Organisational Maturity

Miniscule experience of IT profession has realised me something about organisations. That is, In my thinking, "At inception, a particular organisation is all by individual or personnel to meet the business objectives, as time progresses this gradually shifts to processes (system model) as organisation matures".

Its good. Works for IT, afterall business should not depend on individual or personnel to yield results(profit). Also, during the course of maturity the optimistic individuals who conceived idea to see business opportunity will have moved up the ladder. Classic trajectory. Check out history of a successful company you are more likely to find the course is identical. To be able to realise better productivity and minimise costs everyone should participate. At the least the top management should invest more efforts in installing fool proof system model to define and institutionalise processes out of any experience gained. Other day, I was interviewing a candidate for Project Manager role. During the brief chat, candidate continuously referred to the processes, tools and the system model (by saying 'thats how it works') but basically lacked WHYs that was of my prime interest. Classic example of PM in services industry that is level 5 certified and he did work for one. The problem with not knowing rationale is one looses way easily and value addition plummetes below nil.

Interesting enough during late 90's and early 2000 most of start-up IT companies hurried to be certified CMM level 5 as soon as possible. Driver was US market and to be in the slot to bid for bigger and revenue generating projects (also anything and everything that fetches $80/hour). Start-ups where 90% of employees are relatively fresh graduates or just about 2-5 years of experience what maturity could be exhibitted in skills, operations or challenges they need take up!

Honestly, I think its wrong, shouldnt maturity be yielded... can you force it? its like aging quicker and faster, if that's happening you are challenging nature and probably nearly God. Companies which only certified level 5 had their time but eventualy dissolved with biggies and that's another story. But to regard something as good as an ideal company we need value based systems in place where individuals add value continuously and processes reassure the yields. That level is when challenges can become routine and innovation is inevitable. Excellence will be virtue; companies do not need SEI certifications.

By the way I work for a small company that does not believe in certifications but understands basics well enough (read as innovates) and been able to make some money (well quantum is subject matter).

Anniversary

April 15, 1974. A Boy n a girl from neighbouring villages exchanged vows to be man and wife for life. My folks. Remembered the D-day last Sunday and children helped them do : couple exchaged garlands, cut cake. They lit candle but didn't blow. What a contentment.

Happy anniversary pa-ma.

Cost of living

Daily headline that caught attention this morning, 'Rupee appreciated to a nine year high' of (dollor equivalent) to 41.90. Well that's an achievement, given the stability of government that indeed is. Centre reported inflation rate closing end of March to 5.74 against high of 6.49 previous quarters. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has been dwelling over 8 for the last year and RBI (Reserve Bank of India) is boasting of cash reserves to the tune of 140 billion US dollors!!

YET my cost of living is high. Very high. Over past year cost has been increasing YoY by 20% which means my montly expenses for every hundred is 120 now. For people dwelling in Bangalore, state goverment of Karnataka imposes maximum sales and service tax as compared to any other state. Introduction of VAT (Value Added Tax) was to reduce levels of commission from goods producer to consumer and pass that benefit to consumer which is still at large. Isn't it state administration's responsibility to ease tax burden when revenues have stabilised? Is it not centre's responsibility to reduce cost of living for common man? If it were the case, common man is bound to save more and that be with FIs (Financial Institutions). How fare is it to tax only the salaried lot... why not make everyone pay tax. To top all this off, defence eats up more than 3/4th of revenues unupposed. I'm surprised nobody asks what happens to that money.

Incidentally yesterday TCS reported this years average salary reviews to be 11.24% upwards. Well, thats not going to make all of cost. Have you had your yearly appraisals? Mine is done too, waiting for results; fingers crossed :-D

Dressing Sense

A strange observation yet so true.
Do you notice people dress inappropriately? I do; often. Fairly my understanding is large portion have no idea of dress code. People wear just about anything to office, occassions or anywhere out. How pretty is it to wear 3/4th to office? OR How comfortable is it to wear black dress on a sunny day in Bangalore? icing on cake; Tank tops on low waist jeans riding on bike... you can find yet worse examples if you are not even observant. Its inquisitive to think why people want to present themselves like this. Is it to do with just flaunting or some psyche. I am not psychologist if you figure out please use 'Comments'. Strangely, this is true in all age despite varied socio-economic status.

To my belief, there are two types of people
1. Affinitiy for particular dress : sort of 'my lucky dress syndrome'
2. Want to catch up with trend : local trend setters

First lot are like they got only one pair of dress, no matter what for it has to be the same dress, one dress makes it to all. Second lot are like hotties, desperate to regard themselves trendy, my guess is, this surfaces mostly due to peer pressure, very active behavior in institutions and offices. The rest are only handful of sweeties who know their body contour, choose right clothing and right hues and most importantly carry themselves well. These are not the usual attention-seekers but suave and charming types. What a world :-) influence of adverts, movies and iconic fugures is so huge these days that everyone wants to look good. Everyone wants to be a celebrity!

Civilisation has evolved of time. Palaeolithic times when man/woman migrated from woods, took shelter under caves and had invented fire. I think by then they'd started shedding body hair and to wrap leaves or animal hide. Back then first basic need was to save body from nature's changing seasons and avoid being harmed by animals. I think still need has not changed much, should it for any reason apart from comfort and li'l bit of glamour. Over a peroid of time discovery of clothing and dressing evolved based on geographic region. Eskimos chose to wear hide with fur to keep themselves warm. Arabs opted cotton and whites sarongs. Whilst people living between these extremes brought about right clothing. That is why europeans wear black and Srilankans the cotton shorts.

Incidentally like any other industry, the apparel industry is driven by the demand as well (Ask Arving Mills about denim they'd know). Even if you wish to buy decent clothing, have got very few choice, will often find salesman justifying 'this fast moving saar'.

Ooh here comes a gentleman in full suit and wollen jacket... sigh.

Feel Good at Work

Sure, you know rumour travels faster than anything else doncha? A well reputed Indian IT company that once produced detergent has decided to reveal Employee Appraisal's Outcome (compensation review) only after first quarter of fiscal. Smart trick eh? they officially confirmed that appraisals process is completed as norm and salary review shall apply from April but arrears be paid in June salary. A standard carrot and donkey paradigm. Well thought.

Further digging presented facts that, its one of strategic moves by HR dept. to curb attrition, or was that reflection of their own appraisals? Company has history of loosing people at all levels which contradicts to larger portion of cos. in India where attrition is very high in lower management.

Coming to reality, in my thinking co. has simply introduced a phase of quarter for people to hop. Its proven that people move with new package and now it will be after 3 months. But the co. HR must have won votes for having proven reduced attrition by showing numbers on sheet. However if one has made up his/her mind to quit he/she will do anyway, plus the company is running risk of low productivity by holding them for a quarter.

In my openion, a service company builds resource pool during Q1 to win new projects during fresh financial year by showing ready resource in hundreds. Most of them succeed too, what about the Predictability of delivering the same. By the time project really kicks off Engineers would have laid the papers. Instead, the company HR dept. should have invested in working on better retention policy by
1. Revising packages appropriately(atleast about expectation).
2. Better work environment.

Not everyone leaves for money alone, you know they say right, 'when a person joins, he joins organisation and when he leaves, leaves the manager'. I absolutely underline this, coz a thought of leaving is planted in ones mind when manager or team has allowed it. If employer worked on these, atleast I will not move.

Honestly, I believe employees be appreciated for the effort put-in through the year and motivated to put in more by making them feel good about employer. I also believe people are serious about their career and they really care. If one is happy with salary and has friends at work its less likely that he will move and attrition will be need-not-worry-factor. Incidentally I have not changed my employer for the last 6 years. When was last you changed?

Weekend Trip to Ooty

I have a sister (G) visiting home for summer holidays, so home is full of noise and giggles all the time with her kids; Girl is a 5 year old and boy is 3 year old fidgeting every single item reachable. We planned to drive to cold place to shed our summer sighs... we had company of my friend(Prince), his mom and it was a good change for us from routine.

Its a peak season for Ooty and as expected it was overcrowded over weekend, we had another friend book rooms for us, well it turned out to be not-so-good experience. The hotel chaps confirmed booking but with a caveat :-) caveat was to board their own another premises, which was yet new and not up to the standards or rather in reality; it was a house refurbished to rent rooms. This is how hotels make money during season... Lucky us!! result of late planning is already realised.

I really liked the weather, pleasant and refreshing and really enjoyed being there. As we wanted to kill time not just sitting-by on couch but going around, a quick check got us few popular places and we set to Doddabetta. Its a peak of hillock with unseemingly twisted n steep road and crowded like Bangalore traffic! Said to myself, hell is not far :-o), I do not consider myself a skilled driver but a novice yet managed to crawl to the top on full gas/clutch. As we parked, a sense of achievement... and what do I get to see ? all sorts of petty shops busy making money out of every other trick... as such there was nothing to see but a building behind small hut with a signboard put up by State Govt. that read some tribal by name 'Thodas' were first inhabitants of Nilgiris. I was pissed off to the core... Prince echoed that, only thing missing was Mtv bakra crew. It was genuinely bizarre, a thousand vehicles burning fuel for nothing... how can one be so stupid? or was that just a gimmick to take tourists on a ride by cabbies? pathetic. We had similar experience at Rose Garden, Ooty Lake or Botanical garden. I still am doubtful of the fact why people go Ooty, if its only for climate yes am fully for it but rest is not worth it. Icing on cake was unworthy food, unclean town and unfriendly people who knew nothing but Tamil. Totally commercialised place, spend thousands so they make money and yet feel good conditionally coz you went on your own.
It was my first trip to Ooty may be I relied too much on the glam side of it. We wouldn't visit Ooty again.

Frame of mind

I've just been on a corporate training course, not the usual offsite management type courses full of ppts with an oversmart chap pretending to be IIM, enlightening new way of scientific management, but very basic one. One that deals with people as simple humans and patterns of behavior. The startling factor was that management is all about oneself, if one is able to identify and behave properly most of it is done; how often do we bother to manage our ownself?

I learnt that, every single individual has a frame of mind that comprises of 3 modes, namely I, J and N modes. To comprehend more...
'I' is for Information Mode where one persues and exhibits something as information.
'J' is for Judgement Mode where one judges and exhibits something as Judgement.
'N' is for New (way of doing things) Mode when there are interactions direct or indirect.

It is very important to be in an appropriate mode at all times. For example (this one is from participant) An Indian Mother-In-Law visits forign Son-In-Law in Europe, his first question after exchanging pleasentries was 'how long are you going to stay here?' Can you imagine a real life scene here... coming to the fact of it all the poor guy wanted was to plan her stay so that he could take her around Switzerland/France/Italy... that means he was in 'I' mode but MIL persued it in 'J' mode having judged him too soon and dismissed him out of hand. Genuinely the reason behind for MIL to persue like that was may be her culture/past experience/her own book of rules but effect is catastrophy. Where as had it been persued in 'I' she would have had a Europe trip, the guy very much exhibited 'I'.

If I relate this to work and home, often do I make mistake of being in an inappropriate mode and blow fun out. It is not entirely mistake of oneself, but how our brain works. Subconsciously brain stores all the plans that have worked as templates so that when a similar event is on going template can be retrived and result yields. This is the flip side of handling things in an established way.
At work I regularly need to make decisions and is important for me to be in 'J' and so also in 'I' and 'N', coz I just can not think of letting work relation hamper since it has a direct bearing on efficiency.
There are few more learnings, shall keep them for next :-) Putting one in to practice requires a radical shift... laughing at me? give it a try :-o)

Good things in life

Come in small packages... Off-late my employer is extending subsidised lunch coupan limits by 600/- which means 2100/- is saved to my pocket from Income Tax. It sure came as a slight relief, since March salary crawls to savings as funds are eaten-up by IT. Like you all lucky ones, I too am underpaid :-)
Time to load fridge, item 1. is ice cream from 'Corner House'.