Nine To Thrive HR

Where is your company going? Human resource teams likely know their strategic direction and company mission, but they might be putting gas in the wrong tank when it comes to arriving at their final destination – successful strategy execution.

Organizations spend big bucks on corporate training each year so that employees are equipped to perform their jobs and a pipeline is set up to gracefully guide a company through role changes. However, organizations mistakenly invest in the wrong areas, according to Heide Abelli, Skillsoft Vice President of Leadership and Business Skills.

Instead of aligning training programs with the company’s strategic direction and including employees at every level of learning, Abelli says organizations exclusively look to top-level leaders to direct its strategies.

Successful skills training is all about priorities. Strategic agendas are driven from the middle and lower organizational levels, so Abelli believes those workers should be among the first to learn new skills.

Supported by research by Don Sull at MIT’s Sloan School, the lack of talent with proper skill sets is the top reason why companies don’t make the most of new opportunities. For example, Abelli says a healthcare organization facing significant cost pressure can link a strategic objective to a gap in skills by expediting service delivery processes and improving patient experience strategic priorities.

“Without adequate training, they just aren’t equipped to connect the dots,” Abelli says. “Too many training initiatives rest on the idea assumption that one size fits all.”

To take the right route, an organization must fully understand its market, know how it stands out among competitors and how to protect its comprehensive advantages.

“It’s about focus and making tradeoffs,” Abelli says. “What you choose to forego with respect to a training agenda is just as important as what you choose to emphasize."

No partnership may be as contentious as the one between HR and IT – arguably two disciplines that address problems with very contrasting approaches. But have no fear – middle ground does exist! In our very first Nine to Thrive HR: Deep Dive podcast, subject matter expert and testing service practice leader Dr. Marcia Buzzella shares her experience working in both HR and IT for the past decade. IT and HR bring different kinds of baggage to the table; recognizing that enables us to work together more effectively and drive more productive partnerships and build long-term, successful relationships.

Call in the referees – this is no amateur sport – we’re talking about jobs and the future of human resources (HR). As we move through the early days of 2017, HR managers begin a backbreaking battle between humans and robots, and which hardworking contenders make the best employees.

In fact, internationally known HR thought-leader John Sullivan says human workers in Europe are physically destroying robots that are taking over jobs, boasting fresh skills and outperforming people. Robots come with a price tag and Return on Investment (ROI), but are they more desirable than humans who hold strikes, demand overtime and refuse to work in potentially dangerous conditions?

We have to plan for work, Sullivan says. People feel their jobs are in jeopardy and HR leaders are left with the challenge of transitioning from a human workforce to a staff that includes robots while alleviating anxiety among an organization’s talent. While new skills and recruitment approaches come into play, HR must keep current, valuable employees happy.

Human resource leaders must become more business savvy, according to Sullivan. When it comes to the future of HR, digital capabilities enable companies to know more about their workforce’s impact. It’s up to HR leaders to increase creativity, innovation and strategy, but who will become the new champion, and how will the company move through employment changes using best practices for the business and the people that produce success?

Thought leader and L&D professional, Brian Lambert, PhD, the Director of Consulting at Oxygen Learning shares his vision for the modern L&D function. Dr. Lambert describes the consulting skills and business acumen needed to elevate the function and have L&D practitioners be strategic partners to the business. The 21st century L&D function requires a new approach of continuous learning delivery and a seamless experience. Listen to this webcast for practical advice for taking your L&D function into the modern era.

How can references aid you in the hiring process? You might be surprised. In this podcast, Rob Bennett, Vice President Channel Alliances at SkillSurvey, explores how references can serve as a valuable business tool beyond providing background on job candidates. Research has shown that nearly 70% of the employed workforce is open to new opportunities, even if they are not actively job hunting. Discover how to tap into references as a passive pool of pre-qualified candidates.

Organizations that routinely undergo periods of high-volume hiring experience unique challenges. In this interview, Ajay Patel, Talent Acquisition Strategy Architect at Peoplefluent, explores how companies can balance technological solutions with the human element to secure quality hires quickly. He also explores the role of assessments in managing sheer volume of applications and becoming more proactive in the hiring process.

When it comes to management, what does it mean to be a good coach? In this podcast, Michael Bungay Stanier of Box of Crayons shares his unique definition of Great Work, and the role that strong coaching skills play in helping our organizations achieve Great Work. He also discusses how to turn coaching into a positive experience, and provides insight into some of the pitfalls of giving advice.

How does the number one company on the Fortune 500 list use people analytics to make talent decisions? Gustavo Canton, Senior Director of Research, Global People Analytics at Walmart, Inc shares how the people analytics function was built at Walmart. His function allows executives to make quick data-driven decisions and his team is continuously innovating especially around the ability to connect social media data for real-time insights into the associate experience.

Organizations are embracing the concept of flexible work, meaning that virtual or remote employees are a normal part of today's workforce. This means that teams must make both meetings and time between meetings as productive as possible. Jo Moore and George Brough share strategies for engaging virtual workers both professionally and personally in this latest episode of Nine To Thrive HR.

In this podcast, Dr. Steven Hunt of SAP shares what he believes is the real reason we assume people fear change. He also discusses the role disruptive technology should have in HR strategy, and why we shouldn't tolerate bad managers.