Interesting inferences from SHRM India's Leadership Summit researches

The State of HR in India Research by TNS

Emerging new perspectives about HR:

• A solid pillar in the business model, no longer just a cost center.
  
• Contributions impacting bottom line and business strategy.
• Supporting direct brand-build for business success.
• Direct impact on immediate CSR, PR programs.

Emerging new perspectives about HR:

• Next is what?
• Leveraging 360 Degree individual employee potential.
• Tapping into diversity potential.
• Change management to change-preparedness.
• CSR to Sustainability.

Research on LIC of India: Decoding the DNA that manages the Trust of Millions [By Noel Machado]-

Some of LIC's counter intuitive HR practices:

• It succeeds at scale by generalizing instead of specializing.
• It does not acquire talent laterally; instead, it retains and grows people to be entrepreneurial.
• It not only coaches it's people top-down but importantly, also coaching it's people bottom-up.
• People freely share knowledge-especially junior officials with senior-when they could have been 'powerful' by hoarding it.

Research on Indian Railways: Managing People in the World's Largest Employer [By Vijay Pereira]

• Indian Railways is a self sufficient and self reliant organization- often regarded as a 'country within a country' as they have their own schools,hospitals,housing and cooperative banks. They have their own 'Railway Budget' and maintain their own security force known as the 'Railway Protection Force [RPF].
• Attractive employment proposition-Free passes and concessional tickets to travel on all routes for IR employees and their families, definitive career progression, work-life balance,job security etc.
• Recruitment and selection is highly formalized and transparent, leaving less scope for corruption and malpractices.
• Training and Development is available at all levels.
• Pay and conditions: a complex structure- The structure of emoluments and conditions of service of railway employees are reviewed periodically by Government 'Pay Commissions'. Allowances are linked to the cost of living index [Dearness Allowance]. Other allowances include night duty allowance, running allowance,house rent allowance, hill allowance,bad climate allowance etc. Employees on deputation from different zones and divisions working in the PSU's were fixed in higher grades as an incentive.
• Employment Relations have been managed successfully for decades: No major Industrial Conflict since the historic 1974 strike.

Research on Leadership Readiness: The Next Wave [By 9.9 Media]

• CHROs are not far behind their c-level peers and are making their presence at the CEO's partner's table and bring expertise in the strategic areas viz; global expansion, mergers & acquisitions, quality initiative and change management activities.
• CHRO's seem to be preparing themselves for the next leadership levels.
• CHRO's scored above average on the eight must-have attributes for top leadership positions.
• CHRO's are actively playing a part in various management and executive committees where decision making is driven largely by consensus but CHRO's have yet to find a place for themselves on the board.
• Only 22 % of CXO's [CFOs,CIOs and CTO's] believe that their organizations are ready to have the CHRO as part of the top leadership positions.
• 22% of CHROs are willing to join the board, but only 9% believe they are ready.
• CEO's value the contribution of their CHRO executives. They find CHRO's better than other C level peers on all parameters except 'insights into company's businesses'.
• The concept of 'CHRO-plus' role is still emerging in India. CHRO-plus role refers to CHRO's emerging role.