Archive

Globalization, looked at through a political lens, has many interesting facets: The fall of communism created a new world order. Countries are no longer taking decisions based only on political considerations—how these decisions will impact world economies are compulsorily taken into account. An interesting way of looking at it is to observe the way wars are fought. This is the first time in US history that a war is being fought without the wartime draft. The only evidence that the US is at war is perhaps the high levels of security being maintained at public places within the US—otherwise life is going on as usual. In the case of India and Pakistan's conflict over Kashmir...

When one looks at globalization through the social or cultural lens, it can be seen that there is a certain amount of fusion taking place—there are more and more inter-racial marriages taking place than in any other time in history, there is fusion between films that is giving rise to new genres, there has been a progressive loss of languages known to the world, which is a fallout of slow loss of cultural identities due to globalization. What do all these factors mean to the rest of society? When people think about globalization, what does it mean to them? As I mentioned in an earlier post, depending on their perception and viewpoint, some people view it as a favorable development whi...

We are living in a very important time in history, where humanity is becoming one. The world is coming together. People know more and more about what’s happening elsewhere around the world, more about other cultures, other types of food, workplace habits and culture prevalent in other countries… the list is endless. This explosion of information is due to the amazing advances in technology in the last few decades. Added to this is the entry of three billion people into the global supply chain from China, India, Central Asia and South America—but what effect will this have? There’s a new branch of history that’s been around for a few generations now, called peo...

I was recently required to conduct a performance appraisal for someone who reports to me in the organization. While this process is essential in any organization, it seems to me that it would be better conducted once every six months, or even quarterly. There is more than one reason for this. Having an annual review of performance in an age of lateral transfers and frequent changes in one’s job profile within a company seems outdated. In the term between one appraisal and the next, you might not be doing the same job anymore, in which case your annual performance review would be irrelevant. Furthermore, people are so busy that a lot of time that could be used more productively is spen...

Imagine that you are poised to take a momentous decision in your personal life. Before doing so, you weigh the pros and cons, and are likely to consult close friends and family for advice and suggestions. Their inputs help you decide whether or not to go ahead. Similarly, companies have a Board of Directors that essentially performs the function of steering the company in the right direction. Now, suppose you had a group of people—let’s call it your Career Board—that could advise you on how best to develop your career or guide you when you’re in a quandary. These people know your strengths and weaknesses, they are people whom you look up to, and have the expertise and...

In this rapidly changing world, one thing that will stand anyone in good stead other than education is the relationships that they build over the years. Networking with people and building strong and enduring professional and personal relationships is essential for progress. However, networking doesn’t merely mean walking up to each person you meet at a convention or on a flight and handing over your business card and trying to see what you can get out of them. More often than not, the card will get tossed. Good and useful networking involves discernment, the slow but steady nurturing of a relationship, and a lot of give and take with the emphasis on the give. I have learnt that every ...