In the Midst of Change, What Needs to Stay the Same

Everywhere we hear re-occurring descriptions about how the workplace has changed to keep up with continuously changing business conditions and business strategy. Examples include throwing out job descriptions and the old org charts, and rapid deployment onto multi-disciplinary teams who learn through real-time collaboration about how to solve emerging challenges and problems. 

A new report from Booz Allen Hamilton and the Center for Creative Leadership, "Leading for Employee Motivation, Implications for Leaders in Turbulent Times," discusses changes in how people see their roles at work, from being "mission-focused" (aligned with the mission and strategy) or alternatively, "career focused" (staying for developmental opportunities that will be good for one's career) and a third group of people who stay feeling they are "out of options." Clearly the latter group are those people who quit but still show up most days, and they will follow a process even when it is deemed to be ineffective. People who are mission and career focused often identify systems and processes that inhibit their effectiveness, and quickly move on to color outside the lines. This is a challenge for scalable operations. As leaders, how often do we collect feedback on the effectiveness of systems and processes?

The leadership competencies that may not have changed, even in turbulent times, can be a good thing: "…sharing information, providing help, encouraging collaborative behavior among team members, and having the ability to inspire commitment to values or to a mission," according to the BAH CCL researchers, who go on to say,"a common thread among these competencies that are critical to leader effectiveness is the emphasis on the interpersonal nature of leadership that enables leaders to adapt their styles to the employees' different orientations. Leaders who bring charisma, humane and team orientation, and participative approaches that enable them to adapt to the employees' different orientations will be better able to motivate and retain employees."

Noel Tichy says that leaders whose calendars commit to investing 20% of their time with people are more effective. Scheduling time to talk with people helps both leaders and followers learn what they might not have guessed, adapt the conversation to be mission-focused or career–focused, and revisit processes and systems that need to be refreshed or revised. When we don't do that, an "air sandwich" develops between the strategy and those who implement it.

BLOG: Author: Joy Kosta

A Word to Those Looking - FUTURE VIEW

In the past 2 years I have had many friends lose jobs through reductions in force, forced retirements, and other methods of exiting those in the older age brackets. This has made way for more workers who have a longer corporate life span in a job and also freed up fixed expenses to invest in other areas. 


I have said this over and over even in the best of business climates that you always have to look forward and think that today could be your last day at your work. Why would I think that way well here are a couple of reasons you should really think about:

• it keeps you focused on the future, not the past; 
• you are never comfortable in your job, which makes you anxious;
• you continue to keep up with the times that way .

In a recent presentation to a WIND community group I heard people talking about the past; I was going to retire there and look what happened to me;  I didn't keep up with my network;  I missed a great opportunity; and lastly technology passed me by. All valid and all sad because of comfort. 

My feeling is this for those who are looking for work, and this is what I have told them in interviews over the years: 

• always keep energized, look to the future and see where you fit;
• keep up with the times (technology) and always read as much as you can on the latest and greatest, then test out technology at your closest electronics store or download test versions of new software;
• look young and think young, never think you are too old or out of an opportunity because the company seems young;
• always enhance your current skill sets, take night courses, read, read, and read
• dress for today and tomorrow, not yesterday;
• keep in shape, always question your appearance, because most of your friends won't;
• be contemporary.

I have heard it all too many times before, they did not choose me because of my age, and an article in the AJC reminded me today how important this is!!! They did not choose you because either you did not have the skills or your presentation was stuck in the past. You don't want to be the brides maid or best man you want to be the bride or groom. Think that way. 

LinkedIn IPO Now To Raise $274M

San Francisco Business Times

Date: Monday, May 9, 2011, 7:15am PDT



Linkedin has been a great social business and professional site for many years. Having been one of the first 100 people to sign up way back when I am sure that you have heard the news on its' impending IPO. Here is the latest.


LinkedIn Corp. on Monday said it now plans to sell 7.84 million shares in its initial public offering at between $32 and $35 each.

The IPO could raise proceeds of up to $274 million.

Mountain View-based LinkedIn is offering 4.8 million shares, while selling stockholders are offering 3 million shares.

The company expects to receive net proceeds of approximately $146.6 million from the shares it is offering in the IPO.

LinkedIn in January filed for an IPO to issue up to $175 million of public stock.

The company's website, which launched in 2003, now boasts more than 100 million members in more than 200 countries.

Read more: LinkedIn IPO now to raise $274M | San Francisco Business Times 

SuccessFactors Buys Enterprise Learning Management Software Plateau For $290M

April 26, 2011 from Venture Loop

On the heels of buying enterprise learning startup Jambok,the company has acquired another learning management software developer-Plateau Systems. SuccessFactors will pay $145 million in cash plus $145 million in stock for Plateau, for a total of $290 million.

Plateau Systems’ Learning Management Systems is generally usually used by Human Resources departments for the management and delivery of learning and training across organizations. Plateau Systems’s Talent Management Suite includes applications for learning management, performance management, career and succession planning and compensation management.

Plateau currently brings more than 350 customers to SuccessFactors, including General Electric, the U.S. Air Force and Capital One. Based on initial estimates, the combined companies will have more than 15 million users. After the deal closes, Plateau’s SaaS based LMS will be integrated directly into SuccessFactors’ BizX suite.

The acquisition price is fairly high for SuccessFactors, whose largest acquisition to date has been social enterprise software company CubeTree for $50 million. But clearly, SuccessFactors sees tremendous potential in aligning its business with human capital management.

Plateau Systems is a provider of Talent Management Systems that provides SaaS solutions that allow organizations to develop, analyze and manage organizational talent, one of the key factors that affect workforce productivity and operating performance. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Plateau Systems was founded in 1996 by Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, and Brad Cooper, Senior Vice President, Product Strategy – both of whom still serve as Plateau executives. Plateau Systems developed one of the industry’s first Learning Management Systems (LMS), systems usually used by Human Resources departments for the management and delivery of learning and training across organizations. Plateau’s customers include major global organizations and government agencies. In early 2000, Plateau Systems delivered an integrated J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to measure whether employee goals were aligned with corporate objectives. In 2007, Plateau acquired Nuvosoft, a provider of Web-based compensation management software and integrated Nuvosoft’s functionality into its talent management platform.

Leena Rao

Tasking Out of Control

I am sure a lot of HR practicioners have had the issue of having too much on their plate at one time. I know over the years I had. What a sinking feeling wanting to excel at each task and wondering how you would balance them. Most HR VP's would task out specific elements of a task or the whole task to a subordinate. That is the practical thing to do. But, what about the things that that person has on his or her plate? Did you think of that? 


Well, I know that people have a tendency to task out projects and the like and then manage them from afar. The micro managers of course manage the projects and really hinder the subordinates ability to manage and complete the task feeling like he or she really did contribute. I call that managing out of control and it is a problem when you have a micro manager managing a task that you have been assigned to complete. So what do you do? 


Here are a couple of ideas and they helped me over the years:

1. make sure you understand the task and ask questions immediately if you don't
2. tell the manager that you have everything under control
3. provide the micro manager with a daily or semi-weekly update(s) so he/she understands you are on track to complete the task on time (and in some cases when budgets are in play, under or on budget)
4. ask for assistance immediately if you are stuck on an issue or hindered by the supply side of the project be it a vendor or another manager that is throwing up roadblocks
5. volunteer to be the best practice person in your department for your project or element of the project

Many managers have the tendency to stay on top of a project that hinders completion or complicates the  project, it is the subordinates responsibility to help the manager understand that it is in good hands. 

What has been your experience in being the lead person on a project and experiencing "tasking out of control"?

Learning vs Training

I had lunch with a good friend today who is a consultant focused on leadership and development. We had a great conversation about business, the dynamics of organizations, what they want vs what is finally delivered,  development systems, mentoring, and competencies. At one point when he was talking about training he corrected himself and said learning instead. Well, that was a great time for me to chime in and mention a person I hired in 1994 to be the Director of Training & Development. In the interview process he corrected me by saying don't call it training, call it "learning". That has stuck with me since that time. My luncheon partner also agreed that the correct term in learning not training and that there is a negative connotation to the term. 

Well, I agree 100% and I hope you do as well. 

HR Outsourcing

One of the major issues facing HR organizations today is how much should a company outsource. Many large firms have outsourced their HR departments to save money and to expedite services. Deloitte recently prepared a study on trends in the industry and what decisions drive outsourcing.

Here are some issues that are driving these changes. Things are changing on the supplier side:
•Continued provider consolidation
•New providers are entering the marketplace
•More provider-to-provider relationships are being formed
•Providers are scaling back their solutions to focus on what they do well
•Continued addition of value-added and judgment-based services (i.e., workforce analytics, global mobility, and employee relations)
•Increased use of off-shore, lift, and shift-based services
•Integration services that cross-process areas, such as reporting are becoming more prevalent
•More flexibility in number of services/processes included as part of an HRO deal
•Increased use of platform-based solutions (Software as a Service or others)
•More comprehensive, integrated product suites
•Ability for buyers to negotiate more exit rights into the contracts
•Contracts are including higher fees ―at risk‖ and higher liability limits
•Greater emphasis on continuous improvement built into the contract
•Flexibility on establishing more meaningful Service Level Agreements up front

Have you looked at your organization to determine what should or should not be outsourced from HR.?

Common Sense Management

I had a great discussion with a person that I mentored 30 years ago and who is now a SVP of HR. I guess I was a good mentor in his early HR career. Our discussion was centered around common sense and how managers at times do not exercise common sense in managing their people or projects. Why is that? Well, I guess the stress of producing and balancing work causes some of it but I think there is a deeper issue. Intelligence in knowing what is right and linking that with doing what is right. 


My friend and I cited many example of how managers we have known, who were good mind you, went off and did some of the stupidest things, made bad decisions and then we had to go in and clean up the mess and solve the issues those decisions made. 


We also agreed that if it were not for some of these managers who blew it our companies would not need our resources. Well not to that extreme but close to it. I would like to identify a couple of key factors that drive the best managers at times to make bad decisions:

• home & family issues and/or personal factors; 
• pressure from upper management to produce and not a lot of time to think out the issue;
• employees pushing the manager to extremes;
• and not having the emotional intelligence to deal with decisions.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. I would like to hear what you think are some factors that drive good managers to stray.  

Working Remotely Alleviates More Stress Than It Creates

Employees who spend most of their working week as telecommuters have greater job satisfaction than people who are primarily office workers, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).

Kathryn Fonner and Michael compared the advantages and disadvantages of the two work arrangements and found the main benefit of teleworking for at least three days a week to be decreased work-life conflict. While poor workplace communication is often cited as the biggest disadvantage of telework, respondents reported this as being of minimal importance and, although they exchanged information with others less frequently than office-based workers, they reported similar timely access to important work-related information.

According to Kathryn Fother the results of the study suggest multiple reasons why high job satisfaction and teleworking are linked. Specifically, remote working tends to shield employees from distracting and stressful aspects of the workplace, including office politics, interruptions, endless meetings and information overload.

"Our findings emphasize the advantages of restricted face-to-face interaction, and also highlight the need for organizations to identify and address the problematic and unsatisfying issues inherent in collocated work environments," said Fonner. "With lower stress and fewer distractions, employees can prevent work from seeping into their personal lives."

Kathryn Fonner added that, as well as introducing teleworking, organizations can consider a number of other strategies to increase job satisfaction including:

• Limiting meetings and mass emails
• Streamlining communication by creating an accessible repository of information
• Designating times and spaces for office-based employees to work uninterrupted
• 'Creating a supportive climate where employees can register concerns without fear of retaliation'
• Encouraging employees to disconnect themselves from work communication when their day is finished

The study is reported in the November 2010 issue of the Journal of Applied Communication Research

Previous Article - Who Telecommutes?

Rising gas prices have resulted in many professionals considering telecommuting as an economical work option, but spending too much time working from home can mean saying goodbye to the corner office.

Surveys developed in 2006 by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in placement of administrative professionals, were conducted by an independent research firm and include responses from 100 senior executives in Canada and 150 in the USA.

They found 32 per cent of Canadian respondents and 43 per cent of US respondents said telecommuting is best suited for staff-level employees, compared with 28 per cent and 18 per cent respectively who felt telecommuting is most beneficial for managers. In addition, more than half of Canadian respondents and more than two-thirds of US respondents said senior executives at their firms rarely or never telecommute.

When asked, 'At which level do you think telecommuting programs are most beneficial?' participants responded:

Level Staff Manager Executive Administrative support Don't know/no answer

Canada (%) 32 28 16 15  9

USA (%) 43 18 14 11 14

When asked, 'Overall, how frequently do senior executives at your firm telecommute?' participants responded:

Frequency Very frequently Somewhat frequently Rarely Never Don't know/no answer

Canada (%) 18 21 38 20  3

USA (%)  5 23 55 12  5

According to Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam, it is often easier for staff-level employees to telecommute because their work can be performed autonomously. However, even those people who work from home need to spend time in the office.

Diane Domeyer added: "Effective management requires plenty of 'face time' with employees. Supervisors should have an open-door policy, and that means being available to staff who need guidance with projects. Employees who work from home must ensure that being out of sight doesn't also mean being out of mind for promotions, team projects and plum assignments."

HRM Guide provided this article

Cloud Video Startup Zixi Raises $4M

As more and more companies look at cloud computing as the next wave and to save on IT infrastructure costs the cloud is growing in video as well. 


Cloud video startup Zixi has raises $4 million in a round of funding for its web video broadcasting business.

The Waltham, Mass.-based company will use the money to build out a worldwide team and complete its infrastructure for delivering high-definition video via the cloud, or web-connected data centers. The company focuses on delivering cloud video with high quality, security, and the ability to make a return on investment.

Schooner Capital, a Boston-based private investment firm, led the round. Other investors include Sidney Topol, former chief executive of Scientific Atlanta, and Maurice Schonfeld, former CEO of CNN.

Zixi’s chief executive is Israel Drori. He said the company will offer high-quality video over the internet for broadcast, enterprise and video-on-demand services. Potential customers include companies that operate networks, video-on-demand services, web broadcasts, and device makers. Zixi could be used to broadcast video such as a Netflix streaming movie to a tablet computer or a smartphone without any noticeable hiccups. Customers include CNN, Reuters, CBS Sports and Netgear.

Zixi tries to set itself apart by making the best use of available network bandwidth. It minimizes startup delay, or the seconds it takes to launch a video, and eliminates buffering (or loading video into memory to ensure smooth playback) without sacrificing quality.

A company could use Zixi to securely telecast a high-definition video conference to multiple locations around the world in real time with low infrastructure costs. Zixi was founded in 2006 and it has 11 employees. Check out the Youtube demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2KGkz9qtwk&feature=player_embedded

High Velocity Culture Change

Most managers are not good at cultural change especially when they are the front line to lead changes in the organization. Changing the culture in an organization is hard, heavy duty, and battle intensive for those responsible to lead that charge. Most managers do it as well as employees by taking the lead from their managers because the have to. Not that they want to but it is part of the survival process in an organization.

I would recommend the following if you are the person(s)/group(s)/executive team leading this major effort to keep pace with the changing environment, business, and any successors and/or assignees in an acquisition:
Use methods that are not standard operating processes - this will make people operate out of their existing cultural orientation:

1. Change should be guided by where the organization needs to go rather than laborious cultural analysis and metrics. Make sure that the new highway for change is "clear to all employees" and that managers "get it and preach it"
2. Blow up current understandings, destabilizing the organization so they have to move in a different direction. This will provide new energy in the organization; 
3. Each facilitator/manager/group/executive team member has to show that they care more;
4. Change the reward system and the milestones along the way so people understand there is a payoff for the change;Communicate more than ever and often, clearly articulating the logic, acknowledging the changes, and their effects along the way;
5. Promote what you want the end result to be and how it will affect the organization, revenues, and profits;Make sure the people feel free from the old system;You need to expect that there will be people who will not buy into the new culture, loosing some valuable human capital along the way;
6. Make sure all employees are involved; set up project leads - interdisciplinary and cross cultural. Blow up the bureaucracy along the way making structural changes that fit the final cultural goal;
7. Lead by example and as in Field of Dreams, "they will come(follow)";
8. Bring in new people and do not trust loyalty too much;
9. Make sure each manager/group/executive team member surrounds himself or herself with strong supporters;
10. Encourage people to think and act differently about their job, customer, and each other that builds on the culture you are creating;
11. and finally make sure that you train people, re-orient the organization. 

I hope this helps for those of you that have to change and lead cultural change in your organization. If you follow these guidelines your success rate will increase dramatically in changing the culture. 

Meet The Boss TV Re-Launches Their Website

MeetTheBoss.tv has re-launched its' website! The new site looks really good and still will have all your favourite videos from our C-level execs on topics from all business areas. Check it out at www.meettheboss.tv 

7 Tall Tales of Talent Management

I was real lucky the other day when a friend of mine gave me a book that was published by Aon in association with the Kellogg School of Management called " Hot Topics Cool Ideas, Insights from the 2010 Client Symposium. 


One of the topics that really caught my eye was the title of this post" 7 Tall Tales of Talent Management" by Mary Kay Vona, Ed.D and Executive VP @ Aon Hewitt. So why this topic you may ask? Well, since we have begun to come out, and I mean slowly out, of this economic recession, employees are restless, not happy, and most of all not overly engaged in their businesses. Why, well all the HR huff and puff with training, incentives that don't mean much, inflated philosophies about people not leaving a company in a recessional period, and a blind eye to really watching the ball has caught many HR professionals off guard with real good talent their companies.


First and foremost she points out that many talent management programs operate from generally accepted assertions that are untested, outdated, or purely anecdotal.  So she outlines the 7 myths as follows:

1. Shifting demographics will create a global talent void - panic you say "we don't have enough people". Reality is the younger generation will fill the void of the Boomers and retirees.Case in point the number of people working past normal retirement age has increased from 12.9% to 16.8% over the past decade.
2. There are no good organically grown HR leaders - well think about that and I will not expound any further. Hogwash I say!!
3. Performance evaluations are the only way to measure talent - "its not the tool stupid, its the talent", need I say more. Think about all the hoops you jump through each year doing evals, talent succession planning, and where does it go? I can tell you from experience that doing a month+ work of work never was acted upon in my 30 years of HR except for a 2 year period in 1999-2000 at a technology think tank and design division. 
4. Reverse mentoring is a crazy idea - mentoring in general has proven to be the differentiators for many, including yours truly.
5. Leaders cannot impact climates of innovation - it is more than a team of thinkers and futurists, it requires big action, that only comes from the top of the organization.
6. Talent assessments have plateaued - well they work believe it or not and I am not contradicting what I said in #3.
7. In the current economy, people are lucky to have jobs...talent is always available - I think she says it best hubris + hyperbole = an unhealthy approach. 

In summary, the evolution of business models, trends, combined with navigating the current recession and employees' changing attitudes towards work represent a complex equation for leaders at all levels. Don't take anything for granted and make sure you keep your prize talent. 

There are many to thank for this besides Vona. Peter Capelli, Alison Overholt, Dave Ulrich, Leonard/Bersin & Associates. 

1. 
   

Communicating Effectively Throughout the Organization

I have continued to preach that you have to stay close to your CEO, communicate daily with him/her as well as have daily meetings. I am sure I do not need to tell you that it is equally important that you are able to communicate across the organization to be effective.

If you are a good communicator you should be able to portray a high level of self-confidence, self-concept, and project a positive external image to the managers you support up, down, and across the organization. There are ways to do this and the best way is to make sure you have established  trust and credibility. If you have these two(2) key elements you will have stronger working relationships with those that you support. These key elements are the foundation of your level of effectiveness in your organization.

If you have these two(2) building blocks you then need to make sure you are an effective influencer,that you provide a clear and direct image and knowledge base. You need to make sure you have targeted your audience and built a message that is clear and concise that people understand and not mistake or feel it is HR speak. If you can do this you will reap beneficial results for your project/program/initiative or whatever. This will also flow though to your subordinates.

I hope that this short message on communication is helpful especially to the mid-level HR manager, director. For those at the top, the CHRO, CPO you should already know this

Ten Tech-Enabled Business Trends to Watch

Advancing technologies and their swift adoption are upending traditional business models. Senior executives need to think strategically about how to prepare their organizations for the challenging new environment.

Two-and-a-half years ago, we described eight technology-enabled business trends that were profoundly reshaping strategy across a wide swath of industries.¹ We showed how the combined effects of emerging Internet technologies, increased computing power, and fast, pervasive digital communications were spawning new ways to manage talent and assets as well as new thinking about organizational structures.

Since then, the technology landscape has continued to evolve rapidly. Facebook, in just over two short years, has quintupled in size to a network that touches more than 500 million users. More than 4 billion people around the world now use cell phones, and for 450 million of those people the Web is a fully mobile experience. The ways information technologies are deployed are changing too, as new developments such as virtualization and cloud computing reallocate technology costs and usage patterns while creating new ways for individuals to consume goods and services and for entrepreneurs and enterprises to dream up viable business models. The dizzying pace of change has affected our original eight trends, which have continued to spread (though often at a more rapid pace than we anticipated), morph in unexpected ways, and grow in number to an even ten.²

The rapidly shifting technology environment raises serious questions for executives about how to help their companies capitalize on the transformation under way. Exploiting these trends typically doesn’t fall to any one executive—and as change accelerates, the odds of missing a beat rise significantly. For senior executives, therefore, merely understanding the ten trends outlined here isn’t enough. They also need to think strategically about how to adapt management and organizational structures to meet these new demands.

For the first six trends, which can be applied across an enterprise, it will be important to assign the responsibility for identifying the specific implications of each issue to functional groups and business units. The impact of these six trends—distributed cocreation, networks as organizations, deeper collaboration, the Internet of Things, experimentation with big data, and wiring for a sustainable world—often will vary considerably in different parts of the organization and should be managed accordingly. But local accountability won’t be sufficient. Because some of the most powerful applications of these trends will cut across traditional organizational boundaries, senior leaders should catalyze regular collisions among teams in different corners of the company that are wrestling with similar issues.

Three of the trends—anything-as-a-service, multisided business models, and innovation from the bottom of the pyramid—augur far-reaching changes in the business environment that could require radical shifts in strategy. CEOs and their immediate senior teams need to grapple with these issues; otherwise it will be too difficult to generate the interdisciplinary, enterprise-wide insights needed to exploit these trends fully. Once opportunities start emerging, senior executives also need to turn their organizations into laboratories capable of quickly testing and learning on a small scale and then expand successes quickly. And finally the tenth trend, using technology to improve communities and generate societal benefits by linking citizens, requires action by not just senior business executives but also leaders in government, nongovernmental organizations, and citizens.

Across the board, the stakes are high. Consider the results of a recent McKinsey Quarterly survey of global executives on the impact of participatory Web 2.0 technologies (such as social networks, wikis, and microblogs) on management and performance. The survey found that deploying these technologies to create networked organizations that foster innovative collaboration among employees, customers, and business partners is highly correlated with market share gains. That’s just one example of how these trends transcend technology and provide a map of the terrain for creating value and competing effectively in these challenging and uncertain times.

from the McKinsey Quarterly written by  Jacques Bughin, Michael Chui, and James Manyika

Source: McKinsey Global Institute

YouTube Acquisition to Foster Better Video, Sell More Ads

March 9, 2011 - 2:16 pm EDT B toB Daily Alert


Mountain View, Calif.—YouTube has acquired video production company Next New Networks to help contributors develop better original content and attract advertisers.

The company's new YouTube Next division, formed from the acquisition, will be used to help members of YouTube's Partner Program develop more professional videos. Partner Program members share in the revenue of ads placed next to their videos, and better content is seen as a way to attract more ads.

Terms of the deal were not released by YouTube, but Canada Business Review has pegged the acquisition at $50 million.

The Future of HR - by Peter Cappelli

Two recent studies offer some thoughts on the future of HR. While HR leaders in developing areas are dealing with growing economies and an influx of talent -- leading to new ideas -- many CHROs in "mature" economies, such as the United States, are still focused on tactical, instead of strategic, issues. Is this a tipping point for HR?

As the U.S. economy begins to right itself from the financial crisis and associated recession, our thoughts turn to spring and the possibility of new growth -- and new opportunities for business. How about for human resources?



It's the season for guessing what's ahead, and here are two reports that offer their guesses.

The first of these is a study, Working Beyond Borders: Insights from the Global Chief Human Resource Study, conducted by IBM that is based on interviews with 707 chief human resource officers from around the world.



It's worth remembering that many of the world's economies have been chugging along nicely even while the United States and much of Europe were in the doldrums, so the experience of these other countries such as India, Brazil and China might be quite different from that in America.


Having said that, it is surprising to see that the overwhelming priority at the moment for HR leaders around the world in the study is to become more efficient, or in other words, cut costs. This is not a happy finding for those of us who were hoping for some renewed vigor in the HR function.
A potentially big realignment of resources is associated with globalization. Companies in "mature" economies (read: United States, western Europe and Japan, in particular) are focusing their expected head-count growth in developing countries.



Interestingly, almost as many HR heads in the developing countries said that they expect to be expanding their head count in North America. The possibility of expansion, even if modest, back into the United States is something we haven't been anticipating.


In terms of HR-specific challenges, there was much less concern with the ability to hire than with the ability to retain employees across the world. Apparently we are more puzzled about retention than hiring.

CHROs in developing countries thought the hiring challenge was mainly about money, while those in mature markets thought it was more about aligning company values with individual values.



With respect to retention, developing-country representatives said opportunity for advancement was the key to success, more so than those from mature markets who focused on challenging assignments.


I can't help wondering if the responses from the mature-market representatives reflected something like rationalization: We can't offer money -- given cost pressures -- or career advancement -- given the lack of growth -- so let's hope something we can offer will do the trick.


The biggest gaps the HR leaders saw in the capabilities of their own area were in development -- developing workforce capabilities, generally, and leaders, specifically -- and knowledge sharing.

The second study (SHRM Foundation Leadership Roundtable: What's Next for HR?) was conducted by the SHRM Foundation and was based on a focus group of HR heads and thinkers and observers of business. (Full disclosure: I participated in this study.)



The task here was more explicitly to look forward, beyond the current issues, to anticipate future challenges for HR.


There was a recognition that the recession had changed some things, and not in a good way. HR at least in the United States is even more starved for resources, more dependent on outsourcing and more risk-averse.


On the whole, the view was that not much has changed in human resources over the past decade or so. And there was a concern that HR was actually falling behind in terms of the business acumen needed to operate at senior levels and through the acceptance of a support role as opposed to one that drives business.


This group saw three important issues facing the HR side of business in the future. It is possible to see them as both challenges and opportunities. One echoes the IBM study, and that is globalization and the challenge of managing workforces in many different countries.


The other two are quite different, though.


The first has to do with managing risk. The financial crisis has made most businesses pay more attention to the financial risks they are exposed to and, by association, the business risks. As with most aspects of business, managing these risks comes down to managing people differently.


What are the HR implications of taking risk management more seriously?


The other issue is the avalanche of metrics, and business-related data more generally, that has the potential to overwhelm organizations if not managed carefully -- but also has the opportunity to change them for the better if they can use that information appropriately.


Nowhere does that data have more opportunity for good than in HR, where so many costly and strategic bets are still made on the basis of hunches. Can we harness these data in ways that improve our decision making, finding the value and reducing costs?


Here's my take, looking at these two studies together.

1. I wonder whether the HR issues in developing countries, where economies are booming and labor markets are tight, will have much of anything in common in the future with the HR issues in mature markets, where the opposite is true. HR in these developing economies is a hot area where the best talent is going and new ideas are being generated.
2. Second, especially in mature markets, I worry that we are fighting the last war in HR.

Hiring, retention and development -- the focus of HR executives here -- are age-old concerns. They are also quite tactical, as opposed to strategic issues.


Is anyone thinking about what it means for HR to take on new challenges such as risk management seriously? Are we making any progress in improving our use of metrics to make decisions in different, better ways?


Finally, I'm wondering whether we have reached something like a tipping point for HR in mature countries where the innovation, ideas and energy shifts clearly from HR departments to HR vendors.


Perhaps HR departments are now so starved for resources and so focused on the operational goal of cost containment that thinking about the future has to be ceded to some other group.

Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management and director of the Center for Human Resources at The Wharton School. His latest book, with Bill Novelli, is Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order.

Current International HR Shock - Future HR International Talent Drought

There has been more and more press and association discussions about the quality of human resources professionals in business today. From the small company in Butte, MN to the large company in Allentown, PA localized human resources does not make it in today's world. The old adage "think locally" still resonates through the profession. 


The shock is that we operate in a global economy and not just an economy within our borders. If we think locally and not globally then we lose, and I mean lose big in today's world. In the constant evaluation of product offerings and how far they reach throughout the world we also have to evaluate if our(your)human resources professionals also reach throughout the world. What do I mean, let me be more clear:

• does your HR team understand global exchange?
• does your HR team think outside your domestic boarders and do they understand global econometrics?
• does your HR team understand how to manage people abroad, and do they understand local international laws and the financial ramifications to your bottom line?
• does your HR team think in terms of international competition?
•  is your HR team flexible to move internationally and do they speak a second language?
• can your HR team communicate effectively with your company's partners outside your borders?
• are your HR teams focus still on tactical issues rather than global insight?

The list can go on and on but these are just a few of the issues your team needs to think about in today's world. If they don't then there is a real drought on talent for the 21st century. Having worked for an international company you have to understand these very important issues and operating processes.


Is your HR team ready to address the international economic trade and business environment? I would like your thoughts on this important subject. I also think that SHRM and other HR associations need to change their focus and emphasize the international issues.

Repost.Us Launches in Bid to Protect Original Online Content

Repost.Us launched today in beta with a new, one-button platform that instantly monetizes digital content and automates online syndication.

The feature extends the reach of original content, keeping an eye on the integrity and proper attribution of online assets.As such, the startup removes the need to call for permission every time you want to republish an article. When the Repost.Us button is clicked, it generates an embed code for the article that can be used on all common web publishing platforms.

When a reader loads an embedded article, their browser requests the content from Repost.Us, and the site delivers a current copy of the article reformatted transparently to fit the republisher’s site.

By loading the article via an embed code, instead of copying and pasting, Repost.Us guarantees the content integrity, automatically generates updates and corrections, and ensures that search engines continue to see the original publisher’s site as the primary content source.

In doing so, it also opens up a significant and currently untapped market for content. The potential money at stake is huge — the company says an increase in page views of just 10 percent would conservatively generate an additional $300 million annually.

The Fair Syndication Consortium reports that over 75 percent of sites that copy content from other sites would be willing to pay for that content. The same study found that more than 75,000 websites have used unlicensed content at least once, with around an average usage of three times per month.

The company has plenty of competitors, including Copyright Clearance Center, the Associated Press, Vertical Acuity, Publish 2, and Amplify, all of which are looking to cash in on that same market.

But Repost.Us says it offers something those other companies don’t, saying that while wire services and rights clearance centers are available, they ignore most small- to medium-sized publishers, which represent a big chunk of the market.

The new platform, from Free Range Content, is the brainchild of CEO John Pettitt, founder of Beyond.com and Cybersource.com.

The Age of Mobility & the Executive

There is an interesting download paper on the "The Untethered Executive: Business Information in the Age of Mobility" in the latest edition of Forbes Insight. As a member of the Forbes Insight Panel I thought you would be interested. 


In summary the paper says" Much has been written about how smartphones and other mobile devices are changing the way people communicate. But little has been done to understand what the impact of this shift is on the executive suite. Are executives willing to use their smartphones for business purposes beyond email? Is the information they access via a mobile device being used to help drive business decisions? Do different “generations” of executives treat mobility differently, and are some more willing than others to blur the lines between business and personal communications devices? "


Check it out at http://www.forbes.com/forbesinsights/untethered_executive/index.html

Are You Creating A Culture of Innovation?

Great companies make innovation happen. The basic element is culture. The worlds best structures will under perform without a culture that supports people trying new things. 


How can we engender a culture that supports innovation you ask? Here are a few of the insights the Kellogg Innovation Network has learned:

1. Nurture a sense of purpose - take a contrary approach to business; innovate around your core product; practice flexibility in the face of obsolescence
2. Operate as an ethical alternative - focus on a purpose of significant social merit like supporting recycling, saving the planet, support cleaner air etc.
3. Celebrate smart failures - understand why there was failure and build on it to succeed and avoid similar outcomes.
4. Create MAOE - create meaningful, actionable objectives & enable people to act - inspiring challenges can fuel an innovative culture. Meaningful objectives can inspire people to create solutions.
5. Emphasize the team - culture is not an individual it is a team, group, division, company, Top innovators require teams to challenge and take the idea to market.
6. Walk the talk - you have all heard that before, and you will continue to hear this. Hypocrisy is one of the most powerful ways to generate a culture that becomes dysfunctional. If leaders to not find time to encourage new ideas, then others will not follow.

Does your company create a culture of innovation and how any of these six areas does your company follow? 

thanks to Robert Wolcott @ Kellogg Innovation Network and Jorn Bang Andersen from the Nordic Innovation Centre