For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow

Newton’s third law at work here—the air is rife with folks who are at the other end of the moral-socio-fiscal tug-of-war finding some willing listeners. The most listened-to voice being

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-ticker/2009/03/25/jake-desantis-dear-aig-i-quit-.html

Now, there appear to be two aspects on which the writer has my sympathies—one, laws applied retrospectively smack of poor judgment and aggressive shoulder-pushing when sensitivity is called for, and two, economic principles applied selectively like the 90% tax run the risk of being invoked by the wrong people at the wrong time, and usually, for the wrong reasons.“The profitability of the businesses with which I was associated clearly supported my compensation. I never received any pay resulting from the credit default swaps that are now losing so much money. I did, however, like many others here, lose a significant portion of my life savings in the form of deferred compensation invested in the capital of A.I.G.-F.P. because of those losses. In this way I have personally suffered from this controversial activity — directly as well as indirectly with the rest of the taxpayers.I have the utmost respect for the civic duty that you are now performing at A.I.G. You are as blameless for these credit default swap losses as I am. You answered your country’s call and you are taking a tremendous beating for it.But you also are aware that most of the employees of your financial products unit had nothing to do with the large losses. And I am disappointed and frustrated over your lack of support for us. I and many others in the unit feel betrayed that you failed to stand up for us in the face of untrue and unfair accusations from certain members of Congress last Wednesday and from the press over our retention payments, and that you didn’t defend us against the baseless and reckless comments made by the attorneys general of New York and Connecticut."
So do the more conscientious among us find favour with Jake has to say ? Or will we resile from a stance borne more out of misplaced anger and jealousy ?

HR & Sport

There seems to be more to learn from the sports arena that we had imagined. What is learnt and experienced on the playing fields seem to bode more than a passign reference to what plays out behind closed corporate doors. And that's the bind--Outstanding sports teams have transcended being assorted collections of superstars ( "Galacticos" as one aspiring moneybag calls its players !!) to performing cohesive resilient units that pull for one another, keep out those who don't bite the culture and selfish showboats and yet manage to win.

Read on......http://http://www.workforce.com/section/06/feature/25/31/13/index.html

You might ask what the Pats have to do with HR. The answer is that they have a team-based culture that survives despite 30 percent annualized turnover. And they’re 16-0. Here’s how you can be a Patriot too. By Kris Dunn n case you missed it, the Patriots did just enough at the end of the NFL season to get past the Giants and become the first pro football team in history to go 16-0. You can hate them, as many NFL fans do. You can’t deny their success.

Here’s another thing Patriots haters can’t deny: The Patriots have the strongest "team first" culture in all of professional sports. These aren’t the Yankees or the Red Sox, writing big checks to ensure they have the best talent in the league. No, this is the NFL, with a hard salary cap. That means that on a year-to-year basis, around 30 percent of the Patriots’ roster turns over, and they have to go find more talent. Just like you.

That’s right: The Patriots are one of the biggest employment brands in professional sports, and they have 30 percent turnover. That’s what a hard salary cap does to an organization. Just like in your business, when you decide not to match that stellar offer an employee has to work elsewhere, the Patriots have to decide the best way to dole out their fixed payroll. That means a lot of players shuffle in and out on an annual basis.

But the team-first culture of the Patriots survives. Why?

The easy answer is the presence of a megastar like quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots are incredibly fortunate to have a player like Brady in that key role, and he is the poster child for world-class performance laced with humility. The guy has never missed a chance in interviews to talk about his teammates or to deflect praise to the organization.

But the easy answer doesn’t satisfy the probing mind. Lots of teams have stars, but no pro sports franchise in recent history has enjoyed such a sustained run of success with "team as the theme."
Here is my take on four critical components driving the strength of the team culture in New England and the squad’s sustained success:

The Patriots believe in behavioral interviews with an emphasis on "motivational fit." OK, I’ll admit I have no clue if the Patriots actually use behavioral interviewing. But the Patriots seem to understand the need to match players with the philosophy of their organization. Where else could average talents like Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Kevin Faulk have such a huge impact across three world championship teams? This talent core performs on the field, but more important, it epitomizes the team concept and leads in the locker room, where dissension usually begins—just like the break room or hallways at your company. I can almost hear coach Bill Belichick asking prospective draft choices or free agents, "Tell me about a time that you were most satisfied with your college career," then listening for the themes of "we" and "me" to decide if they are a fit.

The Patriots have the ability to assimilate stars into their culture. It’s good to have average talent that is dedicated to the cause, but you need rainmakers to win it all. With that in mind, I have two words for you: Randy Moss. Not familiar with Moss? He’s the guy who did a simulated "mooning" of the Green Bay crowd after a playoff touchdown for the Vikings a few years ago. Widely seen as a "me first" cancer on a team, he joined the Patriots this season and set the single-season touchdown record for a wide receiver. More important, he’s been performing with ZERO controversy, outlandishness, etc. Without exception, the Patriots are the best in the league at assimilating talent into their cultural system. My take is that it goes beyond initial onboarding, and that the team approach is re-emphasized at every turn. Part of the talent selection process is undoubtedly selecting role players (like Vrabel and Bruschi) who are vocal and will pressure fringe stars like Moss back to the "team first" theme when they stray.

Managerial talent focused on results, not media hype or controversy. All organizations look to their leaders to set the tempo. In a sports landscape littered with the narcissistic images of Jerry Jones (owner of the Cowboys), Bill Parcells (now VP of football operations for the Dolphins) and Brian Billick (ex-Ravens coach), players expect competition for the cameras from their owners/management. Not so with the Patriots. You rarely see an interview with Robert Kraft (owner of the Patriots), and watching a press conference with Belichick is like having a toenail removed. Their focus on results, the next opponent and the team culture reinforces the message throughout the organization. And players fall in line.

The team theme rules, even when the system promotes stars. I’m from Missouri, which means I’m a St. Louis Rams fan. A few years ago, the Rams were hot and won the Super Bowl with the greatest show on turf (lots of passing and individual stars: Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, etc.). The next year they faced an upstart, underdog Patriots team in the early stages of the culture the Patriots have built. The game was getting ready to start, and I was watching the player introductions. The Rams went first, introducing the individual starters for their incredible offense one at a time. Next up, the Patriots started their introductions, and instead of shining the lights on their individual players for a little recognition and glory, they came out as a team and ran through the tunnel together.
I thought to myself, "That felt different."
Game over: The Patriots upset the Rams and it was the start of the New England dynasty. The Patriots still come out as a team to this day.
Love them or hate them, the Patriots are different. Not different like the Yankees, but different like in Jerry Maguire, when Jerry hugs Rod Tidwell in the tunnel after his breakout game. You watch that scene and you wish your workplace could be like that. A sense of team, and of purpose, all while still getting great results.

Top 10 Tech Predictions for 2008

Forecaster Mark Andersen of the Strategic News Service (SNS) has published his top 10 predictions for 2008. Here they are-generously flavoured with a comment from another famous tech-soothsayer.
Following are Mark’s predictions:

1. The Users Revolt. As advertisers focus in on social networking sites, users revolt against this trend, and power shifts in the worlds of Social Networking from owner to user, on issues ranging from Second Life rules and Facebook privacy to Cellphone Billing. Users will gain new leverage.As Facebook fades with its Beacon Blunder, people realize their private/public spaces are for proactive networking, not advertising and privacy invasion. Social networking sites become the hub of all applications; rules tighten. New sites show increased privacy protection, smaller numbers, and tighter segmentation.

Comment-It's easy to behave like one with a bee in the bonnet, but were these advertising intrusions not free to begin with ? Can't see this revolt actually materializing. P=0.6.

2. The Phone and Web Worlds Will Merge. Or: Walled Gardens Get RoundUpped. Net Neutrality will prevail; carrier and ISP garden walls will fall. Box guys will win over Pipes guys. Handheld makers will win over carriers, a la Apple and Nokia. Samsung, Microsoft, and Google now join them in control.Tribes move from phones to the Web as part of this merger. Question: How do you carry your tribal affiliations around on the Web? Widgets let you put them in Facebook

Comment-Already there is an amazing bonhomie between the "M " & the "e" worlds, and that could strengthen as we go on. Business alliances would need to sharpen though. P=0.8.

3. Content Has No Boundaries. Or: By Expanding, the Web Disappears. Content will be provisioned to every device, making the “Web” seem an outdated idea, like “multimedia.” As it moves onto phones and TVs, it becomes invisible. I want the service; I don’t want its history. The separation between print and Web providers becomes outdated. Everyone distributes everywhere.Serious Segmentation of Online Ad Monies Defines the Spend Trend. Start segmenting by user age: the young are surrounded; the older are less tolerant of the din. Ad money will flow preferentially to luxury online and permission-based marketing.

Comment-Can happen sooner than we think. The kids are already barking at postmen and dismantling the landline with practised ease . P=0.7

4. High Definition Drives a Reversal in Global Standing for U.S. Bandwidth, accompanied by an extraordinary bandwidth increase. Rabbit ratios (MHz/dollar) jump worldwide, with the U.S. suddenly leading in growth rate. Provision of 5-10 Mbps will not be unusual in the U.S., which will see the most rapid bandwidth takeup increase YTY to date, as users start to demand HD-quality video everywhere. The FCC looks foolish and oh so art deco, again. Australia looks smart.

Comment-The battle for elusive bandwidth is being fought in India in another context but not for these reasons. P=0.4

5. Fake Internets Become Serious International Liabilities, as corporations pressure countries to behave according to international business norms – specifically, China, Burma, and a handful of other countries with Fake Internets. Fake Nets imply weakness, government failure, and second-class status for these countries and their citizens.

Comment-It's always been interesting to note that so-called retrograde rulers have considered it worth their while to keep up with the continuous negative information supply. Still, Google in China buckled ..... P=0.4

6. One-to-One Education Is Accepted As the Global Goal. Three-quarters of U.S. school superintendents are planning for it. Maine, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Michigan, Arizona, Utah; England, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Nigeria, India, and China are implementing it. If your state or country is not planning for this, you will be left behind in the 21st century. Using global digitized knowledge to teach and learn will become the only obvious solution in education; the goal becomes connecting every child to this knowledge via the Net.

Comment-Not quite there in India. P=0.2

7. U.S. Healthcare (finally) Gets Diagnosed, as a result of the presidential campaign. Reforming healthcare will challenge Iraq as the primary issue of concern during the year. (In 2009, something gets done about it.)Among the problems we’ll find:Doctors report to HMOs (and not to patients).HMOs report to shareholders (and not to patients).Insurance companies dictate pricing – often are primarily in the investment business, but don’t share investment profits adequately when they come in, and only report directly to shareholders (not to patients).Government programs are rife with fraud by doctors and institutions.Defensive medicine is practiced at huge cost increase to avoid lawsuits.Over-testing also pays fees to doctors and pays for the equipment, while acting as lawsuit vaccine.There is very little use of IT to reduce costs; the industry can’t even launch proper Electronic Medical Records. Guess what? It makes more money re-creating them each time you switch.No one reports to the patient, and almost No one gets paid for good health outcomes.Exhibit A: There is no penalty for killing your patients.A few answers: cap legal awards, make doctors directly responsible to patients, and remove HMOs and insurance companies from the mix, since they contribute nothing and take much.

Comment-It will, it should. P=0.7

8. CarryAlongPCs Become Commonplace. Small personal computers (UMPCs/micro notebooks) gain their own as a category as these new “CarryAlongs” are introduced by major players – a trend expanded by the iPhone and currently best served by the Samsung Q1.

Comment-Not here, not now. P=0.3

9. LEDs See a Meaningful Shift into Industrial/Commercial/Residential Use. Pricing drops aggressively, and new uses and conformations of LEDs become available.

Comment-India could lead the research on this one. P=0.5

10. 2008: The Year of the First Production and Commercial Sale of Alternative-Energy Cars in the U.S. Yes, we had the much-missed EV-1 a decade ago, and lots of golf cart-like things since, but this will be the year of never-turning-back on commercial alternative-energy vehicles. While GM dawdles over the Volt, Honda will deliver the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity in California. The all-electric Tesla Roadster will be produced and silently speeding down our streets, with more for sale and new orders taken for its WhiteStar 5-person sedan. New electric sports cars from Altairnano, Phoenix Motors, and other California brands will make seeing an alternative-energy car on the road something new, and more common.

Comment-India has made a small beginning in the two-wheeler segment. Will take awhile.P=0.4

PENSION TENSION

"""
Encouraged by the backing of 19 States, even as its Left allies remained stiffly opposed, the United Progressive Government on Monday declared that it would notify an interim investment pattern under the New Pension System (NPS) to facilitate parking five per cent of the funds in stock markets.

Briefing newspersons on the outcome of the "Chief Ministers' conference on pension reforms," chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that apart from facilitating the investment of five per cent of the pension funds in the bourses, the new investment pattern would provide the option of putting the entire funds in government bonds.The investment pattern, Mr. Chidambaram stressed, would be interim till the passage of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, pending in Parliament. The first fund manager would be from the public sector.

The Centre decided to move ahead even as the continuing rift between the UPA and its Left allies over the pension issue came out in the open yet again. This was clear when the Left-ruled West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura also briefed newspersons.While the Left parties are also opposed to the PFRDA Bill, the NDA-ruled States are seeking expeditious legislation. The Centre, however, is confident of bringing round its Left allies, as their support will be crucial for the passage of the Bill. "We will continue to consult the political parties..." Mr. Chidambaram said, noting that a consensus was emerging that the Bill should be passed at the earliest, though "of course, with some amendments."The interim notification would include the setting up of a Central record-keeping agency for the NPS.Addressing the conference, Dr. Singh asked the States to cooperate with the Centre in working out new investment avenues for funds under the NPS.

"The suggestion being considered is that pending a resolution of all issues related to the PFRDA Bill, these accumulated funds may be allowed to be invested in accordance with the investment pattern prescribed for non-government provident funds."Dr. Singh stressed the need for better management of pension liabilities so that State finances could be managed in a healthy, sustainable way. The rising pension bills at all levels of the government would be increasingly difficult to finance in future.The pattern, Dr Singh said, would fetch returns superior to those provided by the Government currently, without any compromise on the safety factor.""

In a sense, this follows the story that was doing the rounds about five years ago, which had vivid details of impending penury for the vast majority of those dependent on the pension amounts. This also is an unhappy fallout of the swampy mess created by the intermingling of the inability of the authorities to generate committed returns, Defined Benefit seguing into Defined Contribution and an unhealhy political atmosphere where fundamental differences do not go away after a good night's sleep.

Maybe some results to be learnt from the US experience, or we will yet need a Bull market to affect and reduce the pension coffers of those desirous of the kitty as their sole hope

OFF THE BLOCKS !

We begin our journey into the unknown with little more than a wing and a prayer. It is hoped that over time, this blog shall feature and showcase issues that merit a wider discussion, topics that cry out for greater attention and also reflect the planets of disparate facets and diveregent elements that cosntitute the universe of the maligned and misunderstood field of Human Resources.

The title is of course a nod to the Monkey God who like many hapless practitioners of the Science and Art of Human Resources themselves, do not really comprehend or appreciate their own strength and power.

And as the good Mark Twain said
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."