I have usually been sharing my views on diverse issues through the social networking sites like Face Book,Twitters or Whatsapp.Most times it is on current topics either concerning the group to whom I am talking or on the issues which concern all of us.This blog is another platform which I intend to use to articulate something which might benefit my young friends in their future journey of life.
Today I intend writing on something which I heard often from my colleagues during my years in a couple of banks I worked and everyday I hear from my young colleagues expressing their unhappiness at the treatment they got from their colleagues or seniors or from the HR meaning their organisation itself.
No organisation much less the service rendering outfit would be silly enough to rub their employees so as to make them feel unhappy and therefore contribute less than the expectation of the organisation.Still this kind of feeling of frustation amongst some people is spread all across the organisations.
I have been reflecting on this issue for a long time.My assesment on this issue and what possibly can remedy this situation to some extent is given in following lines.
WHETHER SIZE OF ORGANISATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH "POLITICS"
Having worked in a few organisations of different sizes and had first hand experience in these organisations I conciously reflected on the impact of SIZE.For those of you who may not know I worked in Canara Bank from the time it was a relatively small organisation(1000 branches) and grew into one of the top three banks when I left and is still bigger in size now.Andhra Bank where I spent crucial 3years is relatively small organisation.In the interim I had opportunity to work in CanFin Homes -A much smaller entity and as CE of Canara London though a part of Canara Bank (de jure) for the purpose of this article it can be treated as a small entity looking at the profile of the staff working there.
A relatively small organisation -be it Canara of 70s or Andhra bank of the present day there are advantages as well as some issues which cause concern to people working there.Advantages include the top management is able to observe critical functionaries from close quarters or know about what is happening at micro level through some important functionaries.
Wherever the crucial functionaries depend on the feed back from few important functionaries -like circle /zonal head or the HR or other fuctional heads and does not care to have an alternate system to check the chances of unhappiness or feeling of irritation amongst lower functionaries are more.Not that all crucial top/important functionaries have bad intentions to create a feeling of discomfort in minds of branch officials but it is individual pperceptions and their respective past expperiences to pass a judgement over others.HENCE WHAT IS NECESSARY IS THAT THE TOP FUNCTIONARY HAS TO HAVE ONE OR MORE ALTERNATE LINES OF COMMUNICATION TO COME TO A CONCLUSION ABOUT CAPACITY OF JUNIOR FUNCTIONARIES.
Major areas which cause heartburns or a feeling of top management being impartial or not objective is the placement and promotion..actually if we talk of banks we can zero it down substantially to placement and promotions at higher levels-say Scale IV and above.
Top management has to (besides having alternate communication channels ) institutionalise the system of placement and promotions.I mean that the management has to reduce theoral individual opinions to the least or totally avoideed.For that it is necessary that people at middle level are bold enough to mention aspects which require improvement in the subordinates.Fixing key areas has not to be mechanical process.Half yearly review of the performance needs lot of care and be realistic.Once half yearly review and fixing KRAs are taken seriously the communication channel of appraiser and the appraisee will be better and making a genuine record of performance is relatively easy.
In smaller organisations I have seen that informal channel of communication is very strong.The chief executive has to be careful to discourage such informal communication channel and not think that such channels put him on stronger padestal vis a vis the other top management personnel..I have seen a chairman of Canara Bank who never used to allow anyone to sit before him to talk other than business(i.e to talk about sundry matters of others)I have also seen good number of GMs or CMD who had ear to everyone and will not mind humilating their subordinates by talking about unvetted issues to the concerned or to others.The CMD who would not like to hear about others from even top management people was Canara Bank's Mr R V Sastry.
The top functionaries like GMs or branch head included comes to know of something which is unsubstantiated and it has disturbed him he must go for direct communication with the subject rather than go by unsubstantiated opinion.It is the job of top management or the HR department to institutionalise the appraisal process.The process should have questions asked about the appraisee in yes/No options as far as possible,The questions are to be carefully designed differently eliciting a uniform response to questions asked differently but have same connotations.In case the managers are giving generally good report but marking low-as per their percetion the bank should have a method to normalise the appraisal.
The employees need to be called to training school at leasst once in a year.The training gives not only an opportunity for learning but also for an independent asssesment of attitude.This assesment also needs to be codified and recorded in the file.All this data should then be reconciled by the HR.In case there is a deficiency in expected performance or attitude the bank should design some training and also direct communication by the HR head or someone really high.
It will not be correct to say that smaller organisations have only informal communication and that it is bad.My experience as head of CanFin Homes Delhi and even Canara London or some brances like Canara Faridabad or Parliement street which in a way were smaller entities but we could manage situation very well even though there were no institutional mechanism to asses people to the extent I mentioned above.The important responsibility is that of the chief of small entity who has to conciously be transparent and good at communication skills with subordinates.
As a leader the chief has to be leading by example if he has to inspire confidence in subordinates.He ( leader) has to take higher responsibility and not shirk any duty.It may mean longer hours for him,it may mean restraint for him in his intra communication.
The effort in present day has to be innovative in meeting competetion.This also gives people down the line to be creative and innovative (in other words bold).It requires explicit support to the juniors as to the deficient outcomes sometimes.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SUBORDINATES:
Ideally the subordinates too has to be communicative-not necessarily to colleagues where they cant help but to the boss if he needs to take corrective action.
Be open rather than secretive.If he has problem with other colleagues or customers one should be prepared to talk to the boss politely rather than in aggressive environment .
also he should be prepared to change.Change does not mean that he has to go against his concience or against the rules.But that need s to be told emphatically but politely.
If he feels that some wrong is on in the branch he should not only be not a party to this but also work as a whistle blower.
I know it is difficult but the present environment is such that being a quiet watcher of illeagal activity can be construed as being party to irregularity.
In smaller organisations it is relatively easy to have good team and get the best out of people.I saw this at Can Fin Homes,Good team would mean excellent results.It is in the interest of chief to lead the team rather than promote groupism(which also is possible in smaller entities wher informal communications are dominant)
Hence it is the joint responsibility of Top people and subrdinates alike.All are working towards a common purpose.Also one should go for big picture rather than by individual purposes..

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