Connecting Leadingedge HR Thinking and Practice Caribbean HR

Connecting Leading-edge HR Thinking and Practice Caribbean HR Conference June 19, 2007 Jim Walker, Ph. D.

The HR Challenge l Knowing what there is to know l Doing what there is to do • Old, new, and yet to come • What our organizations want • What our organizations need • Challenges and opportunities in the Region “Knowing-Doing Gap”

Yogi Berra In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they’re not.

Caribbean Considerations l l l Public/private sector differences and common interests Industrial relations environment and trends Talent availability, development, and retention

Performance Management l l Goals and metrics aligned at individual, team, and organization levels Frequent and meaningful feedback from multiple sources Support for performance improvement Relevant incentives and rewards, fairly managed

Are you connecting HR thinking and practice? l l Legal, contract constraints? Culture of how organization is managed? Ability of managers and employees to change their practices? The will to change?

Recruiting and Retention l l l Relevant job specs and requirements Sourcing as a preferred employer A practical selection and assignment process Onboarding Building commitment for retention and high performance

Leadership Development l l l Process is understood by all Future talent requirements Rigorous assessment and feedback Development assignments and resources Succession balanced with recruitment

Learning and Development l l Life-long learning Work-related, action learning Creative use of technology, virtual access to learning resources Shared responsibilities

Organizational Effectiveness l l Workforce architecture for the future Organization for the future – flat, lean, flexible, virtual A culture of effective change Social networks, information sharing

Working with constituencies to create a different future l l Labor organizations Community and government organizations All of the people who “do work” in/for your organization (not just employees) Industry and professional networks

HR Strategy l l l Identifying critical organizational issues and the HR implications Establishing management priorities for resolving these issues Align the HR function with these priorities

Challenges for HR Professionals l l Listening and learning about your organization and its issues Consulting and analyzing, making a persuasive case for change Speaking up with an informed opinion Facilitating processes and projects -doing whatever it takes

Shifting HR Roles for Greater Impact Support: users Metrics: efficiency, cost, accuracy Service: customers Metrics: meeting or exceeding expectations Consulting: clients Metrics: helping get their problems solved Leadership: peers, team members Metrics: defining and resolving issues

HR – 2020 Vision Your new realities? l Your organization’s issues l New HR thinking and practices l Your HR function’s roles and impact l Your role?