Question

INDIA HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
India is a complex Multinational society with many languages, religions and traditions and it is not proper to speak of an Indian culture let alone of an Indian HRM. However, many researchers agree (Koestler 1966, Sharma 1984, Tayeb 1988) that there are certain characteristics that are shared by the diverse people’s of India as a whole such as arranged marriages, fatalism, expression of emotions, hospitality and friendliness.
Of the characteristics which are most held in common by the Indian people, collectivism is one which can be readily identified as related to work organisation. Indians are said to be clannish and community conscious.
Table 6.1 lists in summary some of the common work-related values and attitudes generally held by people and their consequence implications for management of employees as studied by various researchers.
Table 6.1
Major Indian national cultural characteristics and management practices
National Culture
● Collectivism: clannish, community conscious, large in-group includes extended family, clan, and friends
● Low concern for privacy
● Large power distance, obedience to seniors and respect for people in position of power, all wisdom comes from elders.
● Resourcefulness, hard work, tenacity, ability to cope with adversity
● Risk aversion, low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty
● emotional dependence
● Rigid social stratification: caste system
● Acceptance of status quo, preference for conformity
● disciplined, self-restraint, yet emotional and display their emotions in public
● Honest, trustworthy, yet considerable corruption in public service
● Law-abiding but prepared to bend the rules for friends and relatives
● Ambitious and materialistic
● High rate of illiteracy, especially among lower caste people and in rural areas
HRM and other employee related values and practices
● Entrepreneurial
● Preference for paternalistic and authoritarian leadership
● prefer to work under supervision
● Contractual relations with the workplace, in-group does not include the workplace, low level of commitment
to organisational interests and objectives
● Manual workers are unskilled and uneducated
● well educated and highly skilled managers and high-ranking staff
● National and plant based trade unions, confrontational industrial relations
● pro-workers labour legislation
● Strong sense of responsibility
● centralised decision making, little or no job autonomy for middle and low ranking staff and shopfloor
Workers
● Low level of formalisation and use of written instructions and rules and regulations especially at the shopfloor, mainly because of workers’ illiteracy
● differentiated reward systems and control strategies for white collar and manual
jobs, the caste system is rigid in that individuals are born into their parents’ caste and members
The Indian system believe strongly in the Caste system die as a member of that caste, no matter what educational qualification, professional status, wealth or anything else they might achieve in life.
Organisations too tend to be hierarchical with a central decision making process and little
or no authority delegated to lower ranks. Management style tends to be authoritarian or
Paternalistic with a clear distinction between white-collar and blue-collar employees in
terms of power, pay, working conditions and other privileges.
However, the authority of people in a position of power, be it in the society at large or
within companies, does not always go unchallenged. The political regime of the country,
though not as egalitarian as those of other leading democracies, is one of the few democratic
systems in central Asia. The Indian written press enjoys a high level of freedom of expression
and does not hesitate to criticise and challenge government officials and politicians
irrespective of their power or popularity.
In the workplace, trade unions represent a countervailing power to management authority.
There are no craft unions in India. Trade unions are either plant based or national organisations
which are run locally in each state and focus their activities on the interest of their
immediate members at the plant or local industry level. There are provisions for setting up
works committees in factories and workers participation in decision making at shopfloor and
plant levels. However, these committees, and indeed any other forms of workers participation,
have not been successful. There are various acts of Parliament which secure minimum
wages, regulation for payment of wages, working conditions, equal remuneration for men
and women and several schemes providing security to the workers against contingencies,
such as industrial accidents. Generally, industrial relations legislation is pro-workers and
aims at protecting their employment and general well-being
FROM THE ABOVE NOTES PLEASE SUMMARIZE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

Answer 1

Human Resource Management (HRM) in India operates within a complex cultural framework characterized by diverse languages, religions, and traditions. Despite this complexity, certain shared cultural values and traits significantly influence HRM practices.

### Key Cultural Characteristics:
1. **Collectivism**: Emphasis on community and strong family ties, leading to a clannish work culture.
2. **Power Distance**: Respect for authority and seniority, with a preference for hierarchical structures.
3. **Emotional Expression**: While disciplined, Indians openly express emotions in social settings.
4. **Risk Aversion**: A tendency to avoid ambiguity and uncertainty.
5. **Resourcefulness**: Persistence and adaptability in challenging situations.
6. **Caste System**: A rigid social stratification affecting workplace dynamics and opportunities.
7. **Social Norms**: Acceptance of the status quo and a preference for conformity, coupled with a sense of responsibility.

### HRM Practices and Values:
- **Leadership Style**: Paternalistic and authoritarian management preferred, with centralized decision-making and minimal job autonomy for lower-level employees.
- **Workplace Relations**: Workers show low commitment to organizational goals, with contractual relations prevailing and limited integration with the workplace.
- **Education and Skills**: A stark divide exists between well-educated managerial staff and unskilled manual workers, often influenced by the caste system.
- **Trade Unions**: Predominantly plant-based or national unions that focus on member interests at local levels; nonetheless, their effectiveness and worker participation in decision-making are often limited.
- **Labor Legislation**: Generally pro-worker, with laws ensuring minimum wages, working conditions, and employment security, reflecting an aim to protect worker rights.

### Challenges:
- **Corruption and Inequality**: Despite values of honesty and trustworthiness, corruption persists, particularly in public services.
- **Human Capital Disparity**: High illiteracy rates among lower castes and rural populations hinder overall workforce skill levels.
- **Resistance to Change**: Strong adherence to the caste system and traditional practices can obstruct organizational advancements.

In summary, HRM in India is shaped by traditional cultural values and social structures, which dictate both workplace dynamics and employee relations. Organizations operate predominantly under centralized, hierarchical systems, with ongoing struggles between management authority and worker rights, encapsulated within a broader framework of diverse social norms.