Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester I Subject Code MB0043 Subject Name Human Resource Management 4 Credits (Book ID:

D: B1132) Assignment Set- 1 (60 Marks) Note: Each question carries 10 Marks. Answer all the questions. Q.1 Write down the difference between Personnel management and Human Resource management.[10 Marks] Answer: Distinction between Personnel management & Human Resources management The history of Human Resources management traces its roots to the erstwhile Personnel management that was prevalent in the companies of a few decades ago. Though the two terms Personnel Management and Human Resources Management are interchangeably used by most of the authors, there are key differentiators that make Personnel Management (PM) different from Human Resources Management (HRM). HRM is clearly based on the foundation of behavioural science knowledge relating to the handling of employees to motivate organizational goals. The focus is more proactive approach and pays attention to employee satisfaction and delight. Business goals and objectives and the strategies that will enable this to happen are the foundation for HRM. The basic philosophy is driven by the Theory Y approach where the belief is that people like to work and do not prefer t be supervised and made to perform. The employee becomes a champion for the organization and its product/service. PM is that management style that deals with the control and reactive problem solving approach to resolve employee issues in a organizations. The philosophy for the PM approach relied on the Theory X approach that believed that people do not naturally like to work and need to be coerced to work and often need to be driven to work. Is more the stick approach rather than carrot approach. Rigid rules of dos and donts exist and these provide the framework for employees behaviour at the workplace. Employee welfare and formal grievance systems play a significant role here and thereby managing industrial relations with high amount of trade union activity are highlighted. Very few organizations today practice this style to people management, as the benefits and the long term gains from a HRM approach, impact business results far more. HRM emphasizes on training, as an important area of people management, which covers the following aspects: 1. Increasing productivity 2. Improving quality 3. Improving organizational climate 4. Ensuring personnel growth etc. Some experts assert that there is no difference between human resources and personnel management. They state that the two terms can be used interchangeably, with no difference in meaning. In fact, the terms are often used interchangeably in help-wanted ads and job descriptions. For those who recognize a difference between personnel management and human resources, the difference can be described as philosophical. Personnel management is more administrative in nature, dealing with payroll, complying with employment law, and handling related tasks. Human resources, on the other hand, is responsible for managing a workforce as one of the primary resources that contributes to the success of an organization. When a difference between personnel management and human resources is recognized, human resources is described as much broader in scope than personnel management. Human resources is said to incorporate and develop personnel management tasks, while seeking to create and develop teams of workers for the benefit of the organization. A primary goal of human resources is to enable employees to work to a maximum level of efficiency. Personnel management can include administrative tasks that are both traditional and routine. It can be described as reactive, providing a response to demands and concerns as they are presented. By contrast, human resources involves ongoing strategies to manage and develop an organization's workforce. It is proactive, as it involves the continuous development of functions and policies for the purposes of improving a company's workforce. Personnel management is often considered an independent function of an organization. Human resource management, on the other hand, tends to be an integral part of overall company function. Personnel management is

typically the sole responsibility of an organization's personnel department. With human resources, all of an organization's managers are often involved in some manner, and a chief goal may be to have managers of various departments develop the skills necessary to handle personnel related tasks. As far as motivators are concerned, personnel management typically seeks to motivate employees with such things as compensation, bonuses, rewards, and the simplification of work responsibilities. From the personnel management point of view, employee satisfaction provides the motivation necessary to improve job performance. The opposite is true of human resources. Human resource management holds that improved performance leads to employee satisfaction. With human resources, work groups, effective strategies for meeting challenges, and job creativity are seen as the primary motivators.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Difference_between_human_resource_management_and_personnel_management# ixzz1N0ntdkjS

Q.2 Write a note on scope of HR in India. [10 Marks] ANSWER: Scope of HR in India: Contrary to these forces, in India the owner manager/government/public sector manager was an industry icon and a national hero of sorts. The Personnel Management practices were dominant of the brick-and-motor industry. Though the approach was largely welfare oriented and reactive in nature it served effectively for the large PSU organizations that built the countrys foundation. Its only in the past 10-12 years with the immense growth on account of the IT industry that winds of change began to blow. It was largely the advent of the Information Technology era in India that brought with it the western management practices. MNCs (multinational companies) started up their operations in India. The FDI (foreign direct investment) went up steeply as the world saw the potential in the countrys human resources. India became a preferred location for MNCs primarily from the USA, followed by other developed countries. The gave birth to a new generation of management as well as HRM practices. New hiring methods, new ways of paying salaries, new employment terms and most importantly increased focus on individual performance and outcomes. There was emphasis on deliverables and linking individual and team performance to business results and success. Given the highly educated workforce there was a de-emphasis in the role of the trade unions. The era of the trade union dominance gave way to the new order of individual negotiated salaries and terms and clearly performance linked assessment systems. Another transformation that the Indian workplace witnessed was the focus on ethics and ethical practices in doing business. It was only fair to expect that with the weak legal system, it needed the support of the government policies and the corporate policies to beat the corruption that existed. This has significantly contributed to India emerging as a preferred destination for doing business. All of this has yielded to give way to the birth of the professional manager Professional managers today are a critical and essential part of the Indian corporate. The professional manager brought about a shift in the culture from a highly authoritarian approach of getting work done, to a more collaborative and participative approach. The entrepreneurs who earlier operated in a secure, sheltered market and hardly face challenges, were challenged by the globalization that swept in with the liberalization policies and measure brought in by the Indian government late 1995 and onwards. Despite the challenges, the Indian employee and his manager evolved. Together they stepped up

to face the challenge head-on and to win not only in India but also globally. The levers of (a) low cost, (b) highly skilled, and (c) English as the medium of education and it being the corporate-language: were the key drivers that enabled the flow of global business to India. There was exponential growth in employment both directly (jobs in the international and domestic companies) as well as indirectly (as support industries like transport, catering and ancillary industries). The simultaneous investment of the government in building the necessary infrastructure did its share of providing impetus towards creating more jobs for the people of the country. Hence, human relations movement in India has evolved very differently as compared to what we see in the developed economies of the USA and the UK. What is currently acting as a limitation is the enhanced awareness on the need for research based HRM practices. While there is a lot of work happening in the Indian education system to promote this, it is going to take a while before it can create a distinct body of knowledge that is referenceable. For now the industry relies on emulating westerns HR practices and customizing on a as-needed basis for the Indian corporation. For the rest the industry forums and consortiums like the NASSCOM act as a hub bringing together organizations on a regular basis to discuss challenges and share best practices and identify ways and means o overcome them together. So far this has been successful and working to the advantage of the Indian corporate. Leading MNC research and consulting firms like Mercer and Hewitt too contribute to the industry through carrying out research and sharing reports on a regular basis. The approach however remains analytical and less prescriptive. Since there is boom in software, there is bound to be major requirement. Even traditional sector are going for this specialised function these days, as retaining people has become difficult and Compensation/ salary systems are designed to ensure that employees are rewarded appropriately depending on what they do and the skills and knowledge (intellect) required for doing a specific job. It must therefore provide for the following key factors in order to be effective: The following factors may be helpful to raise the effectiveness employees Signal to the employee the major objectives of the organizations- therefore it must link to the overall goals and objectives of the company. For example if doing a quality job is critical for the company its compensation system has to ensure that this is adequately rewarded. On the other hand if a company values productivity and units produces, the compensation system would be designed such that productivity is rewarded. Attract and retain the talent an organization needs the need to benchmark salaries to the prevalent market standard for that job / skill so that the company is able to attract the right talent. If a enterprises pays a salary lower that what the market does for that job/responsibilities, the probability that suitable candidates would take the job offer and join the company. Even if they do join subsequently when they find that the market pays more for that job they would quickly find a more remunerative job and leave the company. Motivate employees to perform effectively as discussed at the outset, money is a key motivator and it often might be the only motivator for most employees, therefore ensuring that compensation is appropriately disbursed need to be taken care of while designing the compensation system. Jobs in the brick and motor, production setups would focus on higher incentive policies that would motivate the employee to produce more while the basesalary would be low. Create the type of culture the company seeks to engender compensation systems play a critical role as sponsors for the organizations culture. A performance driven culture would build compensation policies that clearly and significantly reward performance. A company that rewards loyalty would reward employees who stay longer in the company with significantly better incentive programs.

Hence we see how compensation systems are reflective of the organizations over all philosophy of what its goals and objectives are and how this can be linked to salary payout. Young and old male and female encourage and do better and less well education these are just some of the dimensions along which team members may differ. Coordinating team talents to develop new products. Better customer services or ways of working more efficiently is a difficult yet essential aspect of business strategy. Human resource management indeed have a good scope in marketing for future and the market will increase their profit by human resource.

Q.3 Explain the critical steps in Human Resource Planning system ANSWER: A. Purpose of Human Resource Planning: Human Resource Planning fulfils individual as well as organizational goals. What it essentially amounts to is striking a balance between the future human resources needs and the future enterprise needs. And this is done with the clear objective of maximizing the future return on investment in human resources. And this objective may be laid down for a short-term (i.e.for one year). B. Estimating/Forecasting the future Manpower Requirements: the first step in the process is to arrive at the desired organizational structure at a given point in time. Mapping this structure with the existing structure helps in identifying the gap in resources requirement. The number and type of employees needed have to be determined. In addition to the structure there are a number of external factors that affect this determination. They include business forecasts, competitor strategy, expansion plans, product/skills mix changes, profit/revenue growth projections, in addition to management philosophy and government policies. This step also includes an analysis of the external labour/talent environment, its demographics, demand/supply of the required talent, and cost considerations. C. Auditing Human Resources: Once the future human resource needs are estimated, the next step is to determine the present supply of manpower resources. This is done through what is called Skills Inventory. A skills inventory contains data about each employees skills, abilities, work preferences and other items of information which indicate his worth to the company. Skills inventory are also referred to as competency dictionaries. This information is usually retained as part of the performance management system with the HR department. This step in the HRP system helps identify the existing profile of the manpower and its efficiency. It helps highlight where the organization is vs. where it ought to be. The step concludes with identifying clear gaps in the skills/ manpower mix required to meet the upcoming business objectives. D. Job Analysis: After having decided how many persons would be needed, it is necessary to prepare a job analysis. The recorded details of training, skills, qualification, abilities, experience and responsibilities, etc. as needed for a job are studied. Job analysis includes the preparation of job descriptions and job specifications. E. Developing a Human Resource Plan: This step refers t the development and implementation of the human resource plan, which consists in finding out the sources of labour supply with a view to making an effective use of these sources. Some important considerations at this point are: Specific roles/disciplines being hired for, of them which roles are pivotal for the business Competencies and capabilities needed Manager vs. employee hiring

Hire internally vs. External sourcing Planning for new skills through training existing staff vs. hiring new teams In case of surpluses, planning for redeployment/ reduction in workforce as required Succession planning for key positions in the company

Q.4 With reference to the compensation and salary system what are the systems that are helpful to raise the effectiveness of employees.[10 Marks] Answer: Compensation/ salary systems are designed to ensure that employees are rewarded appropriately depending on what they do and the skills and knowledge (intellect) required for doing a specific job. It must therefore provide for the following key factors in order to be effective: The following factors may be helpful to raise the effectiveness employees Signal to the employee the major objectives of the organizations- therefore it must link to the overall goals and objectives of the company. For example if doing a quality job is critical for the company its compensation system has to ensure that this is adequately rewarded. On the other hand if a company values productivity and units produces, the compensation system would be designed such that productivity is rewarded. Attract and retain the talent an organization needs the need to benchmark salaries to the prevalent market standard for that job / skill so that the company is able to attract the right talent. If a enterprises pays a salary lower that what the market does for that job/responsibilities, the probability that suitable candidates would take the job offer and join the company. Even if they do join subsequently when they find that the market pays more for that job they would quickly find a more remunerative job and leave the company. Motivate employees to perform effectively as discussed at the outset, money is a key motivator and it often might be the only motivator for most employees, therefore ensuring that compensation is appropriately disbursed need to be taken care of while designing the compensation system. Jobs in the brick and motor, production setups would focus on higher incentive policies that would motivate the employee to produce more while the basesalary would be low. Create the type of culture the company seeks to engender compensation systems play a critical role as sponsors for the organizations culture. A performance driven culture would build compensation policies that clearly and significantly reward performance. A company that rewards loyalty would reward employees who stay longer in the company with significantly better incentive programs.

Hence we see how compensation systems are reflective of the organizations over all philosophy of what its goals and objectives are and how this can be linked to salary payout.

Q.5 What is competency? How it can be linked to the HR system?

ANSWER: In competency based human resource system, skills management supported by the right training and development programs play a prime role in driving employee productivity. If an organization has chosen this method, it means that it begins at the recruitment stage. The competencies required for the vacant positions are identified. The interview questions are based on the requirements of each job. Types of Competencies A competency based human resource system approach requires effective talent management in the following areas: 1. Functional Competencies. These are the competencies required to perform the duties and responsibilities for each and every position. It is clear that these competencies vary from jobto job.

2. Behavioral Competencies. These are the types of behaviors that employees demonstrate, showing that they have the required skills and knowledge. These competencies enable employees to perform their jobs well.

3. Core Competencies. These are competencies that run across functions and levels. These competencies are common for all positions. Such competencies can improve the competitive advantage of your organization. examples of behavioral competencies such as: communication and motivation abilities; leadership skills; teamwork; decision making ability; analytical ability, and adaptability

Core competencies are normally selected from the most important functional and behavioral competencies such as: leadership change management skill people-skill development ability

strategic planning ability employee recruitment, motivation and retention skills

It is clear that competency based human resource system is based on the selection and management of the right competencies. And ensuring that employees including new employees possess those competencies. Employee effectiveness is measured against the standards relevant to the industry in which your organization is engaged in. What is lacking is referred to as a 'competency gap.' Your objective is to address the competency gap or gaps by providing the right training and development programs. Competency Based Human Resource System and Competency-Based Training In competency based human resource management, the emphasis is on behavioral approach and performance. It is closely connected to HR talent management. Here, 'HR' refers to every member of the entire workforce, not just people in Human Resource departments. Competency based training is training intended to improve employee competence or to equip them with new competencies required in the effective performance of jobs. This includes the needs of the organization as it responds to changes in a dynamic environment. It is a continuous activity. This is vital in maintaining your organization's competitive edge. Training can improve competence required by people at the various levels in the organization's hierarchy and every area of tactical and operational activities, such as: 1. individual employees in their personal mastery of their time, their jobs and relationships 2. heads of Unit especially in intra-group management 3. team leaders in inter-group management 4. departmental and business unit heads in the functional management of their respective area of operations 5. senior management especially the CEO in the industry's management especially effective leadership skills 6. heads of global organizations in global and diversity management

Competence and Service Excellence Competent people assist your organization in attaining service excellence. Excellent service is a pre-condition for organizational success. And success means positive financial outcomes and / or organizational survival. A competency based human resource system is considered as one of the approaches in human resource management.

Ensure that this strategy is aligned to your organization's objectives.

Other Areas of Application Apart from recruitment and the selection process, a competency based human resource system will require the same approach in rewards management, succession planning and employee transfer. There are institutions of learning that offer courses in compentency-based human resource management.

Q.6 Dynamic Learning is an organization that wants to revise the HR policies. It has conducted a survey and the results of survey indicated that r=there is employee unrest, tardiness, absenteeism, more grievances. This all clearly indicates low morale. Suggest the measures that can be taken to improve employee morale. [10 Marks] ANSWER:
Employee Morale Boosters: Morale boosters can take the form of recognition, eompensation, special perks or simply terminating employees. Here are 11 low cost morale boosters:

Welcome ideas: Employee morale improves when staff feel they are valued. Share and implement their innovations and ideas.

Keep Score: Mount a large score board in the office to recognize top performers and to motivate those on the bottom of the list. Inspect: The old management adage, inspect what you expect is true. Companies with a lack of focus can confuse staff and lead to less morale. Thank You Notes: Send a special thank you letter to you staffs family or spouse, praising their good work and efforts. Huddle: Have a daily morning huddle to highlights tasks for the day and to cheer yesterdays wins. Open Up: Provide an open forum or one-on-one time to allow employees to express their concerns and feelings can be an easy means to boost morale. Have Fun: Special events and outside work activities can take the pressure off the day-to-day grind in the office. Show Charity: Get your staff involved in a bigger cause to help them see there is more to life than work. Add Perks: Use low cost perks such as a Foosball table in the lunch room.

Fire Staff: Sometimes the root cause of low employee morale can be a staff member whose negativity brings down the group. Even a top performer can bring down staff behind your back. Measure it: Keep tabs on the levels of morale in your business by regularly measuring employee satisfaction. The backbone of business success resides in the productivity and output of your employees. Those companies who remain vigilant to the signs of low morale and who focus on improving morale can thwart off the impact of a low morale workplace.

Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester I Subject Code MB0043 Subject Name Human Resource Management 4 Credits
(Book ID: B0909) Assignment Set- 2 (60 Marks) Q.1 List and explain the sources of recruitment? [10 Marks] ANSWER:
Every organisation has the option of choosing the candidates for its recruitment processes from two kinds of sources: internal and external sources. The sources within the organisation itself (like transfer of employees from one department to other, promotions) to fill a position are known as the internal sources of recruitment. Recruitment candidates from all the other sources (like outsourcing agencies etc.) are known as the external sources of recruitment.

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

Internal Sources Of Recruitment:

1.TRANSFERS The employees are transferred from one department to another according to their efficiency and experience. 2.PROMOTIONS The employees are promoted from one department to another with more benefits and greater responsibility based on efficiency and experience. 3.Others are Upgrading and Demotion of present employees according to their performance. 4.Retired and Retrenched e 1.TRANSFERS The employees are transferred from one department to another according to their efficiency and experience. 2.PROMOTIONS The employees are promoted from one department to another with more benefits and greater responsibility based on efficiency and experience. 3.Others are Upgrading and Demotion of present employees according to their performance. 4.Retired and Retrenched employees may also be recruited once again in case of shortage of qualified personnel or increase in load of work. Recruitment such people save time and costs of the organisations as the people are already aware of the organisational culture and the policies and procedures. 5.The dependents and relatives of Deceased employees and Disabled employees are also done by many companies so that the members of the family do not become dependent on the mercy of others. mployees may also be recruited once again in case of shortage of qualified personnel or increase in load of work. Recruitment such people save time and costs of the organisations as the people are already aware of the organisational culture and the policies and procedures.

External Sources Of Recruitment

1.PRESS ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements of the vacancy in newspapers and journals are a widely used source of recruitment. The main advantage of this method is that it has a wide reach. 2.EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES Various management institutes, engineering colleges, medical Colleges etc. are a good source of recruiting well qualified executives, engineers, medical staff etc. They provide facilities for campus interviews and placements. This source is known as Campus Recruitment. 3.PLACEMENT AGENCIES Several private consultancy firms perform recruitment functions on behalf of client companies by charging a fee. These agencies are particularly suitable for recruitment of executives and specialists. It is also known as RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES Government establishes public employment exchanges throughout the country. These exchanges provide job information to job seekers and help employers in identifying suitable candidates. LABOUR CONTRACTORS Manual workers can be recruited through contractors who maintain close contacts with the sources of such workers. This source is used to recruit labour for construction jobs. UNSOLICITED APPLICANTS Many job seekers visit the office of well-known companies on their own. Such callers are considered nuisance to the daily work routine of the enterprise. But can help in creating the talent pool or the database of the probable candidates for the organisation. EMPLOYEE REFERRALS / RECOMMENDATIONS Many organisations have structured system where the current employees of the organisation can refer their friends and relatives for some position in their organisation. Also, the office bearers of trade unions are often aware of the suitability of candidates. Management can inquire these leaders for suitable jobs. In some organizations these are formal agreements to give priority in recruitment to the candidates recommended by the trade union. RECRUITMENT AT FACTORY GATE Unskilled workers may be recruited at the factory gate these may be employed whenever a permanent worker is absent. More efficient among these may be recruited to fill permanent vacancies.

Q.2 Write a note on objectives of training? [10 Marks] ANSWER:

Aims and objectives are essential for designing effective training. Without understanding the purpose and expected results of the training, things can go badly wrong. If clearly defined aims and objectives are lacking, there is no sound basis for the selection or design of materials, content and methods. A clear statement of what is to be achieved through the training will provide a sound basis for choosing appropriate evaluation methods. In other words learners will know precisely in which direction they are travelling and trainers will know whether or not they are getting there. As a result evaluating training becomes a much easier process within the four main areas identified in the JSB M&E Evaluation Guidance (on the JSB M&E website).

Thus, aims and objectives play a vital role in planning:

a training programme a course a short training event for individual learners evaluation methods.

Tackling terminology

Aims and objectives are often used loosely (and sometimes incorrectly) although they are very different. Other words are also used such as goals, purposes (rather like aims) and learning outcomes (similar to objectives). The terminology has become a minefield, but there is no need to get too bogged down in fine differences.

Aim

Objective

An aim is a general statement of intent. It describes the direction in which the learner will go in terms of what they might learn or what the training will do.

An objective is a more specific statement about what the learner should, or will be able to do, after the training experience.

Purpose of an aim
Aims are very important tools in the design, implementation, and evaluation of training. Simply put, an aim gives a general indication of what may be learnt and what the benefits are from attending the training. However, aims do not give any details or means of assessing whether the learning has been successful. Objectives are used for this purpose.

The qualities of well-formed learning objectives

Objectives are very important tools in the design, implementation, and evaluation of training. Simply put, a usefully stated objective is one that succeeds in communicating an intended result to the learner.

Unfortunately, there are many slippery words that are open to a wide range of interpretation when writing objectives.

Consider the following phrases in this light:

Words open to many interpretations

Words open to fewer interpretations

to know to understand to appreciate to grasp the significance of

to describe to state to sort to solve

A well-formed learning objective contains all of the following elements.

Performance. An objective always says what a learner is expected to do and must be measurable; the objective sometimes describes the product or result of the doing (for example to make a presentation, state the actions to take). Words such as state, describe, list, compare, and explain all describe things that people might do.

 Conditions. An objective always describes the important conditions (if any) under which the performance is to occur (for example with reference to the course notes, in the court environment). Criterion. Wherever possible, an objective describes the criterion of acceptable performance by describing how well the learner must perform in order to be considered acceptable (for example correctly, accurately, according to the Adult Court Bench Book).

Example of an aim and a well-formed learning objective

Bearing this in mind, lets examine an existing aim and objective from the Magistrates National Training Initiative (MNTI2) core training materials, to see whether this meets the definition of an aim and the qualities of a well-formed learning objective. It is also important to look closely at the style of writing and how this comes across to the learner.

Example of an aim

Existing aim

Revised aim

To provide an overview of the training and development framework for magistrates.

To provide an overview of the training and development framework, in order to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of the purpose of the Magistrates National Training Initiative (MNTI).

The aim now gives an indication of how learners might benefit from this module.

When writing an aim that a delegate will read,

try try and use an enabling voice (e.g. in order to equip you. rather than for magistrates). This expresses an aim in a more personal manner.

Example of a well-formed learning objective

Existing objective

Revised objective

By the end of the session, delegates will be able to:

Key code
The objective is coded for ease of reference.

explain in outline the six key qualities required of a magistrate, the undertaking, and the judicial oath.

- Performance is in bold - Condition is underlined - Criterion is in italics.

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

describe, accurately, using your Induction Pack the six key qualities required of a magistrate, the undertaking, and the judicial oath. When writing an objective that a delegate will read try and use an enabling voice (e.g. you will be able to . rather than delegates will be able to .). This expresses an objective in a more personal manner.

Q.3 What are the different career development activities? Explain.[10 Marks] ANSWER:
Career Development Activities are activities that help you to acquire skills, gain knowledge and cultivate the right attitudes. From the Career Development Assessment you will have a list of Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes (SKA) to develop. Like most of us you probably are short of time and have limited resources so you need to focus on what is essential. Prioritise SKAs to develop both for long term and short term goals For your career devlopment to be successful and efficient, you need to prioritise SKAs to develop both for long term and short term goals from the Career Development Assessment Decide which are the top one to three Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes (SKA) areas you want to develop for each short and long term goal. From your research you should have an idea what the essential SKAs are, the ones without which you will never be in line for a promotion to that job. If you already got that great, keep perfecting it. If not that developing these essential SKAs is your top priority. Use our FREE Career Development Plan to capture your ideas. Use this stage for another reality check about your goals. To make your goals achievable, check that you have some of the talents required for the job. If you hate speaking to people, but love analysing data dont aim to be Sales Director or Head of Customer Services; aim for a job that plays to your strengths and talents. Working on stregths will make choosing your career development activities much easier, more cost and time effective. It will also make the learning a more pleasant journey and reap greater rewards in terms of satisfaction and happiness. Evidence - how would it look like when you have developed each SKA Defining some clear sensory based (see, feel, hear) evidence at the outset, allows us to check if you have achieved something. For each of these priorities write down how you and possibly others would know you have developed these skills, knowledge and attitudes? What would you see, feel, hear, say? What would others see you doing and saying? What would the results be? Be as descriptive as possible as that will give you ideas for the next step. Under Presentation Skills for example describe what that actually means for you: I can hold eye contact with the audience; I can use a flipchart, PowerPoint and props; I can speak with only a few notes; my breathing is regular; I can answer questions with ease. Brainstorm possible development activities List all the different activities that could help you to acquire each Priority SKA (Skill, Knowledge, Attitude). This is the creative phase, the more ideas the better. Below is a list of some Career Development Activities.

Evaluate and choose the most appropriate development activities Now you can judge and evaluate all the different development activities by checking the impact of the activity and the ease of implementing the activity. Impact if I do this activity will I acquire the SKA? All of it (high), a major part of it, a small part of it (Low)? Decide if the activity has High or Low impact. Ease of implementation how easy is it to do this activity? How easy is it to get this activity signed off and financed? Where does the activity take place how easy can I get there? How much time is involved? Decide if ease of implementation is High (=Easy) or Low (=difficult). You then combine these two criteria and prioritise those that have high impact and easy implementation. If you like doing this visually, use one post it note for each development activity and place them in a grid like the one below. You can then add granularity to your evaluation by how far away from the middle in each direction you place your post-it.

Make a plan (what, when, who, where, how) Now you are ready to make the plan. You may still need to do some research like check the budget, investigate training providers, talk to line manager/colleague/spouse, book course. These are the action steps you note under Next step. Keep updating the plan and make sure you do the next steps and keep progressing. Please include development activities for long term goals in here as the Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes required to achieve your long term goals may take a longer period to acquire.

Q.4 Discuss some steps that are commonly practiced for motivating employees. [10 Marks] ANSWER:

Increase Employee Motivation and Productivity in 7 Steps

By committing yourself to spend half an hour each day for a mere seven days, you can do what it takes to get an incentive program out of the idea stage and into a cornerstone of your corporate culture.

Step One and Two: Gather feedback/expectations, appoint [sub] administrator(s)

I think a great place to start is to schedule a meeting and invite attendees who will be helpful in the decision making process as well as some employees who will be participants in the employee incentive program. This meeting should help to shed light on what the incentive program's desired results/expectations will be, how to communicate the award program, how participants will interface with the program-online, print, meetings, training sessions, etc. In addition, [sub] administrator(s) who will be handling administrative functions of the incentive program should be appointed and included in this meeting.

Step Three: Estimate the annual award budget

Budgets are estimated by looking at the number of employees and the number of goals that you will be introducing. Usually my clients will break it down like this-we have 2,000 employees that we can safely spend about $25 on each month on each. By beginning with an estimated incentive award budget, when you get ready to lay out the goals later on, the point level assigned to each goal is then easier to figure mathematically.

Step Four: Schedule a realistic implementation date

Kicking off an incentive program at the beginning of the quarter or start of the New Year is quite common for many of my clients. For recognition events, these tend to be scheduled during a slow season or at the end of the year instead of having a holiday themed event.

Step Five and Six: Decide on specific goals (decrease collections over 90 days to >1%) and the associated award amount
To develop incentive program goals for your organization, I recommend three steps: break out your target audience(s), list out the areas you are looking to change and then ensure your goals are aligned with your overall business strategy. From the budget established in Day Two, you can take your list of goals and depending on how long it takes to achieve the goal you can deduce the point value that each goal should have.

Step Seven: Find an award partner/provider

Once you have completed the above steps you are now ready to find your partner in success-an award program provider, such as Awards Network, that is flexible enough to meet your needs and goals as previously defined. I would advise anyone looking for an award provider to use the following criteria to evaluate potential partners: company history/ profile, awards offered, level of administrative support available, cost proposal, references. Once the program is taken to the third party provider, most of the work on the program is finished. From this point on, most of my clients are able to relax a little and just provide feedback on presentation materials or website design to get the program started. If a client is well prepared and has this to-do list completed when they join Awards Network, the kickoff date can be as a little as a few days and at the maximum a few weeks. Utilize these seven steps and start planning your 2009 employee award program today!

Motivate Your Employees to Find Solutions - Encourage your employees to be solution creators instead of problem creators. When employees communicate a problem to you, look at it as an opportunity to empower the employees. Ask the employees how they would solve the problem, express your confidence that they are the person to solve the problems, give them the tools to solve the problem, and follow up with them. You have just empowered those employees to find ways in the future to create solutions and made your team more productive at the same time.
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Motivate Your Employees by Soliciting Opinions - Many times during our busy work day, we find it difficult to ask for opinions from our employees. But just the act of asking for their opinions tells your employees that you value their input and motivates them to accomplish more. Just imagine, it may be the first time that an employer has ever asked them for their opinion, and they appreciate it.
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Motivate Your Employees by Managing to Their Level - Learn your employees' skill, experience, and motivation levels for performing workplace tasks. Then assign the task and follow-up based on your findings. For example, you may need to follow up more frequently with an employee who is fairly new to the project or organization as opposed to the "veteran" employee who doesn't need much follow-up. Remember, the most skilled employee may not be the most motivated for performing the task you request.
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Motivate Your Employees by Delegating Tasks - Delegation is one of the most powerful motivation tools for empowering employees in the workplace. The sheer act of your delegating a task shows your employees that you have the confidence in them that they can do the job. Make sure you understand the task to be delegated so that you can clearly and concisely communicate how to do the task and hand off "ownership" of the task to the employees. Delegation is providing your employees with ownership of the task, providing the tools for successfully completing the task, expressing the reward and consequences for completing the task and following up
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Motivate Your Employees by Encouraging Ideas - Ideas are the lifeblood of any organization, department, and team. I always say that every mind is too important to miss that one idea that can increase productivity, reduce expenses, or increase profit. Empower your employees by creating a safe environment for your employees to share their ideas. Remember, the idea that doesn't make sense today might be exactly the solution you are looking for a week from now. Always give your employees credit for the ideas they express. Nothing will decrease employee motivation and dry up the flow of ideas quicker than having managers take credit for their employees' ideas. If your employees are coming up with ideas, reward them publicly. You will be amazed how the flow of ideas from motivated employees will increase with each public recognition.
o Motivate Your Employees by Letting Them Run Your Meetings - One of the best ways to motivate and empower your employees is to involve them in running your meetings. Of course, you will set the agenda; but there are many opportunities for you as a leader to let your employees run portions of or the entire meeting. Take the time to work with the designated employees ahead of time so that they are confident with the assigned meeting tasks. During the meeting, you are there to support them and help with any sections of the meeting that may provide a challenge for them.

I suggest that you allow as many opportunities for different employees to lead different meetings as possible. By allowing your employees to play leadership roles in your meeting, you will develop your employees for future opportunities and open additional opportunities for you as a leader.
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Motivate Your Employees by Embracing Mistakes - Without mistakes, there is no growth. Allowing your employees to make mistakes allows your employees to grow, be creative, and provide a vehicle for empowerment. Create a safe work environment so that when your employees make mistakes, they are not punished. Use the mistakes your employees make as learning experiences. Ask your employees how they would have performed the task differently and allow them to tackle the task again. Your employees will gain a new sense of empowerment and feel confident that you will support them when they try something new.
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Motivate Your Employees by Assigning Leadership Roles - Leadership comes at all levels and doesn't require a title. Take the time to align your employees' skills with leadership opportunities. Make sure you provide training in the areas of opportunities for each employee so that they are empowered to step up to new opportunities.
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Motivate Your Employees by Rewarding Initiative Create rewards for employees who take initiative. Publicly recognize employees during meetings, with reward boards, etc., so that other employees are motivated to take initiative.

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Motivate Your Employees by Getting Goal Setting Buy-In - Your employees will be far more motivated to achieve your goals if they are allowed to help develop those goals. Involve your employees in the goal setting process and get their input so that it becomes believable for them. Once your employees feel ownership of your goals, they will be motivated to move quickly to help accomplish your goals.
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Q.5 Describe the grievance handling procedure. [10 Marks] ANSWER:

A grievance is a sign of an employee's discontentment with his job or his relationship with his colleagues. Grievances generally arise out of the day-to-day working relations in an organization. An employee or a trade union protests against an act or policy of the management that they consider as violating employee's rights. One of the effective ways of minimizing and eliminating the source of an employee's grievance is by having an open door policy'. An open door policy'facilitates upward communication in the organization where employees can walk into a superiors'cabin at any time and express their grievances. The National Commission on Labor suggested a Model Grievance Procedure, which lays down the sequence of steps to be taken whenever a grievance is expressed. Conflict occurs when two or more people or parties perceive an incompatibility in their goals or expectations. There are seven methods for achieving reconciliation of conflict. These methods are win-lose, withdrawal and retreat from argument, smoothing and playing down the difference, arbitration, mediation, compromise and problem solving. Of all these methods problem-solving'method is most likely to bring about a win-win situation.

A grievance should be dealt within the limits of the first line supervisor. The appellate authority should be made clear to the employee so that is he cannot get satisfaction from his immediate supervisor, he should know the next step. The grievance should be dealt with speedily. In establishing a grievance procedure, if the grievance is against an instruction given by a superior in the interest or order and discipline, the instructions must be carried out first and then only employee can register his protest.

Grievance Handling Procedure Image In the grievance handling the some factors include: Receive and define the nature of the dissatisfaction. Get the facts. Analyze and divide. Apply the answer. Follow up. In establishing a grievance procedure, if the grievance is against an instruction given by a superior in the interest of order and discipline, the instructions must be carried out first and then only employee can register the protest. In the language of the labour management relations, a grievance is a complaint formally presented by the employee or employees to the management. In case, the grievance has not been settled by top management and top union leadership, the same may be submitted to an impartial arbitrator.

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Q.6 Write a note on types of groups. [10 Marks] ANSWER:

Group Group may be defined as the aggregation of small number of people who work for common goals and develop a shared attitude. The following are the features of the group:a. TWO OR MORE PERSONS - A group should have atleast two people. With a single individual there cannot be a meaningful interaction. b. COLLECTIVE IDENTITY - Each member of the group must believe that s/he is a part of the group and be aware of his membership. If not aware, there will be no meaningful interaction. c. INTERACTION - Each member should share her/his ideas with others through communication, at least occasionally. d. SHARED GOAL INTEREST Every group has a common objective. The shared goal interest/s brings the group members together. Types of Groups 1. Primary & Secondary Groups:A primary group has intimate, face to face association & co-operation e.g. family, neighbourhood groups, friendship groups A secondary group is formal, may not have any interest in the problems & pleasure of others. 2. Membership & Reference Groups: A membership group is one to which an individual really belongs. A reference group is one with which the individual identifies. The attractiveness of the reference group makes the norms of that group more attractive to the individual who aspires for it. 3. Command & Task Groups: A command group is composed of subordinates who report directly to a common supervisor e.g. a production manager & his subordinates in his department. A task group is usually formed to solve a problem. It is comprised of the employees who work together to complete a particular task. 4. In-groups & Out-groups: In-groups are a cluster of individuals that have a dominant place in social functioning. The out-groups are marginal in the society and referred as minority groups. 5. Formal & Informal groups: Formal groups are created and maintained to fulfill specific needs related to the overall organizational mission: a. Designed by Top management for achieving organizational goals b. Concentrates more on the performance of job c. People are placed in hierarchy and their status determined accordingly d. Co-ordination of members are controlled through process, procedures etc Informal Groups are created in the organization because of social and psychological forces operating at the workplace. a. A natural outcome at the work place & not designed and planned b. Organization is coordinated by group norms and not by norms of the formal organization c. Such group associations are not specified in the blue-print of the formal organization

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