Octapace Culture

Human Resource development deals with competence building, culture building and commitment building. Competence and commitment can be built on a continuous basis in a certain type of culture, if the milieu is good, a number of things can happen. Hence creating a culture becomes important in any organization. The HRD culture should have the following characteristics: 1. It should be a learning culture. 2. It should facilitate the identification of new competencies of people (individual and teams) on a continuous basis. 3. It should facilitate bringing out the hidden out the hidden potential and new talents of people. 4. It should help in developing new competencies. 5. It should have in-built motivational value. In other words, it should have a selfsustaining motivational quality. People are committed to what they do and they need not be told to act. They act. 6. It should enable people to take initiative and experiment. Initiative and experimentation are the corner stones for development. They enable individuals, teams and organizations to discover new potential in them. 7. It should bring joy and satisfaction in work. Work should not become a drudgery. Its made enjoyable by a good work culture. Relationships matter and have an enabling capability. 8. It should enhance creativity and the problem solving capabilities of people. 9. It should create team spirit and morale. 10. It should enhance the action orientation of individuals, dyads and teams. Such a culture is termed as OCTAPACE, an acronym for openness, collaboration, trust and
trustworthiness, authenticity, proaction, autonomy, confrontation and experimentation.

Openness is there where people (individuals, dyads, teams and all in the organisation) feel free
to express their ideas, opinions and feelings to each other irrespective of their level, designation. etc. There are no barriers to such expressions. They are encouraged to express and are heard. Their views are taken seriously. Such expression provides an opportunity for individuals to explore their own talents. The organisation handles these expressions for discovering new ways of doing things, for discovering new potential and for taking actions based on the real internal talent of the organisation. There are only some views that can get finally accepted and tested or put to action. That does not disappoint those whose views are not put into action. They continue to contribute as such contribution is a way of life.

Collaboration is the culture where people (individuals, dyads, teams and the organizations as a
whole) are eager to help each other. There is a spirit of sacrifice for the sake of each other and

larger goals. Personal power is played down and people are governed by larger goals like the goals of the organisation, country and humanity. People are willing to go to any extent to help each other to make sure that the larger organisational goals do not suffer. Particularly, the organisational goals govern the decision making and people do not have narrow departmental or team loyalties when they are required. There are fewer overheads in resolving interdepartmental conflicts. The We feeling is of the highest order. Team spirit is high. Intradepartmental loyalties do not come in the way of interdepartmental collaboration. Cohesiveness of small groups has an enabling and empowering effect on building organisational identity and cohesiveness.

Trust and trustworthines deal with a culture of people believing each other and acting on the
basis of verbal messages and instruc tions without having to wait for written instructions or explanations. There is no need for monitoring and controls. There are no overheads to check if people mean what they say. The word given by individuals, dyads, or teams is relied on. In such a culture, both trust and trustworthiness are of the highest order. To create a culture of mutual trust, a culture of trustworthiness is essential. If every individual becomes trustworthy, trust automatically follows Trust puts the onus on the person who is the recipient of the promise or word given.

Trustworthiness puts the onus on the person who makes the promise or gives his word. Both aspects are equally important and they are two sides of the same coin. To build one the other is required. Authenticity is speaking the truth fearlessly and keeping up the promises made. It is indicated by the extent to which people mean what they say and do what they say. In a way, it is of a higher order than trust and trustworthiness. Individuals, dyads and teams can be counted upon not to make false promises. They never promise or commit to things just to please others. They also make full efforts to implement their promises. They do not need any follow-up and if they fail to deliver, it is understood that it is due to some extraordinary, circumstances beyond their control. A Proactive culture promotes initiative and exploration on the part of all employees. A proactive culture encourages every one to take initiative and make things happen. New activities and new ways of doing things are encourage Such proaction can be in any area including role making (giving new interpretations to ones role for achieving organisational or team goals), role taking (taking new initiatives, initiating new activities, changing the old methods of work), work methodology, cost reduction, quality improvements, culture building, HRM, etc. Autonomy is present if every role-holder in the organisation, irrespective of his level, has some scope to use discretion in his job. The discretion may be in terms of work methods, decision thinking, communication or any such area. There should be scope to choose,

ones activities and role. It can be 10 per cent of the time or 20 percent. The greater the freedom to choose what one wants to do what way one wants to do it, the higher the autonomy/Autonomy has been found to characterise most academic and research institutions. This is very critical for bringing out academic excellence. Knowledge workers, the IT industry and R&D departments thrive as a result of this. Confrontation is the culture of facing issues squarely. People discuss issues with very little fear of hurting each other. Even if one may have to hurt the other, the issue is handled and not put under the carpet. People can be relied upon to treat issues not as a personal assault but as focus areas needing improvement. This culture enhances the problem-solving ability.

Experimentation is the orientation on the part of the employees to try out new ways of

doing things and take new decisions. It characterises a risk-taking culture in the organisation. Without risk, there is no growth. Without experimentation, there is very little scope for renewal, rejuvenation and simplification of life. Openness and confrontation go together. Autonomy and collaboration go together. Trust and authenticity go together. Proaction and experimentation go together. Thus, these four pairs are the four corner stones of HRD culture. When these values are practised in an organisation, they become a part of life and are likely to get the best out of people. Human potential gets developed to the maximum extent and people competencies are utiised to the maximum.

IMPORTANCE OF TOP MANAGEMENT STYLES IN BUILDING CULTURE An OCTAPACE culture can be built only by an enlightened top management. Top
management refers to all those who are decision makers and event makers in the organisation. This includes the owners, board of directors, unit heads, heads of departments and even sectional heads. It also includes office bearers of unions and associations. All heads in formal and informal organisations who have the capability to influence the course of action of the organisation, its units, subsystems or functions, can be considered as top-level managers. It is these influential people who set the tone for creating an OCTAPACE culture. They do it through the roles they perform or do not perform and the

styles with which they perform these roles. Their style of functioning has a larger impact on culture creation. Indian managers have been found to exhibit the following styles (Rao, 1986):
Benevolent or paternalistic style

This style is indicated by a belief and behaviour that treat all subordinates affectionately like a parent or father figure treats his children. In this style, the manager is highly
relationship-oriented, treats his subordinates with affection, takes care of their needs, rewards and punishes employees on the basis of relationships, is protective, and a giver of resources. His general belief is that the paternalistic style is the one that gets people to work. He believes in generating loyalty and getting work done through admiration for or himself and the fear of losing favours. He guides his employees constantly, decides more often what is good for them and what is not, corrects their mistakes and salvages the situation, is always available when they are in trouble, gives his judgements about who is right and who is wrong when two or more parties are in conflict, generates resources for the employees, distributes favours on the basis of his likes and dislikes, and is primarily governed by relationships, though tasks are important.

Such a style, I have found through research, creates feelings of dependency and high-relationship orientation. The work culture is good, but it lasts as long as the boss lasts. The absence of the boss is felt strongly as people are accustomed to work to please him. Personal loyalties govern the actions more than organisational loyalties. However, in crisis situations, these managers do extremely well and people stand by them. Such a style promotes OCTAPACE only to some extent. Trust and trustworthiness is elicited by the leader alone and others may have difficulty in getting trust and trustworthiness from the same group.

Critical style This style is the second-most frequently exhibited style. Those with this style are of the Theory X type. They believe in close supervision and constant monitoring. They perceive employees as those who avoid work, and hence, impose close supervision. They are oriented towards meeting short-term goals. They want immediate results and are impatient. They criticise, reprimand and provide directions more frequently, to control and influence employee behaviour. They cannot tolerate mistakes and complain bitterly if conflicts arise. They are even willing to take action on the erring parties. They have a very low tolerance for mistakes. They tend to use punishment and fear more than reward and encouragement. They are quite directive in their approach. They constantly monitor their employees. Such styles have been found to create

morale problems and motivational issues. The OCTAPACE culture gets least developed in units, departments and functions with such leaders. Developmental style This style is the third style of management. It is highly mature style and can be considered as the real HRD style of management. Research shows that the top managements of most Indian companies profess this style, few practice it fully, and even fewer are perceived as practising it. In this style, the manager believes in empowering the

subordinates or the employees who work with her to such an extent that they become fully autonomous and independent in working out their growth and competence. Such managers believe that people are generally responsible and the best way to get their commitment is to build their competence. These managers, therefore, believe that their main job is to build the competence of their staff. They invest a lot of their time in competence, culture and commitment building. These managers are system-oriented and very professional. They are more guided by the long-term interests of the organisation or the unit than short-term results. They prefer that employees learn from their mistakes and resolve conflicts on their own. They also devote their time on empowerment. Such a style has been found to create an OCTAPACE culture to a great extent.

AUDITING THE HRD CULTURE

The extent to which an OCTAPACE culture exists in an organisation can be studied using simple HRD climate questionnaires and surveys This can also be assessed during interviews. The following questions can be asked for auditing HRD culture: Openness to what extent do people (employees) feel free to express their views and opinions? Are they encouraged to do so? Is the organisation known to cash on the ideas, views and opinions of employees? Do people feel that they are contributing their best by open expression of ideas?

Collaboration Is there a culture of collaboration and teamwork? Is there a we feeling among different teams? Is there a culture of synergy in the organisation? Do people try to help each other? Trust and trustworthiness What is the extent to which people honour their commitments? Do people trust each other? Is there a lot of supervision and monitoring? Is there a culture where people can be counted upon to carry out what they say? Do people carry out what they say?

Authenticity Do people say what they mean? Are people authentic in their approach?

Proaction Are employees encouraged to take the initiative? What is the extent to which proaction takes place? Can the culture be characterised as a proactive culture?

Autonomy
To what extent do people, at all levels, have the scope to take decisions on their own? Is there some freedom available at each level to-undertake new activities? Is there freedom at each level to use ones discretion?
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Is there freedom at each level for exercising some amount of autonomy and creating ones own role? Confrontation Does the culture encourage open discussion of issues and problems? Are people habituated to discuss and resolve issues openly? Is there a problem-solving culture or approach? Experimentation what is the extent to which employees are encouraged to experiment with new ideas? Do employees take risks? Is the organisation known to encourage innovations? These are a few illustrative questions. The audit can also focus on collecting anecdotes, stories and information about critical incidents.

AUDITING THE STYLES OF THE TOP MANAGEMENT

The effectiveness of various HRD systems and the extent to which they are likely to get

the desired results depend upon the style of the top management. In a research study of the effectiveness of HRD implementation, Nagabrahmam (1980) found that department heads had a high degree of moderating effect on the effective implementation of HRD systems. Their styles seemed to make a tremendous impact. Thus, any HRD audit has to take into consideration the styles of the top management and whether or not they are congruent with the HRD philosophy. While the developmental style is most congruent with HRD philosophy, other styles may have to be used occasionally depending on the situation, person and nature of issue. While a developmental and empowering philosophy should constitute the core of the styles, effective use of the other styles may be needed to run the system or its subsystems. In case of lack of congruence, the audit should indicate the currently dominant styles used by most managers and their impact on the people. The Leadership Styles Questionnaire described can be used to selectively measure these styles. If practical considerations such as cost and feasibility, affect such a detailed study of the styles, the auditors can interview employees about the styles of the top-level managers. If a 360degree feedback system is in operation, and it focuses on leadership, the auditor may have an opportunity to study the congruence of the leadership styles with the HRD philosophy.) The following method may be used for assessing leadership styles. Step 1 First determine and draw out a list of strategically important individuals in the organisation who seem to influence its decision making, systems and various processes. Specially select those who seem to determine or influence the values and culture of the organisation. Such a list can be drawn in consultation with the top management or by the HRD department itself. Step 2 Administer the questionnaire to these key individuals. Take their consent to collect 360degree feedback on them to find out their styles. Step 3 Collect the questionnaire for 360-degree feedback. Tabulate the data and draw conclusions about the congruence of their style with the HRD implementation in their units or functions. In case it is not feasible to study the styles by a questionnaire, interview the managers, individually and in groups, to ascertain the style of management and how it is influencing competence, culture and commitment building in the organisation. Give special focus to

the OCTAPACE culture and see which styles are facilitating it and which ones are blocking it. Names of individuals should not be reported in the audit report, unless a conscious decision is made to study individual styles. Even if individuals are studied, the
reporting should be on trends in the company rather than on individuals. The individual data should be given only to the concerned individuals.

Step 4
Make observations about the style of the top management and its implications for creating both a learning and HRD culture. Specially comment on: (i) the general beliefs and attitudes of top -level managers with regard to people and the HRD function, and (ii) their style of assigning tasks, monitoring performance, managing mistakes and conflicts as well as rewards and punishments, communicating the vision, sharing information and so on.

Step 5
Suggest mechanisms to improve the HRD styles so that they facilitate the HR function and are congruent to the HR philosophy and outcomes. The HRD score card takes into consideration the extent to which the managerial and supervisory staff exhibit an empowering (developmental) style, and the extent to which such styles are integrated into the culture and values of the organisation.

CONCLUSION
The culture of any organisation has a tremendous impact on its success and therefore, culture building is a critical function. It is the top management and other influential people in the organisation who create an OCTAPACE culture through their roles and styles of functioning. Indian managers have been found to exhibit benevolent or paternalistic, critical (autocratic and coercive) and developmental (participative and empowering) styles. Of these, the developmental style is the most conducive for creating an OCTAPACE culture. The OCTAPACE culture can be called the HRD culture and the developmental style the HRD style. HRD audit attempts to assess both the culture and style. If the style is not developmental, the HRD culture may be difficult to establish and the HRD systems and strategies may have limited impact. HRD audit includes interviews, questionnaires and observation on the basis of which consultants suggest mechanisms to improve the HRD style and make it more facilitating and congruent to HR philosophy and outcomes. An appropriate HRD culture carries with it HRD values and integrates into it empowering or developmental styles of managers. The HRD score card therefore emphasises HRD culture and values.

OCTAPAC CULTURE

Openness Creation of a situation or evolution of a culture conducive to free

flow of communication, upward, downward and horizontal

Confrontation A healthy exercise for removing barriers to

communication leading to prevention of conflicts on account of misunderstandings and distorted perceptions.

Trust Basis for all meaningful and healthy interpersonal communication. Authenticity- Facts supported by evidence. Proaction An ability to draw right inferences and to start working for the
desired future.

Autonomy- The ultimate form of faith in individual and the realization that he
is the basic component of a living organization.

Collaboration The best from each for the good of all.