“How Can HR Be Used As A Truly Strategic Function In Business Development?” Mr. Sujith Kumar, C.S. Head – H.R. and Administration, Indus Towers Ltd, Answers SCMS Cochin School of Business' Students

Mr. Sujith Kumar, C.S. Head – H.R. and Administration, Indus Towers Ltd recently addressed the students of SCMS Cochin School of Business where he talked about the highly relevant topic of Big Data In HR. There was a lot of anticipation about the session held on 12^th November, especially given that Indus Towers Ltd is a joint venture of the mobile giants Vodafone, Airtel and Idea and the prestigious winner of The Golden Peacock and L & D awards. And the talk with the seasoned professional, who had a lot of experiences to share, did not disappoint.

Mr. Kumar started his talk by focusing on the subject, “How can HR be used as a truly strategic function in business development?” The man who believes in inspiring young minds to build capabilities in human beings then went on to enthrall the audience with his 90 minutes’ speech. According to him, “The world is changing and so is the organization work ethic. HR function has changed and it’s not just based on what’s written in the CV. Organizations aren’t just hiring people for a job; they want people who are talented and have values.”

In fact, Mr. Kumar believes that Vision and Values are two things recruiters look for when hiring. He then advised the students about making an impression during the recruitment process when he said, “During interviews, one should present oneself with distinction and in a manner that sets him or her apart from other candidates in order to be a viable addition to the concerned company. When you display your vision and values to the fullest you will make the best impression.”

Mr. Kumar then went on to talk about the role of HR in an organization and stated that it could enhance business profitability if used in the right manner. For future HR managers in the audience, he had relevant advice. “You shouldn’t be sitting in your offices but make your presence felt on the shop floor interacting with employees to understand their perspective. You need to move from denominator managers to numerator managers. After all, you are one of the important pillars of the organization, which include Employees, Partners and Customers,” he added.

He called today’s HR managers as people managers because their main objective is to understand the pulse of people and knowing how they behave. Later talking about his own example and professional success Mr. Kumar said that his MBA degree wasn’t really instrumental in his career but his hard work definitely was. “But the world of HR has grown tremendously in last few years too and has evolved as strategic management. HR will become equal to the finance and marketing departments, which have a business impact,” he stated.

According to Mr. Kumar B Schools in the country also need to play their part in creating HR managers who are equipped to keep up with the changing role. He believes the curriculum needs to be practical and education should be experience based. “There is a lot of value to case-based learning and actual scenario assessment is absolutely vital for the present times. As a graduate you should build your core values and vision besides behavior, character, strong personality and honesty to make your mark,” he ended on a principled note.