Raise the Pressure

 Updated post from January 2010

A continuing challenge in teaching human resources is keeping up with the latest trends and laws. The most recent textbook is unlikely to be up-to-date and even some of the most recent research is likely to have some lag time. As a result, I have my students read blog posts (both past and present) by some of the most influential HR practitioners. On Thursday, January 26, for example, they read:

Dr. Drewett.  “ An Open Letter to the HR World” (http://www.drdewett.com/monthlyblog/an-open-letter-to-the-hr-world-the-future-of-hr-according-to-a-non-hr-guy/)

Keith Hammonds.  “Why We Hate HR.” http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/97/open_hr.html

Mike Van Devort.  “HR – Not Dead Yet” (http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/2009/09/18/hr-not-dead-yet/)

Laurie Ruettimann “HR is Dying – Yes? No? (http://punkrockhr.com/hr-is-dying-yes-no/)

Trish McFarlane.  “Making the Rubber Hit the Road – “Rebranding” HR” http://hrringleader.com/2009/09/22/making-the-rubber-hit-the-road-re-branding-hr/)

Mark Stelzner. “The Future of HR – Why “Do Nothing” is an Option” (http://www.inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2009/10/22/the-future-of-hr-why-do-nothing-is-an-option/)

Lance Haun “ Is Human Resources Fatally Flawed?” http://lancehaun.com/is-human-resources-fatally-flawed/

Sharlyn Lauby, “The HR Profession” http://www.hrbartender.com/2009/strategic/the-hr-profession/

Trish McFarlane.  “HR – A Call to Action” http://hrringleader.com/2009/09/25/hr-your-call-to-action/

Lance Haun.  “What if HR Got A Mulligan?” http://lancehaun.com/what-if-hr-got-a-mulligan-would-we-do-something-different/

Larry Wilson.  “CSI Determines HR is Dead.” http://hrcommons.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/csi-determines-hr-is-dead/

Maren Hogan.  “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” http://marenhogan.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/slow-dancing-in-a-burning-room/

Karen Berman & Joe Knight. “Do HR Managers Have the Skills They Need?”  http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/financial-intelligence/2009/10/do-hr-managers-have-the-skills.html

Dr. John Sullivan.  “The Current State of Ill Preparedness in HR”  http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/newsletter-archives/242-the-current-state-of-ill-preparedness-in-hr

Read “Should you ban the use of social media in the workplace?”

(http://www.halogensoftware.com/hr-raging-debates/?cat=7)

Read “Future Insights”

(http://www.shrm.org/Research/FutureWorkplaceTrends/Documents/09-0700%20Workplace%20panel_trends_sympFINAL%20Upd.pdf)

Kults, David.  “Why HR Really Does Add Value.” http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/why_hr_really_does_add_value.html

Ashkenas, Ron, “Stop Bashing HR”

            http://blogs.hbr.org/ashkenas/2012/01/stop-bashing-hr.html

 

In the future, not only will they be reading more from the above writers, but they will also be reading posts from authors and websites such as:

• Ben Eubanks (http://upstarthr.com/)
• Paul Hebert (http://www.i2i-align.com/)
• Tim Sackett (http://www.timsackett.com)
• Steve Boese (http://steveboese.squarespace.com/)
• Kris Dunn (http://www.hrcapitalist.com/)
• Kelly Long (http://thryving.com/)
• The HR101 series at http://www.victoriomilian.com/p/free-stuff.html
• Tim Sackett (http://www.fistfuloftalent.com)
• Joan Ginsburg (http://http://www.joanginsberg.com/)
• Joe Gerstandt (http://www.joegerstandt.com/)
• Paul Smith (http://www.welcometotheoccupation.com/)

Finally, I am ensuring they are keeping up with the anyone and anything I might have missed with the twice a month cavalcade better know as the Carnival of HR.

It is my hope that not only will my students stay current, but that they will see the passion about the field the writers express and be encouraged to read even more of the various authors' perspectives.

#popHR Why I'm Attending #TransformHR

For the longest period of time, SHRM dominated the HR conference scene.  From the bevy of state conferences to the behemoth that is SHRM Annual, SHRM was the 800 lb. gorilla setting the tone for what a HR conference should be.

Of late, however, a number of new learning opportunities are popping up.   From the TRU Unconferences to the ever popular HRevolution series, the competition for your educational dollars has never been stronger.

The latest (and greatest?) to enter the scene is the Transform HR conference being held in Austin, TX, February 26-28 and brought to you by the good people at TLNT.com.  So, with the many available HR conference options out there of late, why should attend Transform?:

1.  Billy Beane is the keynote speaker.  As any pop culture HR aficionado knows, Billy Beane was the inspiration for Michael Lewis' book, "Moneyball." Not only did it inspire a thousand HR blog posts (see here and here, for example) about how to value talent, but the book was turned into a mutli-Oscar-nominated movie.  You will be able to hear about talent directly from the source.  Billy Beane will be must-see viewing.

2.  The agenda is fantastic.  Not a hole in the schedule that will draw you away to visit the sites in Austin.  The speaker list is strong and varied, including such talent luminaries as Tim Sackett (who has his own internationally recognized day), Libby Sartain, Dawn Hrdlica-Burke, Kimberly Roden, Laurie Ruettimann, and the men behind Talent Anarchy (Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen).

3.  Did I mention it was in Austin?  Living in the Midwest, Austin will provide a welcome respite from the cold February weather and bring some good BBQ and HR conversation.

4.  You can earn recertification credits with the HRCI.

I will be on the scene in Austin covering the event for the blog and I hope to connect with you there if you are in attendance.  Otherwise, you can follow all the festivities on Twitter by checking the hashtag #TransformHR.

And, if you act now you can enter the code TF12TCHT for $250 off the registration price.

Hope to see you in Austin!

Until the End of the Time

In college, a friend and I, used to strive to include 4 words in every paper we wrote.  Those words?

• Boon
• Moist
• Torrential 
• Cavalcade

The reason why these words in particular were chosen has faded away into the mists of time, but we had the belief (perhaps mistaken) that if we could incorporate each of these words appropriately, the natural result had to be a grade of "A."  Given we were both social science majors, working "moist" into a paper on the Federalist Papers or an analysis of "Winesburg, OH" was easier said then done.

...........................

Companies inundated with resumes have increasingly turned to applicant tracking systems (ATS) to deal with the sheer volume.  However, as an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal indicates, not all is wine and roses with ATS:

It may miss the most-qualified applicant if that person doesn't game the system by larding his or her résumé with keywords from the job description, according to Mark Mehler, co-founder of consulting firm Career Xroads, which advises companies on staffing. 

 Even with strong software, problems still arise:

One small error, such as listing the name of a former employer after the years worked there, instead of before, can ruin a great candidate's chances.

So, how does one improve the likelihood  of getting noticed by an applicant tracking system?  One of the tips offered is:

Forget about being creative. Instead, mimic the keywords in the job description as closely as possible. If you're applying to be a sales manager, make sure your résumé includes the words "sales" and "manage" (assuming you've done both!). 

In a sense, my friend and I were hoping our professors were like applicant tracking systems.  We hit the right keywords, and, boom, the interview (or the "A") was ours.  However, is creativity lost in the process?  The hope that an HR manager might take notice when I throw out "boon" or "bifurcate" and take a second look is diminished if I ikss the right note.

All That I Need

Chi, N.-W., Chung, Y.-Y., & Tsai, W.-C. 2011.  How do happy leaders enhance team success?  The mediating roles of transformational leadership, group affective tone, and team processes.  Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(6), 1421-1451

A large body of research exists on "employee happiness" and the impact leaders have in influencing it.  Who hasn't been affected by a leader in a bad mood?  However, less is known about the relationship between positive leader moods and subsequent team performance.

In "How do happy leaders enhance team success," Chi, Chung, and Tsai explore two mediating mechanisms in this relationship: transformational leadership and positive group affective tones.  Their first hypothesis is that "leader positive moods will be positively related to transformational leadership behaviors."  It is thought that transformational leaders should enhance team performance through the facilitation of team processes, such as team goal commitment (I.e., members' determination to achieve a goal), team satisfaction, and team helping behavior (i.e., voluntarily helping others in work-related areas).

The 2nd hypothesis (part a) sets out that "team goal commitment will mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance."  Several studies have found that when team members who are committed to a goal typically dedicate more effort in trying to achieve that goal, which results in higher performance.  Transformational leaders should, then, help to increase team goal commitment.

Similarly, part b of the 2nd hypothesis posits "team satisfaction will mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance."  Past studies have found that highly satisfied team members are more likely to engage in team activities and try to help the team perform.  Positive leaders should, then, help team satisfaction

According to the authors, hypothesis 3 states that "leader positive mood will be positive group affective tone."  Central to this idea is the concept of "emotional contagion" - "the processes involved in transferring the moods and emotions of one individual to other individuals."   Hence, positive leaders should positively affect the transient moods of the group

To assess these hypotheses, the authors sampled 86 leaders and 365 team members from 85 retail sales teams in five different Taiwanese insurance firms.  Team members were primarily female, with ages ranging from 21-30, and tenure in the firm of nearly three years (with tenure on the team around two and a half years).  Nearly three-quarters of the sample possessed a university degree.  Members were given some questionnaires contained a variety of scales that were used to measure the items above.

Using structural equation modeling to assess the data, the results confirmed the hypotheses stated above.

Implications for HR
1.  Given the impact positive leader moods have on improving team performance, selecting the right leader is critical. 
2.  Greater investment in emotional training might be appropriate so that leaders can better understand the role their moods might have on their subordinates.
3.  While personality tests are perceived by some as suspect, team leaders who score high on conscientiousness and extraversion might be given greater weight when choosing a leader for certain tasks.

How I met #HR Hero @timsackett

A young Tim Sackett in action

 

This is the story of how I met Tim Sackett.

January 1977.  East Lansing, Michigan.   It was another cold January morning of rec basketball.  The usual punks from Dewitt were bringing their tough brand of defense to the parquet floor of Pinecrest Elementary School.  Amidst the tower of 6^th grade boys, I caught a flash of red hair, saw a small wiry kid a good foot and a half shorter than the rest of his teammates, and started laughing.  There was no way this little wisp of a boy was going to make an impact.  Boy, was I wrong….

The ball tipped, and immediately that kid took over as point guard, and was as strong a leader as I had ever seen to that point if my short life.  He manipulated his teammates like John Cusack controlled his marionettes in “Being John Malkovich.”  Total control

The particularly striking thing was he started yelling out these acronyms to call plays. “OSHA” rang out and the Dewitt team went into the Dribble Drive. A cry of “FLSA” meant the team went into the High-Low. “ERISA” led into the Triangle.  Even when the defense was able to respond, he would drive to the basket, attempt a shot and get the foul.   Like Rick Barry, he would shoot his free throws underhanded and the ball seemingly went through the basket every time. 

My teammates and I learned a tough lesson that day….never underestimate the slightest of opponents.  But, the power of Tim Sackett, point guard extraordinaire, led to the league passage of the now legendary “Sackett Rules” to create a more level playing field.

The drive, the leadership, and the prescience of Tim Sackett continues on today with his work at HRU-Tech and his writing stylings at the Fistful of Talent blog and The Tim Sackett Project.  Check him out below:

    • The Tim Sackett Project - http://timsackett.com
    • Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000473689988
    • Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/@TimSackett

Second Nature

Last May, Laurie Ruettimann and I presented at the HRevolution conference in Atlanta on the topic of "Pop Culture and HR," which focused in part on the watercooler conversations that employees frequently have (sports, movies, music, politics) that may cause conflict. Here's another example.

Its been a rough sports week.   My beloved Michigan State Spartans are in the midst of a two game losing streak, falling to Northwestern and arch-rival Michigan.  Even worse, the 15-1 Green Bay Packers fell unexpectedly eliminating them from the playoff and repeat as Super Bowl champions.  While the 3 losses in a 4 day stretch were painful enough, the true salt in the wound came from checking the Facebook stream, particularly after the Packers loss.

Were there Giants fans gloating? No, even though they had a right to be.

Were there Packers fans drowning their sorrows?  Plenty of it...including myself.

Were there tons of Bears, Vikings, and Lions fans celebrating the loss?  Absolutely!  The schadenfreude was thick, my friends. Check out a sampling ofthe quotes below

"Thank you to the NY Giants for making my day." (Vikings fan)

"Bwahahahahahahh" (Lions fan)

"The Giants may want to paint that locker room in Lambeau blue because it seems as though they own it." (Bears fan)

"I bet those State Farm commercials are rally going to sting during the Super Bowl, right Packers fans?"

Bill Simmons, editor of Grantland.com and ESPN's Sports Guy, in discussing the "Rules for Being a True Fan" in 2002 argues for a Five Year Rule:

"After your team wins a championship, they immediately get a five-year grace period: You can't complain about anything that happens with your team (trades, draft picks, salary-cap cuts, coaching moves) for five years. There are no exceptions. For instance, the Pats could finish 0-80 over the next five years and I wouldn't say a peep. That's just the way it is. You win the Super Bowl, you go on cruise control for five years. Everything else is gravy."

He goes on with regard to friendships and relationships in regards to sports:

• If your team defeats a good friend's team in a crucial game or series, don't rub it in with them unless they've been especially annoying/gloating/condescending/confrontational in the days leading up to the big battle. You're probably better off cutting off all communications in the days preceding/following the game, just to be safe. 
• Along those same lines, if your team squanders a crucial game/series to your buddy's team, don't make them feel guilty about it -- don't call them to bitch about the game, don't blame some conspiracy or bad referee's call, don't rant and rave like a lunatic. In the words of Vito Corleone, you can act like a man. You have plenty of time to bitch in private. 
• If your buddy's team loses an especially tough game, don't call him -- wait for him to call you. And when you do speak to him, discuss the game in a tone normally reserved for sudden, unexpected deaths. 
• If one of your best friends loves a certain team that has a chance to win a championship, and your team is out of the picture, it's OK to jump on the bandwagon and root for his team to win it all. That's acceptable. Like Temporary Fan status.

However, this article was written pre-Twitter and Facebook.  And, Simmons is strangely silent regarding rivalries.  

Certainly, my thirst was quenched with a Super Bowl victory less than a year ago.  However, should I take any guff from fans of teams who haven't won a Super Bowl in over 25 years (Bears) or have never won a Super Bowl championship at all (Lions/Vikings)?

So, taking joy in the suffering of others..... 

• Acceptable or unacceptable when it comes to sports?
• Does it depend on the status of the relationship?
• Does it depend on whether or not you have a horse in the race?
• With Facebook or Twitter, is a general status update o.k., but a direct message or a post on someone's wall crossing the line?
• What are the new rules of schadenfreude in a social media age?

One Day

 Ray, J.L., Baker, L.T., & Plowman, D.A.  2011.  Organizational Mindfulness in Business Schools.  Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10(2).  pp. 188-203.

Last week, we examined the concept of surprise and organizational bricolage.  In many instances, organizations can fall victim to surprise because they are unprepared.  One way to prepare for surprise is to be "mindful," by paying close attention to their surroundings and maintaining the ability to act on unexpected signals.   In "Organizational Mindfulness in Business Schools," Ray, Baker & Plowman examine the concept of organizational mindfulness in U.S. business schools and provide evidence of its five dimensions.

The concept of organizational mindfulness was coined by Weick and Sutcliffe in their 2001 book "Managing the Unexpected."  They identify five interrelated processes that make up this concept.  The first, preoccupation with failure, "involves the organization's sensitivity to the possibility of failures, attention to small failures, willingness to encourage the reporting of mistakes, and the open discussion of problems."  For business schools, this might mean searching for multiple explanations why a cohort was particularly critical - is it a symptom of something else?  Focused on a particular discipline?  Are there similar feelings university-wide?

A second dimension of mindfulness identified by Weick and Sutcliffe is reluctance to simplify.  Basically, one wants to seek out divergent views to process information that will lead to novel solutions and new knowledge generation.  Blaming decreased alumni donations solely on a bad economy would be avoided.

The third dimension is sensitivity to operations.  Like just-in-time systems and RFID tags, organizations use real time information that will allow them to make adjustments on the fly.  Colleges may continually assess the curriculum it is offering to ensure it meets current marketplace needs.

The fourth dimension is commitment to resilience.  It involves "the ability to correct errors quickly, accurately, and before they have a chance to worsen and cause more serious harm."If a school failed to earn accreditation, for example, it would look to address particular shortcomings.

The final dimension is deference to expertise.  It involve, "the tendency to utilize individuals with particular knowledge regardless of status, tenure, rank, and so forth, recognizing that authority does not equate to expertise."  In hiring new faculty, it might be wise to consult with a recent hire to judge the current compensation package being offered.

Despite its presence in organizational literature for 10 years, empirical validation of organizational mindfulness has been lacking, with several studies falling short either because the concept itself is flawed, or the tools to assess it have not been significantly robust.

Methods
To assess the concept, the authors sought responses from individuals in four roles: Deans, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans and Department Chairs.  Through an e-mail survey sent several times, they received 225 completed surveys representing 154 colleges.  Using Weick and Sutcliffe's initial 47-item questionnaire, the authors adjusted it to 43 questions to ensure it was appropriate for a college setting.  Respondents were asked to use a 5-point Likert scale (1=extremely accurate to 5=extremely accurate) to assess how each item in the questionnaire described their school.  To assess preoccupation with failure, for example, statements such as "We often update our college procedures after experiencing a problem" and "People in this college feel free to talk to superiors about problems."

Analysis and Results
Through confirmatory factor analysis, the authors found a strong fit for the five factor model.  In addition, the authors used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to see if there was a significant difference in perceived mindfulness based on role.  The analysis found that Deans were more likely to perceive their school as mindful than those in other administrative roles.

Implications for HR
1.  Given support for the model, it suggests that HR leaders should look for ways to impact the culture of the organization by looking for ways to encourage novel thinking and not simply mimic how other organizations do business.  There often is pressure to adopt the best practices of an industry; this suggest that what might be the best practices might, instead, be the right practices for now, and not the future.
2.  Given that the study found that Deans tended to view the organization as rosier than those in lesser position, HR can play a critical role to ensure that the C-suite not become to detached from those dealing with the day-to-day operations of the organization.