4-Ps: Marketing to HR

The 4-Ps of Marketing, also known as ‘Marketing Mix’ is a concept being used in the business world since more than half a century. These 4-Ps have successfully played their roles in making companies successful in their businesses. Although, these 4-Ps, in last couple of years have lost their sheen to a major extent, as newer perhaps more relevant concepts have taken over, because business of today is different than before. We will discuss it, hopefully very soon separately.

Let us talk of other 4-Ps; perhaps more important than 4-Ps of Marketing in today’s context when India Inc is talking vociferously about ‘Talent’, more so about ‘shortage of Talent (??????).

What is Talent?

 As I see. “A person is a personality having a right mix of specific traits, which help him giving performance, in turn creating a positive perception about his potential for future”.  We can call this ‘person’ – an employee in an Organisation.

Therefore, if we dissect this definition (of mine about a employee/a person), we get 4-Ps- these are

·         Personality

·         Performance

·         Perception

·         Potential

If we look at the life cycle of an employee, it starts with his selling his personality at the time of interview; establishing himself by the virtue of his performance; in turn creating a positive perception for himself and grows further by exploring perceived potential. It means all 4-Ps are essential for an employee to be successful in his career. We can here draw an analogy with the 4-Ps of Marketing. However, let me explain 4-Ps of People here, first:

Personality:

Personality is made of various ‘traits’ in a person. However, in the context of an organisation, if certain traits are compatible with the requirement of an organisation, that particular person can easily sell himself to that organisation. It thus means all traits are important in a human being; only challenge is to establish compatibility between what is required and what is available in a person. A person having specific traits & attributes matching with the requirement of the organisation shall be seen having good leadership skills. These traits and attributes are very essential, as these guide a person’s behaviour in an organisation.

All efforts today are being made by organisations to create a unique culture comprised of unique composition of selective traits in their employees, so that they can command competitive advantage over their competition.

Performance:

Compatible traits help an employee to give his best possible performance to his organisation. Any mismatch shall lead to drop in performance and disengagement, leading to loss of productivity. Moreover, better the compatibility, better the achievement of KRAs/goals by an employee.

Perception:

Again, traits play a very important role about a person in an organization.  The very often used word ‘Leadership Skills’ are nothing but certain traits, valued by an organisation. Therefore, if an employee has all those traits which positively influence his catchment area, he builds a very strong perception about himself, eventually leading to his success in that particular organisation. Therefore, having traits which match with the requirement of an organisation is very critical for the success of an employee.

‘Compatible’ traits help in creating a positive ‘perception’ of an employee; making him successful.

Potential:

Potential of an employee is having all those traits and attributes which make him compatible with the need of an organisation at various hierarchical levels in an organisation, continuously. Traits at various levels of the hierarchy are different. It is therefore, very essential for an individual to keep an eye on the requirement of the company at senior levels and strive to build them, in case of not possessing them or exploit them in case of having them.

At no time an employee, I will suggest, should lose sight of the requirement of specific traits in an organisation – whether one does possess or does not possess.

In the last, these 4-Ps are the game changers. Because having these Ps shall ensure success to both – an individual and eventually to an organisation. So run, possess them, be successful and make your organisation successful which in turn will make you more successful. And the cycle goes on ..................................