Management in India

Management in India

by Rahul Goyal
Released May 2012
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781849682626

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

A real-world, practical book for a professional in his journey to becoming a successful manager in India

  • Learn the basic paradigms and practical aspects that matter in the complex world of management, especially in the diverse, multi-cultural Indian corporate environment
  • Manage diversity and Gen Y, which are two important aspects of an Indian work environment
  • Understand how to hire and motivate people, evaluate performance, and manage attrition

In Detail

Most managers are untrained and need a foundation of management thought processes and frameworks. The market has books that are very theory heavy and generalized, and lack a certain focus. Nothing seen so far has the right context and balance of management theory and real world practical information.

Written by Rahul Goyal, a top manager at an IT firm, this book is an easy-to-read map to help you navigate the journey of being a manager in the knowledge industry. It will increase your effectiveness in applying skills needed daily, like hiring, communicating, motivating and planning. Learn from examples that you can relate to, and theories explained in context.

The books starts with raising a number of questions that knowledge industry managers face everyday. Then it gives detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities of being a manager and maps the classic Herzberg’s ten managerial roles into today’s knowledge industry context. Next it focuses on the transition from being an individual contributor to a manager, the typical issues one faces and how to make it easier in this transition phase. The next chapter digs into what is required to be a manager and the behaviours required for being a manager in India

We then dive into the key aspects of being a manager such as how to build a team and create team spirit, understanding the process of hiring and figuring out the adequate compensation for a new hire, managing the critical campus hiring process, and understanding what motivates a knowledge worker.

Then the book covers the basic motivation theories, explained in an Indian context. The book will get into the details of performance evaluation processes and the common pitfalls of the same. You will learn how to plan for personal effectiveness and an execution plan for delivery.

Finally, we look beyond the basics of managing and explore how a manager can grow. It’s easy to get lost in the daily hustleand bustle and forget the essentials that can take you past your current career level. We look through some simple dos’ and don’ts and keep growth in perspective while being a manager.

Table of contents

  1. Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry
    1. Table of Contents
    2. Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry
    3. Credits
    4. Foreword
    5. About the Author
    6. Acknowledgement
    7. About the Reviewers
    8. www.PacktPub.com
      1. Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
        1. Why Subscribe?
        2. Free Access for Packt account holders
        3. Instant Updates on New Packt Books
    9. Preface
      1. What this book covers
      2. Who this book is for
      3. Conventions
      4. Reader feedback
      5. Customer support
        1. Errata
        2. Piracy
        3. Questions
    10. 1. Whose Side Are You On?
      1. What is a manager supposed to manage?
        1. How hard can a manager's job be?
          1. What do you do?
          2. Whose side are you on?
        2. Mintzberg — 10 roles of a manager
          1. Interpersonal roles
            1. The figurehead
            2. Leader
            3. Liaison
          2. Information processing roles
            1. Monitor
            2. Disseminator
            3. Spokesperson
          3. Decision-making roles
            1. Entrepreneur
            2. Disturbance handler
            3. Resource allocator
              1. Re-plan
            4. Negotiator
          4. Summarizing the role-play
      2. The mai-baap manager
      3. Visualizing the managerial model
        1. The conduit
        2. The hierarchy or leader of the pack
        3. The orchestra conductor visual
      4. Some questions answered
      5. Summary
      6. References
    11. 2. Transition: From Individual Contributor to a Manager
      1. Watch out for
      2. Time
        1. Your work plus more
        2. Less definition
        3. Multiple roles
        4. Indirect tax
        5. Scope of work
        6. Commitments
        7. Information sharing
        8. Not giving up control
        9. Enforcing your will
        10. Defensive approach — being afraid to goof up
          1. Overcoaching
      3. Frustrations of being a new manager
        1. Teaching a man how to fish
        2. A slow world around you
        3. I don't get enough information
        4. I can't get no satisfaction
        5. I'm running all the time
      4. Making it easier
        1. Relax a little
        2. Understanding the information needs of your organization
        3. Know your success measures
        4. Learn to say NO
        5. Get organized
          1. Track the time spent
          2. Start using a calendar
          3. Distinguish between urgent and important
          4. Plan your day every morning
        6. Find someone to talk to
        7. Sign up for formal training and education
      5. Summary
      6. References
    12. 3. Basic Skills, Traits, and Competencies of a Manager
      1. Skills, traits, talents, and competencies
        1. Skills
        2. Traits
        3. Talents
        4. Competencies
      2. Top skills, traits, and competencies expected of a manager
        1. Love of working with people
          1. Myth: nice manager
        2. Easy to approach
          1. Myth: I'm easy to approach, I have an open door policy
        3. Farmer mentality: sow, nurture, grow, reap
          1. Myth: fast moving managers — in a tearing hurry
        4. Core values: honesty, integrity, truthfulness, trustworthiness, consideration for others, and more
          1. Not a myth: corporate greed
        5. Tolerance for ambiguity and patience
        6. Good communication skills — especially listening
          1. Myth: quiet people can't be managers
        7. Team building — hiring, retaining, developing good people, and nurturing team spirit
        8. Performance management
          1. Myth: maximum output
        9. Problem solving
          1. Myth: every problem is my problem to solve
        10. Always an eye on the ball — results orientation
        11. Decision-making
          1. Myth: well-informed decisions
        12. Project management and execution — delivery
          1. Myth about flawless execution
        13. Grip on technical knowledge/domain
        14. Think customer — customer orientation
      3. Emotional intelligence
        1. Personal competence
        2. Social competence — how we handle relationships
      4. Summary
      5. References
    13. 4. Teamwork and Team Building
      1. Why do we need teams?
      2. Different types of teams
      3. How to build a team
        1. Explain the big picture, purpose, and fitment of the team in the larger universe
          1. The tough part
        2. Defining the composition of the team
          1. The tough part
        3. Define playing positions
          1. The tough part
        4. Clear and defined hiring process
          1. The tough part
        5. Creating visible alignment between team goals and individual goals
          1. The tough part
        6. Make it easy to collaborate and synergize
          1. The tough part
        7. Reward collaboration and unreward non-collaboration
          1. The tough part
        8. Success dose
        9. Team spirit
          1. Team spirit is created by the team and not by the manager
          2. Managers can damage team spirit
          3. An environment of trust and respect
          4. Group traditions: work, play, and celebrate as a team
          5. Don't forget the individual
          6. Rotate the champions
      4. Why teams fail
        1. Expectations, alignment, and team direction not clear
        2. Leadership deficit
        3. Confusion in structure
        4. Not enough time for team dynamics to set in
        5. Groupthink
      5. Summary
    14. 5. Communicating
      1. Elements of good communication
        1. Clarity
        2. Context
        3. Two-way
        4. Concise
        5. Rules of courtesy
          1. Watch out
        6. Timely
        7. Similar vocabulary — apple means apple
      2. What managers must know about communication
        1. Interpersonal communication is a process, not an event
        2. Understanding the communication needs of your organization
        3. Understanding the communication needs of your role and work
        4. You set the communication model for your team
          1. Controlling unwanted communication, for example, salary discussions
        5. Cutting down the layers, shortening the channels
        6. The grapevine — don't worry too much about it
        7. Allowing people to vent
      3. Scenarios
        1. Everyday communication
          1. Do the Hi exchange
          2. Enagage in casual chat
          3. Be available to talk
          4. Don't always keep looking for a status update
          5. Don't keep telling them what to do
        2. When someone just walks in with a problem
        3. When people share personal problems
        4. Communicating bad news to an individual, for example, being denied a bonus
        5. Communicating unwelcome news to a group, for example, undesired management changes
        6. Difficult discussions — separate the person from the issue
        7. Communication in a distributed team
          1. Extra communication required
          2. Check alignment frequently
          3. It's ok to have an accent
          4. Acknowledgement response
          5. More back and forth required, more questions to be asked
          6. Different energy levels
          7. Use a mix of methods to communicate
        8. Create opportunities for in-person interactions
        9. Finally, when to keep mum
      4. Summary
    15. 6. Motivation
      1. Understanding motivation
        1. Desire is given but action is not
        2. Everything takes some motivation
        3. Everyone's motivation is somewhat different
        4. Basic factors are common
        5. It's not just your responsibility
        6. There's such a thing as self-motivation
        7. Demotivators are different from motivators
        8. Everyone is motivated to work
      2. Motivation theories
        1. Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory
          1. Physiological needs
          2. Safety needs
          3. Love and belonging needs
          4. Esteem needs
          5. Self-actualization
          6. Putting Maslow's pyramid together in today's context
        2. Herzberg's motivation — hygiene and two-factor theory
        3. McClelland's motivational needs theory
          1. Need for power
          2. Need for achievement
          3. Need for affiliation
          4. All three factors
      3. What's motivating in today's workplace?
        1. Success is motivating
        2. Team bonding is motivating
        3. Power is motivating: power to choose, power to shape the future
        4. A challenge is motivating
        5. A manager's confidence and belief in the individual is motivating
        6. Hope of achieving greatness is motivating
        7. Hope of a better future is motivating
      4. What is demotivating?
        1. Uncertainty is demotivating
        2. No social status is demotivating
        3. Fear, threats, and disrespect are huge demotivators
        4. Lack of adequate and timely compensation is a demotivator
        5. Poor working conditions are demotivators
        6. Lack of opportunities to show their potential is demotivating
        7. Lack of learning is demotivating
      5. Signs of low motivation
        1. Lack of attention to detail
        2. Absenteeism
        3. Dragging feet
        4. Dropped catches...too many misses at work
        5. No contest — passivity — low engagement
        6. Less social interaction
      6. Is money a motivator?
      7. Summary
      8. References
    16. 7. Hiring
      1. Understanding hiring
        1. Understanding your optimal requirements
        2. Hiring for potential not just current skills
        3. Hiring is a risk
          1. Hiring is not an end to itself
        4. Be open — talking about challenges upfront
        5. Pre-interview: knowing what you are looking for
        6. Advertising and sourcing
          1. Pre-interview: resume screening
        7. Pre-interview: phone screening
          1. Sample phone screen
            1. Warm up (3-5) minutes
            2. Recent significant projects (10 minutes)
            3. Domain experience (5 minutes)
            4. Basic technical questions (10 minutes)
            5. Code writing capabilities (10 minutes)
            6. Closing (5-7 minutes)
      2. How to conduct an effective interview
        1. Interview plan
        2. Reading and analyzing the resume beforehand
        3. Interview tips
          1. Listen to the candidate
          2. Don't ask the same questions to people at different levels
          3. Warm-up questions
          4. Basics plus deep drill on key areas
          5. Look for application and not just theory
          6. Look beyond technical skills
          7. Past work is important
          8. Using behavioral interviews
          9. Feedback recording
        4. Hiring decision
      3. Compensation
        1. Option 1: compensation on par with a team member with similar profile
        2. Option 2: new compensation = previous compensation + 20%
        3. Option 3: compensation based on market data
        4. Option 4: compensation by negotiation
        5. Truth about compensation
        6. What is the answer?
      4. Closing the hiring process
      5. Campus hiring
        1. There is a shortage
        2. Campus day 1
        3. Only one offer
        4. Compensation rules
        5. Elimination process followed by selection process
        6. Interviewing on campus
        7. Campus hiring — allocations
        8. Pre-join attrition
        9. Campus hires boot camp
      6. Summary
    17. 8. Performance Evaluation
      1. Understanding performance
      2. Purpose of performance evaluation
        1. Reviewing and reflecting
        2. Feedback
        3. Alignment
        4. Looking ahead
        5. Personal development and career planning
          1. Tracking progress over the years
        6. Positive side effects
        7. Used in reward calculations
        8. Used in layoffs
          1. Organizational improvements
      3. Performance evaluation process
        1. Appraisal form
          1. Competencies
          2. Goals from last year
          3. Open-ended questions
          4. Key dimensions
          5. Development plan
          6. Goal setting for the coming year
          7. Final/overall rating
        2. Usual appraisal models
          1. Employee — manager review
          2. Additional external reviewers
          3. Additional peer reviews
          4. 360 degree reviews
        3. The usual once-a-year appraisal process steps
      4. Using the bell curve in performance evaluation
      5. Problems with the performance appraisal process
        1. It has become an event
        2. Always done in a hurry
        3. Hard to remember the details — especially for a manager
        4. Disconnected managers
        5. Proximity effect
        6. Halo effect
        7. Managers shy away from disagreements and having a hard discussion
        8. Subjective ratings — depends on interpretation
        9. Rating some competencies makes no sense
        10. Inconsistency in ratings by different managers
        11. High self-appraisal
        12. Remote manager
      6. Performance management and appraisal as a two-stage system
        1. Ongoing performance management
        2. Short cycle and long cycle performance evaluation
          1. Short cycle
          2. Long cycle
      7. Summary
    18. 9. Attrition
      1. Understanding attrition
        1. It's going to happen
        2. Multiple reasons, but one driver
        3. Attrition can be healthy
        4. Don't take it personally
        5. Top 3 reasons why people quit: 'money', 'career growth', 'manager'
        6. Rarely does the decision change
      2. Categories of 'quitters'
        1. The growth-oriented
        2. The dissatisfied
        3. The mismatched
        4. The whimsical
        5. The still searching
        6. The purposeful
        7. The fearful
      3. Cost of attrition
        1. Direct costs
          1. Administrative costs of an exit
          2. Hiring costs
            1. Finding the candidates
            2. Interviewing costs
            3. Cost of background check
            4. Relocation cost for a new employee
            5. Induction and on-boarding costs
          3. Training costs
        2. Indirect costs
          1. Loss of productivity
            1. Learning curve
            2. Loss of tacit knowledge
            3. Loss of personal network
            4. Loss of efficiency in teamwork
            5. Loss of morale for the rest of the team
            6. Loss of customers due to inefficiency
          2. Opportunity cost
          3. Copy cat attrition
      4. Benefits of attrition
        1. Attrition may get rid of deadwood and misfits
        2. Attrition creates space for new perspectives and new energy
        3. Attrition may help achieve a balance in the team
        4. Internal attrition is very healthy
        5. Attrition may lower total costs
        6. Attrition may create space for growth
        7. Attrition helps a manager expand the network
      5. Attrition — watch out
      6. Managing attrition
        1. Expect it: anybody can leave
        2. Know your people
        3. Manage expectations proactively
        4. Enhance team capabilities
        5. Encourage cross-area awareness
        6. Promote openness and be accessible
        7. Create documentation and trainings
        8. Create a fun work environment
      7. Summary
    19. 10. Managing — Remoteness, Work-Life, Gen Y, and Diversity
      1. Managing remoteness
        1. Remote employee means
          1. You can't see him/her — visual observation is lost
          2. You only see results, not efforts
          3. Distrust creeps in — wonder what he is up to
          4. Relationship becomes very 'black box'
          5. Out of sight, out of mind
          6. Everything becomes harder, requiring extra effort
          7. A remote leader becomes very important, just for being remote
        2. Making remoteness work
          1. Indulge in chitchat
          2. Embrace new technology to get closer
          3. Set expectations with the remote employee to communicate more
          4. Formalize some of the communication
          5. Make it two-way
          6. Drive by setting clear goals and success criteria
          7. More frequent checkpoints
          8. Open sessions
          9. Get into detail rather than just 'everything is fine'
          10. Evaluate if it's working
          11. Don't become the only face of the remote team; let them have their identity
          12. Don't overdo it — excessive reporting
          13. Leverage the 'local' for the remote employee
          14. Provision for travel — make it economical
          15. Make travel meaningful
      2. Work-life balance
        1. Understanding work, life, and the balance
          1. What is work?
          2. What is life?
          3. What is work-life balance (WLB)?
          4. WLB is NOT an equal number of hours
          5. Achievement and fulfillment are key
          6. Enjoyment test
          7. Work is NOT life, but work IS life too
          8. Balance now is better than balance later
          9. Why managers should encourage WLB
          10. An individual's WLB is an employee's responsibility; managers only support it
        2. Common reasons of losing WLB
      3. Managing Indian Gen Y
        1. Some characteristics of Gen Y
        2. Gen Y employee behavior
          1. Smart working
          2. Nothing is impossible
          3. Open and transparent
          4. Secure — there's always another job
          5. Don't Alt-Tab
          6. Very social — diverse
          7. Respect for the individual rather than the position
          8. Ownership, decision-making, and choices are important
      4. Managing diversity
        1. Diversity is natural
        2. Shun stereotypes
        3. Early training
        4. Diversity doesn't mean the 'same' treatment
        5. Celebrate the diversity
        6. As an individual, learn about different cultures
        7. Be aware of various diversity programs run by the organization
        8. Enjoy the food
        9. No jokes about a particular community
        10. Be quick to stop a conversation that is bordering on discrimination, even in humor
      5. Summary
    20. 11. Effective Planning
      1. Why plan?
        1. Making something happen
        2. Stopping something from happening
        3. Educating and making people aware
        4. Helping to prioritize
        5. Increasing commitment
        6. Showing the path — adds confidence, lowers anxiety
      2. Planning cycle
      3. A good project manager
      4. What to consider when creating a plan
        1. The big picture
          1. Identifying the deliverable and greater purpose
          2. Know the larger 'program management' plan
          3. External environment and dependencies
          4. Governing rules and requirements
          5. Know the stakeholders and their requirements
          6. Understand the level of tolerance for problems
        2. Work assignment and execution
          1. Start with a conservative and flexible plan
          2. Players and their strengths
          3. Choosing appropriate methods of execution
        3. What is a buffer?
        4. Execution plan
          1. Checkpoints
          2. Reviewing the plan
        5. Monitoring
          1. Completion criteria and success criteria
          2. Progress and visibility
          3. Checkpoints and re-planning
          4. Advertising your plan and focus areas
          5. Encouraging and expecting planning from your team
          6. Weekly team meeting — last week, next week
          7. Daily stand up meetings — 15 minutes
          8. Personal planning — 15 minutes a day model
        6. Managing changes and risks
          1. Preparing for risk
          2. Being connected
        7. Planning gotcha: don't follow your plan too closely
      5. Nuances of planning in India
        1. Not saying NO
        2. Too much focus on work — desire to grow
        3. 'All is well' syndrome
        4. Too many young players — lack of experience
        5. Regional and cultural issues
        6. Remote teams — out of the loop
      6. Summary
    21. 12. How to Grow As a Manager
      1. What does 'growth' mean to you?
        1. Another way: find your way one step at a time
        2. Pre-growth checks
          1. Are you having fun?
          2. Are you able to leverage your unique talents?
          3. Do you fit culturally?
        3. Bare essentials for any growth
          1. Capability
          2. Credibility
          3. Opportunity
      2. Some dos to grow as a manager
        1. Grow your people
          1. Delegate
          2. Almost redundant
          3. Trust your team
        2. Make decisions
          1. Take risks
          2. Nerves
        3. Deliver consistently
        4. Get diverse experience — projects, people, location
        5. Make linkages and network
        6. Spend the time — the eight-hour workday is history
        7. Grow in stature
      3. Some don'ts to grow as a manager
        1. Don't compete with your own people
        2. Don't get sucked into the 'busy' paradigm
        3. Don't get blind in defending your team
        4. Don't be self-righteous, be open to a compromise
        5. Don't forget the real job skills
      4. Summary
    22. 13. Summing it Up
      1. Know what you manage
      2. Transition requires a mindset change
      3. Help yourself, get help
      4. Know your success measures
      5. Managers wear multiple hats
      6. Manager as a conduit
      7. Team building — define playing positions
      8. Team building — winning as a team
      9. Communicate in a timely manner — reduce layers, add clarity
      10. Motivation — Maslow's hierarchy of needs
      11. Hiring
      12. Attrition — expect it, manage it
      13. Planning and execution
      14. Decision-making
      15. Manage — all aspects
      16. Summary
    23. Index

Product information

  • Title: Management in India
  • Author(s): Rahul Goyal
  • Release date: May 2012
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781849682626