Category: Podcast
The New HR Analytics – interview with Dr.Jac Fitz-enz
Dr. Jac , as he is known worldwide, is acknowledged as the father of human capital strategic analysis and measurement. During this interview we talked about HR metrics and analytics and why this issue is more important and relevant now than ever before.
As he put it: “We cannot just look at past data and try to extrapolate that into the future because the future is clearly nothing like the past. I recall when I was with you in Vienna in 2008 when everything came down. Certainly we couldn’t look at the market today as it was in 2007. So predictability is absolutely critical today.
Beyond that the reason why it’s such a relevant issue is there’s tremendous pressure to compete. It’s like a tsunami that’s emerging around the world. We have more and more developing countries not only China and India but also now Vietnam, Indonesia and some African countries. So more and more countries are coming into the market, this in turn leads to greater competition.
If you add to that the consistent introduction of new technology, everyday there seems to be something new that gives somebody an edge and this requires someone else to compete. You also have the labor market that is very erratic these days.
If we go back just a couple of years here in America we were concerned about where we were going to get people to fill jobs once the baby boomers had retired. However since 2008, the baby boomers are not retiring and now the question is what are we going to do with the young people coming into the market when the old people haven’t left? So the labor
market is upside down. Also in various countries like Russia for example you have the labor demographic moving in a different direction.
Finally the whole credit problem is still there. I don’t think we are going to see a major increase in credit availability for sometime. I was talking to another board member in a company that I am involved with and he said “The banks at least in the States still have a lot of problems on their balance sheets, so they’re not going to be lending money easily.”
When you put all those together, basically you have a market that is unprecedented and you have to look into the future to be able to determine how you’re going to act, how you’re going to allocate resources and how you’re going to make investments. So predictability now is really the most relevant issue we have.”
Listen to the entire 20 min podcast:
Leadership Demystified – interview with Dr. Gareth Jones
„Great organisations become great because of their talents. You have to keep your eye on an absolutely critical thing and ask yourself: Is this an organisation where the best people want to be?”
(Gareth Jones)
Hundreds if not thousands of articles and books have been written about the subject of leadership. Many authors and thinkers have tried to list those attributes, which are essential to become an effective leader. Yet, organisations still find it a challenge to develop leadership that impacts across the organisation. A recent interview with Dr. Gareth Jones, visiting Professor at London Business School, INSEAD, Instituto de Empresa in Madrid reveals a more holistic view on this ever-green question
PODCAST
The 2020 Workplace – interview with Jeane C. Meister
Ten years ago Google was operating out of a garage, Apple was in the skids, and the founder of Facebook was in high school. What a difference a decade makes. Mihaly Nagy, the chief moderator of HCM Excellence Network recently spoke to Jean C. Meister, the author of The 2020 Workplace.
This conversation takes you to the future yet is anchored in the leading edge talent practices of today and sheds some light about what is required from an HR perspective to attract, motivate and engage tomorrow’s workforce. Learn about how companies are innovating today to prepare for the future from this interview with Jeane C. Meister, author of the book, titled The 2020 Workplace
Podcast:
Talent – A Formula for Success, Interview with Dave Ulrich
I spoke to Dr. Dave Ulrich about Talent, a formula for success. There are as many definitions on the word “Talent” as many organizations are out there.
According to Dave there are four ways to define Talent. One; C-suite executives, Talent is about building succession, to make sure you have the next generation of leaders, tailoring development experience for the leaders so they work well as a team.
The second level of talent is the senior leadership group within the company; not the C-suite but the group below that, what it’s called the “leadership cadre”. For them the organization must build a leadership academy where there is a leadership brand they buy into.
The third level of talent are the high potential individuals- those who have the change to lead the company and set the agenda for the future. They are defined with 4 A/s
- Ambition
- Agility
- Ability
- Achievement
For those individual must be a tailored individual development program in place.
The fourth level of talent filters all the way through the company. They have what we call the “talent formula” – good talent anywhere in the company is who are
- Competent – able to do the work
- Committed – willing to work hard
- Contributing – they find meaning from the work they do
Listen to the entire podcast below, covering additional issues on leadership succession, the role of HR:
Download the related whitepaper: Dave Ulrich – Norm Smallwood – What is Talent
Finding Meaning at Work – interview with Dr. Dave Ulrich
Dr. Dave Ulrich is a Professor of Business, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan is undoubtedly one of the most significant expert in strategic HR. When Ulrich speaks, the profession listens.
His achievements are numerous,
- #23 on Thinkers 50,
- #1 Most Influential International HR Thinker
- Nobels Colloquia Prize for Leadership on Business and Economic Thinking
- ife Fellowship in Australia Human Resources Institute (AHRI)
- Named by Fast Company as one of the 10 most innovative and creative thinkers
…to name a few.
This interview is discussing what the requirements are to find meaning at work, what the business rational behind building ‘abundant organizations’ that provides meaning to its employees, creates value for its stakeholders, and offers hope for humanity
Interview excerpts:
Mihaly Nagy: Your recent book the “Why of Work” is based on a simple premise: “Employees who find meaning at work will have a better work experience that will translate into improved performance, more satisfied customers, and more profitable companies.” This notion is probably not a surprise for anyone, however the question is what specific steps can an organization do in order to achieve this? Is there a recipe for success?
Dave Ulrich: We culled the literatures on meaning to identify what specific things leaders could do to instill meaning at work. We identified seven actions leaders could take to become meaning makers, each of which is associated with a question they can answer for themselves and their employees:
- Identity: Who am I? Employees have more meaning when the strengths which shape their identity are used to strengthen others.
- Purpose: where am I going? Employees have more meaning when they work in a company that has a meaningful purpose that engages them.
- Relationships: Who do I travel with? Employees have more meaning when they work with people they admire, respect, and feel connected to.
- Work environment: What are the routines or culture of our work? Employees have more meaning when their work setting is positive and affirming.
- Work challenges: What work do I do? Employees have more meaning when they are doing work that excites and energizes them.
- Learning and Growth: What do I learn from at work? Employees have more meaning when they are able to learn and grow from the work they do.
- Civility and Delight: Employees have more meaning when they bring a sense of fun and delight into their work.
These are clearly not exclusive and the only factors that provide meaning, but when people we talk to think about “what makes your work meaningful?’ generally their answers fall into one of these seven dimensions.
Listen to the entire podcast here:
Download the Interview in whitepaper format:
If you are interested in interacting with Professor Ulrich in person join the 8th Annual Human Asset Summit on 13-15 November in Boscolo Budapest. More info: www.humanassetsummit.com
Podcast: Result Only Work Environment at GAP Inc.
Recently spoke with Eric Severson, Senior Vice President HR at GAP Inc. who championed the the ROWE (Result Only Work Environment) initiative at GAP four years ago. Now over 2000 people can work whenever they want, whereever they want, so long result is delivered. Result? Significant increase in employee engagement, decrease in voluntarily turnover, improved work life balance – GAP just became a better place to work.
Listen to the podcast here:
