HR Magazine Community

Who are HR's Customers?

David Millner — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:30:00 GMT

It's not unusual for HR functions to debate for hours about “who is their customer?” For HR functions whose goal it is to become a strategic partner, that debate should end quickly as all strategic business people define their customer as the ultimate end user of the organisation’s products or services. Everyone inside any organisation (private or government sector) should have as their key priority the need to increase value to the end customer. However, when providing services internally, as HR does, it is also important to define the internal customer. All HR leaders are trying to change the perception of the operationally focused HR function and redefine the HR services on offer. It is obvious that if you want HR to demonstrate strategic impact, you must define “your internal customers” as the other senior managers of the organisation. There are a variety of reasons why senior managers (not middle managers) must become your primary HR customer. They include:

· The senior managers are “by definition” strategic. They control the organisations business units and resources and therefore anyone expecting to make a strategic impact must seek their co-operation and support. Forming collaborative alliances is crucial to positioning HR away from just being a reactive operational ‘do as you are told’ function. Few if any middle managers can ever have a strategic impact, so defining them as customers ends any chance of producing strategic results.

· Senior managers have supervisory responsibility for the line managers under them. As a result, their influence and co-operation are needed to help persuade their managers to follow your advice and use your people programmes and processes.

· If HR executives want to be consulted in other areas of management, they must first establish a track record within HR of promoting productivity, profit and clear attainment of stretching organisational goals. HR people must have a view about all the key business issues not just the people based issues – HR’s credibility relies on this as it demonstrates a wider commercial awareness. So if the senior managers of the organisation are HR's primary internal customers HR must identify their key business objectives and expectations when it comes to people and then design systems to ensure that HR is contributing directly to meeting those needs. All HR plans, services and performance metrics must be designed with the goals and objectives of this internal customer in mind. Naming senior managers as a primary HR customer may irritate some HR traditionalists because they feel that HR should be a champion of the employees – that’s true but there are some negative business consequences from such an approach because at the end of the day HR resources are an overhead cost that is paid for by the business not by its employees. It’s a difficult balance but credibility with senior managers will always be more influential than being credible with the employees. HR professionals are paid by the organisation to represent that organisation's interests. Because HR’s strategic role is, to my mind, defined as increasing workforce productivity the HR function must assume the role of being an “asset manager” for what in most cases is the most expensive corporate asset. Any focus on workforce productivity and profitability can get blurred when HR considers the employee perspective because quite frequently, employee self-interest is not always consistent with increasing productivity and profit. Whether we like it or not, HR's job is to help get employees to do things that they wouldn’t do “naturally”. If employees naturally produced at the highest level possible, we wouldn't need performance pay, incentives, policies, training and numerous other tools that help manage talent!

It may sound a little harsh but the primary role of HR is to increase the workforce's output using all the management tools available - identifying and satisfying their customer is a first step to that process. Dave Millner, Kenexa’s Consulting Director, EMEA (dave.millner@kenexa.com) and Director of Kenexa HR Institute. Follow at http://twitter.com/Kenexa_HR_Inst

Revenue is as Important as Cost Management!

David Millner — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:27:00 GMT

HR is supposed to be more strategic these days and yet historically its’ focus has tended to be focused especially during hard times on managing and cutting costs. Whilst cutting costs are important there are several reasons why it is essential that HR shifts its focus away from cost cutting towards increasing output and revenues for the organisation. Every organisation is striving to increase its profits and margins, especially in these difficult times. For every Government department the challenge is to ensure that it is increasing their ‘added value’ that it provides. However in striving to meet those goals it is important to realise that there are two distinct parts to any profit and loss equation, revenue and costs. A business can increase profits in two basic ways, firstly by reducing costs and secondly by increasing revenue (either by charging more or selling more). HR has traditionally focused almost exclusively on the cost cutting portion of the equation, quite possibly because cutting people costs is relatively easy (or should I say within scope) and fits with the process mentality that is seen in most HR functions. Unfortunately, cutting people costs can have some disastrous consequences. HR’s long-standing practice of not considering the ‘hidden costs’ is one of the prime reasons that HR fails to increase productivity. ‘Hidden costs’ relate to not considering the additional costs caused by a bad practice or process because these unintended consequences are not directly connected to the initial action by HR. Some obvious examples of dubious cost cutting and ‘hidden costs’ might include recruiting people with fewer skills in critical positions – yes it’s cheaper than recruiting individuals with superior skills but it may negatively impact upon product quality and innovation. How many times have you had performing individuals demand more money? Yes they can be replaced with cheaper, albeit less effective workers that in the long run creates the need to recruit significantly more people just to maintain the same level of production. The big challenge is connected to ignoring the going market compensation rates and salaries. If you are known as an organisation that underpays people either on salary or benefits you will ultimately hinder the ability to recruit and retain top people as they just won’t be attracted to you in the first place; the employer brand will get out one way or the other! As you can see, there are some potential negative consequences of arbitrarily cutting costs without looking at the impact of cost cutting on revenues and productivity. In fact, any accountant can blindly cut costs but it takes a true productivity expert to understand that cutting costs and forgetting the ‘hidden costs’ can actually have a significant negative impact on the organisation. The strategic target for HR must be to increase revenues and productivity while maintaining or reducing your people costs. It’s easy to say and hard to do but if you give any CEO a choice as to whether they would prefer increasing revenues or cutting costs, they invariably pick the option to increase revenues. This is because whenever you increase revenue in a competitive marketplace it's obvious that you are improving your products and services, which represent a long-term competitive advantage. Short-term cost cutting might actually improve short-term profits but in the long-term, profits may go down and careless cost cutting may permanently harm your competitive position and image among customers. This shift in HR thinking is critical to ensuring that your organisation is ‘fit for purpose’ when it is in a position to actively drive forward growth. This of course assumes that HR has the measurement systems in place to measure the changes – but that’s another story! Dave Millner, Kenexa’s Consulting Director, EMEA (dave.millner@kenexa.com) and Director of Kenexa HR Institute. Follow at http://twitter.com/Kenexa_HR_Inst

A godsen, noun, a useful employee benefit that doesn't quite go far enough

The Suit — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:42:00 GMT

I've been trying to scale the complexities of the childcare voucher scheme this week as my eldest son starts nursery in September. It took me three days to scope out the nurseries in our areas and four days for the police to convince me that the costs are not actually extortion, and therefore deserving of a mass execution, but are, in fact, legal. My bank account, already under manned, limping from a nasty bout of trench foot and in dire need of reinforcements after 12 months fighting off the worst of the recession, is now being kicked repeatedly in the shins by an outflanking force of two small boys armed with demands for nursery fees and shoe sizes that seem to double in size every nine days. That these vouchers exist at all is great but the fact that my company also contributes 10% is a godsend. Although, like most things in these days of pay freezes, pay cuts and redundancies, they only meet some of the costs of real life. So, in fact, it’s a Godsen, then, noun, pron: god-sen, a particularly useful and timely event (or employee benefit) that, while greatly appreciated, unfortunately, just doesn't go far enough.

My wife and I are on the opposite sides of the employment spectrum. Me: large company. Her: freelancer. Being a freelancer, she can work according to her needs but unfortunately, recieves none of the benefits that I get from being a full time employee. In boom times, this set up gave her the flexibility to work when she wanted, earning a decent wage and be on hand for the children too. The media often applaud any overly-hyped method of interconnected working different to the norm, spurred on by their desire to identify the 'new, new thing' and developments in social media and the web. The traditional company structure will soon be dead, monoliths transformed into mobile, loose affiliations of remote working employees, we were told. Wage slaves, claims the Daily Wail, I tell you that you will soon be free to work at home, railing against the decline of western civilisation while sitting in your pants. Unfortunately, the recession came and this emperor found that not only did he have no clothes but also lacked body parts and a torso. The Wildebeest are right. It's safer in a herd.

Larger companies have made efforts to retain their key staff over the last year or so, acknowledging that the cut and run techniques used in the last recession ended up hurting them when it came to recovery. In contrast, I listened to the audible smacks as members of the freelancing community, in the depths of the recession, hit the wall on an unpleasantly frequent basis. Often, it was people that we knew. Occasionally, we thought that it would be us.

And then, suddenly, those that had previously taken pleasure in being their own boss - the perceived zenith of employement evolution - began clamouring to become a wage slave, envying the regularity of our work, the childcare vouchers, the regular income and, at the end of it all, the safety net of a redundancy payment. The trick of course, will be to see if any of us have learned our lesson for the future. Personally, I doubt it. We never do.

Appeal

David Jones — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:23:00 GMT

I don't expect you thought I'd be back so soon. This is not about work but charity. I am running in this year's London Marathon and will be doing so on behalf of the Alzheimer's Society. I have had a mixed year and during it I was given help by a number of people and organisations. Now I am back on my feet, I would like to give something and this is my way of doing it. I think you'll agree that all charities are worthy, but I had to choose one and Alzheimer's is that one, but I can't remember why? Ho, ho - a little joke there. Seriously though, dementia is no laughing matter and it can strike anyone regardless of their lifestyle. How I am sponsored is up to the individual: an amount regardless of what I do or with a caveat, such as time. My target is 3 hours 30 minutes based on my last half marathon time of just under 90 minutes. I think it's attainable as it works out at 8 minutes a mile with my half pace being 6.45 minutes a mile and I think I'll be disappointed if I don't make the time. Apart from suffering the pain of training and lack of a social life over the next three months, I will also be putting money in to the pot. So, I hope I can rely on the generosity of all and sundry to dig deep for a worthy cause. The link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GarySullivan Oh yes, Gary Sullivan is my real name!

Normal service will resume shortly

The Suit — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:08:00 GMT

As the snow and ice has turned my daily form of transport from an energy efficient miracle to a two wheeled suicide device, my bike has been given a well earned rest as I tentatively make my way to the tube every morning at 8.00 a.m. In most other circumstances being this inappropriately close to another human being would invariably result in a beating and/or prison sentence (not necessarily in that order) but like the millions who endure this ordeal, we politely grin and bear it as we awkwardly rub bodies, gaze intently at each others' pores and study a terrible advert for car insurance as though it were a novel. I've been cycling to work for so long that its almost refreshing to recognise old acquaintances - the idiosyncracies and behavioural rituals that have evolved to define the London commute to work. The no speaking rule. The invisibility of the old, infirm and pregant to those with a seat. The stress of the conditions are such that no speaking is a rigidly enforced requirement. Without it, ear drums would perforate in a sea of frustrated expletives. The head-clearing effects of 150 different types of aftershave and scent wafting from 150 bodies in a steel tube hurtling through the black depths. A perfumists Inferno. The collective disdain for any tourist who dares bring luggage onto the tube during rush hour. Tsk. Shake head. Look disgusted. The desperate cramming of bodies into this packed carriage, because Something Important Is Happening That Means I Cannot Wait An Extra Three Minutes For The Next Carriage. The collective fury that errupts at the turnstiles when someones pauses to find their ticket. Madness. Commuting is insanity masquerading as normality. Same time tomorrow, then?

Delusion is the solution, apparently...

Ash Raise — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:15:00 GMT

I have a problem with what Gordon Brown and David Cameron have been saying recently. Keen to compete on “fiscal reality” they have both offered budgetary toughness and plans for debt repayment. The trouble is the debt repayment plan requires a return to “growth”.

I don’t like to be the messenger of doom, but we need old style “growth” like we need a return to business as usual. We can afford neither.

All governments of the post-war era have colluded to build a society where we measure our well-being by what we buy, consume and earn. We have replaced community and family with ASBOs and ISAs. It hasn’t worked yet and it can’t work in the future.

We have just one planet and it is plain stupid to place all our chips on a strategy for survival that depends on infinite energy and infinite mineral resources. We have neither. We need a more resilient way. Certainly not one based on ever more extraction, production, consumption and waste, with all the biosphere carnage and social injustice that goes with it.

George Osborne ⁽¹⁾ writes that a Conservative Treasury “will be a green ally, not a foe”. Good. Start by measuring national wellbeing by something less addictively illusory than economic growth.

Whoever rules, there are hellishly tough questions to be addressed. Let’s start by ending the delusion that we can grow our way out of this crisis. It is our addiction to growth that got us here in the first place.

(1) Source: The Independent, Tuesday 24^th November 2009

HR - Make Some Noise!

David Millner — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:53:00 GMT

I blogged previously about the perception of HR. I'm sure you have read the infamous 2005 Fast Company article 'Why We Hate HR'; that was 5 years ago and I'm not sure things have significantly improved during that period.

I was talking to an HR Director last week and he was talking about the perception that people in their organisation had about HR. He went on to say "if you want to be thanked for what you do at work, don't go into HR!" He went on to say that people in HR need to "get over the fact that they won’t get a lot of recognition and that if they think that they are going to be thrown compliments for their work in HR then they should get out of the function now." He was inferring the need for tenacity and resilience from today's HR practitioners.

It made me think that HR leaders elsewhere across the world often echo this same sentiment that their efforts frequently go unnoticed unless something goes wrong; in fact most aspects of the Head Office or Corporate Services functions that support an organisation achieve its’ success (such as Marketing, IT, Procurement, HR etc.) are not alone in this regard. This just seems to be the reality for most of these support functions. If you think about it if you work in an IT department, the business doesn't think about what you do until the IT system crashes and other departments are unable to do their work effectively! There are many elements of HR that are only noticed if things or events go pear-shaped - that's the reality! Whilst appreciating how any function operates the view of many HR Directors that I have met suggests that compliments shouldn't be expected. Having said this, many corporate initiatives and achievements have been realised through HR and organisations will reap the benefits of the functions hard work albeit that HR will not be at the forefront of the successes.

So why is that? HR needs to start letting people working in their organisation know what they are doing and how they are impacting upon the ‘bottom line’ – if an HR function can’t demonstrate that in the current climate then it’s no surprise that the efforts of HR will be forgotten about. Start your influence process by understanding the key individuals you are trying to influence. Start with the CEO and the senior management team. They didn’t get to the top without being 100% focused on what needs to be done and without developing their own agenda and if HR is truly going to help them accomplish their goals, HR has to first understand what gets their attention. This is especially difficult, but still possible, if you are in a low profile department like HR often is. One key aspect is that HR has to start talking the language of the business; that doesn’t mean talking about HR policies and procedures but start talking about the commercial challenges (increased profitability, improved efficiency or service etc.) and how HR can support those issues through its’ insights into talent, people capability etc.

To the senior management team, almost every decision requires a "business case" and because they have learned to think in analytical terms and to quantify everything, HR has to do the same. I have found that the prime reason that so many HR departments are constantly being cut by financially driven initiatives is not wholly because HR hasn’t proved its’ value but because firstly HR does not “show off what it has done” and market itself internally and secondly, that HR fails to provide quantifiable proof of their strategic value in a manner and language that the senior management team understand; namely financially based savings and income benefits. We understand 'HR speak' but our clients probably don't to the same extent so we therefore need to change our behaviour to get that crucial 'buy in'.

There are many HR professionals who hate the idea of self promotion. The reality is that all support services and professionals need to be on the front foot and say "look what we have done for your business. You now have a commercial competitive advantage because of the clever stuff we have done" ...or words to that effect. I’m not saying that sound HR thinking and practices aren’t valued but the time has come for HR to confidently make some noise – what harm can it do you? If you are afraid that it will place the focus upon you and your function moving forward, perhaps 'Tomorrow's HR' isn’t for you because the scrutiny and commercial rigor has only just begun; it's about changing the perceptions that people have of HR.

Dave Millner, Kenexa’s Consulting Director EMEA (follow me at http://twitter.com/Kenexa_HR_Inst)

Commercial HR - You Know It Makes Sense

David Millner — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:42:00 GMT

Welcome to the first of many blogs (I hope) on this new HR Magazine Blog called Commercial HR.

Firstly why read anything from me? This is my 35^th year of working, believe it or not, of which 25 years of it have been involved in Personnel, HR and more recently involved in developing solutions for clients as Consulting Director EMEA for Kenexa; the other 10 years as a retail and commercial banker in the UK. So, I’ve been around a bit and during that time I’ve become incredibly frustrated in that:

HR never seems to get the credit it deserves.
HR doesn't seem to get to where it needs to be to make that real 'added value' difference that we all know it can.

So the focus for this blog will be to share some thoughts, ideas and observations about how HR can change and make a real shift in the perception that people have about HR. We need to help ourselves firstly though!

Now lots of people will say that HR has changed already and to some extent they are correct. Dave Ulrich has written an enormous amount of great books advising us how to change HR. However to my mind adopting 'en masse' Ulrich's ideas and infrastructures aren't the solution for everyone. Where is the organisational design activity that should outline the commercial demands that every function in an organisation needs to fulfill? Lots of people I meet who have just restructured HR are very keen to let me know that they have ‘implemented Ulrich’s model’ to which my reply is “Why? What changes have you made? What work have you done to design the HR function that your organisation needs?” Ulrich, by his own admittance, never advocated the implementation of his models without any organisational context work.So HR the floor is ours and the opportunity to really shape and change the way it operates still exists drawing upon advice from the Ulrich’s of this world, but whatever HR does it needs to do two things really well:

Understand the financials.
Link people to the balance sheet levers.

It needs to change the perceptions that people have of HR and that can only be done by being a credible business leader (not a partner), knowing your commercial and HR stuff, being able to build the commercial business case for people based initiatives and challenging the business; stop trying to please everyone because remember whilst everyone always has a view about people and what HR should be doing, HR needs to stand up for what it knows add value to the bottom line. That’s why being Commercial HR is the only way forward for us.Dave Millner (follow me at http://twitter.com/Kenexa_HR_Inst)

New beginnings

David Jones — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:33:00 GMT

Here we are: the end. In early November I was contacted about a job from a company responding to one of my speculative letters. It's a small printing and design business in south London close to Lambeth Bridge. It's actually walking distance from Waterloo and Victoria, and a short tube ride to Oxford Circus, so a good spot. The owner of the company has his fingers in a few pies and is spreading himself a bit too thinly, so he wanted someone to come in a run this particular business. It's small, certainly the smallest I have worked for, but small can be good as there's more of a personal touch for clients. I was offered the job on the spot in November. We decided to go for a 'two month freelance temp-to-perm' trial run. I decided to keep quiet about it as I didn't know if it would work out and before you know it I'm back on the old rock 'n' roll. However, it does appear to have worked out as I was given employee forms to complete without a review meeting, so I am assuming all is well. The upside is I am enjoying it very much; the downside is the salary. In the first meeting my jaw hit the table when money was mentioned. Working on the checkout at a supermarket wouldn't pay much less and without the stress. After I voiced my feelings, the money was increased by £3000 with a review promised after two months (now), and another one in July. I am thinking long-term, so that's why I was happy to start with the idea of the salary creeping up over a year and a bit, and hopefully all will be well as I am enjoying it and I am certainly earning more than a couple of months back. I don't have that "oh, work tomorrow" feeling, which is nothing to do with being out of work for a year and this being a novelty - it is that I like it a lot. The company does a lot of work for clubs, especially the gay ones in Vauxhall and it's without any marketing. If I can get my selling hat on, I feel there is potential to increase business within the nightclub area, but also any other organisation that needs design and print. So there we are, I have a job. Who would have thought it, and it came about from a speculative letter. See, plugging away can work and not all emails are ignored so keep doing it. I'm going to write a blog every so often to provide an update - hopefully with good news. At this point, I feel compelled to name the company and provide my first piece of marketing. I expect everyone reading this who needs good design and/or printing to be on the phone demanding my services. A simple name considering its location: Vauxhall Print 0870 3504590. Tara!

New year, new....?

David Jones — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:46:00 GMT

Happy new year to one and all and this to be my penultimate blog (well, maybe?). This weekly blog is, in effect, 'The Chronicles of David', with the purpose of showing what it's like being unemployed. The plan was to give an insight into the dark and murky world of the of the Jobcentre and the hoops that have to be jumped through to get very little and what it's like trying to get a job when it's a buyers' market. The difficulties are enormous and you need to have a strong character not to crack under the pressure. I can fully understand why people resort to desperate measures or end up falling into serious debt and depression. Hopefully, I have also provided enlightenment to people who did know or realise how dreadful it is. The blog developed into me putting my views across on employment issues generally and not just what was effecting me personally. I have found the whole experience very cathartic. However, the inevitable has happened. A few weeks' ago I mentioned a couple of possibles on the job front - one being a PR company wanting me to develop its design side. This one is still hanging around and was deferred until the new year (now!). Anyway, in true soap opera fashion, all will be revealed next week in the final installment.

HR - Guardian Of Organisational Values

Serpico — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:53:00 GMT

As we turn the tide into 2010 I was discussing with other experts at an employee engagement event the idea that HR is the “guardian” of values within organisations, there to ensure that line management behaves with integrity and acts in the best interests of the organisation, not themselves. Many concluded that HR repeatedly makes the assumption that our community always acts in this way. Sadly this isn’t the case and maybe in 2010 we should all make an effort to make sure that HR does behave with decency, integrity and in the best interests of our organisations.

A case quoted by the Director of a top search company was of an unnamed but well known global financial organisation with a critical need to build an integrated talent system. They had been briefed to encourage change and improve performance. Their head office, out of London, found an excellent candidate that all the key HR players in the Head Office thought was ideal. The individual had a proven record of success of delivery, was a respected expert and had the ability to gain buy-in from senior line management. They then asked the London HR team, with whom the individual was to work in partnership, to meet this person. The London team reported back that the individual was “too good” for the post, and that the post should be on a “more junior level”, certainly not on the same level as the HR Head in London and that this “was not the right time”.

Strange that for some reason the views of views of the local team in London and the Head office were opposite, strange that the senior HR team in London had all been in post more than 7 – 8 years and that the brief of the post holder would be change and a review of what had been happening in London, strange that the proposal that the post holder should be at a similar level to the local HR head was dismissed and that the timing was wrong. Just another example of a local HR team acting in the best interests of the organisation against an over bearing head office trying to interfere. It’s good to know that unlike line managers self interest doesn’t come into the HR leaders mind.

To sign-on, or to not sign-on?

David Jones — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:54:00 GMT

Unemployment figures are still not making wonderful reading. They are unchanged over the last quarter (good) but up by 1.9% on last year (bad). The unemployment figure should be higher as there are unemployed people that don't sign-on. I met one such person last week. I went out with a friend who I haven't seen for about a year. He is a freelance proofreader specialising in corporate reporting (probably the only sector that still needs readers). I was shocked to find out he hasn't had any work for about five months. OK, annual reports is a seasonal thing, so very busy in the early part of the year so he usually makes a killing during that period and picks-up other work through the rest of the year. The 'other' work hasn't materialised and he doesn't have anything lined-up for January, when usually he would have a contract or two in place. During the evening I asked the obvious question: "are you claiming benefits?". He isn't. He is surviving by living off his savings and continually expecting and hoping a contract will happen. His reasons for not signing-on were a) "I've never signed-on before so won't now"; and b) " I couldn't face the humiliation of the job centre". I understand his feelings, but he has to overcome it. As I can testify, he won't get much money and he'll have to jump through hoops to get it, but it's something, and something is better than nothing when you're in his situation. He has paid untold amounts of tax in to the system, so in his hour of need he should get something back. This made me think that there must be many others out there not claiming, and no doubt for the same reasons. Anyone who is unemployed has to bite their tongue and register. It isn't a nice experience, but just do it - you deserve it (the benefits, not the humiliation!).

Unhealthy workforces and other recipes

The Suit — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:47:00 GMT

I am struggling to find anything particular interesting to write about today. Not much has changed then, many will shout. Then I thought, that, as this is a time of over-indulgence, I'd direct you to a website that can clog your arteries just by looking at it. Who knows, maybe you'll find some recipe ideas to tide your body over as chilly, guilt-ridden January emerges to remind you of the festive season's depravity. That, or a heart attack, of course.

Now. What were we saying about healthy workforces?

Lucky under 24s

David Jones — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT

So, the government intends to guarantee that people under the age of 24 won't be without a job or training for more than six months. The government, spinning like a top as always, cannot guarantee a job, therefore the 'or training' bit comes in to play - something it can provide. I have had experience of the 'or training' part of the government's masterplan to get the country back on its feet, and my heartfelt feelings are extended to all those poor young things who will now be put through the wringer. These young folk will skip along to the training centre like it was their first day at school, excitement coupled with trepidation; their hearts almost bursting. On arrival they will at first be quiet, but very soon will chatter excitedly with the person sitting next to them about what the day will deliver. Very quickly the reality of the 'or training' will become apparent. When the class commences and the trainer bellows: " there are niney ayt farsend jobs art there, why aint you got one?" (there are 98,000 jobs out there, why haven't you got one?), the hearts of the assembled will sink. Ah yes, the government's outsourcing of the training has a budget and the budget doesn't seem to be very much, so you get what you pay for. I was told by a member of staff at the training centre I attended that when a person is on one of its courses, then officially they are not classified as unemployed, although still in receipt of benefits, but this course of action massages the figures. This is what I was told, I haven't verified it, but it certainly has a ring of truth. So, good luck you under 24s, because you'll need it.

Employment: up, down?

David Jones — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:49:00 GMT

The employment rate for the last quarter suffered a slight fall of 0.1%. This figure is from the Office for National Statistics, and I love the slight twist in how the information is conveyed: not a rise in unemployment but a drop in employment. To the unwary eye the rise in unemployment may be mistaken for a decrease, it's almost a bit of spin. The reality is an increase of 30,000 for the period, so the old green shoots are not sprouting just yet. To compound the misery for these newly jobless, and the old hands, the number of vacancies is the lowest since records began. OK, the record in question only started in 2001, but in true spin style it is the smallest monthly fall since the three months to April 2008. That gives me a nice warm glow and makes all seem OK. An interesting aspect is average earnings increased over this period, with the greatest increase being in the public sector. At a time such as this when jobs are still being lost and inflation isn't exactly high, how can any pay rises be justified? The public sector just doesn't get it, but they will when the cuts happen and they find themselves out on their ears. In my heart I cannot wish unemployment on anyone, but when it comes to public sector I somehow suffer memory loss and don't seem to care. Does that make me a bad person? Probably. Oh yeah, don't get me started on the 'two fingers' to everyone in this country now being sported by the RBS mob. What a bunch of bankers.

PR - indeed

David Jones — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:59:00 GMT

The interview at the PR agency happened and all went well. The business is tiny; the office seemed no bigger than my living room. The company's website is a great piece of PR as the impression given is of a much larger business with an impressive client list. As it transpired, the list is misleading as they were not regular clients and any work done had been pretty small. Oh, well - good PR I suppose. The upshot is, it isn't an employed position but a partnership using the company's name as the door opener. Looking after existing and future design workflow would pose no problems, but developing and marketing it would. I have no experience in that area and have no idea where to begin. I'm chuffed that the person I met thinks I can, and he commented on how good at sales he thinks I would be due to my chatty and relaxed manner, but cold-calling is something I find very difficult. There's a skill in cold-selling that I don't have, but when it's warm I think I'm OK. The company operates in this partnership/associate way and the gentleman said the graphic designer he uses isn't busy, which suggests that this PR company must have very little in the way of design work considering a freelancer has more than one client. I certainly haven't dismissed the idea as this has been the only possible offer I've had in a very long time, but I need to be confident to be successful and with this I am not. It's tough one. It was said there is no urgency and I can take as long as it takes, so I may as well see if I can come up with some ideas. Blimey!

Secret Satan

The Suit — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:24:00 GMT

Life begins the slow descent into festive insanity that is the Christmas season. My particular bête noire is Secret Santa. For those that don't know, Secret Santa is the evil ritual whereby your colleagues anonymously buy each other presents. So invariably, one ends up having to chose a present for a colleague that you are only vaguely aware existed. I say evil as it adds extra complexity to a season already riven by indecision and strewn with my desperate attempts to remember to buy presents for my thousands of extended family members. The only thing that I may know about my Secret Santa colleague is that they occasionally walk on the same bit of office carpet. As if this wasn't enough, an additional hurdle is that presents are limited to five pounds. Now. I work in the City of London. The last time shops in the City of London stocked something worth five pounds was back in 1705. Five pounds then bought you seventeen footmen, a peerage and a sugar plantation in Jamaica. In 2009, shops around here charge you five pounds just to read their signage, recession or not. Fortunately, I have been told of a new place that stocks 'novelty items'. Now, that phrase makes me grimace as much as outlets that call themselves 'Ye Olde Shoppe', the word 'leverage' and the anyone describing themselves as a 'motivational speaker'. Shops which sell novelty items are an indication that the collapse of Western Civilisation is imminent. Future citizens will find our bones buried under plastic dog messes, cartoon loo paper and fluffy trolls perched atop coloured pencils. Nevertheless, it must be done. I shall sally forth buy my colleague their present and hope that what they have always wanted was a stapler in the shape of a naked Father Christmas, his modesty covered only by a small red hat. On the plus side, as its secret, we don't have to share the crippling awkwardness of them pretending to be pleased with it. Thank heavens for small mercies, I suppose.

(Note to self: You should really caveat this with the admission that last year my Secret Santa gave me quite a good gardening book. But then again, you might want to leave that out as it'll make everything that you've written before that admission look quite contrived).

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes, Celebrities And Others…

Serpico — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:06:00 GMT

I was asked to attend an event at which a “celebrity” speaker was going to give us the inside track on their experiences of nature and how it relates to the business world. Whilst it was entertaining, with a nice twist on enabling individuals to enthusiastically make themselves look demented in public, I rather questioned the business benefits of it. To be blunt anyone with intelligence can build an analogy between an experience they had doing something unusual and the business world if they put their mind to it. The basic content of any business activity – constantly having to get things done via a team or as an individual with limited resources – pretty much sums up life’s journey. Be it at work, running a family or going on holiday!

I’m not saying these things aren’t fun, but I rather question the value in terms of added value to an organisation. Certainly there may well be significant inspirational value in some of these speakers, indeed I have seen some bring tears to the eyes of an audience with their stories of courage against adversity. I have no problem with that, but that was billed as an inspirational story of struggle against the odds, not lessons for business from the world of nature or sport. I have also listened to a number of sports personalities on both sides of the Atlantic take their career history, a bit of sporting tactics and a few off the shelf leadership models, mix them all up and lay them out as the ultimate solution for business success. Sorry, it’s not that simple. To add value content has to be relevant and transferable. If you were managing a team of dolphins or international football players it might be…..but few readers here will be.

That then moves us onto the business focussed speakers who are from just an academic or consultancy background who pontificate on what we in business should be doing based on no experience of business at all. I am totally happy with academics and others reporting the results of research studies or what they have seen and saying that the data suggests this is a successful course of action and this is not. But please don’t forget that unless you have had a role where it was your own neck on the line if it didn’t work you have not really experienced the whole panoply of pressures, complications, politics and personalities that come into play in the real world. Models on paper are one thing making it work in the real world is different. I tend to prefer to listen to those who have actually done it for real, the mistakes are actually just as useful as the success stories!

Some even level this criticism at the noble Dave Ulrich, but that’s another instalment …

Headhunters: what do they know?

David Jones — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Oooo, the ol' nerves are twitching. I have the interview at the PR company on Tuesday and I still don't know how to approach it. Over the past week I have been mulling over it and the only conclusion I reach is to not worry and go in with an open mind. I think it will flow easily once I'm settled down, but butterflies are fluttering ever so slightly. Anyway, would you believe it: you wait ages for one and then two come along. I have arranged to meet someone at another company next week. This one came about from a recent speculative letter, and it's with a small design and print business in Vauxhall. It's all very trendy now in Vauxhall, unlike when I was a boy as I grew up close by in Kennington. So more research to do, but this one should be simpler as it's for a role I've done before. I recently spoke to a headhunter who specialises the financial services sector and he was adamant that speculative emails are a waste of time as they get deleted in nano seconds. Maybe that is the case in his business area, but it's working in my game as this will be about the fourth meeting I have got via that route. OK, the return rate from the amount of emails I have sent is very low, but if one comes good then it's worth it. So my advice to others in my situation is to keep plugging away as it can work. Mind you, it hasn't actually worked for me yet as I am still looking, but the potential is there and it gives you a boost when you get a foot in the door, so - bah! humbug! to Mr Headhunter.

I got you, babe

The Suit — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:44:00 GMT

Well, my second son came barrelling into the world a few weeks ago now and life has suddenly got messier, nosier and busier. The first child makes you realise how much free time you used to have while the second child makes you understand that life with one is quite like holidaying in Bermuda in a staffed boutique hotel, by comparison. So, I ricochet from home to work, from board room to bath time from conference calls to coo-coos from reading the FT to spotting ladybirds on my eldest's favourite picture book. We're haunted by sleep deprivation, robotically changing nappies and feeding frantic mouths, collapsing at the end of the day to snatch some supper and choose to watch mindless TV, the programes invariably chosen because our addled brains can only process people using words of less than two syllables. Thank God for the modest, intellectual heavy weight, Katie Price. Weekends are more of the same. Our life is a running machine set slightly too fast. With both of us working, my wife and I share the childcare so we both find ourselves more sketchy than usual, more fractious, less tolerant. Damn, children are hard work. I'll post when I can. It may smell a bit of baby sick. Sorry about that.

HR Can’t Be The Organisation’s Conscience, Everyone Has To Be

Serpico — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:45:00 GMT

The current difficult times seem to have caused a resurfacing of the importance of values in organisations. I keep hearing senior HR managers at various events telling everyone that they are the guardians of their organisational values and that they take it as a compliment that some senior line mangers ask them to fulfil this role. Have they really thought this through? It’s like a friend saying to you just before you go out “If this evening I completely mislay my sense of right and wrong and start doing something illegal would you stop me?”. My response would be along the lines of (a) if you can’t tell right from wrong and (b) don’t have the self discipline to stop yourself if you do feel like doing something wrong then that’s your problem not mine.

Yes, we can help the organisation develop values, help them embed the values, agree what you do if you see colleagues breaking them, but please don’t start offering to be their conscience. That way you let them abrogate a core responsibility of leadership, and in turn set yourself up for the line “Oh well HR didn’t tell me I shouldn’t” as justification for some horrendous act that has just destroyed your organisation’s brand.

It’s interesting we keep telling line managers that they need to have open and honest conversations with their teams. Well we also need to have open and honest conversations with some line managers to get clear that we in HR are not there to pick up those responsibilities the line managers don’t like or can’t do. We can help them get better, but as for doing it for them, while it may seem like a good idea at the time it will come back to haunt you in the future. Give them some role clarity about what they need to do. After the initial shock and horror from them it will actually make your life easier. But anyway line managers adhering to the organisation’s values should be a non-negotiable area. “Well this week I have decided I’m not doing honesty or integrity” isn’t on. During times of change and uncertainty people look for stability around them. Line managers who live by the values and live up to their responsibilities become a rock that binds your organisation together as the storm rages. Those manager who don’t live by your values destroy the faith your people have in your organisation and what it is trying to achieve. Everyone, including HR, has a responsibility to identify them and make sure they aren’t there much longer to threaten everyone’s future.

Interview out of the blue

David Jones — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:22:00 GMT

Well, would you believe it - an unexpected interview. Two days' ago an email popped-up in the old in-box from someone I didn't recognise. It was from a PR company wanting to know if I am still looking for work and that they have a role that is suitable. They are looking for someone with experience in the design industry to expand their design business. I almost jumped in the air and whooped! The astonishing thing about this is I sent a speculative email to the company in March, so not all companies immediately press 'delete' when receiving unsolicited letters from the likes of me, which is nice to know. I have arranged to meet the senior partner in the business next week and I am, to say the least, both excited and worried. I did say that I am not a designer as I made the assumption that it may have not been noticed, just the 'having worked for design companies' on my CV, but all is well. This role involves areas I have not done, namely sales. To do any driving forward for the business will require marketing and selling, way down on the skills list. However, I don't state on my CV that I have done any of that stuff, so I can only assume that the gentleman I am meeting is seeing something that I don't. I think it sounds great, but I am unsure how to approach it as it's different to what I usually do. At least I have plenty of time to mull over it and to think of a game plan. Ooooo, er - this is a tough one.

HR Failings In The Nimrod Crash

Serpico — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:17:00 GMT

It's been rather a reflective seven days. The report on the crash of the RAF Nimrod that killed 14 servicemen seems on the surface to be nothing really to do with HR. However, any HR professional who hasn't asked themselves about what happened in terms of organisational failures really should.

How does an organisation get to the point that it is so systemically flawed that it is prepared to knowingly delay actions that might lead not only to difficulties for their staff but potentially their deaths for the sake of cost cutting? Who allowed this culture to develop? And what was HR doing during this time? Who decided to ignore the repeated warning from inside both MOD and BAE?

But don't assume that this issue is just Services related. Look at the experiences of BP and the explosion at its plant in Texas, the numerous corporate failures across the world due to cost cutting, poor communication, leadership failures and values being compromised. Some unfortunate for the organisations concerned, others literally fatal for some of the people involved.

Whilst the consequences in your organisation would never reach the Nimrod level of tragedy, is the cost cutting drive eating away at your organisation's values? And do you in HR have the courage to stand up and fight back saying that values cannot be compromised?

Recovery?

David Jones — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:18:00 GMT

There is a broad consensus that recovery is on the way, and therefore, the job market will pick-up, presumably. Will this recovery last or crash and burn? A chief executive of a big player recently said that "we're over the worst" but was unable to utter the word 'recovery' as he clearly doesn't think the end is nigh to this recession. Other countries within the G7 or G20, or whatever it is, have recently announced coming out of recession: so why not us? Why are we so useless? I have no answer to this because I am not an economist or a government minister, but there economists and ministers that should know. I also read that that increased government spending has lead to an increase in public sector jobs, whereas in the private sector there have been more losses - what's that all about? However, it could go the other way as spending cuts aimed at the budget deficit could lead to job losses in the public sector. I wish I knew how this government lark works, because I find this baffling. Anyway, it's been the same old routine for me recently, plugging away and trying to come up with a new concept to get a job. I having another meeting at the jobcentre this week where I assume they'll be able to offer clear, concise help and bring up a plethora of suitable jobs on their database. Or maybe not, and this is yet another pointless meeting. I'm already erring towards one. I feel quite perky though and certainly not doom and gloomy, not bad considering the weather is now less temperate!

Leadership for tomorrow's organisation

Ash Raise — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:15:00 GMT

I am preparing the literature search element of a research project on “leadership and tomorrow’s organisations”. This research will be particularly related to sustainability. At this stage I am looking at writings which seek to define leadership from a wide range of perspectives, including

Henry Mintzberg’s new book “Management” says that managers lead some of the time and leaders manage some of the time. Leading is a relatively small part of how they spend their time, not the whole of the job for anyone.
Ron Heifetz of Harvard, Kennedy School of Government, writes or co-writes three books, which, with another by Sharon Parks illustrating his approach of creating situations where participants experience what is involved in leadership, discovering what it means in terms of attitudes relationships and activities. He distinguishes between the purely technical means of management and the adaptive leadership which has to deal with situations in areas where there is no ready answer. Leaders should not impose their own solutions but enable people to own the problems and develop their own solutions.
The University of Hertfordshire under the “leadership” of Ralph Stacey, denies that an organisation has any kind of living existence, such as that propounded by Arie de Geus in “The Living Company”. Organisations are not run by leaders top down, but develop out of local conversations by all employees at all levels, so that the organisation is self developed at the edge of chaos, as nature is said to be by complexity theory. Individuals on their own don’t change things – it is the power of these conversations and relationships; they are somehow the energy for change. The question remains whether some individual leaders are needed to avoid descent into chaos. I have been unable to understand why Stacey et al are so hostile to systems thinking as presented by Michael C Jackson, Russell Ackoff and Peter Senge.
Bill Tate in “the Search for leadership”, just out, says, in effect that we don’t need leaders, but leadership, which can emerge in all sorts of situations at all kinds of level in an organisation. This could fit with the Stacey view, except that Tate roots it in systems thinking, which Stacey belittles.

Other books and articles being considered include those by Adair, such as “Leaders not bosses”, Kotter’s best book in my view is his parable of the Penguins whose iceberg was melting and whose problem was solved by one who was seen as a non leader, with the blessing of one of the formal leaders. This could be quite relevant. Some of Kotter’s books are somewhat mechanistic revolving around his seven or eight points.

One question that frequently emerges is the doubt whether one can put manager and leader into different categories. Organisational learning expounded by Senge and others is not favoured by Stacey, because as organisations don’t exist as entities they can’t learn, according to him, though individuals don’t learn either, other than in relationship.

Also relevant to everyone being involved in leadership is the approach of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Environmentalists tend to seek to influence organisations to change course or persuade people to take small carbon reduction steps which will make them feel good. The best way according to the WWF is to work on changing people’s central values, so that they in turn will insist on action being taken by government. Hearts and minds being involved are stronger than mere checklists. They are working on changing the quality of the thinking of the population, so that they will insist that Governments act. Thus the whole population has a share in leading governments to do something. Leadership is enshrined in the people, which is the essence of democracy. Government of the people, for the people, by the people.

This has certain similarities with Stacey’s leadership stemming from the relationship between the mass of people almost mystically having an effect. But probably the media has a greater effect, and the basis of its work is not the instilling of the highest values, but the supporting of a favoured party to win elections. Perhaps the WWF is being highly idealistic and has a high view of human identity that is not generally borne out in practice. However perhaps the only answer to environmental concerns is when we, the people, are led to lead our government to take uncomfortable but needed action

Most of the authors agree that we can’t predict the future; a mistake that market systems often make is to think they can. And one of the qualities expected by those who look for it in hero leaders is such a capacity for foretelling the future. Is the distributed leadership we have been considering with some of the writings, capable of learning that if we continue as at present then disaster is certain? We can’t go on as we are. Thus we do know something about the future, sufficient to create scenarios about possible situations and how to handle them if they arise. If we actively lead our fellow citizens into Stacey like conversations about the future needed for a life of reasonable quality, we can start together in that direction, even if where we arrive is not quite what we expected.

When we, the people, provide such leadership and force the government people who think they are the leaders, to face up to realities, which are more significant than election winning, we may arrive at Robert Greenleaf’s, “Servant Leadership”.

Is it too much to expect research to be taken seriously if it considers such issues and possibilities, so far removed from current cynicism and starts talking about trust and courage, giving and not just taking, and seeing business as having a responsibility to Society, in spite of denials from the Friedman school. Positive results can stem from a different perspective on leadership.

Comment, including rigorous opposition, is welcome.