Learner’s Submission: Potential Users of RBME System in Ethipoia

“Currently I am not working for any organization starting from January, 01 2014. So, it is hard for me to answer this question in the way it is presented above. I will use general idea to answer the question. Or use my past organization project without naming the organization. For me the potential users of Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation system in any organization are all stakeholder’s involved in the programme or project.

1. Beneficiaries of the project are the one best benefited from RBME system. If there is good Monitoring and Evaluation system in any organization, resources planned for the project will be delivered for the intended activities. This is through tracking activities routinely whether they are going as planned and identifying gaps. If gaps are identified early, corrective measures will be taken and beneficiaries receive good quality services. Beneficiaries also used the service in timely manner if there is results based monitoring system.

2. Implementing Agency: – Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation system is useful for implementing agency. The result obtained from RBME can reveal how far and we the project is on progress. If there are deviations from initial planning, corrective measures will be taken before it further negatively affects the results that are expected from the project. It also can show the quality of the project staffs. If the staffs have no good quality or expertise in areas of the project, good quality deliverables will not be expected. So, after evaluation knowledge gaps can be identified and capacity building training can be given for staffs.

3. Government Bodies: – RBME system will also useful for government bodies. Policy makers can use to design policy options for real problems existed in community by using the results as input after monitoring and evaluation. They also use it for panning human resource. For instance the project in which I was worked constructed preparatory school at district level. After RBME the education sector planned to deploy teachers for the coming year in which they have no plan to employ teachers.

4. Donors: – Donors use RBME for a number of reasons. The result can show donor agency how well their money is used for the intended activities. They use the best learned for similar project implementing elsewhere. Furthermore, they can use as reason to increase future funds for the implementing agency for project extension or other projects to be implemented in the area. In the same project I worked before, the donor increased the amount of money from 8 million in ETB to 68 million after RBME.

5. Other Agencies: – Other agencies who are working in similar projects can use best earned from the project. The school that is constructed in my past organization has quality and to the standard set by the education sector. So, the government and other nongovernmental organizations who are working on construction can use it as mode.” – Bari Oljira Hunde – Batu, Oromia, Ethiopia

Learner’s Submission: Knowledge Management in Indian Public Sector Banks

“The purpose of this article is to discuss on the various aspects of Knowledge Management practices in the Indian Public Sector Banks.

At the outset, let me explain what Knowledge Management is all about. Knowledge Management refers to a multi-disciplined approach to achieve organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge. It is the collection of processes such as acquiring, creating and sharing knowledge and the cultural and technical foundations that support them.
Benefits of Knowledge Management
An effective Knowledge Management program has got following benefits to the organisation-

• Foster innovation by encouraging the free flow of ideas
• Improve customer service by optimising various processes
• Streamline operations and reduce costs
• Enhance employee retention rates by recognizing the value of employees’ knowledge and rewarding them for it

Banks and financial institutions rely on gathering, processing, analyzing and providing information in order to meet the needs of their customers. Banks were among the early adopters of Information and Communication Technologies. The visible benefits of ICT in day-to-day banking in India are quite visible. Implementation of Core Banking Solution, ATM, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, RTGS (Real-time Gross Settlement), NEFT(National Electronic Fund Transfer) etc. have enabled Indian Banks to manage increased transaction volume with large customer base in a very efficient, accurate manner leading to high level of customer satisfaction.
Fast-changing technology, rising customers expectations and tough completion from private & foreign players have led Public Sector Banks in India to grow up in every aspects, including knowledge management, during the last decade.
Public Sector Banks are trying their best to attract and retain the best talents in the industry. Just attracting & retaining the best talents is not enough. Banks are implementing strategies to utilise these talents in the very interest of the organisation. For doing so, banks have implemented State-of-the-art Infrastructures in their Banks. Banks have re-engineered/optimised various business processes. Banks also try to effectively share/spread the knowledge throughout the Bank. The processes of knowledge management in various Public Sector Banks in India are almost similar. Most Banks adopt some or all of the following measures for managing knowledge in their organization:

Orientation/Induction Training for new recruits- Banks conduct Orientation Programme or Induction Programme for all the new recruits to apprise them of the history, culture, strengths etc. of the Bank.

Training- Banks provide training to their Employees through Bank’s own Staff Training Colleges (STCs), as well as through external training provided by premiere banking institutes like Institutes for Research and Development in Banking Technology(IDRBT), Hyderabad, National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), Pune, Bankers’ Training College(BTC), Mumbai etc.
Mentoring-One senior executive (normally Chief Manager & above) acts as a mentor to a new recruit for a specific period (normally one year). The mentor trains/grooms the new employee on technical/business/functional knowledge/skills.
Brain storming session- Banks conduct brain-storming sessions on specific topics related to various banking/business/customer service etc. among staff members from different departments to generate new/innovative ideas to improve existing processes.
Review Meetings- Periodic Review Meetings (Quarterly/Monthly) are held in every departments/branches/offices to review the business position/progress of the branch/department. The minutes of the important Meetings are circulated to various employee groups of select departments/executives.
Quality Circles/Professional Circles-Voluntary groups of 3 or 4 Employees form a Quality Circle/Professional Circle & give Presentations to other Employees/Executives on a specific topic normally to improve a process/quality or provide a new idea or concept.
Intranet/eLearning/Knowledge Portals- Banks implement Intranet/eLearning/Knowledge Portals, which contain Bank’s internal circulars, policy documents, manuals etc.
Internal Magazines/News Letters-Banks publish (quarterly/monthly) magazines (usually on Banking, IT, Risk management, Economic Research etc.) where respective department contributes articles for the benefit of all employees.

Conclusion:

As Reserve Bank of India is in the process of licensing some new banks next year and a large number of experienced bankers of PSBs are due for retirement in near future, there would be a lot of pressure on Public Sector banks to retain the existing talents. Indian Public Sector Banks need to explore newer and faster ways to upgrade/manage Knowledge across the Banks for the benefit of all stake holders (Employees/Customers/Government/Investors etc.).” – Srihari Subudhi – New Delhi, India

Learner’s Submission: Talent Management in Public Sector Banks in India

“The purpose of this article is to discuss on the topic of Talent Management in the Public Sector Banks in India.

The talent in an organization refers to the employees and their knowledge, skills, experiences and competencies etc. Talent management in an organization is the ongoing process of analyzing, developing and effectively utilizing the talent to improve business value and to achieve the organizational goals. Everything done to recruit, retain, develop, reward and make the employees perform forms the process of talent management.

In India, the banking sector is dominated by the Public Sector Banks. There are, at present, 26 Public Sector Banks, with 73% of market share of assets and 83% of branches.

With the financial reforms during early 1990s, followed by implementation of high-end technologies by the public sector banks during the last decade, the talent management in these Banks has become a very challenging issue.  For the organizations like Banks, the employees are the best assets. The process of talent management, which is in practice, in the public sector banks (PSBs) may be discussed in the following steps.

The Various Steps in Talent Management in PSBs

• Workforce Planning:

Banks plan for the number of officers/clerks etc. required at the beginning of the financial year, depending on the business plan of expansion (new branches/offices to be opened), number of employees likely to retire during the year, etc.

• Recruitment:

Based on the number of vacancy decide, Banks recruit in different Scales/Grades through IBPS (Institute for Banking Professional Selection). IBPS conducts written test, interview etc. for the new recruits on behalf of the PSBs (except SBI) in a very transparent manner & allots the new recruits to various banks based on merit and the candidate’s choice.

• Promotion:

Internal vacancies are filled up through promotions to the higher grade, normally based on the last 3 years annual appraisal, written test/GD/Interview as applicable. The promotion is fairly done on merit basis.

• Training & Performance Support:

Banks provide training to the new recruits/existing employees in the Banks’ own training colleges (called Staff Training Colleges) or through external training by nominating employees to various training institutes like NIBSCOM, Noida, NIBM, Pune, IDRBT, Hyderabad, Banker’s Training College, Mumbai. Banks also nominate employees for various Seminar/Workshops/Trainings conducted abroad.

Banks also publish all their circulars, manuals, job cards, policy documents, banking news etc in the bank’s Intranet site which helps in keeping employees up-to-date. Some banks have even implemented a separate knowledge portal or eLearning portal which can be accessed by the employees from the office through the Intranet and also from home through the Internet.

In order to promote business knowledge, Banks also encourage their employees to do courses like JAIIB & CAIIB (from Indian Institute of Banking & Finance, Mumbai) and grant additional increments on passing these examinations. Banks also reimburse the examination fees & offer one time honorarium (a fixed amount) to the employees for passing various diploma and certificate examinations in banking (from IIBF, Mumbai). Some banks also offer reimbursement of exam fees (along with an honorarium amount) to employees who pass examinations like CISA, CCNA, CCNP etc.

• Compensation & Benefits

Banks offer competitive pay packages to attract the best talents. The pay scale is fixed for various grades/scales. Apart from Salary, the employees are also paid for leased accommodation (or HRA), Leave Fare Concession (LFC) every 2 years, Conveyance, telephone at residence, furniture at residence, pension (now new pension scheme), newspaper, medical expenses, etc.

Banks are also offering additional incentives for recovery of NPAs, meeting the targets of selling of insurance policies, etc.

Conclusion:

Gone are those days when an employee in a PSB was retiring from the same bank after serving the bank for 30 to 40 years. With enough options for career, today an employee leaves a particular public sector bank just because some other bank offers him/her posting near his/her home town or a private bank offers a better pay package. Some employees even after putting their service for 15-20 years in a public sector bank may switch to academic profession or join a consulting firm for better opportunities. Statistics reveal that the attrition rate in Public Sector banks in recent years is quite alarming. Public Sector Banks need to understand the prevailing dynamics & align their policies to include faster promotion, transfers as per Employees’ choice, better incentives & recognition for good work in order to attract the new talents to their banks as well as to retain the talents. There is lot of scope for the public sector banks to manage their talents more professionally.” – Srihari Subudhi – New Dhelhi, India

Learner’s Submission: Media Channels in Ethiopia

“There are different Medias in Ethiopia, which helps to provide different information’s about different issues. There are an e- government that helps the public sector organization to access information for the society. Thus, e-government can be used to provide access to government information and delivery of public services to citizens, and all other business partners and stakeholders including private sectors. E-government is citizen-centric.

According to the Institute for development Policy and Management (2008), “e-government is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the activities of public sector organizations”. Heeks (2008) explains that e-government covers the following three main areas:

• Improving government process / e-Administration by making processes time and cost effective, managing process performance, making strategic connections in government, and creating empowerment;
•  Connecting citizens (e-Citizens and e-Services) by providing citizens with public sector activities details, increasing citizen input into government decisions and actions and improving public services;
• Building external interactions by creating an e-Society, that involves improved relationships between public agencies and other public and private companies, interaction between government and business (Heeks, 2008). E-government requires internet-based technologies to provide facilitated access to government information and services, and citizens and enterprises engagement through e-government portals as a collective vision of all government activities.

In our country, Ethiopia, there are a lot of government web sites that access data for various users. And there are rules and regulations in accessing these government portals. They are all subject to the different terms and conditions. For example, they may require our agreement to access and use the site only for lawful purpose.

And during my working and education life I used different government portals for research and general knowledge purpose. And as a legal user of the website, I accept and agree the terms and conditions of the site. As the same time I compelled my self to comment the real situations, which I believe contribute for the development of the country. And I respect an international copyright law.” – Hiwotie Walelign Alemu – Amhara Management Institute, Ethiopia

Learner’s Submission: HRCD in the Public Sector in Italy

As an HR manager, how are your country’s top leadership and development vision linked to Human Resource Capacity Development in the Public Sector?

“My country is Italy, a modern state where “public workers” are about 5.5 percent of the population and in which the focus on Human Resources has been increasing for some time.

I belong to the Ministry of Defense and serving in my organization, at my level, and I’m both a leader and a manager, constantly committed to apply the strategic guidelines and the directives coming from the Country’s top leadership.

Nowadays in the Italian Public Administration it’s easy to observe that a large interest in the Human Resource Capacity Development is definitely present and it is absolutely not difficult to find references to it among the HR sectors of the various PA branches.

The leaders of the Country, through the Public Administration Department, have conceived a new vision and developed new measures for PA, which will make the managers more accountable to the organization they manage, more responsible for the employees they lead and more answerable to the people they serve, focusing on HRCD. The aim is to grow up productivity, reduce administrative burden, and improve public services in order to provide the Country with an important contribution to the relaunch of the economy and its growth, offering also quality services to the citizens.

It is possible to point out the some key factors in the development vision:

• transparency;
• meritocracy;
• efficiency & effectiveness;
• costs reduction & wastes abolition.

The way we can link this development vision to the Human Resource Capacity Development is neither simple, nor easy; nevertheless it is necessary to specify that it has to include a deep maneuver which starts from the innovation of the school system: a new liaison between the educational structure (Universities in particular) and the Public Administration needs to be enforced, in order to facilitate access to PA for the best minds.

Some changes in the personnel selection procedures are already visible, however more effort are needed for the enhancement of career progression scheme and economic incentives assignment. This because the importance of motivation and enthusiasm at work has been fully understood, so it is essential to have both: a reward system which awards the deserving as well as managers who are able to establish positive, constructive relations with their employees, who form the «human capital», paying attention to them and trying to increase their productivity. Moreover severe disciplinary measures have to be applied to balance and harmonize the reward system.

A continuous assessment process is also required: this is often the only way to understand how to adjust the performance of a single worker, to help him (or her) to develop his/her own capabilities through training, but also allows the evaluation of an entire unit in the PA in relation to that single employee.

All these measures will induce the public workers to make major efforts; if we want to have the best workers (or just better workers) we must have good managers and leaders, so the first step is “to learn how to manage”. Training is a focal point and fortunately several training centers are already operational and work in accordance with the Human Resource Capacity Development standards. Investments in personnel training have to increase constantly, because knowledge and skills are indispensable to have an efficient Public Administration.

The path could not be so long. Time will answer our doubts.” – Fabio Marotta – Piedimonte Mantese, Italy