The Hindu Business Line : Improving people performance

Performing for excellence is not an option anymore. The biggest bottleneck for attaining excellence in management is "Management". Factually and figuratively, bottlenecks are only at the top. Nevertheless, benevolent management always affords every employee an opportunity to grow. Such opportunities normally arise in the form of Training, Development, and Education. It is necessary to perceive the subtle distinction among these three skill-improvement tools. Training and Education are about aspects of individual improvement. But Development has both individual and institutional application. Training is concerned with the current job of an employee. Development relates to the future job. Education opens up the mind, while Training targets to confine it. An example will better illustrate this distinction.

The function and jurisdiction of an airline pilot are clearly defined. His response and delivery are specific and predetermined. He is not required to draw on his resources of creativity and innovation. His work schedule is designed and geared to such precision and perfection that — hopefully and thankfully — no quandary is expected to occur, at least, in the normal course of his duties and regimen. It is, hence, that a pilot is trained. There is no scope for Education in this context.

The ultimate objective of improving people performance is to make a company reach the peak and pinnacle of corporate excellence. While training, development, and education are strategies for getting the best out of the people already in an organisation, there also exists a constituency without that deserves attention in this context.

The orthodox doctrine of a single job till superannuation is no longer valid. The philosophy is that beyond an optimum point, it is not possible for a manager to bring to his job enough meat and merit. He will turn stale and his performance will begin to slide. Induction of new talent is necessary to keep alive the muscle and mettle of the management. Robert Waterman says, "Even a company with a long history of good performance needs to introduce fresh management energy into its systems to stave off the inexorable forces of decay."

(The author is a Chennai-based freelance writer.)

R. Devarajan

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