Consider the following questions:
Are you looking for your talent in the right places?
Recruitment is one area of HR activity that's changed markedly in the last ten years. Traditional agencies still flourish and newspaper advertising hasn't yet died the death so many predicted. But workforce demographics and expectations have changed dramatically, as have the tools to reach potential employees. Specialist agencies and websites are emerging to harness the growing desire for more flexible working. Web 2.0 is an increasingly popular medium, particularly for technical and graduate recruitment. And employer branding is becoming an ever more powerful weapon in the 'War for Talent'. Confident of their value, many highly skilled individuals are opting to work as freelancers, interims or consultants. Yet most recruitment and selection processes are still based on a job market model which assumes people are looking for long-term, permanent employment.
How does your organisation retain and develop expensively trained resources?
Successful 21st Century organisations recognise individual difference as standard, and treasure the consequent multiplicity of talent. Their structures enable successful global working and encourage the development of positive change management skills. And they offer more varied working arrangements as part of a positive strategy to improve the attraction and retention of staff with key skills. Highly trained women are the most obvious group, but with an ageing population it can also be a way of retaining scarce skills among those approaching retirement. Flexible working stimulates agility and creative thinking since it can only succeed in a culture of trust where communication is excellent and people are prepared to think outside the box. These same skills are essential to the success of 21st Century organisations.
Do you have the best delivery model for your HR function?
While the Ulrich 'three legged model' makes operational sense, the real question is where does your strategic focus lie? In his book 'The New Rules of Engagement' Mike Johnson suggests we need to create new areas of responsibility with new job titles:
- Chief talent officer
- Chief people developer/head coach
- Chief work-life balance officer
- Chief rewards executive
- Chief of culture relations
- Keeper of the corporate conscience
Are you ready to redesign work for the 21st Century?
What's happening in your organisation? Are you being proactive and strategic or reactive and transactional? Thought leader or thinking performer?
If you're ready to upgrade to HR 2.1, get in touch and let's co-create a new and better version of your organisation.
Page last updated: August 2011
