Manthan 2005 Concludes at TISS, Mumbai

Manthan 2005 Concludes at TISS, Mumbai
Post-event Press-release

Keynote Address

The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Arun Maira, Chairman, Boston Consulting Group. He gave a fresh perspective on the oft-debated topic of whether the teeming millions of India would present a threat or leverage economic potential. More importantly, whether the country can adopt a development model where every single citizen of these teeming millions can find a rightful place in both the society and the economy.

He drew an analogy between the engines of the industrial versus knowledge economies, where the fuel for the former was coal and petroleum while for the latter is people. Throwing light on the perceptions of brain drain, Mr. Maira also suggested how technology has actually helped India export its services, without exporting its people. Despite our strength in numbers however, what is important in case of population, as in the case of fuel, is quality and accessibility.

Mr. Maira emphasised 'scenario thinking' where people are involved in scanning the environment and understanding how the future will unfold given the present scenario. This would enable people to be in a situation to change the future for better. He explained four different scenarios wherein development can take place. The ideal is where every Indian is a leader, where each individual is his own light and has command over himself and his environment in whatever little capacity possible. With local leadership, social entrepreneurship, and this model of development, we would be able to realise sustainable and equitable growth in the country.

Session I: Quantifying HR - What Gets Measured Gets Done

This session was delivered by Mr. Awdhesh Krishna, VP-HR, GE Capital. He spoke about how metrics will play a pivotal role in defining the future of HR by showing the value of human capital. There is a need to measure and to apply measurement to strategic analysis and decision-making. By showing the value of assets as return on investment, HR metrics becomes the key to advancing the HR profession and creating value for business. The crux of this 'metricization' is to look at it from the customer's span and do away with the multiplicity in the definitions of various HR processes. GE Capital is an excellent example that HR will get a face-lift if there is quantification, for it will provide clarity and focus of purpose, pride and improved morale, as HR professionals also know what is expected from them and how well their service has been received. As a word of caution however, is the thought that quantification cannot and must not be used just for its own sake.

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Contributed by -
Ramanathan V.,
Batch of 2005-2007,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.