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ABSTRACT

HRD believes that individuals in an organization have unlimited potential for growth and
development and that their potential can be developed and multiplied through appropriate
and systematic efforts. Given the opportunities and by providing the right type of climate
in an organization, individuals can be helped to give full contribution to their potentials,
to achieve the goals of the organization, and thereby ensuring optimization of human
resources. Therefore, to initiate HRD practices, a firm philosophy with humane and value
based approach has to be established. This will result in the establishment of HRD culture
in the organization, which further strengthens practices. Organizational culture includes
ethics, values, beliefs, attitudes, norms, ethos, climate, environment, and culture. It can be
characterized as consisting of openness (0), collaboration(C), trust (T), authenticity (A),
proaction(P), autonomy(A) confrontation(C) & Experimentation (E). And it is
abbreviated as OCTAPACE.
This paper goes on to present the major findings based on descriptive research design
undertaken with the help of structured questionnaires to study the OCTAPACE Culture
for marketing professionals in IT Industry. Data is based on the responses from five top
management personnel & 25 marketing personnel from the sample of five IT
organizations in the year 2003. This paper employs certain statistical tools for assessing
whether the hypotheses that had been formed are valid or not. The results show that the
sample organizations differ significantly in their OCTAPACE Culture & are having
varying level of OCTAPACE culture.

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1140621


Introduction & Brief Review

Human Resource Development may be defined as a continuous process to ensure the


development of employee competencies, dynamism, motivation and effectiveness in
systematic and planned way. It has been defined as essentially consisting of three Cs:
Competencies, Commitment and Culture. All three are needed to make an organization
function well. Without competencies organization may not be the cost effective or
optimally efficient. Without commitment, these may not be overcome at all or are done
at such a slow pace that they lose relevance. Without an appropriate culture, organization
cannot last long. Culture provides the sustaining force and spirit for the organization to
live. It provides oxygen needed for them to survive.

Words used in the context of organizational culture include ethics, values, beliefs,
attitudes, norms, ethos, climate, environment, and culture. Ethics refers to normative
aspects – what is socially desirable. Values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms are interrelated.
Interactions between beliefs and values result in attitude formation (beliefs* values =
attitudes) and then produce norms.
Culture-related concepts also can be seen as multilevel concepts. At the core (first level)
are the values, which give a distinct identity to a group. This is the ethos of the group.
The Random House Dictionary defines ethos as ‘the fundamental character or spirit of a
culture…. dominant assumptions of people or period”.
Organisational ethos are core values. The seven values of organizational ethos were
suggested (Rao & Pareek[1994]):
1. Openness: Spontaneous expression of feelings and thoughts and receiving
feedback and information without defensiveness;
2. Confrontation: Facing – not shying away from – problems; deeper analysis of
interpersonal problems; taking on challenges;
3. Trust: Maintaining confidentiality of information shared by others and not
misusing it; a sense of assurance that others will help when needed and will honor
mutual obligations an commitments;
4. Authenticity: Congruence between what one feels, says, and does; owning one’s
actions and mistakes; unreserved sharing of feelings;
5. Proaction: Initiative; preplanning and preventive action; calculating pay-offs
before taking action;
6. Autonomy: Using and giving freedom to plan and act in one’s own sphere;
respecting and encouraging individual and role autonomy;

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1140621


7. Collaboration: Giving help to, and asking for help from, others; team spirit;
working together (individuals and groups) to solve problems; and*
8. Experimentation: Using and encouraging innovative approaches to solve
problems; using feedback for improving; taking a fresh look at things;
encouraging creativity.

Research Methodology

An empirical study based on descriptive research design was therefore undertaken with
the help of structured questionnaire to study the OCTAPACE Culture for Marketing
Professionals in IT Industry which is based on the responses of five Top Management
Personnel & 25 Marketing Personnel from the sample of five IT organizations in the year
2003. Sample Organizations were Infosys Technologies Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd,
Lanco Global Systems Ltd., Infotech Enterprises Ltd, & Inner Space Info Research Pvt
Ltd. Four of the organizations are located in Hyderabad (AP) and one (Inner Space Info
Research Pvt Ltd) is in Udaipur (Raj.).

Brief about Questionnaire


The OCTAPACE Profile has been developed to measure organizational ethos in terms of
the eight values which deals with the extent to which Openness, Confrontation, Trust,
Autonomy, Pro-activity, Authenticity, Collaboration & Experimentation are valued and
promoted in the organizations

The instrument contains three items that measure values and two items that measure
beliefs on each of the above eight dimensions, with total of forty items. Respondents rate
their organizations on eight aspects, using a five-point scale. The scores range from 5 to
20 on each aspect.

Data Interpretation & Findings

Tentative norms applied to the OCTAPACE profile are listed below:


OCTAPACE LOW HIGH
Openness 13 17
Confrontation 10 16
Trust 10 16
Authenticity 10 14
Proaction 12 18
Autonomy 11 16
Collaboration 13 17
Experimentation 11 16

Following is the table showing comparative analysis of organizations for OCTAPACE


dimensions for Marketing Personnel as per the above-mentioned norms. Scores below
‘low value’ shown in the Norms table are rated as ‘ requires improvement’, scores above
‘high value’ are rated as ‘ excellent’ and scores between low and high value are rated as
‘very good’.

Lanco Inner
Organizations Infosys Wipro Infotech
Global Space Info
Technologies Enterprises Enterprises
Systems Research
OCTAPACE Ltd. Ltd. Ltd.
Ltd. Pvt. Ltd.
16.93 16.83 14.33 15.23 14.10
Openness I (Very II (Very IV (Very III (Very V (Very
Good) Good) Good) Good) Good)
15.70 16.50 14.60 12.93 14.93
Confrontation II (Very I IV (Very V (Very III (Very
Good) (Excellent) Good) Good) Good)
14.96 14.86 13.56 12.60 14.03
Trust I (Very II (Very IV (Very V (Very III (Very
Good) Good) Good) Good) Good)
12.83 12.96 13.73 13.10 13.00
Authenticity V (Very IV (Very I (Very II (Very III (Very
Good) Good) Good) Good) Good)
15.43 14.83 14.10 14.10 13.23
Proaction I (Very II (Very III (Very III (Very IV (Very
Good) Good) Good) Good) Good)
13.66 13.30 11.27 13.07 12.03
Autonomy I (Very II (Very V (Very III (Very IV (Very
Good) Good) Good) Good) Good)
14.36 16.10 14.16 15.30 14.40
Collaboration III (Very I (Very V (Very II (Very IV (Very
Good) Good) Good) Good) Good)
15.66 17.63 !5.17 14.63 13.83
Experimentation II (Very I III (Very IV (Very V (Very
Good) (Excellent) Good) Good) Good)
The collected & tabulated primary data have been analyzed and interpreted using the
following hypothesis. For testing first hypothesis, calculated mean weighted scores of
each sample organizations were rated according to the prescribed scale of OCTAPACE
Culture for Marketing Personnel questionnaire, and for testing the second hypothesis one
way classification of ANOVA(Analysis of Variance) was used.

Hypothesis 1 : Organizations under study are having excellent OCTAPACE Culture for
Marketing Personnel.

Hypothesis Testing:
As has already been discussed through comparative analysis table, following are the
organization wise conclusions for OCTAPACE profile questionnaire for Marketing
Personnel.

Infosys Technologies Ltd:


OCTAPACE Culture in Infosys was found to be ‘Excellent’ for Openness
dimension and ‘Very Good’ for other seven dimensions; therefore hypothesis is
accepted for openness dimension and rejected for other dimensions.

Wipro Technologies Ltd:


OCTAPACE Culture in Wipro was found to be ‘Excellent’ for Confrontation and
Experimentation dimensions and ‘Very Good’ for other six dimensions; therefore
hypothesis is accepted for Confrontation and Experimentation dimensions and
rejected for others.

Lanco Global Systems Ltd:


OCTAPACE Culture in Lanco was found to be ‘Very Good’ for all the
dimensions and not ‘Excellent’ therefore hypothesis is rejected.

Infotech Enterprises Ltd:


OCTAPACE Culture in Infotech was found to be ‘Very Good’ for all the
dimensions and not ‘Excellent’ therefore hypothesis is rejected.

Inner Space Info Research Pvt. Ltd :


OCTAPACE Culture in Inner Space Info Research Pvt. Ltd. was found to be
‘Very Good’ for all the dimensions and not ‘Excellent’ therefore hypothesis is
rejected.

Hypothesis 2: Organizations under study do not differ significantly in their OCTAPACE


Culture for Marketing Personnel.
Hypothesis Testing:
On the basis of one-way classification of ANOVA, the Calculated value of F at 5 % level
of significance is ‘6.858’ which is greater than the critical value of F (=2.434). Hence null
hypothesis is rejected.
This implies that there is significant difference in the OCTAPACE Culture of Sample
Organizations.

Recommendations & Suggestions

Every human resource is to be considered as living being with emotions, personal needs
and views and with certain limitations, and not like perfectly designed computerized
machine, which can work without taking any rest. Practice of meditation and yoga along
with other HRD tools will surely lead to the healthy work culture and environment.
To develop committed majority of employees, HRD courses must convey clear message
to the professionals that the organization has serious concern with the employees, their
quality of life at work and at home, their security welfare and convenience. Deliberate
attempts should be made for further development of following organizational ethos:
Openness, Confrontation, Trust among employees, Authenticity, Proaction, Autonomy,
Collaboration, and Experimentation.
Integrity, efficiency, honesty and truthfulness should be encouraged in the organizations.
Honesty, sincerity and dedication to work, are the three important traits that marketing
personnel should possess in order to be effective and which is essential for their future
development.
Rewards, incentives and adequate publicity for exemplary conduct, work and innovations
of marketing personnel should be awarded frequently.
The development programs for marketing personnel on the following aspects may be
conducted:
• Problem solving and Decision making skills.
• Creativity and Innovation at work.
• Time and Stress Management.
• Vision workshops for perspective planning.
• Norm establishment and values workshop.
• Interpersonal effectiveness training.
Promotions should be timely and merit based. ‘Espirit-de-corps’ should be fostered
among all employees by better two-way communication among all of the sample
organizations. A mechanism for rewarding good work is the major area of concern in
Wipro. In Infotech, top management should take active interest in the development of
marketing personnel and should devote more time and resources for the same.
To make marketing personnel more professional, especially in Lanco, Infotech and
Inner Space Info Research, methods such as Total Quality Management, Quality
Circles, Re-engineering etc. may be given more emphasis for improving their
functioning.

Following factors should be controlled for improving organizational climate :


• Ineffective training with no ground reality.
• Communication gap within the organizations.
• Unethical acts in the organizations.
• Biased appraisal system and promotional decisions.
• Ineffective reward system
• Bureaucratic style of working.
Organizational culture should be such where exemplary followers flourish. HRD
Culture and climate in Wipro and Infosys was found to be good. To make it better,
top management may plan an integrated HRD system for the growth of the
organization along with the employee development. In Infosys more emphasis should
be laid on employee welfare so that they can save their mental energy for work. A
mechanism for rewarding good work is the major area of concern in Wipro. There
should be proper reward system in this organization.
In Lanco Global Systems, there is a lack of openness. It is the major area of concern.
It has been described that ‘HRD is like a flower in bloom to be experienced’.
Subordinates are like blooming buds. Managers should nurture and nourish the
blooming buds to take their full shape into flowers and spread the fragrance across the
organization.
In Infotech, top management should take active interest in the development of
marketing personnel and should devote more time and resources for the same.
In Inner Space Info Research, HRD culture and climate is not very much conducive
for the employees. Top Management should take necessary steps for making the
climate conducive for the employees, especially for marketing personnel. Marketing
Personnel should be motivated enough to get involved in the business development
matters. Communication and involvement are the two factors, critical for the success
of any organization.

In brief, it can be suggested that replication of this study on other randomly selected IT
organizations, and comparative analysis of IT organizations with other organizations can
be made. Also further study can be done to identify the performance indicators of various
categories of IT professionals with a view to evolve performance appraisal system and
the training policy/designs for marketing personnel.

References

Abraham S.J., E. and Rao T.V., Human Resource Development : Practices in Indian
Industries – A Trend Report, In: Readings in Human Resource Development, Rao,
T.V.,(edr), Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Limited, New Delhi, 1991, P 262 – 268.

Manohar Reddy, C., Kumar, C.N., and Kaa Jacob ;Divakar, J., HRD Issues in the Indian
Information Technology Industry Mathew, In: Managing Transition - The HRD
Response, Pareek, Udai et. al. (eds), Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited,
New Delhi, 1992, P 69 – 82.

Pareek, Udai, and Agarwal, Ashok, The Role of HRD in the Service Sector, In: HRD in
the New Economic Environment , Tao, T.V., Silvelra, D.M., Srivastava, C.M. and
Vidyasagar, Rajesh, (edr), McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi,
1994, P 174 – 189.

Rao, TV, Strategies for Human Resource in Public Enterprises, In: Management of
Human Resources in Public Enterprises, Ravishankar and Mishra RK, Vision Books
Private Ltd, New Delhi, 1985.

Jain, Neelam, Human Resource Development : A Conceptual Framework, In: Studies in


Human Resource Development, Underestanding HRD Basic Concepts,Bhatia, B.S.
Verma, H.L. and Garg, M.C., (eds), Deed & Deep Publications, New Delhi, 1996, P 72
– 76.
Joseph, A.O., In: HRD Philosophies and Concepts: The Indian Perspective, Rao, T.V., et.
al. (eds), National HRD Network and the Academy of Human Resource Development,
Ahmedabad, 1994, P 40.

Pareek, Udai, and Agarwal, Ashok, The Role of HRD in the Service Sector, In: HRD in
the New Economic Environment , Tao, T.V., Silvelra, D.M., Srivastava, C.M. and
Vidyasagar, Rajesh, (edr), McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi,
1994, P 174 – 189.

Wakhlu, Arun, In: HRD Philosophies and Concepts: The Indian Perspective, Rao, T.V.,
et. al. (eds), National HRD Network and the Academy of Human Resource Development,
Ahmedabad, 1994, P 76 – 77.
ANNEXURE
OCTAPACE PROFILE

Name:_____________________________JobTitle: ____________________________

Organization: ________________________Date:_____________________________

This instrument will help you to look at some values and beliefs of your organization.
Below are statements that indicate some organizational values. If these are values of top
management, they generally will be shared in an organization. Read each statement and
indicate in the blank to the left of the statement how much spirit contained in the
statement is valued in your organization. Please be candid in answering. Instructions: Use
the following key for your responses:
4 = Very highly valued in the organization
3 = Valued in the organisation
2 = Given rather low value in the organization
1= Not valued in the organization

________1. Free interaction among employees, each respecting the feelings, competence,
and judgment of others.

________2. Facing problems, not shying away from them.

________3. Offering moral support and help to employees and colleagues in crisis.

________4. Congruity between feelings and expressed behavior.

________5. Preventive action on most matters.

________6. Employees’ taking independent action relating to their jobs.

________7. Teamwork and team spirit.

________8. Employees'trying out innovative ways of solving problems.

________9. Genuine sharing of information, feelings, and thoughts in meetings.

________10.Going deeper rather than doing surface-level analysis of interpersonal


problems.
________11. Interpersonal contact and support among employees.

_______12 Tactfulness, cleverness, and even a little manipulation to get things done.

_______13 Superior’s encouraging their subordinates to think about their development


and take action in that direction.
_______14. Close supervision and direction of employees regarding action
_______15. Accepting and appreciating help offered by others.

_______16. Encouraging employees to take a fresh look at how things are done.

_______17. Free discussion and communication between superiors and subordinates.

_______18. Facing cha1lenges inherent in the work situation.

________19. Confiding in superiors without fear that they will misuse the trust.

________20. "Owning" mistakes made.

________21. Considering both positive and negative aspects before taking action.

________22. Obeying and checking with superiors rather than acting on one'
s own.

________23. Performing immediate tasks rather than being concerned about larger
organizational goals.

_________24. Making genuine attempts to change behaviour on the basis of feedback


received.
________ 25. Effective managers suppress their feelings.

________ 26.Pass the buck tactfully when there is a problem.

________ 27. Trust begets trust.

________ 28 Telling a polite lie is preferable to telling the unpleasant truth.

__________29. Prevention is better than cure.

_________ 30. Freedom for employees breeds lack of discipline.

_________31. Emphasis on teamwork dilutes individual accountability.

_________32. Thinking and doing new things tones up organizational vitality.


_________33. Free and candid communication between various level helps in solving
problems.

__________34.Surfacing problems is not enough; we should find the solutions.

_________ 35. When the situation is urgent and has to be dealt with, you have to fend
for yourself.

__________36. People are what they seem to be.

__________37. A stitch in time saves nine.

__________38. A good way to motivate employees is to give them autonomy to plan


their work.

_________39. Employee involvement in developing the organization'


s mission and
goals contributes to productivity.

__________40. In today' s competitive situation, consolidation and stability are more


important than experimentation.
Source : Pareek Udai (1994), "Studying Organisational: The OCTAPACE Profile". In J.WilliamPfeiffer's.The 1994 Annual-
Developing Human Resources (153-166)publis. by Pfeiffer & Co.

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