TELL ME A STORY
corporate storytelling P.54 ISSUE 10.3
STILL GOT IT?
MBAs in 2012 P.44 CHANGE COMMUNICATION
what not to do P.50 HUMAN CAPITAL MAGAZINE HCAMAG.COM
outside-in APPROACH The
The six core competencies HR professionals must show P.18
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HRSUMMIT2012 SHOWGUIDE INSIDE
P.31
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editor’s letter
Express yourself! Got a burning issue to get off your chest? Check out the readers’ forums at hcamag.com
Keep it simple, stupid If you’ve ever sat through a lengthy meeting or conference and been tempted to say “just the highlights, please”, you’ll appreciate this month’s cover story on essential HR competencies. Yes, you’ve likely heard it before, but it’s unlikely you’ve heard it so succinctly summed up. Not only does Ulrich and co provide the six key competencies essential to HR success in 2012 and beyond, but they also provide a nine-point action plan to push those competencies into tangible action. And it appears they’re right on the money. Of the myriad tasks performed by the average HR professional, let’s take just one example: job redesign. This is not something currently handled well by most Australian companies; or if it is, it’s only considered when a long-term employee transitions to retirement, rather than undertaken as part of a broader questioning of how work is done in terms of succession planning and talent mapping. Yet a quick glance at the six core competencies reveals at least three which would help shed light on job redesign: Firstly, there is the Strategic Positioner. High-performing HR professionals think and act from the outside-in. They are deeply knowledgeable of and able to translate external business trends into internal decisions and actions. They understand the general business conditions (eg, social, technological, economic, political, environmental and demographic trends) that affect their industry and geography. Secondly, the Capability Builder. Capability represents what the organisation is good at and known for. HR professionals should be able to audit and invest in the creation of organisational capabilities. These capabilities outlast the behaviour or performance of any individual manager or system. And thirdly there is the Human Resource Innovator and Integrator. Effective HR professionals know the historical research on HR so that they can innovative and integrate HR practices into unified solutions to solve future business problems. They must know latest insights on key HR practice areas related to human capital (talent sourcing, talent development), performance accountability (appraisal, rewards), organisation design (teamwork, organisation development), and communication. Just like any professional, the HR professional reading this magazine will likely stumble across something they can and should be doing better. Nobody’s perfect – and recognition of that fact by improving skills through professional development will help HR’s ongoing, inevitable rise to prominence in businesses everywhere.
Iain Hopkins, editor, HC Magazine
Letters to the editor
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Got a burning issue to get off your chest? We value your opinions and input. Human Capital would like to hear from you. Send through your comments to editor@hcamag.com. Alternatively, express your thoughts on the readers’ forums at www.hcamag.com
COPY & FEATURES EDITOR Iain Hopkins JOURNALIST Stephanie Zillman EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jessica Cooper PRODUCTION EDITORS Sushil Suresh, Moira Daniels, Carolin Wun
ART & PRODUCTION DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Angie Gillies SENIOR DESIGNER Rebecca Downing TRAFFIC MANAGER Abby Cayanan
CONTRIBUTORS Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers, The Next Step, Frontier Software, Leadership Success, Peak Health, EmployeeConnect
SALES & MARKETING SENIOR MARKETING EXECUTIVE Kerry Corben MARKETING EXECUTIVE Anna Keane COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Lisa Narroway NATIONAL COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sophie Knight ONLINE COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sarah Wiseman
CORPORATE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mike Shipley CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER George Walmsley MANAGING DIRECTOR – BUSINESS MEDIA Justin Kennedy CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Colin Chan HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Julia Bookallil Editorial enquiries Iain Hopkins tel: +61 2 8437 4703 iain.hopkins@keymedia.com.au Advertising enquiries National commercial manager, HR products Sophie Knight tel: +61 2 8437 4733 sophie.knight@keymedia.com.au Subscriptions tel: +61 2 8437 4731 • fax: +61 2 8437 4753 subscriptions@keymedia.com.au Key Media keymedia.com.au Key Media Pty Ltd, regional head office, Level 10, 1–9 Chandos St, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia tel: +61 2 8437 4700 fax: +61 2 9439 4599 Offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto hcamag.com Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of the editor. Contributions are invited, but copies of work should be kept as HC can accept no responsibility for loss.
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HC MAGAZINE 10.3
contents
26 26 | Back to the drawing board Where else can HR be adding value to an organisation in 2012? In Australia, there is one issue in particular that HR needs to be focusing on: IR and its accompanying negotiation skills 31 | HR Summit Showguide Your guide to HR’s must-attend event of 2012: HR Summit Sydney 44 | Handling complexity The world is more complex today than ever before. Is the MBA still a good way to prepare business leaders in this new world?
18 Cover story: The outside-in approach As the number of global HR professionals climbs to almost one million, the profession itself, and those around it, are asking what it means to be effective. The largest ever global study reveals that HR must work from the ‘outside in’ to meet 2012 expectations. Iain Hopkins reports on the results 2
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50 | Talking loud... and saying nothing Online communication, printed material and town hall meetings keep staff updated about organisational changes taking place, but they do not change opinions. Steve Casey outlines a more effective approach to change communication
Check out the HC archive online:
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63 14 | Profile: HR from the grassroots up 2011 was a tough year for Australian retail sectors – which makes the role of CROSSMARK, a sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, even more important. It’s no surprise the company itself has grown in response to demand. This month’s profiled professional talks about HR’s role in this expansion
REGULARS
04 | In brief: news 06 | In brief: forum
FRONTLINE INTELLIGENCE
08 | In Step – HR career experts 10 | Legal 12 | Corporate health
14
IN BRIEF
news WORKFORCE
DEMAND FOR TEMPS OUTPACES DEMAND FOR FULL TIMERS
n Global economic woes combined with a high Australian dollar are forcing many employers to adopt greater workplace flexibility in an attempt to survive – resulting in unprecedented demand for temporary workers, which outpaced demand for total employment by over 38% in 2010/11. According to the Adecco Group’s second edition of the Temporary Labour Report, temporary labour grew by 4% to 428,000 jobs in 2010/11 compared to 2.9% growth for total employment over the same period. The temporary labour market is tipped to continue growing by 2.4% in 2012, compared to 1.3% for total employment. According to the Adecco Group CEO, Jeff Doyle: “Temporary labour is an important factor in sustaining a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace, and even more so in this economic climate. A temporary workforce gives employers the flexibility to efficiently manage the demand and supply fluctuations in their business.” The report found the occupations most likely to be considered for using temporary labour were in the semi-skilled sector (68%), followed by unskilled (48%), trades (32%), professional (30.3%) and management (12%).
Advantages to your organisation of using temporary labour (%)
28.9%
Manage workforce as efficiently as possible
26.8%
Solve site specific labour shortages
6.4% 2.9% 2.7%
Enables organisation to be competitive
Access to outside skills Other
Source: Adecco Group
SALARY EXPECTATIONS A ‘PRESSURE COOKER’ IN 2012 The month in numbers
129 million – number of days of accrued annual leave by Australian workers, worth $40bn in wages
32.5%
Allows flexibility for demand fluctuations for products/services
REMUNERATION
17% –
percentage of employees in a survey by Macro Recruitment who said their previous role lacked challenges. 14% left due to poor business communication; just 3% cited skills training as factors
150,000 –
number of privatesector employees in the social and community services (SACS) industry impacted by a landmark decision by Fair Work Australia which grants a wage increase of 19–41% phased in over eight years
20-29 – age
bracket identified by beyondblue to be the least likely to be proactive in helping a colleague with depression and may even stigmatise someone experiencing depression
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n HR is the meat in the sandwich as the C-suite increases pressure to improve the quality of new recruits whilst keeping a lid on salary expenses, according to the findings of a new report. The Salary and Employment Insights 2012 report from Hudson revealed that salary expectations are widely out of sync between employers and employees. “Employers are under pressure to simultaneously improve the quality of their hires and control the cost of these hires – they need valuable employees to take the business forward, but not at any cost,” said Mark Steyn, CEO of Hudson Asia Pacific. Nearly seven out of 10 employees are considering moving jobs in 2012, while two-thirds of employers say they are worried about losing their existing high performers. Almost half of hiring managers reported the salary expectations of preferred candidates exceeded their budget in 2011. It was found: • 43% increased their budget to secure the best candidate • 57% settled for their second choice • Nearly six out of 10 employees felt that they deserve a pay rise in 2012 Steyn said salaries are on the rise for many mid to senior hires and the dilemma for business is being caught between global economic uncertainties and not wanting to compromise on investing in their people.
DISCRIMINATION
RACISM RAMPANT IN IT AND FINANCE WORKPLACES
n A survey of Australian IT and finance workers has revealed that in spite of long standing equal opportunity policies and anti-racism laws, a significant majority feel racism has a major impact on hiring decisions. The survey revealed that 72% believe racism exists in hiring practices in Australia. Further analysis of the survey, conducted by Balance Recruitment, also showed those who felt racism was a major issue came from a variety of backgrounds. Those coming from Anglo-Saxon, African, Sub-continental and South East Asian origins were all represented among the respondents. “We’ve walked away from companies who specify certain nationalities within their recruitment criteria; one, it’s illegal; two, it’s immoral; and three, it’s poor business,” said Simon Hogg, joint managing director of Balance Recruitment. “The irony is these companies often end up excluding the best candidate for a position.”
Key statistics 72% believe racism exists in
hiring practices
30% of people have first-hand experience
of that racism
27% of the Australian population was born overseas (6 million people)
8% of people believe a level of ethnic stereotyping is warranted
PRODUCTIVITY
OFFSHORING THE RESULT OF “POOR HR LEADERSHIP”: MINISTER
n Business leaders have issued a stern response to comments by employment and workplace relations minister Bill Shorten, who claimed the tide of offshoring is a band-aid response to the high cost of doing business in Australia, and organisations could get better productivity by retaining their workers long-term. “Sometimes the easiest thing to do is just move people off your books, whereas I think sometimes if you take a longer investment attitude in people, you tend to get better productivity, better loyalty,” Shorten said. “Long term, not short term, should be the order of the day.” Fresh from offshoring some 1,000 jobs over the past nine months,
Macquarie Group deputy chief executive Greg Ward said for some professional positions it was cheaper to hire people in London or New York than in Sydney. Professor Ian Harper, partner at Deloitte Access Economics and former head of the Howard government’s Fair Pay Commission, commented that offshoring jobs was “the exact opposite” of a short-term solution and the current workplace laws fail to encourage productivity. He said businesses that turn to offshoring often do so as part of a large-scale change to the way they run their labour force. “The only thing the services sector can do to protect itself is to improve its productivity,” he added. The Business Council of Australia also weighed in on the debate, adding that it is crucial for businesses to have the flexibility to respond to changing market conditions.
DID YOU KNOW?:
According to researchers at University of Melbourne and New York University Stern School of Business, people with easy-topronounce names are more likely to be favoured for job promotions. Researchers found that subtle biases based on how easy it is to pronounce a name are enough to affect decisionmaking
MIGRATION
IMMIGRATION: CHECK YOUR EMPLOYEES OR PAY THE PRICE
n The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has sent out a stark warning of the significant risks faced by employers who fail to check the immigration status of their prospective employees. The move follows the latest sting operation by compliance officers from the DIAC, in which 23 illegal workers were caught at a construction site in Sydney’s west. “It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that non-Australian workers they hire hold a visa with valid work rights,” a DIAC spokesman said. “Illegal workers in Australia will not be tolerated and the department actively investigates community reports and takes swift action to apprehend non-citizens without work rights.” The penalties for failing to comply with immigration legislation can run into thousands of dollars and jail time is also being dished out to employers in some cases. Individuals responsible for employing illegal workers face fines of up to $13,200 and two years imprisonment if convicted under Commonwealth legislation. Additionally, companies can also be fined for overall organisational negligence, and face fines of up to $66,000 per illegal worker.
IN BRIEF HC ONLINE
forum
Why employee relations are hotter than you think Managing poor performance crops up as one of those well-worn HR topics that is bandied around the minute someone starts a sentence with “I have a problem with one of my staff…” Easier said than done, dealing with poor performance and managing expectations and behaviours in the workplace can quite easily turn a teeny tiny output problem into a major industrial relations nightmare. Lawyers and employee advocates across the nation are responding in droves to the outcome of poorly managed employee relations matters, and profiting handsomely. Under the Fair Work Act, the way in which we deal with addressing poor performance or poor conduct has changed and it has left many HR people unprepared and working with managers who are none the wiser. Just telling them to get on with it A fair and thorough employee relations process is the driver in keeping the settlement-savvy applicants off the Fair Work Australia gravy train. Managers need to sit up and take notice that the good old days of “just telling them to get on with it” have well and truly gone. Proper investigation and reporting of employee incidents involving poor conduct takes time – time that no one wants to spare. Using a well coached manager, HR member or independent third party, you need to put in the hard yards to determine exactly what took place, and when, where and why it happened (ie other factors FWA may consider relevant). So often, managers try to determine the outcome of an incident prior to any investigation taking place, and for that reason they rush into making a non-evidence based decision. If it was you in the firing line, you wouldn’t want the firing squad to be just getting it over and done with so they could focus on more important issues of the day, would you?
Where there is smoke… Working closely with people brings conflicting ideals and values on a daily basis. It’s how we interpret these conflicts and communicate with each other that is the key. Even if your issue is just a small spark on a well-manicured lawn, using email to resolve the dispute will most likely deliver you an out-of-control grass fire in no time. Like a fire and a change in wind direction, poorly worded emails shoot through organisations and copy in everyone around them. They are not confined to the workplace and can be rapidly transported onto public reading space in seconds. Use emails to confirm appointments and confirm attendance at meetings, but avoid them where they could give rise to a contagion of meaningless opinions and baseless comments. Proper employee relations management is not difficult, but it is time-consuming because it is a process to be followed as opposed to being skipped over to get to a speedy outcome. We know dealing with employees fairly, openly and honestly works well. We also know poorly handled people management results in people leaving or becoming bored and angry, which puts the brakes on people working hard (lack of engagement, retention, lost productivity and so on). So now is the time to start training your people managers in what to do when they have a problem or an incident with one of their staff. Get them trained by someone who can talk them through the Fair Work employer obligations and best practice process. And do get someone with a decent fire safety plan! Louise Bowers was formerly a full-time HR professional, with experience in retail, FMCG and insurance companies. She is currently undertaking contracting work and writing about the profession
What do you think? Leave your comments on all HC news and opinion:
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Readers’ comments WENDY on 02 Aug 2011 04:05 PM I must have missed something or maybe I am just old school. I have always found if the situation is treated in a fair and firm way a resolution presents or you may find a need to move into the ‘unpractised area of performance management’. I’m finding more and more managers are either not equipped to deal with this in their early career moves or are too old to change their ways. GREG on 16 Jan 2012 03:05 PM This is soooo true, where has the HR development gone? We need HR to stay ahead of the game and equip our people with the relevant skills and then have some job/role stability so that they gain some experience to complement their learnings. For HR to demonstrate value we need to be part of the problem solving and not with shuffling of the problem from one desk to another; we need to be equipped to add value and then be seen to do that. PETER on 25 Jan 2012 11:52 AM Unfortunately HR, in the company I work in, is talked about being important but that is where it stops. Despite the many times endeavours have been made to state the importance of what we do the only times it seems to matter is when there is an issue and the question comes, “what do we do now”? Most of the HR work done here is patching up and smoothing over issues that should never have been issues in the first place. I guess that is no news headline to HR practitioners! ROBIN POLLOCK on 01 Feb 2012 09:57 AM Agree with comments of Greg & Peter. But what about the more common problem of senior management wanting to too quickly ‘get rid of the problem’ before anyone has actually had opportunity to investigate what might not even be a ‘problem’?! HR can coach and make headway with development of first line supervisors/managers etc, but it is the mid to senior managers who are often the problem. They don’t get it, don’t appear to be interested in getting it and override the initiatives of HR. There are many senior managers out there who are such dinosaurs, this is where the focus for change should be.
FRONTLINE INTELLIGENCE
recruitment
Adam Wilson is a Senior Consultant in our permanent recruitment team in the Sydney Office. For more information call (02) 8256 2500 or email awilson@thenextstep.com.au
So you want to practice HR in Asia – some facts and figures for new players Many readers of this article will have either undertaken an overseas assignment in the course of their HR career or, at the very least, contemplated one. This point was highlighted in the 2012 Global HR Viewpoint Survey conducted by The Next Step and its partners in Asia and the UK of over 3000 HR professionals. The survey found that 39% of Australian HR professionals have worked overseas at some point in their career. In the November 2011 edition of InStep, we focused on the attributes and skills required to successfully take on a regional HR role, by examining the experience and advice of several high calibre senior Regional HR Directors. This month, we look at some of the hard facts and trends coming out of the Asian region in relation to HR recruitment. We ask: what are the realities of finding work in Asia; and what are employers looking for in their search for HR talent?
A QUICK REALITY CHECK
Firstly, some expectation management for those who think that finding an assignment in Asia is a simple matter. Times have changed. Hefty expat packages are largely a thing of the past, and local HR practitioners are competing far more heavily for roles than they once did. Statistics provided by Richard Letcher, the MD of Profile Asia (HR Search & Selection), illustrate that less than 10% of HR roles in the past two years across Hong Kong, Singapore and China were filled by expats based outside those countries – a marked change from the practices of the past. The message from Richard is loud and clear – employers in Asia have a distinct preference for hiring HR people who are “on the ground” in the local country. This is particularly the case outside of the Banking & Finance sectors, where not only do employers have a strong preference for hiring those currently located in the country, but also for proficiency in the respective 8
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The proportion of expats hired into HR roles increases within the banking and finance sector, but there is still a reluctance to hire candidates based overseas language spoken in that country. The proportion of expats being hired into HR roles increases greatly within the banking & finance sector, but again there is a reluctance to hire candidates based overseas rather than locally. This is particularly the case for the early career and intermediate level roles.
LOCALS MORE COMPETITIVE
The increased competition for HR roles in Asia from locals is, at least in part, due to an increase in the supply of quality candidates in the Asian market. One indicator of this was revealed in the HR Viewpoint Survey. Asian candidates generally hold more formal qualifications than their peer groups in other geographies, and the survey showed that 49% of respondents in Asia had a Masters compared with only 25% of respondents from Australia/NZ. Whilst academic qualifications aren’t everything, this does signal that the local Asian markets are responding to demand levels and are developing more local practitioners, particularly at junior and intermediate levels.
THE SILVER LINING
There is, however, still opportunity in the Asian market for strong HR professionals if some of these initial hurdles can be met. Like its economy, the market in China for HR professionals is growing rapidly, and demand is in inverse proportion to the talent supply on offer. For those HR professionals up for an ‘adventure’, and ideally those who possess local language skills, there are some tremendous challenges to take on in a growth market. The market in Singapore and Hong Kong too, whilst experiencing some softening recently, is showing signs of resilience. In terms of in-demand skills and disciplines, Asia mirrors the Australian marketplace to a large degree. Generalist roles have made up half of the HR recruitment market in Asia over the past six years. Recruitment roles have traditionally made up 22% of the market since 2005 but demand has softened recently. OD & L&D roles make up another significant component of the market at 14% of roles recruited over the same time period. Therefore opportunities do exist for both Generalists as well as Specialist candidates from Australia/NZ if they are prepared to do the hard work to make sure they are in the right place at the right time.
THE FINAL WORD
There is no question that the outlook then for Australian based HR professionals wanting to ply their trade in Asia is a slightly sobering one. The days of the cushy expat gig are gone. Having said that, a competitive but still developing market will continue to provide genuine opportunities for high quality candidates if they are willing to go the ‘extra mile’. For those Australia/NZ HR Practitioners lucky enough to secure a role in the Asian market, there are tremendous challenges which can genuinely offer significant career progression as well as personal satisfaction and reward.
MARKET MOVES
radar
Recent HR Market Moves University of Technology, Sydney, has appointed Jennifer Lacoon as their Director Human Resources. Prior to joining UTS, she enjoyed a successful seven years at AMP Ltd and most recently held the roles of HR Director Culture Transformation and Head of Culture, Performance and Engagement. Particularly relevant to her role at UTS is her senior HR management experience with the Flinders University Union and the University of Adelaide. Roxanne Tanne has joined Boral Construction Materials as the National Manager for ER & IR. Roxanne has spent the last four years as a solicitor for FCB Workplace Law. Katherine Corrie has joined Leighton Holdings Limited as their Group Manager, Leadership Development & Succession Planning. Katherine is well qualified for this role having worked with Bovis Lend Lease within Australia, Asia and the UK in senior HR leadership roles. She then spent eight years running her own consulting businesses both in Singapore and here in Australia. Most recently, Katherine has worked in senior OD roles with Vodafone Hutchison Australia and Australian Hearing. Also joining Leighton Holdings is Dharma Chandran as their Chief Human Resources Officer. Dharma was previously a Partner within the Far East Area Performance & Reward practice at Ernst & Young in Hong Kong. Prior to this he enjoyed a five-year career with Westpac, most recently as the General Manager, Strategy and Human Resources – for the Consumer Financial Services Division.
Narelle Tierney has been appointed the HR Leader, Commercial – Asia & Australia with Accolade Wines. Nellie has recently returned to Sydney from Singapore, where she spent a number of years working in lead HR roles with Towers Watson and Confluence. Prior to this, Nellie worked with MTV for six years and this included London, Australia and Singapore. Her most recent role at MTV was Senior Director, Human Resources, Asia Pacific. Genworth Financial has promoted Miles Burge to their HR Director, Asia. He previously held the role of HR Director, Australia. Miles brings extensive senior HR management experience and has worked across the recruitment, technology and professional services sectors. Rashmi Ansari has been appointed the National Manager Organisational Development with DP World. Rashmi was previously the Ongoing Professional Development Manager at AstraZeneca and she brings prior experience in senior L&OD roles with high profile businesses such as Westpac and Boral. After a period of consulting to Cricket Australia, Marianne Roux has been appointed to the role of General Manager People & Culture. Marianne joins CA after a significant career in the human capital consulting arena with both Deloitte and Mercer.
Angela Di Iorio has accepted the role of HR Manager with Orica looking after their Chemicals business. Angela most recently held the role of Senior HR Manager with Sensis and prior to that held roles with AXA, Medibank Private and Bosch. Dan Ryan has been appointed to the role of HR Director for UK employment services business A4E. Most recently Dan undertook interim senior HR roles with Wilson and Urbis and has worked across the professional services, light manufacturing and tertiary sectors.
By supplying Market Moves, The Next Step is not implying placement involvement in any way.
HCAMAG.COM
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FRONTLINE INTELLIGENCE
legal
Michael Sheils, OAM, Special Counsel Workplace Solutions at Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers
WORKPLACE MEDIATION Employee conflict can be very disruptive to an organisation. If not managed appropriately it can end up being very costly, both in monetary and emotional terms. Conflict between individuals in a workplace is not an easy matter for most managers to deal with. It distracts them from dealing with the core responsibilities of the organisation and in many cases can be unnerving to even the strongest of managers. Studies have shown that up to 30% of a manager’s time can be spent dealing with such matters Intervention in such matters at an early stage is vital if an effective and lasting resolution is to be achieved. However, in many instances managers tend to hope that the conflict will resolve itself thus not requiring their intervention. However, managers can avoid all the unpleasantness of dealing with such matters by engaging an independent accredited mediator with expertise in resolving workplace conflict. This should occur as soon as it becomes clear that the conflict exists. In most cases the conflict is between two individuals but unless dealt with promptly it can spread to other members of staff with all the disabling effects such behaviour has on the organisation. It is important for managers to be aware of the role of the mediator in dealing with such disputation. Practice standards apply to accredited mediators and are set out in the Australian National Mediator Standards. The Practice Standards describe the purpose of mediation as being a process to maximise the participants’ decision making. Other important points set out in the standards are: ■ The mediation process may: (a) assist the participants to define and clarify the issues under consideration; (b) assist participants to communicate and exchange relevant information; (c) invite the clarification of issues and disputes to increase the range of options; (d) provide opportunities for understanding; (e) facilitate an awareness of mutual and 10
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individual interests; (f ) help the participants generate and evaluate various options; and (g) promote a focus on the interests and needs of those who may be subject to, or affected by, the situation and proposed options. ■ Mediators do not advise upon, evaluate or determine disputes. They assist in managing the process of dispute and conflict resolution whereby the participants agree upon the outcomes, when appropriate. Mediation is essentially a process that maximises the self determination of the participants. The principle of self determination requires that mediation processes be non-directive as to content. As soon as the manager becomes aware that conflict exists, the persons involved should be informed that he/she is aware of the conflict and that the organisation will be engaging an independent workplace mediator to assist the parties in resolving the conflict. An outline of the issues should be provided to the mediator by the parties. It is preferable that the mediation be conducted away from the premises in which the parties work. This adds to the independence of the process and provides privacy for the parties.
There is no set procedure for the conduct of the mediation and not all mediators conduct their mediations in the same manner. However, it is important that the parties know from the start how the mediator proposes to conduct the mediation and to obtain the approval of the parties. It is also important for the mediator to obtain the confidence of the parties before commencing the mediation. A friendly chat over a cup of tea or coffee is always a good start and can greatly assist in gaining their confidence and a strong indication that the mediator is truly independent. If at the conclusion of the mediation a resolution has been achieved, the terms of such agreement should be committed to writing and signed by the parties to the mediation. Workplace Solutions at Carroll and O’Dea is able to provide workplace mediation services through its accredited mediator Mr Mick Sheils, OAM, who received recognition for his work in industrial relations in the most recent Order of Australia Honours List. Mr Sheils is a skilled mediator with many years’ experience in resolving workplace disputation. He is available at short notice and can be contacted direct on 02 8226 7338 or by contacting Peter Punch on 02 9291 7177.
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FRONTLINE INTELLIGENCE
corporate health
Chris Rabba is General Manager, Peak Health Management, part of Bupa
Promoting workplace health A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce. And the range of health initiatives available for employers and in the workplace is ever increasing. Pamphlets, seminars, gym memberships, flu vaccinations, counselling and other programs all achieve varying degrees of participation1 … but why is health promotion in the workplace so important, and how do you get your employees to ‘get with the program’? The workplace can have a positive impact on our physical, mental, economic and social well-being, as well as those of our families. Promoting good health is in everyone’s best interests: it boosts job satisfaction and morale, improves employee engagement, and the resultant increased productivity helps management meet performance goals.
ABOUT WORKPLACE HEALTH PROMOTION
According to the World Health Organisation, workplace health promotion can be defined as the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and wellbeing of workers, and there are lots of ways that it can be implemented.2 Workplace health promotion goes beyond just reducing the incidence of workplace accidents and injuries and Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). It has been well established that for an organisation to remain as productive as most organisations would want, it must pay attention to and maintain the health, job satisfaction and morale of its employees.1 Poor health is costly to business,1 so in this regard, the boundaries between health practices at work and health practices outside work become blurred and the responsibility for working towards better health becomes a shared mission between the employer and employee, for the benefit of both.1 In January 2011 the Business Council of Australia released figures quantifying the productivity loss associated with absenteeism at $7bn per annum, while presenteeism was shown to be costing business in the order of $18–25bn per annum.3 Furthermore, with the rate of chronic illness in our society, based on known risk factors and current incidence, projected to grow between 15% (mental illness) and 230% (type 2 diabetes)3 it can only become of increasing importance.
Research has shown there is a large potential opportunity for cost savings to business, government and society when risk factors are reduced and disease is avoided. Over the lifetime of the 2008 Australian adult population, opportunity cost savings were estimated at $2,334m.4
BRING HEALTH TO YOUR WORKPLACE
A workplace health program must be tailor-made to suit your organisational needs, and be designed with your workforce in mind. Many factors will determine the health risks you need to be aware of, depending on where people work (indoors or outdoors), how people work (physically or at desk jobs), when people work (shiftwork, paid overtime or unpaid overtime). Consider the WHERE, WHEN and HOW of your employees’ jobs when designing workplace health programs, to maximise the impact of your health and wellbeing program:
HEALTH PROMOTION–THE BENEFITS
A good workplace health strategy will synergise with existing OH&S practices, to form a two-pronged approach. For example, if employees are already offered sunglasses, sunhats and sunscreen when working outdoors to prevent skin cancer and other harmful UV effects, employers can embrace an interactive workplace health program by also offering skin cancer screening as a further means of prevention within an even broader health check context. Consider the costs of implementing an annual skin, blood pressure and diabetes check for a worker over their working lifetime, compared with the costs of sick leave, absenteeism and staff replacement due to ill-health. Even a single day saved more than compensates for the cost of the health check. 12
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References 1. Scanes L, Evidence shows workplace health promotion works - But how do you get your employees to attend? qrc.org.au/conference/_dbase_upl/03_spk013_Scanes.pdf 2. World Health Organisation. Occupational Health: Workplace Health Promotion. 2011. who.int/ occupational_health/topics/workplace/en/index1.html 3. Business Council of Australia. Using Microeconomic reform to deliver patient-centred health care. bca. com.au 4. Cadilhac DA, Magnus A, Cumming T, Sheppard L, Pearce D, and Carter R. The Health and Economic Benefits of Reducing Disease Risk Factors, Research Report, VicHealth, Melbourne. 2009. vichealth.vic.gov.au/~/ media/ResourceCentre/PublicationsandResources/Knowledge/Research%20Report_FINAL_July09.ashx This information should be used as a guide only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical or other health professional advice.
PROFILE HILARY LAMB
hr at crossmark
HR from the
GRASSROOTS
up
2011 was a tough year for the retail sector, which makes the role of CROSSMARK, a sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, even more important. It’s no surprise the company itself has grown in response to demand. This month’s profiled professional talks about HR’s role in this expansion
It may be the ultimate dream of any professional, especially a HR professional, to start a function afresh, without the burden of past mistakes or legacies or set-in-stone structures. Starting an HR department from scratch is an opportunity that only comes up so often, but it’s an experience that Hilary Lamb, director of human resources, people and culture at CROSSMARK, recalls with relish. Rewinding the clock back to August 2000, and following roles as a field manager, key account manager and national sales training manager in the FMCG industry, Lamb decided on a career change. She explains: “At that time I accepted a role with the retail marketing company, The Marketing Department [TMD]. Initially, it was intended to be a training role, but it quickly became apparent that there was a real need in the expanding business for a HR person – and I was it!” Fortunately, Lamb had undertaken training, development and recruitment tasks in previous roles, so she felt she “wasn’t completely out of depth”. However, she recognised she had the responsibility to provide much more than that, so commenced the process by interviewing the key stakeholders of the business to determine the most pressing needs and priorities, while
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undertaking some targeted study to enhance her own skills. “My ace in the hole was that the managing directors within the company fully supported the development of the HR department and were encouraging of the initiatives I wanted to implement,” she explains. “However, some of our associates didn’t immediately recognise the benefit of structured policies and procedures and regular performance reviews.” She adds that the rewards came over time, particularly after TMD had initiated company-wide training programs, which led to changed behaviours in the business and an eagerness for more learning. After a year or so, Lamb was able to employ a HR executive, and from those beginnings the team now consists of four people in Australia, and one in New Zealand. “It has been an extraordinary journey, building a company from 80 to 1,000 staff over just eight years. The successful growth of the department brought me immense pleasure and satisfaction,” Lamb says. And the upward progress is continuing. Following the acquisition of TMD by CROSSMARK, the company now has over 2,000 staff working in stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Pulch Photography, pulchphotography.com
Personal file: Hilary Lamb Family: I have a very patient husband who puts up with my business and sporting absences from home; two married sons with beautiful partners, and a very little, gorgeous granddaughter. Blessed indeed! Favourite sports: I have represented Australia three times in the past year at international level in the Dragon Boat World Championships. Favourite movie or TV show: I don’t get a lot of time to watch TV, but when I do, I enjoy ‘whodunits’, my favourites being Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren and Silent Witness. The movie I enjoyed most recently was Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – now I have to read the book! Best advice ever received: The best piece of advice I ever received was to ‘write down your goals’. Seeing them in black and white brings them alive and makes commitment so much more likely. I try and do this annually for the different areas of my life. Self-described: I am goal-driven, competitive and passionate about helping people to achieve their goals. Hobbies: I enjoy competitive paddling of all kinds: dragonboat racing, outrigging, surf skiing and kayaking. First job and/or worst job: I took my very first job while I was studying in England and it was on the hardware counter in large department store Woolworths. They gave me no training whatsoever and I was expected to serve customers with different wires, cables, plugs, sockets, etc. I hope my uneducated advice didn’t cause any house fires!
Path to HR
Although Lamb concedes her move from marketing to sales, and finally to HR “certainly wasn’t the traditional route”, she adds that “people take different routes to reach the same destination”. She also feels her path has provided amazing insights into the challenges of client-facing roles and an understanding of what they need from HR in order to be successful. “What has worked for me may not suit everyone, but my experience leads me to recommend that HR practitioners seek the opportunity to gain experience in other business areas like finance, sales, marketing, field operations, logistics or general management. “Embrace the challenges and learn to speak the language of your internal clients. While HR is a specialist function in its own right, walking in their shoes will give you greater credibility and understanding.”
HR AT CROSSMARK
In her current role, Lamb’s broad responsibilities are to contribute to the development and delivery of business 16
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growth strategies. Her functional responsibilities encompass all of the elements at CROSSMARK that affect its associates – this includes recruitment, performance management, training and development, WHS, ER/IR, “as well as cultural custodian, company conscience and general pressure valve” Lamb adds. Lamb also manages a hosting service for CROSSMARK clients whereby the company recruits and payrolls associates on behalf of clients as required. “It’s a flexible service that is readily embraced and is growing steadily,” she explains. “I changed my job title last year to be more reflective of my responsibilities, to include the words ‘people’ and ‘culture’. It’s a role I
PROFILE HILARY LAMB
hr at crossmark absolutely love and I look forward to coming to work every day.” Her experience at CROSSMARK has also proven that in order to be truly effective, HR needs to be seamlessly integrated with all of the other departments within the company. “Standing alone, ignorant or separated from business strategies and operations, creates unnecessary barriers and diminishes our ability to support the broader business, talking their language and understanding their issues.” As a result, many of the company’s HR strategies are designed and delivered through collaboration with other departments; cross-functional project teams are common-place and Lamb notes that “participation is never lacking”. The key to that participation, she adds, is respecting the views of others and collaborating on many levels to ensure buy-in from the outset and to address business concerns during the development phase, which speeds up the implementation of initiatives. “As a support function, we are able to align closely with business and client strategies to tailor our recruitment, design performance management processes, consult on structure, develop incentive and bonus initiatives, refine
policies and procedures, and generally deliver as a strategic partner within CROSSMARK,” Lamb says. To align with the business’ and client needs requires a strong and clearly articulated focus on what people want from working with HR, and what HR needs from them. “Learning and development is at the top of both lists, and is a crucial element for our success. One of my greatest pleasures is seeing junior recruits fulfilling their aspirations, and growing into senior roles,” Lamb says.
CORE CHALLENGES
This HR partnership will stand the function in good stead for the future. Lamb says the biggest HR challenges will always lie within the core of HR work, which is people management – attracting, recruiting and retaining the right talent. Her team is challenging itself to find innovative and practical ways to employ new technology. “HR has evolved from being purely focused on staff and personnel to being more strategic, considering how staff can contribute to the business and its future. In my view HR in large and successful service companies will always have a seat at the executive table,” she concludes. More industry profiles at:
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COVER STORY HR STRATEGY
professional development
The
outside-in APPROACH
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As the number of global HR professionals climbs close to one million, the profession itself, and those around it, are asking what it means to be effective. The largest ever global study reveals that HR must work from the ‘outside in’ to meet expectations in 2012. Iain Hopkins reports on the results
2. Credible Activist. Effective HR professionals are credible activists because they build their personal trust through business acumen. Credibility comes with HR professionals who do what they promise, build personal relationships of trust, and can be relied on. Being a trusted advisor helps HR professionals have positive personal relationships. It means to communicate clear and consistent messages with integrity. As an activist, HR professionals have a point-of-view, not only about HR activities but about business demands. As activists, HR professionals learn how to influence others in a positive way through clear, consistent, and high impact communications.
3. Capability Builder. What impact are you having on the bottom line and overall business performance? Can HR be a true business partner when their direct impact on the bottom line is often muted at best? What competencies are required for HR professionals at the pointy end of business in 2012? All are valid questions and all, until this point, have had indecisive responses. In an effort to shed light on these issues, the largest global study ever on HR professionals was carried out by RBL Group and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 2011. In a nutshell, the 2012 Human Resource Competency Study, using data from more than 20,000 global respondents, found that HR managers do play an integral role in the overall effectiveness of a company’s performance. However, the study identified six areas in which HR professionals must demonstrate proficiency.
HOW DO YOU RATE?
Here is a detailed analysis of those six core competencies.
1. Strategic Positioner. High-performing HR professionals think and act from the outside-in. They are deeply knowledgeable of and able to translate external business trends into internal decisions and actions. They understand the general business conditions (eg, social, technological, economic, political, environmental, and demographic trends) that affect their industry and geography. They target and serve key customers of their organisation by identifying customer segments, knowing customer expectations, and aligning organisation actions to meet customer needs. They also co-create their organisations’ strategic responses to business conditions and customer expectations by helping frame and make strategic and organisational choices.
Capability represents what the organisation is good at and known for. HR professionals should be able to audit and invest in the creation of organisational capabilities. These capabilities outlast the behavior or performance of any individual manager or system. Capabilities have been referred to as a company’s culture, process, or identity. HR professionals should facilitate capability audits to determine the identity of the organisations. Such capabilities include customer service, speed, quality, efficiency, innovation, and collaboration. One such emerging capability of successful organisations is to create an organisation where employees find meaning and purpose at work. HR professionals can help line managers create meaning so that the capability of the organisation reflects the deeper values of the employees.
HR is not about an isolated activity – a training, communication, staffing, or compensation program – but it creates sustainable and integrated solutions” – DAVE ULRICH
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View from the top Human Capital talks to Paul Hitchcock, CEO, Corporate Express, and winner of the Australian HR Champion award at the Australian HR Awards, about what he expects from his HR team. Human Capital: What sort of relationship do you have with your HR team? Paul Hitchcock: A very close relationship, they’re my business partners. I expect them to be the change agents in our business, to help drive the change we need to deliver the results. They’re a key part of our team. HC: What sort of ROI do you look out for from HR? PH: I expect our HR team to build capability in our organisation, whether that be in leadership or sales. It’s obviously some of the hygiene factors like staff turnover and retention, but I think we need to move beyond that and expect our HR teams to be able to build capability in our organisation to differentiate us from our competitors. HC: What sort of tips do you have for other CEOs who would like to build more of a relationship with HR? PH: I think embrace HR; really understand the value HR can deliver to your business. If you’re not confident about the capability of your HR team, maybe you’ve got the wrong people. HC: Where do you see HR as a profession heading? PH: We fundamentally believe in the power of people, and the power of people can only be tapped from the top, so I think CEOs have embraced HR, brought them to the table, involved them in strategy. We’re absolutely supportive of that and encouraged by leaders who take charge and tap into their HR functions to get better results.
4. Change Champion. As change champions, HR professionals make sure that isolated and independent organisation actions are integrated and sustained through disciplined change processes. HR professionals make an organisation’s internal capacity for change match or lead the external pace of change. As change champions, HR professionals help make change happen at institutional (changing patterns), initiative (making things happen), and individual (enabling personal change) levels. To make change happen at these three levels, HR professionals play two critical roles in the change process. First, they initiate change (which means that they build a case for why change matters), overcome resistance to change, engage key stakeholders in the process of change, and articulate the decisions to start change. Second, they sustain change by institutionalising change through organisational resources, organisation structure, communication, and continual learning. As change champions, HR professionals partner to create organisations that are agile, flexible, responsive, and able to make transformation happen in ways that create sustainable value.
5. Human Resource Innovator and Integrator. Effective HR professionals know the historical research on HR so that they can innovate and integrate HR practices into unified solutions to solve future business problems. They must know latest insights on key HR practice areas related to human capital (talent sourcing, talent development), performance accountability (appraisal, rewards), organisation design (teamwork, organisation development), and communication. They must also be able to turn these unique HR practice areas into integrated solutions, generally around an organisation’s leadership brand. These innovative and integrated HR practices then result in high impact on business results by ensuring that HR practices maintain their focus over the long run and do not become seduced by HR ‘flavour the month’ or by another firm’s ‘best practices’.
6. Technology Proponent. In recent years, technology has changed the way HR people think and do their administrative and strategic work. At a basic level, HR professionals need to use technology to more efficiently deliver HR administrative systems like benefits, payroll processing, healthcare costs, and other administrative services. In addition, HR professionals need to use technology to help people stay connected with each other. This means that technology plays an increasingly important role in improving communications, doing administrative work more
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COVER STORY HR STRATEGY
professional development efficiently, and connecting inside employees to outside customers. As technology exponents HR professionals have to access, advocate, analyse and align technology for information, efficiency, and relationships.
THE TIME IS NOW
As any HR professional will attest to, each and every one of the competencies listed are significant challenges. Last year, when Human Capital spoke with Robert Orth, director of human resources at IBM Australia and New Zealand, he alluded to the difficult role the modern HRD finds themselves in: “I saw a magazine article a few years ago that said HR professionals are the future CEOs of the company because of the range of areas they must be across. I photocopied that article and sent it up to the boss – but he didn’t write back! But I think it’s more true now than ever before. An HR person isn’t like a super manager who has to know all the processes and procedures. But we must have a good business head, as well as our own expertise. We’ve got to step up and bring that to the table.” Shaking off their “head in the silo” reputation, today’s HR professionals are indeed proving they have the intellectual horsepower to pull it off – yet, according to
Dave Ulrich, partner and founder of the RBL Group and professor at Michigan Ross, it’s not quite as clear cut as it might seem. Ulrich finds that there is a 20/60/20 spread in terms of HR competency: 20% of HR professionals have the horsepower (intellectual, emotional, social) to pull off and deliver on these six competencies; 20% will never get there; and 60% can get there through personal and institutional development. Of the 20% who will never get there, critics of HR have often said that part of the problem may lie in the low barrier to entry to the profession. Perhaps HR needs to take a leaf out of other professions like accounting or legal, and mandate continuous professional development? Ulrich doesn’t believe this is the answer. “It’s good to have a standard or accreditation to enter a profession, similar to law, psychology, etc. However, we should note that passing the licensing exam for a profession does not mean one is a good professional. Our six
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COVER STORY HR STRATEGY
professional development The HR industry has to make better use of people data. We spend a lot of time as an organisation assessing our metrics but I’m not referring to past tense, I mean looking at future trends” – ALEC BASHINSKY competencies define what it means to be effective after one has met the licensing requirements.” For Alec Bashinsky, national partner, people and performance at Deloitte, it’s time to turn aspirations – to be a business partner or HR strategist – into action. “There’s a lot of HR professionals out there talking about wanting to be a HR strategist, and I think that’s really important, but the first thing they need to do is actually understand the business, go and talk to the business leader, find out what the growth strategies are, find out what the broader workforce management plan is, and then help build the internal performance capabilities.” Bashinksy believes too many young people entering the profession want to be in HR because they like dealing with people. His response? Become a social worker instead. “Really understanding the business and having a passion for helping leaders drive their business and to grow it – that’s really what HR is about today,” he says. The study indicates that it’s something of a myth that HR has limited impact on bottom line results. The performance of the organisation, in so many ways, can be impacted by HR. Ulrich believes it’s time, once and for all, to lay this myth to bed. He notes that HR professionals, practices, and departments deliver value through individual ability (talent), organisation capability (culture), and
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leadership. These internal organisation outcomes (talent, culture, leadership) enable organisations to anticipate and serve customers, meet and exceed shareholder expectations, and ensure sustainable community reputation. “Many discussions of HR begin with a clear sense of the outcomes of HR and how they deliver value. We’re talking lately about HR from the outside/in which focuses on the value HR creates for those outside the organisation,” he says.
TEAMWORK THE KEY
Clearly very few professionals would hold all six of those competencies in their current skills arsenal. For this reason, the study co-director and RBL Group partner Jon Younger commented that HR professionals must work together to best drive business results. “The strategy, organisation and actions of an HR department explain about three to four times the performance of the business than the competencies of individual HR professionals,” he said. Ulrich adds that this is consistent with team sports where the leading scorer is on the winning team about 15–25% of the time. The study found that building high performing teams requires four elements: • Clear and compelling purpose so that the team knows what they are working to accomplish • Shared governance so that the team has the right members, makes decisions, and manages itself well • Positive and affirming relationships so that team members care for each other and manage conflict well • Open to learning so that the team constantly improves. When asked at the Australian HR Awards for his thoughts on what makes for a great HR team, Bashinsky noted the following: “Firstly you’ve got to find the right talent. I’ve been very fortunate to have, particularly with my leadership team, about 9–10 very, very good leaders. Then it’s about empowering and trusting. Sometimes you’ve got to hold the reins a little bit tighter, depending on where the organisation is, but there are other occasions where you’ve got to really support them in their innovations.” Bashinsky pointed to specific innovations such as Deloitte’s adoption of social media, and the recruitment team’s work in presenting the company in front of young graduates. However, there are un-sung heroes in his team. “My un-sung heroes are the HR professionals within the business units who are dealing with the issues on a day-to-day basis, providing advice on engagement and performance and those sorts of things. When you bring all of that together that’s really how an effective team runs – but you really have to have found the right talent in the first place.”
WHERE TO NEXT?
Although HR’s presence on the executive team is now accepted in most companies, there seems to be some confusion as to where the profession should go next. The RBL Group/Michigan Ross research highlights the concept of ‘past future’: HR should respect its heritage but shape a future. This also ties with the outside-in view of HR, which aims to capture its role in delivering more value not only to employees inside the company, but investors, customers, and communities outside the organisation. When HR connects to those outside the organisation, it is more sustainable because it’s woven into the fabric of the organisation. “HR is not about an isolated activity – a training, communication, staffing, or compensation program – but creates sustainable and integrated solutions,” Ulrich says. “We’re writing about leadership sustainability lately in that leaders need to know not only why they should change and what they should change to, but how to make sure that those changes work.” Bashinsky believes that HR will become more sustainable by focusing on data and metrics, in the same way that other business divisions look at economic data and forecasting around prices, trends and so on.
“The HR industry has to make better use of people data. We spend a lot of time as an organisation assessing our metrics but I’m not referring to past tense, I mean looking at future trends. What’s happening in certain workforce areas, how do our people want to work and how can we build organisations to support that?” Craig Mason, managing director of specialist HR recruitment firm The Next Step, says that overwhelmingly HR professionals are looking for a role where they can take a concept or an idea, then design and develop it, execute on it and evaluate it. “That’s not just for personal satisfaction,” he says. “It’s also for people to know: ‘that’s my ability – I personally took something from the concept and I took it right through’. When sitting in front of a potential employer or a current employer I can say that I have delivered and have been able to execute for a specific business outcome.”
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COVER STORY HR STRATEGY
professional development
WORDS INTO ACTION –
the ultimate ‘action’ guide for HR
So what does HR need to do to have greater impact? Here’s a comprehensive nine-step guide:
1
Replace self-doubt with self-confidence For too many years, HR professionals have lamented their image and role as administrators, policy police, and bureaucrats. They wanted to be at the table where key business decisions were made. HR professionals can definitely be at the table if they demonstrate the right competencies. Those who lament not being included in key decisions are, in effect, blaming others for their own lack of what it takes to contribute. Feeling victimised is a waste of energy; better to direct effort towards mastering the competencies we have identified and get on with growing their contribution.
2
Develop an inside and outside view Value is defined by the receiver more than the giver, and too often the only perceived ‘receivers’ of HR are employees and line managers inside the organisation. HR professionals are often asked, “Who are your customers?” All too frequently, the answer is, “Employees throughout the company”. True, but not complete. RBL Group has found that the best HR departments focused equally on those inside the company (employees and line managers) and those outside the company (customers, investors, and communities). HR professionals can and should bring investor and customer data to strategy discussions. They can link their programs and activities with those outside the firm as well as those inside the firm. They are not just the designers and developers of HR policies and practices that affect employees, but business people whose practices affect all stakeholders. As we look to the future, those stakeholders will increasingly include investors, customers, communities, and partners (joint venture alliances) where HR professionals connect what happens inside their organisations with stakeholders outside.
3
Share accountability for people and organisation with line managers RBL Group found that for the most part HR professionals and non-HR respondents had similar views of HR excellence – with a couple of major exceptions. First, non-HR respondents included rewards in the equation for talent manager/organisation designer; HR professionals did not include rewards in this equation. RBL Group sides
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with the non-HR respondents. Performance measures, rewards, and benefits should not be excluded from other talent and organisation design practices. Hiring and training people on one set of criteria, then paying them on another only creates confusion. The second area where non-HR associates differed somewhat from HR participants is the use of customer information. Non-HR associates tended to see HR professionals needing to be more aligned with external customers.
4
Focus on individuals and organisations (not one or the other) It’s well known that great individual talent without a strong organisation will not endure. It is tempting to make HR professionals solely the guardians of talent. Terms like human capital, competencies, intellectual capital, talentship, workforce planning, and people processes all focus on talent. Much of the theory and logic of HR comes from psychology, where the focus is on the individual. People are important, and talent, human capital, and workforce planning are essential for the success of any company. But if the talent within an organisation doesn’t embody and perpetuate the right organisational capability, HR professionals have not done their jobs. All-star teams could seldom beat well-organised teams – and the game of business is mostly a team sport.
5
Serve people and deliver on business results The synthesis of our research suggests that if/when HR professionals become masters on the people axis, but not on the business axis, they have a skewed and flawed view of their world. They care about people more than business. HR professionals need to understand business and make business results happen. To contribute to business, HR professionals must become Business allies. HR professionals who want to contribute must speak the language of their respective businesses.
6
Accomplish both transactional and transformational work HR departments have more impact on the business when they manage three areas of HR: organisation, talent, and administration. While organisation and talent have a higher correlation to business results in our research, the administrative work also matters. In the operational executor domain, we found that HR professionals need to ensure that technology and HR policies are executed
flawlessly. HR professionals need to be able to deliver on day-to-day plans while also configuring long-term strategies. But getting work done well and doing work well are two different things. Doing the work well is as critical as getting the work done. It is not as critical to do the work as to ensure that it is done well.
7
Shift from politics to collaboration At the heart of the credible activist domain is the ability to perform work with integrity. Integrity means having and living a personal standard of ethics. It also means building trust and credibility into each interaction. Too often, differences of opinion among people or departments lead to political infighting either among those in HR or between different departments. HR need to model how to work together to create organisations that win. While HR can offer any staff group insights on its talent and capability, it can partner with certain staff groups in specific ways. For example, with marketing, HR can help turn a firm brand into an organisation culture; with finance, HR can help define the intangibles that investors value in measurable ways; with IT, HR can make sure that enterprise-wide systems are implemented and that data is used for decision making.
8
Support others and have a point of view In the movie The Candidate, a long shot won the election and became senator. Then, with a frightened look on his face, he asked, ‘Now what do we do?’ Getting invited to participate in strategic decision making is easier than contributing to it. HR professionals need to come to meetings informed and able to engage in the give-and-take of decision-making. They need to stop playing the stereotypical role of ‘speaking only when spoken to’ or offering observations only on narrowly defined HR topics. Ideally, if an outsider were observing the management team, it would not be immediately apparent who the HR professional is. At the same time, when HR issues arise, the HR professional needs to not only provide informed input to the team, but define alternative courses of action and make and defend reasoned recommendations.
9
Invest in personal growth Finally, HR professionals who succeed will be constantly learning and growing. HR professionals are often the cobbler’s children who lack good shoes. While designing training and development experiences for others, HR professionals often under-invest in themselves.
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HR SKILLS
IR and negotiation
Back to the
DRAWING BOARD Where else can HR be adding value to an organisation in 2012? In Australia, there is one issue in particular that HR need to be focusing on: IR and its accompanying negotiation skills
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EA negotiation time: Prep work
Throughout 2011, experts warned that IR is set to remain firmly on the agenda in 2012 and beyond, and advised that it was timely to look back on the lessons learnt from past disputes and how HR could assist in key negotiations. Graham Bradley, chairman of HSBC, Anglo American Australia and the departing head of the Business Council of Australia, recently told ABC that IR was the single biggest issue to get right in 2012, for a plethora of reasons, including improving business productivity, competitiveness, and upholding reputation. Bradley added that the Business Council viewed IR as a looming problem for the country, because it directly reflects on Australia’s reputation as a reliable place to do business and as a supplier. Allan Drake-Brockman, partner at DLA Piper, told HC he sees the “brutal process” of strikes and lockouts continuing to increase in 2012, but adds that HR can play an important role in mitigating IR disputes. The most important role for HR, Drake-Brockman says, is to maintain the employer-employee relationship by keeping the lines of communication flowing. “It’s simple stuff really – keep the promises and maintain a transparent communication.” In terms of outsourcing the negotiating process to IR lawyers and professionals, Drake-Brockman says it depends on the size of the organisation – but the main thing is to have clear objectives, and a consistent approach.
Statistics from Fair Work Australia (FWA) and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations indicate that the use of enterprise bargaining is expanding. As at March 2011, there were about 25,000 enterprise agreements in force covering around 2.5 million employees, about 500,000 employees more than one year earlier. Around 50% of all agreements were in the building and construction, manufacturing, or retail industries. The vast majority of agreements are single-enterprise ones, with around 7% of those lodged in the past year being Greenfields agreements, and only about 1% being multi-employer agreements. While much of the attention of recent times has been on what happens once the parties get to the bargaining table, the groundwork for a successful negotiation is laid well in advance. Tammy Tansley, principal of Tammy Tansley Consulting, provides her top 10 tips: 1. Start internal preparations well in advance of the nominal expiry date of the current agreement. All too often, managers start thinking about the negotiation process months or even weeks before the current agreement is due to expire and find that there is insufficient time for proper planning, stakeholder consultation and budgeting/modelling 2. Plan, plan, plan… What does your business look like now and what will it look like in the next 5–10 years? What is your business strategy? What impact does that have on the way you need to run the business? What industry, social and legislative trends are likely to impact? 3. Does your agreement provide the flexibility to enable those changes? Your agreement should be an enabler and not hinder to progress. 4. Consider what employees are likely to be looking for out of an agreement. How can a win-win scenario best
be achieved? Consider the way you engage employees and how you can understand what is important to them. 5. Have any proposed or anticipated changes been modelled to determine the impact on financials? What are the budget implications? Have decisions been evidence based or are they perception based? 6. Have all stakeholders been consulted and signed off on the strategy? 7. Do you have a clear negotiation strategy? Do you know what are ‘must haves’, what can be traded, and what can be conceded? Would you like to try an alternative to “position bargaining” such as “interest bargaining” etc? Has there been any contingency planning? 8. Is the negotiating team well trained on both the provisions of the Act and negotiation skills? 9. What communication strategy is in place to effectively communicate with employees prior, during and post the negotiations, and does it comply with the Act? 10. Treat the bargaining process as one step in a continuing cycle, not a one-off event. As soon as negotiations conclude, there should be a post negotiation debrief (what went well, what not so well, what can we learn for future). Are managers, union delegates, payroll and employees well briefed on the content of the new agreement so that there is consistency of understanding? If there are changes introduced during the life of the agreement what steps are in place to ensure that they happen and are monitored as agreed? Being clear on what is important for both your business and employees and planning and communicating appropriately will help to ensure that the negotiation process is a win-win for both parties rather than an event to be dreaded every three years.
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HR SKILLS
IR and negotiation Employees involved in disputes 120
BRETT on 02 Aug 2011 01:14 PM I think HR is a general term with so many different areas of knowledge required. I think the best way forward is to speacialise, yet still have the general type people and managers, but then break into speacialised groups such as OHS, Workers Comp and IR/ER.
MARK SHAW on 04 Aug 2011 10:03 AM After 30 years in HR (including the wide range of roles Brett refers to), my view is HR should be about “Solving People Problems”. If you accept this, then there is indeed a range of skills required to be able to solve the right problem at the right time. Certainly having IR knowledge and skills in your professional kit bag is essential. And, as a generalised statement, in my view it’s sadly lacking in the profession. KATE CONNELLAN on 21 Aug 2011 06:33 PM I am a rare breed of young HR people who have specialised in Employee Relations in heavily unionised environments in heavy industry, thanks to a terrific mentor early in my career. I share the frustrations expressed here. I have worked as a contractor for the last few years and notice that many HR people (both seasoned and new) are so keen to earn their stripes or be in the thick of the action, that they often jump in and provide advice which is simply wrong or lacking. I have had to learn the skills to influence them to consult the specialist contractor (me) they employed to fill the gap in the business.
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80 60 40 20
Employees involved ’000
CHARLIE BROWN on 02 Aug 2011 05:34 PM It was interesting to watch HR taking on in-house IR as experts in the field were moved on. The result was IR was usually undertaken at arm’s-length and outsourced to legal firms when it became messy. For the most part the experiment has been an expensive failure. The workforce and shareholders deserve better than having this important area of expertise mishandled by well meaning but practical amateurs.
100
0 Sep 2006
Sep 2007
For the September quarter 2011, there were 66 disputes, 13 more than in the June quarter 2011.
Sep 2008
Sep 2009
The number of employees involved in industrial disputes in the September quarter 2011 was 66,400, an increase from 14,700 in the June quarter 2011.
“If the employer has excellent policies and procedures in place, [if they] follow a fair and transparent procedure, and find it cannot be resolved at a workplace level, that’s the point when they may need to ask for specialist assistance,” Drake-Brockman says.
SKILLS LACKING
However, there is ongoing debate around whether HR practitioners are equipped to deal with IR issues. Craig Mason, managing director of The Next Step, has noticed not only a dearth of young talent moving into specialist roles like IR (which thus creates a talent vacuum down the line), but also a reluctance in general for HR professionals to brush up on their IR skills. “A significant number of people now understand that IR is an area in reasonable demand – and the market is demanding those skills – yet there are only a small amount of people who want to develop their skills in that area.” These sentiments are echoed by Dr Paul Gollan, expert in HR management, employment and IR from Macquarie University, who says that due to a lack of IR in HR tertiary courses throughout previous years, “many HR managers have had little experience when it comes to fundamental principles”. “In some ways that [lack of IR knowledge] has contributed to the disputes we are seeing today,” he says.
Sep 2010
Sep 2011
There were 101,300 working days lost due to industrial disputation in the September quarter 2011, an increase from 66,200 in the June quarter 2011.
Gollan adds that in many cases industrial lawyers have taken over the whole function of dealing with all IR issues. Yet if HR were better equipped to handle industrial disputes, “a lot of these issues could be settled or addressed before getting more expensive and travelling up the legal echelons”, he says. He claims that 90% of disputes can be resolved or at least managed, but during the Howard years of government, WorkChoices and management did not allow for the capacity to deal with these disputes at work place level. During this time, many universities scrapped their IR courses from the list of core management studies. But as a result of the return to Labor leadership, and more open discussion with unions, “an interesting development is that we’re now seeing a huge take-up in the study of IR”, Gollan says. After IR slipping off the radar for many years, some universities are
Source: ABS – Industrial Disputes, Australia, Sep 2011
Readers’ comments
bringing those studies back, with many mature students returning for further studies in the field. “Quite obviously they’re in [HR] fields and have found they need to get those skills,” Gollan adds. “There will always be IR disputes. But for HR the trick is managing the negative impacts. Reaching compromises that are acceptable to both parties takes a lot of expertise and experience,” Gollan says. When it comes to strategies that HR managers can implement, Gollan suggests studying up on theoretical foundations of IR, such as why unions act in certain ways. From there, he advises: Use role plays with certain objectives. Practice how to achieve end goals from a strategic point of view. Try to understand the motivations of both parties. Can the dispute be resolved in another way other than withdrawing labour? Remember that unions look after their members and see themselves as guardians on issues such as OHS. When there is a lack of capacity on the business side to understand unions and their motivations, there will be difficulty reaching a common ground. Always attempt to douse IR fires at the workplace level before they rage out of control.
There will always be IR disputes. But for HR the trick is managing the negative impacts. Compromises acceptable to all parties needs both expertise and experience – PAUL GOLLAN
HR professionals interested in learning more about negotiating enterprise agreements, preventing, managing and resolving industrial disputes and other key HR skills are urged to attend the HR Masterclass Series, 3 May 2012 at Stamford Plaza Brisbane. Visit toptalent. hcamag.com for further information
HCAMAG.COM 29
LEADERSHIP INSIGHT
top tips
Leonie Curtis-Kempnich Director Training and Course Development, Leadership Success (02) 80690370 lstraining.com.au
Soft Skills:
Fluffy stuff? I think not Do the employees of your organisation walk through the door each morning having made the decision to work hard and give their best today? Employee discretionary effort is a vital component of an organisation’s success. The term discretionary effort describes the extra effort that your employees choose to put into their working day rather than just the minimum expected standard. Things like solving problems, taking ownership, contributing bright ideas with their intellectual capital, looking for improvements to current processes and staying back to complete an urgent task even though there may be no extra pay involved. So how do we encourage discretionary effort? A recent report, commissioned by Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA), titled Australia Cultural Imprints at Work 2010 and Beyond, looked specifically at this question. This report took results from an earlier study and went a step further to look at what employees need from their leader in Australia today. It was concluded that the findings from the initial study, conducted during the 1990s, were still very relevant and so should be used to inform the leadership in Australia today. The first study devised a model, divided into four quadrants, which shows the interacting forces that impact on relationships and identity in the workplace. This has since become commonly described as the ‘Volunteer Model’. The report explains this quaternity on page 9, as depicting ‘two key interacting forces that impact on relationships and identity. They are the capacity “to feel” or “to deny feeling” (the extent to which we are able to be reached or influenced), and that state of being either “happy/contented” or “sad”. Depending on the balance between this interacting “tension”, we move from Volunteer – available to listen, contribute positively, 30
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Leadership programs must contain opportunities to develop soft skills and the implementation of these soft skills maximise discretionary effort, interact with good intent; to Whinger – predominantly see only the negative, recruit fellow whingers, be “pissed off”; to Survivor – do the minimum, play the game, withdraw discretionary effort; to Prisoner – stuck, in pain, undertake relationship or task sabotage.’ So what does this mean for employers in practical terms? Well simply put, you want all of your employees to be ‘Volunteers’. Extra discretionary effort and higher moral goes a long way in any organisation. But the responsibility lies with the leaders. They need to develop the necessary soft skills to make their staff feel valued and their extra efforts recognised and appreciated. If not, those ‘Volunteers’ may withdraw their discretionary effort and slide into one of the other quadrants of the model, leaving the employer with unmotivated and unproductive staff. Implications for today’s leadership in Australia The so called ‘soft skills’ often described as the fluffy stuff, need to be taken seriously. For
employees to be in the volunteer quadrant they need a leader who displays the following soft skills: • Is concerned about their welfare and is closely involved with them at all times • Gives security and nurtures • Listens to their ideas and appreciates their input • Communicates clearly and honestly and keeps them informed about the all that is happening • Is fair-dinkum and ensures they display who they really are clearly and transparently so that their team members trust them • Is consistent and always sticks to their principles • Can be firm and decisive or wavering to suit the situation • Is able to deliver acknowledgment and feedback in a way that suits the situation and the person • Effectively manages the fine balance between close support and support at a distance • Finely balances the allowance to let employees act on their own accord while monitoring in order to step in when necessary to reduce the chance of failure • Teaches and encourages What does this mean for the planning of leadership development in an organisation? Ensure that the leadership development program contains opportunities for the development of soft skills and the ongoing implementation of the soft skills. Ensure that the direct managers are supportive and is prepared to foster the development of these skills. Finally, ensure that the executive managers realise the importance of the use of soft skills to the success of an organisation. This report is worth a read in its entirety and can be found at www.ibsa.org.au under News & Projects/ Reports and Publications
NATIONAL
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
OFFICIALSHOWGUIDE SYDNEY | 28-29 MARCH www.hrsummit.com.au
Day One
WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH 2012 1:00pm Networking lunch in the Expo Hall
8:30am WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS FROM THE CHAIR Layne Beachley, world champion surfer & leader Presentation of the HR Summit Outstanding HR Leadership Award
2:00pm TERMINATIONS: DEALING WITH PERFORMANCE, REDUNDANCY AND BAD FITS Terminating an employee’s employment should be done carefully. Before deciding to terminate someone’s employment make sure you understand your obligations under their employment contract, award or agreement. This session examines the legal hazards associated terminating the employment relationship and provides a road map for best practices on the following complex issues:
9:00am UNLOCKING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR WORKFORCE: HILTI’S
CASE STUDY
JOURNEY IN BECOMING THE ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ EMPLOYER
This year, Hilti Australia was named ‘Best of the Best’ in Aon Hewitt’s Best Employer accreditation program. This honour was earned through Hilti’s leadership commitment to their people and the development of a compelling business strategy that is reflected in HR practice. In this case study session, hear about how Hilti employees understand their value in organisational strategy. Learn how Hilti has built a high-performance and high-engagement corporate culture that champions other organisations.
LEGAL UPDATE
8:00am Registration & Expo Hall opens
• • • • •
Jan Pacas, managing director, Hilti Australia 10:00am THE FUTURE OF THE HR PROFESSION - HR’S EVOLUTION FROM The role of the HR professional is evolving. Strides have been made to promote HR from a personnel function to part of overall business strategy but for HR professionals to be viewed as real business partners, they must be able to provide advice that will improve organisational capability. In this session, hear from an experienced HR leader on how the role of HR is changing and how you can add value to your organisation within your role. Richard Laidlaw, general manager, human resources – commercial property, Stockland
Joydeep Hor, managing principal, People + Culture Strategies 2:45pm EMPOWERING EMPLOYEES THROUGH ONLINE LEARNING In the first decade of this new millennium the world market for e-learning grew over 2600% and if anything, growth today is accelerating. Moreover, e-learning is developing and changing as fast as it is growing. As we enter the new decade we see many new technologies emerging; we see changes in the way e-learning is delivered; we see changes in how, when and where people learn. This session will examine the key factors behind the rise of e-learning and provide a futuristic perspective on new technologies that will shape e-learning over the coming decade. Explore:
EXPERT COMMENTARY
INDUSTRY COMMENTARY
FUNCTION FULFILMENT TO STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNER
10:45am Refreshments & networking break in the Expo hall
CASE STUDY
Emma Hogan, director human resources, Foxtel *Winner 2011 Australian HR Team of the Year
CASE STUDY
12:15pm LEVERAGING EVP TO SHAPE A PIPELINE OF FUTURE LEADERS How do you distinguish your next generation of top performers from the rest? How do you quantify the return on investment from selecting the right talent? In this session, hear from a leading HR Director on the top skills needed to grow a pipeline of top talent. • • • • • • • •
Determine the best leadership style for your organisation Identify current and potential leaders within the team Pinpoint leadership gaps Develop succession plans for critical roles Set career-planning goals for potential leaders Create a skills roadmap for future leaders Build a retention program for current and future leaders Learn how to build a strong EVP (Employee Value Proposition) brand identity and impact retention
Justin Miles, general manager HR, Fonterra ANZ 32
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• The factors behind the explosion in e-learning since 2000 • Mobile learning – What does it mean and how will we use it? • Social learning – What is it and how might it form part of a learning strategy? • The emergence of serious gaming – Isn’t that an oxymoron? Tim Legge, CEO, Learning Seat
3:30pm Refreshments & networking break in the Expo hall 4:15pm LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE This session explores raw emotional ability in four dimensions – recognising, using, understanding and managing, and their impact on behaviour and performance. It looks at a set of emotional skills both experiential and strategic. The session explores:
WORKSHOP
11:30am POWERING GREAT PERFORMANCE: THE ESSENTIALS OF AN EFFECTIVE HR TEAM This dynamic session will uncover how Foxtel has worked with the business to drive culture change and improved performance. • Understand the role of the HR team in contributing to business decisions • Learn how to overcome obstacles and business issues in the internal and external environment • Gain insight on how the team delivers consistent excellent advice, service and information • Hear about the success of recruitment, employee engagement, learning and development and change management strategies • Discover how the team reaches beyond daily tasks and achieve broader strategic HR objectives
Preparing the proof for termination Understanding the legal obligations to the employee Issuing genuine redundancies Addressing Unfair Dismissal claims Dealing with Bad Fits: When Employers and Employees Collide
• The Four Branch Model (MSCEIT) • Pragmatic wrap of assessing ability • Problem solving, working with emotions Jim Grant, founding partner, Dattner Grant
5:00pm Networking drinks for all attendees in the Expo Hall (free to attend) All attendees will receive an Expo Passport at the registration desk and are encouraged to visit exhibitor booths and collect stamps. Return your completed Passport to the registration desk by 1pm on Day 2 for a chance to win a grand prize. The prize will be awarded at 1:30pm on Day 2.
EXPOORT P PAS2S012
MAIN CONFERENCE AGENDA THURSDAY 29 MARCH 2012 8:00am Registration & Expo Hall opens 9:00am WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS FROM THE CHAIR
• The important elements of a successful CEO/HR relationship, including how trust is built • Learn what CEOs want from HR in terms of metrics and performance results and keeping the pulse of a strong corporate culture This dynamic session examines the strategic partnership between CEO & HR and their alignment toward people as their best asset Brian Bissaker, CEO, Colonial First State & Kate Rimer, general manager wealth management human resources, Commonwealth Bank
Vaughan Paul, HR director, Optus 10:45am Refreshments & networking break in the expo hall
PANEL DISCUSSION
Leonie Curtis-Kempnich, CEO, Leadership Success Pty Ltd Michelle Coleman, assistant manager of workforce strategy & business improvement, Hills Shire Council Gian Carotta, learning & development leader, GE Capital Australasia
1:30pm GRAND PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCED IN THE EXPO HALL! 2:00pm HOW HR CAN DRIVE ORGANISATIONAL SUCCESS In this case study, hear from Fuji Xerox on how they are managing their best asset, their people, in driving innovation and financial revenue. • • • •
Defining engagement and understanding why it matters HR as a driver of performance Communication pathways Perfecting HR structures, operations and design
Beth Winchester, general manager human resources, Fuji Xerox 2:30
ON-BOARDING BEST PRACTICES: ENHANCING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EMPLOYEE ON DAY ONE Making a new employee to an organisation or location feel welcome and comfortable has proven to be a great retention tool. In this session, learn top tips for on-boarding new hires to ensure their assimilation into the new company and their overall success within their role. Explore: • Articulating the organisation’s mission, vision, values – The role of a company ambassador • Choosing a buddy or mentor • Creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for the new employee • Encouraging participation in corporate culture • Assessing performance – Setting weekly and monthly targets • Ensuring open and frequent communication Ronán Carolan, human resources director, Sanofi
3:00pm BUILDING SUCCESS AND PERFORMANCE ON STRONG FOUNDATIONS
POWERHOUSE SESSION
11:30am REAPING THE BENEFITS OF RTO PARTNERSHIPS When organisations partner with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in such a way as to allow internal company trainers to deliver accredited training, it enables a much greater degree of flexibility to customise course content. This means that company documentation including policies and procedures, as well as confidential information that cannot be made available to external trainers and organisations can be embedded into the training programs, making them more relevant and application focused for participants. In this panel discussion, two organisations - The Hills Shire Council and GE Capital Finance Australasia Pty Ltd will share experience and perspective on how they derive maximum benefit from such partnerships. Their chosen RTO partner, Leadership Success will also join the panel to present and discuss partnerships from an RTO perspective.
1:00pm Networking lunch in the Expo Hall
CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
10:00am IMPACT LEADERSHIP – AN OPTUS CASE STUDY The effectiveness of leaders, their alignment with business strategy and their ability to grow and develop internal talent are critical in today’s competitive industry. Through this case study session, you will learn about the Optus strategic approach to leadership development and their key components of success by engaging leaders to reinforce their values and culture and align business objectives with talent management.
Bruce Watt, managing director, DDI Australia
CASE STUDY
EXPERT COMMENTARY
9:15 am CHAMPIONING HR INITIATIVES Direct insights from the CEO and HR director on how HR impacts business strategy. In this exclusive session, learn more about:
12:15pm CLOSING THE TALENT GAP A sound talent strategy starts with a clear picture of the business outcomes you expect and defining the talent you will need to achieve the outcomes. In this session, talent management provider DDI will reveal how to: • Pinpoint current and future business drivers • Define how success will be measured • Identify gaps in the quality and quantity of talent required to execute your business drivers • Assess strengths and weaknesses in your current talent management systems and capabilities • Deliver a strategy aimed at closing your talent gaps
EXPERT COMMENTARY
Day Two
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
- THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT
Brennon Dowrick is one of Australia’s most successful gymnasts. He has represented Australia at two Olympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and seven World Championships and was Australia’s first ever gymnastics Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist in 1990, a feat he repeated in 1994. In this unique session, learn from an Olympian the skills needed to: • Gain skills in leadership coaching • Understand the long-term efforts needed to reach desired outcomes • Appreciate the importance of the process needed to achieve goals Brennon Dowrick, former olympian & motivation expert
3:30pm Conference concludes & close of Expo Hall
www.hrsummit.com.au
Day One
WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH 2012 LUNA PARK SYDNEY 12:15pm CREATING A COMPELLING, AUTHENTIC AND RELEVANT EMPLOYEE VALUE PROPOSITION • How to define your EVP and make it both authentic and compelling • Gain executive buy-in for an EVP initiative • Identify your organisation’s point of difference • Measure the impact of your EVP • Integrate your EVP throughout the talent management process
CASE STUDY
Directors Forum delegates are invited to attend the opening keynote sessions in the Ted Hopkins Room with the Main Conference delegates and will then be escorted by HR Summit staff to the Sonar Room. 8:00am Registration & Expo Hall opens 8:30am WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS FROM THE CHAIR Layne Beachley, world champion surfer & leader Presentation of the HR Summit Outstanding HR Leadership Award
Amanda Towe, HR director, Johnson & Johnson
9:00am UNLOCKING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR WORKFORCE: HILTI’S JOURNEY IN BECOMING THE ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ EMPLOYER This year, Hilti Australia was named ‘Best of the Best’ in Aon Hewitt’s Best Employer accreditation program. This honour was earned through Hilti’s leadership commitment to their people and the development of a compelling business strategy that is reflected in HR practice. In this case study session, hear about how Hilti employees understand their value in organisational strategy. Learn how Hilti has built a high-performance and high-engagement corporate culture that champions other organisations.
CASE STUDY
1:00pm Private luncheon reception for Directors Forum delegates – The Deck Restaurant, Luna Park Sydney
EXPERT COMMENTARY
2:00pm TALENT STRATEGIES FOR DRIVING BUSINESS GROWTH This session will cover the transfer of power away from the organisation to the individual and the increase in global competition within the talent space including:
Jan Pacas, managing director, Hilti Australia
INDUSTRY COMMENTARY
10:00am THE FUTURE OF THE HR PROFESSION: HR’S EVOLUTION FROM FUNCTION FULFILMENT TO STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNER The role of the HR professional is evolving. Strides have been made to promote HR from a personnel function to part of overall business strategy but for HR professionals to be viewed as real business partners, they must be able to provide advice that will improve organisational capability. In this session, hear from an experienced HR leader on how the role of HR is changing and how you can add value to your organisation within your role.
Steven Parker, practice director, talent management, Taleo Corporation
Richard Laidlaw, general manager, human resources – commercial property, Stockland
®
What is often missing is the overall business context for such change and a lack of clarity around how people can be aligned, best contribute and then be valued for their efforts around the change - this is the key for engagement and commitment. Learn from the CEO of WildWorks how successful and powerful transformations start with the leaders themselves. Michael Hall, CEO, WildWorks
EXPERT COMMENTARY
11:30am LEADING STRATEGIES FOR GAINING TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT FOR YOUR HR INITIATIVES HR directors need the support of senior management to drive people strategies and organisational change that is effective and lasting. So how can HR gain management support for their ideas? This session provides strategies to gain greater credibility with the C-Suite when pitching new initiatives. Explore: • Understanding the business • Understanding the drivers of value • Speaking the language of ROI • Being strategic across business units • Thinking like the CEO • Measuring and reporting performance
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Travis Kemp, general manager – employee benefits, Marsh
3:30pm Refreshments & networking break in the Expo hall 4:15pm SKIRTING THE PIPELINE: THE CALL FOR GENDER DIVERSITY AMONG THE C-SUITE Despite individual corporate initiatives and guidelines being in place for the ASX Top 200 companies, the federal government has decided not enough is being done – and not enough is being achieved – in terms of advancement of women and minorities in the Australian workforce. This session aims to educate organisations in their quest for more diverse work environments. Not because it is the right thing to do - but because it makes economic sense in terms of skill shortages, increased productivity and levels of innovation and customer and client strategies.
GENDER DIVERSITY
WELCOME FROM CHAIR
11:00am Welcome to the Directors Forum from the Chair Organisations want and need change leadership for many reasons: restructures, IT transformations, strategic reviews, cultural transformations, new leadership, cost-reduction programs, re-engineering projects, market shifts, regulatory changes. These intentions often struggle to deliver lasting business results, gain momentum and engage people, casting doubt on the potential success for any future change.
2:45pm MANAGING INSURANCE COST AND ENHANCING EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY Employers are faced with a myriad of workforce challenges in today’s environment. Workplace safety regulations are constantly changing and becoming more complex, workers’ compensation premiums continue to rise, there is increasing business pressure on employee performance and productivity, and competition for talented individuals has never been stronger. Marsh will discuss the relationship between occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, employee benefits and wellbeing programs as a means of growing value in your workforce whilst reducing your insurance spend.
EXPERT COMMENTARY
10:45am Refreshments & networking break Directors Forum delegates will be escorted by HR Summit staff from the Expo Hall to the Sonar Room.
Janine Stewart, group executive, people & culture, Perpetual
• Changes within the talent marketplace, such as the emergence of truly global talent pools and the growing number of specialized roles which make it more difficult to find the right people. • The key tenets of a Talent strategy, such as engagement, customer satisfaction, innovation and retention, and the need to have solid plans in place for each of those core areas. • The growing issue of Talent Mobility and the need to see it as a continuous process including the importance of instilling it in your culture. • Critical talent pipelines and the need to find the insight that you require in order to identify and develop pipelines where necessary.
Maureen Frank, founder & CEO, Emberin 5:00pm Networking drinks function for all attendees in the Expo Hall Attendees will receive an Expo Passport at the registration desk and are encouraged to visit exhibitor booths and collect stamps. Return your completed Passport to the registration desk by 1pm on Day 2 for a chance to win a grand prize. The prize will be awarded at 1:30pm on Day 2.
DIRECTORS FORUM AGENDA THURSDAY 29 MARCH 2012 Directors Forum delegates are again invited to attend the opening keynote sessions in the Ted Hopkins Room with the Main Conference delegates and will then be escorted by HR Summit staff to the Sonar Room. 9:00am OPENING REMARKS FROM THE CHAIR
EXPERT COMMENTARY
9:15am CHAMPIONING HR INITIATIVES Direct insights from the CEO and HR director on how HR impacts business strategy. In this exclusive session, learn more about: • The important elements of a successful CEO/HR relationship, including how trust is built • Learn what CEOs want from HR in terms of metrics and performance results and keeping the pulse of a strong corporate culture This dynamic session examines the strategic partnership between CEO & HR and their alignment toward people as their best asset
CASE STUDY
10:00am IMPACT LEADERSHIP – AN OPTUS CASE STUDY The effectiveness of leaders, their alignment with business strategy and their ability to grow and develop internal talent are critical in today’s competitive industry. Through this case study session, you will learn about the Optus strategic approach to leadership development and their key components of success by engaging leaders to reinforce their values and culture and align business objectives with talent management.
This session aims to provide solutions to implement toward improving employee relations, planning and implementing workplace reform, preventing, managing and resolving industrial disputes, negotiating enterprise agreements and advocacy. Nadia Taylor, director, Livingstones
1:00pm Networking lunch in the Expo Hall Attendees are encouraged to visit exhibitor booths and get their Expo Passports stamped. Passports completed by 1pm on Day 2 are eligible to be included in our grand prize. The prize will be awarded at 1:30pm on Day 2. The winner must be present to collect their prize. 1:30pm Grand Prize in the Expo Hall 2:00pm THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT JOURNEY – UNIFYING CORPORATE PROCESSES, SYSTEMS & CULTURES POST-ACQUISITION Fifty per cent of executives believe that organisational cultural differences are the main cause of failure during a merger or acquisition. When managing an M&A, a company must put a strategy in place to define the culture and unify the workforce without jeopardising the value of the newlyacquired business. There are a series of steps and strategies the leadership team should take to manage the process and various tools that can be used to define the culture of the company post-acquisition. Explore:
CASE STUDY
Brian Bissaker, CEO, Colonial First State & Kate Rimer, general manager wealth management human resources, Commonwealth Bank
®
12:15pm NEGOTIATING & MANAGING INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES A lack of industrial relations knowledge has compounded the number of industrial disputes currently. However, many disputes could be resolved before they escalate if HR was properly trained and experienced in these sensitive areas. Reaching compromises that are acceptable to both parties takes expertise, understanding and experience.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Day Two
SPONSORED BY
• Assessing the problem and identifying goals • Communicating effectively across the newly merged workforce • Maximising assets and building accountability and trust
Vaughan Paul, HR director, Optus 10:45am Refreshments & networking break Directors Forum delegates will be escorted by HR Summit staff from the Expo Hall to the Sonar Room.
Steve Reid, general manager HR – specialists & support functions, Vodafone Hutchison Australia
®
CASE STUDY
11:30am EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT • Understand HR’s role in the development and execution of a social media strategy • Clarifying ownership rights to postings • The role of social media in employee communication • Defining the consequences of inappropriate use • Understanding the risks of confidentiality issues, defamation or data protection • Best practices on accessing or restricting usage at work • Leveraging employer branding and employee engagement through an effective social media framework
2:45pm HR SKILLS: IMPACT COMMUNICATION HR directors need to deliver informative messages to employees as well as make compelling arguments to board and senior management. This HR Skills session is designed to improve communication skills to deliver compelling workplace initiatives, influence change and manage the people agenda.
EXPERT COMMENTARY
11:00am Opening remarks from the Directors Forum Chair Michael Hall, CEO, WildWorks
• • • • • •
Develop a presentation with purpose and audience profile in mind Presenting with impact Motivate, influence and entertain your audience Learn to be clear, brief and memorable Effectively engage with others through authentic conversations Become self-aware of body language that commands authority
3:30pm Conference concludes & close of Expo Hall
Alec Bashinksy, national partner, people & performance, Deloitte Australia
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HR SUMMIT 2012 SYDNEY 28-29 MARCH ALEC BASHINSKY
partner, people & performance, Deloitte Alec is a partner of People & Performance for Deloitte Australia. He leads a team of 70 people and is responsible for the people strategy for more than 2,800 employees in 13 offices across Australia. Alec’s mandate is to drive inspirational performance throughout the business. He has established leadership development, talent assessment, employee engagement and learning teams and strategies across the business to achieve these goals. Immediately prior to joining Deloitte, Alec implemented a variety of change management programs and successfully managed the people aspect of a merger for the second largest software solutions provider in the world.
LAYNE BEACHLEY
world champion surfer & leader Layne Beachley is the most successful female surfer of all time. She holds the greatest number of consecutive world titles - male or female - and achieved the title of ASP Women’s World Champion seven times over. Indeed, there is no doubt that Layne is one of Australia’s greatest athletes! Layne Beachley is also an entrepreneur and inspiration to young women across the country. She has launched her own brand of athletic clothing for women, Beachley Athletic, and in 2006 staged the richest event in women’s surfing history: the Havianas Beachley Classic at Manly Beach, Sydney. In 2003, Layne created the Aim for the Stars Foundation to help young women across Australia realize their dreams in fields as diverse as academia, sport, the arts and culture.
BRIAN BISSAKER
CEO, Colonial First State Brian joined Colonial First State in 2002 and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2006. Prior to joining Colonial First State, Brian spent eight years at BT Funds Management and worked at KPMG as a taxation and superannuation consultant. Brian holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from and is a Chartered Accountant.
MEGAN BROMLEY
employee experience manager, RedBalloon Megan’s entrepreneurial approach to employee engagement has enabled RedBalloon to be named one of six Hewitt Best Employers in 2009, achieve an engagement score of over 90% and be listed as a BRW Best Places to Work; both 3 years running. She has been recognised for excellence twice in HC Magazine’s ‘Who’s Who of HR’, and received the 2011 AHRI HR Practitioner of the Year Award.
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RONÁN CAROLAN
HR director ANZ, Sanofi Ronán, HR director, SanofiAventis, has worked at senior levels of Human Resources for the past 10 years with AMP, TOWER Australia and Australian Wealth Management. Ronan has significant experience in divestments, mergers and acquisitions and change management. In his current role, Ronan has responsibility for Australia and New Zealand and leads key regional projects for Japan Pacific. Ronan holds a Masters of Management from MGSM.
GIAN CAROTTA
learning & development leader, GE Capital Australiasia Gian is the GE Capital Operations Learning & Development Leader for NSW. Gian leads a team that deliver to the various operation businesses. He was the Regional Training Manager for Air France’s Asia Pacific Sales and Service Centre where he managed training, compliance and their RTO. Prior to moving to Air France, Gian worked for SingTel Optus in various roles including Employee Development Consultant, Senior Trainer and Trainer.
MICHELLE COLEMAN
assistant manager of workforce strategy, Hills Shire Council Michelle worked as a teacher for several years before making an unintentional move to local government where she worked as a trainer and facilitator. For the past five years Michelle has worked at The Hills Shire Council in North Western Sydney where she facilitated the development of the Council’s first Community Strategic Direction and the implementation of a framework to support the new Integrated Planning Legislation.
LEONIE CURTISKEMPNICH
CEO, Leadership Success Leonie is CEO of Leadership Success Pty Ltd. Leonie has been in the education industry for over 30 years. Starting as a primary school teacher, she then moved into the VET sector working at TAFE NSW. From there, she moved into L&D roles in industry and finally set up Leadership Success. As L&D consultant at Brady Australia, she was responsible for Brady Australia winning three training awards during 2007.
BRENNON DOWRICK
former Olympian, motivational speaker Brennon is one of Australia’s most successful gymnasts. He represented Australia at two Olympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and seven World Championships. He was Australia’s first gymnastics Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist. He also was Australia’s first Olympic Games finalist. Brennon has a journalism degree and worked with one of Australia’s leading corporations. These life experiences allow him to understand the demands of corporate life and to motivate others.
MAUREEN FRANK
founder & CEO, Emberin Founder and CEO of Emberin, Maureen, is a former Telstra Business Woman of the Year and BRW Magazine Rising Star. Maureen is passionate about helping women achieve their career goals. She is an international speaker and facilitator on gender diversity, has written a book on women’s advancement and has created my mentor - challenging women to step up to empower women and my mentor - mastering gender leadership to educate men on gender inclusivity.
JIM GRANT
founding partner, Dattner Grant Jim is a founding partner of Dattner Grant. Jim is known for his strategic thinking, extensive knowledge of international human resource practices, understanding of leadership and how organisations really tick. He has a pragmatic ability to manage complex organisational change processes and he merges a creative flair with a deep intellectual understanding of the work he does.
MICHAEL HALL
CEO, Wildworks Michael Hall is a globallyrenowned expert on engaging business transformations which deliver lasting and powerful results. He partners with executives engaging in complex or challenging organisational situations, acting as a business consultant, coach, speaker, facilitator, mentor, commentator or writer. Starting WildWorks in 2001, Michael combines more than 20 years’ global experience in business, industry, consulting and award-winning journalism to provide a unique and sought-after approach highly valued by clients. His philosophy is to help businesses and leaders help themselves by providing an independent professional service which energises, challenges and inspires people around the world.
SAMANTHA HICKEY
director, SHL Samantha has been involved in organisational psychology consulting and assessment for 10 years. She has maintained a combined role as technical specialist and business manager and has developed expertise combined with a pragmatic understanding of business realities. She combines skills in objective measurement and feedback based on structured assessment and observation, with a passion deep understanding of the application of psychology-based tools to business problems. She helps her clients through translating her specialist knowledge into practical, pragmatic solutions that engage with real-world challenges.
EMMA HOGAN
director, human resources, FOXTEL Emma Hogan has been with FOXTEL for over 4 years and holds the position of Director – People & Culture, a varied role which includes all things HR, as well as the Internal Communications function. Since 2007, Emma and her team have been responsible for partnering with the CEO and Executive Group to design and deliver an effective modern People & Culture Strategy. Prior to FOXTEL, Emma worked in various HR roles across great Australian Brands including Qantas, Woolworths and Greyhound Pioneer.
JOYDEEP HOR
managing principal, People + Culture Strategies Joydeep is the managing principal of People + Culture Strategies. He has over 14 years’ experience in advising employers on of law and strategy in workplace relations. Joydeep appears on Sky Business Channel regularly, conducts a monthly education program for lawyers on the internet (cle.tv) and is a regular presenter at HR and industry briefings. He has authored numerous books, including: Inside Employee Screening, Managing Termination of Employment, Work Choices FAQs, Fair Work Act FAQs and Finders Keepers: How to Attract and Retain Great Employees.
TRAVIS KEMP
general manager – employee benefits, Marsh Travis Kemp is General Manager of Employee Benefits at Marsh, the world’s leading insurance broker and strategic risk advisor. Marsh in Australia comprises over 1,000 employees, providing risk management, insurance broking and risk consulting services to a range of businesses, government entities, individuals and professional associations. In 2011, Marsh in Australia was named Large Broker of the Year for the fourth year running by the Australia New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance. Globally, Marsh is the world’s largest insurance broker and risk advisor, with over 24,000 employees, and provides advice and transactional capabilities to clients in more than 100 countries.
RICHARD LAIDLAW
general manager, human resources, Stockland Dr Richard Laidlaw is general manager of Human Resources, Commercial Property at Stockland. Stockland is a top 50 ASX listed company and one of Australia’s largest, most diversified property groups. Stockland is recognized as a Hewitt Best Employer, and is also an Employer of Choice for Women. Richard was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate public/private business education partnerships in the US, Sweden, Germany and the UK.
SPEAKERS TIM LEGGE
CEO, Learning Seat Tim joined Learning Seat in 2008 as director of strategic partnership and alliances, in this role Tim was successful in securing many high-profile clients. In 2010, Mr Legge was elevated to general manager responsible for the day-to-day management of Learning Seat and is instrumental in driving best practice industry standards in compliance, professional development and accredited training. After leading Learning Seat to record growth, Tim was promoted to chief executive of the company in 2011.
SONIA MCDONALD
director, LeadershipHQ Sonia McDonald, director of LeadershipHQ has over 20 years’ human resource management and organisational development experience. She has held senior roles in organisational development, learning and development, strategic recruitment and talent management fields. She has worked in various industries such as retail, education, construction and engineering, consulting, executive search and the public sector around Australia and around the globe. She is currently consulting with a number of clients across Australia in particular infrastructure projects in organisational development, leadership, change and executive coaching.
JUSTIN MILES
HR director, Fonterra Justin Miles has been the GM Human Resources for Fonterra ANZ since 2008. Justin was head of HR at Rip Curl, and spent three years as Vice President of HR for Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, in California, which operates more than a dozen wineries in the USA and France. Justin’s also has six years with the Campbell Soup Company, including three years as head of leadership development and eight years in HR generalist roles with two divisions of PepsiCo Australia, Pizza Hut and Frito-Lay.
EMMA NICHOLLE
engagement account director, RedBallon Emma is from RedBalloon’s corporate team, which means she is in the business of bringing inspiration, motivation and rewards to organisations of all sizes through Australia and New Zealand. With a passion for engagement built from experiencing best and worst practice, Emma has spent the last two years working with businesses to identify unique recognition opportunities that can transform their workplace culture.
JAN PACAS
managing director, Hilti Australia Jan is the managing director of Hilti Australia and has played an integral role in the ongoing success of the company. Hilti has been operating in Australia since 1960. Pacas, the youngest general manager for
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY the Hilti Group globally attributes much of the company’s success to the strong corporate culture. This year, Hilti Australia was named ‘Best of the Best’ in Aon Hewitt’s Best Employer accreditation program.
STEVEN PARKER
practice director, talent management, Taleo Steven is responsible for helping customers and prospects fully develop their talent management strategies and processes while driving outstanding results. He has successfully consulted 25 of the Fortune 100,. Steven has developed a unique, cross-functional talent management perspective from leading several strategic HR functions and initiatives for various organizations throughout his career, including Talent Acquisition, Performance Management & Leadership Development, Talent Management & Succession, and HR Operations.
VAUGHAN PAUL
HR director, Optus Vaughan has been director of HR since 2009 and is responsible for leading all Optus HR functions and developing and delivering people strategy. Vaughan joined Optus in 2005; Vaughan has successfully driven change across a range of HR functions including career development, talent and leadership programs, staff engagement and the implementation of new communication practices across the business including Optus subsidiaries, Uecomm and Alphawest.
CHRIS RABBA
general manager, PEAK Health Management Chris Rabba is synonymous with the corporate health in Australia with over 16 years’ experience in the industry. Founder and managing director of one of Australia’s leading corporate wellness companies, Peak Health Management, the business was recently acquired by Bupa Australia. Chris was invited to lead the business post acquisition by Bupa Australia. Now general manager of Peak Health Management under Bupa, he continues to be at the forefront of the industry. Chris’ expertise is well sort after including being a founding member and executive of the industry body Health & Productivity Institute of Australia (HAPIA) and regularly asked to comment on the corporate wellness industry for various publications.
STEVE REID
general manager, HR, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Steve is responsible for many of the HR disciplines at Vodafone including recruitment and retention, employer branding, health and wellbeing, remuneration and payroll, HR systems, reporting and performance management. His team also provide HR business partnering for all of the corporate functions
www.hrsummit.com.au
as well as running the HR Shared Services function. In 2009, he led the people and culture stream of the merger between Vodafone and Hutchison (3 Mobile).
KATE RIMER
general manager human resources, wealth management, Commonwealth Bank Kate is General Manager, Human Resources for the Wealth Management business at the Commonwealth Bank. Kate’s recently joined the CBA after six years as Executive Director, People & Development at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, one of Australia’s leading law firms. Prior to her time at Mallesons, Kate spent several years at AMP and held a number of senior HR roles, including working in the UK on the AMP demerger. Kate has also previously worked at Allens Arthur Robinson and Westpac, with over 20 years’ experience in financial and professional services.
DOMENIC SAPORITO
CEO, MyRecruitOnline For 13 years, Domenic has operated the recruitment company, Caden. This has given him insight into the ‘must haves’ and ‘must nots’ of DC123’s first application, MyRecruitmentOnline. Domenic decided that being stuck inside at a desk didn’t sound appealing for a recruiter. Instead, he decided to ‘live on the beach’ using a, real-time application that could automate many tasks that fill a recruiters day.
KIM SEELING-SMITH
CEO, Reigniting Professional Passion Kim Seeling Smith is a Sydney based, international consultant on employee recruitment, engagement and retention as well as career management after originally training as a CPA and management consultant with KPMG and spending 15 years as a recruiter in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Kim is a coauthor (along with Brian Tracy and others) of the book 101 Great Ways To Enhance Your Career available on Amazon.com.
JANINE STEWART
group executive, people & culture, Perpetual Janine is responsible for Perpetual’s People and Culture policy and practices including talent and succession planning, remuneration, diversity, recruitment and OH&S. She was appointed Group Executive, People and Culture in 2008. She is chairman of Perpetual’s Workplace Giving Committee and a member of the Perpetual Foundation Committee of Management. Janine has over 20 years’ experience in customer service strategy and design, employee relations, people and leadership, and cultural change.
NADIA TAYLOR
director, Livingstones Nadia leads a team of consultants, advising clients both in the private and public sector nationally. By taking a well proven approach to understanding the client, their business and industry first, Nadia is able to unpack the key issues to formulate best strategies for successful outcomes. Her strength is the powerful combination of experience, technical knowledge and clarity around options, impacts and advice she brings to every project task. Nadia provides consulting services that span every aspect of negotiation, advocacy and compliance relating to employment disputes. Specific areas of expertise cover industrial disputes and enterprise bargaining.
AMANDA TOWE
HR director, Johnson & Johnson Amanda Towe is a global leader in HR with more than 20 years’ experience in Australia, NZ, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Her expertise includes compensation and benefits, recruiting, talent management, organization development, change management, industrial relations and OH&S. She is currently Director of Human Resources at Johnson & Johnson Medical.
BRUCE WATT
managing director, DDI Australia Bruce is responsible for the creation and implementation of the region’s business strategy. He also consults with clients, identifying needs and proposing solutions in talent and succession management, leadership development and selection. An expert on a broad range of leadership and talent management practices, Bruce has provided business relevant solutions to a diverse range of both private and Government organisations in job analysis, cultural assessment, organisational change, performance management, workplace learning and development and online assessment and selection systems.
BETH WINCHESTER
general manager, human resources, Fuji Xerox Beth is the general manager of HR for Fuji Xerox Australia and is responsible for both the Human Resources and Organisation Development. Beth joined in 2006. Prior to this, Beth worked for 20 years as general manager of HR with the Lend Lease, where she was responsible in both Human Resources and Finance. Fuji Xerox Australia has recently been awarded the Banksie award for leading in sustainability in the large business category for its achievements in economic, social and environmental performance.
HR SUMMIT 2012 SYDNEY 28-29 MARCH FREE INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS The free interactive workshops are open to all HR industry professionals. Places are limited for each workshop session so don’t be late!
Day One
Day Two
10:00–10:45am BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CORPORATE WELLNESS PROGRAM • Creating a Wellness Road Map • Determining the program’s methodology • Fostering engagement from employees and management at all levels • Measuring your success
10:00-10:45am TALENT IN A TIGHT ECONOMY: THINKING BIG, STARTING SMALL This session is designed to support HR leaders in developing a ‘think big’ talent management strategy while addressing the pragmatic realities of introducing new programs during period of economic concern. Attendees will have the opportunity to • Discuss key challenges in introducing a talent strategy • Explore tools for mapping a ‘think big’ talent strategy • Identify opportunities to ‘start small’ when initiating a talent project • Explore the key ingredients for proving outcomes
WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH 2012
Chris Rabba, general manager, PEAK Health Management 11:30am–12:15pm THE FUTURE OF RECRUITMENT TECHNOLOGY Imagine lying on the beach while your Avatar takes care of all the important business decisions for you. How do we influence the behaviour of our consultants and candidates in line with our business goals? In this interactive workshop Domenic Saporito CEO and Adam Crow IT Director will demonstrate how new technology can be creatively applied to enhance recruitment processes. From utilising QR Codes & SMS to reduce the dependency on job boards, to providing Users with the latest mobile applications, this workshop will explore the evolving world of recruitment technology, and open your eyes to current and future trends. Domenic Saporito, CEO, MyRecruitOnline 2:45–3:30pm PANEL DISCUSSION: HOW TO REVAMP YOUR REWARD AND RECOGNITION PROGRAM • Join RedBalloon as we chair a story telling session of three successful R&R programs - straight from the horse’s mouth! • Hear 3 case studies in 30 minutes and leave inspired with some fresh ideas • How to build a case for an R&R program and what it takes to manage a successful program • So what’s the difference? The business benefits • Q&A session with the panel Emma Nicolle, engagement account director, and Megan Bromley, employee experience manager, RedBalloon for Corporate, and guests 4:30-5:00pm BOOM WHACKER TEAM BUILDING WORKSHOP Join this lively and dynamic team building exercise that will wake you up and keep your toes tapping. Learn how different beats make one unified song! Get energized! Tim Orgias, InRhythm
INDUSTRY EXPO
Visit the HR Summit Expo to find out about the latest products, services and technologies available from the best service providers in the industry. It’s completely free to attend and open to all HR industry professionals – bring your whole team! Register online at www.hrsummit.com.au. 38
HCAMAG.COM
THURSDAY 29 MARCH 2012
Samantha Hickey, director, SHL 11:30-12:15pm WHY CHANGE IS HARD! Change is hard and change is inherent in everyday life. How we cope or respond to change has a lot to do with our brain. The way the brain responds during change has a huge impact on us as individuals, leaders and within our teams. This workshop will give participants insights, tips and tools to help them manage the emotional response to change in the organisation and within themselves. It will also provide clarity in understanding what happens to their thinking during times of threat and how expectations influence our responses. Gain insights into: • Neuroscience of change • Challenges to facilitating change • Limbic/threat response Having an understanding of how the brain forces us to reach emotionally during change will assist organisations to manage responses more effectively. Being able to plan strategies to ensure that the threat response is not activated gives leaders the chance to motivate people appropriately to meet the challenges of change. Sonia McDonald, owner and principal consultant, LeadershipHQ 2:00-2:45pm EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING: ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A 1ST IMPRESSION! Did you know that a new employee is most vulnerable within the first 90 days of employment? Vulnerable to other suitors whom the employee rejected for your role, vulnerable to their old company who didn’t want to lose them and vulnerable to recruiters who lost out on a fee because the employee took a role being offered by someone who wasn’t their client. It takes 3-6 months to settle into a new job, to start to feel like part of a team and to become emotionally invested in the work they are doing. And what you do as a company and manager within that first 90 days can affect whether that employee stays with you for a month, a year or five years. Learn top onboarding skills in this free workshop. Kim Seeling Smith, CEO, Reigniting Professional Passion
WIN SOME AMAZING PRIZES! Get your Expo Passport stamped at every exhibition booth for a chance to win a Suzuki Alto!
EXPO PASSPO 2012 RT
SPONSORS
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
DIRECTORS FORUM SPONSOR
STRATEGIC SPONSOR
WILDWORKS
LEADERSHIP SUCCESS
WildWorks is an independent consulting company specialising in Business Transformation, Leadership Alignment and Engagement. Our value lies in our proven ability to help organisations help themselves to achieve better, lasting and committed results through their own leadership and people.
Leadership Success (LS) is an RTO focussing on “driving behavioural change” through the delivery of leadership development and business programs in organisations. LS offers organisations unique programs that can be tailored to their specific needs, but which are also mapped to nationally recognised qualifications at levels including Certificate IV and Diploma, allowing organisations to attract government funding for eligible participants.
We deliver through a combination of consulting, coaching, collaborative workshops and practical business guides. We work within business focused frameworks and concepts developed from 20 years of Business Transformation success stories, with some of the world’s largest organisations.
®
Contact: Sarah Benson, senior consultant
Contact: Mikalie Nash, business manager
P: 02 8356 8600 E: info@wildworksjungle.com W: www.wildworksjungle.com
P: 02 8069 0369 E: mikalie@lstraining.com.au W: www.lstraining.com.au
GOLD SPONSOR
STRATEGIC SPONSOR
MARSH
DDI ASIA PACIFIC
Marsh in Australia comprises over 1,000 employees, providing risk management, insurance broking and risk consulting services to range of businesses, government entities, individuals and professional associations.
For over 40 years, DDI has helped the most successful companies around the world close the gap between where their businesses need to go and the talent required to take them there. Our areas of expertise span every level, from individual contributors to the executive suite; and range from success profile management, selection and assessment, leadership and workforce development, succession management and performance management. DDI’s comprehensive, yet practical approach to talent management starts by ensuring a close connection of our solutions to your business strategies, and ends only when we produce the results you require. You’ll find that DDI is an essential partner wherever you are on your journey to building extraordinary talent.
In 2011, Marsh in Australia was named Large Broker of the Year for the fourth year running by the Australia New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance. Globally, Marsh is the world’s largest insurance broker and risk advisor, with over 24,000 employees, and provides advice and transactional capabilities to clients in more than 100 countries.
Contact: Travis Kemp, general manager, employee benefits
Contact: Samantha York, sales & marketing associate
P: 03 9603 2299 E: travis.m.kemp@marsh.com W: www.marsh.com.au/cps
P: 02 9466 0324 E: samantha.york@ddiworld.com W: www.ddiworld.com
LEGAL SPONSOR
STRATEGIC SPONSOR
PEOPLE + CULTURE STRATEGIES
LEARNING SEAT
People + Culture Strategies (PCS) is an Australian workplace and HR law firm that services Australian and international employers in all aspects of workplace relations.
Learning Seat, a division of News Limited, is Australia’s leading online training and compliance management company that provides learning solutions and fully customised induction courses for corporations, government groups, industry associations and commercial training providers. Through individually branded, web-based organisational learning platforms, Learning Seat offers its clients access to over 400 online training modules, training tools and e-learning resources aimed to inspire, grow, and empower employees in areas including: bullying and sexual harassment, managing people and business, health and safety in the workplace and green office practices. Learning Seat also provides courses in specific industries such as recruitment, local government, hospitality and medical practice.
PCS offers a unique value proposition: we focus on partnering with clients through approachable and pragmatic advice, provide flexible pricing models to suit organisations large and small (including monthly retainer arrangements) and deliver a comprehensive program of education events, webinars and other value-add activities. In addition, our expertise extends to non-traditional services to our clients’ HR/Legal functions including investigations, coaching and mentoring programs, strategic planning, industry-leading training and facilitation. PCS’ legal team includes some of Australia’s foremost workplace law advisers, trainers and litigators with experience in every Australian jurisdiction and across all industries. Contact: Joydeep Hor, managing principal P: 02 8094 3101 E: joydeep.hor@peopleculture.com.au W: www.peopleculture.com.au
www.hrsummit.com.au
Contact: Jason Bailey, commercial director P: 1300 133 151 E: enquiries@learningseat.com W: www.learningseat.com
SPONSORS
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
STRATEGIC SPONSOR
WORKSHOP SPONSORS
TALEO
MYRECRUITONLINE
Taleo (NASDAQ: TLEO) helps organizations improve the performance of their business by unlocking the power of their people. Taleo is the only company to provide industry leading solutions in every category of talent management. Through its cloud-based platform, Taleo optimizes recruiting, performance management, learning and compensation - and integrates them all so managers have the insights they need to achieve talent intelligence. Customers also plug into Taleo’s unique talent grid community to harness proven best practices, millions of candidates, and Taleo-ready partner solutions. From small and medium sized businesses to large enterprises, more than 5,000 organisations rely on Taleo every day to pursue growth, innovation and customer success.
Reforming - manual processes out, automation in Transforming - recruitment from anywhere and everywhere Revolutionary - continuous, real-time collaboration The future of recruitment. An Enterprise Intelligence System and the first of its kind in recruitment technology. A distributed sensory network, constantly monitoring events in real-time then acting on their semantic meaning. Your very own ‘Avatar’ - your decision making captured in code. Designed to work on all devices, from desktop to mobile, including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. Contact: Domenic Saporito CA, CEO P: 03 8689 9510 E: domenic.saporito@dc123.com W: www.myrecruitmentonline.com
Contact: Lynne Salmon, marketing director, Asia Pacific P: 03 9626 2413 E: lsalmon@taleo.com W: www.taleo.com.au
PEAK HEALTH MANAGEMENT
SPEAKER GIFT SPONSOR JLT Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) is a leading provider or insurance-related risk solutions and corporate services. JLT is one of the largest firms of its type in the world, with subsidiaries in over 130 countries. JLT specialise in bespoke, local and multinational employee benefits packages, including group risk insurance, health insurance and wellness solutions.
PEAK Health Management is one of Australia’s leading and most successful corporate wellness companies. A dynamic organisation, they are energetic, innovative and forward thinking in their approach. PEAK is committed to being at the forefront of the industry. Established in 1995, they are considered by many as the first choice for corporate wellness in this country, boasting some of the country’s leading business entities as long standing clients. Now part of the Bupa group, they can provide their clients with international expertise in the healthcare arena. Contact: Chris Rabba, general manager P: 03 9647 6317 E: chris@peakhealth.com.au W: www.peakhealth.com.au
Contact: Stuart Whitbread, general manager – benefit solutions P: 02 9290 8023 E: stuart.whitbread@jlta.com.au W: www.jlta.com.au/employee.aspx
REDBALLOON RedBalloon offers a range of services to help organisations recognise, reward and motivate their people with amazing experiences. There are more than 2,000 experiences nationwide that provide a fun, innovative and exciting way for businesses to meet their goals. We’re passionate about delivering pleasure to people at work (we’re also Best Employers) and have done so with great success for many years working with both large and small companies.
BRONZE SPONSOR PEOPLESTREME
Contact: Matt Geraghty, general manager, corporate
Peoplestreme provides the largest human capital software Technology Roadmap globally, made up of 22 separate software modules.
P: 02 8755 0001 E: matt@redballoon.com.au W: www.redballoon.com.au
Peoplestreme’s mission is to unlock the full potential of your workforce through providing the best human capital management software and deployment services in the world. Recognised by Gartner Research as a “cool vendor” in human capital management in 2011, Peoplestreme must be doing something right. Contact: Simon Laskaj, human capital consultant P: 03 9869 8880 E: simon.laskaj@peoplestreme.com W: www.peoplestreme.com
SHL SHL is a global leader in talent management, driving better business results for clients through superior people intelligence and decisions - from recruiting to employee development and succession planning. SHL deliver over 25 million assessments each year in more than 30 languages. Along with its world-class consulting practices and 24-hour support centre, through an easy-to-use technology platform. Contact: Narelle Price, client relationship manager
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE HR SUMMIT WEBSITE www.hrsummit.com.au 40
HCAMAG.COM
P: 1800 091 846 E: narelle.price@shl.com W: www.shl.com
EXHIBITORS
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
1300APPRENTICE
EMPLOYEECONNECT
1300apprentice is a not-for-profit organisation which takes on all legal employer responsibilities of the trainee/apprentice over the duration of the training term. We facilitate the process in partnership with our host employer and manage the recruitment, OH&S and training of the trainee/apprentice to successful completion of the qualification.
EmployeeConnect is a recognised leader in the HRMS market in the Asia-Pacific region, providing the ‘best of breed’ web-based HR solution that can integrate with any payroll engines. Our solutions are known for their flexibility and scalability that are easy to use and cost effective to implement.
Contact: Samantha Leet, business development manager
Contact: Ari Kopoulos, national sales & marketing manager
P: 02 9715 3744 E: s.leet@1300apprentice.com.au W: www.1300apprentice.com.au
P: 02 8228 8000 E: info@employeeconnect.com W: www.employeeconnect.com
API LEISURE & LIFESTYLE
EMPLOYEE INNOVATIONS
API Leisure & Lifestyle is Australia’s leader in employee benefits programs. Our 1,500 lifestyle and financial benefits will enhance your employment value proposition and assist you to attract, retain and engage employees. Reinforce your employment brand with our successful mix of online and hard copy communications. API has offices in every state, ensuring local servicing for your employees.
When you’re responsible for a company’s workforce, you need reliable backup. We offer a comprehensive range of specialist HR tools and services, and have over two decades of experience advising both local and multinational companies. When you need professional assistance, from basic HR functions to complex legal issues, we’re here to help. We specialise in employment law, migration, payroll, human resources, recruitment and employee recognition & benefits programs. So when you ‘Think Employment’, ‘Think EI’. Contact: Amanda Daff, solicitor/ national accounts manager
Contact: Kylie Green, business development manager P: 02 9277 6560 E: kgreen@apilifestyle.com.au W: www.employeebenefits.com.au
P: 02 8030 8888 E: info@thinkei.com W: www.thinkei.com
ASPERITY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
FRONTIER SOFTWARE
With Asperity’s Reward Gateway, your staff will have access to a huge range of discounts on your own bespoke website. This is backed by ongoing communications to guarantee engagement and a comprehensive management system to measure usage of the program. Over 600 companies, representing more than 1.5 million employees, have chosen Asperity to deliver this exceptional, cutting-edge benefits program.
Founded in Melbourne in 1983, Frontier Software is a global leader in Human Resource, Talent Management and Payroll Solutions. Their flagship solution chris21 sets the benchmark functionality and useability. With support offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth and key global locations, Frontier Software is well placed to service their 1,600 clients.
Contact: Chris Barton, managing director, Australia
Contact: Nick Southcombe, general manager
P: 02 9112 0100 E: benefits@asperity.com.au W: www.asperity.com.au
P: 03 9639 0777 E: sales@frontiersoftware.com.au W: www.frontiersoftware.com
AURION
GRACE REMOVALS GROUP
Aurion Corporation is an integrated HR solution company. We develop Enterprise HR software and provide services from Software as a Service to fully outsourced payroll. Aurion is a Rich Internet Application (RIA), incorporating talent search and retention, payroll, time and attendance, scheduling, self-service, workflow, ad hoc reporting and business process automation.
Established in 1911, Grace Removals Group enjoys a long and proud tradition. At the forefront of the removals and storage industry in the Australasian region, the Grace Removals Group employs over 1,000 people during peak times. Within Australia the Grace Removals Group operates a national network of 40 plus branches and a fleet of more than 500 vehicles. Internationally, the Group has evolved into one of the largest movers of household goods in the world. Contact: Russell Hammond, corporate development manager
Contact: Richard Ward, national sales manager P: 1300 AURION E: sales@aurion.com.au W: www.aurion.com.au
P: 02 9838 5656 E: rhammond@grace.com.au W: www.grace.com.au
B ONLINE LEARNING
HEALTH LINK CONSULTANTS
B Online Learning is an experienced total solutions eLearning company and registered training organisation. Our solutions include eLearning content development, enterprise learning management system, rapid authoring tools, articulate training and master eLearning course. We partner with organisations to provide outstanding solutions aligned to their learning and development strategies.
Health Link is a leading health insurance consultant; providing specialist advice to the corporate and public sectors. Health Link clients enjoy access to a range of creative health plan models that deliver meaningful premium savings to employees and valued workplace benefits - often without cost to employers or FBT implications.
Contact: Sue Fell, business development manager P: 02 9571 6883 E: sue@bonlinelearning.com.au W: www.bonlinelearning.com.au
www.hrsummit.com.au
Contact: Peter Scullin, director P: 1800 808 026 E: advice@health-link.com.au W: www.health-link.com.au
EXHIBITORS
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
INJURY TREATMENT
ROOKIE RECRUITS
Injury Treatment is an experienced provider of corporate health and injury management training and consultation services. We deliver a broad range of tailored solutions to assist organisations to effectively minimise the incidence of workplace injury, as well as to minimise the cost of workplace injury through proactive rehabilitation and injury management.
Rookie Recruits are the career start specialists! An innovative company that takes the process of finding new talent to a new level. We believe if you ‘hire the attitude and train the skill’ your people will have the edge. Your people are your ambassadors - you want the ones with awesome attitudes!
Contact: Jeremy Keane, managing director
Contact: The Rookie Team P: 1800 ROOKIE E: awesome@rookierecruits.com W: www.rookierecruits.com
P: 02 9715 5677 E: jeremy@injurytreatment.com.au
INTERCALL
SMARTBOX
With InterCall, you get everything in one place - from basic audio conferencing, collaborative web meetings and video conferencing to virtual events and unified solutions. We have offices around the world so our dedicated 24/7 service teams are always available to help you. You can count on our expert staff to consult with you and deliver the best service and features, helping you reach your business objectives.
HR solutions from the global leader in the supply of lifestyle and leisure gifts - over 15 million gifts sold to date. Seven themes, with 100s of choices in each. No administration, no activation, ready to use. Select the theme, let them choose their own experience... no risk, so easy! See why employees worldwide are so engaged with Smartbox.
Contact: Sandra DiGiacomo, marketing manager
Contact: Mike Toweel, business development director
P: +65 9105 5228 E: sandra.digiacomo@intercallapac.com W: www.intercallapac.com
P: 02 9317 3400 E: mike.toweel@smartbox.com W: www.smartbox.com www.smartboxguidebooks.com
LIFE RELOCATION
STARLIGHT PSYCHOLOGY
Life Relocation is a national relocation services company that specialise in providing destination services, immigration services and HR global mobility consultancy to support corporations who are transitioning employees who are relocating to Australia, being transferred nationally across Australia, repatriating back home or being transferred on an international assignment globally.
With more than 30 years combined experience Starlight Psychology and Consulting Solutions uses a range of talent assessment tools and human resource management solutions to tailor more efficient and cost effective ways to recruit the best people for your business. With access to more than 1000 talent assessments, Starlight’s in-house specialists use the science of recruitment to match the right candidate to the required skill set; the right level of drive; abilities and experience, and personality type to match the culture of your organisation and the candidate’s ability to perform the job to the required standard. Our expertise ensures that the right people are doing the right job for the right reasons. The end result is a safer, more efficient and more productive workplace.
Contact: Linda Pendlebury, director P: 02 8212 5523 E: linda.pendlebury@liferelocation.com.au W: www.liferelocation.com.au
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NPS Independent, evidence-based and not-for-profit, NPS provides practical tools and information about medicines, health conditions and medical tests. We keep health professionals up-to-date with the latest evidence and provide individuals with the tools and knowledge to make better decisions. NPS helps Australians to be medicinewise, including employees through our medicinewise workplaces program. Contact: Carrie Sutherland, team leader healthy communities P: 02 8217 8756 E: csutherland@nps.org.au W: www.nps.org.au
ONETEST Onetest is Australia’s leading provider of online psychometric assessments and surveys, offering a full range of online recruitment and development tools to help build productive, engaged and committed teams. Onetest boasts unrivalled client and candidate support with local psychology, development and customer service teams. Contact: Paul Hopkins, head of sales P: 1300 137 937 E: enquiries@onetest.com.au W: www.onetest.com.au
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STRATEGIC LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT Strategic Lifestyle Management is a corporate health company dedicated to achieving results for companies who understand that a healthy employee is a happy and productive one. SLM has been delivering corporate health solutions to companies nationally for more than 20 years. Our highly qualified team create and deliver programs that engage, inspire and motivate your employees to be proactive about their health. SLM, where good health = good business. Contact: Maria Micallef, marketing & operations manager P: 1300 765 551 E: mmicallef@slmhealth.com.au W: www.slmhealth.com.au
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LeadershipHQ specialises in talent management, organisational effectiveness, leadership development, executive coaching, change management and talent acquisition. LeadershipHQ’s purpose is to partner with organisations and leaders in the industry - consulting and delivering best practice and innovative solutions and strategies in leadership, talent and change effectiveness. We work with leaders across the globe and we are focused on delivering customised programs and interventions to ensure your unique business and people requirements and strategies are met.
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INRHYTHM InRhythm’s mission is to help people and businesses connect and thrive through the power of rhythm. In Rhythm offer empowring interactive rhythm events for groups of 10 to 1,000’s of people, that help create very real connections and a healthy sense of community. Our world class events bring out the best in people and companies. These proven events are perfect for team building, staff motivation, breaking the ice, energizing and waking up staff, uniting companies, interactive entertainment, corporate wellness and just plain fun! From drumming to body percussion through to boom whackers, this truly unique selection of world class events offer exceptional value with professional service, fresh creative ideas and great gifts packages.
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NEEOPA NEEOPA was established in 1985 to help organisations implement quality equal employment opportunity programs. Membership is open to all sectors of the community. Members join NEEOPA to share experiences and ideas, network, gain support and achieve a deeper insight into the principals of EEO, affirmative action, workforce diversity and work-life balance. Contact: Diane Rowe, NEEOPA administrator E: neeopa@neeopa.org W: www.neeopa.org
Contact: Tim Orgias, lead facilitator P: 0407 019 220 E: info@inrhyhm.com.au W: www.inrhythm.com.au
KELLY SERVICES Since 1946 the world’s most respected companies have turned to Kelly Services for strategic and innovative staffing solutions. Our portfolio of services enables us to meet companies’ staffing needs across all divisions and departments. Areas of specialisation include accounting and finance, banking, office and professional support, call centre, IT&T, scientific, industrial, engineering and more. Kelly has been voted as Australia’s favourite recruitment company for eight years in a row at the Seek Annual Recruitment Awards (SARAs).
HUMAN CAPITAL Human Capital is targeted at senior HR professionals and top corporate decision makers. It concentrates on the challenges facing the HR industry, with in-depth features and analysis of issues at the forefront of today’s people strategies. HC aims to present timely, relevant and entertaining HR and business leadership information through case studies, profiles, news and interviews with industry professionals. Contact: Iain Hopkins, editor P: 02 8437 4703 E: iain.hopkins@keymedia.com.au W: www.hcamag.com
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SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Layne Beachley, main conference chair March 28 world champion surfer & leader Layne Beachley is the most successful female surfer of all time. She holds the greatest number of consecutive world titles - male or female - and achieved the title of ASP Women’s World Champion seven times over. Indeed, there is no doubt that Layne is one of Australia’s greatest athletes! Layne Beachley is also an entrepreneur and inspiration to young women across the country. She has launched her own brand of athletic clothing for women, Beachley Athletic, and in 2006 staged the richest event in women’s surfing history: the Havianas Beachley Classic at Manly Beach, Sydney. In 2003, Layne created the Aim for the Stars Foundation to help young women across Australia realize their dreams in fields as diverse as academia, sport, the arts and culture.
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
MBAs
Handling
COM PLEX ITY
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The world is more complex today than ever before. Is the MBA still a good way to prepare business leaders in this new world?
International rankings Top 3 Asia-Pacific business schools It’s long been held that self-knowledge is a crucial requirement for a successful leader. However, can leaders still anticipate the impact of their decisions in a highly complex world? Today’s complexity comes from enormous levels of interdependence, variety and flux. Flows of financial capital and goods move relatively freely – what happens in one place increasingly impacts other locations. Variety is created by advances in communications and technology. Supply chain logistics involve choosing among almost infinite combinations of manufacturing, assembling and transporting from and to different locations. Workforces are more diverse – multi-functional, cross-boundary teams increase the variety even in how we work. The combinations of interdependence and variety are constantly in flux, so even if this is understood and optimised today, the best actions tomorrow might be different. Professor Martha Maznevski, director of IMD’s MBA program, notes that an oft-overlooked fact is that the economic downturn of the last couple of years was also a crisis of naiveté. Given the ethical failings of many executives leading to (and perhaps contributing to) the GFC, Maznevski feels that whether MBA programs can teach ethics and responsibility is already in doubt. She now poses a new challenge for what was once the shining jewel in post-grad qualifications: “Are MBA programs up to the bigger challenge of developing leaders who can manage complexity as well?” Recent findings on leadership development are discouraging for typical MBA programs in this ever more complex world. To build knowledge and skills that ‘stick’ and lead to effective performance, experience and learning on the job are much more important than ‘academic’ book or class learning. “To create tacit knowledge – knowledge about how things work in context – you need experience,” says Maznevski. “For executive development, companies are moving actively back to the old notions of apprenticeship and mentorship.”
DONE? NOT QUITE
However, this research must be taken with a grain of salt. If it were just about experience, then every manager with experience would be able to lead in complexity; clearly that is not the case. Maznevski comments that formal learning processes can provide a significant multiplier for the experience effect by connecting knowledge and action in two important ways. First is to connect them in cycles, with knowledge leading to planning and action, then observation of what happened leading to reflection and more knowledge. “We’ve known this classic learning cycle since the advent of cognitive and developmental psychology in the
most favoured by international employers 2011 RANKING INSTITUTION
COUNTRY/ REGION
1
INSEAD- Singapore
Singapore
2
IIM, Ahmedabad
India
3
Melbourne Business School
Australia
The QS Global 200 Business Schools Report, conducted by the QS Intelligence Unit, is the only report tailored to rank MBA programs according to MBA employers, and canvasses the preferences of more than 2,000 HR managers and recruiters worldwide. Australian business schools continue to impress MBA employers, and of the 36 Asia-Pacific business schools in the list, 11 were located in Australia (up from 10 in 2004).
mid-20th century. The more complex the knowledge, the more important it is to go through these cycles actively and frequently,” she says. The second multiplier comes from engaging in learning cycles that are systematically different from each other in terms of context, not just the same context over and over again. Learners need to compare across contexts to develop a repertoire of knowledge and skills that are universal (work across contexts), contingent (dependent on the context), and to develop the critical ability to differentiate what’s universal from what’s contingent. If MBA programs are to develop judgment and the ability to manage complexity for sustainable impact, they must incorporate these two learning principles for connecting knowledge and action. Sitting in a classroom is useful only when it prepares learners for action, and action should be connected with reflection and further formal knowledge-building. From day one, MBA programs should therefore incorporate real-life experiences, such as real-impact projects with companies, integrating these experiences into the curriculum rather than having them as standalone courses (or worse, electives). Moreover, MBA programs should structure such experiences to cover a spectrum of company sizes and stages, industries, and economic and cultural contexts. The program should help learners to compare and contrast their different experiences, developing the ability to read situations and draw from a repertoire of responses. A real MBA should in essence mean “guided on the job leadership training”, Maznevski says.
REVITALISING THE MBA: MONASH
Srikant Datar and David Garvin from the Harvard Business School, along with Patrick Cullen from the HCAMAG.COM 45
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
MBAs Australian business schools most favoured by employers REGIONAL BASE RANK SALARY
SCHOOL NAME
NO. OF AVG WORK STUDENTS EXPERIENCE YEAR OF IN CLASS (YEARS) GRADUATION
Melbourne Business School, The University of Melbourne
2
$112,302
105
5
2010
University of New South Wales, AGSM MBA Programs
4
$112,746
65
7
2010
Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University
11
$120,600
45
10
2010
Monash University Faculty of Business and Economics
13
No data
9
8
2010
UTS: Business, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
17
No data
353
4
2010
Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong
18
$102,500
99
2
2010
The Australian National University, ANU College of Business and Economics
19
No data
72
7
2010
School of Business, Bond University
20
No data
61
8
2010
QUT Graduate School of Business
21
$104,756
No data
9
2010
La Trobe University, Graduate School of Management
22
$110, 000
289
5
2010
The University of Adelaide Business School
25
No data
80
8
2010
The University of Western Australia Business School
26
No data
47
6
2010
Swinburne University of Technology, Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship
29
No data
12
No data
2010
Notably, Melbourne Business School was identified as the leading Australian institution in the following specialisations: International Management (12th), Marketing (16th), Strategy (28th), Leadership (24th), Information management (16th), Corporate Social Responsibility (29th)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business argued in their 2010 book Rethinking the MBA that there is an urgent need to fundamentally redesign the MBA qualification. Specifically the authors highlighted that co-curricular activities ideally should create and train reflective, critically thinking, personally aware and responsible leaders. “There is a definite need for MBA programs to force students to confront their personal and leadership challenges and methods. Reflection is a key tool in this process,” confirms Amanda Pyman, director, Monash MBA. Indeed, a process of self-reflection resulted in the re-designed Monash MBA experience, launched in January 2011. “The Monash MBA brings together the best aspects of leading MBA programs worldwide and recognises that the development of individuals’ leadership and personal capabilities are equally as important as the academic and analytical skills learnt throughout the program,” Pyman says. Aimed at future business, policy and community leaders, the Monash MBA architecture comprises an integrated academic curriculum, and is complemented by a world-class leadership and personal development (LPD) program. The LPD program is co-curricular to the 46
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academic curriculum and aims to develop individual leadership, interpersonal and self-awareness capabilities through myriad activities. The integrative academic curriculum, emphasising critical and innovative thinking, and an awareness of the moral, philosophical and ethical responsibilities of management as a professional practice, provides a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to business challenges and issues, together with conventional discipline based academic subjects. The leadership and personal development program includes regular fortnightly sessions, ranging from critical and reflective thinking, to communication and media skills, to people leadership connect workshops, to mentoring and career management and development. MBA students have access to dedicated career management services within the program, in addition to research and academic skills audits. The capstone of the Monash MBA, in the form of experiential learning (two Corporate Projects), challenges students to look differently at business and management problems and the world, by immersing them in real-world, live and complex problems. A holistic approach is also achieved through the Monash cohort approach, which means that students move through the program together, and therefore gain the benefit of learning from one another and others’ experiences as they progress.
REVITALISING THE MBA: MELBOURNE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Melbourne Business School’s new 12-month full-time MBA, which starts in August, has a strong focus on leadership, interpersonal effectiveness and a more integrated cohort experience. Associate Professor Jennifer George, deputy dean, programs, Melbourne Business School, explains the reasoning behind this: “We have explicitly included skills as well as knowledge in our design of the course and will be using coaching and mentoring to provide personal feedback to students on their leadership capabilities. The global business environment is constantly changing and the world is becoming smaller – the forces of globalisation are intensifying all the time.” And while business leaders no longer operate just in a national context, George adds, it’s the same for business schools. “We need to keep innovating to stay competitive,” she says. “Innovating doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel – but it does involve close, frequent attention to what we offer and whether it continues to meet business needs.” On that note, Jenny Jenkins, acting head of College at Edinburgh Business School (EBS), says that every
There is a definite need for MBA programs to force students to confront their personal and leadership challenges. Reflection is a key tool in this process” – AMANDA PYMAN university is required to incorporate stakeholder feedback into their curriculum design and reviews. “As an MBA student with EBS you will learn from, and be inspired by, some of the most talented students and teachers in the business world. The best learning is the shared learning through formal education,” she says. Likewise, MBS’ partnerships with business and
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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
MBAs Making the correct choice Human Capital talks to Associate Professor Jennifer George, Melbourne Business School’s deputy dean, programs, about these rankings HC: In addition to a strong showing on the QS Global list, Melbourne Business School’s full-time MBA finished at number 47 on the Financial Times’ Global Top 50 list (up seven places from 2011). What has made the MBS MBA the best in the region? Jennifer George: Melbourne Business School’s programs are renowned for academic rigour and practical excellence, and this is reflected in our pre-eminence in the Asia-Pacific region, as highlighted in various rankings. We have internationally diverse academics who publish in top tier journals and consult to leading global organisations. Our students are similarly diverse, and we often have more than 30 countries represented in a single classroom. As a relatively small school we are able to offer personalised attention that is impossible for larger schools. HC: How important is it for students to consider these rankings – is the reputation and standing of the institution important in making a decision about where to study?
JG: Rankings and accreditation are valuable guides to the quality of a school and how it performs against its peers on criteria like graduate salaries, career placement, corporate connections, international mobility, research output and teaching excellence. Rankings aren’t the only way to assess a school. It’s important that prospective students also check the fit between the program and their aspirations. Visiting in person can be invaluable in understanding the environment of the school, and most reputable schools should put prospective students in touch with current students and alumni and allow them to observe a class. HC: Do Australian employers take note of these rankings? JG: Local employers take rankings and reputation very seriously, in fact some employers only recruit at the top one or two schools in Australia. In the case of Melbourne Business School, we’re 55% owned by corporate donor members, which gives the business community a profound sense of ownership.
industry span all academic programs, research activity and its executive education offerings under the Mt Eliza brand. For example: the MBS Centre for Ethical Leadership is leading a research project on gender equality, with industry partners Santos, ANZ , Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Qantas, Westpac and NSW Police. Also, global companies recruit and present on campus to the MBS, MBA and Executive MBA students. “We undertake deep collaborations with companies such as BHP Billiton and SA Health to provide executive education that is customised to their needs, and we have a vibrant internships program,” George adds.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Jenkins, who finished her own MBA from Massey University in New Zealand in 1996, says that she recouped her fees over a two-year life cycle in terms of salary increments and promotion opportunities offered. She adds that graduating with an MBA “says to the world you mean business”. “This qualification equips you with an impressive combination of skills, expertise and networks crucial to success. It also provides you with the confidence and ability to plan strategically for large corporate organisations,” she says. George adds that HR professionals stand to benefit from undertaking MBA studies as they need to understand what’s driving the whole business if they want a seat at the table. “In our Dean’s Breakfast series, we’re hearing from executives, including senior HR leaders, about what’s 48
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keeping them awake at night: change leadership, how to stay globally competitive, how to motivate at all levels, not just management. These are all critical to organisational success and point to the growing complexity of HR roles.” Pyman adds that HR professionals equipped with an ability to contribute to the social, economic and environmental sustainability of organisations are in increasing demand. The Monash MBA selects students who the course conveners believe have the capacity to hold a significant leadership role in the future: an aspiration often held among HR professionals, whether it be in a generalist or specialist role. For employers, the value of an MBA should transcend the benefits to the individual. “There should be a discernible improvement in performance, through better decision-making, better functioning of teams and the ability to examine a business problem from various facets. As organisational structures become flatter, the value of an all-round general management education cannot be overemphasised,” George says. Yet this all-round general management education must continue to evolve. If the MBA is to remain relevant and sought after by both employers and employees alike, it must be structured to match the needs of the new, complex environment. “If business schools are prepared to live what we teach, then MBA programs can become even more valuable. The opportunity is enormous – if we do build these principles into our programs, we develop leaders who make a positive difference to our future. Isn’t it worth it?” Maznevski says.
HCAMAG.COM 49
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
corporate communications
TALKING LOUD... Online communication, printed material, and town hall meetings keep staff updated about organisational changes taking place, but they do not change opinions. Steve Casey outlines a more effective approach to change communication
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As Julie listened during her weekly meeting with the senior management team, the concern that had been gnawing away at her over the last week was progressing towards a much stronger sense of alarm. The communication initiatives she had undertaken with her team since the announcement of the merger six weeks ago were not working, and the flat-lining morale that senior managers were reporting was beginning to feel ominous. Many parts of the merger she had taken the company through in acquiring a smaller, more entrepreneurial competitor had gone according to plan. While adding this second well-known pharmaceutical brand to the company portfolio, Julie worked quickly with her team to merge the back-end operation. Significant efficiencies through the administrative and IT function had meant having to let go of 12 staff, and while she had ensured they were given career support and generous payouts, a malaise amongst existing staff was setting in. As she listened to each manager talk about staff morale, the signs were clear. Silos had taken hold. The
and saying nothing enthusiasm that staff once possessed, such as coming forward with new ideas or suggesting ways for cross-functional improvements and leverage, had stopped. But why? She had held a town hall meeting to inform staff of the intended merger, they had kept staff informed of the merger using the company’s intranet site, the merger was the lead story in the corporate newsletter, and there had been a welcome function where the two new senior managers from the acquired company were introduced. Julie left the meeting troubled by the potential consequences of what she was observing. As she saw it, her instincts were telling her that the merger had lost momentum. Critically, the additional value creation she had anticipated from the deal would not be realised if things continued on in this vein. She couldn’t help but think what this might mean for her own career. Having been in the role almost three years ago, this merger was intended to be her career coup. Instead, she felt herself actively repressing thoughts that this could be a personal coup de grace – a potential death blow to her professional reputation.
A FRESH APPROACH
Julie knew she had to take action. She recalled a recent discussion she’d had with a colleague about Malcolm Broomhead and his turnaround of the Orica business in 2001 after shareholders had seen their share value tumble from an IPO price of $13 to less than a quarter of that value. Malcolm took on the task of taking his message to 11,000 employees spread across 45 countries in order to have all parts of the business working efficiently and in unison – an initiative that was started within the first 100 days of his becoming CEO. Based on a clear set of performance metrics, the message he delivered was one of purpose and unity, explaining in detail what was expected of staff and why it was necessary. By delivering his message to staff directly, he was required to repeat the same set of words thousands of times throughout this period and was also supported by his senior staff and other organisational opinion leaders in their own conversations with staff. From 2001–2004, Orica’s share price rose from $4 to $21. While the circumstances were different, change wasn’t and Julie knew she had to change the culture of her organisation and eliminate the silo-thinking that was HCAMAG.COM 51
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
corporate communications gripping her staff. One thing she observed immediately was that the conversations Malcolm was driving throughout his organisation were decidedly lacking in hers. Following his example, she realised she had to be the first person driving the change process, but how?
CHANGING OPINIONS
Julie brought in a communications strategist recommended to her by a colleague who had successfully undertaken a change process the previous year. She immediately discovered why the current communication efforts had been ineffective – research shows conclusively that while online communication, printed material, and town hall meetings keep staff updated about the changes taking place, they do not change opinions. Further, her observation about conversations was correct – various research indicates that 70%–80% of staff prefer face-toface conversations when understanding important change. Julie began to get to the heart of the problem: while everyone knew what was going on via the meetings and newsletter, many staff didn’t understand what this meant for them and why they should feel positive. She also examined a LaClair McKinsey & Co. study showing that of 40 companies undergoing significant change (such as merger activity), 58% of companies did not succeed in meeting their targets. A separate study indicated that at least a quarter of these failed change initiatives could be attributed to poor communication. In reviewing the entire process, she worked with the strategist to establish five critical communication elements that required leadership, collaboration, and commitment to support the change process: 1. A simply-stated post-merger vision 2. Julie becoming more vocal and providing a strong case for change 3. Senior managers and ‘ambassadors’ that overtly supported the change 4. Staff having input on goals, values and agreed behaviours 5. Staff being properly briefed on what was expected of them Steve Casey is the director of Hand Eye Communication. handeye.com.au
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MAKING IT HAPPEN
Julie decided the vision for what the newly merged organisation needed to achieve had to come from herself and the senior management team. In working with the strategist, she knew she needed her senior people to take ownership of the vision by participating in it. Further, she realised she had underestimated the degree of influence each of these managers had on their own departments. Not only did she need to be front and centre, but so did the senior management team. She felt the best way to gain their support was to have them agree in principle that the new merger was one worth pursuing,
but also to make it clear that their support was nonnegotiable – they were expected to fully commit to the change process. In addition, Julie needed ambassadors for the change, selecting a cross-section of staff that were known to management as good workplace performers and who also had the people skills required to engage in conversations with staff. Julie asked her HR director to drive the initiative. Not only could they identify future leaders in the organisation using this approach, but in driving towards the new vision her HRD could ensure the company’s performance and remuneration management rewarded the staff’s adoption of behaviours that made the success of the merger more likely. Finally, Julie knew that to seriously engage her staff in the change process they had to have a say in the future of the organisation. With the merger, staff numbers had moved from 240 to 325. Who better to ask about ways to improve the performance of the company than the people who worked in both parts of the business? After further discussion, it was decided the best forum to gather opinions of staff would be via an online survey. As opposed to group settings where individuals can dominate the discussion and group thinking can take hold, Julie felt the online survey would receive greater buy-in from staff in order to secure more objective evaluations, performance suggestions, and candid ideas to improve the working environment. Later, after senior staff and the program ambassadors had collated the data and understood what was most important for the staff as the company moved forward, it was decided that staff should meet in teams to learn about the common values that everyone in the organisation could subscribe to. They would then need to agree as a group on the specific behaviours required in their department that were seen as constructive to helping the department and the organisation progress towards the new goals.
RESULTS!
At the end of the day, Julie stood gazing out her window and across the city. She felt somewhat relieved but pensive. Why had she let meaningful communication with staff slip by in her plans? The painful reality was that she’d symbolically paid lip service to staff through the grouporiented communication that was distributed, while allowing all of her focus to be consumed by the mechanics of the merger. But that was going to change. Together with these key elements of the plan were a range of supporting communication activity that would enhance the professionalism and appeal of the change process – she was serious about changing the culture and she needed her staff to take it seriously too. Great communication, she decided, would become one of the hallmarks of her management style.
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HCAMAG.COM 53
LEADERSHIP
corporate storytelling
Once upon Traditional leadership programs, with their suite of standard skills development opportunities, may not produce leaders capable of dealing with ambiguity and complexity. An alternative approach places an emphasis on facilitating ‘self-actualisation’ through storytelling. Paul Lawrence & Kieran White explain Working with organisations and their leadership development strategies, more often than not we find programs structured around a leadership competency framework with 360-degree feedback sitting at the heart of the process, and a change management approach consistent with Kotter’s famous eight-step change model (first described in a 1995 HBR article “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”). Where objectives are couched in terms of cultivating enhanced levels of authentic and energetic leadership, the outcomes of such programs may be disappointing. Programs that place an emphasis on competency frameworks and 360-degree feedback encourage deference to external perspectives on leadership, diverting the individual’s attention away from internal reference points, yet competency frameworks and 360-degree feedback are regarded by many as de rigueur. In the same vein the Kotter model, and other step-type change models, are often spoken about as if they represent the only approach to change. Palmer and Dunford, however, in their 2008 article “Organizational Change and the Importance of Embedded Assumption”, describe six potential approaches to designing change programs. They label Kotter-type models as examples of a directing approach, most effective only when the
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a long ago context is simple and employees are likely to be compliant. When the operating context is ambiguous, subject to change and difficult to predict, then they suggest that a nurturing approach is more appropriate. In the nurturing approach the focus is on enhancing the individual’s capacity to ‘self-organise’ so as to be able to better cope with complexity and ambiguity.
THEORY INTO PRACTICE
We often provide coaching services as part of leadership development programs that feature coaching alongside training. With the current focus on experiential learning, many organisations are now breaking up three- and four-day workshops into shorter modules and contracting coaches to help participants implement what they learn in the modules in between sessions. Some of the people we coach are keen to implement what they’ve been trained, others less so. The first group seem eager to comply with what is expected of them. People in the second group often give the impression that they feel cornered into focusing on something that for them is low priority. These people demonstrate just as much commitment to the success of their organisation as the first group, but for them the leadership program can represent a nuisance, something that eats up valuable time that could otherwise be used to tackle real issues. The best way to engage such people is often to shift attention away from the external perspective, represented by competency frameworks and 360-degree feedback, and invite them to create their own agenda based on who they aspire to be as a leader. We think there is a fundamental difference between designing programs in which leaders are expected to exhibit behaviours defined by the designers of leadership competency frameworks and 360-degree instruments, and designing programs in which leaders are encouraged to cultivate a stronger internal perspective. Storytelling delivered through coaching is a particularly effective medium for the latter ‘nurturing’ approach.
STORYTELLING
A storytelling approach doesn’t always appeal to those who subscribe to personality theories of leadership. For example, Cameron Clyne, CEO of NAB, recently declared
in public his belief that “we are who we are”, that our essential selves are fixed and unchanging. Those holding such beliefs, searching for enhanced “self awareness” may be attracted to psychometric tools that provide insights into the fixed/psychological self. The idea that we have one self, expressed in the form of a ‘personality’, remains only a theory however. Many workers point to evidence, including neuroscience, that suggests there may exist multiple selves. John Paul Eakin, for example, talks about the “narrative self”, co-existing with some kind of fixed “personality” or psychological self. This makes intuitive sense. For example, Joe Smith is a quiet and controlled person. You will never see Joe entertaining a room full of strangers with his witty repartee. On the other hand, there are aspects of Joe that are more fluid. When Joe left college as a psychology graduate he was looking for a job in marketing. A prospective employer invited him to attend a two-day assessment centre at which he was put through s series of interviews and tests. Joe was very much aware that he didn’t have a business qualification and so treated every question as an opportunity to demonstrate his capacity to think commercially. The interviewers asked him what he would do if he was given $1,000, and he talked about the relative merits of cash, stocks and shares, gold etc ... Joe didn’t get a job offer. The company told him he wasn’t creative. It stayed with Joe for years thereafter
Become a master storyteller
Everyone can tell a story, but the four key Everyone tell a story, but theare: elements of can storytelling performance
four key elements of storytelling performance are:
1. Style
Tell your story as if you were talking to a single individual ●
●
Keep your story simple and clear
Present the story as something valuable in itself ●
●
Be yourself
2. Truth
Proceed on the basis that it is possible to tell the truth ●
●
Tell the truth as you see it
3. Preparation ●
Be rehearsed but spontaneous
Choose the shape of your story and stick to it ●
4. Delivery ●
Be ready to perform
●
Get out from behind the podium
Connect with all parts of your audience ●
●
Speak in an impromptu manner
●
Use gesture
●
Be lively
●
Use visual aids judiciously
●
Be comfortable in your own style
● Taken Knowfrom your ‘Theaudience Leader’s Guide to Storytelling’,
Taken from The Leader’s Stephen Denning, Wiley Guide to Storytelling & Sons, 2005by Stephen Denning
LEADERSHIP
corporate storytelling Purposeful storytelling If your objective is:
You will need a story that:
In telling it, you will need to:
Your story will inspire such phrases as:
Sharing knowledge
focuses on mistakes made and shows, in some detail, how they were corrected, with an explanation of why the solution worked
solicit alternative – and possibly better – solutions
“There but for the grace of God…”
highlights, often through the use of gentle humour, some aspect of a rumour that reveals it to be untrue or unreasonable
avoid the temptation to be mean-spirited – and be sure that the rumour is indeed false!
“No kidding”
describes how a successful change was implemented in the past, but allows listeners to imagine how it might work in their situation
avoid excessive detail that will take the audience’s mind off its own challenge
“Just imagine…”
Taming the grapevine
Sparking action
“Wow! We’d better watch that from now on”
“I’d never thought about it like that before”
“What if…”
Source: Table excerpted from Telling Tales by Stephen Denning, Harvard Business Review, May 2004
that he wasn’t a creative person. He shunned creative roles and decided he was better at analysis. Even psychometric tools that told him he had a creative bent didn’t convince him. Though he didn’t see himself as creative, he wrote novels in his spare time. He wrote because he felt compelled to write, but nurtured little hope of ever being successful. One day though, a publisher offered to publish one of his books. Joe decided he was creative after all, and successfully sought out more creative roles in his corporate life. That aspect of his identity was, and remains, subject to the story he tells about himself, to himself. Today Joe is a creative person. Twenty years ago, when he left college, he wasn’t.
THE ‘NARRATIVE-SELF’ IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Alfred Adler, a psychodynamic therapist, devised a simple process to help people understand their “narrative selves”. By inviting people to relate their earliest memories, he was able to bring to people’s awareness the stories they constructed for themselves, allowing them to challenge certain aspects of those stories, and to construct new narratives from which to live their lives. We advocate the adoption of similar processes as part of leadership development programs where the objective is to cultivate authentic leadership. Either instead of, or to complement the use of, conventional 360-degree feedback. We use a simple process for cultivating the notion of the narrative self. The process we use consists of: • Interviewing the individual, surfacing stories of the individual-as-leader, helping the subject to disentangle external messages as to what constitutes ideal leadership, from internally held perspectives; • Interviewing some of the individual’s co-workers, surfacing their stories of the individual-as-leader, with 56
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particular reference to those aspects of leadership held dear by the participant. • Working with the subject, drawing on these stories of ideal self and perceived self, and the organisational agenda, to define a development plan. We find this approach is considerably more effective than the use of 360-degree feedback alone in cultivating authentic leadership. Organisations adopting this approach are more likely to succeed in facilitating the emergence of leaders with a strong sense of self and an ongoing commitment to self-development. Leaders who embrace the process are likely to appear to be more “resilient” and energetic in proactively driving an agenda. Such approaches have in the past appeared to be expensive, but with the emergence of innovations in coaching, this “nurturing” approach is more affordable. Another objection we come across, to this approach where the organisation is not explicitly setting learning objectives, is that the organisation may end up paying for a program whereby the individual defines a learning agenda that is of no benefit to the organisation. From our perspective it isn’t an either/or. We explicitly raise the organisational agenda during the course of a program, but we start the conversation in a different place. We start by considering the individual and their personal model of good leadership, then we bring in the organisational agenda. Without taking the time first to help the individual define their own “narrative self”, the organisational agenda may lack significance for the individual. By starting with the individual, we create an environment in which the individual may engage anew with the organisational agenda, in a powerful way. About the authors: Paul Lawrence and Kieran White are consultants in organisational/leadership development, and practising executive coaches
TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT Ari Kopoulos is the national sales & marketing manager at EmployeeConnect. For further information visit employeeconnect.com.au
top tips
Free e-learning In August 2011, Stanford University computer science professor Sebastian Thrun partnered with a group of colleagues and made a decision that would rock the learning fraternity. They decided to open their class to the world allowing anyone, anywhere to attend their course for free. There were no pre-requisites; they had tutorials, exams, and a final assessment. The announcement was made with a single email to a professional group. It was amplified on twitter and within hours 5,000 students signed up. Eventually, over 150,000 students enrolled in an online version of Stanford’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. This profoundly disruptive model was such a hit that it is now being replicated by other professors at Stanford. MIT have also embraced the model, offering its own series of online courses. In fact, as of last month, there were 400 free online courses from all the top universities across all faculties. Even more profound is the fact that Thrun has now left Stanford behind, to start up Udacity, a free online university. In his words, ‘we are entering a brave new world’, and he is not wrong.
TRADITION IS A BALL & CHAIN TO PROGRESS Online education and distance learning is nothing new, but the technology has reached an inflection point, radically transforming content, social learning, and accreditation all at once. This challenges the age-old university model born into an era of paper, as a passive, hierarchical and didactic process where the lecture was the most effective and the only way to convey information. These models no longer apply, weighing down and interfering with new learning opportunities. In some cases learning institutions have not responded, almost ignoring any technological change. Furthermore, virtually everything in a university lecturer’s life revolves around publication, peer review and institutional authority. The reality of who makes
This challenges the old model based on paper as a passive, and didactic process where the lecture was the most effective way knowledge, how it is authored and legitimised, is no longer the realm of universities.
ENTER OPEN SOURCED LEARNING
Today we have technologies that enable and encourage learning as a networked, interactive and collaborative process. This facilitates an almost instantaneous exchange of ideas, ignoring any natural barriers. Students can access video lectures stored online, according to their schedules, anywhere in the world. Embedded quizzes let students monitor their own progress and
give lecturers richer data to improve their teaching methods. Social media has also assisted by revolutionising the conversation into a collaborative learning approach. It offers a forum to question, correct and be corrected. It facilitates a vision of cooperation, interactivity, and mutuality for a common productivity. It’s the power of 10 working as one. Furthermore, over 80% of learning is informal. Discovering online possibilities is a skill that is developed at an early age. Even the simple task of reading follows a more peripatetic path; interactive, nonlinear engaging and often rewarding paths lead us, the reader, to serendipitous discovery. Perhaps the biggest trend on a social level is that learning is now life-long. Our rapidly changing world necessitates the need to continually acquire new skills and knowledge, thus embracing the concept of adaptability. This networked, on-demand and free approach to learning approach is set to revolutionise the concept of education and its delivery. It is now possible to teach classes with 100,000 students as effectively and as cheaply as a class with just 100. It will offer an equal level of education to anyone anywhere regardless of socioeconomic status as long as they can access the internet. HCAMAG.COM 57
PROFILE JANINE STEWART
my brilliant career
High flying HR With several highly successful customer service roles in the aviation industry behind her, Janine Stewart says her eventual move into HR was “the best strategic career move I ever made”. She talks to Human Capital about her brilliant career Human Capital: What initially drew you to a HR role? Janine Stewart: It wasn’t something that I had planned and I was fortunate enough to have a very wise leader who strongly supported my career. She proposed that I transition into HR from a general manager customer service role at Qantas to gain increased exposure and greater breadth of skill. I had been heading customer service and had lots of experience in managing change. When you’re running customer service there’s two big priorities: one is consistent service delivery to customers; and the other is the skills and performance of the people in the roles. I was approached for a role in HR and I accepted it because it gave me an opportunity to leverage my skills and experience as well as giving me a new focus; an opportunity to stretch myself. That was the best strategic career move I ever made because it provided me transferrable skills across industry sectors. HC: What is your current role and how did it come about? JS: My current role is group executive people and culture at Perpetual. Having spent so much of my career in the aviation industry, I was looking for an industry change and expansion to broaden my experience. After discussions with peers and contacts about which industry to move into, I was offered a job in financial services at Perpetual
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as the general manager of people and culture in Perpetual’s Private Wealth business, and also overseeing employee relations. After 12 months at Perpetual the CEO approached me to take over the group executive role, after the former group executive moved into a business role. HC: How would you recommend other HR professionals learn more about the wider business world? JS: It’s important for HR professionals to have a broad understanding of the business world to allow them to understand how they can add strategic value to the businesses they are working in. When I initially transitioned into financial services, I went about understanding the market through meeting with knowledge keepers and asking lots of questions. This has aided me in being able to contribute at all levels of the business because I understand the operating environment, the regulatory environment and competitive pressures. This enables a deeper understanding of your own business and the role you can play in developing strategy and contributing to business planning from both a thought leadership and a pragmatic perspective. Look out for professional development opportunities that allow you to broaden your skills. I’d recommend
Pulch Photography, pulchphotography.com
JANINE STEWART ROLL OF HONOUR 2011 – MBA from Melbourne Business School 1994 – Bachelor of Arts from University of NSW in Psychology and Sociology (One semester away from graduating in 1994 when I accepted an appointment in Italy with Ansett) HCAMAG.COM 59
Career timeline: Janine Stewart
1995–DEC 2001
Early roles Various manager roles, cabin crew Australia and Asia, inflight services, Ansett/Ansett International/Air New Zealand Group
OCT 2002–MAY 2004
Next steps Manager, cabin crew recruitment; and manager, cabin crew, Qantas. Responsibilities included determining the appropriate recruitment strategy for frontline employees; leading and managing the performance of 4,500 cabin crew
MAY 2004–MAY 2005
Next step Manager, service enhancement, Qantas. Main responsibilities included driving a customer focused culture through recruitment, training and development and communication initiatives involving all areas of customer service at Qantas.
MAY 2005–AUG 2007
Next step: General manager, people and customer service, Qantas. Responsibilities included developing the people strategy for the customer product and services division; HR and IR management for the cabin crew department (7,000 global workforce); managing Qantas worldwide recognition program
SEPT 2007–OCT 2008
Next step General manager, people and culture, private wealth and employee relations, Perpetual. Responsibilities included development and execution of people initiatives to enable business strategy for Private Wealth; established Perpetual employee relations framework.
OCT 2008– PRESENT
Group executive, people and culture, Perpetual. Main responsibilities include developing the people and culture strategy; managing relationships with Board and Executive team; leading the people and culture team
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joining or establishing industry contacts and networking groups and be proactive in taking up external study. Completing my MBA was one of my most challenging development experiences but also one of the most rewarding. HC: What do you consider to be your biggest career achievement to date? JS: My most satisfying career achievement was being part of the strategy team at Qantas when we introduced a global cultural transformation program for the cabin crew around customer experience. We were able to redefine the Qantas customer’s in-flight experiences through redesigning the recruitment strategy and people strategy and customer service standards. I’m also proud of the diversity program that we have created at Perpetual. In the last few years we’ve established a diversity strategy and embedded programs that are making a difference to the culture. I’m particularly proud of the gender diversity initiatives that we have implemented including setting a target of 38% representation of women in senior leadership by 2015 and being nominated as a finalist in the 2010 EOWA Business Achievement Awards. Lastly, at all the organisations I have worked – Ansett, Qantas and Perpetual – building a strong team of HR professionals to support the business has been incredibly rewarding. HC: What do you think it takes to succeed in HR? JS: The role of HR is now quite complex. In the current challenging economic environment, the nature of business is changing and so a HR practitioner needs to be able to help with improving performance and productivity, analyse and understand cost structures, execute change efficiently and create a culture that will drive performance.
Look out for professional development opportunities that allow you to broaden your skills. Establish industry contacts and networking groups and be proactive in taking up external study” – JANINE STEWART At the same time, organisations are under tremendous pressure to identify growth opportunities to develop and execute successful strategies. HR needs to be able to really understand the business drivers, be clear about the capabilities required from its leaders to succeed: select, grow and retain talented leaders. Another important aspect of organisation success in today’s world and one in which HR plays a role is the reputation of the organisation in making sure that culture and behaviours lead to a strong and relevant employer brand. And overall, to succeed across all of these domains, an HR practitioner needs to have the personal confidence and ability to gain a seat at the executive table and influence discussion. This means having outstanding communication and relationship building skills in addition to the professional expertise and business acumen. HC: What advice would you give to graduates considering a career in HR? JS: Learn about business as well as specialising in HR. In your studies make sure you develop a broad understanding of all the key functions of an organisation. Do finance and accounting, learn about marketing, sales, customer service and operations. This will give you a good foundation when you start your first job, and will enable you to add value. HC: Describe yourself in a few key words? JS: I’m highly driven, proactive and an influencer of people. I like to think I have an understanding of my own strengths as well as my weaknesses. I’m also very
PROFILE JANINE STEWART
my brilliant career values based and see success as enabling and supporting my team and the people around me. Humility is an essential ingredient and provides perspective in every situation. HC: Do you have any role models professionally or personally? JS: The mentors I have been lucky enough to have along the way have been some of the most defining role models for me. Some of these have been for greater industry knowledge, some for HR expertise and some for more general business mentoring but all have been formative in my development both personally and professionally. I highly recommend seeking out mentors who can give you this sort of expanded awareness and understanding. I have also learned more during times of adversity and in tough situations than when it’s situation normal. That’s when you learn about your values, beliefs and capacities. HC: What’s the biggest HR challenge Perpetual faces and how do you plan to overcome that? JS: Perpetual has a great values based culture and
amazing talent, and our challenge is how to continue to develop the culture and capability to meet the future business needs. We also need to make sure we continue to attract, develop and retain the best talent in the market because as a talent business, this is a key driver of Perpetual’s future success. We also need to make sure that we meet the needs and expectations of the future workforce including demographic trends and technology use. HC: Where do you see the future of HR, as a profession, heading? JS: I see HR continuing to build their role in strategically partnering with the business and helping to drive performance more directly. I see HR professionals as being consulted for strategic advice when, for example, working closely with Finance on managing costs or with Marketing on managing brand and external stakeholders. A good HR professional of the future has broad value to offer. More industry profiles at:
See Janine St talk about ewart lead strategihow to gain top man es and ag support fo ement HR initiativer your s Summit Sydnat HR 28-29 Marchey,
hcamag.com
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SIGN OFF
the lighter side written by Stephanie Zillman
STAFF TURNOVER: CANBERRA SETS WOEFUL EXAMPLE Did they really just say that?
MOMENT OF HORROR: ACCIDENTLY HITTING ‘REPLY ALL’
A UK recruitment agent, Gary Chaplin, was fired in late 2011 when he emailed a condescending and derogatory message to a jobseeker but inadvertently hit ‘reply all’ to more than 4,000 email addresses. In his email, Chaplin said: “I think I speak for all 4,000 people you have emailed when I say, ‘Thanks for your CV’ – it’s nice to know you are taking this seriously and taking the time to make us all feel special and unique.” He continued, “If you are not bright enough to learn how to ‘bcc’ ... then please f--k off ... you are too stupid to get a job, even in banking,” and signed it off, “Yours hitting the delete button. Have a nice day!” Chaplin said he was mortified by what he did and that he meant no offence to the man looking for a job.
OFFICE HUMOUR
Dear Manager (HR), Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always finishes given assignments on time. Often Bob takes extended measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be classed as a high-calibre employee, the type which cannot be dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be sent away as soon as possible. Signed - Project Leader Another memo was sent shortly after: Dear Manager (HR), That guy was reading over my shoulder when I wrote the report sent to you earlier today. Kindly read only the odd lines (1,3,5,7,9,11,13) for my true assessment of him. Signed - Project Leader
A recent survey by Personal Career Management revealed a whopping 94% of resumes contained at least one error of presentation, spelling or grammar and in many cases several. The top five howlers, as discovered by HC:
1.
‘I am a prooficient typist’
2.
‘While working in this role, I had positive intercourse with a variety of people’
3.
‘Highly adept at multi-tasting’
4.
‘I am a pubic relations officer’
5.
‘I was responsible for dissatisfied customers’
Feeling defeated by high staff turnover and low engagement? Spare a thought for the recruiters working behind the scenes in Canberra – 80% of staff for federal MPs burn out within three years. In 2009, from an annual pool of 1,531 political advisors to MPs in the capital, a staggering 1,202 employees resigned or had their employment terminated (a new record). Retraining costs and redundancy payouts to staff are the biggest contributors to the millions of dollars paid in turnover. It was found that the rate of staff turnover at the offices of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and their senior colleagues is three times the national workplace average. In the top offices, 2011 saw 400 staff departures – an improvement on the 521 who resigned or were terminated in 2010.
C UGUYZ L8R @ WERK
Most professionals would get a rude shock the first time a message such as ‘sry i wz l8 4t mtg, my zugwz 10 mins l8’* appeared in their inbox. Many are still left scratching their heads when a seemingly incoherent message appears on the screen, with the expectation that it will be understood. Luckily, a new book by Australian demographer Mark McCrindle, titled Word Up: A Lexicon and Guide to Communication in the 21st Century, sheds light on this very topic. The dictionary is aimed to help bewildered parents, employers, educators and anyone unsure how to decode the slang of today’s youth. Some of the words defined in Word Up include: Boyakasha – Expression of delight; Noob (noun) – inexperienced person, newcomer; Pwnage (noun) – act of dominating or convincingly beating someone. *Sorry I was late for the meeting, my train was 10 minutes late. HCAMAG.COM 63