Pranali's Career Shift: How Do People-Oriented and Process-Oriented Cultures Impact Performance?

Case Study: Pranali's Career Journey

For the case in view, we are going to discuss the case of Pranali. Pranali has the following profile: Age: 33 years, Qualification: B.B.A. She is from Pune, Maharashtra. She has 4 years of experience as a tele-caller in one of the BPO companies. The company entered into contracts with educational institutes and counseled prospective customers—students for particular cases. The company preferred students from particular cities in Maharashtra like Pune, Nashik, Kolhapur, and Mumbai. Pranali worked with a team of five members, each supposed to call a student, ask them about qualifications, family background, financial situation, interests, job experience if any, and guide them accordingly.

The team was supposed to complete the given target of 600 calls in a day, individually 150 calls a day. In case anyone was absent or sick, the workload would be shared within the team. After the completion of the target, they were supposed to report to the team lead. The productivity was good because of teamwork, coordination, and targets were always achieved. Pranali was happy and satisfied. Initially, she received many rewards for her work and prizes in cultural events. After 4 years, she started searching for a new opportunity as her current salary was less according to her. She cracked an interview with a company with the same profile and a salary hike.

Transition to a New Company

The new company also provided educational services to students, with targeted students from Maharashtra as well as outside of Maharashtra. The emphasis was on a process-based approach. They used to divide available data state-wise and distribute among five members, including Pranali. Pranali was responsible for the Maharashtra state. She was supposed to complete around 300 calls in a day and submit a report at the end of the day. The process and methods of analyzing calls were different. Due to the lack of teamwork and higher expectations from individuals, her workload and responsibility increased. The process-based approach and different methods of analyzing calls impacted her performance. For motivation, they offered an incentive scheme, but the performance tracking system was lacking somewhere.

Due to the increase in workload, absence of motivation, and teamwork, she got frustrated and resigned after 1 year.

Questions for Discussion

1. Analyze & interpret the case as an HR Head.
2. Which organizational culture is most effective and why?
3. Do you think it should depend on the nature of work?
4. Do you think teamwork motivates members to perform well?
5. What are the positive and negative sides of both people-oriented and process-oriented approaches?

Replies to your questions are as below:

Analyze & interpret the case as an HR Head

Reply: The reply can be given as a general HR professional and not specifically as an HR Head. The case study indicates that "Due to no teamwork and higher expectations from individuals, her workload as well as responsibility increased. Process-based approach; different methods of analyzing calls impacted her performance." Furthermore, it also mentions that "For motivation, they offered an incentive scheme but performance tracking systems were lacking somewhere." From an HR point of view, the analysis highlights why employees quit the company.

Which organizational culture is most effective and why?

Reply: A culture of measurement is always effective. When an employee joins the company, they need to be informed about how their performance will be measured, who will measure it, and when it will be measured. Secondly, a culture of motivation and teamwork is also important. Pranali quit the company because she was demotivated. However, the case study does not mention whether anyone from HR spoke to her at any time to understand her frustration. This is a common problem in many organizations. They arrange training on teamwork or motivation skills, but the gap between HR and the employee remains. The biggest motivator for employees is to listen to them.

Do you think it should depend on the nature of work?

Reply: The culture of the company does not depend on the nature of work. Regardless of the work, employees need clarity on the nature of their tasks. Pranali was not informed about how her work would be measured or whether she was accustomed to the process type of work.

Do you think teamwork motivates members to perform well?

Reply: Yes, teamwork motivates, but not necessarily for all jobs. It depends on the nature of the job. In some jobs, where individual excellence is necessary, there is no need to enforce teamwork on such employees.

Positive and negative sides of both people-oriented and process-oriented approaches

Reply: People-oriented and process-oriented approaches should go hand in hand. One cannot rely solely on either approach. Striking a balance is not an easy task, and this is what leadership is about.

Final comments

When an employee joins a job, they often carry the baggage of their previous job. Pranali did exactly this. She was not accustomed to process-based work and failed to adjust to the new approach. Added to this was the lack of teamwork. Did she communicate to her manager the need for teamwork among members and how it was affecting her performance? Lastly, the case study does not mention the role of the HOD of Pranali's manager. Did he counsel her? Did he make any attempt to understand her? If not, then the disconnect between the manager and Pranali speaks volumes.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar