A Leading Indian retail house drives organization performance by building specialization

A leading Indian retail house had developed a unique brand identity in the country and commanded a loyal customer base. With the opening of the retail sector the organization faced the challenge of competition and growth. Its employee base which was traditionally attuned to working with craftsmen and servicing its niche market, was not adequately prepared to deal with the challenges of a competitive retail market space. The organization was looking to build team capability and further specialization and performance in line with its strategy of retail growth.

We met with the client and suggested development of functional competencies and an integrated performance and talent management system based on competencies to further the organization performance. The project involved working with the leadership to understand implications of the business strategy on people capability and working with functional expert panels to develop competencies across sales, sourcing and business support functions. The defined competencies were mapped to positions in each function. A multi source feedback process was implemented to assess the staff and identify gaps in capabilities for each position. The competencies were integrated into the selection, internal deployment and performance management process to institutionalize and holistically integrate the HR processes.

The client has incorporated the position profiles into their custom built ERP and they serve as the basis of all decision making in HR. The identified capability gaps are being bridged through competency based learning interventions and targeted hiring.