Holly MacDonald of Spark + Co. http://www.sparkandco.ca/home/, wrote a blog post http://sparkyourinterest.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/questions-im-no-longer-answering/ that inspired me to write this post.
Holly and I met for the first time over coffee last month, but had some awareness of each other because of our work in HR/OD and Training. We had a lively discussion about the various approaches to HR/OD and Training that we encounter when talking to managers about what those professions have to offer and when talking to employees that find themselves in ‘learning opportunities’ that are required by their management team. I also belong to several LinkedIn groups that are oriented to those professions and have encountered some members that post interesting articles and comments and some that make me wonder if we live on the same planet. Yes, this post is going to talk about my favorite HR, OD and Training competency-collaboration.
In one LinkedIn group the members tend to have discussions that use purely academic information and terminology that is specific to the OD profession but is rarely used in business. The discussions rarely even skirt the very real concept that business executives need to hear specifically and in the language of business how the theories will perform in their business. In other words, how will this affect our bottom line, how will this help us attract and retain the best employees, and how will this aid us in representing our business to the external world.
As Holly mentioned in her blog it is not unusual for managers to tell a Trainer or HR person that their staff or a staff member “needs training” in some area. If the HR, OD or Training Professional starts asking the right questions it often becomes apparent that it isn’t training that is required but something else entirely; or that training is required but it isn’t the training the manager thought was needed. Yet how many HR or Training professionals simply say-okay, and go ahead and organize whatever course the manager first suggested without ever investigating what is really going on? If our conversations with employees who find themselves in not so helpful courses are any indication it still happens more than it should.
Perhaps I have been more shocked by the negativity towards HR Professionals exhibited in some of the online forums on LinkedIn by people who describe themselves as OD Professionals. In my opinion, OD Professionals should be people oriented and that means respectful. Is the HR profession in need of upgrading, sure, and many of you who read my blog know what I think about that-but the vitriol expressed by some of the OD Professionals, often in language that few outside the profession would even understand or relate to, crosses a line. OD Professionals that use elitist terminology and denigrate people who don’t meet their idea of perfection are not, in my opinion professionals at all. One of the key competencies for HR, OD and Training professionals is collaboration and this must cross all cultural and organizational boundaries. From a business perspective, having HR, OD and Training professionals work together, collaboratively, makes sense. Maybe in 2011 we can start to work together and demonstrate respect through the way we treat each other.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Social Media-The Human Factor
Having read literally thousands of articles, blogs, opinions, comments, several books on Social Media and had many face to face conversations on the topic I recently began to think more in depth about the human factor in using Social Media in Organizations. This may seem like an obvious aspect to think about yet when I review everything so far one thing becomes clear, most of the information talks about how to use the tools, how to apply the tools to further your business, how one should think, behave, brand and represent yourself and your organization in the realm of Social Media networks. In other words like so many introductions to change, it is all about how, what and why you ‘should’ use Social Media but largely skims over personal preferences in how we interact with others and how we learn and teach.
Information that discusses Social Media purely from the human perspective is almost non-existent. So, what do I mean by the human perspective (factor)? Essentially it is the same perspective that often gets too little attention in any change in organizations, knowing how and why one should adopt the change is rarely the problem when people fail to do so. People don’t adopt some changes because despite being ‘told’ why they should, they are not able to see any real benefit in their day to day work life. Some bloggers have suggested that adoption of Social Media tools is a generational issue, but it isn’t, it is a preference issue which crosses all generational groups.
Perhaps the collaborative, relationship building aspect of Social Media use has created a new imperative for organizations to pay attention to the human perspective when adopting new technology. If the people in your organization do not see the real benefits of using the tools in successfully reaching their goals they are not going to use them. If the people in your organization do understand the potential for using the tools to share and gain knowledge regarding their jobs they might half-heartedly use them once in awhile, but they will choose the face-to-face option more often, because that is their personal preference. You can inundate people with the whys and musts of using Social Media, much like organizational leaders do with any change they introduce, but can you change their personal preferences?
The answer is likely, ‘to some degree’, you will not change personal preferences but you may be able to engage them in some useful adoption of Social Media if you offer opportunities and uses that provide an actual benefit that makes sense to them. Leaders in organizations can also maintain some important balance in the adoption of Social Media tools in the organization by listening to and employing the perspectives of those who prefer face to face interactions. Social Media means we have expanded our ability to build new relationships in new ways but it is important to maintain face to face interactions as these interactions remain a very valuable means of keeping strong communities going. Face to face interactions can also be more efficient – if you have ever found yourself engaged in an endless email string that could have been resolved in a short 5 minute face to face conversation you know what I mean.
What personal preferences affect your decisions as to whether you will enthusiastically embrace social media tools in your day to day work life, reluctantly and half-heartedly try it out because you keep hearing you ‘should’ or avoid it as much as possible? Does all the rhetoric about Social Media simply turn you off? Have you tried some tools and simply disliked the forum?
Information that discusses Social Media purely from the human perspective is almost non-existent. So, what do I mean by the human perspective (factor)? Essentially it is the same perspective that often gets too little attention in any change in organizations, knowing how and why one should adopt the change is rarely the problem when people fail to do so. People don’t adopt some changes because despite being ‘told’ why they should, they are not able to see any real benefit in their day to day work life. Some bloggers have suggested that adoption of Social Media tools is a generational issue, but it isn’t, it is a preference issue which crosses all generational groups.
Perhaps the collaborative, relationship building aspect of Social Media use has created a new imperative for organizations to pay attention to the human perspective when adopting new technology. If the people in your organization do not see the real benefits of using the tools in successfully reaching their goals they are not going to use them. If the people in your organization do understand the potential for using the tools to share and gain knowledge regarding their jobs they might half-heartedly use them once in awhile, but they will choose the face-to-face option more often, because that is their personal preference. You can inundate people with the whys and musts of using Social Media, much like organizational leaders do with any change they introduce, but can you change their personal preferences?
The answer is likely, ‘to some degree’, you will not change personal preferences but you may be able to engage them in some useful adoption of Social Media if you offer opportunities and uses that provide an actual benefit that makes sense to them. Leaders in organizations can also maintain some important balance in the adoption of Social Media tools in the organization by listening to and employing the perspectives of those who prefer face to face interactions. Social Media means we have expanded our ability to build new relationships in new ways but it is important to maintain face to face interactions as these interactions remain a very valuable means of keeping strong communities going. Face to face interactions can also be more efficient – if you have ever found yourself engaged in an endless email string that could have been resolved in a short 5 minute face to face conversation you know what I mean.
What personal preferences affect your decisions as to whether you will enthusiastically embrace social media tools in your day to day work life, reluctantly and half-heartedly try it out because you keep hearing you ‘should’ or avoid it as much as possible? Does all the rhetoric about Social Media simply turn you off? Have you tried some tools and simply disliked the forum?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)