To cite a case study, I had a colleague at a senior level, an authority in his respective functional area. From the minutest details of his subordinates’ work to the global perspectives and trends, everything would be on the top of his mind. As a matter of fact, his strategic viewpoints were of immense value to the organisation, but he had a flipside too. His personality traits indicated extreme behaviour; he was extremely critical about the organisation and the people and would spread negative vibes. His loyalty to the organisation was although a suspect, his integrity was beyond doubt.
Citing another case study, this person had all good qualities of the first person cited, minus the negatives. He was always ready to deliver his best, cooperative with senior management and radiated positive energy.
Do the two situations sound familiar? In fact, these two extreme personalities are an integral part of every organisation. Of course, there could be many variants in between. We, as HR managers, face the dilemma of how to deal with such spectrum of personalities.
There is a saying, which when translated means “you should be prepared to take the kicks of a cow that gives you milk”. The managers bear since the person delivers value, but there needs to be a line somewhere. The best way to decide on how to draw the line is to adopt an uncompromising stand on your values. One would tolerate such a person as long as there is no infringement on the values of the organisation. Therefore, articulation of the set of organisational values and to demonstrate that we live them is extremely important to deal with such cases. I recommend that these values are made absolutely non-negotiable.
According to a definition, we would have four broad categories of employees. ‘Drivers’ are high performing individuals who strongly identify themselves with the company. They proactively seek opportunities to serve the mission of the organisation and are voluntarily willing to go the extra mile. Such people are willing to withhold criticism or are constructively critical for the good of the organisation. They do not require to be managed. Eventually, they lead the organisation. A ratio of over 30 per cent Drivers is good for a firm.
‘Critics’ are mentioned in the first paragraph. Apart from the performance part, they are just the opposite of drivers. However, opportunity lies in converting Critics into Drivers through various interventions like 360 degree or 180 degree feedback. Executive coaching has produced excellent results in this regard.
The third category is ‘Residents’. At the level of average or below performance, they are the happy and loyal group of employees. Although, it is difficult to convert them into Drivers, care should be taken so that they do not become the fourth category of employees, i.e. ‘Detached’. As HR managers, our effort to continuously expose them with performance-enhancing training should continue. ‘Detached’ or disconnected employees are those who are only physically present with the organisation. Ideally, not more than 20-25 per cent employees should fall in this category.
The above four categories are only illustrative. In practice, we shall find a continuum in characteristics between the four. Therefore, dealing with an individual would depend on up to what extent he or she is a Driver, a Critic, a Resident or Detached.
