Bluegrass SHRM

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Bluegrass SHRM
Eastern Kentucky University College of Business
Technology

• March 8, 2016
• Lexington, Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky University College of Business
Technology
Earn Excellence Engage, Examine, Expand, Emerge
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Lost In Translation? The Executive Perspective
on Successful Human Resource Management

• Allen D. Engle, Sr.
• Professor of Management
• School of Business
• Eastern Kentucky University

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What Your Boss Wants From HR

1. Make me look good.
2. Understand our business, side to side, top to
   bottom.
3. Keep us out of court/ensure we win if we have to
   go.
4. Keep troubled employees out of my office. Head
   em off at the pass.

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What Your Boss Wants From HR II

• 5. Tell me about solutions, not problems. Come
  with a problem only if you can suggest a
  solution.
• 6. Speak to me in English translate HR speak for
  me.
• 7. Handle General Affairs catch all.
• 8. Help me look good.

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YOUR CAPABILITIESA THREE STAGE PROCESS

• GET READY
• GET A REPUTATION
• GET INVITED TO THE TABLE

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GET READY

• Clear the Decks of all possible HR Administration
• Automate
• Outsource
• Delegate trust but verify (Ronald Reagan)
• But systematically review for effectiveness
• Systematic review is not micro management

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GET READY

• Capabilities Translator
• Step One Understand your business. Listen to
• Corporate Speak (strategy)
• Step Two Understand general HR Metrics,
  understand HRs language of human performance
• Step Three Translate your firms strategy into a
  firm-specific set of customized performance
  metrics
• Step Four Clarify your translation linguistics
  hone the edge of your metrics to keep them current

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GET READY

• Corporate Level Language KPIs, Strategic
  Capacities
• SBU Level Language - Unique Strategic Goals and
  Measures
• HR Metrics HR Processes, Speed, Deliverables
  Metrics, Talent Configurations
• Subunit Metrics Performance / People and
  Systems Capacities
• Individual Employee Performance Metrics Skills,
  Experiences, Work History, Competencies

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GET A REPUTATION

• See a Friday afternoon crisis as your friend
• Engage in Business Support
• Task Force
• Project Team
• Consiglieri to Rising Line Star Executives
• Researcher, Detective, Diagnostician

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GET A REPUTATION

• Provide Data to Solve the Problem
• Know Where Things Are
• Thing One Competencies Technical expertise and
  knowledge base in your firm (WHO)
• Thing Two Capabilities strings of competencies
  aligned on value chains that allow the firm to
  achieve strategic ends brand management or
  international flexibility (PROCESSES)
• TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH

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GET INVITED TO THE BIG TABLE

• The big table is all about numbers, metrics and
  reputation.
• No HR Metrics, nothing to say. I feel as if
  We all in HR agree that is meaningless
• No reputation (from GET REPUTATION stage above),
  nothing to say.
• No value added, no re-invitation.

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Problem Solving When Does HR Come Into the
Picture?

• Stimulus Event Tripwire of Calendar, Critical
  Incident, Sales failure, etc.
• Define the Problem Diagnosis of Symptoms
• Seek Alternative Courses of Action
• Run Them for Feasibility
• Select the Best Alternative
• Implement the Alternative
• Evaluation the Implementation
• Start Again

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STARTING WITH YOU

• Two Sides to Being a Translator
• Know HR
• Know HRs Language (Metrics)
• Know Your Business
• Know Your Business Language (Metrics)

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STARTING WITH YOU

• Get Comfortable With Being Stuck in the Middle
• Get Comfortable with Practicing and Updating Both
  Languages, Languages Not Used Quickly Get Rusty
• You Must Stay Up-To-Date In Two Worlds

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STARTING WITH YOU

• SHRM Resources
• Your Firms Resources
• Building Your Own Bilingual Vocabulary and
  Dictionary
• Get Comfortable with Software, Consultants and
  Useful Friends

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SMART PEOPLE

• Herman Aguinis Director of Institute for Global
  Effectiveness, Indiana University
• John Boudreau Research Director, Center For
  Effective Organizations (CEO), University of
  Southern California
• Wayne Cascio Chair in Global Leadership
  University of Colorado Denver
• Barry Gerhart Ellig Professor, University of
  Wisconsin Madison
• Edward E. Lawler Founding Director, CEO,
  University of Southern California

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTIONANY QUESTIONS?

• www.people.eku.edu/englea
• allen.engle_at_eku.edu