In an interaction with Higher Education Review Magazine Tarkesh Gupta, CHRO, Fresenius Kabi Asia Pacific, Shared his insights on various aspects pertaining to people management in a working setup, the importance of efficient decision-making processes or an organization’s overall performance, top management team ensure diversity and inclusion across the organization and more, Tarkesh is a seasoned HR industry professional with over 25 years of experience in Human Resources, Administration, Sales Force Effectiveness, Business Process Excellence and many other areas. Unlike many HR professionals, he has got keen interest in business and has handled P&L responsibilities as Business Head. Prior to joining Fresenius in 2010, he successfully handled key HR functions across Dabur Pharma, Rockwell Automation India and Max Bupa Health Insurance.

Throw some light on the importance of an efficient decision-making process or an organization’s overall performance.

There are numerous factors that play a key role in the decision-making process in an organization. First is the kind of organizational structure, wherein the decision-making process is faster in a flat organizational structure compared to a hierarchal setup. Another factor that has a significant impact on the decision-making process is the kind of empowerment that the company provides to its employees. Additionally, the risk-taking ability of an organization is also an important factor in its decision-making process. For instance, Amazon has empowered even its lowest level of customer support personnel to make certain decisions on their own instantly, which has resulted in an enhanced customer experience with the company. Having a quick decision-making process enables the organization to be agile, become more customer-centric and offer better quality services to its customers. Also, enabling employees to make decisions on their own creates a sense of ownership among them and encourages them to perform to their fullest potential.

How can the top management team ensure diversity and inclusion across the organization?

The way in which a company articulates and communicates its principles & policies about diversity, inclusion, and other related aspects has a significant impact on its work culture. Since every individual has a different perspective/understanding of diversity, it is important for the organization to have a clear definition of what diversity means and how it is going to achieve it.

Secondly, leadership commitment is another factor that has a significant impact on an organization’s diversity. No matter how efficient your strategies are in terms of maintaining diversity, it is bound to falter if the top management personnel themselves do not practice them. Thus, it is important for the management team to walk the talk and lead by example in terms of diversity in order to showcase the seriousness and commitment of the organization. Additionally, there must be periodic reviews across all departments pertaining to maintaining diversity & inclusion. Lastly, it is important for the organization to identify diversity among various departments and reward them accordingly so that every employee is encouraged to practice diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Explain about the various advantages of aligning an organization’s culture with its vision and mission.

As the famous quote goes – ‘An organization culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner’. This means if your culture is not aligned with your vision and mission statements, then every strategy or plan that you develop will remain on a piece of paper and fail to be implemented effectively. Having a culture that is aligned with your future ambitions brings a sense of purpose among the employees and encourages them to put in their maximum efforts. As a result, it is paramount for every organization to ensure that their culture remains aligned with their vision, mission and future aspirations.

Suggest a few measures to be taken by companies to imbibe a culture of innovation and continuous learning among their employees.

To promote an innovation mindset among its employees, the organization must ensure that all its systems and processes function based on the same innovation approach. For instance, if you are a very SOP-oriented and structured company, having a culture of innovation is no less than an impossible task. This is because your SOP-based systems and processes do not allow your employees to think differently. As a result, it is paramount for the management team to be flexible in their functions and encourage a culture of creative thinking among all employees. Also, the company must create a conducive environment for the employees to challenge the status quo and be able to ask difficult questions without any fear or hesitation.

Share your thoughts on the impact of having a positive mindset towards change in the workplace.

It is a well-known fact that change is the only constant. However, we as humans are habituated to the status quo and are averse to any kind of change due to the fear of the unknown. Thus, it is important for the leaders in an organization to imbibe a sense of openness to change among the employees by explaining to them the various advantages & benefits that this change in mentality would offer to them. Furthermore, developing a welcoming mindset towards change in the employees creates a win-win situation for both employees and the company, as it enables employees to expose themselves to new things, while simultaneously enhancing their productivity and efficiency at the workplace. Hence, communicating ‘what is in it for me’ effectively may help in reducing resistance towards Change!