Organising and Staffing Programmes and Projects - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 206

improvement or change at the suggestion of people can be of great consequence
compared to the most revolutionary new idea suggested by a top boss. People get
charged when they see that their advice matters. It is a mark of respect to them. It
opens them out to new and innovative ways of working.
An organisation must concentrate on the strength of its people rather than be
obsessed with their weaknesses. It is unlikely that the persons working in an or-
ganisation will be in their formative years. They will remain what they are. It is
the strengths in them that should be harnessed in the interest of the organisation. A
person values doing what he has the most competence to do. It fires him up.
People must be constantly trained and re-trained; their skills updated, and op-
portunities for advancing their careers must be provided. A feeling of growth and
development is necessary for all humans. One way to grow is to let them start low.
Having once worked at lower level, a manager will have a better understanding of
the grassroots work realities, and will be better equipped to appreciate his people's
work.
Proper delegation and clear job definition go a long way in making a person an
effective contributor to his organisation. Delegation is not just preparing a chart of
duties and handing it over. It is a long process of constant interaction between the
delegator and the person being delegated, starting with assigning mutually under-
stood goals and deadlines, and following through constant assessment, interaction,
and guidance. In spite of delegation, the delegator must still remain accountable for
performance, or else delegation degenerates into relinquishment.
Continuous assessment of the performance of people is a key function of the man-
agement in an organisation. Multiple, ever-changing, evolving, and diverse methods
of assessment should be followed so that any particular method of assessment does
not become a goal in itself. People should think in terms of both the criteria em-
bedded in assessment tests, and the mission and value system of the organisation. It
is a good idea to let people assess themselves on a numerical graded scale (Tables
8.2 , 8.3 , 8.4 , and 8.5 ), followed by moderation by their superiors. The results of an
assessment should be let known to the assessee in all details with reasons for high
or low score. The standards and criteria of assessment, and of performance, must be
practical, achievable, and yet high enough to match the expectations of the organisa-
tion. These should have a priori been thoroughly explained to the people for whom
these are meant, and agreed to by them.
An assessment score should not be an end in itself. It should be followed up
with, and linked to, a comprehensive programme of selecting, assigning, tutoring,
counselling, and coaching of people to develop further competence and skills. Per-
formance management should aim at improving everyone in the organisation, not the
selected few. The organisation's standing is not determined by the brilliant few or the
laggards, it is the average person's level of performance that counts. All performance-
incentive programmes should be broad, covering most or as many of the people as
possible.
A golden rule is to maintain a high level of sensitivity towards the personal dignity
of the people. People must be visited at their work site and not called into the office
of the manager; they must have all the facilities at their work place to make them feel
decent and comfortable. The wide difference in level of facilities—such as private