Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force

Vijay P (33221), Karthik P(33218), Keyur M(33217), Mehul P(33219)

Marketing B – MBA-I

IDEA
CELLULA CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
R LTD.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 2
ORGANIZATION ARCHITECTURE............................................................ 3
ASSESSMENT....................................................................................................5
Existing Process.................................................................................................................................5
Self-Assessment................................................................................................................................7
Organizational-Assessment...............................................................................................................7

DIRECTION....................................................................................................... 9
Socializing.........................................................................................................................................9
Individual Career Counselling...........................................................................................................9
Career Information Services..............................................................................................................9

DEVELOPMENT.............................................................................................10
Development Action Plan................................................................................................................10
Mentoring........................................................................................................................................11
Job Enrichment................................................................................................................................11
Coaching..........................................................................................................................................11
Training programs...........................................................................................................................11
Job Rotation.....................................................................................................................................11
Tuition Assistance Program.............................................................................................................12

CONCLUSIONS...............................................................................................13
QUESTIONNAIRE.......................................................................................... 14

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 1

 INTRODUCTION

Idea Cellular Limited was incorporated in 1995. The company is among the top four mobile
telephony players in India with an 11 per cent all-India subscriber market share. More
importantly, it ranks third in terms of wireless revenue market share at 12.7 per cent. Idea
ranks second with 20.8 per cent revenue market share in nine service areas where it holds
900MHz spectrum and which derive 48 per cent of industry's gross revenues (based on gross
revenues for UAS and mobile licenses only, for December 2009 quarter, as released by
TRAI).

The market positioning of Idea reflects the strength of its brand considering the fact that Idea
added 14 out of its total 22 service areas in the past four years. Today it is a pan-India player
with commercial operations in all 22 service areas. Its subscriber base has grown multifold
from 7.37 million in March 2006 to 63.82 million in March 2010.

Idea holds 16 per cent stake in Indus Towers, a joint venture with other telecom majors
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone. Indus Towers is the world's largest tower company with over one
lakh towers. In 2007, Idea was listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE).

Idea enjoys a market leadership position in many of its operational areas. It offers GPRS on
all its operating networks for all categories of subscribers, and was the first company in India
to commercially launch the next generation EDGE technology in Delhi in 2003. As a pioneer
in technology deployment, it has been at the forefront through the adoption of bio fuels to
power its base stations, and by employing satellite connectivity to reach inaccessible rural
areas in Madhya Pradesh.

Idea has been a leader in the introduction of value-added services, and there are many firsts to
its credit, including a voice portal 'Say Idea', Idea TV, voice chat and instant messenger.
Tariff plans have been customer-friendly, catering to the unique needs of different customer
segments, for instance the 'Women's Card' caters to the special needs of women on the move,
and 'Youth Card' covers the emerging youth segment.

Idea has won numerous awards and is the only Indian GSM operator to win the prestigious
GSM Association Award consecutively in the best mobile technology category for the Best
Billing and Customer Care Solution both in 2006 and in 2007, even in the face of
international competition.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 2

 ORGANIZATION ARCHITECTURE

COO - Circle

Sales &
Marketing
Head

Regional Sales
Head

Zonal Business
Manager

Area Sales
Manager

Sales
Executives

Sales
Executives

Sales
Executives

Figure 1: Sales Hierarchy - Circle Level

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 3

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 4
 Managing Director

CMO
(Corporate Office)

VP Sales VP Sales
(Corp. Region 1) (Corp. Region 2)

Sales & Marketing

Head - Circle 1

Sales & Marketing

Head - Circle 2

Sales & Marketing

Head - Circle 3

Figure 2: Sales Hierarchy - Corporate Level

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 5

 ASSESSMENT

Existing Process

The system of Performance Management for an organisation is a strategic and integrated

process that establishes a culture of sustained success by improving the performance of the
people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of individual contributors and
teams. Performance Management,

 Aligns individual goals to organizational goals

 Is a tool to channel employee efforts in the right direction and get work done
 Ensures clarity of role to be performed
 Encourages feedback and creates an environment for development
 Facilitates better understanding and rapport between manager and team members
 Measures and assesses all performance against jointly agreed goals.

A comprehensive online portal - Pooranta is maintained by the company which functions as

the PMS as well as assessment and development tool for the employees.

Below is the assessment process followed at Idea Cellular Ltd.

Step 1
Annual Goal Setting

Step 2 Mid Year Review

Step 3 Annual Performance Review

Annual Goal Setting

a. In the months of April/May every year, after the annual planning and budgeting
rounds, all teams/team members will identify their KRAs and Goals for the
forthcoming financial year. This process will largely happen off-line.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 6

 b. An employee will then fill in his Goal Setting Document in the Poornata system,
listing the KRAs, KRA linked Goals, Measurement Criteria, Weightages and due date
for completion of specific goals.

c. He will then notify the same to his Manager/immediate supervisor and await
approval. The manager recommends any changes if required or else approves the
goals set in the document. The approval of the goals set by the Manager completes the
goal setting process.

d. The approved document is available to the employee as well as his manager for
reference throughout the year. This document can also be viewed by the manager’s
manager (Reviewer) for his indirect subordinates.

Mid-Year Review

a. Mid-year review of goals set at the beginning of the financial year will be held in the
months of October/ November every year. The Mid-Year review will be initiated by
the Manager.

b. The main focus of the mid-year review is to check if the goals set at the beginning of
the year are relevant or if they need to be revised or updated.

c. The mid-year review is also an opportunity for the manager and his team members to
identify and discuss about any performance issues, roadblocks and initiate corrective
action for the same The mid-year review does not entail any ratings.

Annual Performance Appraisal

a. Annual Performance reviews/ appraisals against goals set and achieved will be held
during the months of April- May every year.

b. The Annual appraisals will be for the previous financial year. The employee will
complete his appraisal against goals set, online in the Poornata System and submit the
same to his manager for review.

c. The manager will discuss the performance of the employee with him off-line, give
him feedback on his performance and capture his own comments and performance
ratings against goals and overall ratings in the manager’s evaluation form.

d. The Manager also discusses the employee’s performance as well as ratings with the
manager’s manager (reviewer) and sends the document to the HR department for
further processing.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 7

Self-Assessment

Other than the inbuilt methods for the employee to assess himself during the 2 reviews held
every year, also a skill repository is maintained at Poornata. The employee is to assess
himself on the following parameters –

a. Reviewing the goals that he/ she had set for himself
b. Reviewing Values: The is to review oneself on the 5 basic values of the ABG group
which are speed, seamlessness, integrity, commitment and passion
c. Training needs Identification
d. Career Aspirations
e. Other Comments

The manager then views the self-assessment conducted by the employee and does an
informal discussion the same before modifying it and sending it to the HR department for
finalization.

Organizational-Assessment

Performance Appraisal Process

The company maintains an extensive database of all employees. In this database the
employees can store and update information about them. The same is used while carrying out
appraisals.

The appraisals are done twice a year –

a. Mid-Year Review
b. Annual Performance Review

The grading scale while carrying out appraisals

Ratin Grade Parameter

g
1 FEE Far Exceeds Expectations (more than 120% achieved of the goal set)
2 EE Exceed Expectations (110-119% achieved of the goal set)
3 ME Meets Expectations (90-109% achieved of the goal set)
4 BE Below Expectations (60-89% achieved of the goal set)
5 FBE Far Below Expectations (less than 60% achieved of the goal set)

The allotment of grades to the employees is made so as to fit a Normal Distribution Curve.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 8

Succession Planning

Concept of Talent Pool

It is currently a pool of about 200 young professionals from various cadres of management
(middle and senior management). These professionals are selected after multiple
examinations and thorough testing. They are then groomed to take up roles of responsibility
either at the circle level or the corporate office as and when the need arises. The process to
select the candidates is as follows

a. The employee must have been with the organization for at least 3 years.
b. If the rating during the last 3 appraisals has been EE or above and has been FEE in the
last two appraisals then an employee is considered a prospect.
c. Once these set of employees is found, they are then analysed by taking them to
Assessment Centres. These assessment centres are maintained by the Aditya Birla
Group.
d. The employee is then made to go through a number of tests at these assessment
centres, few of which are – Case Study discussions, Role Play, Group Discussions
with/without leaders, Psychometric Tests etc.
e. Once a requirement emerges from any circle or from the corporate office for a
particular profile and if a match is found in the Talent Pool, the employee is provided
an opportunity to move into more challenging roles.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 9

 DIRECTION

Socializing
As part of the socializing process, every new employee is taken through an induction process
and also made to meet the various heads of departments and also vertical heads. Also various
videos are shown which include the address from the chairman Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla
and also on the ABG group as such. This instils a sense of pride in the employee. The
employee is also made to understand the various company policies and also the processes that
pre-exist in the company.

Another form of socializing is the annual All Team Meet conducted at the circle level. This
event brings all the employees at a common platform and is a place where the COO of the
circle discusses the performance of the circle as well as rewards employees for their
outstanding contribution.

Individual Career Counselling

Under a new initiative started at the corporate level, all the employees are to discuss their
long term aspirations (more than 3 years) and their short term aspirations (6 months) with
their managers on a quarterly basis. This new initiative is known as ‘INVEST’.

Career Information Services

Job Openings are made available on the internal portal as well as on notice boards in the
company office.

A Skills Inventory is maintained on the Poornata portal, where in an employee can mention
all if his/her skills. These include all the Licenses, Certifications, Memberships, Honours &
Awards, Languages, extra Educational qualifications. Also the employee can choose from a
list of over 500 other skills in various domains and also allot himself a level of

a. Advanced: I can do work on this skill independently

b. Experienced: I can do work independently and also teach & train others on this skill
c. Expert: I can do work independently, teach & train others and also make advanced
recommendations on this skill

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 10

 DEVELOPMENT

Development Action Plan

The process of trying to overcome ones weakness is the next phase. At Idea Cellular Ltd. a
DAP is to be prepared by all employees. A DAP is essentially a Development Action Plan. It
is put in place for any particular competency which has been identified as the focus area.

 Description
The following parameters must be entered in the description:
a. The required level : The level of the behaviour one is expected to display
b. The current level: The level of behaviour one is currently displaying
c. The desired level: The level that both employee and the manager have
mutually decided to be the target level for the competency that is desired
to develop
d. The development goals: Development goals need to be articulated i.e. the
purpose behind developing the competency. For e.g. if an employee has
taken communication as one of the competencies to be developed, then the
development goal could be - To make impactful presentations OR To be
effective in written communication

 Measurement
It contains the activities to be undertaken along with target completion dates. The
various steps to the process are –
a. The activities that one would undertake which will enable you to develop the
competency.
b. Indication of the timeline by when the activity will be complete. For e.g. if ones
development goal is to make impactful presentations, some of the activities one
might choose could include:
a. Read 2 books on communication & presentation skills – Dec 2010
b. Attend a training program – Jan 2011
c. Do an e-learning course – Feb 2011
d. Make 5 presentations on various topics to my manager, team member &
other colleagues & seek feedback – May 2011

 What will success look like: Express what would happen after the competency has
been developed.

 Due date:
The overall completion date for the DAP based on the activities identified.

Role of the manager

 Review of the self-assessment of the team member.
 Having a discussion with the team members & clearly expressing the rating to be
given for each competency along with reasons & critical incidents

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 11

  Finalising on the competency / competencies that he / she has to develop along with
the activities & timelines by discussing with the team member.

Mentoring
Mentoring is provided to only those who have been recruited from campuses under the
Management Trainee program. They are allotted mentors who are heads of a vertical any
other than their own. Also a co-worker who has already worked in the same zone earlier is
designated their buddy. The roles are very different of the buddy and the mentor. The mentor
provides professional help and shows the way around in the corporate world where as the
buddy helps acclimatize to the new place. Informal mentoring is not followed as such.

Job Enrichment
Sales team members have the opportunity to work in various CFT’s that are formed to solve
organizational and inter-departmental problems. Also they are made part of teams that take
up Black/ Green/ Yellow belt projects which not only give them a chance to provide critical
inputs but also help the organization to eliminate crucial bottlenecks. At the same time the
sales people also receive recognition for the same.

Coaching
The skill development of sales team members is not done directly by the managers but rather
through the various workshops organized by the Human Resource Department. These
workshops can be on Values and Ethics of the organization, Creativity & Problem Solving,
Conflict Resolution at work etc. So based on the managers perspective the employees are
nominated for these workshops.

Training programs
Regular training programs are organized for the sales teams on costing of products, basic
understanding of the network, selling strategies etc.

An E-Learning portal – Aditya Disha has been made available to all employees of ABG.
They can take up courses for improving soft skills as well as technical skills. Certificates of
successful completion are then issued to them. An interesting feature is that this portal is not
on the intranet but rather available to the employees at home also. The content is specially
prepared by experts for easy comprehension and learning.

Job Rotation
In most cases job rotation is allowed in the following cases:

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 12

 a. During the training period of the Management Training program
b. Employees selected in the talent pool
c. When certain vacancies develop overtime and they need to be filled temporarily
d. If the employee strongly wishes to change his/her vertical and the reporting managers
agree
e. As part of the career development for DGM and above ranking professionals.

Tuition Assistance Program

For all DGM level and above employees, they are entitled to attend MDP programs lasting up
to one month at select B Schools in India and abroad. The same facility is not available to the
sales people.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 13

 CONCLUSIONS
After analysing the career development programs for the sales team at Idea Cellular we have
concluded that the processes are more or less common for all the departments. The top
management are definitely serious about bringing in a positive change. At the same time the
managers need to be trained on the same so that best use can be made of all the resources
available to them. Every line manager must be made a HR manager as well to instil
responsibility for the development of ones sub-ordinates.

Some techniques not used, which could have been used for effective implementation of
career development programs are:

Assessment:
1. Career Workbooks are not readily available to all the sales team members. Also career
workshops are conducted only for those at the DGM level or above.
2. Assessment centres as a tool for evaluation is used only for the purpose of succession
planning and not for the career development of salespeople.
3. Psychological/ Psychometric testing is used only at the selection level

Directions:
1. We see a clear lack of a career centre for the sales team. One of the reasons could be
that since the sales teams are mostly located at the Zonal levels or district levels, it
becomes very difficult to provide the same kind of resources at all levels. Also in
most cases even a full-fledged office does not exist.
2. Career path is shown to the employee only during the induction process and it does
not come into the picture again.

Development:
All the techniques used are in their nascent stages only and need to be evolved over
time.

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 14

 QUESTIONNAIRE
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Job Profile:
Work Experience in Idea Cellular Ltd.(in months):
Total Work Experience (in months):

Q1) Performance assessment is needed in organization.

a) Strongly Agree b) Agree c) No view d) Disagree e) Strongly Disagree

Q2) Satisfied with the existing performance assessment system.

a) Strongly Agree b) Agree c) No view d) Disagree e) Strongly Disagree

Q3) What type of performance assessment program your organization follows?

a) Self-assessment
b) Organizational/ Managerial
c) Both
d) None
e) If any other, please specify………………………………………………

Q4) If answer to the above question is Self-assessment, then what are the modes of self-
assessment in your organization?

a) Workshops
b) Skills Assessment Exercise
c) Maintaining Interest Inventories
d) Prioritizing personal values

Q5) What type of training programs does your organization conduct?

a) Cross functional induction

b) Core sales training
c) Soft skills training

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 15

d) Any other, please specify………………………………………

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 16

Q6) How many training programmes do you attend in a year?

a) Less than 10
b) 10-20
c) 20-30
d) More than 30

Q7) Who conducts training in your organization for sales force?

a) Sales Manager
b) HR Manager
c) Both
d) None
e) Any other, please specify……………………………………….

Q8) How effectively has training increased your skill set on the scale of 1-5?

a) 5 (highest) b) 4 c) 3 d) 2 e) 1 (lowest)

Q9) Do you have a career development program in place?

a) Yes b) No

Q10) If Yes, what is the basic model of the development program?

Q11) Which is the most preferred tool for organizational assessment?

a) Metrics both Qualitative and Quantitative.

b) Assessment Centres
c) Performance Appraisal
d) Psychological Testing

Q12) Does your organization offers Management Development programs for succession
planning?
a) Yes
b) No

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 17

Q13) If yes, what kind of programs are they

a) Weekend Executive Programs

b) Full time Management Programs
c) 2-3 day’s programs organized by leading business schools
d) Any other, Please specify____________________

Q14) What, according to you, motivates your sales force?

a) Increment
b) Secure Employment
c) Designation
d) Promotion
e) Recognition
f) Creative and Challenging work
g) Role Expansion
h) Training and Development

Q-15) What elements of job interest your sales force and why?

Q-16) What elements of sales job do your employees find most difficult and why?

Q-17) Any other comments

Examining Career Development Programs for the Sales Force Page 18