What's Fast and What's Slow in HRM?

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Permalink Reply by Susana de Juana-Espinosa on June 17, 2010 at 12:47pm

Hi Theresa,
I feel, a bit ingenously I guess, that the concept that you explained at the E-HRM workshop, extreme strategizing, should be the norm and not the exception. Following your analogy, we are living in a hipertext world, and firms need to think fast to follow the flow. Well, people need to think fast: tools are just that, tools. A decompensation between HRM speed and reality leads us to... recession.

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Permalink Reply by Rizvan Jaldeen on June 19, 2010 at 1:51am

Dear Dr Theresa

What should we speed up while we are all thinking of speeding up processes are we forgetting the need to understand that most process take time to gestate everything in life takes its natural time to nurture. That philosophical.

Firstly although what i am saying has not be empirical tested I think we need more multidisciplinary skilled HRM's on board not people only with HR qualification this I see has a problem. When I look at the Heads of other department I find that they men and women have dual or tripal qualifications from various disciplines and when I see the HR person she seem to have limited exposure to HR only this has to Change Fast (this is not something can change fast anyway) since he or she has to go back to gaining a new professional qualification so that the HRM person can sit shoulder to shoulder in strategic decision making.

Secondly other professionals need to gain extensive HR skills to understand how to manage the HR procedures and systems with in the firm (this we can leave to the learning and development department) however the new developments and trends in HR should be a regular inspiration in that these should be effectively discussed with other professionals (front line and all other managers) frequently so that they are abreast with the latest HR thinking within the company and developments

Thirdly many companies still simply pay lip service to Performance Management and heads of departments
this has to change (however there is always the 80/20 principle meaning not all companies or managers)

Changes can only be successful when they are review and implemented in a holistic manner. Yes we can speed up things to put the house n order but does the company have leadership with the right values and thinking?

HR managers need to become better leaders and drivers of the HRM /D process they need to be passionate are they?

I am not saying that HRM is still not effective but these are some of macro problems I see in many companies.

However let me sign off by saying your journal is simply the best because it highlights the hard core practising HR problems most others are more academic and research oriented. We have enough researcher and academic we need managers in companies who are solutions to problems and not problems themselves

Best Regards
Rizvan Jaldeen- CEO
Mustard Security and Research
Oman

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Permalink Reply by Theresa M. Welbourne, Ph.D. on June 19, 2010 at 10:46am

Thanks so much for your comments. What I am seeing in the world of practice is managers frustrated with the speed at which HR has been able to respond to their needs. While companies, leaders and managers are all needing to rethink how they do business to compete in the global, complex and fast world in which we all exist today, these same people think HR is a bit behind.

My observation is that we often just think about how to do the same thing faster or cheaper. The challenge for us today is how to completely rethink what we are trying to accomplish and innovate with new tools available to us. For example, many HR systems have moved from paper and pencil to being "e-HRM" applications. However, in almost every case, the process has been to take the same HR tool and put it on the web. It's take to rethink what's possible with new technology, but that takes innovation and change.

The movement to Fast HRM, which we are working with a few firms to take on, is one that uses agile and extreme programming methodologies. I also am getting pretty convinced we need to redesign HR, and one part of that is to create an HR R&D team, because without formally sanctioning innovation in HR, I worry that we will just keep doing the same thing we always did, but try to get our people to do it faster and with less resources. Agile and extreme models are relationship focused, not cost reduction focused. They use sound business process.

Thanks again, Theresa

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Permalink Reply by Susana de Juana-Espinosa on June 30, 2010 at 5:54am

I've found this article which might be of interest for. It's about streamline strategies. Hope you like it!

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Permalink Reply by Susana de Juana-Espinosa on June 30, 2010 at 10:29am

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