Reflections on HR Effectiveness

Focus Shift

2011-02-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

Since 2003 I have experimented by writing blogs on several different topics. I ended up with 4 blogs oriented to my major interest areas. Last year it became clear that it is time to focus-but where to focus as giving up an interest can be difficult. It occured to me that my research and writing have led to looking at collaboration as an important area that is critical to Change, HR/OD/Leadership and Social Technologies. So, starting today, the only blog that I will continue to contribute to is my Leadership, Change and Social Technologies blog and the focus will be on how each of these areas are related. As we move into an increasingly Web 2.0 or "Social" world this focus seems the most appropriate way to bring years of learning together to continue the process and share information with others trying to make sense of it all.

I sincerely hope that my followers on this blog will join me there as I value your ideas, thoughts and opinions. My first post on that blog since the shift (February 07, 2011) can be found at the link below. I look forward to your comments!

http://leadershipchangeandlearning.blogspot.com/

HR, OD and Training – Collaborative?

2010-11-25T15:38:00.001-08:00

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.

Social Media-The Human Factor

2010-11-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

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?

Social Media – HR and Training & Development

2010-10-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

The decision to embrace the introduction of Social Media tools to an organization is best followed by some fairly standard business practices, deciding what goals and objectives are to be met by the use of the tools and developing governance protocols for the use of the tools.

When developing governance policies at some point the decision making will shift into two streams of consideration:

1) External use of the tools-marketing, branding, customer service and recruiting are the most common uses as well as awareness, community building and fundraising for not for profit organizations.

2) Internal use of the tools – inside the firewall-opening communication channels to improve expertise/knowledge sharing and disseminating information rapidly, training and development, increasing cross functional collaboration, reducing the need for traditional surveys, detecting and addressing rumours earlier.

Many organizations have introduced technology solutions to their training and development efforts in the past decade but the user interface is most likely user to technology rather than embracing the use of community interactions to improve the learning opportunities. One of the biggest complaints about traditional online learning, whether at an educational institute or within a corporation is that it reduces the opportunity to share experience and ideas with others in the learning community. The use of Social Media tools has now changed that concern simply because it simplifies and encourages such sharing and allows users to share across a broader knowledge base than ever before.

When looking at internal uses of Social Media it is easy to see that collaborating with marketing and customer service teams that have already entered the world of Social Media will bring valuable experience to the use internally. Interacting with the public at large provides insight to what to expect within the organization as to the behaviour, needs and wants of the end users of the tools.

What other potential uses do you see for the internal use of Social Media tools? What do you think the biggest challenges will be to introducing the tools? What is your current practice for developing governance policies for new technologies in the organization? Do you have union contracts that include clauses related to the introduction of new technologies? How does that affect your process?

Social Media and HR

2010-10-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ready or Not, It Is Here

Are you using Social Media for recruiting or are you thinking that you should be using it but feel overwhelmed by the enormous amount of information in cyberspace and being touted at various conferences and seminars? If you are somewhat tentatively using it for recruiting purposes or made some attempt to learn more, you are in good company and it is understandable if you have merely dipped your toe in the waters not quite sure what to do with it all.

Social Media is simply a series of tools that uses technology to build communities that share information, ask and answer questions, educate, collaborate, and connect. Why do we want to build internal and external communities that use Social Media tools and what does this have to do with HR? Let’s start with asking the same question about HR - what does HR do? Share information, ask and answer questions, educate, collaborate and connect. Social Media tools create the ability to start, monitor, and participate in discussions about your organization both among the employee base and with everyone outside of the organization. HR professionals can use Social Media tools to monitor and participate in discussions within the organization but also gain knowledge about what is being said about their organization on various Social Media sites and develop cost effective and wide ranging recruitment programs.

If the organization is not participating in a meaningful way they not only lose the opportunity to build communities and present a balanced discussion about it but they take the very real risk of allowing the conversation to go unchecked. And it will, actually it is whether you are paying attention or not.

HR professionals have a great opportunity to take the lead with adopting Social Media and demonstrating how effective it can be by using the competencies that all great HR professionals develop as part of their practice. In previous posts I commented that collaboration may be the most effective competency that HR professionals can use in their work. Being skilled at collaborating can help develop communities within an organization and externally with customers (both business to consumer and business to business organizations will benefit from such communities). A must have for developing strong collaboration skills is to also continuously update your communication skills and in the world of Social Media, communication skills can make all the difference to attaining your goals and minimizing or mitigating negative outcomes.

A real world example of one thing that Social Media tools can do to help you in your work occurred in a LinkedIn group for HR professionals in British Columbia. A member of the group asked for sources of information to help write a Social Media policy. Within a few hours he had three of the best resources and examples available on this topic. This saved him hours of searching for the information himself and the cost of paying an external consultant to help with his project. It is fairly easy to imagine how many other uses of Social Media are available to help you in your work.

We are currently working on a book that takes Social Media out of the realm of hype and conflicting sources and uses plain business protocols to start the Social Media journey for professionals. This book will provide references to sources that our research over the past year unearthed as reliable and user friendly for those of us that are not technical whizzes but use technology to improve our work.

Do you feel like you want to take the lead on Social Media in your organization but are not sure where to start? Does the constantly evolving world of Social Media create confusion about how to choose which tools that will help accomplish your goals effectively? My goal is to bring the discussion down to earth and help untangle the complexities of Social Media. I will continue to post on this topic over the next while based on the thoughts raised in conversations with HR professionals.

What thoughts cross your mind when you think about Social Media? What do you wish would exist to make the learning process easier and faster?

Change and Shifting Frames

2010-05-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Chris Brogan, http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ posted an interesting article on frames. The content isn’t new to me as it is an important component in change management that often doesn’t receive enough attention by business leaders when their organizations take on significant change projects or experience change from external forces. However, the timing was perfect as I have been struggling to fully shift from my old frame to my new frame for several months now.

While my personality is one that often seeks out change and enjoys the benefits that can come with it, this change requires a shift that means adopting core competencies that I have previously felt were not well suited to my abilities.

It also means that some of my core strengths are not as applicable going forward as they used to be. It felt a bit like putting one foot over the edge of that proverbial cliff and a bit like leaving behind some old friends-those competencies that I was so comfortable with. This weekend I realized that it was time to take both feet off the cliff. The option is to fly or drop, the choice is mine.

Considering the idea of frames and change is an important concept for HR practitioners to consider as they are often in a position to help others with the change process.

Are you in a position of having to choose a frame and shift fully into it? What is helping you do this? Where do you seek help as you work your way through the process?

The Role of HR and Intra-Organizational Social Media Use

2010-04-22T10:30:00.001-07:00

I have conducted extensive research into the use of Social Media in organizations over the past several months. It started out as a bewildering and massive array of information while I sorted out which 'experts' really are experts. I quickly came to realize that the world of Social Media is like many other professions (such as HR) in that one must learn as much as they can in a 'generalist' sense, then choose an area of specialty.

As a person with an extensive HR/OD background the concept of the use of Social Media in an intra-organizational sense is intriguing. I have also read reams of information on using Social Media for marketing and branding. While my future use of Social Media will be in a new business launch later this year, the idea of using Social Media for HR and OD purposes still captures much of my interest.

One thing that is clear is that many organizations still fear opening the gates to Social Media in their organizations. The key is to treat it in a similar manner that you would any other major business process or program. The organization must first hold discussions on what the implementation of Social Media can do for various aspects of the business. Once that is determined the leaders (including a starring role by HR/OD) must develop a well thought out policy for the organization's Social Media strategy. IBM has one of the best I have seen so far and it is easy to find via Google.

The next step is organization wide communication and education on the strategy, the policy, the roll out and the expectations of all employees regarding the use of Social Media in the organization.

This should sound familiar and if it seems daunting it is a little, however the rewards of a well thought out strategy and roll out will be evident within the first six months.

The benefits of Social Media for improving organizational communication, recruiting and training and development programs are significant if the organization takes time to develop and then follow an effective plan first.

What steps regarding the use of Social Media have been taken in your organization? Have you proposed or initiated any Social Media related projects in your HR/OD role?

Are Organizations Made Up of Talent, Capital or People?

2010-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Over the past 8 years there has been a growing trend to using new buzz words in HR. We no longer refer to employees as people, now we call them ‘talent’ or ‘capital’; we refer to executives as the ‘C-Suite’ and attempt to apply a financially oriented return on investment (ROI) to literally everything related to Human Resources.

Is it any wonder that managers, candidates and employees feel disengaged and frustrated with their experience with the people that work in HR? If the people of HR continue this trend of referring to people in this manner the concern is that we move further and further away from what our purported roles are. Whatever happened to facilitating the ability of the management team [people] to attract, retain and develop people? Remember the right people, in the right place, at the right time? I have yet to speak to a non-HR CEO or Manager that refers to the people that work for them as talent or capital-they call them people if referring to groups, or by name if referring to individuals.

Talent, in the form of competencies, skills and abilities come as a complete package, they are attached to people. We can not afford to forget this and by replacing the words people and human with talent and capital what message is being sent? People are far more complex that the set of skills they bring to the workplace and people who work in HR must be conversant with this complexity and understand how it affects the culture of the organization, the engagement of the people who work for the organization, and the future of the organization.

Instead of focusing on catchy new ways to describe what we do, why not focus on simply doing it better?

Perspective on the HR Certification in Canada

2010-03-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

At the end of January, my membership in the local HR Association came up for renewal, as did my certification requirement for the CHRP designation. Over the previous several months I debated whether or not to continue with either. I am moving into a new career arena and my satisfaction with the association and the designation had become increasingly poor over the past several years.

My decision shortly before the renewal date arrived was to let both lapse. I debated maintaining the designation for a further three year term but discovered that one is required to also maintain the association membership in order to do so. It was not a good return on investment to do this, therefore my decision was based primarily on a business decision but also on a quality factor.

My decision to forgo the designation is based on the fact that recertification points are offered for attendance at events that in my opinion do not improve ones ability to perform on the job. Points are awarded for attendance at a 1.5 hour session, which in my experience consists of about 20 minutes of introductions to everyone in the room and one hour of a consultant essentially selling a product, with a short question and answer session at the end.

In addition, the attribution of points for various events appears to lack logic. For example, you are awarded 30 points when you have a Masters thesis accepted and you are also awarded 30 points for attending a series of short seminars over the course of a 3 day conference.

While there is a significant requirement to demonstrate a high level of learning and application over a two year period for the Masters degree, there is no requirement to demonstrate that sitting through those seminars improves your ability to perform on the job. All you need do is hang in there for a few days and provide 'proof' via a receipt that you attended the conference. Given that fact, what logic was applied to awarding the same number of credits for both those events?

If HR professionals want this designation to attain real credibility then there is a need to sharply step up the requirements for recertification. The fact that it is all too easy to recertify shows up in a lack of high quality output on the job. The stream of complaints and HR bashing in the news and among employees and management in organizations is occuring for a reason and HR needs to start paying attention.

Will HR Become More Effective?

2010-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

HR has the unfortunate tendency to be inward focused; rather than collaboratively engaging cross functional colleagues in HR project design and implementation, they garner sources of information from other HR practitioners to inform their project process. Successful HR projects that drive business goals require the expertise, input and engagement of the rest of the organization. Therefore the CHRP should include a significant requirement to develop a high level of competency in cross functional collaboration, project management and systems thinking. Business acumen is all well and good but of little value if you are unable to discern the need to engage others appropriately.

Of all members of an organization, the HR practitioner should be the role model of collaborative effort and show leadership in the practice of engaging others in business oriented projects. Yet too often, HR is seen as a department that is somewhat isolated and out of touch from the rest of the organization.

If HR associations took a different approach to the surveys they send out regarding the value of services offered by association to practitioners, they would gather radically different input. Send out a survey regarding the effectiveness of HR in their organization, to the non-HR employees and you will gather a very different perception of what needs to be done if HR is ever to begin to garner the respect they claim to want. To get the ‘seat at the table’, a stated desire that gets tossed out there so often will be attained by radical change. Is HR up to that challenge?

Competency Development: Collaboration

2010-01-13T11:53:00.001-08:00

Perhaps the most important competency HR professionals can develop is the ability to show leadership in collaboration. Collaboration is often defined as a problem solving competency, another way to look at it is for goal accomplishment.

Rather than viewing collaboration as a means to only solve problems, consider it as a way to develop a business case for a program that you see as innovative and important to the future success of the business. Working collaboratively means access to greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

For the HR professional, this means engaging subject matter experts across the organization to develop the best practice approach to accomplishing a goal. Perhaps your goal is to launch Social Media/Web 2.0 applications in the organization. In order to develop a comprehensive business case for the project you need to access expertise in IT, Marketing, Communications, and Learning and Development.

Engaging others to share their expertise requires that while you are taking a leadership role in developing a collaborative effort, you must ensure that all participants are committed to the success of the project. This requires that you use well developed leadership skills, especially in the competency areas of Emotional Intelligence.

When you are researching information related to the project through the internet Google searches are a very useful tool. A key resource via internet research however is the use of Social Media groups where you can access a vast scope of expertise; join groups that are not specific to HR as you will develop comprehensive and useful information resources by inviting knowledge that is diverse.

To start the discussion of what you ‘see’ as the goal(s) for the project, summarize the information you gather through online research. Ask the participants that you have engaged in your project for their thoughts on that information in relation to integration in your organization and what else needs to be considered.

Does Your Succession Plan Work?

2010-01-08T11:53:00.001-08:00

This example shows how a leader that the succession planning process missed turned out to be the best choice for the job. The organizations’ succession plan identified specific people who were thought by their managers to have the potential to fill leadership positions. The development plan included coaching, support for ongoing education, leadership development programs, and opportunities to work in cross functional areas to gain tactical experience.

For employees that were not included in the succession plan, the opportunities available to them for promotion to leadership positions were support for continuing education, the opportunity to volunteer for various organization wide committees, and the ability to apply for leadership positions posted internally. The internal hiring process mirrored the external process.

In one such competition there were several candidates for a management position, but only two of these candidates are noted in this post.

One candidate was reluctantly nudged into the competition by others that felt he had demonstrated many of the competencies required. He consistently exhibited a solid understanding that everyone’s contribution to the organization was critical to the success of the organization. He was well respected both on a technical basis and an interpersonal basis by his peer group. He influenced the attitudes of his co-workers in a way that built commitment to quality and productivity. However, in his over ten years of experience, he had never expressed an interest in a leadership position; had not taken advantage of the opportunity to advance his formal education, or volunteered for any of the committees that would have him ‘noticed’ by the leaders of the organization.

Another candidate who had expressed an eagerness to attain a management position applied for the competition. During his employment with the organization he had taken advantage of the support for continuing education and volunteered for many of the organization wide committees. He was respected for his technical knowledge, however his interpersonal skills did not garner the level of trust and respect that the other candidate enjoyed. His influence with his coworkers was compromised because his skills (emotional intelligence) needed development in several areas.

Each candidate underwent an extensive interview process and wrote an exam that required knowledge of the business and a solid understanding of leadership practices. Once the interview and exam phases were complete the interviewing panel tabulated the results. The ‘reluctant’ candidate topped the list with the highest score, the ‘eager’ candidate placed fifth (out of six candidates) in the ranking.

Many of the criteria for ranking the candidates were items that could be objectively ranked, while the emotional intelligence items by nature had a certain amount of subjectivity in the rankings. The rankings were 80% objective and 20% subjective.

Why did the reluctant candidate fair so well in the rankings? By all appearances and criteria set by the organization for leadership he appeared to be a follower rather than a leader. Yet close observation of his actions throughout his work life and analysis of his interview and test results showed a remarkable level of understanding how to coach and motivate people.

Previous managers that he had reported to failed to submit his name for leadership development, in part because he did not overtly seek such a position. But also, because they failed to note his demonstrated skills and thus did not coach and mentor him.

The succession planning process, which appeared to be comprehensive, failed in one important aspect-the managers that submitted names were not adequately trained to effectively evaluate candidates. In this situation the internal hiring process filled in the gap.

Some Resources: Employment Status and Severance Packages in Canada

2009-12-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

To determine how to approach the question of severance compensation when you are laid off you must first determine whether your role was regulated by the federal or provincial employment standards. You can check the following three links to determine, first which applies, then to access the standards.(**Please note that the following information is not intended to convey any form of legal advice, it is simply resources that you can find on the internet to guide you in your decision making.)

Link to determine if your workplace is regulated federally or provincially: http://www.rhdcc-hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/employment_standards/regulated.shtml

There is a link on this page that will take you to the Canada Labour Code should you determine that your organization was federally regulated:
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/L-2

If your organization is provincially regulated the following link will take you to the Employment Standards Act for your province:
http://www.rhdcc-hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/employment_standards/ministries.shtml

If your position is covered by a collective agreement, the provisions of the collective agreement shall prevail, except in the circumstance that the collective agreement provision does not meet the minimum applicable labour/employment standards.

Severance packages only need meet the standards; however, in most cases they will go beyond the basic standards. Courts will generally consider the following: age, level of responsibility (entry through to senior executive level), length of service with the organization and the availability of similar work and compensation in the market place.

Outplacement Counseling and Your Job Search

If you are laid off you must mitigate your circumstance by conducting a serious search for new employment, or develop a feasible plan for your own business.

Your ex-employer may offer outplacement counseling as part of your severance package. Before accepting this first consider whether or not you really need this service. There are many resources available on the internet to help you in your search for a new position, so if you have access to a computer and internet service you may not need the outplacement counseling.

Once you research appropriate job search and resume/cover letter writing information via the internet you should discuss your approach with a few people to help ensure that you have the best resume and cover letter possible and to help you practice interview skills. Ask people you trust that have experience in management, human resources, and recruiting to review your resume and cover letter and to help you practice interview skills. Join Social Networking groups such as those found on LinkedIn as you will find further resources and networking opportunities available to you there.

A few online resources for writing resumes and cover letters and tips for developing interview skills can be found at:

http://www.workopolis.com/work.aspx?action=Transfer&View=Content/Common/WorkLoginView&lang=EN
http://www.monster.com/
http://seekers.jobbank.gc.ca/common-commun/login-connection.aspx?redirect=true&target=1&lang=en-CA
http://www.resume-resource.com/examples.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm

Check out the free resources available to you before opting for outplacement counseling as those packages can cost several thousand dollars and you may be better off negotiating that amount into your package. If you haven’t conducted a job search in a long time or do not feel confident that you can access the needed resources on your own, then the outplacement counseling may be appropriate for your situation.

Should You Obtain Legal Counsel?

If you have long service with your organization, perhaps in the ten year range, and you are in the 45+ age category, you may consider at least consulting with an experienced employment lawyer if the severance package offered to you either just meets or barely exceeds the appropriate employment standards requirements.

An experienced lawyer will be able to advise you as to whether your compensation package is appropriate or not within about 30-45 minutes. Many firms post their hourly rates on their websites, if not, simply ask when you call for an appointment. Ask around for references as you want a lawyer that will negotiate a reasonable package in a manner that maintains a respectful relationship with your ex-employer.

Common Forms of Severance Packages

The most likely form of severance package that you may be offered is a continuing salary for a specific amount of time. There will be a caveat that should you obtain new employment or become self-employed prior to the end of that period, the balance of the severance will be paid out as a lump sum at 50% only. You may also be offered certain benefits coverage to be continued for a specified period of time, although some benefits require that you be actively at work and may not apply. Other items that are often offered are outplacement packages as discussed above and a reference letter.

Often an option to accept a severance package in a lump sum may be available if you ask. This may come with a caveat, such as a discounted rate. You should consult with a lawyer prior to making a decision.

.(**Please note that the above information is not intended to convey any form of legal advice, it is simply resources that you can find on the internet to guide you in your decision making.)

Recruitment and Succession Plans

2009-11-17T11:24:00.001-08:00

One of the hottest topics in the business sections of various Medias three years ago was the skills/competencies shortage experienced by companies in Canada, and the prediction that this would become a larger issue over the next ten years. It seemed that not only was there a skills shortage, defined as not enough people with specific skill sets and experience, but that there was a perceived shortage of people to fulfill roles, skills or no skills. Given the current global economic downturn and massive layoffs, is the skills/competencies shortage still a critical factor? If you talk to business leaders about their organizations succession plans it appears that the shortage of skills/competencies still exists.

The shortage is to some degree related to ineffective or non existent development plans, and the failure to include the competency commitment to learning in the hiring process, rather than the size of the available labour pool. Is your organization developing short-lived strategies to lure skilled workers to your business? Alternatively, are companies looking to the future and developing solid succession plans?

An effective recruitment system does not stop at the actual hiring of a new employee. It seems that the need for an effective orientation process is a well-accepted practice these days. Nevertheless, is the need to link a succession plan to the recruitment system a practice at all? Listening to leaders as they discuss their specific leadership and labour shortages, I begin to wonder how many even have succession plans. Moreover, it is not just leaders; a casual coffee with friends reveals that many are noticing the gaps in experience and skills sets within the organizations they work for, whether they are in leadership positions or non-leadership positions. When asked about the succession planning process for the organization, the answers are similar….well I’m not sure there is a succession plan.

A good succession plan should be a solidly linked component of the recruitment system, not a stand-alone program. There are many reasons why there are labour and leadership shortages, and the entire problem cannot be attributed to any one reason. However, organizations can begin to inoculate themselves from the impact of such shortages by looking at developing a recruitment system that links every aspect of an employee’s career development beginning with the recruiting action through to the succession plan of the organization. It is true that not everyone hired will ultimately be part of the leadership succession plan, but everyone hired is expected to contribute to the success of your business, so it makes sense to consider development of all your employees in some form.

When you audit the competencies available in your organization for current training and development needs and succession planning, do you also audit the competencies available in your organization for the future, to adapt to the changes coming in your industry? Are you reading this thinking that in your industry, change doesn’t occur that rapidly and you don’t need to be as concerned about employee’s commitment to learning? Have you looked beyond your specific industry/current target market to be aware of forces that may affect your revenue streams? How far ahead do you plan/predict future competency needs?

The ability of organizations to adapt to changing needs requires that HR work collaboratively across the organization to identify and develop the competencies/skills required to support the business in the future. HR programs must be clearly and solidly linked not just to other HR programs but to fully support and integrate with non-HR projects and activities throughout the organization.

HR Vision

2009-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Challenging assumptions means questioning the everyday things you take for granted and getting away from old ideas. This may be one of the most effective things that those in the HR Profession can do to improve their performance in the workplace. The concept of Paradigm Shift was popular in management literature about eight years ago. It was adapted from the theory developed for science by Thomas Kuhn (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolution, into a broader social context. “Think of a paradigm shift as a change from one way of thinking to another. It is a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It does not just happen, but is driven by agents of change. We all look at the world around us in accordance with a certain paradigm. The paradigm we use depends on what we believe is reliable and true.” (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_shift)

HR articles often note that HR Professionals want to have a ‘seat at the table’ but are not attaining the respect required to get there. As any business leader will tell you finding the right balance to priority setting means developing multiple competencies. There have been many articles and seminars over the past several years advising HR Practitioners on how to develop competencies such as business acumen and HR metrics that should be integrated as part of the basics of the role of HR. Perhaps it is time for HR Leaders to begin to shift some of their focus to vision. Successful leaders have a vision; they use creativity and innovation combined with their other leadership skills and knowledge to develop a vision for the organization. HR Leaders need to be able to develop a vision for the contribution of HR to the success of the organization. This vision must clearly support the overall organizational vision and goals, and the HR Leader must adapt this vision as various change drivers, both internal and external will create the need to adapt.

Creating a vision requires big picture thinking. One must be able to assimilate the forces of change and trends that will impact the business and develop a flexible goal that will ensure the employees in the organization will thrive productively.

HR and Coaching

2009-10-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Over the past ten years the practice of hiring coaches to work with the leaders and those identified as future leaders has grown rapidly. Some organizations choose to send their leaders to coaches training; others hire external coaches, or a combination of both internal and external coaches. The question for organizations is whether or not to provide coaching training for leaders and whether to hire internal or external coaches. I have worked with many leaders in my career that are exceptional coaches, yet have not had any specific training as a coach. HR must develop a way to assess whether or not coaching training or providing a coach to a (potential) leader is the right choice, or if some other type of intervention would be more effective. In some organizations, the culture may not be suited to the structured form of coaching being taught in coaching programs today. HR must be able to determine what type of coaching, informal or formal is most appropriate in the organization and within specific work teams.

Google executive coaching and you will find various surveys that support executive coaching, however these surveys have small sample populations. The respondents are people who have had executive coaches and felt they had a good experience. As humans in a busy and stressed environment, a little one on one time focused entirely on your own specific needs is likely to be a good experience with a skilled coach. But does this experience translate into improved business results?

To date, there is no measurement tool available that would answer that question-some executive coaching businesses suggest using 360’s to show before and after results. 360’s may not be realistic for small to medium sized businesses, businesses undergoing market reversal, or budget tightening as they can be expensive to conduct. In addition, it is not possible to isolate coaching as the only cause of any change in 360 results. The variables that affect 360 results are significant and at best they can only tell one if they are improving in noted areas, not the source of the change. Learning is incremental and as the leader goes through their coaching process they are also involved in various other undertakings that will affect their knowledge, skills and abilities. In addition, who the respondents are to the 360 may change as people change jobs/organizations, or the same respondents will have undergone their own personal changes and now view the person being reviewed differently.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development provides this role for HR in managing coaching activities:
The HR department has a central role to play in designing and managing coaching within an organisation. The quality of coaching and the results it delivers depend on choosing appropriate coaches (line managers, internal or external coaches), managing relationships and evaluating success. HR practitioners need to understand when coaching is an appropriate and effective intervention in relation to other learning and development options. They need to be clear about what the different types of coaching and diagnostic tools/models are, and when each is appropriate. They need to understand how to select appropriately qualified coaches and then match them to both the organisational culture and to the needs of particular individuals. Finally, HR practitioners hold the responsibility for setting up contractual arrangements, as well as developing mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of the coaching activities.

http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/lrnanddev/coachmntor/coaching.htm
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Does Your Performance Management Program Work?

2009-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Performance Management is of value to organizations in that it provides employees with a road map of what they will do to contribute to driving business results. It consists of goals/objectives specific to organizational business plans, regular communication that provides coaching where needed and lets the employee know how they are doing, and development goals that ensure employees are able to develop skills and knowledge required to meet changing business needs.
Cannell (2009) states: “So performance management is about establishing a culture in which individuals and groups take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and of their own skills, behaviour and contributions. It is about sharing expectations. Managers can clarify what they expect individual and teams to do; likewise individuals and teams can communicate their expectations of how they should be managed and what they need to do their jobs. It follows that performance management is about interrelationships and about improving the quality of relationships - between managers and individuals, between managers and teams, between members of teams and so on, and is therefore a joint process. It is also about planning - defining expectations expressed as objectives and in business plans - and about measurement; the old dictum is 'If you can't measure it, you can't manage it'. It should apply to all employees, not just managers, and to teams as much as individuals. It is a continuous process, not a one-off event. Last but not least, it is holistic and should pervade every aspect of running an organisation.”
Why do so many managers complain about the bi-annual performance review process? To some degree it is because the review process is to a large degree looking backwards, when the managers’ focus is required to be on the future. If managers are communicating effectively with employees throughout the year, then why do they need to spend valuable time filling out forms that hold little advantage for them? Some managers will tell you that it is an ‘HR’ requirement and that they resent the time and energy spent completing forms; or that the design of the form does not facilitate the capture of the information appropriately. There are many performance management resources available on the internet (http://managementhelp.org/perf_mng/perf_mng.htm) and HR Professionals can draw from these resources to design a performance management program that specifically targets the needs of the organization. Effective performance management programs will show measurable business improvements, support succession planning, and ensure that employees are prepared to meet the changing needs of the business.

Cannell, M., (2009). Performance Management: An Overview, London, CIPD 2009.

What Some People Say

2009-10-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

Where Does HR Stand Now?

I recently read a blog which discussed the ability of HR Professionals to be viewed as respected contributors to their organizations. If I understood the posting accurately the blogger, Ian Cook, Director, Research and Learning, BCHRMA, suggested that HR Professionals understand the components and expected results of their roles but that they are still not considered deserving of respect in the way that they need to be. Ian suggested that perhaps a name change would help change mindsets; He said that “We have most of the answers when it comes to structure, value proposition and strategic drive – so what do we call ourselves….. any ideas?”
My experience over the past 5 years in particular (but similar to my experience over the past 18 years in HR) is that HR Professionals may still have a ways to go on the impressing front. They may understand that they need to be able to drive business results and what those results are, to be able to strategize, provide leadership etc. The question is, have they developed the skills and motivation to actually provide results or is this simply academic?

If I think about several rather disturbing discussions I have found myself in over the past several years, it would appear, that improving results has some way to go. In various settings, at a party, at an alumni gathering, at a casual dinner with friends, in several workplace settings, with other HR Professionals, with Organizational Development Professionals, I have experienced some negative reactions to HR. It was clear that these people reacting to HR are anything but impressed; indifference,disgust, anger, and concern are the some of the reactions I have encountered. If it is true that HR has the ability to drive business results effectively, why is there such a negative reaction? Why do people believe the role of HR is largely administrative, to fire (or layoff), to create bureaucratic policies that may actually hinder productivity? Is this a case of the need for marketing the true role and effectiveness of HR?

Integrity is a hallmark of Human Resources Professionals, yet this concept has come under fire in some of the above noted discussions. People have been quick to relate incidents where, in their experience HR has shown a lack of integrity. Some of this may have been perspective-after all, sometimes the work of HR is done under a cloak of secrecy. Secrecy is often necessary to avoid legal complications, protect reputations of innocent people, protect privacy as required by law, etc. Sometimes people see this secrecy as a lack of integrity. Yet, they accept this same lack of information sharing as appropriate from other leaders in the organization. So, what is the difference between the behavior of these leaders and HR? These leaders have earned respect through their technical expertise, a willingness to share their knowledge with others, an understanding of how to inspire and motivate others, proving through action that they know how to create business results, and accomplish goals. So why have HR Professionals not gained the same level of respect? Is it possible that a name change will create a change of mindset or is a significant change in the way HR collaborates with other departments required?