Good Engineer

Work Force Management    

Work measurement is the careful analysis of a task, its size, the equipments, the method used in its performance, and its efficiency. A good work measurement system has many benefits. It helps to reduce labour costs, increase productivity, and improve supervision, planning, scheduling, performance appraisal, and decision making.

In many situations, not enough care is taken in establishing correct requirements up front. This causes problems when ambiguities in requirements surface later. Therefore, it is necessary that requirements are established in a systematic way to ensure their accuracy and completeness. The difficulty in establishing good requirements often makes it more of an art than a science. 

Materials management is a process for planning, executing and controlling the activities in construction. The materials management system attempts to insure that the right quality and quantity of materials are appropriately selected, purchased, delivered and handled on site in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. 

Time Study consists of recording times and rates of work for elements of a specified job carried out under specified conditions to obtain the time necessary to carry out a job at a defined level of performance.

Using a systematic methodology to approach projects is a key to successful execution. Often planning or monitoring is put into the background in the rush to move ahead with execution or reporting results. Both are fatal mistakes. If the necessary time is taken to plan out all aspects of the project, it saves much time and many resources.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

கருவியும் காலமும் செய்கையும் செய்யும்

அருவினையும் மாண்டது அமைச்சு. (631)

साधन, काल, उपाय औ’, कार्यसिद्धि दुस्साध्य ।
इनका श्रेष्ठ विधान जो, करता वही अमात्य ॥ (६३१)

Explanation by Scholars

The Engineer (minister) is one who can make an excellent choice of means, time, manner of execution, and the difficult undertaking (itself).

உரியகருவி, உற்றகாலம், ஆற்றும்வகை, ஆற்றிடும்பணி ஆகியவற்றை ஆய்ந்தறிந்த செயல்படுபவனே சிறந்த (பொறியாளர்) அமைச்சன்.

Right person, Right job, Right time

Workforce Management

We are well aware of the rapid pace of change underway in today’s business. New technologies, emerging business models, shifting customer demands and turbulent economic conditions are forcing executives in almost every industry and business function to fundamentally rethink the way they operate.

In response, most organizations have moved quickly to reconfigure their internal functions in IT, finance, supply chain etc, to meet the demands of the new business reality. As the business world evolves, so too have the skills and capabilities required to successfully operate and manage it. 

The opportunities being created by all this change cannot be converted into real business value unless organizations have the right people in the right place at the right time. 

Workforce management (WFM) is all about optimizing how, where, and when work gets done, and who is best suited to do the job. Effective workforce management is a continuous planning process that can streamline operations across all aspects of business. There’s a lot of pressure involved when it comes to finding the right person with the right personality, drive and skill set for a company. 

Defining roles, requirements, and responsibilities in a holistic way across the company and in focused ways for specific projects helps to identify the right people for the job. It may point out a need for new hires in certain areas or a reassigning of existing talent.

Hiring people is one of the most difficult things leaders do, but if done in the right way, it makes everything immensely easier. But most of the time we get in a rush because we are desperate for help and try to take the easy and quick way.  Hiring the right employees can make or break the business.  If a candidate is not loyal to the company, hiring this person could definitely be a problem for the business. Using different methodologies to assess the learning and analytical skills of the candidates is essential. A candidate with confidence is great, but what is really required is a candidate who has the right skills and educational qualifications. 

Organizations that pay close attention to hiring practices are wise to do so.  It is important to ensure that the company hires people with not only the right skills and education, but also the passion for the profession, are intrinsically motivated, and whose values are in alignment with the organization’s culture.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says 

செய்வானை நாடி வினைநாடிக் காலத்தோடு

எய்த உணர்ந்து செயல். (516)

कर्ता का लक्षण परख, परख कर्म की रीति ।
संयोजित कर काल से, सौंपों सहित प्रतीति ॥ (५१६)

Explanation by Scholars

Let him act, after having considered the person (whom he is to employ), the deed (he desires to do), and the time which is suitable to it.

செயலாற்ற வல்லவனைத் தேர்ந்து, செய்யப்பட வேண்டிய செயலையும் ஆராய்ந்த, காலமுணர்ந்து அதனைச் செயல்படுத்தவேண்டும்.

Stop Playing Blame Game

Work Force Management

It is easier to find a scapegoat or blame others, with or without reason, but it requires a lot of courage to own one‘s faults and accept responsibility. We all look for such people but rarely assume that role ourselves.

One of the most destructive human pastimes is playing the blame game. Since we’re all human, mistakes and shortfalls are part of life. Blaming others is a poor strategy and not simply because everyone can see through it. People who are prone to blame are actually reflecting their own insecurities. People assume that their relationships cannot withstand an acknowledgement of a mistake or shortfall.

But it is a false assumption, especially since people appreciate it when someone admits a mistake and asks for forgiveness. Blaming others is usually an indication of the lack of ability to accept and cope with different situations that occur. The person who blames others is usually in the weak position and he tries to gain some power over the situation by blaming other people.

Good leaders own the responsibility and take the blame for anything, even remotely responsible for. This transforms all the negative consequences of blaming others into positive ones. It solidifies relationships, improves credibility, makes him and others happy, reinforces transparency, improves self-esteem, increases learning, and solves problems.

Good leaders have the maturity, patience, and acumen to handle tough situations. Remaining calm and composed allows the brain to think rationally. Good leaders demonstrate the ability and willingness to accept reality and identity the future course of action.

We should recast responsibility as a way to learn from our mistakes as well as those of others. Accepting our fallibility is a route towards self-improvement.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

ஏதிலார் குற்றம்போல் தங்குற்றங் காண்கிற்பின்

தீதுண்டோ மன்னும் உயிர்க்கு. (190)

परछिद्रानवेषण सदृश, यदि देखे निज दोष ।
ति अविनाशी जीव का, क्यों हो दुख से शोष ॥ (१९०)

Explanation by Scholars: 

If they observed their own faults as they observe the faults of others, would any evil happen to men?

பிறர் குற்றத்தைக் காண்பவர்கள் தமது குற்றத்தையும் எண்ணிப் பார்ப்பார்களேயானால் புறங்கூறும் பழக்கமும் போகும். வாழ்க்கையும் நிம்மதியாக அமையும்.

Halo Effect

Managerial psychology- Work Force Management                                          

Many people make judgements about others based on their physical appearance and that influence how they respond to those people.

A halo effect is an outcome in one area due to factors derived from another.  When physically attractive individuals are perceived as more intelligent, successful and popular then it is known as halo effect in psychology.

It is caused by a cognitive bias as well as the tendency for an impression created in one area to influence the opinion in another area.

Lookism is discriminatory treatment toward physically unattractive people, mainly in the workplace. But attractiveness does not have any effect on the level of happiness experienced by the individual.

These perceptions of attractiveness may affect judgments tied to personality traits and our judgments can fail us. The very person we underestimated by appearance, could well be our boss or the very person could well be the source of our disappointments.

We should treat every person as an iceberg. An iceberg is a large mass of ice and what we see on the surface is just 10% of its total mass and 90% of its mass is submerged, hidden, buried down in icy ocean. The Titanic disaster was due to underestimating the power of an iceberg.

We are not different. Sometimes, we are quick to pass judgment on the character of a person by seeing his physical appearance. Our obsession with physical appearance is harmful to everyone.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

உருவுகண்டு எள்ளாமை வேண்டும் உருள்பெருந்தேர்க்கு

அச்சாணி அன்னார் உடைத்து. (667)

तिरस्कार करना नहीं, छोटा क़द अवलोक ।
चलते भारी यान में, अक्ष-आणि सम लोग ॥ (६६७)

Explanation by Scholars:

Let none be despised for (their) size, (for) the world has those who resemble the linch-pin of the big rolling car.

உருளும் பெரியதேர்க்கு அச்சில் இருந்து தாங்கும் சிறிய ஆணி போன்றவர்கள் உலகத்தில் உள்ளனர். யாவரையும் வடிவுகண்டு இகழ்தலைத் தவிர்தல் வேண்டும்.