Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.
Humane Layoffs
Layoffs hurt. They hurt even more when companies do it paying scant attention to the financial and emotional trauma that a job loss is bound to cause. They also spark furious backlashes, hurting the corporate brand and resulting in a catastrophic loss of trust. A case in point could be Tech Mahindra, India's leading information technology (IT) company and part of the $19 billion Mahindra Group. Right now, its management is facing allegations of large-scale and illegal retrenchment of its employees in Hyderabad. Earlier, too, the company came under fire when the audio clip of a termination call went viral. In that audio clip, the company's human resource (HR) executive was heard asking an employee to resign by 10 a.m. the next day or face termination. The employee kept pleading for a reasonable notice period or a discussion but was told there could be no room for 'flexibility'.My take for Business Today dated Sep 10, 2017
The reality of Augmented Reality
While Pokémon Go may have been the best marketing campaign for AR, we are only scratching the surface. The possibilities are endless. So don’t let your enthusiasm die down. The roller coaster has just started its journey.
Why 2 Pizza Teams Work Better
A smaller team helps improve execution. Amazon’s stock has risen more than 36 percent this year. If you had invested $1,000 in Amazon in July 2002 — and had held onto your shares — that money would be worth $83,000 today. In real terms it would be $61,000. Can all this be attributed only to 2 Pizza teams or is there something more.
Drones
Laws are boundaries that we draw to keep us safe and protected. When people follow traffic rules, people are unharmed by vehicles. The boundaries of knowledge also expand when innovators challenge these rules and laws. Innovation necessarily happens in the fringes. Sometimes when the laws become hindrances, the hub of innovations shifts to other spots. For drones that innovation hub seems to be Africa.
Can we sell our data for a living
The data we generate is then used to craft algorithms that can predict our next move. That is the basis of all the nudges we get as we shop. “Those who bought X also bought Y” is the algorithm trying to figure out your next move. The algorithms are always trying to second guess you — till the time you give up controls of your life to the algorithm. Then why not make a living by selling this data that is ours.
How You Can Protect Your Social Media Reputation
There is no delete button on the internet. Your friends get to see your party photos -so can the rest of the world. Every now and then hackers break open the locks and run away with your data. This has happened to every major site. So what you post on the net is for the world to see - even your employers. What can you do? Plenty.
How to run HR like an Amazon Bookstore
HR was all about creating one set of rules then apply to every employee. Today employees expect a customized experience when they go to work for any employer. The process of creating an individualized experience is dependent on the unique identifiers we have for an individual. While most corporations have still stayed on with gender options being limited to three at best, Facebook offers 71 gender options to UK users. That allows them the ability to target ads more specifically. Facebook allowed people to type in whatever they wanted to describe their gender and from that data set created more categories. Amazon can be the best model for your HR department.
Digital Human Resources: The Haves & Will-Not
Finding gaps in the readiness of a candidate for the next role can be done by using AI. Imagine using an AI platform to let the system analyze your readiness for the role you wish to take. Then provides a recommendation of the way to build the gap. There are already AI driven coaching tools that can be used to change the talent management process in organizations. Artificial Intelligence lies at the intersection of big data, machine learning and robotics. HR can leverage AI to truly impact business outcomes.
The Data Divide—And How to Cross It
Data can be leveraged by different people in different specialties to solve real-world problems. A neurogeneticist is working in an e-commerce start-up to solve the problem of how to plan a delivery route across the busiest parts of the city. He is building his algorithm to mimic the way human genes convey information. A competitor, meanwhile, has hired a nuclear physicist who worked in the Large Hadron Collider to solve the same problem. Both are approaching the challenge as a data problem, after all.
United We Fall
Every incident is a learning and at the same time an opportunity to prove oneself. Following the United Airlines fiasco, the carrier had a golden opportunity to display the right leadership attitude, which it unfortunately failed to take advantage of. So what was the missed opportunity?
Make Sure Your Resume Survives The Six Seconds Test
Just as headlines act as filters that help us make quick decisions about which news items to spend time on, the summary of your resumé should catch the attention of a recruiter almost instantly. Recruiters must scan quickly through hundreds of resumes every day. So if your summary isn’t powerful, chances are you won’t make it into the Yes basket. You have to survive the crucial six seconds test.
Is engagement the cause or the effect
If someone has been hired to do a job, shouldn’t they just do their job? While a lot of employees will do the bare minimum they need to do to keep their jobs going, there is a small percentage of employees who hit the ball out of the park.
They file for patents, contribute more and are evangelists for the brand. According to Bain and Company, companies like Apple, Netflix, Google, and Dell are 40% more productive than the average company. That amounts to a disproportionate impact on the bottom line.
Building Leadership Development Programs
BCG estimates more than 4,000 companies with formal corporate universities across the world. The former Chief Learning Officer (CLO) of BBC, Nigel Paine’s new book explores what it means to choose a high-investment option like GE did. What makes Crotonville relevant even today? If a company wants to invest in leadership development is it necessary for them to invest millions of dollars and build a clone of Crotonville? Is that the only approach to leadership development?
What does it mean to live in Perpetual Beta
Software developers release "unfinished code" and constantly add new features after that. That's called the Beta version of the code. But living like that perpetually is not for the faint hearted - unless you are Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb. In that case you will decide to disrupt yourself. He says, “If we don’t grow past what we originally invented, what leads to your success leads to your death.” He has cut himself off from his existing business and building his next gig.
Introduction to Storytelling by Pixar
I am a fan of Pixar's storytelling style. I don't know if you have ever read their famous 22 rules of storytelling? If you have not, you must. Some of the tips are really super useful to newbies like me who are fascinated enough by the magic to want to be a magician. But for now one has to be grateful that I am getting to read the magician's book of spells before he returns. I make a quick note of rule number 2 in the Book of Spells.
Can we teach people the way we teach machines?
Affectiva has gathered more than a billion data points to learn how human emotions differ based on the device, the content and of course, the individual viewer. These data points are then analyzed based on inputs from psychologists and experts. The machine tries to identify emotions in real time. The human experts coach the machine and tweak its algorithm and help it improve. Why don't we teach humans with the same rigor.