://mayankkrishna.blogspot.com/2007/05/if-i-were-ceo.html.

He says that he will act like this when he will be the CEO. But I say that this approach can be followed everywhere of course customized levels

1. When you are managing people.
2. When you are managing children.
3. When you are managing peers.
4. When you are managing your Boss.
5. When you are managing your friends.
6. When you are manging your relations :)

This is the approach to be followed. Maximize the interraction. Maximize the communication and it is done ...

U theory

U theory

1. Let go and observe


2. Retreat and reflect ( allow inner knowledge to emerge )


3. Act with new understanding

ATTRITION

ATTRITION is the biggest problem in the industry today. The reasons being simple

1. The work is not that value adding to an individual. It is by and large monotonous work.
2. The maturity level of people in this industry is low and their aim is QUICK money.

There can be more reasons but the root cause or the business problems behind the issue are these two.

The obvious solution is not that obvious

1. We cannot increase the level to maturity of people so easily.
2. We cannot increase the level of work.

The solutions proposed here like

1. Investing in people
2. Profit sharing practices
3. Reward and recognition
4. Etc

Are the ones that are all being done and there is no limit to do this. Keep doing this and do it best but also do something that they want.

I suggest that what needs to be done is TALKING. Only this will increase the maturity of people and will make them understand that there are people who take care of them and they are valued resource. Each team to have two managers (very compatible with each others) – one taking care of processes and other taking care of people. Have a measure like “employee touch point”. How much time has been spent by the people manager with the employee? Listen to employees concern and solve them then and there. (use MBWA) Each person should be ORIENTED towards making a CAREER. Don’t only sell this but also seriously work on that.

The other thing that can be done is INVOLVE them. Have as many as open forums and meeting to discuss things and decide things. Involve them in all issues like choosing furniture for the company to taking a business decision of acquiring a rival company. (Use MAVERICK principle) Can also have a process based organization structure.

Nitin

Simple rules of strategy

Some inputs on strategy

Know the EXISTING

1. What business are we in?

Define business. What is the common point linking everything. Put it into words.

2. Where do we make money?

Monetize the things and know what you are doing special that you are getting money.

3. What should we be in?

Create forward thinking. Where we should be to make use of the point 1 and get point 2.

DECIDE

1. Should we compete?
2. What are we good at?
3. How do we compete?

Its PASSION and TALENT which matters and that too in the same proportion. I would say PASSION matters more. Yes with a pinch (garnishing) of POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Think NEXT

1. Go LOCAL
2. Catch LOCAL
3. Catch BUSINESS

Sab Jagah hai ..... Naraazgee

You are not allowed to do what you are good at.

You are taken because you are good at doing this. But you are not allowed to do what you are good at. You are doing everything but what you are good at.

You were supposed to make sure that others become good at what you are good at
You will definitely do what you are good at (somehow or the other) but we also require you to do something more. So we will not ask you to do anything that you are good at (thats your perogative) but will ask you to do everything else.

But keep doing what you are good at and redefine / re-create yourself and become good at others also. As you are a Hi P N C.

Something on Strategy

I am cooking something on strategy. This will take time. But wait is worth....

Outrunning what I am running for

This has always been my case.

Let me explain or rather try to explain.

Lets say I want something. Be it anything. Lets say I want a certain kind of chocolate that I saw in someone else's hands. ( Yes typically this is the case, I want something that I like after seeing it in others hands. I am trying to change this these days -- shall discuss later )

I start liking and longing that chocolate. But I dont have the means and the ways to get it. I start feeling that I can't live without that chocolate. I do everything to get that. But NO I wont get that so easily so I start planing and making arrangements to get that chocolate.

Now I start dreaming for having that chocolate even more. I have only one thing that I can do and that is EFFORTs so I keep doing them. The chocolate becomes more and more important to me. I keep running for that chocolate.

And then one day I give up for that chocolate. I have run so much for that chocolate that I am tired and the time I should have spent enjoying that chocolate I spent chasing that.

Then I get the chocolate. As soon as I get the chocolate ----- I dont want to have it any more. I have outrun what I was running for.

Then there is a new chocolate and I start running again :)

Now replace chocolate with ................................................... anything.


What to do ???? I think I should leave it like that only and believe in the theory of dots connecting. They will connect but at the right time. You will know if you are the chosen one at the right time. No sooner no later.

Lets live in today then. AAJ KE LIYE JEE LEIN

Why do we compare? Why do we compare miseries?

Is my misery greater than yours?
Is your misery greater than mine?

Why do we compare miseries.


Let's understand that each one of us have issues pertaining to us and that have to be seen as stand alone. We cannot judge by comparing. We cannot contrast.

Lets try and be more non comparative at least in case of MISERIES :)

STORIES HELP RELATE

Hi,

I must say that this is a unique topic and interesting one too. I am not a great writer, in fact I am lazy in writing hence I wrote a little on the topic although I have some more thoughts on it. My HR and KM background and my love for the subject makes me connected to this topic even more. Here are my thoughts.

1. Looking at the first point of
1. Communication: I think story telling gives a good way of communicating with the audience. The communication is not only with the face of the people but one starts connecting to the PSYCHE of an individual and is directly hitting the sub conscious mind where the impact is more. STORIES HELP RELATE and thus acts as a great communication medium
2. Values : This is a way in which you can give some live cases and in fact nearer to the person more will be the 'connect'. The stories can be from the same organization – this will instill a faith and pride in the system and it can be a generic example i.e. some well known person acting on values, or it can best be near to the person – This is most effective in my opinion but this is difficult to find hence it is better to ask each one of them to bring about stories and examples near to them.
3. Vision: I think this can be treated very nicely with STORIES. The subject so vague and the importance of having a vision is not understood and thus needs a great testimonial and what better than to give some stories. Some good all round stories given in GOOD TO GREAT and other books can talk about this issue much nicely. The concept of BHAG can also be put in place using some good stories and example

As I write this I also gather some more thoughts as to what STORIES do to human mind I think they help to bring the concept near to us and thus also makes us believe that this is in reach hence STORIES HELP US RELATE. We relate the concept to the stories and thus remember that and also we find ourselves close and related to the concept and thus the concept is within reach.

2. The second point of "evaluating the effectiveness of the story in terms of change in human behavior" – I think each story has its uniqueness hence judging the effectiveness of story in terms of change in human behavior will be difficult and useless. Some stories will work for some people and some stories will relate to some people hence we can't gauge the effectiveness of a story.
   

However in order to get the effectiveness of story telling we can actually get the response from people who have been taught using stories and compare with the people who have been taught without stories

We can also try and get the amount the concept was

· remembered,

· believed and

· practiced

after some time interval as a measure of change in human behavior and judge the effectiveness of stories.

Hope this helps.

:)
http://blog.tatainteractive.com/2007/04/learners_are_bu.html

On 4/18/07 10:50 AM, wrote:

--------------------

Hi Nitin,

That's an interesting observation.

I was considering looking at the communication or values or vision using storytelling and evaluating the effectiveness of the story in terms of change in human behavior. What do you think of the approach?

On 4/16/07 11:00 PM, Nitin Agarwal wrote:

--------------------

Hi,

I have been using this technique on many forums and I can tell that Story telling is one of the most effective ways of passing on a business rule or a learning.

The most important thing about story telling is STORIES HELP RELATE. You can also relate this on the context of how people learn / remember things. We link, we relate the unknown to the known and thus learn new things.

Refer the Theory of Learning taught in psychology.

We can discuss this further.

Question Details:

--------------------

Which type of companies use storytelling as a communication tool and how effective is it?

Hello,

I'm doing a research project on 'Storytelling as a change management and human performance improvement tool.'

I'm looking to understand the merits of using stories to communicate strategy and vision internally and understand how the organizations such as Xerox and DHL, who have been successful, do it. So internal case studies would be a great way to start.

Does anyone know if Google uses storytelling, I'm particularly interested in their approach?

I'd appreciate any critical views that build toward my research.

Cheers

Also, if any of your organizations would be interested in participating in this study, do drop me an email at

Cheers

Dyodhee or the Facade

I read a story in Hindi long time back when I was in school, that was by a very famous Indian writer titled DYODHEE (or the facade). The writer talks about the facade that is hanging on the door of the protagonist which keeps his image alive in the external world. Although he is in dire straits but no one outside knows the reality and the SHAAN remains. After some time the facade is not able to hold and it falls showing the reality.

Similar is our scenario... We all wear some masks and that acts as a facade for our real self. It becomes difficult and difficult to hold that facade. We are always under the pressure of What Will people Think.... But we are what we are (I am what I am -- RBK).... Let me respect myself. ( Doosron kee jay se pehle khud ko jay karein).... We will sooner or later find that what we were searching for is within us. (And I found him).....

Lets earn that .... Lets earn that for ourself and by ourself and in ourself....

Breed leaders

Hi P NC series
















People who play things near the chest don't reach heights :)

Hi P breed leaders. They learn and then contribute to the things. They never have an inferiority complex. They are confident that they will add value to anything and everything. They believe in the mantra of finding in the mirror.

www.snap.com

I liked this feature from www.snap.com

Gives me and others more freedom. Lets see

Big Shot from Little Shot

Hi.P NC Series

Somebody once said the difference between a big shot and little shot is that the big shot was the little shot who kept on shooting. There's much truth in that witticism. The reality is, no matter what our target might be, we seldom hit it on the first try unless the target is low, which means the accomplishment--and the rewards--will be insignificant"

Hence keep hitting. Things evolve. They happen. They get created. They develop. And this is not a one day phenomenon. Even Gold has to go through melting before getting the color and the grace.

Its the perseverance that matters. Some one once told me zindagee kee daud marathon hai 100 meter sprint nahin. Perseverance matters. So keep hitting. You will also get the share of what you should get. It just might be that you keep hitting but in the hits the thing that you start enjoying is the sound and you develop your life around the sound. But whats important is to keep hitting.

And I found him

I was trying to find someone Happy

I was trying to find someone to look upon to

I was trying to find someone to get inspired from

I was trying to find someone whom I can bank upon

I was trying to find someone whom I can emulate

I was trying to find someone whom I can relate to

I was trying to find someone who is the chosen one

I was trying to find someone who is GOD’s favorite child

And I found him in the MIRROR

Running Away. Falling and Panting....

After many days, today I have felt a loss of energy.
After many days, today I have sat down to sit and think. Its not that I dont like to think or I cant think that I have not been doing so. But for some time I had been running away from this feeling. I was running away and was not sitting down and thinking. But where will you run away? The claws of reality are like a serpent and will definitely catch you, Sooner or Later..

There are many things racing in my mind today. And I am trying to run away from all but to no avail. Some day this had to come to front and this is the time..

Have to make things clearer to myself and then make things clearer to some people who care for me ... Given a choice I would still hide away or run away from this... But some times you have to do things under pressure. Some time you have to take a decision under pressure. I usually thought that not taking a decision is also a decision but NO it is not any more. Be it Gujarat or be it your personal life when things are going to get out of hand you have to take a decision. Else the same will happen as it happened in Gujarat.....

The question is simple " To be or not To be " .. Yes Hamlet ... "To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer "..

Simple yes pretty simple... Do I want what I want .. Do I want what I want more than what others (closed ones) want for me.... Do they really want this for me ... Am I not challenging them .. Am I not being decietful to them....

Let my mind find an answer.. Let my mind look for options and come back to it ...
Let me decide

The other factors that also come in my mind are When will I stop living for others and start living for myself. When will I work on what I want to work. When will I not be in two minds. When will I stop making mistakes again and again. When will I get what I want .. When will I start asking for myself.. When will I come out of this crossed fingers.. WHEN WHEN

Some times I think that because these "when" exist and these issues are there I am able to survive..

I think I am happy the way I am .. I will not able to survice and yes this phase of life needs to come which will help me pull down and sit and think .. this gives me more energy..

Thanks to some one who helps me in my blues and helps me sit down and helps in what ever way it can be done..

I am a fighter and will fight and will always want what I want..

next post will be with my wants and desires.. Though small ones but will have reasons behind each

IF I BELIEVE OTHER THAN YOU, AT LEAST PAUSE BEFORE YOU CORRECT MY VIEW.

IF I BELIEVE OTHER THAN YOU, AT LEAST PAUSE BEFORE YOU CORRECT MY VIEW.