Week 3 Learning Log - Manager Tie-in and Learning Lessons

Manager Tie-in

Over the course of my career, particularly in the period of time that I have managed people, it has been clear to me that having solid routines around communication are essential to achieving goals. The material this week only reinforced that observation, but I was able to broaden my toolbox with ways to improve how I communicate and, perhaps more importantly, how I can go about measuring the effectiveness of my communications through audits. I have long used approaches like focus groups and surveys to gather feedback and to see how employees were digesting the information be provided to them. Going forward I will be able to incorporate several other communication audit techniques that will allow me to gather an even greater understanding of how my communication is being disseminated and understood. Things like conducting extensive observations, with the goal being to gather a hefty amount of qualitative data to review, and network analyses, to understand how my hierarchy of communication is set-up and how it's working, will enable me to improve my messaging and how others respond accordingly.

Learning Lessons

How HR can work with a department or business line to drive performance was one of the more critical takeaways from this week's materials. As a manager, it can sometimes be thought, or interpreted, that HR is more of a hindrance in achieving goals and progressing a workforce quickly. This observation tends to surface most when a business line led initiative produces friction with certain portions of the workforce, and HR's involvement slows down the accountability holding process. In reality, HR is as important, or even more important, in helping to set a foundation that is supportive of achieving performance goals and fostering adherence to the consistency of this goal achievement. The ways that HR accomplishes this is through helping a manager establish clear performance standards, instituting a performance assessment process that supports standards previously communicated, providing feedback on where things are going well and where they are not, driving compensation recommendations that reward good performance, and adapting how they operate to support this performance-driven atmosphere. Without question, HR should be at the heart of creating the solution and fostering its implementation and success versus being a hindrance to progress.

Week 3 Learning Log - SHRM Connect and Feedback SHRM Connect

SHRM Connect

https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=8dac0a15-7458-45fe-8771-5208e372d98e&CommunityKey=85f521fc-ba03-4926-932f-3e17d3b3827e&tab=digestviewer

Feedback SHRM Connect

This week's post was centered around my professional experience conducting focus groups in my organization, mainly to gather feedback and get a sense of employee morale. After conducting a number of these sessions, it was shared that there seems to be a recurring challenge with the consistency of answers provided and how employees feed off of one another during those sessions. The "group think" phenomenon was raised as a challenge that needed to be overcome with regularity, while also providing an endorsement of what focus groups can and should provide the information gatherer. There were several respondents who shared that they have encountered similar challenges when conducting focus groups in their organizations. One of the most useful recommendations was to engage an outside vendor to assist in the organization and completion of focus groups. By utilizing an entity that provides this service a business will gain from the professional expertise of this entity and benefit from the objectivity an outsider can provide with the feedback they gather.

Week 3 Learning Log - Exploration and References

Exploration

Communication is the life-blood of any organization and is generally the determinant in how effective a workforce is at accomplishing strategic goals in unison. Because communication is the conduit for informing a workforce on what they should be doing, how they should be doing it and when they should be doing it by - methods of communicating, both communicating to and gathering feedback from, are essential items to understand and execute. This is where the concept of Communication Audits come into the equation. These audit techniques allow for information to be gathered and disseminated, and allow for an organization to gauge how effective they are at communicating the information they deem critical to organizational success. The various types of audits allow for the auditor to consider a variety of factors, so that they can land on the most effective audit approach to measure within the realities of their circumstances.

Communication audit approaches include:

1. Interviews
2. Surveys
3. Critical Incident Review
4. Network Analysis
5. Observation
6. Document Review
7. Focus groups

Each of these audit types has an appropriate application for a given set of circumstances. The auditor must evaluate how much time they have, how much money they can spend, what the scope of their inquiry is and what kind of research results they'd like to produce. After those questions have been answered one of the above approaches will reveal itself to be the correct option to proceed with.

References

Hargie, O., Tourish, D., & Wilson, N. (2016). Communication audits and the effects of increased information: A follow-up study. International Journal of Business Communication, 39(4), 414-446.

• This article is a journey through the evidence collected on the effectiveness of communication audits over the past 50 years. Hargie, Tourish and Wilson conduct a literature review of the studies that measured how successful, or not, certain communication audits were and under what set of circumstances they were able to be executed in the most effective way possible. As part of their analysis, they draw some conclusions on the desirability of certain corporate communication initiatives and corporate communication philosophies. 

Quinn, D., & Hargie, O. (2004). Internal communication audits: A case study. Corporate Communications An International Journal, 9(2), 146-158.

• The United Kingdom wanted to improve the way that it's various police departments and agencies operated. To accomplish this they engaged in a series of various communication audits that were intended to document staff feedback. This feedback was then to be used as the foundation for overall organizational improvements, with the focus being on improving intradepartmental collaboration and cross-geography consistency in communications and execution. Quinn and Hargie review the various communication audits that were used in the study, and the relative success of each method adopted.

Week 2 Learning Log - Manager Tie-In and Learning Lessons

Manager Tie-In

The concept of a capability audit is one that resonates with me as a senior manager, and as someone who has seen the positive impact that self-assessments can have on an organization. Going through and objectively rating how you feel that your organization performs with acquiring talent, managing accountability, collaborating as a team and managing risk is about as important an exercise I can think of. As I stated in my SHRM discussion board post this week, the only item that concerns me is that this activity is truly completed in an objective fashion. I would go to great lengths to ensure that this objective assessment is the priority. If there is any sense of subjectivity at the conclusion of the capability audit it will be completely undermined. If this means that an outside vendor is engaged, or cross-departmental reviews occur, completing with integrity preserved needs to be prioritized over all.

Learning Lessons

Capability audits themselves were the most relevant and important piece of information covered throughout this week's material and interaction. A company must be able to get to a place where they want to know how they perform internally with the categories covered in a capability audit. Introspection is a way to identify problems, learn from them and put in plans to fix them. This continuum should always be ingrained within a corporation's culture and establishing routines around capability audits could ensure that they are. Another component that is important, beyond simply evaluating through the capability audit lens, is the prioritization of audit sections that are most important to one organization versus the next. Every organization's strategic direction, strengths and areas of opportunity differ. Flexibility is built-in to the capability audit by allowing another layer of prioritization with selecting the two or three most important areas to a firm. This is important regardless of firm performance in those two or three higher impact sections. If the firm is a high performer in those sections, then it is a validation that they are performing well in the most important places. If they are not performing well in them, then they know they need specific and actionable plans to address the areas of the audit most important to the long-term success of the organization.

Week 2 Learning Log - SHRM Feedback and Capability Audit

SHRM Feedback

The quality of the responses for this week's discussion on capability audits was robust. Responses ranged from whether or not it made sense to get an organization's board of directors involved in the assessment, to how an organization can maintain assessment integrity in completing a subjective audit. This dynamic, around subjectivity, was at the heart of the question I posed in my post. Anytime someone is required to assess themselves you have to be cautious that the integrity of the assessment is kept intact. Some of the responses suggested that businesses utilize different areas of the company to assess, in the capability audit exercise, other areas that they don't own operations of. This would help in keeping the assessment more objective. Another piece of advice was to put metrics in place that helped shed light on the performance of the organization, and this would guide assessment ratings. Finally, an organization must commit to the capability audit as part of their regular operations. This will make it less of an event and more of an expectation of a well-run organization. It will also act as an opportunity to see how the company is addressing items within their strategic plan.

My Company's Capability Audit

This is the audit that I completed for my organization. This assessment was through the lens of our recently completed strategic plan, and how our leadership team sees the company situated today. The areas that were rated as priority sections are specifically called out within our overall strategic document as being a priority for the firm, and represent the spaces that we've created specific action plans for.

Week 2 Learning Log - SHRM Connect

SHRM Connect

https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=a086b066-a61e-4c62-9479-407e070a4f23&CommunityKey=85f521fc-ba03-4926-932f-3e17d3b3827e&tab=digestviewer#bma086b066-a61e-4c62-9479-407e070a4f23

Week 2 Learning Log - Exploration and References

Exploration

Measuring an organization's capabilities is a great way of assessing and understanding how well that company can accomplish its strategic goals and direction. This approach will also shed light on the places that the organization should focus on establishing capabilities, and thus positioning themselves to be more productive and effective on a go-forward basis. Capability audits are a well established approach to completing this assessment, and conducting one within the human resource area will identify the strengths of that area, and how those strengths impact organization performance, and set the path for where the department needs to grow and develop. Here are a few of the components of operation that the audit assesses:

• Talent: Understanding how successful the human resources area is at identifying internal talent, attracting new talent and motivating the workforce is an effective way of understanding HR's impact on the human capital assets of the organization.

• Collaboration: One of HR's most essential responsibilities is to cohesively work with every area of the organization in order to help them achieve their goals, and to provide guidance across a variety of HR relevant scenarios. Understanding how effective HR is at collaborating across the organization will determine their effectiveness with each area.

• Efficiency: Every area of an organization is expected to utilize resources responsibly and constantly evaluate ways to improve their operation. Measuring the HR department's ability to operate efficiently is extremely relevant for an organization constantly trying to improve its overall operations.

• Risk: Taking and managing risks is a natural part of any business's operations. How much risk is taken and the relative reward is not equal in every area of the company. Given the potential impact of risks taken in the human resource space, measuring how that department is managing risk is necessary. Minus an appropriate risk oversight understanding, HR can dramatically effect the bottomline in a negative fashion. 

While there are more sections to be reviewed in a comprehensive capability audit of the human resources area, these represent some of the more important spots that should be explored in said audit.

References

Kalyani, M., & Sahoo, M. P. (2011). Human resource strategy: A tool of managing change for 
organizational excellence. International Journal of Business and Management,6(8), 280-286.

• Kalyani and Sahoo in this body of work discuss how the importance of organizational excellence in process and human resources is paramount to business success. They detail ways that human resource departments can incorporate well established measurement tools to benchmark their operations against industry baselines. Their work also includes an empirical analysis of of the different performance levels achieved by companies that employ these approaches versus the performance of those companies that do not.

Mitsakis, F. V. (2014). Human resources (HR) as a strategic business partner: Value creation and risk reduction capacity. International Journal of Human Resource Studies,4(1), 154-170.

• In this article, Mitsakis promotes the value that human resources can provide their organizations if they incorporate procedures and routines related to performance and risk assessments. One of the routines that Mitsakis promotes is conducting capability audits on a defined and regular schedule. The completion of this activity will allow the organization to assess the evolution of their human resource approaches and whether or not they are moving the dial on company performance across a variety of performance metrics.

Week 1 Learning Log - SHRM Connect and Feedback SHRM Connect

SHRM Connect

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Started on 1/12/17

Feedback SHRM Connect

This week's SHRM discussion focused around the value that a HR professional can bring an organization, if that professional is able to balance the competing priorities that make up the paradoxes we covered this week. I engaged on a discussion about an organization that was experiencing a transition towards a more active, and knowledgeable, HR department that needs to provide better balance toward achieving strategic objectives. In my initial discussion post, I shared how my organization has made this shift and the value that it has provided. I also shared how our Director of HR positioned herself to become a better resource to senior management, and that it was a process for her to achieve knowledge and respect. I asked the group discussion board if there was one paradox over the other five that their organization seemed to be grappling or struggling with. One individual who also contributed on this thread shared their appreciation for my anecdote, and stated that her company was attempting to achieve what my organization already had with the progress of our HR director. She said that, in their transition, they were currently struggling with the "Business and People" paradox. The reason for this was because their HR director, and department, had longed focused on the people component of this paradox but knew they now had to incorporate a more business-centric focus.

Week 1 Learning Log - Manager Tie-in and Learning Lessons

Manager Tie-in

In my role, I am constantly having to interact with our Director of Human Resources and the HR department at large. By taking a deep dive into the six paradoxes facing HR, I have a newfound appreciation and understanding of the challenges that these professionals face. This will allow me to engage with a different perspective, as I'll be able to better understand the responses I receive to various requests because the HR team will have to grapple with the applicable paradox. This understanding will also provide me with useful information to frame up my discussions, and better prepare for questions and responses from the HR team. This enhanced understanding and knowledge will also have me consider my choices and focus differently. I tend to sit on only one side of the various paradoxes, without much regard for the other side, and the other side will now enter my thinking and eventual decision making.

Learning Lessons

There was a lot of really useful information covered in this week's material. Of all that was covered, the portions I found most valuable were around how a HR department should operate and the deep analysis on HR paradoxes. With regards to how a HR department should operate, it really is important that these areas of a company make strides to change how they're viewed internally. HR has a long history and stereotype of being an administrative arm of an organization. This can be changed but it requires dedication on behalf of that department and the organization to move the reputation forward. Ultimately, the HR leader, and department as a whole, should be viewed as a valuable business partner that can make any area of the organization stronger. This puts a lot of onus on the HR area to prove their competency and make operational changes that facilitate this transition.

Additionally, the six HR paradoxes were very enlightening. Every professional position has its own paradoxes and challenges. The HR area, however, has to take on the challenges of every area in the organization because they must be able to assist in working through them. This dynamic places HR in tough situations, constantly having to make difficult choices and balance competing priorities. In my opinion, this is where the HR paradoxes present themselves most difficultly. Knowing the six paradoxes is extremely useful as a manager and company leader. Because its best for the organization for the HR department the navigate these paradoxes successfully, the more in the organization who are cognizant of them and can contribute to solution the better everyone will be.

Week 1 Learning Log - Exploration and References

Exploration

Exploring the six paradoxes of HR is an interesting journey through the challenges that the modern business world presents its managers and leaders. While these paradoxes are certainly something that HR professionals run into, they are not exclusive to professionals in the HR field. Anyone who manages people or is responsible for an organizational function can relate to the trade-offs necessary to navigate through them. The paradoxes are representative of the competing demands facing HR professionals as they attempt to balance they're guidance and focus among them.

• Paradox number one is the "Outside and Inside" conundrum: The industry for a given business is constantly evolving, and HR individuals must keep up with the evolution in order to provide relevant advice and perspective. At the same time these same HR individuals must meet the existing needs of their business, which in some cases are in conflict with industry trends. Maintaining a balance of where the business needs to head and where it needs to operate contemporarily can be a difficult challenge.

• The second paradox is "Business and People": Demands on today's HR professionals are that they become more business proficient in order to provide salient guidance to their managerial partners. As this happens, HR can lose touch with the labor or people side of their responsibilities. This is a constant back and forth that must be recognized so that appropriate steps can be enacted to achieve balance.

• "Organization and Individual" is the third HR paradox: Having strong individual talent is essential to the success of any organization. Cultivating an environment that promotes strong individual performance can be a real boon for a company. Only focusing on promoting this environment centered around individual achievement can be problematic, as an organization team and group achievement must also be a focus. This is the challenge for HR in this arena to achieve this balance.

• Paradox number four for HR professionals is "Process and Event": A successful HR approach includes a foundation of training, development and objective evaluation standards. By following this roadmap, HR can influence an organization in enormous ways because these processes can bring consistency and resources across the company. The field is also prone to engaging a variety of individuals or groups that make it their life's work to find the newest "solution" to the ails of a company personnel management. By incorporating these fads or new ideas, HR can get away from the foundational processes that can bring success and structure in a very consistent way.

• Managing through the "Future and Past" paradox for HR: Like any industry or area of life, experience guides how people react to stimuli. This is no different in the HR space. HR professionals in the field for a period of time will draw on these experiences to guide their approaches or decisions. As the industry they are aligned to changes, or the workforce evolves in ways that differ from how a workforce reacted historically, HR professionals must not solely rely on their experience to solve the challenges of tomorrow.

• The final paradox is "Strategic and Administrative" for the HR community: Within the non-HR community of professionals, the pervasive view of what HR contributes to an organization is the administration of payroll, benefits and general workforce documentation. HR has very much contributed to this view as those items have dominated the industry's responsibilities for many years. To bring both their organization and the HR industry forward, HR professionals must add to their competencies the ability to influence corporate strategy. HR is constantly evolving like every business and industry, and HR needs to shape how a company moves forward to best incorporate both their changing dynamics.

References

Stroh, P., & Miller, W. W. (1993). HR professionals should thrive on paradox. Personnel Journal,72(5).

• Stroh and Miller share the paradoxes that HR professionals encounter within their role, and the unique position that they find themselves in balancing often competing priorities. With confronting these scenarios, they argue that the whole reason for the existence of HR is to in fact deal directly with these paradoxes head on. They share how a HR professional can review each scenario objectively, document what their ultimate desired outcome is and work towards achieving that solution.

Ulrich, D. (1998). A new mandate for human resources. Harvard Business Review.

• In this article, Ulrich tries to answer the question of whether or not HR can successfully co-exist in a fast-moving and aggressive business world. While exploring the answer to this question, he comes to the conclusion that it cannot co-exist as it is currently constituted. He argues forcefully that the entire HR profession must position themselves less as an arbiter between management and labor, and more as a conscientious member of an organization's management structure. By positioning themselves in this way, HR will keep itself aligned to the organization's goals but do so in a way that provides appropriate balance to the views and plight of labor. 

NECB HR Test

Test post