The process of employee counselling has three phases: rapport building, exploration and action planning, these are discussed below: Rapport Building: Initially the counselor-manager should level himself with his employee and tune himself to his orientations. General opening rituals like offering a chair, closing the door to indicate privacy, asking the secretary not to disturb are all important in demonstrating the manager’s genuine interest in employee’s problems. The counselor must listen to the feelings and concerns of the employee carefully and attentively. Leaning forward and eye contact are important signs of active listening. The employee must feel that he is wanted and the counselors is interested in him genuinely. Exploration: Besides active listening, the counselor should help the employee find his own weaknesses and problems through open and exploring questions. He should be encouraged to open up fully and talk more on the problem. This would enable both parties to uncover Continue reading
Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management (HRM) is branch of management that deals with people at work, it is concerned with the human dimensions of management of the organization. As organization consists of people, therefore acquiring them, developing their skills, providing them motivation in order to attain higher goal and ensuring that the level of commitment is maintained are the important activities.
De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats: A Creative and Critical Thinking Model
Creative thinking has always been one of the main aspects in the successful implementation of any business strategy. In the prospect of business growth and development, it is necessary to establish an effective decision-making approach, which will help to outline the company’s strengths and decrease the negative impact of weaknesses. The Six Thinking Hats technique is a framework for thinking and decision making introduced by a famous expert in the sphere of creative thinking, invented in the early 1980s – Dr. Edward de Bono, and is licensed by Advanced Practical Thinking (APTT), of Des Moines, Iowa. Organizations such as Prudential Insurance, IBM, Federal Express, British Airways, Polaroid, Pepsico, DuPont, and Nippon Telephone and Telegraph use the Six Thinking Hats method. The six different hats represent six different modes of thinking. This technique was introduced in order to help in the process of solving problems. The method promotes fuller input from Continue reading
International Business Negotiations
In a number of cases the foreign market entry and strategy implementation involve negotiation with the government of the foreign country and / or foreign firm. International business plans “are always often implemented through, face-to-face negotiations with business partners and customers from foreign countries. The sales of goods and services, the management of distribution channels, the contracting for marketing research and advertising services, licensing and franchise agreements and strategic alliances all require managers from different cultures to sit and talk with one another to exchange ideas and express needs and preferences. Executives must also negotiate with representatives of foreign governments who might approve a variety of their marketing actions’ or in fact be the actual ultimate customer for goods’ and services. In many countries governmental officials may also be joint venture partners, and in some cases vendors. International business negotiations are deliberate interactions of two or more social units (at Continue reading
Types and Methods of Employee Counseling
Types of Employee Counseling In attempting to help an employee who has a problem, a variety of counseling approaches are used. All of these counseling approaches, however, depend on active listening. Sometimes the mere furnishing of information or advice may be the solution to what at first appeared to be a knotty problem. More frequently, however, the problem cannot be solved easily because of frustrations or conflicts that are accompanied by strong feelings such as fear, confusion, or hostility. A manager, therefore, needs to learn to use whatever approach appears to be suitable at the time. Flexibility is a key component of the employee counseling process. Directive Counseling: It is full counseling. It is the process of listening to an employee’s problem, deciding with the employee what should be done and telling and motivating the employee to do it. This type of counseling mostly does the function of advice, reassurance Continue reading
Working Across Boundaries
During the last decade, the concept of working across boundaries has become a popular concept. The basic premise is that individuals and organizations need to traverse boundaries if they are to achieve their goals. Essentially earlier concepts of fixed organizational demarcation lines no longer apply in modern-day business concepts. Within the organizational framework, the concept of boundaries can become a reasonably complex issue. There still remains an active debate as to whether the definitions of boundaries are realistic, objective, or imagined. The concept has become more complex with the use of outsourcing and Public/Private partnerships in terms of lines of demarcation and authority. The concept of boundaries within organizations takes on different shapes and forms. Much of this has to do with social and knowledge boundaries. The explosion in technological and communication advances has simplified the concept of working across boundaries. Despite the fact that organizations still are challenged to Continue reading
Introduction to Performance Appraisal
In almost every organization, every employee is subjected to periodic appraisal of his/her performance. This is highly important if the organization’s human resource development objectives are to be realized, if the organization wants to make best use of its human resource available and if the organization wants to have a scientific and retinal compensation system. An effective performance appraisal system brings rationality in management. If an organization wants to maximize its effectiveness then the organization must have tool by which it can discriminate between an effective employee and not so effective employee. Today, appraisal is not something of a choice left to the wishes of the corporate bosses, nor it is a privilege to be enjoyed by few businesses conglomerates. Therefore, it is a must for every organization for its survival and growth. The appraisal practices are in somewhere structured and formally sanctioned and in other instances they are an Continue reading