Exploring various dimensions of Human Resource Practices leading to High Performance Work Systems.

Authors: Ms. Shilpa Wadhwa Tandon, Dr. Daleep Parimoo

Pages: 1-13

Abstract:

All of us have heard the famous fable from Panchatantra – The Goose with the Golden eggs. One day a poor farmer discovers in the nest of his pet goose a scintillating golden egg. At first, he thought it to be a trick. But on second thought, he decides to take the egg and have it appraised. The farmer can‘t believe on his good fortune, that the egg is pure gold! He becomes even more excited for the next day when the goose lays another golden egg. Day after day, he awakens to rush to the nest and finds another golden egg. Soon he becomes fabulously wealthy. But with wealth comes greed and impatience. Unable to wait every day for the golden eggs, the farmer makes up one's mind to kill the goose and get them all at once. But when he wide-open the goose, he finds it empty. There are no golden eggs and now there is no way to get it anymore. The farmer has destroyed the very thing that produced them. With this fable comes a key principle of High Performance. Sustained high performance is a function of two things – What is produced or performed (Golden eggs) and the capacity to produce (Goose). In Business Organizations, goods and services are produced by the employees working there. If the organizations focus only on producing golden eggs (achieving profits) today and neglect the goose (employee building capacity for tomorrow) they will soon be without the asset that secures their future survival. The problem is that we always seem to under invest in the people and over focus on the profit or the immediate outcome which is the visible end result. The invisible forces which lies within and contribute the maximum, is not paid enough attention to future growth & development. As a result we are not able to develop High Performance Work Systems.