The Factors of HR as a credible activist

8/30/13

This week we continued to focus on HR as a credible activist by analyzing the four competency factors that define it. They are, earning trust through results, influencing and relating to others, improving through self-awareness and shaping the HR profession (Ulrich, Younger & Brockbank, 2012, ch. 4). Our observation was that while the factors seemed to be interrelated, establishing trust through results or work with integrity is the most important factor of being a credible activist. Although there are circumstances where the HR manager may not have the time to establish trust, as during organization restructure, she must still develop some methods for establishing a relationship with the employees in the short run, in order to have some meaningful influence on their ability to remain engaged, maintain productivity and a sense of urgency.

Suppose I were hired as an HR professional to lead an organization through a period of restructure. My short term goal would be to obtain collaboration and maintain productivity. That would require an initial relationship. I would have to schedule activities that would allow leadership to listen to employees. I would conduct surveys, organize employee discussions and focus groups. These steps would involve AARs to include as many employees as possible at various states of the process. Then, I would work with leadership to communicate decisions based on employees feedback. The communication would address their concerns, inform them of the availability of training opportunities that could help them reinvent themselves and grow with the company. I would use such modes of communication as town hall and one-on-one meetings, as well as emails and web casts for reinforcement. Then I would be sure to work with managers to recognize accomplishments, big and small, individual and collective, in public and in private, to motivate all toward success (Czinege, n.d.). These measures might not build trust in the short run but they would help establish an initial relationship with the employees in order to influence them to keep the pace and maintain productivity. They would be the foundation for long term HR credibility.  

Change Communication specialist Aniko Czinege (n.d.) provides some ideas on how to establish relationship and lift employee morale in a world of constant change. The HR leader must, 1) listen to the employees by allowing them to voice their concerns and then by asking for their suggestions and feedback, 2) communicate management solutions to employees' concerns and business issues, then provide consistent, reliable, timely and honest information (in order to build a long term relationship with trust), and 3) recognize individual and group accomplishments to build motivation.

Nagy & Wolff (n.d.) also maintain that to relate to others the leader must be flexible, respectful of their ideas and decisive. Her degree of influence will be dictated by the strength of the relationship established between HR and the employees.


References:

Czinege, A., (n.d.). The Three-Stage strategy to improving employee morale. Melcrum. Retrieved from https://www.melcrum.com/research/engage-employees-strategy-and-change/three-stage-strategy-improving-employee-morale

Nagy, J., Wolff, R., (n.d.). Influencing people. Community Tool Box – University of Kansas. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_1137.aspx

Ulrich, D., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the outside in: six competencies for the future of human resources. SRHM. ISBN978-0071802666