 Ravi Mishra
Vice President - HR
Ravi has career span of more than
nineteen years in practicing human resource management, publi...
more>>
Neil Armstrong used the Kodak Camera to capture the pictures on moon in 1969. The company which was known to have invented Hand-held camera, Roll-up photo film and Digital camera has filed the case for bankruptcy. Its market value which was US $31 billion 15 years ago has touched below the US $15 million and employees strength from 60,000 to 7000 in their Rochester office in New York. What is takeaway from such respected organization; it could not utilise the potential of people to sustain the success story. Complacency of focusing on idea in place of people at large possibly failed the organization which once upon a time was known as the brand as generic name for its products. Another example is of Nokia which was controlling around 80% market share in mobile hand set till recent past in India has lost its presence in Indian market by less than 30%. Organizations need to involve its people to form its vision and strategy. Maruti Suzuki which sells about half of the number of cars sold in India. This company also has strong support to its bottom-line through various quality & improvement initiatives. Company had to bear a huge loss to the tone of more than Rs 800 million due to strike at its Manesar plant, possibly ignoring the fact that power is owned by people. Organizations grow with the strength of collective wisdom and contribution of its people wherein contribution may vary in economic sense but for the success of organization; each contribution is important so as the people. Organizations can not grow with differences in long term. Every individual has a potential in one way or the other but it is the responsibility of organization to discover, nurture and utilize for its benefit. A small puncture in boiler leading to the darkness does not warrant the idea but needs the people having skill to repair it in the shortest time span. Ideas can not be generated in isolation or can not be patented with a section of people in the organization. During recent recession of year 2008, we have seen how Lehman Brothers, et al... had fallen flat that hired the guys from premier management institutes like Harvard, Stanford and always banked upon only on this group as think tank & hub of idea generating individuals. There are numerous examples when the power of people either working as individual or as group has saved many organizations from incurring heavy losses to the tune of many crores of rupees. In one of the process plant, based on idea by top management, company involved experts from Original Equipment Manufacturer for periodical inspection of the gear box of a heavy machinery for which company had no spare. Of course, the company paid a lot of money in the process. However soon after such an inspection by experts, one of the companys workmen started noticing humming sound coming from the gear box of the same machinery. The sound coming was of very low intensity and since the workman who was monitoring the machine everyday, he was able to notice it and inform the department head about the possible failure in the gearbox of the machinery. Machine was stopped, checked and found having same abnormality which was apprehension by the workman. The abnormality was eliminated in a week time. In this example a person saved the organization from a possible six month stoppage by just doing his routine duty sincerely. Similarly in a cement plant, just after a planned stoppage when the machine was started, a workman noticed during his normal inspection that support tyre of the kiln was having one hairline crack. Any breakdown in the support tyre could have resulted the possible six month stoppage but the routine and sincere working by one of the companys workmen saved the company from such big impact failures. We have also seen the shining examples of organizations like Google, Infosys, Walmart who believes in the potential of each individual to drive the organization forward and being proves to their premise. In Organizational perspectives, it is people who drive the organization forward. Ideas are important but it can not be created in isolation and in exceptional case even if it happens so; will not be an easy way to get the same converted into the product or services that drives the organization in long term. Experts on HR
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