Revisiting Managerial Excellence by-

SOME DIMENSIONS OF MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE-

“I never lose. Either I win or learn” --Nelson Mandela

? By- Ramesh Sangare, President & CEO, Human Resource Development Corporation

Achieving Managerial Excellence is the unending process, subjected to highs and lows, from time to time. Organizations are dynamic entities, thus the processes are influenced by the internal and external factors continuously, sometimes giving you very high results and at times results below expectations. Results are nothing but the deliveries to be made to the external factor- CUSTOMERS, in the form of goods, services and many times both, goods and services. Very survival and growth of the organizations are totally dependent on the Customer Satisfaction in general, but Customer Delight in particular, when it comes to principles and practices of Managerial Excellence. The customer is no. 1 stakeholder in the entire gamut of managerial excellence aspirations of organizations. Customer is no.1 dimension of managerial excellence.

Organizational Stage-

In order to build business on phenomenally high acceptable level and with sustainability, the organizations have to be completely in tune with the present and futuristic, continuously changing needs of the customers, and their hopes, dreams, aspirations, limitations, fears and phobias etc. All the great organizations devote their substantial time and energy on customers needs and wants, as the starting point of practicing managerial excellence. In connection with the customers needs and wants, another factor becomes inevitable for the watchful?study and that is – COMPETITION! Unless organization takes cognizance of competitive forces in the direct conflicting business war. Yes business is the war on 24X7 basis. In dealing with the competitions around, much depends upon the stage at which the organization is operating. What are the general stages of the organizations? There are Three different stages at which any organization goes through-

1.???Embarkation Stage- new business, start-ups, MSMEs etc. in which survival is the factor with paramount importance

2.???Emulation Stage- Logically sustainable organization existing for reasonable timespan in spite of stiff competition from the bigger companies, which are normally market leaders, taking highest market shares in the particular domain of business. In this stage, the organizations normally try to emulate the practices of market-leaders, aimed at raising the bar of performance bridging the gaps between them.

3.???Emancipation Stage- The stage in which the companies are enjoying the fruits of superior landmark achievements. In this stage the companies become role-models for others. Normally they experience and also claim that they are reaching the level of Managerial Excellence in principles and practices. However this is the problem as the organizational overconfidence and complacency are likely to set in unawares. The truth of the enterprise running is dynamic nature, full of changing situations around. Becoming successful is one thing, and remaining successful continuously is another. That is why the Managerial Excellence is not the destination, but shifting destination with the road full of challenges and opportunities. There is nothing like permanently established success in achievement and performance.

However the corporate and the industrial houses which grow continuously with all kinds of hurdles, disruptions, turbulence, VUCA have been found to practice certain principles of achieving managerial excellence, knowingly or unknowingly. Thus one dimension of Managerial Excellence is the stage at which an organization is operating at present.?

?Organizational Cultural Dimension- ?

What is company culture?

??It is an overall environment in the organization which is felt by all the stakeholders- insiders and outsiders, in working based upon certain values backed by beliefs, throughout the cross-section of an organization.

??In short- it tells you one thing—“This is how we do things here” ; “This is how people act in this company” etc.

The experts say that it is an overall impact of habits, beliefs, values, ideas, customs and social behavior together. Organizations are known by their cultures. And the culture percolates down the levels from top to the bottom. In this era of Globalization of trade also, the cultural differences from country to country pose big challenge. The diversity management is an offshoot of cultural differences management basically.

?I would like to share one small but very significant episode in my own life.-

This happened sometime in the year 2002 or 2003 probably. Tata Motors Pune was one organization, which was not on our client list for giving services in HR domain as the Management Consultants, due to our own business development negligence for some or other reasons. I decided better late than never. I decided to visit Pune with the plan to visit Tata Motors Pimpri/Chinchwad and meet the HR staff with the idea of probing possibilities of some significant HR/OD consultancy assignment for my organization HRDC (Human Resource Development Corporation). I knew nobody from both the plants i.e. Pimpri and Chinchwad. Absolutely no contact, no connection of any kind!

On reaching Pune, at my daughter’s house I picked up the Telephone Directory to find out the relevant phone nos. of somebody from HR, who can listen and speak with me. It was hope against hope. There were over hundred nos. it was difficult to find right person with right position. What should I do? I took chance and just called the first phone in the list of Telephone directory of Tele Com department. I had no mobile. After two attempts I could connect myself with telephone operator of EPBX. In very sweet voice she spoke with me saying, “Good Morning, what can I do for you? Who is speaking?” I said, “Good Morning. I am Ramesh Sangare, President HRD Corporation, Management Consultancy with HQ at Nagpur. But speaking from Pune. Miss, this is the first time I gave call to Tata organization, I reached here last night. I need to speak with Head (HR) if possible or at least some Decision Maker in HR who looks after Behavioural Training Program and other HR matters. Can you please help me, I don’t know anybody in your plant.”

There was slight short pause and then she responded, “I would check up with right person, give me your number and get back to you.” I thought that I lost chance to meet anybody. I gave her number and thanked her. But in forlorn mood. But to my utter surprise, the phone bell rang just within 2 to 3 minutes and hurriedly I picked up, said Hello and listened. The operator said, “Mr. Ramesh you can speak with Mr. Jamshed Khursigara, Head (HR) who agrees to speak with you. I am connecting you with him. After telephonic click, I heard voice of energetic voice of elderly person from other end,” Yes, Mr. Ramesh I am Jamshed, what can I do for you? Can you briefly let me know?”

“Good Morning, Mr. Jamshed, I am Ramesh Sangare running HR Consultancy for the last 15 years, and missed TATAs somehow. But I have come to Pune only for meeting you people from HR in TML plants at Pimpri/Chinchwad from Nagpur. I would like to meet you and take your around 15 to 20 minutes face to face at the time available to you tomorrow, as per your convenience. I request you to spare your 15 to 20 mts tomorrow in your very busy schedule. I would be really extremely thankful to you.”

“Oh, let me check, hold on. Yes Ramesh, tomorrow, at 11.30 AM at HR Pimpri plant. Is it OK for you?”, he said. Unbelievable, a pleasant shock for me! “Of course, Sir at 11.30 AM tomorrow. Thank you so much”

“OK, where are you speaking from in Pune”, he asked. “Kothrud from my daughter’s house ”, I said.

“How would you come?”, he asked me. Another pleasant shock for me! “By taxi, Sir” , I said.

“Its long distance, let me see if there is any of our vehicles which can pick you up from Kothrud. Then it would be more convenient for stranger visiting us.”, he said. I was totally moved by this gesture and momentarily speechless. But then I said, “Sir, thanks?really for your help. Don’t worry, I will manage to come by cab. See you tomorrow at 11.30 AM. Thank you.”

“OK, then tomorrow”, he hung up the phone. This was indeed very unique experience for me in my life as the Management Consultant in HR.

I fixed up the taxi for next morning, which reached me half an hour late. I did not know the road to TML plants. I naturally left it to taxi driver, hoping he would take to the destination properly. With usual traffic hurdles we somehow reached TML and in a hurry I reached the main gate, attended by security fellow. By that time it was 11 AM. I told security chap that I want to meet Mr. Jamshed Khursigarasaheb. He looked at me and then told me that I came to wrong place. He told me that Mr. Khursigara sits at Pimpri Plant and not Chinchwad plant. I lost around 5 to 10 minutes, cursing internally taxi chap who was late and also took me to Chinchwad plant instead of Pimpri plant, even after clear earlier instructions ?given to him. We rushed to Pimpri plant with lot of uneasiness in my mind, feeling terribly guilty for such a silly mistake. It took us another 10 minutes to reach Pimpri Plant’s main gate. I jumped out of car and rushed to the gate to talk to security man in Marathi with urgent request for entry to meet Mr. Khursigara at 11.30 AM appointment time. There were around 50 visitors in a row for getting passes. I really got worried, as to how I am going to miss and manage meeting time. I again quickly explained security man about urgency of the matter. Another 2 minutes lost! He took me straight to the window and spoke with the girl making visitor’s passes and told her seriousness of the urgency. She pulled the pad, scribbled my name from card very quickly and told security fellow to take to me to the very office of the Big Boss. Pulled up the telephone and rang up office of the Boss informing them that visitor is on the way. We walked briskly to the office of Mr. Khursigara and reached office exactly at 11.30 AM. His PA received me with smile and wishing me Good Morning. He looked at me and then said, “Sir, you are looking exhausted may be due to long run and hassles of traffic. Please freshen up Sir, I am getting you a cup of coffee. You are in time. Boss told me to offer you coffee, before the meeting, relax.” All this was unbelievable and mindboggling experience for me, made permanent positive impact on my mind, about each one I came across during those 25 minutes and of course TATAs and their Value based Culture!

Culture is seen and felt while you deal with the people in the organization. That is why the beliefs, habits, attitudes, behaviors all add up to form the culture of the organization. That is why Managerial Excellence principles and practices are heavily embedded with Organizational Cultures. The culture percolates down from top to the bottom of pyramid. With the proactive, positive, constructive, creative culture, achieving Managerial Excellence becomes the habit of the organization, in good and bad times, both.???????

Broadly speaking, Cultures could be…

??Vibrant

??Dynamic

??Proactive

??Positive

AS AGAINST--

??Passive

??Dull

??Negative

??Mediocre

It goes without saying that positive or negative cultures are essentially is the result of the Leadership pervading throughout cross-section of the organization. Leadership matters in achieving Managerial Excellence.

Leadership Dimension-

Especially during the current decade, majority of the opinionmakers, experts, consultants, practitioners in the ream of management, do not talk about the Management Systems per say. But they all talk about the changing dimensions of organizational leadership. Right from the beginning of Industrial Revolution?three centuries before, during the last century with two World Wars, Cold War, and this century’s beginning with Trade Wars, the leadership nature went on changing continuously. Broadly it began with Autocracy, then to Bureaucracy, further to Democracy and now to Meritocracy with advent of IT, ITeS, Digitalization, Tele-Com, Social Media, borderless e-Commerce and now with most disruptive Covid-19 Pandemic on the Local and Global scale with no end in sight, the organizational leadership has been further gearing up to Innovative, Pace-setting, Affiliative and Empowering Leadership. Covid-19 pandemic global impact is huge, scarry, and destructive not only disruptive in the entire human activities, wherein Life and Livelihoods are at the crossroads. Looking at the most disturbing industrial scenario in today’s war with this invisible enemy Corona virus, the transformation in the styles of leadership is unavoidable, urgent and unending. The organizational leadership in today’s world of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) has much bigger challenges to meet and grow with sustainability. MSMEs, Startups struck right at the start, large corporations and industries facing the unsteady and dangerous balancing act of their heavy weight grown over the period of years, developed economies rendered dysfunctional, developing economies under severe stress of saving life and livelihoods of millions of people, underdeveloped spiraling down the abyss of unknown, all this scenario is extremely distressing economically, financially, industrially, socially and politically through out the cross section of the world.

In view of the present and futuristic economic and industrial scenario in order to survive and grow, the leadership would have to undergo sea-change. We are working and fighting in the virtual battlefield with invisible enemy Covid-19 in order to come out as the Winners sooner or later. What does Managerial Excellence really mean in this chaotic situations? What does the Leadership mean in face of life and death of the organizations? As per the universal principles of leadership function, there are two greatest features of Leadership, without which Leadership loses its significance, impact and fails to deliver the results. What are those two factors which are decisive in nature? These are COURAGE and INCORRIGBLE OPTIMISM, which a only can make the difference. ???????

?Technology & Quality Systems Dimension-

We have already entered an age of disruptive technology this year, much more meaningfully, whether we like it or not. There is no sector, which is not affected by disruption and the most urgent needs to change the production methods, processes, systems. All the sectors such as manufacturing, services, corporate, Govt., Non-Govt, social, financial, political, educational, almost everything is under attack of need for rapid change for very survival and growth under extreme uncertainties, wherein we seem to have lost control. Organizations now would require preparedness for meeting the challenge of searching, developing, modifying, accepting and adapting to the New Normal through technological transformations. In this scenario Managerial Excellence largely depends upon the agility of the organization in evolving the appropriate Quality Systems for all kinds of operations. The conventional QS have already been rendered outdated and irrelevant in getting the results in meeting organizational goals, aimed at survival and growth. Work-From-Home, popularly called WFH has come to stay and with addition now with Work-From-Anywhere called WFA, which was unthinkable, unbelievable just an year ago. Those organizations which would effectively integrate this new with conventional methods, systems, and processes and gear up the productivity sustainably would be on the way to achieve Managerial Excellence. Enabling and empowering the employees will be the basic task for the organization and there comes the quality of the Leadership not only at the top but also leadership at all the levels in their respective domains. What kind of leadership would be more effective in keeping the organization vibrant, dynamic, focused and determined in these times and the times in the long-run? Let us reflect leadership aspects in achieving Managerial Excellence in the next chapter. ???

--*--????????