THE HEMLINE ECONOMY

Thanks Vikram for the rejoinder - the hemline theory of economic ups and downs. This one probably goes back to just before the great depression of the 1920s - maybe even earlier.

It is interesting - how fashion corelates to economic conditions of the times. I'd love to have more comments on any other corelations that you might have come across.

Human Capital management challenges in the IT industry

There's an interesting article in Express Computer - a leading IT weekly in India on the importance of managing human capital and the different approaches and best practices - specially as it pertains to the Information Technology industry in India. Human Capital is perhaps the most important asset that developing economies have and no one has done a better job of harnessing this than the Indian IT industry. Therefore, I think the time has come where instead of only applying the western management principles to human relations management, we need to make an active effort to learn from the successes of the east. While not everything practiced in India may work in the Western cultures due to the obvious cultural differences, there may be some lessons here that might be eye opening.

My good friend Raj, Head of HR at Newgen Software, perhaps explains best the difference in the western and eastern models when it comes to the relationships between manager and subordinates, “Indian managers possess a ‘nurturing orientation’ towards their subordinates in addition to task-orientation. In India, familial relationships and values are deeply imbibed in people. Similarly, our historical past and values make dependency and abdication of power a positively perceived phenomenon. Thus, people in subordinate roles become more supportive to their managers.”

Have you found examples of applying eastern management principles in your organizations here in USA? Please do comment here.