measures

Forecasting for Diversity

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How can organizations address the ongoing issues of diversity gaps in leadership?

This question is one that is explored by Rocio Lorenzo in the Ted Talk posted below.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPtPG2lAmm4[/embedyt]

As identified through Lorenzo’s research, organizations have two decisions to make:

  1. Who to hire?
  2. Who to develop and promote?

These two simple questions are critical when considering the development of the HR forecasting plan. When diversity in leadership is actively embedded into strategic goals, the answers to these two questions help to build a better organization.

Not, as Lorenzo says, that changing the face of leadership is about checking the targeted hiring box. Token targets through diversity plans are not enough to bring innovative change. Instead, organizations that think and build creativity into their forecasting plans use leadership development programs, tools and pools as a solid investment for future success. In order to change what leadership looks like at the top, a commitment to filling the diversity gaps through the HR forecasting process must drive through all levels of the organization.

The content for this Ted Talk is based on evidence based research. According to Lorenzo, diversity in leadership is not just a theoretical ‘nice-to-have’. The research tells us that it is an organizational ‘must-have’. As Lorenzo points out, achieving diversity with women in leadership roles is doable.

It takes an organizational commitment and the organizational decision to do better in order to make the doable achievable. In order to be achievable, the HR forecasting plan must come into play through targets and goals which implement diversity as a plan of action.

Diversity goes hand in hand with innovation. Together they drive organizational success, for real.

Discussion questions:

  1. Do you agree that organizations should establish active and measurable targets in order to implement diversity, specifically for women, in leadership? Explain your rationale.
  2. Identify how an HR forecasting plan can address both short and long term diversity goals.
  3. What types of HR programs and policies need to be in place in order to support an HR forecasting plan that promotes innovation and diversity?

 

 

Why Measurement Matters

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Jamila Aliyeva/Shutterstock

Dr. David Weiss is a leader in the field of Canadian Human Resources research. In 1999, his book, High-Impact HR Transforming Human Resources for Competitive Advantage, was published. In it, he describes the employee life cycle as one of ‘Hatch-Match-Dispatch’ which must be supported by the Human Resources function in order to be aligned with organizational strategy. His writing, at the time, was revolutionary.

Twenty years later, the concept of the employee life cycle is more important than ever. It provides the framework to measure the effectiveness of the Human Resources function, through the lens of employee engagement.

A recent article published in Fast Company, provides us with a synopsis of how metrics and measures can, and should, be used to track employee engagement from the beginning to the end of the employee life cycle.

Click here to read the article.

As noted in the article, employee engagement is not just about ensuring that the workforce is ‘happy’ by providing a ‘fun’ environment. Happiness is an elusive thing to measure. It does not assess whether or not the workforce actually is productive or involved with the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. What the Human Resources function can assess is the level to which employees feel connected and involved with the organization at any point during their personal journey within the organization. From the entry point into the organization, Human Resources can measure recruitment and on-boarding strategies. At mid-point, through communication, feedback, and usage tracking, Human Resources can assess the effectiveness of rewards strategies, training, and career development. At the exit point, Human Resources can evaluate the gaps between the expected level of loyalty and commitment to the organization and the reality that causes employees to leave, voluntarily or involuntarily.

Throughout all of this, what Human Resources is measuring is the level of commitment to organizational culture which is the metric for evaluating employee engagement.

The field of Human Resources research continues to develop through the analysis of applicable measurement and metrics. Twenty years from now, perhaps this will lead us to capturing the elusive goal of evaluating employee happiness.

Discussion Questions:

  1. The article refers to eNPS. What is it and how does it link to the measurement of employee engagement?
  2. Identify three specific Human Resources initiatives you think can be measured to evaluate employee engagement at the mid-point of the employee life cycle.
  3. Besides exit interviews, identify two additional Human Resources initiatives that can be measured at the end of the employee life cycle.
  4. Identify the types of tools or systems that are needed to track employee engagement from the beginning to the end of the employee life cycle.

 

Putting Analytics First

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There are two components in the structure of the world of human resources. The first component is defined by the word ‘human’. The second component is defined by the word ‘resources’. The work we do as human resources practitioners is to manage the combination of both the human and the resource elements in any organization. Our job is to analyze and problem solve when that combination of both human and resource capacities become tangled in problematic inefficiencies or blockages that prohibit organizational decision making and growth.

There is an ever-increasing expectation that the HR practitioner will be the decision making problem solver. In order to do this, the HR practitioner must have the capacity to use facts and data to begin an analysis before even starting to solve a particular problem. Unfortunately, for many HR practitioners, the skills and techniques needed to enter into an analytical problem solving methodology are still in development.

As outlined in a recent article published by Queen’s IRC, the human resources practitioner must take concrete data-driven steps to analyze a problem before jumping to a resolution which may provide misleading results.

Click here to read the article

The author identifies three critical elements that lead to poor problem solving analysis on the part of the HR practitioner. To counter balance each of these, it is clear that in the study of human resource management, we develop expertise in the areas of problem definition, capacity for understanding numbers, and defining the depth and breadth of data to be used in order to facilitate organizational decisions.

It is interesting to note that not one of these three elements refers to the human side of the human resources equation. All three elements are focused on the resource side. What we must keep in mind is that the provision of expertise and support through the resources side allows for the human part of the equation to make data based decisions based on sound resource practices.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Based on the article, what steps will you implement, as the HR practitioner, in order to ensure the integrity of a data based project?
  2. What are the perceived ‘weaknesses’ that face the HR practitioner when dealing with data based decision making?
  3. How can the HR practitioner control the amount and type of data that organizations use for decision making?

HR Analytics – Use it. Own it.

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Blue men 3D graphic
Source: 3D_creation/Shutterstock

It is time for Human Resources to own the numbers.  After all, the words ‘Human’ and ‘Resources’ are used together for a reason.  Human Resources is not just about leading the humans.  It is also about the powerful management and leadership of resources associated with what the humans bring to the success of the organization.

Our role, as effective Human Resource leaders, is to ensure that we are constant in bringing forth both the human and the resource elements to the strategic management table.  One of the most powerful resource tools at our fingertips is Workforce Analytics.  Using the analytics tool effectively is key to ensuring both functional Human Resources and operational strategic success.

When we fail to bring both parts of the human and resources equation forward, we fail at our jobs as Human Resources leaders.  Failure is pretty easy as noted by Mark Barry, a successful Human Resources leader in the United States.  Mr. Barry offers us a step-by-step approach to how HR Analytics should be used as the resource tool, from the perspective of learning from one’s mistakes.

Click Here to Read the Article

What we learn from our mistakes, is how to change the outcome from failure to one of success by using HR Analytics effectively.  Of the seven Human Resources lessons learned from this article, there are two in particular that bear closer scrutiny.

First, where does HR Analytics report?  If the function of Human Resources is not responsible for the ownership of resources through understanding the people numbers, implementing the metrics, evaluating the measures, and leading everything that is data driven and comes from the organizational workforce for purposes of decision making, then the Human Resources function is not accountable for any of it.  If the Human Resources function is not responsible nor accountable for analytical resources, then that resource part of the Human Resources equation is lost.

When the power of analytical resources goes to others in the organization, Human Resources will have given up the fundamental strength that comes with workforce planning and development, which must be vested within the Human Resources function.

This leads to the second lesson, Human Resources needs to position itself strategically.  Again, if the Human Resources function is able to leverage the knowledge that comes from owning the resource of analytics, we can influence decision-making based on the powerful combination of putting the humans together with the resources to drive organizational success.

Discussion Questions:

  1. If analytics are not vested in the Human Resource function, where would they reside in an organizational structure? What impact will this have on Human Resources?
  2. What are the benefits of having organizational analytics available through the Human Resources function?
  3. Identify three Human Resources activities that can be measured and link directly to effective organizational performance.
  4. Identify three strategic decisions that HR can influence by bringing forward both a human (workforce) and resource (analytical) based plan or proposal to the corporate table.