Group items tagged

Succession planning is perhaps the most important job of corporate boards. Without a strong succession-planning program, companies are not prepared to fill openings created by retirements or unexpected departures, nor are they able to meet demands of the organization.

To me the importance of succession and cross-training within departments is very crucial. Yet I think still many times today people view these things as a loss of job security. Many time individuals may feel a false sense of security if they are the only person that knows how to do 'x'.

I could not agree more with your comments. I hear it on a daily basis, if I am the only one who knows this information; the organization has to keep me. Much of the fear comes from massive layoffs and reorganization-if they need the knowledge they will need me.

Interesting info on the Do's and Don'ts as the title of this article indicates.  Sometimes just need the reminder.   Kind of interesting how we (all businesses, organizations and agencies) seem to understand how bad these things are but just keep doing them (wrong) anyway

I found the pay for performance interesting as often time an employee needs to meet certain "basic" expectations in a review to get a raise. If they don't get the review they want and are in a union then it can be grieved. I wonder if this is why most managers of union employees don't bother to give accurate reviews because it creates more paper work and documentation of a job they don't want to do anyway (performance reviews)

The pay for performance seems to the norm in the past three organizations I have worked for. The mistake pointed out in this part is accurate, small difference in percentages between performers only goes to promote an imbalance between team members.

The use of multiple forms of gaming, can produce excellent talent, and improve worklife.

Bob, My organization uses gaming to engage the public to help them understand financial concepts that many find too complex or difficult to understand. We also recently implemented gaming as part of our on-boarding process to educate and engage new employees to learn more about the functions and responsibilities of the organization. The public has embraced the concept of gaming, while its use as an on-boarding tool is receiving mixed reviews. The younger generations loves it, while many of the long-term employees don't see the value and feel it is a waste of people's time and the organization's money. It will be interesting to see if gaming is a fad or not.

My company outsourced to well being company to help employees become more engaged in lifestyle choices. Never dawned on me that the challenges or gamification was being done. I'll be forwarding this article on to others outside our group, very interesting read and informative.

The "workforce of one" model of people management-sculpting work to fit every employee instead of...

By now, we've all heard about how employers scope out the Tweets and Facebook profiles of job seekers to winnow down the field of applicants. But job seekers may be surprised to hear just how many recruiters now use social media throughout the hiring process.

Ah, the joys of social media! It truly does expand the meaning that "big brother" is watching. I've found myself pulling back on Facebook posts by trying to stick to only positive things. LinkedIn, I feel I need a to hire a PR rep to make sure everything is in order there. Twitter, I'm not a fan of it period. But from the sounds of the article, I better learn to like and use it. Thanks for the link to the article, very good information.

I always enjoy this dynamic. It is a double edged sword and not every organization should want the use of social media in their candidates. I have conducted surveillance in law enforcement, research on teachers while working in the education field, and pre-screened inbound young Officers in the military. Its important to see what you are getting. It has become suspicious if someone doesn't have a linked in account. If a person has too many accomplishments on their linked in account however while simultaneously not having an active personal social media account as senior management I find it suspicious. We are all aware that if you want to know who a person truly is, the last place to look is linked in.

The collective skills, abilities, and expertise of an organization-are the outcome of investments in staffing, training, compensation, communication, and other human resources areas.

A lot of good points are made in this article. In particular, the belief that organizational capabilities can only emerge after an organization consistently delivers on the combined or shared competencies and abilities of the people it employs. It provides another way to validate the notion that people either help an organization succeed or fail. If the organization has a lot of employees that are skilled but they are unable to work together towards a common goal, those individuals' skills are useless.

Most companies of any size have an employee referral program. Best in class programs provide 40% or more of their new hires through employee referrals. Many studies show that employee referral hire...

Kathy, This was a really good article, gave me new perspective on employee referrals. I periodically monitor the job board here at my company for myself and a few of my business contacts outside of the company. I need to suggest to my contacts that we become more aware of all our skill sets to help ensure a better fit when looking for employment.

With so many avenues for social media, it is important to have good "branding" for your organization. Something that represents the company and attracts potential candidates.

I agree that good branding is a critical aspect for all organizations to consider in recruiting. It is also important to make sure the brand aligns with the actions of the organization and its employees; otherwise it has the potential to damage the reputation of the organization.

I know many of organizations that utilize this type of branding as a means to re-enforce their product. Their superior talent is supposed to coincide with their product. Its interesting though that many individuals are passed over because they did not necessarily embody the branded traits help by the organization. I wonder who is to blame when the company goes into a nose dive economically?

Speaking of "war for talent"….here is a good article about some "out-of-box" recruiting strategies.

Eric, I would agree…but an organization needs to be careful. I sat on an interview panel one time with 11 people on it; it was so difficult to make a decision with 11 people giving "their opinion". I agree with you, "at least on a small scale".

Oh my, a group of 11 people, I would have been a nervous wreck. I feel that around 3-5 people is a good number, easier to find a nice pace for the interview process to flow and provide the needed information for both sides.

Week 2 related

Week 2 related

The article identifies a couple of pieces that are important to creating a strong culture in an organization. They include building relationships, trust, the meaning of the work, and the relationship with colleagues. This aligns with much of the previous literature we have read within this course. I have also witnessed this within my organization and department. The department spends a lot of time recruiting people and making sure they will fit the culture of the department. If they have the right credentials but do not seem to align with the culture, we will not hire them. Culture is important in the workplace.

We have a game show for everything else...  Again-  Good information, not too old and wants to throw out the rulebook.

Wow! Immediately has an HR person I begin to get nervous about the potential illegal interview questions or practices that these companies could be sued for. It's a risky line between innovative and unethical in terms of hiring. I like the idea and concept of thinking outside the box though!

The Dreyfus Model of Skill acquisition-  

All employees experience some type of onboarding, although the formality and comprehensiveness of onboarding programs varies widely across organizations.

I am a Disney fan but now knowing a person who works there and seeing their on boarding process (via this website) it is no wonder that they are such a huge and successful company.   The website goes through, what looks like, everything a person would need to know in getting started at Disney.   I could see how helpful a website such as this would be to almost any profession.  Disney obviously has enough money to produce this website and keep it current, but I do not think that would be too hard or expensive for a school district, police agency, banking industry, military, or many other professions to implement.

My niece just completed an intership this summer with Disney. She was pleasantly surprised by how comprehensive the website and training was for interns. Eventhough she was scheduled to intern for six months, everything about the training and experience won her over to want to be a lifetime employee of Disney. Many companies could learn from this model.

I heard that the first two days of employee orientation is strictly story telling. They use the 'cast' members to acclimate employees to the Disney culture using stories. I feel like this is really in sync with Disney culture and would also be a very effective way to get employee excited about their role in the bigger Disney 'story'.

Having a career model that is closely tied to business needs can not only enhance retention, but also facilitate the development of professionals to support critical areas that are in danger of being understaffed.

Organizations are increasingly reliant on HR departments to build a leadership pipeline of managers capable of leading "creatively" through turbulent times.

Forbes article

Good article, nice to see the 7 C's and an observation point from a leadership level owning up to be a contributing factor for new employee success rate.

There it is again with that compatible non-sense. That is why organizations get jammed up in lawsuits, and lose huge sums of money. Its a whole new generation of employers thinking that they should hire based on "Cultural matches" which are made up in the first place. That is a preference, and it cannot be articulated on the bench in front of a jury of 12. If you can't defend it, then don't make it a core competency or requirement. Make it a subfield, or a preference.

Control is a mirage. The most effective leaders right now--men and women--are those who embrace traits once considered feminine: Empathy. Vulnerability. Humility. Inclusiveness. Generosity. Balance. Patience.

I like the point of seeking more diverse perspectives from all avenues for leaders to gain a greater knowledge of their enviornment.

Appointments in the United Kingdom sustain scrutiny from all angles. Perhaps the United States should take some lessons in the appointment of its politicians.

While many people have expressed concern about the trend of employers using social media to screen job candidates, can social media actually be a benefit to job seekers or employers? Find out in this Q and A interview with Chirag Nangia, CEO of Reppify.