Recently, we read a strange news item: a successful and well-funded Indian startup was cutting down on staff instead of hiring more. The restaurant aggregator and food delivery startup was laying off 540 employees, reducing its workforce by about 10 per cent. One of the reasons provided for this downsizing was improvements in the technology interface, as a result of which fewer people were required to achieve business outcomes. A feature of modern businesses, this is yet another reminder of technology replacing human ‘resource’ for higher productivity and quality. Introduce economic uncertainty, the likes of which we are now experiencing, to the mix and we have a recipe for disrupting careers. Struggling to maintain their bottom lines, most companies tend to cut down on people and people-related expenses during any phase of uncertainty.
Of course, value creation for investors of financial capital is an important goal. But does it have to be at the expense of the other source of value, human capital? Partly, the financial accounting systems designed by and for the former stakeholders are to blame; most investments in developing people's capabilities are not treated as such. No balance sheet captures the immense value of human innovation and organizational culture even though they are more likely to result in sustainable competitive advantage than financial muscle. Equally, the blame must be taken by business leaders and entrepreneurs who have started trusting technological reliability over human endeavor. No amount of artificial intelligence can recreate the sparks of creativity that emerge from serendipitous discovery or even the survival instinct of jugaad.
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Indian Management.
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Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Indian Management.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Trust is a must
Trust a belief in the abilities, integrity, values, and character of any organisation is one of the most important management principles.
Listen To Your Customers
A good customer experience management strategy will not just help retain existing customers but also attract new ones.
The hand that feeds
Providing free meals to employees is an effective way to increase engagement and boost productivity.
Survival secrets
Thrive at the workplace with these simple adaptations.
Plan backwards
Pioneer in the venture capital and private equity fields and co-founder of four transformational private equity firms, Bryan C Cressey opines that we have been taught backwards in many important ways, people can work an entire career without seeing these roadblocks to their achievements, and if you recognise and bust these five myths, you will become far more successful.
For a sweet deal
Negotiation is a discovery process for both sides; better interactions will lead all parties to what they want.
Humanise. Optimise. Digitise
Engaging employees in critical to the survival of an organisation, since the future of business is (still) people.
Beyond the call of duty
A servant leadership model can serve the purpose best when dealing with a distributed workforce.
Workplace courage
Leaders need to build courage in order to enhance their self-reliance and contribution to the team.
Focused on reality
Are you a sales manager or a true sales leader? The difference, David Mattson, CEO, Sandler® and author, Scaling Sales Success: 16 Key Principles For Sales Leaders, maintains, comes down to whether you can see beyond five classic myths that we often tell ourselves about selling.
