November 19, 2007

Bangkok Post - 'How do other companies handle human resources issues?" John asks me. ...

After three months in Thailand, he is frustrated with the quality of his team. He has seven direct reports; one is outstanding, five are the average performers and one is very weak.

"John, your problem is not unique," I say.

"But where I worked before, I had three outstanding managers, three strong managers and one average manger," he tells me.

"I don't think you should use your previous experience to compare with Thailand," I explain. "Thailand only got its first industrial estate in 1977, 30 years ago. The country had slowly migrated from being an agricultural nation to an industrialised country from 1977-97."

The 1987-97 period was the peak and then the bubble burst in 1997. That peak period created lot of job opportunities. People received promotions easily through hard work, high responsibility and high achievement.

Hence, we had lot of good performers who became new managers without proper training or preparation. How did they learn to manage? They just followed what their boss did. Some were lucky and had good bosses as role models. The majority learned from the wrong examples.

"Since the Asian economic crisis in 1997, most organisations have been busy cleaning up the mess. Most of them were cutting their training and development budgets. People did not have a chance to reinvent themselves to cope with new challenges from globalisation.

"Once the crisis eased, the Kingdom's economy started picking up in 2003-04, so the market opened for expansion. There were job opportunities available again for high achievers.

"We promoted individuals who were excellent performers to be average managers or some cases the bad managers. Without proper development plans and action, people could not be good managers overnight."

"So what's your suggestion?" John asks. "You didn't answer my question?"

"John, jai yen yen (be patient). I'm trying to give you background. Management is about the process of converting input to output. If you have good raw materials with good processes you should receive good output. Managing people is the same, we turn people's potential into performance.

"I would say that several organisations use several approaches. Based on my observations, I would suggest you do as follows:

1. Among your seven staff, each individual reviews his capabilities in terms of skills, knowledge and talent.

2. Each individual matches his capabilities to the role.

3. There is a highly probability that you will find many unmatched roles and capabilities _ particular for those five average ones. You have some options:

- 3.1 Switch the roles. You use job rotation. If among five average performers, two or three can be rematched, that would be good.

- 3.2 If you find that the average performers are unable to find matching roles in the organisation, but have potential to be developed, then do an intensive action development plan for them.

- 3.3 If you think even the intensive development plan would not be able to improve their performance, you should deploy 'tough love' action for them. You 'manage' them out."

"That sounds right for me," says John. "What if, in action item 3.3, instead of managing them out, I use action 3.2. I give them a chance to go through an intensive development plan?"

"John, let me answer you with an old parable from the book First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman:

There once lived a scorpion and a frog.

The scorpion wanted to cross the pond, but, being a scorpion, he couldn't swim. So he scuttled up to the frog and asked: "Please, Mr Frog, can you carry me across the pond on your back?"

"I would, replied the frog, but under the circumstances, I must refuse. You might sting me as I swim across," said the frog.

"But why would I do that? Asked the scorpion. It is not in my interest to sting you, because you will die and then I will drown," said the scorpion.

Although the frog knew how lethal scorpions were, the logic proved quite persuasive. Perhaps, felt the frog, in this one instance the scorpion would keep his tail in check. So the frog agreed. The scorpion climbed onto his back, and together they set off across the pond.

Just as they reached the middle of the pond, the scorpion twitched his tail and stung the frog. Mortally wounded, the frog cried out: "Why did you sting me? It is not in your best interests to sting me, because now I will die and you will drown," said the frog.

"I know, replied the scorpion as he sank into the pond. But I am a scorpion. I have to sting you. It's my nature," he said.

The book notes that conventional wisdom encourages you to think like the frog. Anyone can be anything they want to be if they just try hard enough.

Great managers know that each person has a limit to how much remolding they can do to someone.

Kriengsak Niratpattanasai provides executive coaching in leadership and diversity management under the brand TheCoach. He can be reached at coachkriengsak@yahoo.com. Copies of previous columns are available at www.thaicoach.com.

 

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