The Hindu Business Line : IPL lessons for HR

The first Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament held earlier this year unleashed a new wave of euphoria among viewers. While there were questions about various aspects of the tournament, there is no disputing the fact that IPL has made its mark. Looking at the tournament from a people management perspective, threw up some valuable HR lessons that can benefit the corporate world.

Change management

The T20 format is definitely here to stay. Everyone involved, right from the players to the public, has embraced this change. The risk and return theory clearly approves the financial viability of the IPL business model. The message is clear: It is no more a changing world but a ‘rapidly moving world’. As players, we need to not just accept the change, but lead the process and make things happen.

Seniority Vs performance

The system initially rewarded the seniority of players by creating icons and superstars, and that influenced the contractual amounts and the selection process. But as the game progressed, performance clearly took over. Icons and stars were hardly able to justify their price tag. True value was determined by current skills, with the public backing players who endeared themselves with their on-field performances.

Similarly, in the current workplace, loyalties are being displaced by marketable skills. Holistic approaches to looking at performance and potential, in sync with the organisational requirements for today and future requirements will govern organisational success. So seniority, in terms of usability for future business requirements, coupled with performance and potential to grow and shoulder greater responsibility will override pure seniority and longevity in the workplace.

Innovation

IPL introduced a radical form of sports entertainment in India. Jaded, tried and tested principles have made way for fresh, innovative practices. In every mini-sphere within the overall T20 format, one could see innovation paving the way for best practices. IPL proved that in sports as in business, it is the innovators who will survive fiercely fought battles. Questioning the paradigm and breaking the convention are the norms to follow.

Fun@Work

Fun is an essential ingredient of life and the IPL format had this in abundance. From the high-profile launch to peppy theme songs and adrenaline-pumping cheerleaders, the tournament felt like a colourful carnival. Entertainment displaced the classical version of the stereotypical colonially-dictated approach to the game. The corporate world needs to take a leaf out of the format and include an ideal proportion of fun in the workplace.

Team work and camaraderie

Great teams are made by the complementary skills of well-rounded individuals. This was amply demonstrated by the Rajasthan Royals — a team devoid of stars and big names, who emerged clear victors towards the end. The Rajasthan Royals, under the leadership of Shane Warne, pulled together fabulously as a unit. More so, they had players who were ready to stretch themselves and their skills when it mattered. Successful outfits are the ones where people can multi-task, creating good back-up and continuity for the organisation.

Brand building

Media, communication and lifestyle complemented the T20 format. Besides leveraging teams and sponsorships, the IPL created continuous drama that kept people hooked. The branding exercise of IPL and individual teams resulted in the tournament turning out to be a much bigger hit than expected. Similarly, the people business is also about creating a brand through awareness. New generation aspirations mixed with the value systems and cultural aspirations of a mature generation can combine to create a potent brand.

Hands–on

While strategic planning was an essential requisite, it was the hands-on approach of certain teams which proved to be a big differentiator in the tournament. At times, when the victory margins were thin, the flexibility and goal-orientation of captains and players demonstrated how a hands-on approach could lead to the perfect execution of plans.

In the modern work environment, a lot of emphasis is placed on strategic thinking. While strategic vision and having a clear dream to pursue is important, it needs to be broken up into clear action plans with milestones and results tracked at periodic intervals. The strategy may need to be revised at regular intervals to realise the final destination. Only a leader who is completely hands-on will be able to guide, steer and drive the team to success. Their feet will have to be on the ground and often, they need to demonstrate and walk the talk themselves for the team to follow. Also, by being hands-on, one can alter the course of a journey with some tactical, on-the-spot decisions which are critical ingredients of success.

Cultural integration

The beauty of the IPL was the ability of a nation to look beyond regionalism and parochialism and cheer talent. A healthy mix of global players, rubbing shoulders and breaking bread together fostered a team spirit that resulted in supreme success. The same trend can be applied to our workplaces with access to multiple places and resources being used to our advantage.

Learning and development

A host of learning and development models including identification of existing competencies, upgradation of skills, imparting and exchanging knowledge, coaching, mentoring and soft skills were amply demonstrated during the course of the tournament. Almost every player in the IPL left with value added at the end of 60 days. Similarly, organisations and individuals need to gear up and look for constant skill upgrades. Those who do not could become obsolete overnight.

Rewards and recognition

Over the course of the tournament, numerous compensation and benefits models were rewritten. Rewards and recognition were offered in various forms. The IPL’s payment for performance approach was applauded by all.

Linking this to the corporate world, we are now in an era where we need to ‘pay for performance’ and offer ‘growth for potential’. Rewards and recognition have to come in different forms — qualitative appreciation; a pat-on-the-back; proper fixed pay; variable pay graded on levels of performance and organisational roles; and benefits commensurate with the stature and positioning of the employee. Finally, stock options are offered as wealth creation models similar to the large retention type contractual amounts offered in the IPL format.

Communication

The mark of a leader is in his ability to communicate clearly with team members. The IPL captains utilised the entire repertoire of communication forms to effectively achieve their goals. There were gestures, listening, preaching, screeching, praying, shouting, crying and more. The end result — communicate, communicate and communicate. The better performing teams were the ones who had clear cut strategies ably communicated to every member and a two-way flow of communication.

Employees in organisations crave to know more and more about the organisation they represent. That fosters togetherness, brings collectivism of objectives and clarity of purpose. No amount of communication is perceived to be adequate. The current generation of employees seek varied information about the organisation, ranging from strategies, business plans, results, initiatives, health, well-being and so on. The objective is to talk about it loud and clear and be expressive to walk the path collectively. Communication must be simple, transparent and must reach out before employees get information from other sources. Communication cascades to ensure that necessary information reaches each and every employee in the organisation and sends a great motivating signal and employees associate with the organisation much better.

Leadership styles

Numerous leadership traits were demonstrated by the different captains. These ranged from extreme passivity to all-out aggression; sticking to the tried and tested to high-risk strategies; submissiveness to absolute assertiveness. However, the leader who imparted role clarity and converted individual sparks into collective brilliance went on to win the tournament.

In the workplace, it is leaders who make or break the organisation with their individual style; it is important for the CEO along with HR to foster a culture of a positive, participative style of leadership. Employees will look up to a leader only if he/she has virtues that make them worthy of respect. They should involve their team, be open to feedback, involve people in decision-making and should be fair in their entire conduct. He/she should be approachable and should transform mistakes into learnings. A leader is one who people would go to and whose team people would want to be part of. No amount of individual brilliance of a leader means anything unless it is channelised to the collective achievements of a winning team.

Finally, it is the customer who decides the acceptance of the product/service. In IPL, the paying public constantly demanded quick results and backed performance, leadership and the new-age skills displayed and above all, the new format was accepted with complete delight.

The HR group in any organisation will do well to realise that all they do in the function should translate into value for the end customer.

All processes and practices should be tweaked to realise the end objective for the customer. It will be highly enriching if customer feedback is plugged back into the people processes as part of continuous improvements. HR is a line function now and is in the business of people, the sooner this realisation dawns, the better will be the workplace.

This is just the beginning of the change process and the IPL had a clear message for almost everyone. In our work environment, we need to destroy the same age-old paradigms of doing things. Challenging the status quo will become the norm of the future and change is going to be so rampant that almost all of us would need to realise and figure out newer and bolder ways of making things happen.

(The writer is Executive Vice-President and Head, Global Human Resources, Patni Computer Systems.)

More Stories on : Human Resources | Sports | People@work

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Changing time

The direction of HR

Storming another male bastion

IPL lessons for HR

‘Experimentation, a key quality’

Make real progress every single day