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HR Where Art Thou?

Submitted by Joshua-Michéle on February 22, 2009 – 6:01 pmComments


Roughly one year ago I was in conversation with the CEO of one of the largest online portals for Human Resources.  My pitch:  Human Resources should be leading the charge in helping businesses understand the possibilities and implications of social technologies such as blogs, wikis, social networks etc.  CEO’s response:  Human Resources is full of backwards people who are always behind the curve.  Don’t waste your (read “my”) time.  This is not an exaggerated paraphrasing.

While Human Resources is still trying to grasp the “what” and “why” of social technologies, they are missing an enormous opportunity to lead on “how” these tools are successfully employed in the enterprise. It is high time that they lead.

Why?

Ask anyone engaged in bringing social technologies into the workplace and you will hear the same thing;  “it’s the people stupid.” (what I call “The Harder Stuff”)   The primary resistance to the new operating principles at work in social technologies lies with the mindset, culture and leadership of today’s workplace.    So if Human Resources’ expertise is people, change and transformation (after all this is where our leadership, training, communications and change management groups are housed) why aren’t they leading the charge?   The market is quickly moving beyond the “what” (what are social technologies?) and the “why” (why are they important to my business strategy?) and engaging the deeper question of “how” (How do I employ them in my business?  How do they threaten business-as-usual?  How do I manage the transition?).

Simple test:

  • Would your organization hire someone today in marketing that didn’t understand how social networks change marketing outreach and customer insight?
  • Would your organization hire someone today in R&D that didn’t understand the role of online communities and customer led innovation?
  • Would your organization hire anyone in Human Resources that had no understanding of how social networks are being used for talent management and employee retention?

The answer is likely no.  Yet the employees that most organizations have working for them today do not possess the skills the organization needs for tomorrow.

Human Resources is uniquely positioned to lead the inevitable move to incorporate social technologies into the enterprise in the form of:

  • Skills training: organizing workshops to help employees grasp the operating instructions (what, why, how) for using social technologies.
  • Policy support: helping define appropriate terms of use within their companies (one of the largest killers of any project is the lack of understanding between a business unit employing these tools and the legal department’s existing terms of use).
  • Leadership development: helping leaders understand how social technologies prompt a new type of leadership
  • Talent Management: how social networks can be used in recruiting and retention strategies.

Who better to address this than HR?  As lower skill responsibilities such as payroll get outsourced I am hoping that HR takes a strategic leadership position in the organization.  Anyone reading this that knows someone in HR – please forward this post.  Anyone in HR reading this – please add to the comments or contact me.  Let’s get HR into the game.

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  • aprilhallibuton
    I agree also, the questions raised are phenomenal! As an owner of a Human Resource Company, you have hit the nail on the head my friend. HR absolutely is and should be a strategic tool in organizations, as it has a grasp on something that is essential to company success - human capital. It is necessary for HR Professionals/Departments to show organizations the way to invest, create, develop individuals in organizations to be willing and headstrong in its growth. It is up to the HR Professionals to tap into areas that are unknown to executives and utilize them to train, support policy, develop leaders, and manage talent. I, as you, encourage HR Professionals to be Change Agents and not only be HR Professionals but strategists in the quest to lead their organizations.
  • Joshua-Michéle
    @Hastings -
    Good suggestion. I am going to do that and will report back
    @Chuck-
    Thanks for the comment - and what sounds like the good work. I may be contacting you back channel to find out more about the work you are doing (I am always looking for success stories). You raise a good point about ROI. I would love to hear how you are seeing that question getting answered within HR groups specifically and/or how HR can be empowered to help brief executive leadership. Part of my issue is that I think HR should be taking a strategic seat at the table instead of watching other departments struggle with implementations that often fail due to a lack of shared understanding, poor communication, anachronistic policy or leadership.
  • I am a former Head of HR for two multi-million dollar organizations, and I am a believer that the use of social networking tools are necessary and will become the only way to function internally. In fact, I believe this to be the case so much that I have gone to work for a company that provides such a product.

    HR is a critical leader to making the use of Web 2.0 internal collaboration a reality, and will likely understand the power, but most HR Directors will push it only if it can be based on ROI and "generational necessity." Why, because they must get buy-in from the executive team. HR will become the cheerleader for it, but until the whole executive team realizes the ROI and importance, HR has little chance to implement.

    We are talking about offering something that is different and, in a lot of ways, misunderstood. Remember that the top end of Generation X started their careers without computers, cell phones, email, Internet. Gen X is just starting to become top level decision makers in most organizations, so there is a lot of education that still needs to happen. We, as members of the Web 2.0 push, need as much data and ROI information possible. Please continue to provide information that can help "sell" it to organizations.

    It will take time, but the early adopters will push it forward and in the next 3-5 years, we will wonder how we lived without it. Keep up the conversations and push all business leaders.

    Chuck Gillespie
    Dealerflow Corporation
    chuck@dealerflow.com
  • The questions you raise are so important -- and so baffling -- that I want to see them put directly to HR directors. Rather than wait for them to read this post and respond, you should use your position as an industry thought leader to raise a little ruckus. I encourage you to contact HR directors at major companies and ask them directly some of the questions you raise here. Argue with them. Reason with them. Challenge them. Provoke them. Shame them. And also encourage them to do what's right. Then report back and tell us what they say.
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