Blog

Global Leaders Aren’t Made in the Classroom

2012-02-22T13:15:13+00:00

Last month, we chatted about what global leaders need to know—Intellectual Capital, Psychological Capital, and Social Capital--and where to start with their development—by leveraging development opportunities and tools already in your organization. Once you’ve identified existing resources, what do you do with them?

Our research at Najafi Global Mindset Institute shows that leaders with the highest Global Mindset abilities are not made in the classroom. They develop through a series of layered learning and experiences over time. Now, that’s not to say classroom or instructor-led training isn’t valuable. In fact, a large part of Global Mindset is based in cognitive learning (Intellectual Capital). But that is only one piece of global leadership.

Leaders must also have strong Psychological Capital, including passion for diversity, quest for adventure, and self-assurance. Psychological Capital is about motivation and drive, and it is one of the hardest areas to develop. Our research shows that it can, indeed, be developed through experiences. We’re all familiar with experiential learning, but developing Psychological Capital demands more than simple exposure. Experiences need to be designed to influence attitudes, values, and self-efficacy. The affective learning many organizations are doing with EQ (emotional intelligence), diversity, and ethics all fall in this area.

Social learning methods are also quite important for global leadership development. Our global leaders need to have strong intercultural empathy, interpersonal impact, and diplomacy. In short, they need Social Capital. This requires taking their cognitive and affective learning and putting it into action in interactions with others. Our research shows that a good way to build this skill is through mentoring, coaching, and peer work, such as small group work. Especially when working with diverse others, we need frequent practice.

So what does all of this mean for how you design global leadership development in your organization? It must be dynamic. Leaders need a blend of cognitive, affective, and social learning to turn learning into behaviors and actions. Since you’ve already identified your existing development opportunities and resources to leverage, knowing this will help you to combine them in dynamic ways. It should also help you pinpoint additional resources you need.

Stayed tuned for next month’s blog on how to develop intercultural empathy.

Survey Findings: How Social Media Is Embedded in Business Strategy

2012-02-22T12:00:20+00:00

This is part four of a series of SHRM surveys focusing on the use of social media in the workplace. The topics explored in the final part of this series include who is responsible for leading workplace social media activities, the percentage of organizations with staff dedicated to social media efforts, the prevalence of organizations with a social media strategy, the use of analytics or reporting tools to measure the ROI, the percentage of companies monitoring employee social media activities on company-owned computers or handheld devices, and a wide range of questions focusing on social media policies.

Who Owns Your Company Talent?

2012-02-21T13:51:24+00:00

Culture eats strategy for breakfast. It’s a popular cliché I’ve seen tossed around a lot. And I get the premise – strong cultures can make or break your organizational strategy. It’s true. But where does culture start? Well, Steve Boese recently wrote a post titled, “If culture eats strategy, then what eats culture?” answering that exact question.

Without giving Steve’s post away, it got me thinking about talent. And, who “owns” talent in a company: is it the organization or the manager?

Or maybe it’s neither.

Could it be that the individual employee “owns” their talent?

Organizations merely rent or lease the talent of their employees. They do that via compensation and benefits. Employees bring their talents and, in exchange, they get paid and receive benefits. Since the employee’s talent is the driver…the employee “owns” what the company wants.

Here’s another way to think of it. As soon as an employee makes the decision to leave (either genuinely or just mentally), the organization ceases to have that talent. The challenge for companies is to make sure that employees bring all of their talents to work every day. Because the last thing a company wants is to pay for talent they aren’t getting.

Enter the department manager. Managers are supposed to help employees recognize their talents, direct the use of their talents, and encourage employees to develop existing talents and/or seek additional talents. The idea being that managers create the environment for employees to do what Maslow calls self-actualizing. I call it doing the things that make you want to get up and go to work each day.

This is the essence of employee engagement. Employees who understand how their talents fit into the overall goals of the organization and are able to self-actualize are more likely to bring all of their talents to work and strive to have greater talents…which, hopefully, the company can use to make itself better.

Let us know your thoughts on this. I still can’t help but think the first step in this logic is talent. Which means the employee “owns” talent, not the company and not the manager. And how, when and to what extent talent is used is based upon the way an employee interacts with their manager and the company.

Dr. Daniel Crosby: You’re Not That Great

2012-02-20T13:15:40+00:00

Media and the 21st Century Resume

2012-02-17T13:00:40+00:00

In an attempt to circumvent the keyword-laden resume game, job seekers are taking a more creative approach to captivating recruiters. Rather than dropping the resume altogether, the trend seems to be a breakaway from over-automation and a return to the heart of what makes a good hire. Laurie Barkman of The Resumator explains, “We’ve been told for a long time, ‘This is how you do recruiting, and here’s what matters,’ but organizations are now more interested in interactions that help to determine a good fit. And more nimble organizations are looking at people beyond the resume.”

Sounds nice, but what’s working and what’s not? There are certain guidelines that you should always follow, regardless of mode of delivery, but are candidates covguidelines that you should always followering up mistakes with aesthetics? Resumes and the mulitmedia techniques being used are essentially marketing tools--and the function they serve isn’t changing. As Barkman states, “The question you have to ask yourself is, ‘Can multimedia enhance that message?’” If the answer is yes, there are four channels a candidate can tap into to accomplish this:

Adding a Face and Voice with Video. By replacing a cover letter with a quick video pitch, job seekers can showcase skills and abilities lost in translation in a traditional resume. As Bruce Hurwitz of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing says, “Video can increase my confidence in a candidate's ability to successfully interview--Is she professional? Is she articulate?--or eliminate a candidate from consideration.” Of course, time is money, and candidates need to give recruiters a reason to keep watching. My advice: personality is great, but don’t get too cute. Balance is key.
Bringing Flat Resumes to Life with Infographics. Breaking out of the traditional resume template isn’t easy without a degree in design. But presenting a recruiter with a more visually stimulating overview of experience and qualifications can go a long way in setting a candidate apart. Thankfully, it doesn’t take an Adobe Illustrator savant to turn a boring old resume into an interesting infographic. Not only are these easy to create, but they’re easy to share across multiple channels.
Providing Insights into Culture Fit via Social Media Profiles. It’s no secret that recruiters investigate candidates’ social media profiles to obtain a more rounded picture of the individual. Job seekers are responding to this shift in recruiting pracitces by beefing up their networks, expanding their professional profiles and adding recommendations on LinkedIn, driving conversations and connecting with thought leaders on Twitter, and cleaning up their Facebook profiles.
Showing Off on Personal Blogs. Blogs are an excellent platform for candidates to showcase their hobbies, writing and communication skills, and general interests. Think they’re just for marketing candidates? Think again. Even a meat cutter at Whole Foods can run a successful butcher blog to establish expertise and share experience with an avid audience. And candidates for and candidates for artistic positions can showcase their portfolio of work.

Multimedia: Here to Stay?

The basic function of a resume isn’t going anywhere. What’s changing is how that function is executed. “We're not leaving behind the resume,” says Steven Savage, a technical project manager at Mobclix and a writer and speaker on geeky jobs, “but we're using it as a trigger point for more.” To that end, many college campuses are taking it upon themselves to give the next wave of workers a competitive advantage in the job market of tomorrow. If this is more than a trend, though, will applicant tracking and HRMS software be able to keep up?

What successes have you had in using media to find work or place a candidate? What challenges do you think employers are faced with when reviewing a new form of application? Will media continue to impact the job market, or will it simply be swallowed up as one more way to stand out from the crowd?

5 Ways to Change Careers

2012-02-16T13:19:00+00:00

The problem with trying to change occupations or industries, is that most people don’t have the skill set to support a broad leap in jobs. So they end up willing to do practically anything other than what they are currently doing, and subsequently flounder in their job search.

After 15 years in recruiting, helping companies to find and hire teams of highly specialized consultants and executives, my job is now to teach employers and recruiters how to find and attract talent better. But one of my primary passions remains helping job seekers along in the career process. I donate time speaking to career groups, and regularly do calls with job seekers in distress.

One of the main subjects discussed, especially this deep into what’s turning out to be a fairly long recession, is transitioning industries or occupations. Many people just aren’t having enough success in their current vocation. Or it has been a struggle in their industry for so long that they are burned out.

What many of us struggle with in changing occupations is lack of focus, and poor understanding of our own market. We think the grass looks greener over there. But over there is across a big pond. The odds of jumping across it are low. So, instead, we should think of side stepping around to get across.

Moving to adjacent or complimentary industries is a straight forward option that most of us don’t think to consider.

If you want to change careers, look at the companies that align with or serve your current industry. They may not be what you think. Look at every vendor to your current firm and your competitors’ firms. Chances are those vendors hire people like you in some capacity. Then you can start side stepping around the pond to the place you want to be on the other side.

Here are 5 ideas to help job seekers who wish to change careers

Look at adjacent/complimentary industries or companies, and vendors to your current firm or competitors firms. Ask who supplies your company with various items or services, who does your web site, PR, marketing, CRM software, office supplies, food service, etc. Chances are there is a company that services your current employer, or one like yours, who would be interested in hiring good people from inside the operation. Think about how you can apply your existing skills in other areas vs. completely changing skill sets.
List other things you do as ‘jobs’. If you are on a board, volunteer, help a friend, whatever, there is a story there and you use certain skills to do it. Probably those skills are something you are passionate about. List those things on your Linkedin profile or resume under “additional engagements” just as you would a job. It is experience… use it.
Start a project online to study the industry or skills with which you want to work. Get a friend or colleague to help. Create something that a company you are targeting might find valuable. Document the process. List it on your resume as a real job (you’re not fabricating anything if this actually becomes part of your experience).
Start an industry blog about your target industry or occupation. Post articles, both re-blogged from others, and original material that you research and write yourself, that people in your target market can use in their work, retweet, reblog, etc. You might even document your job search process. Highlight the knowledge you are gaining as you strive to master expertise as you go along. You will start to pop up on the radar of employers and recruiters in the industry you target.
Focus, focus, focus. Make some lists: What you get paid to do, What you like to do, What companies will pay you to do that you like. In that final list is your focus. Check out my post on How to Create Focus Lists to Narrow Your Job Search:

When you decide who your targets are, and who the players are within those companies, network with them, be supportive, retweet, like, and share their posts. Cozy up and get friendly…and listen…before you ask for anything. Post useful information, tips, and articles in groups and places you know they participate.

Then, when you have become a valuable resource, let them know that you think they are great, and that you are very interested in their organization. Invite them to a phone call or a cup of coffee. Be honest and tell them you want to change careers and you think their company is a good prospect for you and you for them. Ask about the best way to get referred in. Chances are, if you have proven yourself knowledgeable and valuable, you will get an intro to the firm.

#NextChat Success – A Recap of our Twitter Chat on Social Media

2012-02-15T20:15:27+00:00

There’s no denying that social mediais changing the way we work. From its emergence in the recruitingsphere to the way it is redefining workplace culture and flexibility, organizations and HR professionals are quickly adapting and growingwith each and every innovative step that social media takes.

As social media continues to grow, so does We Know Next. Last Wedesday, @weknownext jumped into the world of Twitter chats and along with special guest Matt Charney @MattCharney, we hosted our own #NextChat conversation to discuss social media’s impact and role with HR and recruiting.

Nextchatters agreed that some of the biggest myths or misconceptions about social media among HR and recruiting professionals are that it’s cheap and easy (@Matt Charney) and “that it is only a Millennial strategy” (@RuchiROI). Kyle Lagunas (@KyleLagunas) tweeted: “Anyone can use social media, not all can use it successfully. Have clear goals, then execute,” while Franny Oxford (@Frannyo) chimed in that “the risk of looking unprofessional is greater than the risk of losing potential applicants, customers and stakeholders.”

Here’s a highlight from some of the #nextchat questions.

How does HR and recruiting fit in with the larger corporate social media picture? Allen Jerkens (@AllenJerkens) thinks “Teams need to work together on communication strategy to cross promote” and that organizations should “encourage employees to participate in company social media. They are the best brand ambassadors and provide genuine insight.” Sarah Lucas (@sjlucas07) raised an interesting subquestion: “HR and corporate need each other to be most successful on social media. But what if corporate is slow or afraid to embrace?”
Does employee social media use impact retention and engagement? Sean Charles (@SocialMediaSean) says, “Yes, employee social media use can improve engagement if organization is listening & supporting.” Kyle Lagunas (@KyleLagunas) thinks “social media *can* do these things, but only if the company culture values basic SM principles. Not the case for all.”
What advice do you have for HR and recruiting professionals just starting out on social? Any lessons learned?Jeremy Roberts (@imJeremyR) tweets“Jump in to the conversation, don't just tweet jobs and press releases!” Sarah Lucas (@sjlucas07) responded with “Corporate jargon doesn't work. If you want to succeed on social, get social. Try and fail and succeed. And repeat.” While Dave Ryan (@DavetheHRCzar) says “Get comfortable with 1 platform before diving 2 deep into the second one.”
How has social media impacted HR and recruiting today?According to Career Bliss (@careerbliss),“Social media gives HR another way to evaluate candidates. Allows them to gauge online presence and Klout.” Sarah Hathorn (@SarahHathorn) tweeted “If you want to have the "best" people, you have to create an innovative and changing culture.” Allen Jerkens (@AllenJerkens) replied “Provide easy to use tools to extend recruitment brand, share company culture and communicate on regular basis.”

Finally, #Nextchat finished with a fill in the blank style question: “ The key to social media success in HR & recruiting is ___________ .” Do you agree that it’s “daily presence” (@Ray_anne), proper engagement (@scawley03), or “being genuine” (@jerometernynck)

Let us know YOUR thoughts!

Join us for #NextChat on Wednesday, February at 3:00 p.m. ET with special guest @Eric_B_Meyer discussing Social Media and HR – Policies and Legal Pitfalls.

Failure and Learning Through Leadership

2012-02-15T13:15:49+00:00

Achieving milestones within a department or an organization is a process that involves a clear strategy, research, team members, and the flexibility to change and adapt along the way. Just like leaders, a company’s culture or environment doesn’t just happen. Great cultures are made from the top down and the down up.

The key in creating a corporate culture focused on high achievement doesn’t come from the learning curve employees and their teammates face but in how they learn and work together during their failures. It’s the low points, not the high points that create a high performance team. Or as Robert Sutton, a Professor at Stanford University says, “Failure sucks but instructs.”

Consider a company like Starbucks, a now 40-year-old company, and the success they achieved. Since 1992, and until 2007, the company’s stock rose a staggering 5,000 percent. Books were written on their rise to fame and the distinct culture they created. On nearly every corner a Starbucks reached out to entire communities, listened to individual workers and consumers, and seized growth market opportunities, ; and then something happened. As the economy changed and the world dived deep into a recession, Starbucks continued with their award winning strategy, business as usual, and for that they paid a price.

Companies like McDonalds and Duncan Donuts gained market share and Starbucks tried to fight back, but they continued to flounder. In 2008, Howard Schultz the former president and chairman made a bold move returning to his position eight years after he stepped down. He was concerned that Starbucks had lost its way culturally as well as financially. The support and leadership that Schultz provided Starbucks helped put the company’s troubles into perspective allowing them to learn and adapt from their mistakes. The company returned to its roots focusing on what it did best, make coffee as well as the culture it provides both employees as well as customers. For Schultz, it’s not just about winning but the right way in which to win and using this strategy he helped once again pull Starbucks into the spotlight.

The lesson for companies of all sizes and their leadership teams is that from success we gain confidence, but from failure we are truly tested. Teams are tested in times of crisis and struggle learning lessons on accountability, collaboration, creativity, and initiative. Maintaining an even keel and believing in your organization and its business culture will help ensure that even in the good times and the bad, the business will live to fight another day.

**This article was originally published as Failure Sucks But Instructs. Ask Starbucks at Blogging4Jobs.

I Love You

2012-02-14T13:55:54+00:00

It is 9 am. The secretary reports to her desk. Waiting for her is a sealed card.

The secretary opens the envelope and it is a Valentine's card from her manager. Having undergone sensitivity training, the manager signs it "fondly" as opposed to "lovingly."

The employee is creeped out and goes to HR. HR talks with the manager based on a script we had prepared together.

HR asks the manager if he knows why the card is inappropriate. He responds "no."

HR asks the manager to whom else he gave a Valentine's card and he answers his wife. Again, it is asked: do you know why card was inappropriate? Again, he answers "no."

We now take out the crow bar. Is there anything you do with your wife in privacy that you don't do with secretary? Ding. Ding. Ding.

Every year, we get 1 or 2 calls about harassment claims arising out of Valentine's Day cards. Employees can be so sensitive when their bosses tell them:

To the love of my life

I cherish our moments together

I love you

Recommendation: no Valentine's day cards at work. This is particularly important with regard to supervisory-subordinate relationships.

Of course, that does not mean that everyone who sends a Valentine’s day card is intending to convey a romantic message. After all, there are now Valentine’s day cards for parents, kids, etc.

For some, the Valentine’s day card is simply a way to say you are important to me. The problem is the nature of the holiday may confuse the reason as to why the employee is important.

Make clear to your employees, by your words and actions, how important they are to the organization. Recognition and appreciation are the vitamins employees need every day. Just don't tell them that they are the loves of your life. Unless you want a plaintiffs’ lawyer to fall in love with you.

This blog should not be construed as legal advice, pertaining to specific factual situation or establishing an attorney-client relationship.

For more on employment and the law, visit SHRM’s Legal Issues page at http://www.shrm.org/legalissues/Pages/default.aspx.

Jobs Blog: When Demand Is Low, It’s Time to Train

2012-02-13T21:37:18+00:00

Much has been said about the contribution of the “skills mismatch” to the United States’ elevated unemployment rate. Even President Barack Obama weighed in during his State of the Union address, calling it “inexcusable” that there are job openings in many industries that can’t be filled while millions

of Americans are looking for work.

Although most economists argue that joblessness is largely a function of lowered demand at the moment, simple math says there’s also something else going on: There are 13 million people out of work, yet 3.2 million jobs are available. Recruiters and HR professionals continue to profess difficulty finding candidates with the proper qualifications for their job openings.

At the same time, workers are gaining more faith in their prospects for finding new employment—2 million people quit their jobs in November 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), up from the most recent low of 1.5 million in January 2010.

However, in the absence of a sudden boost in demand for labor, training and education are the most logical solutions to aligning unemployed workers’ skills with the needs of companies looking to hire. Of course, it’s often not easy to determine who pays for this training and how it is administered, since many organizations’ resources have been stretched thin during a period of weak economic growth.

But there’s a growing body of evidence that shows workers who are challenged or given training/education opportunities are more productive. People who fit the description of “thriving” in their jobs demonstrated 16 percent better job performance and 125 percent less burnout than their peers, according to university research findings published in the January-February 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review. “Thriving” was determined to include two components—vitality and learning—and the survey included 1,200 white- and blue-collar workers from a variety of industries.

“Employees who experience vitality spark energy in themselves and others,” says Gretchen Spreitzer, co-author of the study and a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “Companies generate vitality by giving people the sense that what they can do on a daily basis makes a difference. Learning is the growth that comes from gaining new knowledge and skills. People who are developing their abilities are likely to believe in their potential for further growth.”

That last sentence could easily apply to those with jobs or those seeking employment. Let’s say Employer A has several openings at the moment but can’t find candidates with the right skills. The company, however, has several workers in-house who could handle the jobs with a little training. Why not engage those employees to take the higher-skilled jobs, and in the process create openings for lower-skilled jobs that may be filled by the ranks of the unemployed?

It appears that some companies are grasping this. Organizations in the United States spent $171.5 billion on employee learning in 2010, up from $125.8 billion in 2009, according to the American Society for Training & Development.

Workers also have made it clear that they want chances to grow on the job. Sixty-two percent of responding employees cited “opportunities to use skills and abilities” as a very important factor in determining job satisfaction, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2011 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement research report. That came second to job security (63 percent) and was the highest percentage for the “skills and abilities” category since 2004.

So what’s next? The truth is, we’re still digging out of an extremely large hole for unemployment and cannot wait for a full-scale economic rebound to bring most of those 13 million individuals back to work. Perhaps training and education need to lead the way.

From Idle to Innovative: 8 Ways to Ignite Managers in the Middle

2012-02-10T13:15:30+00:00

2011 Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Challenge

The Cleanup X Challenge offered $1 million to the team that could invent an oil-recovery system able to recover oil from the surface of the ocean at a rate two times the industry standard. The building and testing of such a device was already an improbable feat, but the stakes were raised even further: contestants have 90 days to complete it.

Team Elastec met the challenge

When Donald Wilson, the CEO of Elastec, the largest manufacturer of oil-spill-cleanup equipment in the US, read about the innovation contest, he enthusiastically jumped. They had toyed with a similar idea in the past, but shelved it due to a lack of resources and time. With the pressure on and Wilson’s contagious passion, the company’s 140 employees rallied and won the contest, beating 350 other contestants.

Innovation contests

Innovation contests like the Oil Cleanup X Challenge are designed to spur innovation. Netflix sponsored a $1 million challenge for anyone who could devise an algorithm that improves its movie-recommendation system. Similarly, British tycoon Richard Branson continues to sponsor The Virgin Earth Challenge, a $25 million prize to anyone who can demonstrate a design to reduce atmospheric pollution and contribute to the stability of the earth’s climate.

Innovation can ignite or paralyze

When the opportunity to innovate arises, there are 2 influencing factors that compete for our motivation:

the herd, and
the need to matter

The herd’s tendency to squelch innovation

We are all influenced by our herd. We conform to our herd, seek our herd’s approval, and steer clear of being rejected by our herd. Who is in this herd? Anyone in our network – our family, friends, colleagues, boss, clients, and community. This herd poses huge risks to our innovation cravings. Because we fear being rejected by that herd, we literally stifle and suffocate many innovative ideas.

The need to matter drives innovation

Only when our need to matter overpowers our fear of rejection will we break away from the herd and suggest a novel approach, attempt a new method, or offer a fresh idea. We empower this need to matter when we recognize that our efforts will make a difference. And the fastest route to making a difference is to innovate.

A lack of innovation fuels malcontent

Most malcontent managers were not born curmudgeons. They became that way because of years of watching nothing new happen. No changes, no new approaches, and no risk-taking. Instead, years of having their ideas shelved, hearing “no,” and getting “that’s just how we’ve always done it.” Years of not being able to make a difference.

The impact of innovation

While prize money is great, there are numerous benefits of promoting innovation internally. It accelerates product development, creates PR opportunities, and feeds the need to matter while alleviating the fear of rejection. On the Elastec Cleanup X Challenge team, employees instantly recognized the difference they were making not only to the chance of winning, but to the company’s product success, and to the environment. And along the way, their herd cheered.

8 Ways to Move Managers from Idle to Innovative

Create your own internal innovation contest. Challenge managers to solve vexing problems by creating your own innovation contest. Team up your managers or require them to team up with their employees. When everyone in the herd is innovating, the fear of rejection quickly dissipates.
Seek out innovation contests for teams to enter. Numerous organizations offer contests to stimulate innovation in areas that they feel passionate about. Find one and enter it like Elastec’s CEO. Here are a few organizations that regularly promote innovation contests:
Add innovation to team agendas. Intentionally carve out time in each team meeting to present a problem that needs innovating. Experiment with different ways to stimulate their innovation, like these: X Prize Foundation – sponsors challenges in aerospace and understanding the human genome, InnoCentive.com – sponsors challenges in engineering, chemistry, and health care, Kaggle.com – sponsors challenges in data-mining and predictive-modeling
Incorporate brainstorming, brainwriting, and brainsteering to solve problems. When brainstorming allows for too much influence of the herd, employ brainwriting (everyone writes ideas down) and brainsteering (everyone answers questions to guide the brainstorm) to elevate the effectiveness of innovation.
Schedule “idea time” with each manager. Meet 1:1 with managers to hear their ideas. Take away the pressure of the herd and you will be surprised at the ideas they have brewing. And the special attention will feed their need to matter.
Organize “Innovation Groups” to address specific problems. Assign managers to work together in Innovation Groups to devise new approaches and fresh ideas for a specific issue.
Launch Innovation Mentoring. Match Mentors and Protégés for the purpose of guiding Protégés to innovate through problems they face in their current projects. Request your managers nominate those Mentors and Protégés.
Recognize new ideas formally. Routinely (monthly newsletter, quarterly meeting, yearly event) recognize ideas that have been presented, attempted, and/or executed by people in the company. If an idea was not successful, recognize the courage to innovate and highlight the lessons learned.

Where do you marinate from 9 to 5?

2012-02-09T13:15:23+00:00

When I was a teenager my parents told me to be careful about the character of my circle of friends. Positive friends make good friends and will likely improve your quality of life and decision-making. Negative friends, on the other hand, will have the opposite effect. Before you know it, toxic friends will craftily lead you to make poor decisions, ultimately directing you to a bad place in life.

You are eventually the product of your environment. That’s why I highly recommend you surround yourself with good, smart and honorable people.

When I was on my high school tennis team (a few decades ago), our coach taught us to play matches with people better than us. Playing tennis with better talent challenged me but increased my level of performance.

The same principle applies to the organizations where we work. A positive company culture is going to challenge you, increase your performance, help you to be a better person, improve your outlook on life and allow your personal life to be much more enjoyable.

On the other hand, if you accept a position in a toxic company culture, your life will not be as fulfilling or rewarding, even if you are working in your dream job. I have known people who resigned from dream jobs inside a toxic culture simply to work in a positive company culture.

When you leave the office at night, that culture follows you to the parking lot and gets in your car, bus or subway. A toxic culture walks with you into your house at night, takes a seat in your favorite chair and impacts your quality of life away from the office. A positive company culture makes life much more enjoyable at home, allowing you to be mentally present at home with your loved ones. Why? You are not worrying about the toxic drama that could happen the next day starting at 9:00 am.

We are seeing a trend of company leaders sincerely desiring to create great workplaces built on trust, respect and civility. I foresee a future where companies will work to become “certified great places to work.”

If you are working in a positive company culture, you are very fortunate. If not, for the health of you and your family, you should seriously consider finding another environment to marinate in from 9 to 5.

Diversity and Inclusion: Getting It

2012-02-08T13:15:46+00:00

What will you do?

If your team or organization is going to get serious about pursuing additional value or advantage associated with diversity and inclusion this year, it will likely be because you decide to make it so. I spoke to a lot of HR professionals in 2011 and one of the things that I heard a lot, goes something like this …

“I am totally on board Joe, but ________ just does not get it.”

They. Don’t. Get. It.

Your supervisor, your peers, your senior leadership team is not likely going to wake up tomorrow and miraculously get it.

Diversity and inclusion are horribly misunderstood and most leaders do not even know that they don’t get it. And let’s be honest here, that blind spot containing the stuff that we do not know we do not know is pretty big and problematic for all of us.

Bottom line, they are not the problem.

You are.

You are the problem because you get it, but are not doing anything about it. This is the problem. If your organization is not doing anything serous regarding D&I one year from now it will be because you decided to accept that.

Action and leadership on D&I must be provoked.

“We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.”

-Buckminster Fuller

Getting it and being on board require that you know your role. Prove that you know your role by owning it.

Light the match.

Spill the paint.

Be the catalyst that your organization needs you to be. I do not know what your gift is, so I do not know what being the catalyst looks like for you, but I can at least share some ideas…

Set an example by mixing up your network. Tell others what you are doing, how and why you are doing it, and share this great paper by Ronald Burt which demonstrates the link between diversity in your network of relationships and innovation.
Ask questions. Ask your supervisor what diversity and inclusion mean for your organization, ask about the organizations commitment, ask about the investment, the metrics. Don’t get a decent answer? Ask again. If this is something that you truly believe in, then fight for it, take risks, make noise. Or, stop talking about how much you get it. Some of us are called to hard duty. There is probably some easy work to be found in the world, this is not it.
Request a D&I speaker for your next team meeting, annual retreat or other event.
Distribute books, articles, blog posts, research related to diversity and inclusion. Start with this great document about unconscious decision making…make sure everyone gets a copy, lead a conversation about it.
Introduce and experiment with new meeting / discussion methodologies that inherently value diversity, provide participants the opportunity to contribute differently. A few examples:open space technologyappreciative inquiry

open space technology
appreciative inquiry
world cafe
circle
future search
informed use of blogs and other social media technology can deliver some of the same benefits

Bring basic conflict management skills into your team or organization. Rather than avoiding conflict, we want to be good at working through it in a healthy and functional way. Help people develop the skills to do that starting with new employee orientation and build it into your leadership model.

Do something.

Does a Mentor have to Breathe?

2012-02-07T13:00:56+00:00

To most of us, mentors are people of experience and knowledge who help the less experienced advance their careers and/or their education. There are plenty of well-known examples throughout the course of history; Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great, Laurence Olivier mentored Anthony Hopkins and Freddy Laker mentored Richard Branson.

In the early days of my 40 year business career, I was lucky to work under two gentlemen who instilled several critical success factors that guided me from Brand Manager to CEO. One of my mentors was brilliantly creative, the other skillfully strategic. But when I finally reached the corner office, I was alone, and rather than join a Presidents’ forum such as YPO, I turned to the periodicals of America's best business schools. At the risk of this blog appearing as an advertorial for Harvard, I'll gladly admit that Harvard Business Review was my favorite management resource. Here are the benefits I garnered from a decade of prolific reading:

Strategy. The latest thinking from the great strategists of the era – Michael Porter, Henry Ginsberg, Rosabeth Kanter, John Kotter. By applying Jacobs Suchard's brands and businesses to HBR's models, I was able to pin-point weaknesses and bring clarity to missing opportunities. Most importantly, the implications and action steps became an 'easy sell' to my team.
Human Resources. I came up through marketing; quite honestly, during my years in marketing I hadn’t given much thought to HR. But shortly after rising to the corporate throne, people and culture became my mantra.
Dispute Resolution. Each HBR issue included the views of guest contributors who tackled sticky, hyopethical scenarios posed by the editor. These executive contributors dealt with the situations differently, and their unique approaches broadened my horizons.
Perennial Wisdom. I scribed notes of my favorite articles and had my secretary type them. Years later I referred to these notes in my capacity as a consultant. A client in need of innovation? “Yep, I can help with that,” I’d say. And sure enough, bright folks such as Gary Hamel, C. K. Prahalad and Adrall Pearson joined me as silent colleagues.
A Mentor Doesn’t Have to be a Person. By all means interact with a live mentor, but do not discount the value of a disciplined approach to life-long learning from indirect experts. Their writings can be an invaluable management resource to help solve problems and unleash opportunities.

Next Generation Leadership – Have You Talked to a Customer Today?

2012-02-06T22:02:54+00:00

Did you talk to a customer today?

Simple yes or no answer.

According to Frank Pacetta (a hero of mine) and his Blueprint for Success a “no” gets the leader or manager (CEO especially) an immediate failing grade.

{click through and take the rest of Frank’s Blueprint for Success Management Test}

Today’s leader is charged with navigating through chaotic and disruptive times. Employees are anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, uncertain and have far less trust in senior leadership. Customers have an evolving set of expectations around the business relationship and brand experience.

Progressive leaders are recognizing this shift in the balance of power, removing barriers, improving access and leading from the front to cultivate a more connected and compelling brand experience for all stakeholders (employees, customers and investors).

The People Economy is here and to thrive amid this transformation true leaders are embracing the transparency that is required, leading from the front, connecting, communicating and collaborating to elevate trust, earn emotional commitment, accelerate innovation and effectively navigate change.

There are examples of next generation leadership all around us.

Consider Dallas Mavericks outspoken owner Mark Cuban who makes his e-mail address public (and has been know to offer it up for fan access on the jumbotron during games). Don’t like the variety in the Food Court? Send the owner a note.

How about Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh? You can follow him on Twitter, check out real time company updates on his blog and employees can stop by his cubicle any time for a high five {forget the corner office…he rolls without walls}.

Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn responded to the recent Forbes article Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business…Gradually via his blog with His Thoughts on Best Buy’s Recent Media Coverage where people are free to comment, invited to connect with him or follow him on Twitter.

Ford CEO Alan Mullaly (notice how he starts this recent keynote!) recently did better than just talking to customers. He actually delivered a new customers Ford F-150. CEO service.

These leaders may not always be right. Their companies may not always win. But they are real, relevant and represent a shift from the antiquated Command & Control style leadership to a more Collaborative & Connected approach that is proving far more effective for the time.

How accessible and transparent is your CEO? Senior leadership? You? Worth considering.

This next generation approach to business (Generation Flux) is opening up opportunity for those willing to embrace change, challenge the status quo and connect people to each other and a common purpose.

Change is hard. It is also the one constant we can count on.

Social Media for HR and Recruiting

2012-02-06T14:09:10+00:00

French novelist Alphonse Karr once wrote, “the more things change, the more things stay the same,” which might explain why this same phrase shows up in Zeppelin lyrics a century after Karr’s death.

And nowhere is that more true than HR, which as a function seems often to be the business equivalent of the Amish – a quaintly anachronistic sect who shuns modern technology (with the possible exception of cute cat videos on YouTube, which, as we all know, really never gets old).

This is probably why we’re still talking about building a business case for social media use in HR and recruiting, or even talking about social media at all. Because talking about social media is a little like talking about candidate experience; it’s a concept whose viability lies not in theory, but in practice.

And practice, as they say, makes perfect. Which is why I’m so excited about this Wednesday’s #NextChat conversation about the challenges – and opportunities – social media represents for HR and talent management practitioners.

Prominent among these opportunities is the ability to interact with, and learn from, other HR and recruiting professionals who, like you, are probably sick of talking about social instead of actually being, you know, social – because ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.

If you’ve never participated in a Twitter chat before, grabbing a “seat at the table” is simple (for once); just follow the hashtag (or, as it used to be called, the “pound sign”) #NextChat on Twitter on Wednesday, 2/8 at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT. Unsure of how to follow a hashtag? No worries, we got your back (click here).

If you have participated in a Twitter chat before, and if you’re savvy enough to be reading this blog, chances are pretty good you have, then you’re probably thinking: “Great. Another Twitter chat.” Which, given their recent proliferation, is totally understandable.

What makes #NextChat unique is the fact that it’s being organized, and sanctioned, by SHRM – an organization at the forefront of setting the direction, and agenda, of our profession.

And while you don’t have to be a card-carrying member of SHRM to join the conversation, it’s a great chance to engage with, and learn from, the preeminent professional organization in the business of people – and the members who squarely ensconced at the forefront of the HR industry.

Because, after all, they know “what’s next.” For HR and recruiting professionals, “what’s next” seems inexorably, and inevitably, intertwined with social media – only in this case, “next” is now.

To that end, here are the questions we’ll be discussing, along with some recommended reading to help inform, and inspire, Wednesday’s #nextchat conversation: “Recruiting for HR and Social Media.”

What are some of the biggest myths or misconceptions about social media among HR and recruiting professionals? - What HR Wants to Know About Social Media CAN Hurt Them by Jennifer McClure
How does HR and recruiting fit in with the larger corporate social media picture? - Can You Hear Me Now? The Impact of Social Media On Your Workforce by Ron Thomas
Does employee social media use impact retention and engagement? Why or why not? - Company Culture and Social Media by Matt Charney
What advice do you have for HR and recruiting professionals just starting out on social? Any lessons learned? - Social Recruiting: Three Lessons Learned From the Trenches by Kyle Lagunas
How has social media impacted HR and recruiting today? In the future? - SHRM Research Spotlight: Social Media In the Workplace by SHRM Research

The 2011 Execution Round-Up: Six Organizations That Couldn’t “Get It Done” This Year

2012-02-03T17:51:48+00:00

It’s that time of year when business owners and senior executives take stock of the past twelve months. What did 2011 look like for you and your company? The questions you could ask during your year-end assessment are endless. But there’s only one that really matters: Did your company effectively execute its plans and initiatives?

If an organization can’t get things done, nothing else matters—not the smartest strategy, not the most innovative business model, not even game-changing technology. And for many companies, there is a clear gap between strategy and execution—we’ve seen plenty of evidence this year.

Our research uncovered five characteristics, which we call “The Five Bridges,” that enable people to traverse this execution gap. It is these bridges that differentiate the companies that are consistently able to achieve results. To learn from the “living laboratory” of real-world companies, here are six of this year’s headline makers and the lessons we can take away from their struggle.

Execution Gap Maker #1: The Japanese Government

Facing the possible meltdown of the Fukuskima Daiichi nuclear reactor, Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked a small circle of trusted advisors to weigh the risk of injecting seawater into the reactor to cool it down. Unfortunately, because of Mr. Kan’s distrust of bureaucrats, he did not make use of Japan’s crisis management system which brought bureaucrats from various ministries under the direct command of the prime minister. As a result, he did not involve members of Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission or Tepco, the company that ran the power plant.

Not involving these key stakeholders prevented him from quickly grasping the severity of the situation and adversely impacted the quality of Mr. Kan’s decisions and the speed with which he acted. For example, he did not know that the plant manager had already started using seawater and continued to do so, despite being told to stop by his bosses at Tepco. As it turns out, the plant manager’s act of defiance may have prevented many deaths. In addition, Mr. Kan and his team were not aware of the resources they did have available like a national system of radiation detectors. If they had been aware of this system, which predicts the direction radiation is moving, they would have been able to prevent residents who were evacuating from heading directly into the radioactive plumb.

The “BRIDGE” that failed: Involving Others in Decision Making.

THE LESSON:

In order for any organization to execute successfully, the right people have to be involved in the right decisions. The Prime Minister of Japan provides a devastating example of what can happen when this isn’t the case.

Obviously, this lesson is even more critical when there is as much at stake as there was in the Japanese disaster. But really for any company trying to gain footing in a constantly changing business environment and tough economy, empowering the right people to make the right decisions can be the difference between landing that next great customer or account.

It’s that time of year when business owners and senior executives take stock of the past twelve months. What did 2011 look like for you and your company? The questions you could ask during your year-end assessment are endless. But there’s only one that really matters: Did your company effectively execute its plans and initiatives?

Execution Gap Maker #1: The Japanese Government

The “BRIDGE” that failed: Involving Others in Decision Making.

THE LESSON:

Execution Gap Makers #2 and #3: Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) and the State of Connecticut

Few of the people who live in Connecticut would argue that CL&P was not prepared for October’s nor’easter. It appears that CL&P’s emergency response plan was woefully inadequate. The plan’s worst case scenario considered outages of 100,000 customers, or less than 10% of the customer base. At its peak, the outage was over 800,000 customers, or about 66% of the company’s base. Partly because of the original planning assumption, CL&P did not pre-stage adequate restoration resources in advance, which delayed the recovery effort in the first few days.

In addition, there appears to have been a lack of coordination among local and state government which contributed to shortcomings in preparedness, communication and private sector cooperation. Although there were plans at the state and municipal levels, there was not one centralized master plan that shows how state government should interact with its own agencies and how the state should coordinate its own activities with those of the utilities and municipal governments.

At the company level, the lack of coordination and collaboration is illustrated by CL&P’s promise to restore power to 99% of customers by November 6 without vetting it internally. Not surprisingly, they missed this self-imposed deadline (as well as the one after that), which seriously undermined confidence in CL&P’s management team’s ability to deal with the crisis.

The “BRIDGES” that failed: Translating Strategy into Action and Coordination and Cooperation.

THE LESSON:

Execution starts with a plan. Although most organizations and leaders understand the value of developing a plan that outlines how a goal will be accomplished, the most effective leaders also ensure that plans are aligned and mutually supportive across organizational boundaries. It’s also critical that organizations learn to coordinate decisions and actions across organizational boundaries. But doing so requires more than faith and words alone.

Shared goals and clearly defined roles provide the foundation upon which cooperation and coordination can be built. In addition, people must be held accountable for results. This requires a combination of direct leader behavior and systems that encourage and reinforce the appropriate behavior among employees.

Execution Gap Maker #4: UBS

In September 2011, a “rogue trader” was arrested for a scheme that lost UBS $2.3 billion. Although UBS hoped to show that this trader’s activities were an aberration, it appears that the unauthorized trading was just the latest in a series of ethical and legal lapses at UBS. For example, in 2008 UBS settled charges brought by New York State that it misled customers when it sold them what it described as nearly risk free auction-rate securities even as its executives knew the market was collapsing. In 2009, the Justice Department contended that UBS conspired to enable 17,000 wealthy Americans to engage in tax fraud. In return for a deferred prosecution agreement, the bank agreed to pay a $781 million fine and divulge the names of the account holders. In May of 2001, UBS paid $160 million and admitted that its employees had conspired to rig bids in the municipal bond derivative markets.

It appears that the most recent case of unauthorized trading is consistent with a culture at UBS that stressed individual advancement over team effort and personal achievement over ethical and legal considerations.

The “BRIDGE” that failed: Alignment Between Leader Actions and Company Values and Priorities.

THE LESSON:

A company’s culture is made up of the values and beliefs held by a majority of its employees. Contrary to the common belief that values are “soft” and amorphous, they are quite concrete and drive behavior and systems. Therefore, an organization’s culture is known or “recognized” by the behavior of its leaders and its work processes.

Leader behavior must be aligned with company objectives and values. While I admit this phrase has been said so often it’s become a cliché, companies can’t afford to ignore it. You don’t really understand how important value alignment is or the impact it has on effective execution until you see what happens when it’s not there. That’s why stories like the UBS one are so important. They remind us not to take it for granted or assume it’s a ‘no-brainer.’

Execution Gap Makers #5 and #6: Netflix and Research in Motion (RIM)

Ironically, Netflix was on our 2010 list as a Gap Closer and an example of the same Bridge – Managing Change – that failed in 2011. Partly because of the dramatic change in what was regarded as an almost flawless track record, Netflix’s missteps caught the media’s attention and were very well documented this year. From its attempt to change its pricing structure to the announcement that they would rebrand the DVD service as Qwikster (which they quickly cancelled in the face of customer outrage). In both cases, it was apparent that Netflix misread its customers and their expectations.

As CEO Reed Hastings admitted, Netflix had become overconfident, which was a contributing factor in the mismanagement of these key changes.

RIM gets an “un-honorable” mention in this category. It appears that the Canadian company is having difficulty responding to the change created by the entry of Apple’s iPhone and iPad and Google’s Android technology. Unlike when RIM dominated the market, their traditional customer, corporate IT, is starting to look at these new technologies more favorably and relaxing the distinction they had made between personal and business use. This shift in perspective and the performance and features of their competitor’s products is forcing RIM to step up their game and rethink how they will compete in both the enterprise and consumer markets.

However, RIM has been unable to launch new products with the same appeal as its rivals (or even with its previous products) and it has suffered a number of significant service interruptions that have angered customers. This has caused customers and potential customers to lose confidence in the company and encourage them to look at competing products. RIM’s poor execution may actually end up being the antidote to the “crackberry” addiction they created.

The “BRIDGE” that failed: The Ability to Manage Change.

THE LESSON:

Effective execution requires vigilance. Just because you’ve got it right today doesn’t mean you’ll get it right tomorrow. As the Netflix example illustrates, the Bridges are quite fragile and require constant attention. Arrogance and complacency are the beginning of the downward spiral into the execution gap.

It’s also important to remember that, despite all the effort and resources that have been devoted to helping leaders and companies manage change, they still often get poor marks in this area. That said, yet another change management process or program is not the solution, emphasizes Lepsinger.

Our research, as well as the research of others, indicates that successful change is connected more to the individual and collective mindsets of employees and customers than any process. People change when they are ready—not just when they understand the need for change. The most successful companies facilitate change-readiness and don’t just rely on making the business case to drive people’s motivation to change.

As these stories illustrate, execution is the real bottom line and it’s what every business needs to focus on as they seek to improve organizational performance—and it’s the lens all leaders should look through as they review 2011 and make their “business resolutions” for 2012.

Execution is not a single-point event. It’s an ongoing process. But since your ability to execute well and consistently is the very fabric of success, I can think of no better place to focus your time and energy.

The “BRIDGES” that failed: Translating Strategy into Action and Coordination and Cooperation.

THE LESSON:

Execution Gap Maker #4: UBS

The “BRIDGE” that failed: Alignment Between Leader Actions and Company Values and Priorities.

THE LESSON:

Leader behavior must be aligned with company objectives and values. While I admit this phrase has been said so often it’s become a cliché, companies can’t afford to ignore it. You don’t really understand how important value alignment is or the impact it has on effective execution until you see what happens when it’s not there. That’s why stories like the UBS one are so important. They remind us not to take it for granted or assume it’s a ‘no-brainer.’

Execution Gap Makers #5 and #6: Netflix and Research in Motion (RIM)

As CEO Reed Hastings admitted, Netflix had become overconfident, which was a contributing factor in the mismanagement of these key changes.

The “BRIDGE” that failed: The Ability to Manage Change.

THE LESSON:

SHRM: February LINE Report

2012-02-02T19:15:13+00:00

According to the SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Report for February 2012, although the pace of job creation at this time last year was higher, the hiring outlook for this February shows that far more companies are expected to hire than lay off.

Specific to the manufacturing and service sectors, the LINE Report shows that compared to February 2011, the service-sector hiring in February 2012 will drop by a net of 12.3 points and the manufacturing-sector hiring in February 2012 will drop by a net of 2.5 points. Taking a closer look at the comparison between the two sectors, the service-sector hiring index shows that a net of 20.9 percent of employers will add jobs this February while the manufacturing-sector hiring index shows that a net of 40.2 percent of companies plan to hire workers in February.

In February 2012, 26.3 percent of service-sector companies plan to hire, while only 5.4 percent plan to layoff and similarly in the manufacturing-sector, 49.1 percent of companies plan to hire, while only 8.9 percent plan to lay off. Both sectors show a more positive outlook with significantly more companies planning to hire than layoff.

“The economy is showing gains in job growth but not at the pace needed to significantly bring down the unemployment rate,” Jennifer Schramm, manager of workplace trends and forecasting at SHRM.

Despite companies plan to hire rather than layoff in February 2012, January’s LINE Report showed that the recruiting-difficulty index and new hire compensation both rose slightly in both the manufacturing and service sectors.

To read the full Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) Survey report, click here.

Social Networkers: A Special Breed

2012-02-02T13:15:39+00:00

Many business leaders have long suspected that active social networkers are a breed apart from other employees. A new report looking at the state of business ethics in the U.S. supports that belief.

The nonprofit Ethics Resource Center (ERC) says that corporate ethical behavior will likely get worse in the foreseeable future. In analyzing its data, the ERC was surprised to find how different social media people are from other employees. Workers who are active on social networks report more ethical lapses, feel more pressure to compromise standards about bad conduct, and experience more retaliation for reporting misdeeds than other employees.

Just what is it about active social networkers that makes them so different? Curtis Midkiff, SHRM’s director of social engagement and an advisor to the ERC report’s authors, views social networkers as harbingers of—and perhaps facilitators of—change in organizations. “They are causing companies to review all aspects of their culture,” he says. This seems to run counter to the stereotypical image of geeky Millennials who spend all day on Twitter and Facebook and shun hard work and direct contact with older colleagues. And these young people don’t own social media; many mid-career and older professionals work and play online as well. What seems to set social networkers apart, says Midkiff, is a different concept of what type of behavior is appropriate in the workplace. Some dress differently. Many communicate differently. While some executives might view employee use of office computers for “personal business” as improper, or at least in conflict with standard policy boilerplate, many active social networkers see—and welcome--a blurring of their personal and professional worlds. “We respond to work e-mails and send meeting invitations at all hours of the day and night,” they say. “We’re putting in extra hours and effort. So don’t bug us if we ‘friend’ someone or order takeout sushi while sitting at our desks.”

This blurring of the personal and professional goes beyond scheduling issues. Social networkers feel a desire, and sometimes an obligation, to chat about conditions in their organizations. Sometimes, conversations in that intimate, private circle of friends—akin to the water cooler conversations of days gone by--expand little by little until they are rather wide and public. Sharing and transparency are inherently good, social networkers feel, whether they are discussing the merits of a video game or the nature of their workplace culture.

Midkiff believes that social networkers want to spread positive messages about their organizations. But, unfortunately, those among them who feel disconnected from their organizations too often become visible, vocal critics. This creates an opportunity for business executives: Get to know the active social networkers in your company, and make them feel valued and an integral part of the business. It’s a lot more fun--and a lot cheaper--than fighting them in court over policies and laws that inevitably lag behind developments in the virtual world.

Celebrating a Milestone for #Workflex!

2012-02-01T18:00:55+00:00

Paper — symbolizing strength from the connection of individual threads — is a traditional gift for a first anniversary.

Making a strong connection is a fitting description as SHRM marks the first anniversary of the groundbreaking partnership on workplace flexibility with the Families and Work Institute (FWI).

Announced Feb. 1, 2011, by SHRM President and CEO Hank Jackson and FWI President Ellen Galinsky at the National Press Club, the partnership works to help organizations transform how they view and adopt flexible workplace practices such as flex time, compressed work weeks and phased retirement.

SHRM and FWI have been busy during this first year. Since last February, the partnership has:

Conducted webcasts to highlight workplace flexibility as a key business strategy;
Produced new research to dispel common myths and unsupported assumptions;
Published two editions of the Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work;
Hosted the first Work-Life Focus Conference;
Educated employers about the business benefits of workplace flexibility through the When Work Works initiative.

And that’s just the beginning.

In February, we will be in Rhode Island, where the SHRM Rhode Island State Council is partnering with the Providence Chamber of Commerce to host a program on workplace flexibility. The program will include a discussion by organizations that have won the Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility, which is given by SHRM and FWI.

Watch for other appearances this year in Virginia, Oregon, Idaho and Michigan, as SHRM encourages its members and other employers to apply for the prestigious award. We also will be participating in an Alaska SHRM State Council webinar.

In March, the partnership will release the National Study of Employers, the most comprehensive study of the practices, policies, programs and benefits provided by U.S. employers to address the changing needs of today’s workforce and workplace. An Employer Resource Guide will be published later this spring to help HR professionals design and implement effective workplace flexibility strategies.

HR professionals can expect even more in 2012 from the helpful research, tools, and information generated by the SHRM-FWI partnership. For more information and resources on flexible work environments, visit SHRM’s Workplace Flexibility Resource Page.

Shirley Davis and Lisa Horn are co-project directors for the SHRM-FWI partnership on workplace flexibility. Click here to read the original blog post.

Tools and Training Prepare Managers for Workplace Flexibility

2012-02-01T13:15:55+00:00

During the past decade, much of work/life research has been dedicated to identifying and measuring the bottom-line benefits of workplace flexibility to an organization and its employees. Unfortunately, far less attention has been paid to the challenges that managers face when integrating flexibility into their work groups.

A 2010 survey report, Alternative Workplace Strategies in the Current Economy: Results from New Ways of Working’s Benchmarking Study, cited executive buy-in and manager resistance as two of the top three barriers to wider implementation of workplace flexibility. Similarly, the 2011 WorldatWork Survey on Workplace Flexibility illustrates the importance of engaging managers in the culture change necessary to building a flexible workplace, finding that only 12 percent of organizations that are developing flexibility initiatives provide their managers with training and resources.

During a recent focus group with managers conducted by Boston College Center for Work & Family, Career/Life Alliance and Life Meets Work, managers at organizations with workplace flexibility programs said they did not have the understanding, tools or training needed to lead flexible work teams successfully. Also, they said that the focus group was the only time they had been asked how well they were doing in the flexible work environment.

Given that managers hold the key to effective, full-scale implementation of flexibility but that most are ill-prepared or unable to manage in a way that supports a flexible culture, it is essential to enhance their knowledge, provide them with tools and develop their skills through specific workplace flexibility training.

Enhance Knowledge

Introducing managers to the business case for workplace flexibility can increase their understanding of and appreciation for the benefits that flexibility brings to their organizations. They learn that by increasing autonomy and commitment, flexibility enables employees to become more innovative in their jobs and able to identify problems better—and to go the extra mile in solving them. As a result, managers are positioned better to meet their business objectives.

One method of enhancing managers’ knowledge is to communicate fully the challenges employees are experiencing—including metrics about turnover, absenteeism and engagement. Using corporate data and anecdotal evidence can show how these issues impact the organization’s bottom line.

The next step is to have managers share stories illustrating their teams' challenges, followed by how these challenges impact the effectiveness of their departments. Managers can understand workplace flexibility as a business strategy better when they are provided with external case studies as well as examples of how flexibility is working throughout their organizations.

Tools and Training

Proper tools and training can ensure that managers have the tools they need to succeed in a flexible workplace. Among the issues that should be addressed are the following:

Performance management. Organizations can assist managers in reviewing performance as part of their daily responsibilities, especially in a flexible work environment. One example of ongoing performance management is a daily check-in call, e-mail or other outreach to confirm that employees have what they need to meet their objectives.

Communication. Flexible teams need to determine how and when to communicate using tools such as instant messaging, text messaging, Skype and Twitter. But managers should be mindful that the digital word can be misinterpreted easily from afar. It is important to provide training to ensure that they keep their written communication clear of ambiguity that can cause confusion or lead to offense. Creating a communication strategy to use when an urgent matter arises is an additional process that must be developed. Managers should work with their employees to identify one communication tool that will work for all members, and outline the response time expected when a critical issue arises.

Virtual meetings. Flexible work teams must determine in advance when to hold meetings and how to conduct them. Technology provides a variety of choices—including Webex, GoToMeeting and Skype—for sharing presentations. To engage team members, managers should create a feeling of meeting in the same room by making introductions and ensuring that people understand why they are attending the meeting. This approach improves the discussion and the decision-making.

Team culture. Maintaining team spirit in a flexible work environment can be a challenge for managers. They need ideas on how to maintain the social aspect of their work group. Leadership training can provide managers with ideas on how to create time for the team to learn about each other’s personal lives. For example, sharing pictures of home offices, family and friends can be a great way for teams to feel connected. Other ideas include remembering birthdays, special occasions and recent successes and announcing them during team meetings.

Conclusion

Flexibility is an elevated form of teamwork, dependent on managers who have the skills to define expectations, delegate and adapt to different work styles. Employers need to establish resources, such as the tools and training outlined above, so they can help managers create a flexible culture inside their work groups and help companies leverage workplace flexibility as a business strategy.

Personality Tests for the Hiring and Promotion of Employees SHRM Poll

2012-01-31T12:30:17+00:00

A majority of organizations (82%) do not use a personality tests in the hiring or employee promotion process. Of the few organizations that indicated using personality tests, the majority use them for mid-level managers (56%), followed closely by executives (45%) and entry-level exempt jobs (43%). The majority of HR professionals (71%) indicate that personality tests can be useful in predicting job-related behavior or organizational fit; 14% of respondents disagree.

Keeping Everyone Safe in the Workplace

2012-01-31T12:00:50+00:00

“If you come to work with ten fingers and ten toes, then that’s how we intend to send you home each day.”

That was the oft-uttered phrase of an Operations Manager with whom I worked. It was the foundation of his message to new hires during New Employee Orientation and he repeated it at all staff meetings. Safety mattered.

Most employers are subject to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act and therefore have what’s termed a “general duty” to provide a workplace that’s free from recognized and serious hazards. The Act is administered by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and most private industries are regulated by OSHA or by an OSHA-approved state system.

Large organizations and/or certain industries may have a dedicated Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) department or may assign HSE responsibilities to their Risk Management department. In smaller organizations the safety function often falls under the HR umbrella. However, a truly effective safety program must be a collaborative effort across departmental and functional boundaries. And regardless of where in an organization HSE responsibilities lie, HR Leaders will bring value as active advisors and partners in workplace safety initiatives. Most HR professionals are skilled at bringing together the key elements of an effective safety program including evaluation of processes and operational activities, adherence to compliance and regulatory requirements and identification of people-driven risks – and the related potential impact in all these areas. This can be accomplished by focusing on several foundational components:

Regulatory and Compliance Oversight

OSHA is part of the US Department of Labor and HR leaders are, naturally, attuned to the happenings at the DOL. Knowledge of federal (plus state and local) health, safety, security, and privacy laws/regulations is a key HR competency and HR professionals are able to ensure merging of all these components in order to ensure alignment with other organizational policies and practices when designing or implementing a workplace safety program.

Effective Program Design

An effective and successful safety program will include strong support and leadership from the management team as well as employee involvement and HR professionals can facilitate this collaboration. HR professionals are also adept at conducting the necessary needs assessment and analysis (i.e. of the worksite and job conditions) and have the foundational understanding of OSHA standards which allows them to assist with the identification of workplace hazards and control systems. Safety programs are often, appropriately or not, tied to rewards or recognition programs. A skilled HR professional will bring an understanding of motivation strategies and can identify the pitfalls in designing a potentially ineffective or counterproductive safety reward/recognition program.

Communication Programs

Any workplace safety program must include a corresponding communication plan. Managers and employees need to understand goals, plans and policies as well as their individual roles and responsibilities. An HR professional can identify the appropriate methods and platforms for sharing information and can be a valuable resource when developing accompanying training by bringing an understanding of adult learning processes, training transfer and interpersonal and organizational behavior.

While the elimination, management and reduction of risk is the desired outcome of a workplace safety program, the ultimate goal for organizational leaders is to protect their most important asset – people. A cross-functional, leadership-driven initiative will ultimately lead to greater success in ensuring safe and healthful working conditions.

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