INTERVIEW GUIDE
Primary Data on “Emotional Intelligence” was also collected with the help of the Interview Guide (Annexure 2), wherein the HR Manager of Tata Infotech Ltd. was interviewed. Information sought with the help of this Interview Guide has been described below.
Emotional Intelligence at Tata Infotech is called as the `Survival Skills for the New Millennium.' The term New Millennium is crucial here.
Because a quick action replay of the corporate setting of the 1960s and 1970s will reveal that there was a clear distinction between the technical employee and the non-technical one.
It followed that the technical employee was under no great pressure to possess any kind of behavioral skill. If he had it, it was a bonus.
With the growth of the people-based economy, there has been an overhaul of sorts in the kind of employment skills a person should possess.
There is nothing called the right ratio of skills. Picking the right person for a job is not a science, but an art. It is more of a judgement issue.
Most recruiters are overwhelmed by a person's technical knowledge, even as they warn HR managers against the halo effect. It follows that managers should have an enormous eye for detail.
Skill Set Distribution
There cannot be a definite ratio that can be affixed to these critical attributes. For instance, the attributes required for hiring an R&D Head and a Project Manager are different because the job content is different.
One needs to be creative and good at problem solving skills as an R&D Head. A good project manager also needs to have excellent man management skills and interpersonal skills.
The mapping of behavioral skills is done on the Y-axis and the technical skills on the X-axis, the ideal candidate would be one falling in the second quarter where the person scores high in both skills. This is the `select situation.' On the other hand, the third quarter would indicate a clear reject because both the skills are low here.
Areas of difficulty are quarters one and four. If a person's skill sets fall in these regions, then the HR person has to examine whether the person is being selected for a technical role in which case, his individual contribution would be high. In a managerial role, demand for technical skills is relatively less while behavioral skills are high.
It is obvious that the so-called ideal mix changes as one progress in a career. Managers in the middle management level are presumed that the behavioral skills such as people management, interpersonal, communication, leadership and allied skills should be in the ratio of at least 65:35 to technical (functional) skills.
The higher one climbs the ladder of management, it is possible that there are technical (functional) experts working and hence, the weightage of behavioral skills to technical skills will go up.
Employers generally keep a 70:30 technical: behavioral skills ratio in recruiting. However, while this practice is being followed in the majority of organizations, it would be better from a career progression and succession point of view to tilt the balance to 60:40.
Technical skills are important in the early years of a career. As people are groomed to managerial positions, behavioral skills become more important. Thus it is important to keep in mind the number of years of experience when giving weightage to technical and behavioral skills.
Behavioral skills should not be compromised as a long-term view on business, invest in building relationships (through strong behavioral and interpersonal skills), which does much better than providing only good technical people.
Even customers prefer people with better behavioral skills even if they have to compromise a bit on technical skills, but not vice-versa. Thus, a minimum threshold of technical skills would be required having a balance between the two.
Recruiting and training the right kind of people is important as Relationship skills are essential at all levels. The technical skills or the business skills are the ones that increase or decrease.
When the company acquires talent, people with valved technical skills are a no-no. It looks at whether the person understands the subjects, whether he has the creative bent of mind.
References are very important. A good reference means a person has been tried and tested and half the selection job is done.
Talking in the same vein, attitude should be given 100 per cent weightage because attitude is something which cannot be changed or modified. Organizations find it difficult or consider it high-risk to hire a person who does not fit into the culture.
Technical skills are critical in hiring decisions but one cannot over-rule the softer issues involved in the hiring process.
This is more so in case of hiring managers at senior levels in organizations because there is a very high degree of man-management skills that is involved as one moves up the hierarchy.
If the job demands high technical skills, how long a rope could be given in the behavioral skill area while recruiting talent? Either the candidate has the right attitude or he doesn't meet Tata Infotech’s needs.
Tata Infotech believes that anybody with the `learning attitude' can be trained in the technical platform.
The rate at which technology is changing makes the person obsolete anyway unless he's willing to learn newer platforms and languages. So, ultimately, it boils down to a choice between `willing to learn' and the `learned'.
One way is to segregate the job into two, with different people being responsible for the technical output and the people-management side of it.
Another way is to have strong people-oriented processes built into the system itself to ensure that the manager has no choice but to be fair with people irrespective of the technical skills requirement on the job.
A `job fit' should be made based on the requirement of the job. The more technical the job, normally it demands more individualized technical skills which should be catered to rather than diluting the job.
However, all jobs will demand a certain bit of behavioral skills which should not be compromised.
Training is the answer. Take the case of an employee who shows exemplary technical skills, but fails miserably in the behavioral skill area. Is it possible to train and upgrade him? One should remember that the tools are measuring softer issues and one can only find out the degree of the required attribute in a prospective candidate.
Tata Infotech believes that anyone can be trained to improve on the basic behavioral skills. This can be done through various methodologies, including process workshops for introspection, behavioral skills enhancement experiential workshops and constant coaching. The new economy guys of course look for evolved career practices.
Acquiring behavioral skills is not only a function of training, but also practicing it in daily life. A programmer may have poor interpersonal skills, and to become a team leader, he or she needs to acquire this skill. In addition to the training, the project manager should provide guidance and counseling to ensure that the skills are acquired effectively.
Tata Infotech believes that companies of the future will be the ones who invest senior management time in training their employees. From the CEO all the way down, everyone has to invest time in training and building their people. External trainers will be able to take the organization up to a certain level of understanding.
To get extraordinary results out of their people, it needs to invest time in people development.
Primary Data on “Emotional Intelligence” was also collected with the help of the Interview Guide (Annexure 2), wherein the HR Manager of Tata Infotech Ltd. was interviewed. Information sought with the help of this Interview Guide has been described below.
Emotional Intelligence at Tata Infotech is called as the `Survival Skills for the New Millennium.' The term New Millennium is crucial here.
Because a quick action replay of the corporate setting of the 1960s and 1970s will reveal that there was a clear distinction between the technical employee and the non-technical one.
It followed that the technical employee was under no great pressure to possess any kind of behavioral skill. If he had it, it was a bonus.
With the growth of the people-based economy, there has been an overhaul of sorts in the kind of employment skills a person should possess.
There is nothing called the right ratio of skills. Picking the right person for a job is not a science, but an art. It is more of a judgement issue.
Most recruiters are overwhelmed by a person's technical knowledge, even as they warn HR managers against the halo effect. It follows that managers should have an enormous eye for detail.
Skill Set Distribution
There cannot be a definite ratio that can be affixed to these critical attributes. For instance, the attributes required for hiring an R&D Head and a Project Manager are different because the job content is different.
One needs to be creative and good at problem solving skills as an R&D Head. A good project manager also needs to have excellent man management skills and interpersonal skills.
The mapping of behavioral skills is done on the Y-axis and the technical skills on the X-axis, the ideal candidate would be one falling in the second quarter where the person scores high in both skills. This is the `select situation.' On the other hand, the third quarter would indicate a clear reject because both the skills are low here.
Areas of difficulty are quarters one and four. If a person's skill sets fall in these regions, then the HR person has to examine whether the person is being selected for a technical role in which case, his individual contribution would be high. In a managerial role, demand for technical skills is relatively less while behavioral skills are high.
It is obvious that the so-called ideal mix changes as one progress in a career. Managers in the middle management level are presumed that the behavioral skills such as people management, interpersonal, communication, leadership and allied skills should be in the ratio of at least 65:35 to technical (functional) skills.
The higher one climbs the ladder of management, it is possible that there are technical (functional) experts working and hence, the weightage of behavioral skills to technical skills will go up.
Employers generally keep a 70:30 technical: behavioral skills ratio in recruiting. However, while this practice is being followed in the majority of organizations, it would be better from a career progression and succession point of view to tilt the balance to 60:40.
Technical skills are important in the early years of a career. As people are groomed to managerial positions, behavioral skills become more important. Thus it is important to keep in mind the number of years of experience when giving weightage to technical and behavioral skills.
Behavioral skills should not be compromised as a long-term view on business, invest in building relationships (through strong behavioral and interpersonal skills), which does much better than providing only good technical people.
Even customers prefer people with better behavioral skills even if they have to compromise a bit on technical skills, but not vice-versa. Thus, a minimum threshold of technical skills would be required having a balance between the two.
Recruiting and training the right kind of people is important as Relationship skills are essential at all levels. The technical skills or the business skills are the ones that increase or decrease.
When the company acquires talent, people with valved technical skills are a no-no. It looks at whether the person understands the subjects, whether he has the creative bent of mind.
References are very important. A good reference means a person has been tried and tested and half the selection job is done.
Talking in the same vein, attitude should be given 100 per cent weightage because attitude is something which cannot be changed or modified. Organizations find it difficult or consider it high-risk to hire a person who does not fit into the culture.
Technical skills are critical in hiring decisions but one cannot over-rule the softer issues involved in the hiring process.
This is more so in case of hiring managers at senior levels in organizations because there is a very high degree of man-management skills that is involved as one moves up the hierarchy.
If the job demands high technical skills, how long a rope could be given in the behavioral skill area while recruiting talent? Either the candidate has the right attitude or he doesn't meet Tata Infotech’s needs.
Tata Infotech believes that anybody with the `learning attitude' can be trained in the technical platform.
The rate at which technology is changing makes the person obsolete anyway unless he's willing to learn newer platforms and languages. So, ultimately, it boils down to a choice between `willing to learn' and the `learned'.
One way is to segregate the job into two, with different people being responsible for the technical output and the people-management side of it.
Another way is to have strong people-oriented processes built into the system itself to ensure that the manager has no choice but to be fair with people irrespective of the technical skills requirement on the job.
A `job fit' should be made based on the requirement of the job. The more technical the job, normally it demands more individualized technical skills which should be catered to rather than diluting the job.
However, all jobs will demand a certain bit of behavioral skills which should not be compromised.
Training is the answer. Take the case of an employee who shows exemplary technical skills, but fails miserably in the behavioral skill area. Is it possible to train and upgrade him? One should remember that the tools are measuring softer issues and one can only find out the degree of the required attribute in a prospective candidate.
Tata Infotech believes that anyone can be trained to improve on the basic behavioral skills. This can be done through various methodologies, including process workshops for introspection, behavioral skills enhancement experiential workshops and constant coaching. The new economy guys of course look for evolved career practices.
Acquiring behavioral skills is not only a function of training, but also practicing it in daily life. A programmer may have poor interpersonal skills, and to become a team leader, he or she needs to acquire this skill. In addition to the training, the project manager should provide guidance and counseling to ensure that the skills are acquired effectively.
Tata Infotech believes that companies of the future will be the ones who invest senior management time in training their employees. From the CEO all the way down, everyone has to invest time in training and building their people. External trainers will be able to take the organization up to a certain level of understanding.
To get extraordinary results out of their people, it needs to invest time in people development.