tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92200458138209458692024-03-12T23:49:09.869+00:00HR Case StudiesA resource pool of contemporary HR related updates and HR case studies to tantalise, enlighten and entertain all those with an interest in Human Resource ManagementGraham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.comBlogger325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-86926599528296249592015-10-09T08:35:00.000+01:002015-10-09T08:35:41.272+01:00Describe what you do in just six words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5azzYh1VQ6keEfDowkZZhvyM8wN4tD20hvLJmo7K_00zsuoWuj0QTGOJQwUGnUoDP6thlQ9yZe6gOQbE-0sLoLS0shYjOmWP5WeAB3wjLYEgoTGxPOzfqYvaJMaq44IrmguvYwwMMmlD/s1600/stripper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5azzYh1VQ6keEfDowkZZhvyM8wN4tD20hvLJmo7K_00zsuoWuj0QTGOJQwUGnUoDP6thlQ9yZe6gOQbE-0sLoLS0shYjOmWP5WeAB3wjLYEgoTGxPOzfqYvaJMaq44IrmguvYwwMMmlD/s1600/stripper.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<span></span> </div>
<div>
<span>Searching for the biographical details of a particular individual on
LinkedIn last week I stumbled across another person with the identical
name.<br /><br />This person (not, I hasten to add, someone in my network!) had
possibly the briefest yet most informative job summary you're likely to
encounter on LinkedIn:<br /><br /><strong>Stripper: I undress in exchange for
money.</strong><br /><br />Without making any value judgements about this individual's
chosen profession, you have to admire the succinctness of the
description.<br /><br />None of the "I am passionate about transforming individuals
into empowering leaders" or, "I create alignment between people, processes and technology to harness profitability" or, "Steve asks the difficult, game-changing questions that other people are too scared to ask."</span></div>
<div>
<span></span> </div>
<div>
<span>Just six words is all it takes (OK, seven including the job title) for us to know what this particular LinkedIn member does.</span></div>
<div>
<span></span> </div>
<div>
<span>So, dear reader, here's your challenge for today:</span></div>
<div>
<span></span> </div>
<div>
<span></span><span>Can you describe your job in just six short words? </span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-67511714427046009742015-10-06T16:20:00.000+01:002015-10-06T16:20:57.679+01:00In defence of pointless activities
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7onoxaoXGfUnjSJejQiH3B8IdEVJPZTX8f8DP80fq3kgN5ugp-hW2iutNkYReeJ1mYwB5lwFQgqYqbUPdLZagdvNF2WHpUmQWOuRqmgrwxMzbgz4x3awkw_CpUyEgZHIHlVcx6sv8Pszu/s1600/Orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7onoxaoXGfUnjSJejQiH3B8IdEVJPZTX8f8DP80fq3kgN5ugp-hW2iutNkYReeJ1mYwB5lwFQgqYqbUPdLZagdvNF2WHpUmQWOuRqmgrwxMzbgz4x3awkw_CpUyEgZHIHlVcx6sv8Pszu/s320/Orange.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">OK, try this one:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Use the camera on your mobile phone to focus on a
subject on the far side of the room, and press the little button to capture a
picture.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jSrMPjt5VeotpP5vwEfiONdrYQ_I4Ql3ujJFnraGNvmrn6msZyHfw3vUcdlF-DO7UvHdJ4n3vH_cpONWN6-13xEld7NBtCInCNCn5SCQD-0LFrZJquFlpRUkKW3PvQjJ1bOmVTv878KF/s1600/Camera+Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jSrMPjt5VeotpP5vwEfiONdrYQ_I4Ql3ujJFnraGNvmrn6msZyHfw3vUcdlF-DO7UvHdJ4n3vH_cpONWN6-13xEld7NBtCInCNCn5SCQD-0LFrZJquFlpRUkKW3PvQjJ1bOmVTv878KF/s320/Camera+Icon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Listen carefully as the shutter release makes its
customary <em>ker-ching</em> sound.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Or try this:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Take your place on the kerbside at the pedestrian
crossing and press the button to change the lights from red to green and halt
the traffic so you can cross the road. Wait for (hopefully) just a few seconds
until the lights respond to your touch. Then walk safely to the other side.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRFBjdSgTdO0paH34iW8JhLovZahB1_sBl9AemvtF9kkVQpC8epVg6pcvxM-xv6_suj_wNbpAEVkmJOQ8UM5QyheX5tFxnPdAyYudetVNaanGtU1MOMiK44v4AEOBSr1BID_fG47Hkmni/s1600/Pedestrian+Crossing+Wait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRFBjdSgTdO0paH34iW8JhLovZahB1_sBl9AemvtF9kkVQpC8epVg6pcvxM-xv6_suj_wNbpAEVkmJOQ8UM5QyheX5tFxnPdAyYudetVNaanGtU1MOMiK44v4AEOBSr1BID_fG47Hkmni/s320/Pedestrian+Crossing+Wait.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Or try this:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">After you’ve crossed the road, continue your
journey to the railway station and fight your way to the front of the crowd as
the 0756 to Euston pulls up to the station platform. And (you’ve guessed it!)
press the shiny button to open the door and fight your way into the (almost
undoubtedly) overcrowded carriage and avoid eye contact with your fellow passengers until the train reaches its destination.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you
can also press the “Open” button on the inside of the carriage to open the door
to allow you to be expelled onto the platform.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBtdKTyUdxMizP5L8XZFJ8zdhIC69JvTcIREZMU1aFEnX8218d6S7hZHxaAVQscbOinJI1t3-rBmrtE2RSZ__4ces7tvfjr8GxPSICoTfQcPgDqX3nAOjXEODwx_4e69Ybx5M8D7BpN9i/s1600/Train+door+open+button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBtdKTyUdxMizP5L8XZFJ8zdhIC69JvTcIREZMU1aFEnX8218d6S7hZHxaAVQscbOinJI1t3-rBmrtE2RSZ__4ces7tvfjr8GxPSICoTfQcPgDqX3nAOjXEODwx_4e69Ybx5M8D7BpN9i/s1600/Train+door+open+button.png" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Well here’s some news for you.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There is no shutter on a digital camera, so the
<em>ker-ching</em> sound was artificial and unnecessary. An illusion that your pressing
the button had a mechanical effect. It didn’t.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You might have thought that the “wait” light coming
button on at the pedestrian crossing signified that your pressing the button
had had some effect. Nope.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">And the train door? Whether or not you had pressed
the button the door would have opened at its predetermined time. Caress it,
tentatively prod it, or give the button an aggressive push: the door will still open
when it is meant to, regardless of the intervention of your digits.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The shutter sound on the digital camera, the button
on the pedestrian crossing and the train carriage door are all what some
psychologists have christened Placebo Buttons. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It’s argued that</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> the buttons
do indeed have an effect – just not on the camera, traffic lights or train
carriage doors themselves. Instead the effect is in our minds.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“So what’s this got to do with HR” you all cry?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We seem to be drifting unquestionably into a world
of measurement, metrics and the new fad (or is it anti-fad?) of evidence based
management which tells us that as there’s no concrete evidence that annual
appraisals, employee engagement initiatives, coaching (and the list goes on ….)
we should consign all such practices to the dustbin of HR history.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">But is that wise?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Perhaps if you’re an organisation with a
well-embedded culture of formal and informal feedback to staff (daily
catch-ups, weekly one to one sessions etc.) then the annual appraisal is
superfluous and of limited additional value. Bringing it to a halt may not have
any negative impact on staff performance. But if the annual review is the only
mechanism that you have for assessing staff performance, ditch it at your
peril.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Also, It may not actually be possible to prove
beyond the shadow of a doubt that focusing on employee engagement leads to
increased dedication and productivity from staff, but is there actually any
evidence that it has the reverse effect?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">And similarly with coaching, where the possibility
of producing incontrovertible evidence that it has no positive effect (or even
– perish the thought - that it can lead to a decrease in performance) is hard
to imagine, which organisation will be brave (or foolish) enough to be the
first to withdraw all forms of coaching support to managers?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">To return to the work of Ellen Langer (now a
Professor at Harvard) who undertook some of the early research into so-called
Placebo Buttons:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>far from considering
that (actually pointless) button pressing is </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">an
irrational delusion, the effect should be seen as a positive thing. As Langer
states: “Feeling you have control over your world is a desirable state. Doing
something is always better than doing nothing.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As with buttons, so with
people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There may be no firm evidence
that appraisals, staff engagement and coaching actually make a difference, but
if there’s no evidence to the contrary, then keep doing them, do them well and let
the results do the talking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Oh, and if you don't believe all the stuff about Placebo Buttons, here's some more information to get you thinking:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150415-the-buttons-that-do-nothing" target="_blank">Press me! The buttons that lie to you</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
</div>
</o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
</div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-72814258619002353542015-09-22T08:09:00.000+01:002015-09-22T08:09:29.426+01:00The Jonny Wilkinson Lesson on Employee Engagement
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YoHzzLsRs9TDEm1zwxPb9ncL8pat2WM-qdCmoPT1Uh5RfZtqz6QSyAP_b05gFTYF_b-ykFmQ05GGW79Hb59_GUfEIvRF4ydlmZeXeQm7o53EhLKz3MU6BfBcUarNbSFOPnJ4PmNpaDdS/s1600/JW2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YoHzzLsRs9TDEm1zwxPb9ncL8pat2WM-qdCmoPT1Uh5RfZtqz6QSyAP_b05gFTYF_b-ykFmQ05GGW79Hb59_GUfEIvRF4ydlmZeXeQm7o53EhLKz3MU6BfBcUarNbSFOPnJ4PmNpaDdS/s320/JW2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cast your mind back to the glory days of 2003 when the
England Rugby Team seemed invincible and were well on their way to winning the Rugby
World Cup in Australia.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As history records, much of England’s success was spurred
on by the innovative and successful kicking of the masterful Jonny Wilkinson,
whose almost prayer-like concentration before taking penalty kicks caught the public’s
attention and (no doubt !) sparked off thousands of conversations down the pub.
</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, dear HR colleague, take yourself to 2013 and picture
this:</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With what just might be the last move of the match, Jonny
is about to kick for glory against a normally invincible nation. A place in the
final is at stake. </span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With the stadium shrouded in silence, Jonny carefully
positions the ball, steps back and assumes his customary statuesque and
contemplative position. Every eager eye in the stadium is on him. (Or, to be
totally accurate on his right foot)</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For some inexplicable reason you find yourself on the
pitch next to Jonny with the opportunity to ask the One Big Question that has
been exercising HR professionals since time immemorial.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The exchange goes something like this:</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>You:</strong> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you happy
Jonny?</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Jonny:</strong> What?</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>You:</strong> Are you happy? You know, cheerful. Engaged. That
sort of thing. </span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Jonny:</strong> Don't know what you mean. </span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>You:</strong> Well I work in HR and I'd like to know if there's
any link between your level of happiness and your performance on the job.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Jonny:</strong> Sort of.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>You:</strong> Tell me more?</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Jonny:</strong> Well, let me see if I can kick this ball over the
bar and between the posts, and then come back and ask me again. As far as I’m concerned,
happiness comes after successful performance and not before it. And now, if you
don’t mind, stop asking pointless questions and move out of the way. I’ve got a
job to do.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>You:</strong> Hmmm …</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You leave the pitch. Jonny pauses. Jonny focuses. Jonny
kicks. Jonny scores. The crowd celebrate.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And Jonny smiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-82191824497758574702015-06-15T13:20:00.000+01:002015-06-15T13:40:34.018+01:00I've given up reading the papers ...<span style="color: white;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqIId3pDfSrnaOaogZ73F2fYSjME-9ReKAOmbXmU9OkU8KYmgqhVXbj04zvduFhySboJBMGab3UeY6H-HGpZSkqLtWBcQUaTghlrwjsaqtYNX79gEcMb4yKPDGNdwklGmgdW93z2pFoH9/s1600/Papers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqIId3pDfSrnaOaogZ73F2fYSjME-9ReKAOmbXmU9OkU8KYmgqhVXbj04zvduFhySboJBMGab3UeY6H-HGpZSkqLtWBcQUaTghlrwjsaqtYNX79gEcMb4yKPDGNdwklGmgdW93z2pFoH9/s320/Papers.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: white;">
</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">As
Tom Robinson sang back in the dim and distant 1970’s:</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I've
given up reading the papers</span><div>
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">
I've given up watching TV</span></div>
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Right
now, I’m tempted to follow his example! </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Rarely
does a day go by without a depressing scare story in one of the HR journals
suggesting that:</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">HR is out of touch with the commercial reality of the businesses we work in</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">HR professionals don't possess the skills and capabilities to keep up with the demands of the future workplace</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The HR profession is increasingly populated by policy-dependent automata who take delight in saying no and preventing managers from delivering their objectives</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Then,
of course, there's the managers themselves:</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">When it comes to recruitment they all make hiring decisions within two minutes of meeting the candidates</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">They all avoid managing poor performance in their teams, and (conversely) fail to give recognition when team members do an outstanding job</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">They can't see the point of investing in learning and development for their subordinates</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Is
it actually that bad?</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Here's
a couple of questions: </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Do
you work in a function populated by dopey, unskilled, progress-blocking
and change-resistant HR people? Actually, do you even KNOW any people like
that?</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Or
is your organisation run by rubbish managers who ride roughshod over processes,
policies and people, driven by an unquestioning desire to deliver results,
regardless of who gets destroyed along the way?</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">No,
me neither!</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">So
why is there such a focus on the negative side of HR and of the managers that
the profession supports?</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The
simple answer is probably that bad news attracts more attention than good news:
after all, who wants to read an article about how the vast majority of HR
professionals are rather good at doing their job, or how managers are
increasingly effective at motivating and developing their staff, and making
sensible hiring decisions after a robust and comprehensive recruitment process?</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But
isn't it time for us to change the narrative for a while, to expose the myth
that HR is the resident clueless ringmaster in the circus of misguided
managers?</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Let’s
ignore the small minority who drag the reputation of the HR and general
management profession down.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Instead,
how about we declare this week to be national “Let's Celebrate the Great
Work of the HR Function and the Tremendous and Hard-Working Managers we Support”
Week</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">I’m
in – who’s joining me?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">
</span>Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-82637563605359711672015-05-05T20:48:00.000+01:002015-05-05T20:50:49.901+01:00Negative HR: Missing, Presumed Dead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15sjQqwn7nOaMSkQtlJ9WDCCxIni6WjFUBEKyfR-kZIYINq6KiLKwlYInz8HD-Stkt8V3BuzSbbXXmdMdfrKztb40ygYzb2_YQyFLGwzSHr3r0jNNjvU9PMe4Y5jXLAJ7Wtb2JeKVXd0L/s1600/Theyre-behind-you-520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15sjQqwn7nOaMSkQtlJ9WDCCxIni6WjFUBEKyfR-kZIYINq6KiLKwlYInz8HD-Stkt8V3BuzSbbXXmdMdfrKztb40ygYzb2_YQyFLGwzSHr3r0jNNjvU9PMe4Y5jXLAJ7Wtb2JeKVXd0L/s1600/Theyre-behind-you-520.jpg" height="150" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There
currently seems to be a particularly worrying trend in writing about our
beloved HR Profession that should be giving us all some cause for concern. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
defining characteristic of this genre is a tendency to describe HR in a very negative
light, painting a portrait of a lumbering giant of a function, populated by
sluggish employees who are resistant to change, generally have a can't do
attitude, heavily reliant on policy and procedure, risk averse, out of touch
with the commercial demands of the business they are in, technologically
illiterate. You know the sort of thing because you've read lots of this type of
stuff.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Once
the ogre has been sufficiently fleshed out, the author conveniently offers us a
simple solution which will rescue the profession from the edge of the abyss and
miraculously transform it from ugly duckling to beautiful swan in one easy
movement. </span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
silver bullet of salvation is frequently a variation on the theme of Getting
Disruptive, Getting Social, Funking up the Workplace or Doing Something
Wonderful with Big Data. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well,
there's some good news and some bad news.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">First
the bad news. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">s
the saying goes : For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear,
simple and wrong.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtklvHP3-nyv-Q7344WpuTaY9AQd3gHwnydNbZ8GA1M8Ow8p_k5Z2j6x7iOVkzfnMM5V1MZhohkj5xrNYWtHUE6xtyl5RIzJTf-Gwmfu_CUVJra5AjL9C9Dl9_1tHkqa3rMLhD0lGYRIsI/s1600/For-every-complex-problem-there__quotes-by-H_-L_-Mencken-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtklvHP3-nyv-Q7344WpuTaY9AQd3gHwnydNbZ8GA1M8Ow8p_k5Z2j6x7iOVkzfnMM5V1MZhohkj5xrNYWtHUE6xtyl5RIzJTf-Gwmfu_CUVJra5AjL9C9Dl9_1tHkqa3rMLhD0lGYRIsI/s1600/For-every-complex-problem-there__quotes-by-H_-L_-Mencken-37.png" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rarely
is there one single initiative that will Make Everything Right. Complex
problems generally require a range of complex solutions to remedy the
situation. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But
here's the good news:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Generally </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the highly negative portrait of sluggish HR is one of a function that actually
died many years ago. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
don't know about you, but my experience of 21st Century HR professionals is
largely at odds with the negative view described above. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
The vast majority of HR professionals that I have the privilege and pleasure to
encounter are positive, switched on, smart, proactive, constructive,
challenging, eager to help, keen to develop their own capability,
solution-focused, innovative and open to change. And much more. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
In reality, most - but admittedly not all - of those that were anything else
died out like dinosaurs when they failed to respond to the challenges and changes
of the contemporary workplace. There's actually no place for those matching the
negative description outlined above in the present day, be they an HR
professional or one from any other function. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
So here's a plea : if you encounter one of the doom and gloom merchants
narrating the story or painting a picture of a moribund HR function populated
with uninspiring dullards, ask them how in touch with reality they themselves
actually are, or what they are currently doing to enlighten the final few specimens
of a bygone age and drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
Just ridiculing them will achieve nothing, will it ? </span></span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-26841408651117627362015-01-06T09:08:00.002+00:002015-01-06T09:24:36.536+00:00HR: Helping to Reveal the Elephant<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGpkhVOELdq4vOLfMS8bExBuw0Hs2KP8Gfe6nSJsvEhxvX5G5oCUheNIooxS9JTn0qaQUNW4KzXURPPtkde1-g6BXL1uovk5zu_Z19eK2ebAxEcF4mZWHa5HI5CHJiaj-lrnP5wAfCmQm/s1600/elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGpkhVOELdq4vOLfMS8bExBuw0Hs2KP8Gfe6nSJsvEhxvX5G5oCUheNIooxS9JTn0qaQUNW4KzXURPPtkde1-g6BXL1uovk5zu_Z19eK2ebAxEcF4mZWHa5HI5CHJiaj-lrnP5wAfCmQm/s1600/elephant.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Two stories. One point</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><strong>Story One</strong> (Completely True)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A few years ago I was speaking with the Engineering Director of
a very large aerospace and defence organisation (one that makes Big And
Expensive stuff. (Did you see what I did there?)) about a new-fangled HR
initiative that was to be rolled out across the entire business. To be honest,
I can’t remember exactly what the initiative was, but chances are it involved
some form-filling and a significant amount of time commitment from already
over-burdened managers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I’ve a question for you, Graham,” he said. “Tell
me, why can’t we get one of our Big And Expensive products off the production
line in under 24 hours?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Poor inventory management?” I said. “Or a
failure in component delivery from our suppliers? Inadequate factory layout?
Lack of 24-hour shift patterns?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“No,” he responded. “There’s just one reason.
The Laws of Physics. That’s the only factor that makes it a physical
impossibility. So our job – and yours, Graham – is to eliminate everything else
other than the Laws of Physics that stops us getting our products out of the
factory and onto the runway (Whoops! Bit of a clue there!) in the shortest time
physically possible. So let me ask you if you think that this HR initiative
will help or hinder us in shaving time of the development and production
process.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Stunned silence</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><strong>Story Two</strong> (Possibly True)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">On the pavement of a Burmese street sat a man
with a rough block of teak in from of him, and a chisel in his hands, watched
over by a European tourist. Slowly, bit by bit, the craftsman chipped away at the
wood, and slowly the intricate and smooth form of an elephant emerged from the
block of wood.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“How on earth do you make something so
intricate and beautiful out of something so raw and rough?” asked the European.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Simple” responded the craftsman. “All you do
is take away all the bits of the block of wood that isn’t an elephant.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><strong>One Point</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">So, dear HR colleagues, here’s your challenge
for 2015: do your trendy HR initiatives help get the product onto the runway
faster, or do they hinder it? Or, to put it more poetically, what HR initiatives
could you discard that would allow the elephant to emerge more smoothly? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-29838243240063214252014-10-13T20:38:00.000+01:002014-10-13T20:38:44.455+01:00The future is social. But only for a one-legged ladybird.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jgfOctKIYuYQCUyMMlm-LjC_r-t0i3VUwS17QVX1xVCt0qY6Tt_Ry9YQsKoArKM39x1JVoV6zA5A7l6jDf0GIzLX_Hg2M1-2fLFHjYoC3AvGJXlDdbbiavEHUifMvH96Z5dErJWEh6fL/s1600/ladybird-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jgfOctKIYuYQCUyMMlm-LjC_r-t0i3VUwS17QVX1xVCt0qY6Tt_Ry9YQsKoArKM39x1JVoV6zA5A7l6jDf0GIzLX_Hg2M1-2fLFHjYoC3AvGJXlDdbbiavEHUifMvH96Z5dErJWEh6fL/s1600/ladybird-icon.png" /></a></div>
You never have to travel very far in the Twitterverse or Blogosphere these days to encounter those preaching the Gospel of Social.<br />
<br />
The Evangelists of E-Connectedness urge us to link in, keep tweeting, and altogether network, network, network as if our lives depended on it. Collaboration, it would appear is something that is best done online, and preferably on a constant and continual basis.<br />
<br />
Cloudsharing, tweet-ups and hackathons are (according to this particular Gospel) the way that knowledge is acquired, shared and implemented. We are always at our best when we are together, and solitary working is anathema to progress and innovation.<br />
<br />
Well, if you're a disciple of this particular denomination, here's bit of good news: Dave Ulrich (the much-maligned and cool-to-criticise Grand Fromage of HR practice) agrees with you!<br />
<br />
In his recent book "HR From The Outside In" (and, Dear Reader, you have read this, haven't you?) Ulrich is passionate about using technology to remove low value added or bureaucratic processes, and connecting everyone in the business through technology (and using this to provide alternative solutions to the "we all need to be based in the office" paradigm. He's as evangelistic as it's possible to be about leveraging social medial for business purposes:<br />
<br />
<em>"Social media is also emerging as a way to connect employees with customers. Beyond simply addressing customer problems, these platforms are becoming a knowledge hub for collaboration among employees and customers to solve problems and generate new ideas to improve products and services. Businesses cannot afford to ignore this new reality."</em><br />
<br />
So, let's get connected and the world will be ours ...<br />
<br />
Or not.<br />
<br />
What is clear from reading Ulrich (and, I'd say, from an application of balanced common sense) is that the focus on becoming what he calls a Technology Proponent is but one of a number of competencies (six to be precise) that those of us in HR need to develop if we wish to be effective and influential. To be part of the Next Generation of HR, we also need to become much better at understanding the strategic context within which our businesses operate, increase our overall credibility and track record of delivery; concentrate on building the organisational capabilities of the businesses we work in; become adept at managing and championing change; and role model innovation and integration in everything we do. <br />
<br />
You may choose to criticise Ulrich's particular selection of competencies, but there's not doubt that if all of us became better at all of these six areas, we'd be more effective in our jobs and improve the reputation and standing of the profession.<br />
<br />
So it has to be said that although the future is social, it's only one leg of The Ulrich Ladybird!. And ladybirds may not be the most inspiring of creatures, but they do seem to function best when then have six legs, not just the one.Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-90838433449867874822014-09-30T13:31:00.000+01:002014-09-30T13:31:32.256+01:00The 10 most common responses upon reading a list of the 20 most influential HR Thought Leaders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPn1aYrhmdKmiNmgTLEHwGDEtffYbY5CkP3kdAzqIyUcpy7P8qheXKR-Enq3GLU0a0DSfsQ8QZ3jOtywEGcuDcvWB1glamzNoIjhEC8yG3F1UwSBL5SKfyAkFjqNAuICa1ffGC8b3HG_n/s1600/woman-scare-and-shocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPn1aYrhmdKmiNmgTLEHwGDEtffYbY5CkP3kdAzqIyUcpy7P8qheXKR-Enq3GLU0a0DSfsQ8QZ3jOtywEGcuDcvWB1glamzNoIjhEC8yG3F1UwSBL5SKfyAkFjqNAuICa1ffGC8b3HG_n/s1600/woman-scare-and-shocked.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Following the publication earlier today of yet another list of the (apparently) most influential HR Thought Leaders, the editorial team of HR Case Studies has undertaken an in-depth and independently verifiable study of the 10 most common immediate responses upon reading such a list.<br />
<br />
The results, dear reader, are presented below for your enlightenment and education. And perhaps also for your amusement.<br />
<ol>
<li>Who?</li>
<li>Influential? They've got fewer twitter followers than me!</li>
<li>Well if <u>they</u> are on that list, there's hope for me yet.</li>
<li>No, it's not sour grapes and no, I'm not jealous, but why am I not on that list?</li>
<li>Oh look! The guy that has pulled the list together has put himself on it!</li>
<li>Top 20 Global Thought Leaders? List created by an American? Oh look! Everyone on the list is American!</li>
<li>I wonder why the guy who has created the list has selected predominantly blonde women aged 25 - 35?</li>
<li>Well at least the list gives me a good reason for unfollowing 20 people on twitter</li>
<li>Thought Leaders? 12 of the names on the list are recruitment consultants!</li>
<li>Oh for heaven's sake! I give up! What purpose are these lists actually supposed to serve anyway?</li>
</ol>
<br />
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-46297103565770989292014-09-22T21:05:00.000+01:002014-09-22T21:05:44.917+01:00HR Models? Who needs them anyway?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAXGhIqsrRoxmeTOzeBG-627dS8_uXidKvcYF2NRzvAzdc3JYv9PuNSfqDKR1gOOBBchq6OhGPkEpipGeDA07EAuKanTgW9fEw7viw4DNxxx8_0g6sVu4w00IFqctAcsDOmOY5xGN3RJH/s1600/miles-davis-milestones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAXGhIqsrRoxmeTOzeBG-627dS8_uXidKvcYF2NRzvAzdc3JYv9PuNSfqDKR1gOOBBchq6OhGPkEpipGeDA07EAuKanTgW9fEw7viw4DNxxx8_0g6sVu4w00IFqctAcsDOmOY5xGN3RJH/s1600/miles-davis-milestones.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just what is it about British HR people that makes them
so averse to adhering to any form of theoretical model ?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or, as John Lewis puts it much more eloquently in my
well-worn 1962 edition of his History of Philosophy: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>It is a characteristic of the British tradition to be
highly suspicious of the theory underlying practice.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recent discussion on Dave Ulrich's recent book has
flushed out the usual HR suspects chanting the mantra of "Oh I don't
subscribe to any of this HR model malarkey. I think it's much more important to
find out what works for you and the business you're in. None of this one size
fits all for me."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's as if models and theories are some form of dirty
word. (And as for paradigm ... well, wash your mouth out with soapy water!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Picture this: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Hey", says Bobby Moore to Sir Alf Ramsey,
"When we're playing in Mexico, are we sticking to the 4-4-2 formation that
contributed to us winning the World Cup in 1966?" "No" says Sir
Alf; "I've given up on all that stuff. Just hoof the ball all over the
place when you're in Mexico and find what works for you. Make sure you're
engaged with Mullery and Hurst and we're sorted." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"What key do you want me to play Straight No Chaser
in?" says Coltrane to Miles Davis. "Hey", says Miles; "Key
signatures are so unhip, man. Just play in whatever key you want. It'll sound
fine. You listening too, Philly Joe? Don't bother with that time signature shit
any more. If you think six in a bar works, then go with the flow."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Can you give me a few tips on perspective"
says Da Vinci's apprentice to his master. "Actually", says Leonardo,
"I'm not bothered about perspective any more. Or composition to be honest.
Just paint how you feel you should paint. No need to stick to the rules or the
models. Perspective is just so 1511."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be it football, music or art, there are conventions,
paradigms, structural approaches and (shh!) models that are there for the
simple reason that they work. They are there because they deliver the goods,
and to ignore them is to court disaster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So why our reluctance to profess allegiance to any
particular model of HR?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One reason is probably down to the lack of understanding
of what a model is. One rather excellent text-book definition describes a model
as an "imaginative mental construct invented to account for observed
phenomena. Its chief use is to help one understand the world." Put like
that it doesn’t sound quite so scary, does it? It just tells us what generally
works in a given set of circumstances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right: time to get provocative!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I suspect that a more significant reason for the
readiness with which we dispense with (in particular) the Ulrich model is that
to enter into an informed debate on the subject requires you to have actually
read his stuff in the first place! Let's face it, many of us just can't be
bothered to put the intellectual investment into ploughing through the 261
(count 'em!) pages of his recent book, can we? Basically, it boils down to
laziness!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, where does that leave us?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, there are shifts in what is popular: for every 4-4-2
formation in football there is a Total Football model to replace it; for key
and time signatures there's always an Ornette Coleman or a Schoenberg waiting
in the wings to usher in something new; for every Leonardo there's a Picasso or
a Dali to offer a new way of looking at reality. But rarely in life does a
complete iconoclast come along and destroy everything that went before and
offer nothing in return.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But in HR, before we throw out the Ulrich baby with the
bathwater, let's at least make sure we fully understand what we are discarding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, as has been observed before: Nothing is quite
so practical as a good theory<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-35933387356310580422014-01-07T23:49:00.000+00:002014-01-07T23:49:18.422+00:00Charity sector HR: where the real action is!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7-N9FkePYDnm0OMlbqf34Q9du8viUBjihxsp38892HDKiuBwUWkGLIIXf4ZhvBdM4FlYDkibAMr9HwuNIrlO-4XXtRUQXRAtE_7RTLjTOv-NgMv6DGKQ7WNckv-DC7u_1fEwrGE5B17F/s1600/Red-tax-collection-tin-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7-N9FkePYDnm0OMlbqf34Q9du8viUBjihxsp38892HDKiuBwUWkGLIIXf4ZhvBdM4FlYDkibAMr9HwuNIrlO-4XXtRUQXRAtE_7RTLjTOv-NgMv6DGKQ7WNckv-DC7u_1fEwrGE5B17F/s1600/Red-tax-collection-tin-008.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
suspect that the air turned blue in many of the UK’s charities this week when
the sector’s HR community read an article in this month’s People Management
magazine in which an (alleged) careers guidance expert gave the advice that
experience in the charity sector was probably a factor which may have limited
an individual’s ability to progress into a senior level HR role.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">“Our
three experts show People Management readers how to get their working lives
back on track” claimed the article, which then posed the question of “Is my
charity career putting people off?” asked by a Regional HR Business
Partner who felt that his career had stalled, but was looking to become a Head
of HR or HRD, ideally within the private sector. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"I
don’t think your age is a factor ... It’s more likely to be your charity
experience" was the supposedly helpful advice given to the above
individual, who voiced concern that “common misconceptions about charities are
leading to my applications not being shortlisted.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">If
there are any common misconceptions about the validity of HR experience gained
within the charity sector, it’s time they were consigned to the dustbin of
history, not only so that the solid professionalism of the sector’s HR
community is recognised, but also so that those recruiting into critical roles
outside this sector don’t overlook a talent pool filled with some of the most
highly qualified, able, committed and inspiring individuals you could ever have
the pleasure of meeting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Let’s
have a brief look at why far from providing limiting HR experience, a career in
the charity sector can give an HR professional exposure to challenges which
will develop skills in a way that the private sector will not be able to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Working
alongside HR colleagues in the international development provokes me into
asking the following questions:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">How many HR professionals in commercial organisations can claim to have experience of managing life-threatening negotiations with rebels who have kidnapped a number of their company’s staff? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">How many have been part of the rapid deployment team mobilising the response to one of the recent global disasters such as the Haitian earthquake or Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hands up all those who have managed the people implications of transforming their organisation from one based in the UK to one based in South Africa with regional hubs spread across the continents? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">How many private sector HR professionals not only do an amazing job during the week, but also are actively involved in campaigning on behalf of their organisation during their spare time?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It
also needs pointing out that particularly within campaigning charities, and
especially those involved in international development, the competition for
roles across the organisation as a whole is overwhelmingly intense. As was
pointed out in a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/jan/03/new-year-resolution-masters-qualification" target="_blank">recent article in The Guardian</a>, 98 out of 100 applications for
an internship position (in my current organisation) having either a Masters, a
PhD or a Law Degree was nothing out of the ordinary. Far from getting OUT of
the sector being an issue, it’s getting INTO it that is difficult for the
thousands of people who want to carve out a career in a meaningful and high
impact role.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Many
individuals within the charity sector have made a conscious decision to move
into an organisation that is in alignment with their personal values, often
leaving behind a successful (and frequently more lucrative!) role in the
private sector in order to genuinely make a difference in their chosen field.
I’ve personally worked with fantastic HR colleagues who have earned their
stripes in organisations such as BBC and IBM, as well as some of the most
prestigious management consultancies, financial services organisations,
political bodies and High Street supermarkets. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">On
a personal note, prior to a move into the international development sector,
I’ve had the privilege of working with some outstanding HR colleagues in not
only the fast-paced world of manufacturing but also the high technology
environment of aerospace and defence; I wouldn’t for one moment wish to
downplay any of their skills, impact and achievements, but I will have to say
that for professionalism, capability, enthusiasm, hard work, inspiration,
engagement, and recognition from managers of the provision of a strategic and
operational high quality HR service, you don’t need to look any further than my
current HR team. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">There's a lesson to be learned from the article in People Management magazine for all those seeking career development advice: make sure that the expert you turn to for guidance knows what he or she is talking about. Sadly the one referred to above clearly doesn't.</span>Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-35047420927489094692013-12-16T22:06:00.001+00:002013-12-16T22:06:32.430+00:00The year ahead in HR: Your month by month guide to 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgU0FDdvQzoD513uyL2wCnU2PfMtkME7nCbGybMUq6pgnWsHTWao468INOwNfIeTXQ4XWBSIawC0r6ekctwgERxKvMGHyx1R7jCBlnAhEkgaXRbjkGqM-JzBzbHr4s3nXFie85tqoCwYI/s1600/Crystal-ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgU0FDdvQzoD513uyL2wCnU2PfMtkME7nCbGybMUq6pgnWsHTWao468INOwNfIeTXQ4XWBSIawC0r6ekctwgERxKvMGHyx1R7jCBlnAhEkgaXRbjkGqM-JzBzbHr4s3nXFie85tqoCwYI/s320/Crystal-ball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it's that time of year when the blogosphere is alive with predictions of what is going to happen in the year ahead. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But here, to save you valuable time which otherwise might be wasted in wading your way through the plethora of predictions for the HR profession for 2014, </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">courtesy of the prophetic skills of the HR Case Studies editorial team, are the only predictions that you will need for the year ahead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Money back if not entirely satisfied!</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>January</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While every prediction of what will happen in HR in 2014
fades faster than a festive hangover as soon as the clock strikes midnight on
New Year’s Eve, this month also sees the publication of the 2014 "HR
Professionals Who Have Been Very Influential and Achieved Far More Than Those
Who Appear on Completely Subjective and Unverifiable Lists" list. It is
long.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>February</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This month kicks off with the earliest appearance yet of the
ubiquitous and perennial “How to Avoid Embarrassment at the Christmas Party”
articles in various HR journals and websites.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>March</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A journalist with little or no knowledge of the profession
announces its imminent demise. HR professionals work themselves up into a
frenzy about the inaccuracy of the article, shortly before realising that
no-one else is either reading the article, or in the slightest bit interested
anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>April</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is despair in the UK coaching profession when a
scientific study proves conclusively that motivational tweets have no effect
whatsoever on personal performance. "Never mind" says Sharon (NLP
Master Practitioner, Yoga Black Belt, and author of "Discover Your Inner
Lioness") “<span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
answers can be as clear as day, but if you keep looking for dark storm clouds,
you will never see the sun of truth”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">M</span>ay</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rumours
surface of a candidate actually being satisfied with the service received from
a recruitment consultancy. Despite a lengthy investigation, ultimately no
evidence of the existence of the candidate is found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>June</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The
seven secrets of how to achieve mega-stardom by including a number in the title
of your book, while at the same time appearing awesome at interview,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>redefining your personal brand and achieving
fame as a thought leader" becomes the longest title to be listed on Amazon
while simultaneously failing to sell a single copy. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>July</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">England crash ignominiously out of the World Cup, provoking
cries of “How can this load of muppets justify the amount of money they are
paid?” and “Don’t they realise that <a href="http://hrcasestudies.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/fabio-capello-business-lesson.html" target="_blank">Alf Ramsey only earned £7,200 per year</a> when he guided
England to glory in 1966?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>August</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A user of LinkedIn claims that it actually helped him find a
job. This is later shown to be a marketing gimmick devised by LinkedIn.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>September</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IKEA announces its new Ulrich range of furniture. It features
a stool with an interchangeable number of legs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>October</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A case reaches the European Court of Human Rights in which
the plaintiff alleges that they were discriminated against by being the only
person in the organisation who couldn’t bring a claim for discrimination on any
grounds. They claim that this is a fundamental breach of their human rights.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>November</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the 2014 CIPD conference in Manchester, police are
called to intervene following violence between opposing factions in a debate on
the role social media can pay in promoting employee engagement and
participation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>December</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The entire HR profession shouts as one, “Please, JUST FOR
ONCE, can we have a year that ends without the interminable and meaningless
predictions for next year?”</span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-39756952785834259062013-10-10T21:01:00.000+01:002013-10-10T21:01:37.748+01:00How to speak like a Thought Leader in one easy lesson without even trying<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhm6HZ5PtDvGuPECZUF5H-W2AFCbjULtAkQfVNWTEmLlpsxJ7-4oRAldjY-lF_hMY6qD6p81R6NaEoRNWLvKLjjyCV_FI7lVSGugRwOqOFyfX-qK8CdY1ZTyaOZq3OR4XcjBvEC0pBQrg/s1600/meaningless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhm6HZ5PtDvGuPECZUF5H-W2AFCbjULtAkQfVNWTEmLlpsxJ7-4oRAldjY-lF_hMY6qD6p81R6NaEoRNWLvKLjjyCV_FI7lVSGugRwOqOFyfX-qK8CdY1ZTyaOZq3OR4XcjBvEC0pBQrg/s320/meaningless.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The entire editorial team of HR Case Studies furrowed its collective brow this week when it read that Management Guru Tom "In Search of Excellence" Peters had given his opinion that, "Big Data will re-imagine HR"<br />
<br />
"Such poetry," as none of the team was heard to say<br />
<br />
"I couldn't have put it clearer myself" said no-one at all in the team.<br />
<br />
"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean" as everyone chanted in unison.<br />
<br />
But fear not, dear reader. All is not lost.<br />
<br />
To ease you into the weekend, we bring you the HR Case Studies guide to speaking meaningless HR jargon. To instantly sound like someone who can add "Thought Leader" to your LinkedIn profile, all you need is contained in the section below.<br />
<br />
Simply choose any phrase from Group A, randomly select a link from Group B, and then add a further utterly meaningless group of words from Group C, and before you can say "Human Capital Management" you'll be talking like someone at an international HR conference!<br />
<br />
No surgery required!<br />
<br />
<strong>Group A</strong><br />
Big data<br /> Employee Engagement<br /> 360 degree appraisal<br /> An innovative social media policy<br /> Our sophisticated talent management pipeline<br /> The cloud-based HRIS<br />
This year's Employee Voice Initiative<br />Our outcome-based reward system<br /> The enterprise wellness programme<br /> This year's employee recognition scheme<br /> Our Web 2.0 open-source participation platform<br /> The learning and development mechanism<br /> Improved IT functionality<br /> The company self-service HR portal<br /><br /> <strong>Group B</strong><br />
Will<br /> Has a potential to<br /> Promises to<br /> Offers an opportunity to<br /> Will undoubtedly<br /> <br />
<strong>Group C</strong><br />
Re-imagine HR<br />
Minimise avoidable attrition<br /> Facilitate peer-to-peer feedback<br />Maximise People Performance<br /> Unlock hidden talent<br />Leverage human capital <br />Equip managers in evidence based decision making<br /> Lock in below-the-line financial savings<br />
Push the envelope of staff motivation<br />Generate maximum stakeholder participation<br /> Seamlessly network critical staff<br />
Achieve collaborative alignment<br /> Optimise peak performanceGraham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-83649238771381638472013-09-30T19:48:00.000+01:002013-09-30T19:48:39.579+01:00You can lead an HR Professional to culture ...
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIgjkHj6dseSEvTvPwOnhVU4AzW6Y5cs-e4_TQIbuCK2mNWr0TNPbhNVHBcomSmKyaBSQvlRckVyXgZjU_-lC17JUHMeqi71iOVkED2u_YR1LbgTjZ8h9OGezZXL098FQPyQxEcfaSuFe/s1600/Philharmonia-Orchestra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIgjkHj6dseSEvTvPwOnhVU4AzW6Y5cs-e4_TQIbuCK2mNWr0TNPbhNVHBcomSmKyaBSQvlRckVyXgZjU_-lC17JUHMeqi71iOVkED2u_YR1LbgTjZ8h9OGezZXL098FQPyQxEcfaSuFe/s400/Philharmonia-Orchestra.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be honest, I'm not really convinced that there are
management lessons to be learned from rock music, or indeed from any form of
music. (Other, of course, than from cool contemporary jazz which is simply
awash with ideas about creativity, improvisation, cooperation, empathy etc.
etc. !)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But having recently had the opportunity to observe at
close quarters some of the world's top conductors masterfully directing the
juggernaut of a 100 strong orchestra, there are at least a couple of leadership
insights to be shared.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's take Esa-Pekka Salonen's guidance of the Royal
Festival Hall based Philharmonia Orchestra to give us some tips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His conducting of Edgar Varese's Ameriques led one
reviewer to say, "the numerous climaxes at the end of the work kept
growing louder and louder, Salonen forcing his orchestra to the edge of what is
possible in a concert hall". Admittedly it's a pretty obscure piece that
is rarely performed, but all you need to know about the piece is that it builds
to a crescendo of ear-splitting magnitude. A bit like Stairway to Heaven on
steroids. As the final chord rang out, Salonen was literally on his tiptoes,
arms aloft,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>waving his fist into the
air, pleading with the orchestra to blow, bow, or hit their instruments for a
few moments longer. Like Communist Party officials not wanting to be the first
one to cease applauding the Soviet leader after his two-hour speech, the
musicians were latched onto the conductor's gestures, not daring to let the conductor
out of their field of vision or to be the first one to expire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
Salonen at last brought down his arms the audience went ape, as much out of
relief as in appreciation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly, it turns out that in the afternoon's
rehearsal, the conductor had refused to allow the orchestra to practice the
final crescendo. Clearly he wanted the orchestra not to take for granted how
the piece would end, but have to rely on him to guide them through the final
few bars, and to totally commit themselves to his vision for how the piece
would conclude. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leadership Lesson No. 1: Sometimes you need to surprise
your team by taking them (metaphorically!) somewhere they are not expecting to
go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next: Same conductor, same orchestra, different piece. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time EPS is waggling his stick to direct the orchestra
in Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes he does the to-be-expected thing of waving his
arms about like a man plugged into the national grid. Sometimes he bends over
and almost pleads with the front row of the violins to play with more
expression. Sometimes he points to the french horns inviting them to tone it
down a bit. The orchestra responds to his bidding. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there are occasions when the orchestra is chugging
along very nicely thank you very much, when he just stands there, arms at his
side. No facial gestures. No arm waggling. Just stands there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's as if he's saying, "That's it. You're doing
fine, playing what you're supposed to be, so you don't need me to intervene in
any way. Just keep going."</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leadership Lesson No. 2: If your team are doing what they
are paid to do, why not just leave them to get on with it? Save your grand
gestures and arm waving for when its really needed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">(Cue wild applause from appreciative audience, bow, exit stage left)</span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-44848414342510101702013-09-29T20:36:00.000+01:002013-09-29T20:36:56.372+01:00Pretentious? Moi?
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu5kjJyUz4Ev3wWeRMjdsQhtV8eUtLvWfeRQaoKXYi3AEphgl9nvGCl2DjcEw6KHipfklfstEEiUxhPMSSFlbYygr_15excJ6aQpn6wMtvwK-ZbZ-ZNp48glPjCcx12i0zsjH7Z8vTbcS/s1600/Grimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu5kjJyUz4Ev3wWeRMjdsQhtV8eUtLvWfeRQaoKXYi3AEphgl9nvGCl2DjcEw6KHipfklfstEEiUxhPMSSFlbYygr_15excJ6aQpn6wMtvwK-ZbZ-ZNp48glPjCcx12i0zsjH7Z8vTbcS/s320/Grimes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The editorial team of HR Case Studies decided it was time
to top up on culture on Saturday evening, so we all sauntered along for a
performance of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes at the Royal Festival Hall on
London's South Bank. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(OK. I know that I will have lost some of you already,
but stick with it. After all, Punk Rock HR and Acoustic HR shouldn't have a
monopoly on the blogosphere, should they!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The performance was good. Conductor Vladimir Jurowski
waved his stick at the orchestra and they responded to his bidding. The solo
singers and large choir gave it loads. The audience were impressed and gave the
entire cast a rapturous ovation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
thought that we'd had a decent night out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But apparently we'd only experienced a fraction of what
The Experts had experienced. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Writing in <a href="http://www.theartsdesk.com/opera/peter-grimes-lpo-jurowski-royal-festival-hall" target="_blank">The Arts Desk</a>, David Nice (Mmm .. lovely
name...) opined that "Jurowski blinded us with magnesium-flare projections
of Britten’s sparest sounds, London Philharmonic strings lean and hungry" ("Presumably
something that came out of the reviewers arse since he's so far up it" as
one of my recently acquired twitterchums put it so succinctly)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And similarly, <a href="http://www.edwardseckerson.biz/asides/briefly-peter-grimes-london-philharmonic-jurowski-royal-festival-hall-review/" target="_blank">Edward Seckerson</a> waxed lyrical and
observed that, "Interestingly enough, the other storm – the one in Grimes’
soul which vents during the act two Passacaglia – was Jurowski’s other physical
and emotional climacteric."</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clearly the HR Case Studies Team is made up of a bunch of
Philistines, as the magnesium-flare projections went completely unobserved, and
we didn't even get a whiff of the emotional climacteric.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, I'm sure you get the point. Both these reviews are
full of utterly pretentious nonsense that alienates a large section of the
population. Far from encouraging the uninitiated to participate in (actually,
the most appropriate word is "enjoy") such performances, they portray
(in this case) classical music as something that can only be REALLY understood
by the inner circle of the cognoscenti with access to The Hidden Knowledge. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, in the down-to-earth world of HR, we're never
guilty of such obscure, exclusive terminology, are we?</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We never talk of "leveraging Web 2.0 technology in
enhancing our internal human capital" do we? (I think that one is
"online training courses")</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The words "ensuring effective on-boarding of employees
through a cross-functional welcome programme to achieve rapid alignment with
organisational values" are never on our lips, are they? (In the Good Old
Days, that was what we used to call "Induction")</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We never send a promotional e-mail to prospective clients
talking of our "bar-raising performance management methodology which
integrates with our international employee participation and engagement
portal" do we? (No bloody idea what that one was about, but I've still got
the mail if it's your sort of thing)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's sad to say that within HR we are prone to talk the
same sort of bollocks that is spoken by those we criticise, aren't we?
("Why can't the guys in IT just say what they mean" as we often
refrain.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But using such obscure terminology doesn't help demystify
the HR profession one little bit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nor does it make you appear clever. It makes you look
pretentious. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And we wouldn't want that, would we?</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep it simple, boys and girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-10314742601454599232013-09-22T20:22:00.000+01:002013-09-22T20:22:25.509+01:00It's not my fault I'm a rubbish manager - it's genetic (and I'm a Libran)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3inMPZhrYo4B58oCo6jjb7JdyX-LjWO41VwksPT4GsQSWpNcady_loXBUAvaflZgmM8go3joOzbyB1O3hUPAZtOeg30MoZ7G8pLQG_8-LbezLL-T_PFbrbHb_YEftSJANkwgRxlZ56mOe/s1600/houses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3inMPZhrYo4B58oCo6jjb7JdyX-LjWO41VwksPT4GsQSWpNcady_loXBUAvaflZgmM8go3joOzbyB1O3hUPAZtOeg30MoZ7G8pLQG_8-LbezLL-T_PFbrbHb_YEftSJANkwgRxlZ56mOe/s320/houses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's amazing where you can discover linkages to the
wonderful world of HR if only you know where to look!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For instance, a recent edition of Radio 4's Start The
Week (Monday morning work-out for the grey cells) concerned the rather esoteric
subject of "Fairytale Physics" and explored how much of what modern
science (especially Physics) claims to describe reality but in fact doesn't! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the contributors stated:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"There are a lot of geneticists going out looking
out for the obesity gene. When I was a kid, growing up in the village, there
was one man who had a known metabolic problem, and he was the only fat man in
the village. Now just walk down any street and it’s full of incredibly obese
people, and this is a major problem. Reducing our very nature to our genetic
make-up absolves us of responsibility for our own lives in some way"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The implication was that now there is supposedly a gene
for just about anything and everything (including obesity) you seem to see lots
more such people who (presumably) explain their physical condition simply by
saying, "I know I'm overweight, but it's genetic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oddly enough this doesn’t seem a million miles away from
the current trend in popular psychometrics, where certain individuals use their
basic level of understanding of the subject to explain their unacceptable behaviour, does it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How many times have you heard individuals say things such
as "Well I'm a Myers-Briggs ENTJ, so I'm bound to jump to conclusions and
come across as a bit dictatorial aren't I?" Or "You need to
understand that when I did the Transactional Analysis Self Assessment, it
showed me that I've got a really strong Hurry Up driver, so that's why I often
get impatient with my team"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is perhaps even more worrying that those who take
refuge behind the MBTI psychometric profile, are doing so behind a psychometric
profile that is being increasingly <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130917155206-69244073-say-goodbye-to-mbti-the-fad-that-won-t-die?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0" target="_blank">questioned with respect to its validity</a>. At
times the "OK it may not be scientifically proven, but you've got to admit
that it fairly accurately describes the character of a lot of people"
sounds remarkably like the view of those who say, "I know that astrology
is a load of cobblers, but actually I am a fairly typical Libran you
know."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is as if some people use their psychometric profile to
justify their inappropriate behaviour, rather than use it as a way of throwing
light on an aspect of their personality that they may wish to modify or
eliminate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All a personality profile can do (however valid and
reputable) is to paint a picture of a person's character, style, and likely
behaviour in given circumstances. What it can never do is justify that
behaviour, especially when it is inappropriate. We behave the way that we do
largely because we choose to do so, not because of our Myers Briggs profile, or
the fact that Mercury was in the ascendant when we were born.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As ever, Shakespeare has something to say on the issue.
As Cassius reminds Brutus shortly before the assassination of Julius Caesar: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in ourselves, that we are underlings."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(And if this blog seems slightly diplomatic and
idealistic, yet at the same time flirtatious and self indulgent, I guess that
is what is to be expected from a typical Libran. Possibly!)</span>Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-24098247850646223852013-09-18T13:10:00.000+01:002013-09-18T13:10:51.130+01:00It's time to celebrate our failures as well as our successes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2763f0WZ5QtCY0UuLQ2Jcdt43_N_sccmLhVHxvtKvFc8DPqw2FHmAdWmhIjHSeWTRk9a6Bv48M43xa38TwnUe1__13mPeWtQgJTqcveF8zdEFmfK1H1r7b8B_hyphenhyphen-QOrj25ztqytcRZYm9/s1600/Train+Crash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2763f0WZ5QtCY0UuLQ2Jcdt43_N_sccmLhVHxvtKvFc8DPqw2FHmAdWmhIjHSeWTRk9a6Bv48M43xa38TwnUe1__13mPeWtQgJTqcveF8zdEFmfK1H1r7b8B_hyphenhyphen-QOrj25ztqytcRZYm9/s320/Train+Crash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It's that time of year again when the HR profession put on its best suit and black tie or cocktail dress and celebrates its amazing achievements at various awards ceremonies for the Best This and Most Impressive That. Drink is (allegedly) taken. Cameras are clicked. Tweets are tweeted. <br />
<br />
The rest of the HR world looks on not quite sure whether to feel inadequate, jealous or cynical of those who have navigated their way (in uncomfortable bow-ties or toe-crunching high heels) to the awards ceremony. <br />
<br />
But let's admit it, the amazing achievements of the award winners will not be analysed in great detail by anyone other than the judging panel. Perhaps we should be keen to learn if the success of others could be applied to or emulated within our own organisations. But our enthusiasm is sadly limited. <br />
<br />
It's time for change. <br />
<br />
It's time for honesty. <br />
<br />
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you The Most Spectacular Failure in Implementing an HR Initiative Award. <br />
<br />
To qualify for this prestigious new award, all you need to do is document how you failed to plan properly or forgot to take into consideration the views of key stakeholders, communicated the reasons for the initiative badly, allocated insufficient budget, bought the wrong IT system to support the initiative, or simply misjudged the readiness of the organisation for your amazing strategic intervention. <br />
<br />
The benefits to the rest of the HR community would be immense. We'd gratefully learn from your mistakes, put a last minute halt to our own organisations' plans to fall into the same trap and reconsider what initiatives we are committed to over the next year. <br />
<br />
We'd certainly carefully read of your blunder with a sense of "Phew! There but for the grace of God ..." when the supporting article appeared on the pages of People Management. <br />
<br />
And, most importantly, we would all have a good laugh! Only one question to be answered: Who would be brave enough to sponsor such an award? Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-30235832427027327762013-03-17T16:18:00.001+00:002013-03-17T16:18:40.289+00:00Government Health Warning: Social Media Can Seriously Damage Your Self-Esteem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EntgLjYpfAA/UUWTvlGbdxI/AAAAAAAAAvA/oMUWjSrox8w/s1600/HowToBePerfectlyMiserable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EntgLjYpfAA/UUWTvlGbdxI/AAAAAAAAAvA/oMUWjSrox8w/s320/HowToBePerfectlyMiserable.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Let's face it, the constant stream of information that flows into your life from the various social media services that you subscribe to makes you feel an abject failure, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
You're left cold by the tweets from some of those that you follow urging you to realise that today is going to be simply EPIC, and that by harnessing all your inner energy you can single-handedly begin to change the world.<br />
<br />
Unlike some of those with whom you network, you didn't start your day with a 4.98 km run with a pace of 6'04"/km in your expensive Nike running shoes.<br />
<br />
You don't have the perfect skin, coiffeured hair and ultra-white teeth that radiate back at you from the social media profiles of most of your contacts.<br />
<br />
You feel guilty that you don't have time to read any (never mind all ten!) of the "must-read" articles in this morning's press that your twitter stream tells you are critical for your continued existence.<br />
<br />
Your twitter profile doesn't read like many of those you follow: you're not wife/husband to the WONDERFUL (insert androgynous name here), mum/dad to three AMAZING kids, livin' life to the max, one FANTASTIC day at a time.<br />
<br />
Nor are you an internationally renowned speaker, strategist and best-selling author (insert link to book ranked 1,786, 493 in Amazon business books here) working with senior executives to transform their businesses (usually by helping them "leverage social media technology to maximise employee engagement"). <br />
<br />
You are unmoved by the messages in your inbox advising you how to CRUSH your next interview, ROCK your forthcoming performance review and NAIL that salary increase that you know that you deserve.<br />
<br />
You never appear on any Most Influential Communicators listings for your chosen profession. Your most profound and carefully constructed utterances create not the slightest ripple in the social media world, while the announcement of one of your contacts that he has burned the toast goes viral. Unlike some of those around you, AWESOME is a word that is rarely applied to you.<br />
<br />
You don't even know what Klout is, never mind what your Klout score is. But you suspect that the scruffy IT geek on the train next to you this morning has a better score than you.<br />
<br />
The only people who look at your Linked In profile live on the opposite side of the globe, and are clearly still hoping that you can help them get a job; no-one ever approaches you about exciting career opportunities.<br />
<br />
Your Linked In profile makes you look like at best a normal person and at worst a washed-up specimen of humanity in comparison to the supreme beings who appear in the "People You May Know" section.<br />
<br />
However ...<br />
<br />
You may not have 2,000 followers on twitter, nor be networked with 500+ contacts on Linked In, but one pseudo-inspirational, marathon running, keynote speaker with a bestselling book and a clutch of AMAZING kids is pretty much like the next one!<br />
<br />
What you DO have is a close circle of friends, acquaintances, colleagues and family members; people who are more significant to you than an @ symbol in a contact list; people who you can trust and rely on both personally and professionally, and who in turn can trust and rely on you.<br />
<br />
For your sanity's sake, make this week one where you spend some time with those close to you, and give them some of the attention and appreciation that you yourself crave and thrive on.<br />
<br />
After all, that's the only way that you'll make this week truly EPIC!Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-22636189354609087392013-03-13T08:31:00.000+00:002013-03-13T08:31:22.989+00:00Three proven techniques for getting you the pay increase you deserve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SVkf9SZgcRU/UUA2O8jli9I/AAAAAAAAAuc/jdXOXkNuoAE/s1600/English+Currency.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SVkf9SZgcRU/UUA2O8jli9I/AAAAAAAAAuc/jdXOXkNuoAE/s320/English+Currency.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
OK. I'll admit it. I lied.<br />
<br />
The headline was just a cheap stunt to attract your attention, but while you're here. please listen to what I have to say and partipate in the debate by voting in the poll over on the right hand side.<br />
<br />
I guess that, like me, you will regularly get tweets and Linked In alerts offering you helpful advice on how to secure your long overdue pay increase.<br />
<br />
They will be full of tips such as "know your value", "choose your moment", "rehearse what you want to say and practise how you will handle your boss's likely responses." Oh, and also "don't take it personally if your boss says no."<br />
<br />
It has to be said that most of the advice originates from the USA, rather than from the UK where we seem to be much more reticent about asking for more. Perhaps Oliver Twist isn't the best role model in that respect.<br />
<br />
What I'm puzzled about and interested in is this: how many of us (particularly in the UK) who are in regular paid employment are actually in positions where we can influence our pay progression? I'm not talking about those whose performance may lead to an annual bonus, nor those whose pay will rise incrementally each year, either just as a result of having completed another year's service, or as a result of having met the year's objectives.<br />
<br />
I'm assuming (and this is where I may be wrong, so please help me out!) that the majority of employees in the UK are either on a fixed rate for their particular job, or are sat in a grading and salary structure with predetermined increments which can be reached at set times in the year.<br />
<br />
So, how many of you (dear readers) are in positions where the request of "Please Sir, can I have some more?" would be met with anything other than a blank stare and a response of something other than "I'd love to, but my hands are tied" ?<br />
<br />
Or (perish the thought!) a blow around the head with a ladle.Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-24512175491876459492013-03-04T08:38:00.000+00:002013-03-04T08:38:16.057+00:00Aim to be One Of Those Who Didn't Quite Make It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fO9KW2CwOp4/UTRb3-rq7OI/AAAAAAAAAtw/UVGubNZDyQM/s1600/ultravox2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fO9KW2CwOp4/UTRb3-rq7OI/AAAAAAAAAtw/UVGubNZDyQM/s320/ultravox2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Vienna by Ultravox, together with American Pie, We Are The Champions, All Right Now, Let It Be, My Generation and Wonderwall all have one factor in common:<br />
<br />
They never quite made it to the coveted Number One slot in the BBC singles chart.<br />
<br />
Perhaps there is some justice to American Pie being nudged off the Number One slot by Harry Nilsson's Without You (and also that memorable pop classic Son of My Father by Chicory Tip). <br />
<br />
Possibly Abba's The Name of The Game and Mull of Kintyre by Wings are of equal artistic merit to We Are The Champions by Queen. Abba and Wings made it to Number One in 1977, Queen didn't.<br />
<br />
But novelty track Shaddup You Face by Joe Dolce occupying the Number One slot instead of Vienna by Ultravox does seem a miscarriage of justice of epic proportions. "One of the biggest chart injustices of all time" is how the Official Charts Company's Managing Director describes Ultravox being denied the top slot.<br />
<br />
So what's all this got to do with HR and business management?<br />
<br />
Read and learn!<br />
<br />
It's quite clear that Joe Dolce nudged his way into pole position by some utter fluke of circumstances. There won't be many readers of this blog who will recall any of his follow-on singles like "Pizza Pizza," Reggae Matilda," or "You Toucha My Car I Breaka You Face."<br />
<br />
Yet all of our focus is on Vienna as The One That Should Have Made It But For Some Obscure Reason Didn't.<br />
<br />
But go into any High Street book store (and especially into the book store in the departure lounge of an airport) and you'll notice that although the shelves of the Business and Management section are crammed with the biographies of the rich, famous and successful (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson to name but three), books in the "The One That Should Have Made It But For Some Obscure Reason Didn't" genre are decidedly thin on the ground.<br />
<br />
Yet in many cases the likes of Jobs, Gates and Branson would themselves admit that they owe a massive amount of their success to the intervention of Lady Luck. "You need lucky breaks to be successful," says Richard Branson; "Luck played an immense role. I was born at the right place and time," Bill Gates has said.<br />
<br />
So why do we seem to hold up the mega-successful in the business world as role models to be envied and emulated, when chance played so much of factor in them getting to where they are?<br />
<br />
Sometimes it's Those Who Didn't Quite Make It that we should be learning from as much as Those That Did.<br />
<br />
After all, wouldn't you rather be Midge Ure than Joe Dolce?<br />
<br />
Oh Vienna ....Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-32722279273924360332013-03-01T08:35:00.000+00:002013-03-01T08:35:09.353+00:00Make sure you ask the right questions!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNFLG0L7BmU/UTBm-1zHu0I/AAAAAAAAAtM/jGcy6D-0EnI/s1600/atc-radar-20100601-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNFLG0L7BmU/UTBm-1zHu0I/AAAAAAAAAtM/jGcy6D-0EnI/s320/atc-radar-20100601-600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Although I had no idea that such places existed, I recently stumbled across an online discussion forum for Air Traffic Controllers. I guess like most of us they need a place to debate what is on their minds in what is without doubt a stressful and critical job.<br />
<br />
But I was actually very alarmed at what I read there.<br />
<br />
Rather than debate about pilot safety issues, and how emerging technology can be harnessed to improve performance within their roles (which was what I was expecting, to be honest) the most lively debate seemed to be about whether it was acceptable for Air Traffic Controllers to use over-familiar terminology such as "love" and "darling" when speaking to pilots as they descended into busy airports with their aircraft filled to capacity with passengers.<br />
<br />
I'll have to admit that I found such a debate a bit of a worry. These are the people into whose hands I entrust my personal safety every time I set foot in an aircraft, and I was disappointed that such an important group of people were using a public forum to discuss something that is, in my view, trivial and inconsequential. I guess that I was expecting something a bit more serious and significant from such a critical profession.<br />
<br />
OK. There's only one further thing that I need to say about what you've just read: not one word of it is true. <br />
<br />
If there is a discussion forum for Air Traffic Controllers (as I'm sure there is), I have no idea where to find it, and I'm sure that any issue that they discuss will have a lot more (deliberate pun alter) gravity than the use of over-familiar terminology with their pilots.<br />
<br />
But what sadly is true is the fact that there are numerous HR discussion forums (some within the broad confines of the CIPD's website) where one of the most active debates over the last few weeks has been whether it is acceptable to put kisses (xxx) at the end of a business e-mail.<br />
<br />
The debate has attracted more comments than all the discussions on performance management, finding mentors for top talent in large organisations, and the application of recent thinking in neuroscience to employee learning put together.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying for one moment that there isn't a place for such trivial questions as whether a sign-off snog is acceptable in some circumstances, but surely it's not in an open forum such as the ones described above.<br />
<br />
As an HR profession we are judged as much by the questions we raise as the answers that we give to them. If we wish those around us (many of whom are already sceptical of the contribution that we bring to the workplace) to believe that the most pressing issue of the day for HR is e-mail sign-off etiquette, then fine.<br />
<br />
But if, as I hope we do, we'd actually like to be thought of as a profession that is raising some serious and significant issues that are worthy of public debate, we need to be careful of how we portray ourselves in public.<br />
<br />
Ask a trivial question, and people will regard you as trivial. Ask a serious question and people will be more likely to take you seriously.Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-10005547971195226822013-01-27T15:23:00.000+00:002013-01-27T15:23:12.474+00:00Recruitment: Time to introduce some standards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-050326x2AkE/UQVFnV6yRLI/AAAAAAAAAs0/L8G10t77vJw/s1600/standards.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-050326x2AkE/UQVFnV6yRLI/AAAAAAAAAs0/L8G10t77vJw/s320/standards.png" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
A couple of days ago I participated in an online debate addressing some of the issues faced by the recruitment profession. Most of those taking part in the debate were either independent consultants, or involved in recruitment agencies, so some of the comments which follow may not apply equally to in-house recruiters.<br />
<br />
To say that the debate raised some worrying questions is something of an understatement. <br />
<br />
Here's why:<br />
<br />
Much of the discussion was centred around "the myth of candidate experience" and in particular whether it was necessary to treat all job applicants with the same degree of respect, including the simple courtesy of acknowledging every job application.<br />
<br />
At least one participant in the debate was happy to divide applicants into "good" and "bad" candidates: a "good" candidate being (and I quote) "a credible applicant who will make you money."<br />
<br />
Put simply, good candidates were deemed worthy of attention, bad candidates could be ignored.<br />
<br />
The same participant was (one hopes) frivolous enough to suggest that (and again I quote) "Dear John, I've checked out your LinkedIn waffle and Facebook pics and, sorry to say, you're not right for the position" would be a suitable response to one of those unfortunate enough to meet his "good candidate" selection criteria.<br />
<br />
My view (along with a number of other participants in this debate) is that all candidates for a job (whether for an assignment managed by a recruitment consultant, or an in-house campaign) deserve to be treated with a similar degree of courtesy and respect, especially that of keeping them updated as to their status within the recruitment process. The evolution of applicant tracking systems means that there is no excuse for failing to maintain contact with every candidate for every position.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to summer of 2013<br />
<br />
Black ties and evening dresses will once more be donned by those attending the CIPD Recruitment Marketing Awards. Prizes will be awarded for Best Art Direction, Campaign of the Year, Best Employer Brand, Recruitment Effectiveness, and a number of other categories.<br />
<br />
I have a suggestion. Actually it's a challenge, because this is surely one area where the CIPD (celebrating its centenary this year) could be seen to influence the direction in which the recruitment profession is moving.<br />
<br />
How about introducing an entrance requirement for those campaigns being nominated for awards of the ability to demonstrate adherence to a number of minimum standards of candidate care throughout those campaigns?<br />
<br />
There is, after all, no cause for celebrating innovation in recruitment advertising, if the candidates who were drawn to it were not treated with the same respect regardless of whether they were appointed or rejected.Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-28631813098991897512013-01-25T13:17:00.000+00:002013-01-25T13:46:27.214+00:00A (profile) picture speaks a thousand words, so choose yours carefully!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
A <a href="http://hrcasestudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-almost-naked-truth-about.html" target="_blank">recent post</a> on this blog pointed an accusing and suspicious finger at female recruitment consultants whose profile images on LinkedIn revealed far more flesh than was considered to be appropriate.<br />
<br />
It's interesting that since reading the initial blog, one of my fellow bloggers in the USA has undertaken some <a href="http://hrschoolhouse.com/robinschooling/tit-for-tat-hr/" target="_blank">parallel research</a> and seems to have discovered that the tendency to display expanses of flesh appears to be a UK phenomenon that is not mirrored across the Atlantic.<br />
<br />
But debate with a couple of fellow bloggers and commentators has caused the editorial team of HR Case Studies to reflect that there is a worrying parallel to this phenomenon among the members of the recruitment profession: where females display their cleavage, males display their cars!<br />
<br />
OK, perhaps we're only talking about one specific individual (and again, the names and details have been changed to avoid further embarrassment) but what does the use of a shiny blue Lamborghini as a profile picture say to the watching world?<br />
<br />
What it says to me is that the person is motivated by material gain, by the acquisition of expensive luxury items that are beyond the reach of the majority of the population, that I, as either a client or a candidate of that particular recruitment consultant are nothing more than a means to him acquiring (or perhaps funding) his lifestyle. <br />
<br />
The use of such an image tells me that that particular individual is concerned with things rather than people, cares little for the environment, and (most importantly) considers himself to be a member of a group that will never include me.<br />
<br />
The use of such an image also makes me wonder whether, were I to engage this particular individual in my capacity of purchaser of recruitment services, I would be screwed financially in order to assist him to maintain his expensive luxury lifestyle.<br />
<br />
Significantly, it makes me reflect on whether this individual is an isolated case, or whether it's the entire recruitment profession that thinks and feels like that. <br />
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So, before you upload your profile picture onto any social media site, question the effect it will have on your audience.<br />
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Incidentally, someone asked your humble editor what car he would use as a LinkedIn profile picture, and why. You'll see my choice above. A Morris Traveller: solid, dependable, built to last, easy to maintain, a turner of heads for all the right reasons, a reminder of a bygone age when quality mattered. And, probably above all: delightfully quirky!Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-72719423767414123732013-01-20T14:11:00.000+00:002013-01-20T21:29:54.225+00:00How To Get The Most Out Of Your Team: Treat Them Like Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Long ago, in a far and distant land, I trained as worked as a teacher, and had the (Warning: Sarcasm Alert!) joy and privilege of teaching for a time in what was branded as <a href="http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6017949" target="_blank">The School From Hell</a>.<br />
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Back in those days of yore, with respect to the management of classroom behaviour, the advice and guidance to would-be teachers was essentially limited to the old adage of, "Don't smile until Christmas."<br />
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But the resources and guidance now available to those in the teaching profession are now far superior to those from a couple of decades ago.<br />
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A rather excellent text book on the teaching of children in the 14 - 19 age range (currently being passed around the HR Case Studies office) contains a wealth of very practical advice on the successful management of the classroom environment and, more importantly, those within it.<br />
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The thing that is striking is how the guidance given is easily transferable to the work or office environment. For example, have a look what is outlined below, and consider how much would not be out of place on a development program for new line managers:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Get to know the members of your team (by name) as quickly as possible.</li>
<li>If certain team members cause problems when working together, move them.</li>
<li>Keep your instructions short and simple, and never more than one instruction at a time.</li>
<li>Issue instructions with a specific target completion time.</li>
<li>Give instructions positively, for example, "I want you to ...", rather than "Don't...".</li>
<li>Use questioning strategies to make sure that your team members understand what is expected of them.</li>
<li>Make sure that you are aware of the codes of conduct for your organisation and also the sanctions that you can take against those who do not abide by the accepted rules.</li>
<li>Praise those who are trying to perform, but don't over-praise as this will ultimately devalue its usage.</li>
<li>Be consistent.</li>
<li>Sell the importance of any activity with urgency and enthusiasm, and link it to the benefits that will follow once it is achieved.</li>
<li>Don't tick off your entire team: identify any poor performers and address their issues separately.</li>
<li>Start each new day as a fresh page: don't carry over grudges or give the impression that what individuals did before colours how you see them now.</li>
</ul>
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So the advice seems to be pretty straightforward: If you want to be a successful manager, just treat your team like children!<br />
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Unless, of course you are a teacher. In which case treat your students like responsible members of your work team!Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-7717415723871066252013-01-15T10:48:00.001+00:002013-01-15T10:48:43.939+00:00The (almost) Naked Truth About the Recruitment Profession<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Warning: this article contains numerous references to female breasts, so, if easily offended, look away now!<br />
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Let me describe a couple of images that I have got opened up on my laptop as I'm writing this. They are ones which I don't feel very comfortable in having on public display, so if anyone looks over my shoulder as I'm writing, I'll be mouse-clicking onto the BBC Home Page.<br />
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(Incidentally the names and some of the details have been changed to avoid further embarrassment.)<br />
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The first is a picture of Lisa. There's no doubt about it, she's an attractive girl, and she knows it too. In her (I guess) mid 20's, her hair cascades over her shoulders displaying her matching earrings and necklace. She's also got an amazing pair of breasts. I know this, because most of her picture has been cropped to show them off to good effect. Her plunging neckline means that a large proportion of her breasts are uncovered, and the area that is beyond view is very tightly constrained in her party dress. Yes, Lisa is a stunning young lady.<br />
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The second is of Jade. She's a mother of three and motherhood appears to be treating her well. She clearly knows how to apply make up, and how to respond to a camera. Her head is leaning to one side, her hair falling down over her shoulders and upper arm. Her simple necklace is resting at the top of her cleavage, a great deal of which is there to be seen. The thin straps and plunging neckline of her simple blue t-shirt mean that probably less that 25% of her lightly-tanned upper body is covered. Like Lisa, Jade is a beauty.<br />
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The images described above are the sort of photographs of either a wife or a girlfriend that I'd expect a man to have in his wallet rather than on display in the office, so I hope that by now you're wondering exactly how these pictures have found their way onto my laptop.<br />
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The answer is surprisingly simple, and somewhat concerning: they are both public profile pictures of professional recruitment consultants on LinkedIn.<br />
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Those readers who know me will be aware that I may be many things, but a prude is not one of them, but I'm genuinely concerned on a professional level at the way that some individuals appear content to display themselves on social media sites such as LinkedIn. I'm not alone in this either: colleagues (both male and female) who have seen the profile pictures referenced above have responded with comments such as "Speechless" and "Blimey, looks like an escapee from a Barbie-Doll convention."<br />
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If I was being generous, perhaps I should assume that Lisa and Jade have simply mixed up their LinkedIn and Hot or Not accounts. But I doubt that this is the case.<br />
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Let's put this in context: as a senior HR professional, I regularly have responsibility for selecting recruitment providers, and I would not contemplate for one moment engaging either an individual who regarded it as acceptable to display such a profile picture, or indeed a recruitment consultancy whose control over its employees was so lax as to allow them to post such inappropriate pictures in a public and professional forum. <br />
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Such public profiles show off the recruitment sector in an extremely poor light, and portray its members as shallow, unprofessional, concerned with surface image and (I am sorry to have to put it like this) somewhat smutty.<br />
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Recruiters: if you wish people to take you seriously, you need to smarten up and cover up a bit too.<br />
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And, just to make sure that the finger is not pointed just at those at one end of the recruitment spectrum, if you are a candidate "seeking a new position" don't post a picture of yourself in what looks like a baby-doll nightie. Yes. Honestly.Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-27174635633426345892013-01-08T09:21:00.001+00:002013-01-08T09:26:29.386+00:00Top Tips on Starting a Blog from HR Case Studies<br />
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It seems that Start Writing a Blog features as a New Years Resolution for quite a few people this year, so the editorial team of HR Case Studies offer the following tips and hints for getting your blog off the ground and noticed. Some of the content below is adapted (that's code for "stolen") from the rather excellent "Killer Web Content" by Gerry McGovern.<br />
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Keep it concise:<br />
By 100 words you will have lost 25% of your readers<br />
By 300 words you will have lost 40% of your readers<br />
By 500 words you will have lost 60% of your readers<br />
By 1000 words you will have lost 80% of your readers<br />
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Follow other blogs, and make it easy for others to follow you.<br />
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Give your blog a title that reflects what the blog is about! Pig Farming in Patagonia as a title for your blog on Strategic HR may appeal to your sense of the absurd, but it won't attract the readership you are seeking!<br />
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Before you make the plunge, decide on which blogging platform to use. Find out what those blogs that you read are based on, and choose one which you think reflects your aims.<br />
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Get what McGovern calls "Care Words" into your blog titles (i.e Top Tips on Starting a Blog from HR Case Studies)<br />
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Don't use more than 60 characters in your blog titles. That's about eight to ten words with spaces.<br />
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Avoid placing links (especially to other sources) inside the body of your blog: if you do that, people will click on them, leave your blog and fail to return. And you don't want that, do you! Better to put any links to external sources after your content, not within.<br />
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Use the various tracking mechanisms to work out what people were looking for when they found your blog. For example, early in the life of this blog, a lot of individuals stumbled across HR Case Studies when looking for an <a href="http://hrcasestudies.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/performance-appraisal-problems-in.html" target="_blank">HR case study on Performance Management</a>. There wasn't one, so I wrote one! And yes, I've just ignored the rule I mentioned above, although that link is to a page within this blog!<br />
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Invite feedback from other followers, both as to how they rate your content and if there's anything that they would like you to write about.<br />
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Invite traffic to your blog from twitter and other social media sites. But don't overdo it! If all your twitter stream contains is an endless series of links to your blog, you'll eventually lose followers on twitter!<br />
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Make it visually attractive, so use pictures and images within the blog. But be careful with copyright!<br />
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<em>Fellow bloggers: feel free to add any suggestions to those above!</em>Graham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.com0