This week I have the privilege of attending day one of the Creative Innovation Global conference here in Melbourne. Key questions for People & Culture about positive siloing, motivation, and convergent thinking emerged.
Viewing entries in
HR Strategy
Human Resources departments have finite resources of time, money, and focus. When it comes to effective Strategic Workforce Planning, what not to do is as important as what to do.
The sequel to the international bestseller Humane, Resourced is called "This Time, its Personnel" and is now on sale for digital download on the Amazon.
HR needs to equip themselves with the knowledge, methods, and frameworks that will allow them to be strategic - but organisations need to enable them to use these tools.
Mars One is an initiative to create a human settlement on Mars, with the first crew expected to depart earth in 2024. Although I can't imagine applying to go on a one-way mission to Mars, I'm fascinated by the concept and intrigued by the process.
Needless to say, taking a job like this is no small commitment - you are literally giving your life to your job, and the first crew of four's commitment and preparation will determine the success of a program to colonise another planet. (No pressure).
What's particularly interesting to me is the selection criteria - although there are some age requirements and no doubt health requirements, the five key criteria are Resiliency, Adaptability, Curiosity, Ability to Trust, and Creativity / Resourcefulness. Technical skills can be taught, even on a scientific mission - but the right persona is critical. We see this playing out in all different industries, all round the world - what differentiates a competent member of the workforce from an exception performer is rarely a technical skill - but we typically source for and develop on technical skill alone.
Mars One Way from VITA BREVIS FILMS on Vimeo.
What are the competencies, skills, and personas that separate high performers from everyone else in your workforce? Knowing that, what are you doing to build HR initiatives to stack the deck towards high performance?
A recent profile on NPR talks about the myriad ways in which UPS drivers are monitored in a way reminiscent of Frederick Winslow Taylor's Time and Motion Studies, and the benefits that this has for the organisation. Is this Workforce Analytics as Neo-Taylorism? What are the implications, and does the future of work look like a UPS truck?
The Elephant in the Room is that a lot of HR practices in organisations today don't support innovation, creativity, or engagement. As told by a story about an actual elephant in an actual room at the Smithsonian.
Embrace innovation - and a touch of the bizarre - by thinking like Howard Hughes. Because there is no box to think outside of when you're Howard Hughes.
