In any business we need our people to both work hard, and yet we need them to remain fresh so that the performance is sustainable – that means each employee having a healthy work-life balance.
Evidence from recent research suggests that there are more women in “balance” than men. The good news is that over the last 5 years the data suggests that we are getting better at achieving balance.
8 Comments | 
management | Tagged: HR, leadership, work-life balance | 
Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
An interesting first day at #CIPD11 yesterday.
Through a diverse range of sessions:
Over the next few days I am sure that each of these sessions will deserve their own blog entry, however when reflecting on the day as a whole there was some interesting consistent messages from the majority of the speakers. Now why this is to be expected, what could not have been expected was the nature of the consistency.
Terry Leahy set the scene in his session where he reminded the audience that while as a CEO he spend 40% of his time in retail outlets. Not tied to the board room. For him the best way to lead and grow his business was to get close to the customers, and make it easier for staff to be seen to react to the immediate needs of customers. This in turn increases employee engagement.
For William Rogers his focus was on values. Real values that would add competitive advantage and enable employees to engage and feel part of the business. Hr observed that at the end of the working day the majority of the assets that deliver profitability leave the building at the end of each day.
GSK took a different route to “understanding the customer”. Managers and leaders on key development programmes were sent to work in third world countries to understand the person that received the medication they produce. Helping manager to realise that in this part of the world patients do not buy packets of tablets, but one at a time when they can afford it. This simple act of understanding the needs of users have enabled managers to understand the needs of these emerging markets. The impact on staff has been palpable.
O2 realised through data analysis and employee feedback that what customers wanted was easy access to solutions for problems they experienced. Staff felt uncomfortable when they could not help, and this was impacting employee engagement. By listening to staff, putting systems, training and the culture in place to enable staff to help customers has had a double success. By enabling employees to support customers this has created customers and staff that are “fans” of the brand and the way it does things. This develops both staff and customer retention.
John Seddon took a more challenging approach claiming that if you aim the “cut costs” you actually increase costs. Using examples of call centre, Seddon showed that having KPI’s can infact reduce customer satisfaction and increase staff turnover and reduce engagement. By dropping KPI type measures and focusing on enabling to help the employee to meet the needs of the customer may drive call times up, but in the medium term actually reduces costs, increases customer retention and improves employee engagement. He was scathing of process approaches like LEAN, saying to focus on what counts.
Yes much of what was said was common sense, but what is important is that the majority of these speakers are not HR but operational leaders talking to an HR audience. Of course these things would only be “common sense” if everyone knew and did this stuff… they don’t!
Ego, verticals, and to some extent our total preoccupation with measuring, often measuring what we can and not what we should.
What is the obvious thing you do in your organisation that you wish others would do?
5 Comments | management | Tagged: customer service, Employee engagement, HR | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
This morning I came across an article with an unusual angle on HR at bnet – it is called “9 signs your hr manager is terrible” compiled by Suzanne Lucas.
This would be an interesting article to read if it were not for the “clipart photo gallery” style of this piece. Here I have taken some of the key points and raised some of the factors they raise. I’m not sure that many HR managers would disagree with many of these statements, however if we looked closely in the mirror I suspect we may well find one of the guilty contributors…
Nine signs your HR function is not supporting the business:
These are some interesting perceptions on HR and it’s no wonder many are not seen as strategic functions.
Now I am not sure that I agree with all of these points, but as the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire.
In the UK over the last few years there has been an increasing trend for graduates to go straight into HR. Some 20-30 years ago many HR people were second career professionals having had line management responsibility, and so business understanding.
I have seen a move by many large private firms to promote operational manager to be “Head of HR”, and employ HR professionals as “advisers”. Certainly the movement to have “business partner” based HR was aimed at moving HR closer to the needs of the business, but how many HRP’s have their office next to the unit manager or shop floor?
26 Comments | management | Tagged: effective management, HR, human resources, strategic | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Having watched a professional discussion about the pro’s and con’s of NLP and other psychology based tools for HR, OD and people development (training & coaching) activities, it got me thinking…
Remember when you phone for a plumber you want that person to install a shower or stop a leak… you don’t want to hire or contract on the name or brand of the tools they use… does it matter what type of pipe cutter they use or if they are soldering or using compression joints….no!
Why then do we in HR (HRD etc) get so wrapped up on the tools and try to sell them to our “customers”? Indeed many practitioners use strong language when describing a technique:
“I love…”
“Mind expanding, confidence boosting and exhiliratingly refreshing”
” … has truly changed the way I think, feel and behave.”
“…the real surprise was the personal empowerment”
So it does hit an emotional nerve with some people – a solution to a personal problem/ block maybe? But just because the “whole journey” was “spiritual” for one does not make the tool the “best thing since sliced bread” for everyone else. Remember this is often learnt during a sustained program of SELF DEVELOPMENT and not an intervention for a single issue (be it a one off or a short program of support).
In Human Resources, Coaching or organizational deevelopment, our customers want solutions to their problems. Indeed in sales most training tells us not to sell features but benefits..
So not that our tools kit contains 75 valuable and unique tools, but that we can solve your problem within one hour… and it will cost you just $xxx
The majority of our customers do not care if we use NLP, TA, Solution focus, ID, ABC or 123 methods… 99% of the time they just think this is irrelevant jargon – they just want their problem removed or the job they want to do easier or increased performance. Sure many of the tools we have are great in a given context or application – but to the best of my research to date there is no “Swiss knife” of the HRD world – no one set that can solve all problems, indeed many of these are just parts of a tool, not even tools in themselves… much like a drill-bit.. a potentially powerful tool – but on its own… almost useless. Much like many of the psychology tools we use. People do not buy drill bits – they buy the ability to make holes!
In our case the “power drill” is the context, management support, our relationship and many other factors that enable the “drill” to produce the hole.
Professionals in our industry need to start looking at our customers needs not our insecurities by feeling that we have to say… “look at me I’m an NLP practitioner” or “I’m a master practitioner”
Indeed how many DIY fans have solved difficult problems by buying one tool (i.e. a power drill) – but that tool takes the difficulty/ pain away for that job.. and it may make others easier… but other tools are equally valid at other times.
Hey Mr, I have a Rothenberger rubber U-gauge manometer hose I can solve your problem…
What I would say is do not attend this type of self development if:
1) you are going on your own – go with a friend or trusted colleague
2) if you are emotional or potentially emotionally vulnerable - loss of family member/ pet, job, unstable marital relationship
3) you are expecting a “quick fix”
4) if you cannot invest time into research, reading and practice throughout the duration of the program
If selecting a NLP provider consider carefully your purpose:
a) business communications effectiveness, Business/ management coaching OR
b) counselling/ therapy or LIFE (not executive) coaching
While the skills are the same the application and nature of the people on the program will be considerably different, and hence so will your experience.
For the learning to be effective you need to have examples relevant to your application.
8 Comments | management | Tagged: customer, HR, nlp, problem solving, psychology, sales, tools | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
What is digital marketing?
Many of us use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and many other web 2.0 tools, but is it activity or is it strategy? Does it matter? Do we need a digital marketing strategy?
The difference to me is in the results. It is all very well being seen on the social media sphere, but does it add value to your business? Does it generate more income that you would have without the activity. re you putting the right effort effort into the right channels or platforms? This means having a marketing plan. To think things through and put the appropriate amount of effort into the right areas. having a plan or strategy for our digital channels.
What is a digital marketing strategy?
Interesting if you Google this term “what is a digital marketing strategy?” (in quotes) you get 3 results (before this articles publication) so not a lot has been written about it. A digital marketing strategy is a plan to use digital or on-line tools as a part of your overall marketing strategy. It need not be a separate strategy of its own, indeed it should be an integrated part of your marketing and business plan. However recognising that digital marketing channels exist and require a unique approach is valid.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is simply drawing the worlds existing and potential customers attention to you, your products and the message you are promoting at the time. It is also a form of interaction with the public – sometimes customers, ex-customers and potential customers.
Digital Marketing is the promoting of brands, products or services, using all forms of digital advertising channels to reach consumers. This now includes Television, Radio, Internet, mobile, social media marketing and any other form of digital media.
Why a unique approach?
Unlike many other forms of marketing, digital is 2-way and should involve a lot more people than just the marketing team. Ideally you need almost everyone in the company involved at some level or another.
Digital Marketing Plan
Where many miss opportunities is not have a clear plan on what its is you do in a social or digital marketing medium, but even more important, and the factor most miss is what you wont do. Its easy to get sucked in to various tools and social networking platforms, but what ones are you interesetd in, and which ones are you going to avoid. Knowing this and communicating this to everyone in your organization is key.
Crowd Sourcing and Social Marketing
A factor overlooked or in the very least not fully harnessed is that of croud soursing, using numbers of people to promote your products, service s and brand. And guess what – the best crowd is allready on your payroll – your staff. With the right policy and influencing you can engage a significant percentage of your staff in the promotion of your messages. Even better – not always in work time. Using networks be it LinkedIn, facebook or others cabn help to share your message.
Train your people – Social Media Marketing
Not in the traditional sense, because by the very nature of social media and social networking , many already know how to use the platforms (although offering basic training to those that are not confident can only help) – but to encourage linking, promotions, SEO and other techniques that they can use in their tweets, blogs and profiles that both raise their profiles and your brands at the same time.
Types of Digital Marketing Tools
Any digital publishing or broadcasting technology or platform could be a digital marketing tool. The common ones are those already mentioned in this article. Types of digital marketing include:
Time – the unspoken factor
Unless you have an unlimited budget, time to show results will be a lot longer than expected. Sure many social media channels are “free to access2 but never underestimate the time taken to establish a protocol and your place as a recognised expert in your field. Using twitter for example, it may well take 6-9 months just to get established, and 1-2 years before any returns are generated – its a long term gain, but can result in quick results when established. Getting established on social media is no exchange for a good sales strategy – one needs to complement the other. It can take several people 2-3 years to be fully established and integrated with your client base and potential customers.
This is not about quick results today – it is about quick and sustainable results in the future.
MYTH – Social Media Marketing is free
NEVER think of any marketing activity as free. the challenge is to recognise where the cost will be. And in the case of most social media it is in time and people resources. For example you may well end up running some sort of social networking group, this can take hours of management every day. its not a “build it and they will come” situation – they MAY come – but to get them interacting in a way that enables your business rather than disables it is quite another matter.
Integrating it all up
This final step is where many organizations miss the point. Many users of social media tools use their mobile devices, so why have all of your links that are being promoted and published only visible on desktops? Ensure that your website and any promotional copy are mobile device friendly. It is in peoples “down time2 that they will try to look. If they find your site talikg minutes to load or is unreadable on their handset of choice you have lost them… for good!
One organizatioon I was working with said that in a recent re-design mobile friendly access was not important – less than 3% of people per months tried to access the site using mobile technology. When I pointed out that when a person finds a site inaccessible they dont go back, and that the 3% per months over a years is nearly 30% of people that will NEVER try again – the numbers start to stack up. Its a valuable part of the market.
The #1 rule of social media marketing
Make any content you publish easily and quickly readable – or simply don’t bother with a social media marketing strategy at all – it will never yeild the returns
So what is a digital marketing strategy? – a strategy for marketing using a diverse range of tools and channels that utilise electronics as part of the communication/ distribution process.
6 Comments | management | Tagged: Crowd Sourcing, digital marketing strategy, digital media, HR, human resources, myth, social media marketing, what is a digital marketing strategy? | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Some months ago we published a humorous piece on “The Dangers of Social Networking in 2010“. This was generally well received, and has been linked to by several other authors exploring the problems of using Twitter, FaceBook and other Social networking tools as part of business or education. There are some real dangers and some real opportunities in the business and learning contexts.
Recently I have been reading more and more about teachers being concerned about being connected with their students and Human Resources (HR) professionals connecting with staff employed in the same organization. This lack of awareness is concerning. It seems that across the world 10s of millions of people are using a tool and they have no idea of the dangers just around the corner. used in the proper way, most social networking tools can add a lot of value to an individual, their learning and the organization for which they are attached (student or worker), however, go into this with rose tinted spectacles and many find themselves deep in problems that are difficult if not impossible to solve (without resorting to very expensive solutions).
I discovered this in a small way some years ago in LinkedIn. I was open to connecting with anyone that asked me to connect – all perfectly harmless I thought, until one of these individuals started to contact all my connections and started to spam marketing messages to them. It upset several of the people I knew well, and understandably so – they trusted me with their details. Today I only connect with people I know in the real world. I am glad that my learning was relatively uneventful – unlike some that find their students bullying them, casting viscous roomers for schools and workplaces to read.
Blocking the use of these tools is not an option – they are a valuable too, but learning how to use them effectively is vital. It should IMHO be core education for all 11 year olds, teachers and professionals alike. the future of marketing is as much about security and reputation management as is its selling and brand building.
The Power of Social Networking
In this piece I hope to highlight three factors:
What is Social Networking?
In this context I am looking at any technology that:
So this excludes any internal software that runs on organizations servers – or is strictly limited to registered users only. The reasons for this are simple, if an organization implements software on its servers or network, it has full responsibility and configuration for what can and cannot be accessed or published etc – ie full moderation.
So lets look at some of the Dangers of Social Networking in Business & Education
Opportunities of Social Networking in Business & Education
Some Solutions to effectively use Social Networking in Business & Education
The only real solution is education and awareness.
I hope that this article has highlighted some of the fears as well as showing that the positives of social networking tools far out-way the dangers to an educated and savvy audience.
Single take away message…
Social networking is here to stay, and much like any core knowledge we need for our job, social media is just a new part of that job “core”.
If you are a teacher, a student, a trainer, HR professional, sales rep, engineer, doctor, nurse, paramedic, …. etc have 2 accounts – one for sharing “professional” stuff with your network.. one for family and VERY close friends only… note if there are more than 50 people on this list it is probably too big to be “personal”!
Remember – Social networks are not solutions in themselves just tools – the better and more effectively you learn to use them, the more they will do for you. Like any craft tool – practice makes… permanent – so learn effectively!
11 Comments | management | Tagged: business, dangers, Duplicity, education, FaceBook, HR, human resources, social networking, teaching, twitter | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
The seventh in our series of Training Needs Analysis templates is for our own part of the organization. We are often overlooked, so here is a template to get you thinking.
Training Needs Analysis
Identifying Needs in a Human Relations (HR) Department
The training needs analysis is used by any legitimate organization to determine areas of job performance in which an employee needs training. The survey or assessment pinpoints the skills that the employee needs in a particular job. It helps the company increase the skill level of all its workers and helps the customers or clients leave with a smile and a feeling that they have been well taken care of.
Participants only answer questions in Part II, Part III, and the Nos. 1-3 in Part IV.
Part I Importance of the Training/ Development Intervention
Sponsor: _______________________ Date ______________________
Context of Request: [ ] Organizational [ ] New Initiative [ ] Management request
[choose one & give _________________________________________________________
details] _________________________________________________________
Organization’s Objective/Goal: _________________________________________________
Part II Target Participants
Name ______________________ Current job position ________________________
Instruction: Tick mark on the most appropriate box.
1. Current Job Responsibility: [ ] Administrative Assistant
[ ] Receptionist
[ ] Recruitment Specialist
[ ] Others (specify) _________________
2. Department you work in: [ ] Projects Department
[ ] Operations Department
[ ] Personnel Department
[ ] Others (specify)_________________
3. Educational Background [ ] Degree in Business Administration
[ ] Degree in Psychology
[ ] Diploma in Human Relations
[ ] CIPD entry qualification
[ ] Full CIPD award
[ ] Others (specify)_________________
4. Current Skills Possessed [ ] Respect for Privacy
[ ] Interpersonal Skills
[ ] Tolerance
[ ] Communication Skills
[ ] Others (specify) __________________
5. Skills Needed: (check the skills [ ] Literacy skills
training which will be required [ ] Voice and diction
in your job in the future) [ ] Reward management skills
[ ] Organizational development
[ ] Others (specify) ___________________
Part III Target Skills and Training Needs
(The skills with the most checked “little knowledge” or “zero knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.)
Excellent Adequate Little Zero
Expert Know- Know- Know- Know-
ledge ledge ledge ledge
Empathy, Sympathy, Pity [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Tactful Attitude [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Fair Conduct [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Goodwill Ambassador [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Good Example [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Efficiency Expert [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Observer of Authority [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Good Manners [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Telephone Efficiency [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Greeting Visitors [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Part IV Project Planning
1. Schedule of the proposed training: [ ] Weekend [ ] Weekdays
[ ] Other timing (specify) ________________
2. Venue of the proposed training: [ ] Organization’s Training Center
[ ] Out-of-town Venue
[ ] Off-campus Venue
3. Conducting the training: [ ] On-the-job learning [ ] Workshop
[ ] Others (specify) _____________________
4. Estimated Budget: ________________________________________________________
5. Required Personnel or Resources: ____________________________________________
6. Estimated Completion Date: _______________________________________________
Part VI Conclusion
Without a skilled set of employees business offices cannot function. The skill levels of all employees in the human relations department of any organization, be it a hotel, hospital, and a modern office, help businesses expand. The completed skills training program will improve the performance of the employees and create and maintain positive relationships with all other departments of the company.
Can the workshop/training address the identified skill needs? What else can this training address? _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Part I- Importance of the Training
Part II Target Participants
6. Name Participant’s name
7. Current job position
8. Check the appropriate box for Nos. 1 to 5.
9. Check the skills training that you need in your current job and will be needed for future promotion.
Part III Target Skills and Training Needs. Check the skills training (all that apply) which are required in your job but you are not competent. The skills checked with the most “little knowledge” or “zero knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.
Part IV Project Planning
The timing, venue and manner of conducting the training could be answered by the training assessor or by the participants if the company allows them to give their opinions.
Estimated Budget will be given by Personnel Department upon approval of the training.
Required Personnel or Resources: A trainer or speaker, or resource person, and one or two assistants.
Estimated Completion Date: State when the training will be concluded; if in batches, state how many days will be needed to complete the batches.
Part V Conclusion
(It is suggested that the conclusion reiterates the benefits that will be derived from the skills training.
6 Comments | management | Tagged: example, form, HR, human resources, LNA, template, training needs analysis | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
With the economy showing little in the way of recovery, every day there seems to be more and more people looking towards self-employment, in particular in the freelance or contracting markets.
This is having a strange impact on the supply and demand in the profession. People are often despirate for work, so set low rates – custonmers like the thought of saving so hire at the lowest cost… but what is the real cost?
When contracting or freelancing, it is not about generating an income – its about running a business. This means creating reserves for when there is no work. Driving day rate lower and lower does no-one any favours in the longer run. Customers want a reliable supplier (if you charge too little you wont be there in 12 months time), customers get used to low rates and poor quality (or hidden costs) and this damages the sustainability of the industry. Worse, some sites claiming to support the freelance and contracting market accept adverts for roles that are clearly un-sustainable – driving the profession into the ground.
Rates should be based on value and business aspirations not just cost. This works well for all parties in the medium to long term.
In the past we have written a number of articles on freelancing and setting sustainable rates and business approaches – links are included below.
If you are considering setting up on your own make sure that you dont fall into one of these 5 traps:
http://rapidbi.com/management/going-freelance-in-training-or-hr-how-much-to-charge/
http://rapidbi.com/management/going-freelance-in-training-hr-or-as-a-coach/
http://rapidbi.com/management/tips-going-freelance-training-consultancy/
http://rapidbi.com/management/going-freelance-independent-trainer/
http://rapidbi.com/management/going-freelance-in-difficult-times-consulting-and-training/
15 Comments | management | Tagged: 5 traps, consulting, Freelance, HR, self-employed, training | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Today whilst traveling back home from running workshops across the UK all week I picked up on a twitter thread about top HR Blogs. With Jon Ingham congratulation several people for their blogs. Low an behold RapidBI was one of them! Thank you Evan Carmichael!
So RapidBI is included in Evan Carmichael’s site (the Internet’s #1 resource for small business motivation and strategies) as a Top 50 Human Resources blog to watch (or read!) in 2010
It’s wonderful to be in such good company, and I’m excited to be part of an increasing UK contingent in this US/ International who’s who of HR blogs:
Congratulations to everyone on the list. To all my readers: these are great resources for you!
5 Comments | Date, management | Tagged: 2010, blogs, Evan Carmichael, HR, HR Blogs, talent management, top | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Its not all about people that are identified as being in the top right of a model. Talent is required at all levels and for all jobs. If all a business employed were high fliers then staff turnover would be unsustainable. True talent management is about harnessing and utilising what we have.
The nine box grid is a valuable and yet simple tool in the planning and management of people talent in any organisation. Its simplicity is its strength.
Key points to remember:
1) People identified in one area may advance or regress over time
2) There is no “right place” to be
3) All employees need to be included
4) The nine box grid is just a tool, not a decision making process
5) Managers need hands on involvement
History
The nine box grid or matrix, is believed to have originated within McKinsey to assess different business units and to prioritise the investment in individuals. This was developed for GE in the late 1960s and 1970s to enable them assess the potential of individuals in its business and prioritize their investment and overall strategy.
Application
The nine box grid is often treated as the process – it is not – it is the output from a process. One approach is to identify what staff would fit in which area:
The only area of danger on this grid is the bottom left – or marginal performers. Those with a low performance and a lot potential for improvement.
We need people in all the other positions, not just the top right.
Any effective talent management process should encompass all staff and not just the high flyers. For the process to add value to both the individuals and organisation the process needs to be transparent. The criteria for each “box” or performance assessment needs to be an integrated part of an appraisal process. Some of the most effective talent management processes may well be designed by HR or OD functions, but they are owned and managed by the line. Managers need to be rewarded for supporting and proposing promotions and transfer of people out of their responsibility – or the biggest barrier to talent management in any organisation is the manager that does not want to lose his/ her best employee/ performer to another part of the business. What gets measured gets done – and this is just as true for the identification of talent as it is anything else.
All managers in an organisation need to know their role in the development of people for the succession plan and future performance of the organisation – not just the KPIs that matter this week.
Traditionally talent Management schemes have been owned and driven by HR – for them to be truly effective in a sustainable way, the line needs to own the process – supported by HR/ OD.
*Note the talent management application graphic is NOT included in our ppt downloads
Other articles on this type of talent management methodology:
http://rapidbi.com/management/nine-box-grids-for-talent-management/
http://rapidbi.com/management/talent-management-and-nine-box-grids/
3 Comments | management | Tagged: HR, KPI, line manager, nine box grid, OD, retention, succession, talent management | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
At a networking event last night in London #connectingHRamonst the many discussions were several on Twitter and its use in HR and business. The event was the first independent HR based tweetup in the UK and was very successful and well attended – over 100 registered and I would estimate that approximately 60-70 people were in attendance.
One comment I heard was “I expected it to be a room full of people on laptops and geeks, but these are real people!” – but not one (laptop) was in sight – sure occasionally people tweeted on their phone – but this was about real people building real relationships and connections. Social networking is just a gateway to real relationships – not some plastic world of not real friends. Real business was taking place but at a level of respect and trust.
So what makes twitter work for business?
Firstly we need to recognise and understand that there are several reasons why people are on twitter:
And for may of us it is a blend of the above with varying priorities. As typical in the 90-9-1 “rule” some are VERY active in the environment - others are passive. All forms of interaction are valid.
What MAKES Twitter however is the ability to connect with others. At the event last night the energy in the room was palpable, a real buzz. People were networking, connecting and building relationships without the usual pressing of a hand full of business cards and “minute to win it” style sales pitches. It was meeting with people for the sake of meeting people. No real agenda. This is powerful stuff. The added advantage is that in many cases at some level we had already known each other, and knew how to make contact - an another level we were real strangers (at the beginning of the event).
Why was this better than many traditional networking events?
Traditional networking events from my experience fall in to one of two forms – the “high pressure” sell – and the “stay with the people you know” format. With those based on social networking, many of us had “met” on line, shares a tweet or two and we recognise the name. The introduction or ice breaker is done.. and real conversations can start easily. This format worked well for those that were socially confident as well as those there were less confident meeting “new” people.
Much like Twitter and other discussions, it felt right to wander around and join and leave conversations to talk with “old names” but with “new faces”..
Even if individuals were only known by reputation, it felt like meeting an old friend. (And did that too meeting someone I have not spoken to for almost 20 years)
How to make Twitter work
The simple thing about making twitter work as a business tool is for the tweet stream to have a personality (or range of personalities). So if you are having a company based tweet stream have a personality – show you are human. Have a profile page you tweet to occasionally. Talk about your hobbies etc.
If you operate a tweet stream with several posters – encourage them to use their initial as hash tags – for example #mdm so that followers can really interact. Have a profile page for each one.
There are many many fully automated tweet streams out there and Twitter is about to change approach with its growth – and the “faceless” corporate tweet streams will slowly lose popularity and the RTs that many using twitter for marketing crave after.
Stephen shaperio on his blog has identified what he calls Twitter personalities or poker types:
We all have a primary and secondary type.
If in business you are Diamond first and Club second – you will lose in the long run. If on the other hand you are hearts with clubs – that can be a very powerful combination.
Me… I think I am Clubs with Hearts as a secondary, I used to do a lot of Spades – but that is very much in the background now. Getting the balance of hearts and Clubs is a challenge.
So how are you going to make twitter or other social networking/ web 2.0 tools for your business now… and in the future – remember just because one web 2.0 tool works this week doesn’t mean to say it will work next week.
Addendum -
to read som more views on this event have a look at:
http://garethmjones.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/the-connectinghr-tweetup-a-real-tweet
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2010/03/connecting-hr-tweet-up.html
http://callumsaunders.blogspot.com/2010/03/connecting-hr-tweet-smell-of-success.html
http://donaldhtaylor.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/hr-tweet-up-connectinghr/
Some of the “official” pics from the event…
25 Comments | management | Tagged: #connectingHR, business, HR, human resources, marketing, networking, social marketing, social networking, twitter, Twitter personality types | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Introduction to best practice
Often in business we hear about Best Practice and Good Practice, but what does it mean? Where and when should we use it?
To help us out lets look at some definitions:
A technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has proven to reliably lead to a desired result
A technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance.
What is Best Practice?
Best Practice suggests that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other.
The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications.
Best practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.
Best Practice is considered by some as a business buzzword used to describe the process of developing and following a standard way of doing things that multiple organizations can use for management, policy, and especially software systems. This is often true within the public sector.
What are the benefits of Best Practice?
A best practice strategy is one where the organization strives to copy those deemed to be proficient in a given activity. This can help your organization to:
Tools to improve Best Practice
There are several business tools that you can use to achieve management best practice, including:
Achieving Best Practice
We know that Best Practice means finding – and using – the best ways of working to achieve your organizations objectives. It involves keeping up to date with the ways that successful organizations operate and measuring your ways of working against those used by the market leaders.
Methods of Best Practice include:
But does this really stack up?
Does “BEST PRACTICE” actually exist?
In business, HR and consulting we through around the term “Best Practice” without considering the context or the goals required. What is “Best” in one situation is not “Best” in another.
And then there is “Good” practice – or more what is expected of people in a given situation. how can we measure the difference between “Good” and “Best” practice? if we cannot then do either actually exist?
What makes the situation even more confusing is when organisations say that something is “best practice” when all they are doing is confirming with the rules of the sector or profession – sorry folks but that is not Best Practice just “Practice!”.
Often what is quoted as “Best Practice” is in fact “current thinking”, which may or may not actually be “Best”.
Domains of Best Practice
Often the term “Best Practice” is used in Change management, Transformation, HR, HRD, Government/ Public sector, not-for profit, Professions – accounting, consultancy, health-care etc.
Summary
The sooner we as professionals start saying what something is… rather than justifying why we do something in a particular way as “Best Practice” the sooner we can move away from meaningless jargon and say “This is the best way for us…”
“Best” implies that research has been carried out and a full investigation and analysis has taken place – if this it true lets start seeing references in all documents that claim to espouse “Current Thinking”, “Good” or “Best” practice
5 Comments | management | Tagged: best practice, change management, Definition, Good practice, HR, just practice, what is best practice? | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Background
The nine box grid or matrix, is believed to have originated within McKinsey to assess different business units and to prioritise the investment in individuals. This was developed for GE in the late 1960s and 1970s to enable them assess the potential of individuals in its business and prioritize their investment and overall strategy. It is claimed that it is based on the Boston Consulting Group and their “Boston Box” of business or product potential, applied to individuals. (The GE–McKinsey nine-box matrix) *
Identify and retain talent
Before we can retain key talent we need to identify who and what key talent is. We also need to understand that not every quality employee is a High Potential, High Performer employee. Just because someone performs well in their current role does not make them a potent performer in the next role. Indeed, many managers and leaders fail as they were promoted on the basis of their technical job performance, not their management or leadership potential.
The concept
The horizontal of 3 boxes assesses (leadership) performance and the vertical assesses (leadership potential). A combination of these makes up the box within the grid that the leader is placed.
Why use the nine box grid?
Putting the nine box grid to use – Talent Management
Every individual has unique capabilities and talent. An employee of the organization will be able to contribute effectively if the talent he or she possesses suits the job profile otherwise it will be regressive for both the employee and the organization. The company will have to hire new resource or retrain an existing one leading to wastage of resources. That’s why we say that it takes talent to find talent.
Organizations put their best efforts to attract and retain best performing employees and hence talent management is a crucial aspect for them. Talent management is the process of managing the current top performers and attracting the new credible individuals to join the team to attain high professional performance in accordance to company’s goals. It is basically the art of putting right people at the right place and utilizing them to their full potential. Many companies are now realizing the need of the hour by putting up strong teams and incorporating talent management into their business strategies.
From talent management’s point of view, an employee is evaluated on the basis of two aspects: potential and performance. The track record or previous performance of the employee forms the basis for his or her selection for a particular role. But talent management also looks into the potential of the employee to evaluate how an employee will perform if appropriate skills are made available. The nine box model of talent management as illustrated in the figure specifies the categories of employees depending upon the various potential levels plotted against performance levels.
Talent management is a key element to an organization’s succession planning process
Lets have a look at these categories:
Enigma
These are the kind of employees who are completely wasted in an organization. They are the people with high potential but deliver low performance. They are either wrongly placed or are working under wrong managers who have been unable to harness their full potential. This scenario requires external intervention and a heart to heart with the employee and the manager can yield good results.
Dilemma
The employees having average potential but showing low performance fall under this category. The reason could be many: not upgrading as per the job requirement, not falling in line with the changes in the company. They can perform better if given proper opportunities and motivation.
Under performer
These employees are the individuals with low potential coupled with low performance. They under perform and don’t show any scope for improvement. Here the management has to take a tough decision of either throwing the ball in their court and giving them some time to improve their performance or asking them to leave the organization.
Growth employees
This category has employees that constantly show high potential but the performance is not up to that standard. They may not be getting enough motivation or inspiration to move forward. The company should value the talent and should try to extract the best out of every employee. These kinds of employees can become great assets for the company by giving them enough challenges and by praising them as they achieve goals. It further instills a sense of confidence and the performance is bound to increase.
Core employees
This category has employees that more or less perform up to the job potential but there is always a chance to achieve higher performance by giving them necessary push. They are just like employees in the category dilemma but are more promising.
Effective
These are people with specific talents as they show higher performance as compared to their potential. They may have reached their full career potential so here the talent management team can keep them engaged, focused and motivated to get the desired results.
Future leaders
These employees are the leaders of tomorrow and are the best possible options for succession at senior positions. They depict leadership qualities and yield results. People listen to them and they know how to get the work done. Talent management team should recognize their efforts and should reward them appropriately. Promote them and give them the chance to grow as an individual and also as a part of the organization.
High Impact Performers
High impact performers are those who by some grooming and motivation can become the future leaders. They may have lost pace with the changes in the organization like dilemma and core employees but can be among the top talent.
Trusted professionals
Trusted professionals perform much higher than their potential because of some special talent they may be having. Your effort should be to retain them by rewarding and recognizing their efforts. You can always take their help to develop high performers.
This nine box model shows how you can do effective talent management by recognizing the categories of employees using the appropriate techniques to retain and groom the top talent pool. The talent management system is of even more importance in tough economic times as it helps in optimizing the performance of the employees and achieving profound growth in the organization. So go ahead and execute a proper talent management system.
*This was first mentioned in a publication in 1979 in Fortune, volume 100 (unable to verify) and again in 1981 Strategic marketing: betas, boxes or basics (loose ref)
This graphic is one of the many available in our PPT download – please see our products page
15 Comments | management | Tagged: 9 box matrix, GE-McKinsey, HR, human resources, leadership performance, leadership potential, matrix, nine box grid, performance, potential, retain talent, retention, succession planning, talent management | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
Traditionally Organizational Development (OD) was mainly concerned with the three S’s of an organisation:
Specialists and consultants practising in Organizational Development would look at an organization and identify its stage of growth or maturity. This would form the basis of a ‘diagnosis’ and an initial plan for change and developmental action.
There are many variants of these models. Many of the growth or maturity models describe the organization in the way humans grow and develop. The assumption being that organizations are like humans. That there is an organic order and structure to the way they grow, change and in their ‘developmental’ needs. That is they pass through fixed stages, for example – infant, toddler, child, teenager, youth, adult, midlife crisis and retirement….
These models (and there are many like it) are fine in simple single product or process organizations, however I have yet to find one that ‘holds water’ in an environment which has products at various stages of development or reflects the way that organizations have access to funding and expertise in the business world today. Change is occurring so fast that if these phases exist they are now fleeting rather than ‘landing stages’ or benchmarks in development. The age industrial age in which these models were developed has long gone. We need to stop looking at organizations in silos and look at them from a holistic position.
Once beyond the initial entrepreneurial or start-up phase, the pace of change in an organization is different and the pressures affecting each function and ‘product line’ vary considerably. In the current stages of change within our business world we need to look at all of these stages within all organizations… as some die others are born… this is as much as the ‘circle of life’ as it is organizational maturity in the way the concept was initially conceived in the 60′s and 70′s.
Times as they say are a changing
The days of organizations operating with a single product or service for many years have, on the whole, long gone. We are now in a time where many of the products and services we deliver now did not exist 5 years ago, and the likelihood is that in 5 years time the products and services we will be delivering to our customers would have changed several times. The concept of the product life cycle while potentially valid, the reality is that by the time you can plot where a product is on a life cycle curve, often the product is out of production or at the end of its life. We need to look for different ways of developing and managing our organisations.
A change of focus to holistic strategy
Rather than look at single elements of an organization, we need to start being more strategic and holistic. And we are not just talking about looking at the people aspects. As organisations become more fluid and adaptable, managers, teams and individuals need to develop stronger skills in developing others. This means more than empowerment and devolvement. It means a whole new way of working. This is particularly true for HRD professionals.
Some organizations have started to explore matrix structures. To survive in the rapidly changing time ahead we will all need to adapt to matrix structures. Many organizations have explored matrix management (or multi disciplinary) teams for change processes and project management activities.. The challenge for the future is how to harness these structures and attitudes for front line staff. One day working on product X, the next providing customer service on service Y. Some of the organisations in the retail sector have embraced this way of working for some years. The health-care sector have tinkered around the edges.
For HR and HRD this will mean working differently. And I am not just talking a change of function name again! For us to work and deliver strategic advantage, we need to start to look at the way we undertake OD activity in a truly holistic way.
This means OD teams (not individuals) need to start looking beyond the traditional people and structures, into finance, marketing and operations of a business. Recognising that there will be core and local cultures, processes and management styles. Teams will be required, not because of the volume of work, but the sheer diversity of what we need to review. There are few people that can keep up with current thinking in one area, let alone across the whole gambit of an organisations functions.
For OD to deliver strategic advantage we will need to embrace the following:
…within in context of management style and corporate values. This is known as the PRIMO-F model
In the past we have been strategically involved in the people aspects, and to a limited extent resources. But to be truly strategic we need to encompass all of these areas and ensure that any change in one area does not have a negative impact on another. The PRIMO-F model has been used by strategic Business Advisers for a number of years. Perhaps it is time for those of us in OD to start looking at it as a strategic advantage. Traditionally HR and HRD have been isolated from the strategic business advisers, often reporting to different parts of an organisation. Perhaps it is now time to look towards integration?
Holistic organisational reviews like this require different skills and often a small team with diverse experience and competence. This in itself presents us with a challenge. Will our directors recognise our contributions in the context of Finance, Marketing and Operations? How can we build credibility? Is it time to move away from simple relationship building to the development of strategic alliances with our functional colleagues? For they too will be feeling the pressure as the pace of change speeds up.
The change away from the ‘softer’ and the legal aspects that our managers have learnt to expect in a role that is at the heart of growing and developing our organizations will be an interesting journey. That is not to say that what we have been doing is wrong. There is still an ongoing need for this activity. To be more strategic we need to take a radical approach. Identifying who does what will be one of the first critical steps each of us makes, recognising that this ‘activity’ that we identify may well be different in the coming months – and so may the role that undertakes that activity.
Conclusions
For HR and HRD to become truly strategic we need to change our focus from people – to how people interact with systems and processes. This is true Organisational Development, and I suspect the way forward for the (HRD) profession. This means as professionals we need to move towards understanding business, finance and operations, in order that we can add real value.
7 Comments | management | Tagged: analysis, diagnosis, holistic, HR, HRD, HRM, organisational development, organizational development, PRIMO-F model, strategic development, Strategy | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
An A-to-Z of HR and management related factors is an easy to read and easy to apply style.
The CIPD produce a wonderful set of regularly updated and reviewed factsheets on a wide range of HR and management based topics., While some are available to members only, the majority are available to all.
This pages lists those available as at January 2010. Please note all links open in new windows.
UPDATE MARCH 2011
The CIPD have now put these pages behind a gateway requiring registration. This registration is free.
To go to the CIPD Fact-sheet home page
CIPD Fact-sheet on: 360 feedback
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Absence measurement and management
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Action learning
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Age and employment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Age discrimination: reward policies and procedures MEMBER ONLY
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Aligning learning to the needs of the organisation
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Assessment centres for recruitment and selection
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Basic pay settlements: data sources
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Bonuses and cash incentives
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Business gifts
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Career and outplacement consultants
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Change management
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Coaching
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Company car policies
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Competency and competency frameworks
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Contracts of employment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Corporate social responsibility
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Costing and benchmarking learning and development
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Creative learning methods
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Data protection
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Development planning for individual employees
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Disability and employment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Discipline and grievance procedures: key changes from 6 April 2009 MEMBER ONLY
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Discipline and grievances at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Dismissal
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Diversity: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: E-learning: progress and prospects
CIPD Fact-sheet on: E-recruitment (previously called Online recruitment, and Recruitment on the Internet)
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Emotional intelligence
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee benefits
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee communication
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee engagement
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee relations
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee share ownership
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee turnover and retention
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employee voice
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employer brand
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employer support for learning qualifications
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employing overseas workers
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employing people with criminal records
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employing people with criminal records: risk assessment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employment law developments in 2009 and 2010 (previously Legal developments in…)
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employment law: key differences between Northern Ireland and Great Britain MEMBER ONLY
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Employment tribunals
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Evaluating learning and development
CIPD Fact-sheet on: The environment and people management
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Equal pay
CIPD Fact-sheet on: EU employment policy – formerly called EU social policy
CIPD Fact-sheet on: European Works Councils
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Flexible benefits
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Flexible working
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Harassment and bullying at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Health and safety at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: High performance working
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Hiring consultants
CIPD Fact-sheet on: History of the CIPD
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Homeworking and teleworking
CIPD Fact-sheet on: HR business partnering
CIPD Fact-sheet on: HR outsourcing
CIPD Fact-sheet on: HR policies: which to consider
CIPD Fact-sheet on: HR policies: why and how to introduce them
CIPD Fact-sheet on: HR shared service centres
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Human capital
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Human rights
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Identifying learning and development needs
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Immigration law changes: what employers should know MEMBER ONLY
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Induction
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Interim managers
CIPD Fact-sheet on: International management development: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: International recruitment, selection and assessment: an introduction
CIPD Fact-sheet on: International reward
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Internet and e-mail policies
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Investors in People
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Job evaluation
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Leadership: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Learner-centred courses
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Learning and talent development: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Learning and talent development strategy
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Learning styles
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Local pay: approaches and levels
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Management development
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Managing international assignments
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Market pricing: approaches and considerations
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Maternity, paternity and adoption rights
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Mediation at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Mental health at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Mentoring
CIPD Fact-sheet on: National Minimum Wage
CIPD Fact-sheet on: NLP at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Non cash incentives
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Occupational health
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Occupational pensions
CIPD Fact-sheet on: On-the-job training
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Organisation development
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Outdoor development
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Pay and reward: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Pay progression
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Pay structures
CIPD Fact-sheet on: The people and performance link
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Performance appraisal
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Performance management: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Performance-related pay
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Personnel management: a short history
CIPD Fact-sheet on: PESTLE analysis
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Promoting learning and development in small businesses
CIPD Fact-sheet on: The psychological contract
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Psychological testing
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Quality standards and approaches
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Race, religion and employment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Recruitment: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Recruitment of people working with children and vulnerable adults
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Recruitment outsourcing
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Redundancy
CIPD Fact-sheet on: References
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Relocation
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Retention of personnel records
CIPD Fact-sheet on: The role of front line managers in HR
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Salary review process
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Secondment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Selecting candidates
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Selection interviewing
CIPD Fact-sheet on: The self-employed HR consultant
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Sex discrimination, sexual orientation and gender reassignment and employment
CIPD Fact-sheet on: The skills agenda in the UK
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Smoking at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Strategic human resource management
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Stress at work
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Succession planning
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Swine flu and bird flu (formerly Bird flu)
CIPD Fact-sheet on: SWOT analysis
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Talent management: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Team reward
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Team-working
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Total reward
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Trade unions: a short history
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Training: a short history
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Transfer of undertakings (TUPE)
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Understanding the economy and labour market
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Voluntary benefits
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Whistle-blowing: an overview
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Work-life balance
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Working hours in the UK
CIPD Fact-sheet on: Working time and leave: an overview
Please note the CIPD may remove or update these at any time. In the event of a failure; go to the home page for CIPD Fact-sheets
Feel free to add this page to favorites
26 Comments | management | Tagged: 2010, A to Z, change, cipd, cipd fact sheet, CIPD factsheets, factsheets, HR, human resources, Management | Permalink
Posted by Mike Morrison
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