The Executive Source

Take Aim: Be Clear About Your Talent Management Goals

susan — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:00:45 +0000

It’s tough to get talent management right, particularly when market conditions
and strategy are in constant flux. But take a ‘whole systems’ approach to talent
management that’s tightly linked to your business strategy, and improved
people performance can feed straight through to the bottom line.

Click here to read the entire white paper from the Hay Group.

IBM Focuses HR on Change

susan — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:19 +0000

It’s rare to find a corporate human resources function that accelerates change by actively finding ways to help drive new strategies. Most HR groups sit back and wait for requests from the business for administrative people transactions. In their role of stewards of policy compliance, they can tend to be a brake on change.

But not at IBM. Its HR function has been instrumental in the $100 billion company’s metamorphosis from a floundering computer manufacturer in the 1990s to a prosperous software and consulting services company today. HR has helped the organization absorb more than 125 acquisitions since 2000, and integrate globally, saving $6 billion since 2005.

Click here to read the entire article from Bloomberg Businessweek.

Why are some qualified executives unsuccessful in certain positions?

susan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:27:49 +0000

“Our firm is often called upon to recruit senior level functional executives including human resources, financial, engineering, or information technology leaders. This recruiting work provides us a perfect vantage point to observe why the most senior level business people are either successful or unsuccessful in these functional roles. More than half of the searches that we do for functional leaders are to replace a person who is leaving because they were unsuccessful.

“Like good engineers, two years ago we conducted a careful failure analysis of these cases. Why were some seemingly well-qualified people unsuccessful in these sought-after positions? Our reason to study this was simply to improve our ability to evaluate candidates. But this is useful knowledge for other reasons. Any young business person who aspires to a senior functional leadership role might use the insight that we gained to tailor their own development actions and grow their careers.”

Click here to read the entire article from the Chicago Sun-Times LakeForester.

New Deloitte Report Explores Business-Driven HR Trends Impacting Growth and Profitability

susan — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:30:53 +0000

A new Deloitte report, “Global Business Driven HR Transformation: The Journey Continues,” explores the current trends shaping the way many companies are leveraging the HR function and their people to improve competitiveness, profitability and growth.

“Clients are constantly seeking information on the latest in HR transformation,” says Jason Geller, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and global and U.S. human resources (HR) transformation leader. “Working closely with 40 of my colleagues globally, we’ve identified the leading practices that top companies are using to drive the most value from their HR organizations.”

Click here to read the entire report from Deloitte.

Why Doesn’t HR Lead Change?

susan — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:46:32 +0000

“It’s hard to find leaders of the human resources function who are active in helping their organization improve the way it works. I asked dozens of people who are in HR or in process improvement to share examples of HR change leaders, and I only found a few. Though it’s rare, here’s an indicator of what is possible…”

Click here to read the entire article from the Harvard Business Review.

What Women Need to Advance: Sponsorship

susan — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:39:50 +0000

The business case for having more women in senior positions at corporations is clear. Quite simply, women bring a different perspective to the work world. Multiple studies have found a correlation between corporate performance and the percentage of women on boards, regardless of the industry.

However, in order to achieve real progress in gender parity, corporations must have a commitment at the top that enables them to not only find, but retain and promote female talent.

Click here to read the full Forbes article.

Growing HR Influence in the Boardroom

susan — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:30:11 +0000

It’s become rare in recent years for heads of Human Resources to gain a seat on the main board for a myriad of reasons. But talent issues aren’t receding in importance. According to a panel of FTSE100 board members leading a discussion with HR directors, HR leaders are finding other ways to interface with the board and influence the conversation around business and talent issues.

Click here to read the entire article from The Korn/Ferry Institute.

The Good and the Great: Definable Differences

susan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:30:10 +0000

In the future, the ways in which HR professionals will serve as business partners will continue to morph. The bar has been raised, and some HR professionals will–and others will not–make the grade.

Click here to read the full Egon Zehnder Thought Leadership article.

Bye Bye, HR Business Partner. Hello, HR Entrepreneur.

susan — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:52:51 +0000

The business partner model is often not implemented properly – primarily, by failing to, as a first step, ensure HR really understands what the organisation and its line counterparts do. This lack of understanding leads to HR using ‘assumed’ need rather than ‘real’ need and the subsequent delivery of ‘HR best practice’ that the line neither needs nor wants…

Click here to read Chris Roebuck’s article from HRMagazine.co.uk.

Have You Tested Your Strategy Lately?

susan — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:17:35 +0000

Ten timeless tests can help you kick the tires on your strategy and kick up the level of strategic dialogue throughout your company. Click here to read the entire report from the McKinsey Quarterly.