The Hindu Business Line : When the job comes before the person

This is one company that does not take the task of leadership development lightly. Agilent Technologies’ four-tiered leadership model is structured around the criticality of a particular role rather than the person engaged in it. Thus, it separates the person from the job role.

Agilent, which recorded revenues of $5.4 billion globally in 2007, is engaged in the development of tools used for bio-analytic and electronic measurements. The Indian operation has a staff strength of 1,600.

The leadership model adopted by the company differentiates leadership job roles into the following categories: Tier 1: Business Critical Leaders; Tier 2: High-potential leaders; Tier 3: All other leaders; and Tier 4: High-potential individual contributors.

But, does such a segmentation of job functions not create inferiority/ superiority complexes within the organisation? Well, that is where the move to separate the job from the person comes into picture says Jayantika Dave, Director, India Operations, HR, Agilent Technologies. According to her, a Talent Review Council at the all-India level decides the roles that are business-critical. Thus, the person is separated from the role and all the leaders understand which roles are deemed to be more critical and why.

“When the person is de-linked from the role, the understanding and acceptance of the model becomes easier. It has, therefore, helped us to focus our resources on areas in which they will accrue the best results,” she says.

Moreover, it is not the leadership structure alone that is being nurtured. The company has put in place development roadmaps for every employee.

Not an off-shoring team

According to Dave, the average worker at Agilent has at least two or three years of experience. He or she may well be engaged in developing software for technology that drives bio-analytic and electronic measurement tools.

In that sense, the Indian operations of the global company also runs crucial operations. “Our research team is not treated as an off-shoring team but as a global one. In many cases, they drive the solution. We have moved up the value chain. There is much more than a cost advantage that Indian workers offer,” she says. Agilent also has a sales department, customer support and business centre support in the country. It also has a global IT hub and a global finance hub in the country. “So we are in the IT and ITeS space and not so much in BPO,” she points out.

The company has attrition rates of 8 per cent in sales and 7.8 per cent in software development. These figures are half the industry average, says Dave.

“I believe that our leadership development initiatives, walking-the-talk where HR policies are concerned and employee recognition has helped keep our attrition rates down,” she says.

The company approaches its people policies from two angles: Firstly, why would candidates want to work at Agilent? Second, why would employees stay with the company?

Technology draw

According to her, the kind of work that the company does is in itself a big draw for employees. “Career growth and the chance to work on exciting technologies are some of the reasons why candidates join Agilent,” says Dave, quoting the findings of a survey conducted by the company.

“Besides, our HR proposition is based on the fact that we deliver on our promises,” she says.

“The answers to the second query would be that we have the right leaders in place which we find has helped us retain staff. Another point that differentiates us is that we have a culture that is alive,” she says.

“Our leaders walk the talk. An initiative called Life is Beautiful ensures that we do not limit ourselves to the professional development of our employees. They have a personal and a religious side to them too. We try and understand the other roles that our employees play as parents, sons, daughter, sisters and brothers,” she says.

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