I have been reading these books on human resource management
for some time now. These books talk about the innate capacity of human beings
to work and their desire to do something useful. I do not at all agree with
most of these theories. These theories do not seem to apply in the Indian
context, or rather, they do not support my own experience with employees and
employers. I agree that I am not qualified enough to question these theories as
I have never held a ‘real job’ and have always worked as a volunteer for NGOs,
but I have friends and acquaintances who are employees in various corporate and
government organizations. From what they have to say, these theories seem very
baseless in the Indian context.
Three of my cousins and most of my friends work in software development companies and are located in various companies. I have known them for childhood and I know that they are not interested in making a mark in society. They want the money. They took the job as a job in a software company means greater social status, relatively more money and postings at metropolitan cities where they can party (basically get drunk). Some have taken up the job because they do not want to study anymore and others have taken up the job because everyone else was doing so. They do not like the job, they do not want to look for a new job and they do not want to do something different.
Here many will point out that this is because the organization is not giving them enough incentives to work sincerely. If that is the case, then why is the scenario the same in corporate houses that are known to be one of the best employers? Why is this the case in MNCs? Why is this the case even in public organizations?
I live in an industrial town. The main industry here is the steel plant and almost everyone around me works here. The employees are provided with subsidized living quarters, electricity and water, and are even given coupons for shopping. The pay is great and on top of that there are a number of bonuses and holiday packages throughout the year. The working hours are also not very taxing. This being the case, most people are not very happy with it. They crib and cry all the time about how bad their condition is and that they are being exploited by the management. There are uproars if the management asks them to work an extra hour. There were other industries in this town but they have all been closed down due to militant trade unionism. Now the employees have no jobs and many are poverty stricken.
How can you use Western ideas of Human Resource Management to the Indian scenario? Here people do not want to work at all but want to be paid more than they deserve. Here all people care about is money and social status. They do not care about the world at large. They do not follow the news and they do not want to make a difference. They just want to be rich and show off. India needs new theories of Human Resource Management keeping in mind the character of the people here and what motivates them. Western ideas need to be modified when applying to the Indian scenario.
Three of my cousins and most of my friends work in software development companies and are located in various companies. I have known them for childhood and I know that they are not interested in making a mark in society. They want the money. They took the job as a job in a software company means greater social status, relatively more money and postings at metropolitan cities where they can party (basically get drunk). Some have taken up the job because they do not want to study anymore and others have taken up the job because everyone else was doing so. They do not like the job, they do not want to look for a new job and they do not want to do something different.
Here many will point out that this is because the organization is not giving them enough incentives to work sincerely. If that is the case, then why is the scenario the same in corporate houses that are known to be one of the best employers? Why is this the case in MNCs? Why is this the case even in public organizations?
I live in an industrial town. The main industry here is the steel plant and almost everyone around me works here. The employees are provided with subsidized living quarters, electricity and water, and are even given coupons for shopping. The pay is great and on top of that there are a number of bonuses and holiday packages throughout the year. The working hours are also not very taxing. This being the case, most people are not very happy with it. They crib and cry all the time about how bad their condition is and that they are being exploited by the management. There are uproars if the management asks them to work an extra hour. There were other industries in this town but they have all been closed down due to militant trade unionism. Now the employees have no jobs and many are poverty stricken.
How can you use Western ideas of Human Resource Management to the Indian scenario? Here people do not want to work at all but want to be paid more than they deserve. Here all people care about is money and social status. They do not care about the world at large. They do not follow the news and they do not want to make a difference. They just want to be rich and show off. India needs new theories of Human Resource Management keeping in mind the character of the people here and what motivates them. Western ideas need to be modified when applying to the Indian scenario.
No comments:
Post a Comment