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TABLE OF

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Expert’s View: Workforce diversity & inclusion from the eyes of a newly married Indian couple Chat Over Coffee: Do organizations need to change their perspective on diversity Let’s get Tending: Latest Trends in HR Analytics

Test your HRQ:

syncHRonise - Live Projects SHRM Testimonials Success Mantra: Doing D&I right @Gap Inc. Screen Snatch: The Office – Beyond Just a Workplace Comedy HR Through a Lens: Lord Rama, India’s Timeless Transformational Leader Students Speak: Dealing with Diversity Backlash Appendix

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Expert’s View

Workforce diversity & inclusion

from the eyes of a newly married Indian couple

There are plenty of research articles on diversity and inclusion (D&I) available on various academic portals, databases and even freely available as a result of a simple google search. These research articles highlight the importance of diversity and the need to actively manage the same. For the understanding of readers who may not wish to read a technical paper on the subject and still want to understand the D&I issues quickly, I’ll present it drawing an analogy between D&I and a newly married Indian couple’s dilemma.

Disclaimer: The analogy drawn is only for the purpose of explaining the D&I issues in a satirical manner and there is no intention to hurt the sentiments of any person, religion, community or country. The analogy can’t and should not be generalized.

The discussions and decisions on diversity in organizations are like newly married couple wondering whether to have kids or not. Not that they don’t want to have but then the question hovering in their mind is “Are we ready?”. There are forces that make it even a more difficult decision. On one side there are despotic forces - friends and peers (who have reached there already), parents (who believe that for all the problems in this world, having a baby is the solution), relatives (who never get tired of asking the question about the good news) and the society (which even starts doubting the capability of the couple to become parents). On the other hand, there are elemental forces - aspirations and ambitions of the couple, and prospects of

achieving what they dreamt along with the apprehensions of the unknown. Likewise, for organizations, on one hand there are despotic forces – other companies (usually the competitors who have already undertaken diversity initiatives are boasting about it), management (who thinks diversity is the solution for all modern-age organizational problems), experts (who would keep talking in the conferences that organizations are not doing enough on diversity front), and other stakeholders (like academicians who would keep discussing with their students – can they do it? And should they do it?). On the other hand, there are elemental forces – vision and mission of the organization, business goals and strategy, opportunities and threats in the environment, labour market and readiness for the uncertain future.

Now, let’s look at how usually the couple takes the inevitable decision. In general, the couple surrenders to the despotic forces, thinking “that’s what everyone does, isn’t it?” or “it has worked for others and we are no different, so, it should work for us as well”. But soon the reality strikes and the couple may find themselves totally unprepared for it. Similarly, many organizations just give in to the despotic forces and do something under the name of diversity initiatives for the name sake only. For instance, hiring people of a particular gender, race/ethnicity, orientation or culture etc. without a) really believing that there can be a business case around diversity and, b) having figured out what it takes to accept and implement diversity as a strategy. In India, there are regulatory and compliance forces as well, for instance, requirement of having a woman representation in the board of directors. However, many

Prof. Happy Paul

Associate Professor &

Chairperson – PGDM HR

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organizations without really understanding its purpose and not knowing how to make best use of the arrangement, find interesting ways to get around it.

At the same time, there are couples who are driven more by the elemental forces, they critically assess their willingness and readiness, consider all pros and cons, see how this fits in their long term so as to welcome and enjoy the new phase of life rather than firefighting every time. Likewise, there are organizations where the diversity strategy provides organizations a competitive advantage which leads to superior performance by the way of having systems and practices aligned and integrated with a clear plan to ensure inclusion for the diverse workforce.

The arrival of a baby is the celebration for the

entire family. The baby is given love, warmth and

utmost care by every member of the family. The

baby feels welcomed and part of the family and

this lays the foundation of a strong child and family

connection. Any support system in terms of

extended family or even a house maid feels like a

blessing to ensure that the new parents don’t feel

exhausted. Likewise, the D&I initiatives are not

just the responsibility of the HR department but

should be whole-heartedly supported by all the

members of organization. The success of these

initiatives in terms of positive workplace and

business outcomes is only possible when the

organization wants it and prepares well for it.

In the end, it is worthy to note one of the many

differences between planning a child and

undertaking D&I initiatives is that the thing that’s

nice about unplanned and unwanted pregnancy is

that in the end you have a baby – the joy of life.

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Chat Over Coffee Do organizations need to change their perspective on diversity?

What are your thoughts on the reality of diversity in the workplace?

The way we perceive diversity in the workplace is very important. When you say diversity, the first thing that comes up is gender. After that, people talk about ethnicity, language etc. Some people also say that a truly diverse workforce should also be aligned with the concept of equal opportunity in terms of employment i.e., inclusivity of differently abled people. The first question, however, that any organization needs to begin with is “Why diversity?” - what are the benefits you will get out of a diversified workforce? Most companies look at this need for diversity from a compliance perspective. They want to comply with the rules regarding minimum percentage of women, or percentage of people from specific sections of the society specified by the government. Similarly, in a B-school scenario, the number of women appearing for competitive exams like CAT is significantly lower than the number of men. From a compliance perspective, you’re supposed to give extra marks to women for

promoting gender diversity. However, you can’t follow such directives blindly, as there are certain context specific challenges too. For example, PGDM-HR course, or nursing as a profession are female dominated areas. What must one do to ensure male participation in these fields? How do you remove the stigma and say that this is a gender-neutral role? This is where talent management is responsible for creating a diverse pool of prospective candidates in the first place. If there is a gender-neutral position which is cued towards a particular gender or one type of workforce and you want to increase the diversity, it is the collective responsibility of the industry. Just like banking was once dominated by males, but that is not the case anymore.

Another critical reason for having a diverse workforce is inclusion. In terms of decision making, you cannot include the needs and perspectives of people if they’re not a part of your organization in the first place. You have to make sure that their views are heard, their progress, struggles and perspective is taken into account.

Prof. S Senthil Ganesh, Ph.D.

Professor – OB & HRM

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Decisions about women cannot be made without women participating in the decision making. If it is done, you’ll only get a skewed view. Inclusion, therefore, plays the role in capturing people’s views. Policies should not be made by people who do not have first-hand experience or knowledge of the audience that the policies will be applicable to. Even if decision-makers are empathetic, they have cognitive empathy – they understand the basic requirements on an intellectual level. Therefore, the design has to be changed in order to ensure that policies and plans are effective and beneficial for all kinds of employees in a workforce.

Since the admission season is going on, what factors pertaining to diversity does TAPMI take into consideration while selecting students on the basis of gender, background, geographical region? How does it impact the overall mix of the batch?

Unfortunately, we are only limited to the people who apply. In order to increase diversity of the batch, we have to increase the diversity within pool in the first place. We are working on attracting candidates from different cities every year. The candidates’ decision to apply also depends on other factors like their other B-school options, cost and time of travel, interview dates etc. Other than geographic diversity, stereotyping related to various courses needs to be reduced. As we discussed, PGDM-HR is female dominated. Even within HR, fields like Industrial Relations are seen to be only suitable for men. However, some of this bias has to do with attrition because organizations feel that females leave their IR jobs faster. I taught in an institute where the PGDM-HR topper was a male, and still had concerns that women will be picked by companies because of the belief that women are more dominant and better in the field of HR. In a few other programs besides PGDM-HR, there’s a challenge for gender diversity, so giving scores to females is a viable option to be looked at. However, we make it a point to assess the competence of the candidate, and not use this to give scores to people who are not competent or suitable for the institute.

The first PGDM-HR batch of TAPMI is about to graduate. In what direction do you feel that the

HR program in TAPMI will grow in the coming batches?

HR courses have always been offered as electives in TAPMI, but 2020-21 will be the third batch of the niche program. We are planning to keep the batch size very small as we want quality candidates, and the best opportunities for internships & projects for the limited number of people. We would like to enhance the SHRM CP model and make it easy for participants to appear for the exam. We are looking at maturing the curriculum, delivery, internships and SHRM related resources. The kind of opportunities for our students will only improve as the economy picks up post COVID-19. As of now, companies are not thinking of expansion, their focus is on survival and therefore the opportunities may not be the best. This will be a challenge, and thus we need to produce high quality individuals in less numbers. As the economy and visibility picks up, we can scale up to 50 or 60 students for the batch. This will be beneficial because dynamics of the class will be different with a full strength as more perspectives and experiences come out into discussions.

How has D&I concept affected the hiring scenario in the industry?

Many organizations do not have any legal mandate to hire women. Compliance kept aside, some companies actually want people from different locations, genders and educational backgrounds. Age is also an important factor. For example, age is not an issue in American B-schools because it’s common for people to work before they get an MBA degree. In India, some companies are still reluctant to hire people with more than 4 years of work experience from a B-school. Talking about backgrounds – both social and educational, candidates from different backgrounds can have good subject knowledge and motivation, sometimes more than people who have undergraduate degrees in that field. Some people carry rich experience of what the society is and what it means to succeed in the society, and they wait for the right opportunity. Therefore, organizations must not follow the model of making successful people more successful. For

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example, in TAPMI HR cohort, very few people have an HR experience. We should not limit our vision to past experience and qualifications and look at the knowledge and drive as well. We must hire people for the diverse experience they bring on the table.

What is the most common mistake made by corporates in their perception of diversity?

As we discussed, going by just the compliance driven rather than actually seeking diversity is the biggest mistake. The assumption that designing a job for a differently abled person will be different and complicated creates an issue. Companies hire people who are “normal” for a role or a skill, but very few organizations actually take the initiative to hire people who are outside the general perception of suitability. LemonTree has hired a lot of differently abled people who communicate using sign language to interact with customers. Now usually in a customer-facing role, companies focus on excellent communication skills. However, they fail to look outside their pre-constructed view of “normal”. As more companies continue to do this, the customers adjust, their perceptions change, and they even like and appreciate it. Sometimes organizations do it out of sympathy too. This mindset and attitude must change. They should focus on how we can benefit from these people’ diverse experience. Another mistake is using the same measures to assess different kinds of people. Just like many talented people can’t afford or do distance programs but they’re as talented as anyone else. Companies only hire through only B-schools and also with a limited focus. Their hiring process is limited to group

discussions, aptitude tests, interviews etc. and there’s no innovation. When you’re truly looking for diversity, same standards shouldn’t be applied for everyone.

Talking of Lemon Tree’s initiative, do you feel established brands have the liberty to hire different kind of people?

It’s not about the power of a brand, but about the mindset and the attitude. There are more established hotels than Lemon Tree. They haven’t done it. It’s not just the financial cushion that provides you the liberty to try out these things, it requires a different attitude altogether. For example, a small organization hires blind people in a factory. Through proper training, these people perform effortlessly. Some organizations do not want to take the extra time and cost of training the employees. Many organizations also react similarly to mental health issues – if you’re unable to take the pressure of work and show signs of depression, you may be terminated. This is the reality of the society, but social systems are evolving. People come from different and complex backgrounds – separation of parents, tough childhood etc. The reality from their perspective is very different. Organizations are neither aware not accepting of socio-cultural backgrounds of their candidates. Once they open their minds to this, only then they can begin changing their attitude. They must realize that it’s about the person’s willingness to work. They can’t decide if a person is “capable” of doing something. Even “normal” people bring some problems. At the end of the day, if you train anybody effectively, they can perform most of the tasks efficiently.

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Let’s get trending!

Latest Trends in HR Analytics

The traditional function of Human Resource Management has gone through a wave of metamorphosis in terms of its function and application in the wake of recent shift towards evidence-based management and data analytics. Traditionally viewed as a support act, HR Managers are slowly gaining respect as strategic business partners. In this new role, HR managers can provide vital insights on how to align the manpower planning and sourcing to a firm’s grand objectives leveraging on the power of data analytics. Not stopping just there, HR analysts are delivering futuristic predictions of effects of HR variables on firm performance and other operational outcomes using statistical tools and machine learning techniques.

HR has been supported in this exciting journey through the vast storage power of human resource information systems (HRIS). Earlier generation of HR mangers were majorly handicapped due to lack of systems to capture employee data. Today, huge amount of employee related information gets stored daily in dedicated servers at large organizations. Add to that, the rise of attractive data visualization software solutions

such as Tableau, Spotfire, and Qlick has made the representation of such data into meaningful narratives a matter of a few clicks of the computer mouse. User-friendly software packages, ranging from the more commonly known ones such as MS Excel to the more advanced ones such as R, PYTHON, SAS, SPSS, STATA and others have lent a good hand in crunching the data and finding interesting inter-relationships hidden in the data. Availability of the content analysis software such as NVIVO can tell the key terms in a person’s résumé in few seconds and text mining software such as KNIME may be used to predict that person’s fit with the job profile. Similarly, cause and effect analysis using the responses of the existing employees may reveal their intention to leave with the organization based on employees’ personality, attitude, and behavior. Even in the realm of big data, HR has started to slowly find implications for strategy formulation.

Some of the traditional HR functions where analytics has found major application are – in recruitment and selection, attrition prediction, succession planning and training program evaluation. Some names of organizations which

Dr. Pratyush Banerjee

Assistant Professor

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have successfully implemented HR Analytics in their business functions include Accenture, Aditya Birla, Atkins Global, Barclays, Birla Soft, Darwinbox, Dell, Deloitte India, eClerx Services Ltd., Flipkart, Gramaner, Groovy Infotech Pvt Ltd., Honeywell, Jagran New Media, JPMorgan Chase, Kinduz Business Consulting, Kotak Securities, KPMG, Merrin and Associates, Oracle, Red Quanta, Salesforce, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Technologies, and Tech Mahindra among others.

The scope of text analytics in HR is huge. Much of the popularity of text analytics in HR may be attributed to the rise in interest in Natural Language Processing (NLP). The primitive attempts in HR Analytics were mainly restricted to Boolean search of specific keywords from resumes and job applications. HR functions such as recruitment, performance feedback, appraisals and counseling etc. can provide a rich wealth of unstructured natural language data. The application of NLP in HR text analytics is huge. One major application is in sentiment analysis of employees, both existing and past, through analysis of exit interview documents, understanding latent themes of discontent, deep information extraction from employee appraisal

reports etc. Some firms are going even further to use text analytics insights to develop research hypotheses and testing those using prescriptive analytics.

Some other slowly popularized areas of application include – a) resume scoring and classification, b) appraisal report analysis, c) survey and feedback report analysis, d) using text to identify training needs, e) analyzing social media content of employees, f) insights on employee lawsuits, g) insights into employee counseling, to name a few. Several NLP techniques are in use to capture the essence of HR data. Some highly popular techniques are statistical tagging, symbolic tagging and conditional rules model.

To sum it up, HR Analytics has opened a pandora’s box for the traditional HR Managers. The quintessential HR Manager was not required to be savvy with numbers and software knowledge. This notion is quickly getting outdated. HR Managers are gearing up for this tectonic shift in their functional role and a major upskilling is in progress either by enrolling in some online certification course or through internal training programs. Business schools have also woken up to this change and major B-Schools across the world have incorporated HR Analytics as a core subject or elective. Several organizations have opened HR Analytics centers to tap into the potential of analytics in their domain. The change is slow, and it will take some time before HR is absolutely ready to embrace it, but the progress is encouraging and the future looks exciting for this crucial business function.

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Test your HRQ

1. A non – conventional approach to work hour scheduling wherein the employees are allowed to choose their working hours (however, there is a particular time period during which they are supposed to be at the workplace)

2. A final formal meeting/interaction between the management and an employee who is leaving the organization (candid views)

3. A metaphor explaining the barriers or disadvantages that women face at the top of the hierarchy when compared to the lower levels

4. The critical goals/objectives to be identified in order to be successful both at the individual as well as organisational level

5. A dispute resolution mechanism with the professional help of a neutral (third) party who specializes in labor law &

management to arrive at a final legal decision

6. An onboarding and knowledge sharing method wherein a new employee is assigned to an existing employee at the workplace

7. The perceived value an individual puts on the outcome of an action

8. A clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition against another party (usually the employer).

9. Preferential treatment given to blood relationship regardless of merit

10. A document which consists of an organization’s operating procedures, polices and expected workplace behavior. It is usually given to the employee on his/her first day at the workplace.

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syncHRonise – Live Projects

PGP 1 (Batch 2019-2021)

KRETARO Project Title – Credibility Assertion through Predictive Indicators Students Involved – Anula Kathuria, Archana Iyer, Gauthami Rao, Jayasurya Maruturi, Samyuktha Korrapati

QuEST GLOBAL Project Title - Design and Implementation of an Innovating Pre- Boarding Experience Students Involved – Aleena George, Vanshika Gupta

KRETARO Project Title – Digitization of Referrals

Students Involved - Gagan Bhardwaj, Kushal Lois Mathew, Krnaali

Venkatachalam, Narmatha Jeyavel, Kavita Singh

V – GUARD Project Title - Recruitment Effectiveness Through HR Metrics Students Involved – Preethu Karen, Rizwana Razak

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SHRM Testimonials We would like to congratulate these achievers from TAPMI (Batch 2018-20) on clearing the SHRM-CP examination taken in July 2019 and adding their names among the first few students across the country to bag this certification.

ANSHU CHAUDHARY

The single most important factor in my journey was the integration of TAPMI COURSE curriculum with the SHRM learning system. More than the result of the certification exam, the rich journey of learning and knowledge is what I value the most.

GARIMA MODI

I would like to thank TAPMI for the boundless support and the exceptional guidance that was bestowed on us which helped me clear the prestigious SHRM-CP exam. I owe my success to TAPMI.

KRUTIKA VISHNU SWAR

The continuous guidance of our faculty along with the well-planned curriculum helped me prepare and crack the SHRM-CP.

MOHIT RATHI

I am thankful to college admin and faculty for providing the required support to clear the exam. The exam really tests your situation analysing skills as an HR and I am proud to be a part of the SHRM group.

MONIKA MANJAREE

SHRM is a world-wide recognized program for HR professionals. While preparing for the exam, I came across a lot of new concepts and insights which help me think in different perspectives. It gives me a sense of achievement and confidence before entering the real business world.

SHOURYA BASU

SHRM-CP is the quintessential certification programme for individuals who aspire to be future HR leaders. I am grateful to TAPMI for giving us this opportunity unlike any other B-school in India. Preparing for the examination was extremely smooth as the PGDM-HR course is aligned with the SHRM curriculum.

SONAKSHI MEHROTRA

SHRM-CP helped me understand the problems an organization faces and ways to tackle them. The curriculum aligned to the certification is what enabled me to clear it!

SREYASHI CHANDA

SHRM-CP helped me think from an HR leader's perspective. While it was imperative to learn various HR concepts it was also important that the concepts were applied in a way which resonated with the overall business strategy.

SUBHRA SUBHADARSANI PATRA

TAPMI inspired me to achieve the SHRM-CP Certification with its tailor-made curriculum and constant guidance from the brilliant faculties. Now I have the competence to thrive in my professional career.

SUMEDHA ADHIKARI

SHRM- CP has not only enhanced my employability but has also given me a competitive advantage in the industry. I am very proud to be a part of this institution where I have been provided with immense support and guidance to clear this examination.

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SUSHRUTA MUKHOPADHYAY

The constant support of my classmates and the institution helped me become a Certified Professional. I'm sure SHRM-CP certification would surely help my career in the long run.

UTHARA N.

SHRM CP being one of the most highly recognised HR certifications has helped me gain insight on how to apply the theory into practice. This was possible only with the help of well-aligned curriculum and the faculties of TAPMI.

VATSAL ANILKUMAR SUROTIA

At TAPMI, the PGDM-HR programme is perfectly aligned to enable the students to successfully clear the SHRM-CP certification.

VATSALA GUPTA

SHRM-CP is the most coveted certification across the world and the well-planned PGDM-HR program at TAPMI helped me in successfully clearing the certification.

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Success Mantra Doing D&I right @Gap Inc.

Panchali Sarker, PGDM – HR (Batch 2019 – 2021)

It was not long ago that diversity and inclusion was seen as a ‘good to have’ rather than a ‘need to have’ factor in an organization. This viewpoint has shifted, backed by data that highlights the positive correlation between D&I to profitability of a company and its value creation.

Gap Inc., the famous American clothing and accessories retailer, has consistently been ranked as the top 10 most diverse and inclusive organizations globally in the past three years. The Code of Business Conduct (COBC) is a universally applicable zero tolerance policy for the Gap Inc. family worldwide, for any form of discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Additionally, they have a dedicated Equality and Belonging strategy that centers around storytelling, experimentation and programs that support mentorship, promote equal access for all and create inclusive products.

“Embracing diversity promotes creativity and innovation and helps to attract and retain the best talent everywhere we do business.”

Gap Inc. incorporates a number of tools and techniques to create a communal sense of equality and belonging right from the beginning of an employee’s journey at the company.

A dedicated Diversity+Inclusion Training Curriculum provides bite sized learning modules to be leveraged at any stage of the career. Workshops and store leadership platforms are used to deliver Unconscious Bias Training across the enterprise. Be One. Get One. (BOGO) is a philosophy that aligns with the company’s core values and empowers the employees to play an active part in the development of oneself and their peers. Gap Inc. and their family of brands signed the Open to All Business Pledge that reaffirms that the stores and workplaces are for everyone. To ensure diversity among its suppliers and fostering economic vibrancy of the communities they serve, Gap Inc. launched the Supplier Inclusion Program in 2018. This has increased their work with companies that employ or are owned by a large percentage of minorities, veterans, women and people with disabilities.

To further drive the diversity and inclusion efforts at Gap Inc., dedicated internal teams have been established. The Equality + Belonging Council serves as an advisory board that helps the business and decision makers understand the work-related nuances, complexities and the beneficial integration of the business.

The Enterprise Equality + Belonging Team is responsible for the design and implementation of the Global Diversity and Inclusion strategy. The collaborates seamlessly across the corporate functions and brands to achieve optimal impact and return.

Gap Inc. employees from diverse backgrounds developed Equality and Belonging Network Groups, which provide platforms for cross-cultural learning, mentoring and relationship building. Events for development, networking and volunteering are organized by these groups. They encourage a sense of belonging, foster awareness of underrepresented groups, and provide personal

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personal and professional development. Their

ultimate goal is to express, represent and

advocate for the value of diversity and inclusion

for Gap Inc. employees.

The Color Proud Council focuses on product and

talent, two of the company’s most essential

assets. In 2018, a group of employees formed a

cross-enterprise body to challenge industry norms

and too-often accepted biases by ensuring the

company is aware of the importance of putting an

inclusive view on the fundamental aspects of the

business, including product design, merchandising

and marketing, as well the efforts to recruit,

develop and retain diverse talent.

ASCEND, investment in the next-gen leaders: In

addition to the advisory boards and business

resource groups which develop a cross cultural

environment, Gap has launched the ASCEND

program that aims to help minority leaders realize

their potential and achieve their career aspirations

with the aid of mentorship and building

opportunity along with individual capability. It

supports Gap’s devotion towards building an

inclusive, diverse workforce and a pipeline of

future leaders.

Gap Inc. is the first and only global apparel retail

company to sign the UN Human Rights LGBTI

Corporate Standards of Conduct for Business,

bolstering their efforts to support and lead on

issues that impact the LGBTQI community around

the world. Gap Inc. and the UN Foundation built a

partnership to raise awareness and funds in 2017

for UN Free and Equal, a program of the Office of

the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

(OHCHR) to promote equal rights and fair

treatment for the LGBTQI community globally.

Gap Inc.is proud to have received a perfect score

on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate

Equality Index (CEI) in 2018, 13th year in a row. The

index examines corporate policies and practices

related to LGBTQI workplace equality.

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Screen Snatch The Office – Beyond Just a Workplace Comedy

Anukriti Dwivedi, PGDM – HR (Batch 2019 – 2021)

Can your favorite TV shows and movies give you a deeper insight into the world of HR?

One of the cult favorite comedy shows among the people with a twisted sense of humor, “The Office” is not only an entertaining series of equally strange and amusing 20-minute episodes, but also a source of insight into people’s behavior at work. Several HR professionals even suggest that this show should be used for HR training. Although the characters and their perspectives are exaggerated and dramatized, it makes one think that they’re actually not that far away from reality.

With this edition’s theme being “Diversity and Inclusion”, I could not think of a better TV show than The Office to demonstrate the concepts perfectly. The show revolves around the characters that are not just eccentric but also extremely different from each other– in terms of race, culture, gender, backgrounds, sexual orientation, physical appearance, occupations and much more.

An entire episode, called “Diversity Day” revolves around how the ‘boss’ Michael Scott tries to address the importance of having a diverse

workforce and respecting the differences that exist. Although it turned out to be a disaster with Michael offending 99.99% of his employees with his politically incorrect and insensitive understanding of cultures, it successfully pointed out to the audience how easily we can hold stereotypes and assumptions having cultural and racial connotations without even noticing how problematic they can be.

One of the important points that the diversity trainer in the episode, Mr. Brown, makes is when Michael says “this is a color-free-zone here. Stanley, I don't look at you as another race”. To this, Mr. Brown responds saying “We don't have to pretend we're color-blind. That's fighting ignorance with more ignorance. We need to celebrate our diversity.” This is a crucial lesson that needs to be learned by people all around the world. The solution to effective inclusion of diverse people in a team is not pretending that they’re all the same, but acknowledging the differences and how they shape differing perspectives. Mr. Brown also goes ahead to introduce us to a new acronym in order to understand and celebrate diversity. He says “Now,

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this is a simple acronym. HERO. We believe it is very easy to be a HERO. All you need are honesty, empathy, respect and open-mindedness.”

This TV show not only talks about cultural diversity but also diversity in terms of sexual orientation. With LGBTQ+ rights gaining increasing attention and awareness over past few years, shows like this play a crucial role in shaping the social opinion on the employability of members of the LGBTQ community. The Office also does not fail to

demonstrate women in senior and powerful positions and exhibits a good amount of gender diversity in the workplace.

In conclusion, The Office uses humor in a creative way to demonstrate what not to do, learn from the characters’ mistakes and ignorance, and sensitizes people towards different forms of diversity and how such a coexistence brings about new perspectives, ideas and unity in a team.

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HR Through a Lens Lord Rama, India’s Timeless Transformational

Leader Krnaali Venkatachalam, PGDM – HR (Batch 2019 – 2021)

Any organization, society or country cannot thrive without effective leadership. The personality, behavior, conduct and character of a leader are important determinants of success. In the current world where change is the only constant, the transformational leader has risen to become the most effective leader. A transformational leader exhibits charisma, inspiring and motivating employees to innovate and create change that will help develop and contribute to the growth and future success of the organization.

A single, most exceptional example of a Transformational Leader lies in our Indian Mythology of Ramayana. Lord Rama from Valmiki’s Ramayana is one such example. Here are few instances exhibiting Lord Rama as a transformational leader:

Transformational leaders are charismatic:

Lord Rama is described as a learned, accomplished and noble individual who looks after the well-being of his subjects and follows the path of righteousness. These qualities led to admiration, respect, adoration, motivation and trust of all the people of Ayodhya. His charisma attracted loyal followers such as Lord Hanuman who helped him during tough times, and we can see that outcome today also, with his present-day followers.

Transformational leaders act as change agents:

Transformational leaders are advocates of change. They understand its need and bring about changes in attitude, behavior, expectations and goals of their followers. Diwali, celebrated on the day of Lord

Rama’s return to Ayodhya, signifies new beginnings. Lord Rama has been a kindle to change throughout the Ramayana, whether it was helping Sugreev win Kishkinda’s kingship or appointing Vibhishana as the king of Lanka before the war with Ravaan took place.

Transformational leaders trust their people:

Transformational leaders believe in the innate abilities of their followers. They believe that each person has infinite potential and thus they focus on motivating and empowering them. Lord Rama too had trust in Sugreev, who promised to bring back Sita. He had faith and confidence that Hanuman would be able to find the whereabouts of Sita. He believed that his army of vanaras would be able to defeat Ravaan’s army.

Transformational leaders are considerate leaders:

Transformational leaders are open to opinions of their followers. They attentively listen to them and pay special attention to their need for achievement and growth. Building the bridge to Lanka would not have been possible had Lord Rama not listened to Varuna and taken the help of Nal and Neel. Helping Sugreev gain back his kingdom from Vali showed Lord Rama’s empathy towards Sugreev’s situation.

Transformational leaders motivate their followers:

Setting a clear mission to save Sita from Ravaan, Lord Rama set distinct goals for his vanara army. Sending out search parties, locating Sita, constructing the bridge to Lanka and defeating Ravaan’s rakshasa army were some of them. Such clear vision inspired his followers and motivated them to achieve their goals.

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Transformational leaders are excellent talent managers:

Transformational leaders are firm decision makers and know exactly which task suits which of their teammates. Lord Rama appointed Hanuman for the herculean task of collecting medicines that would cure the wounded Lakshman. He knew that Hanuman with his agility and speed would be the only one capable of completing the task. Angad too, known for his negotiation skills, was sent to Lanka by Lord Ram to offer Ravaan a choice of withdrawing before the battle.

Transformational leaders are value driven:

Transformational leaders set values in the organization that serve as a driving force and guide their followers’ every action. Known to be a principled man, Lord Rama was adamant on following his values. He believed in keeping his promises no matter the consequences and instilled the same kind of values in his followers.

Transformational leaders are lifelong learners:

Transformational leaders have an unquenching appetite for knowledge. Any failure or difficulty is considered as an opportunity to learn something. Lord Rama from childhood sought attendance with wise sages such as Vasistha Muni, Vishvamitra Muni, Agasthya Muni and so on. The knowledge he learnt from these sages helped him lead Ayodhya in the future. Even the edict of exile from King Dasharatha was taken as an opportunity to learn something.

Transformational leaders have the ability to deal with ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty:

Lord Rama’s 14 years of exile were filled with uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity. Even in such

a situation, he was able to lead his brother and wife in a calm manner. He accepted his situation and found various ways to make their lives as comfortable as possible. He turned the exile into an opportunity and gained knowledge of the various tribes and cultures around his kingdom. His exile also led to the downfall of many demons that had been harassing the inmates of the jungle.

Transformational leaders are visionaries:

Transformational leaders have broad visions which are converted into the mission and goals of an organization. Lord Rama too had a vision for Ayodhya. This vision was conveyed to Bharatha who then, following Lord Rama’s orders, ran Ayodha. His vision of Ayodha guided the people of Ayodhya during his exile.

Transformational leaders are courageous:

Transformational leaders do not back out of the process of change once it is initiated. They take a stand and bravely take risks to achieve their objectives. Lord Rama is known for his courage and did not cower under the extremities of exile. Even when Sita was kidnapped by Ravaan, he did not give up and continued to search for her.

The above attributes and various classification of just one person, Lord Rama, gives an exemplary evidence of Transformational Leadership at its best. Change is inevitable but transformation forms the crux of society, bringing out the best in everyone for their betterment.

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Students Speak Dealing with Diversity Backlash

Shreya Choubey, PGDM – HR (Batch 2019 – 2021)

Fostering Workforce diversity is a crucial piece of the puzzle recognized by several business leaders when it comes to staying creative, adapting to new challenges, and keeping ahead of the competition. But implementing new diversity initiatives, without concerning the need of one and lack of analysing the actual scenario of diversity and inclusion in an organization can lead to organization suffer from diversity backlash. Diversity backlash is a real and important phenomenon that damages people and companies. It’s all too common—but it’s not inevitable. To get into the deep understanding about diversity backlash and its potential causes and repercussions, let us first look over what ‘diversity’ actually means to an organization.

‘Diversity’ in simpler terms refers to acknowledging the diverse perspective being brought my different people in an organization. It goes beyond race, gender, ability/disability and caste. It emphasizes on multi-faceted aspects of how differences among employees based on their experience, culture, origin and sexual orientation can play out in a workplace. This often results in innovation leading to growth and a productive work culture.

But then Why does Diversity backfire?

Organizations often take up an approach that ends up in a forceful push towards diversity, by creating inclusive workplace cultures through programs and initiatives, rather by adopting new ways of thinking and acting. It’s not a technology project—there’s no “go-live” day on an inclusive culture; it’s a constant journey. Corporates have long relied on traditional tools such as diversity training to reduce bias on the job, hiring tests and performance ratings to limit it in recruitment and promotions, and grievance systems to give employees a way to keep their opinions. The major reason for the failure of these tools includes Diversity fatigue- lack of efforts to take meaningful

action and the necessary commitment over a long-time period. Another reason for occurrence of diversity backlash is that Diversity and Inclusion initiatives conducted by the organizations are focusing on increasing the representation or achieving a quota for a specific sub-set of the population; instead focusing on belonging and inclusion throughout the organisation.

Here are some of the ways we can prevent diversity backlash from happening,

1) Conduct frequent Leadership Trainings

Frequent Leadership trainings should be organised with the leadership team which usually includes Senior Managers, Managers, Directors. Major focus of the training should be based on treating all employees with equal respect, giving them equal importance and create a natural sense of belonging amongst them.

2) Take Ideas from the employees- Run Surveys

All the employees should have their say in how an organization is shaped especially when making diversity plans and decisions. This way the employees won’t feel isolated and it also helps in increasing their trust towards the organization.

3) Make Employees believe that Diversity benefits everyone

Organizations should make employees understand that how Diversity benefits everyone. It should be understood that Diversity initiatives aren’t in place to just help some minority but as a whole it benefits the organization.

4) Make sure the Diversity Training programs instigate a positive & upbeat response

It should be kept in mind that these diversity programs should not have or create a negative response among the employees. Instead it after their training, employees should understand that

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every employee has a role to play in making their workplace more inclusive. Employees should come out of the diversity training feeling enlightened and energized.

Hence, there is a need for companies to drive a culture where employees know how to be inclusive enough to accept thoughts, ideas and

personalities of others in the workplace. There should also be focus on providing information on how to deal with prejudices and conflicts in a civilised and professional manner. Taking these measures would definitely help organizations to deal with diversity backlash.

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Appendix: 1. https://www.eliinc.com/how-to-avoid-a-diversity-backlash-at-your-company/

2. https://www.canada175.ca/en/blog/diversity-backlash-real-heres-how-avoid-it

3. https://community.algome.com/articles/algomeblog/dealing-with-the-diversity-backlash-r47/#

4. https://www.eliinc.com/how-to-avoid-a-diversity-backlash-at-your-company/

5. https://www.jdp.com/blog/4-ways-avoid-workplace-diversity-backlash/

6. https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail

7. https://www.gapincsustainability.com/people/working-greater-equality-and-

opportunity/embracing-diversity-and-fostering-inclusion

8. Muniapan, Dr Balakrishnan. (2007). Transformational leadership style demonstrated by Sri Rama

in Valmiki Ramayana. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management. 1. 104.

10.1504/IJICBM.2007.014473.

Test your HRQ – Answers

1. Flexi 6. Buddy System

2. Exit Interview 7. Valence

3. Glass Ceiling Effect 8. Non-Compete

4. KRA 9. Nepotism

5. Arbitrability 10. Handbook

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