HR innovator and integrator

9/06/13

In exploring this topic, we analyze HR's role by focusing on 5 factors as outlined in HR From The Outside In.
1) In optimizing human capital through workforce planning and analytics, HR is required to identify strengths and weaknesses in delivering business strategies and develop the necessary training to address skills deficiencies. 2) In developing talent, HR must assess the organization's level of capability through individual and collective talents in respect to future customer demands. Its role is to work with leaders to develop the roles that will best respond to these anticipated client expectations.  3)In shaping organization and communication practices, HR ensures that teams operate with clear goals and a sense of purpose. Conducting a communication audit can help HR evaluate the quality of the ongoing communication as a measure of organizational effectiveness. Having the right communication practices promote team success. 4) In driving performance, HR innovator and integrator, seeks to link the employees work with the customers' needs and expectations. It is important to set performance goals that are in line with business strategies. 5) in helping leaders build the leadership brand, HR should aim at building a set of leaders with the appropriate skills and attitudes; who are able to lead the organization now and into the future.

One innovative concept for talent retention that I enjoyed learning about was the "why do you stay interview" or, simply known as the stay interview.  In this talent retention approach, HR talks to top performing employees who choose to stay and work for the organization. The goals in conducting such interviews are, to obtain information from the employees about HR practices that work and those that can be improved, developed, in an effort to retain the best talents, and to address potential issues and prevent turnovers (Sullivan, 2012).

My employer would definitely benefit from conducting stay interviews. My role as an HR innovator and integrator in this case would be to set principles in place that would reassure the interviewed employee that information gathered from the interview would be used for research, talent development and retention purposes. The employee would need to be confident that information provided would not be used against her. She would also need to be confident in my ability to provide her with the best career guidance, training and other necessary support that would facilitate her ability to be productive and support business goals. As an HR manager, I would be sure to train the leaders to ask the right questions that would help understand the employee's feelings on company culture growth and recognition (Kalman, 2012). The effectiveness of the technique is not in the question asked but in the framing of the question.

It is important to obtain honest information from such interviews. Because HR and the organization could rely on it to develop effective strategies to build and sustain a workforce that supports the company's goals and objectives.  My employer, like other organizations, has lost talented employees due to failure by management to identify issues such as: lack of purpose and meaning in doing the work, lack of challenge, personal issues, conflicts with co-workers and leaders...

Internationally known HR thought-leader, Dr. John Sullivan (2012) provides some insights on stay interview in an article. In it he states that while an exit interview is useful to determine the reason employees leave, because it occurs after the fact, it does not give the employer an opportunity to prevent turnovers. The stay interview can help fix this problem.

Another article that can help understand the stay interview concept is by Frank Kalman of Talent Management. He cautions that as the concept continues to gain popularity, it is important that HR work with leaders to be trained on framing stay interview questions. after all, the goal is to retain the top performers, not to drive them away. 

Another article that is line with helping employees find meaning in their work in an effort to prevent turnovers, is from Talent Management, authored by Sue Marks (2013). She believes that in order to drive innovation, HR's challenge is to create an environment where employees are encouraged and feel comfortable taking small risks.


References:

Marks, S., (2013, January 18). Seven steps to drive innovation. Talent Management. Retrieved from http://talentmgt.com/articles/view/seven-steps-to-drive-innovation/1

Kalman, F., (2012, June 12). How to measure engagement with a stay interview. Talent Management. Retrieved from http://talentmgt.com/articles/view/how-to-measure-engagement-with-a-stay-interview

Sullivan, J., (2012, August 27). 13 more bold and outrageous HR practices that may indicate your approach is too conservative (part 2 of 2). ERE. Retrieved from http://www.ere.net/2012/08/27/bold-and-outrageous-hr-practices-that-may-indicate-your-approach-is-too-conservative-part-2-of-2/

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