Human Capital Management 20/20

Leveraging Kolbe Wisdom for Innovation

Today is the first day that my peers and I are sitting down (independently) to create and develop new concepts for the company.  This "Innovation Day" as it's been titled, was suggested by our CEO based on her reading of Daniel Pink's book, "Drive".  In full disclosure I haven't gotten to the part of the book that discusses the innovation day concept, but I'll get there soon.  The concept is pretty simple, give employees time to disconnect from daily work to explore the new ideas, activities, topics, etc. that excite them and then report out on the efforts of the day.

So as a QuickStart/FactFinder (according to the Kolbe Wisdom) exploring concepts and taking risk are right up my alley.  So I'm really enjoying the day and exploring some concepts that I simply haven't had time to explore in the last nine months.  But for all of those peers of mine who are Kolbe Certified Consultants, we know that some people simply don't want to do this for a whole host of reasons.  For those unfamiliar with the Kolbe concept, it is a tool used to identify people's unique abilities and strengths.  In particular, it identifies how people will naturally take action when left to their own devices.  

What I am finding so interesting is how people with a range of Kolbe strengths approach the day, or don't.  In particular, as a QuickStart/FactFinder I have no problem generating a ton of ideas.  Just please don't ask me to go into micro detail as to how the idea would be implemented.  I'll leave that to my stellar team of FactFinder/FollowThroughs :)   But what happens when you ask a FollowThrough (who has a need to categorize and define processes) to create new ideas?  Or a FactFinder (who needs to get into the research and details)?  Or the Implementor (who needs to see it in tangible form)?  What part of the process of innovation do each get bogged down in? 

It's fun to watch, not only from a QS innovator perspective, but to watch my peers and how they simply approach the day.  What is also going to be fascinating is when my peers (mostly FactFinder/FollowThroughs) have to dive into the vetting process.  How quickly will they want to pull the plug on ideas before concepts are even fully explored?  Or will they so fully explore something that needs to be canned that they get into information overload?  Or will their inquisitive fact finding and categorizing actually get us to quicker go/no-go decisions?

We will soon find out.  The first debrief for today's activities is on Monday.  

Prepping New Generations or Retraining Managers/Leaders for Workplace of the Future?

The Social Media Club offers up a great question this week which has me really thinking about how we "prepare" future generations for the workplace of the future.  Here is a link to their original blog post: SMCQ11: How do we educate the younger generation to prepare for the modern workforce?

A great question indeed.

One of the most interesting things happened to me between 1995 when I finished undergrad and 2001 when I started my first serious company.  In 1995 the field of eLearning (as we know it today) didn't truly exist.  Yet in 2001 I founded a consulting firm to focus on strategic eLearning for associations and non-profits.  My undergraduate program didn't necessarily prepare me for my chosen profession.  So the question that Deborah Crooks poses on the SMC blog is a really good one indeed.

I think there are two sides to this question. One side is how can our education system teach students abstract concepts like change management, creative problem solving, and critical thinking or other important concepts around collaboration (in the broadest sense), teamwork, etc.  And at what age is learning about these concepts appropriate in child development?  I leave this to the experts in the education world who have to tackle the major institutional obstacles that keep our public education system stuck in the industrial age.  As a parent of a pre-K and Kindergartner I see this first hand every day and honor parents that home school because of it.

The other side of this coin is how can we teach managers and organizational leaders to become "guides on the side" instead of the "sage on the stage"?  Meaning, when can we get leaders to truly transform management styles so that we embrace and welcome learning from younger members in a professional population.  When will companies get the idea that sometimes true leadership comes from following, learning, and listening (servant leadership)?   When coaching and mentoring is led by the younger of the pair or group, not by the older?

In the human capital world there is a constant message that leaders and managers attempt to get Millennials to conform to the current way of doing things.  Policies are created to limit the use of social media in the workplace.  If someone is "caught" in IMs or surfing the Net it's assumed they are "slacking".

Perhaps what leaders and managers need to do is give up the Industrial Age leadership and management practices for those of the Knowledge Economy.  Create new styles of leadership that acknowledge and embrace collaboration through the Internet, embrace teamwork and knowledge gathering using all means possible.  Back on the flip side, educational systems need to be completely revamped to address the fact that many children today will be working jobs in the future that haven't even been created yet.

5 Take Aways from AFEI's Change Management Conference

I recently attended the AFEI Change Management Conference in Washington, DC (April 30 - May 1).  There are some interesting things that happened while I was there which I thought relevant to share in this blog.

1. If you are on Twitter, check out the hash tag #AFEICM09 for notes and commentary from a broader range of folks at the conference.  I highly recommend checking it out as colleagues have posted great thoughts and links there related to speakers and content.
   
2. A new change management association is forming called, "Association of Change Management Professionals"  ACMP, which Stephen Wehrenberg is helping to form.  The group is focusing on a certification body of knowledge for the profession. 
   
   My commentary: we will wait and see what happens.  I always get a little weary of individuals self anointing to pull together the creation of an association.  In this day and age I'd always suggest utilizing social media tools to do just that.  The wisdom of the crowd is always better than the individuals.
   
3. At the AFEI conference I was struck by how many people are trying to "structure" the process of change management (CM). Yet there were multiple individuals who consistently stated that there is no one-size-fits-all process or methodology for CM.  Why, you ask?  Because change happens at the individual level, and people are hard to put into a methodology or process.
   
   My commentary: Stop focusing on the process of CM and focus on the people that are impacted by it.  See #5 below.
   
4. Making Change Work, a report by IBM, studied CEOs and organizations and their proclivity to change.  "Over a two-year period, the percentage of CEOs expecting substantial
   change climbed from 65 percent in 2006 to 83 percent in 2008,"
   
   My commentary: The stat above prompted my Twitter post on 5/1, "If 83% of CEOs think significant change is coming to orgs, then doesn't that make "change" the norm and not the exception?"   The report is a great resource for anyone looking for stats on CM.
   
   
5. Victoria Grady, an Assistant Professor at GWU closed out the conference with a fantastic session on her research and work on the Loss of Effectiveness which results from change initiatives within organizations.  She's created a fascinating qualitative index that measures the impact of change on individuals.
   
   My commentary: Grady gets it.  It is about the people going through the change, not the process itself.  Pay attention to, and take care of the people who are being impacted by the change and the affects will be less dramatic and smoother for all involved.

Comments on: 10 of the Smartest Big Brands in Social Media

Samir Balwani is a social media marketer who helps businesses create effective web strategies.  He's written a fantastic article on the Mashable website entitled, "Presenting: 10 of the Smartest Big Brands in Social Media".  For anyone who is looking for the "rock star" of great social media branding examples, this list hits it. 

But it's more than just reading the examples.  It is about learning WHY these companies did what they did, noting their clear focus on the audience, how they creatively crafted their "presentation", and why their campaign or social media program was successful.

If you think you can take one of these examples and simply toss your product or service into the model and have the same success, think twice.  Each of these examples is successful because they are highly tailored keeping the message, the audience, and the technology in mind.

For bonus material, be sure to read the "Comments" section for the blog post and RSS track it.  There is more great info there!

Organizational Network Analysis (ONA)

Very simply, ONA is about the people in your organization and who they are connected to and how.  This is a key component of organizational structure and a rather new tool that most executives don't know about.  It's very powerful and allows leadership to see communication and network flow.  I came across a very cool software tool today called TouchGraph Navigator.  The thing I like about this tool in particular is that you can actually use it for products as well as people.  They have a few very cool examples on their website, one takes books or products from Amazon and let's you see the connections between them.

TouchGraph has added a network analysis tool to Facebook so you can see your Facebook network visually.  Here is an example of my top 300 contacts from Facebook (which is all of them :)

When you are in the tool in Facebook, you can actually mouse over people and see a thick line connection.  You can also move it around to look at central nodes (connectors to groups).  It's really fascinating stuff and a cornerstone of the work we are doing at HCM2020.  Enjoy!

HCM Partnerships

HCM2020's Unique Ability is focused on big picture HCM strategy and aligning an organization's culture & structure with its people. We are not all things to all organizations but we have methodologies and processes that help us serve our clients brilliantly.  Where our Unique Ability ends, another individual or company's begins.  So strategic alliances are critical to our success and ultimately to our clients.

We are looking for exceptional companies who offer the following services (and we're not looking for one company that does all).  Tell us what your Unique Ability is.  We will ask you a lot about your identified processes and Unique Abilities.  If you don't know what UA is, read this.

Here is an ongoing list of HCM areas we are looking for.

• Talent Management
• Human Resources (HRM, HR, etc.)
• Training
• Professional Development
• Certification/Designations
• Leadership/Management Training
• Onboarding
• Recruitment & Retention
• Compensation & Benefits
• Workforce Productivity
• Workforce Planning & Deployment
• Workforce Analytics & Trends
• Generational Trends
• Change Management
• Organizational Mission, Philosophy & Culture
• Strategic Alignment
• Knowledge Management & Thought Leadership

Send us an email at Info@HCM2020.com and tell us what is unique about you or your organization and what area you specialize in.  Please do not send us your typical marketing material (yet).  We will be sure to get back to you promptly to talk with you about our partnership programs and how we can leverage each others UAs!

HR is just one part of HCM

One of the things I like to be very clear on early in conversations about human capital management, is that HCM is not simply HR.  It's not a fancy new term for a revised definition of human resources.  It is a much, much broader concept  of which HR is just one part.  All of the following buzz words fall under the umbrella of HCM:

Human Capital Management Components

• Talent Management
• Human Resources (HRM, HR, etc.)
• Training
• Professional Development
• Certification/Designations
• Leadership/Management Training
• Onboarding
• Recruitment & Retention
• Compensation & Benefits
• Workforce Productivity
• Workforce Planning & Deployment
• Workforce Analytics & Trends
• Generational Trends
• Change Management
• Organizational Mission, Philosophy & Culture
• Strategic Alignment
• Knowledge Management & Thought Leadership

HCM Strategy, focuses on how all of these buzz words work together to generate a high performing organization with happy, productive employees.

We have taken these buzz words and formulated a new approach to HCM around four key areas.  Watch the blog for more on the HCM2020 Vision in the coming days.

The Importance of Unique Ability

On the blog in the left nav bar, you will find a book called "Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want".  The authors Catherine Nomura and Julia Waller wrote the book to explain this very simple and powerful concept.  Unique Ability is at the Core of our business, so I wanted to take some time to explain the concept, provide resources and explain why I think this is so important for the future of the workplace.

I have been participating in a fantastic entrepreneurial coaching program for the last three years called The Strategic Coach.  The program is the brain child of Dan Sullivan and his wife and business partner, Babs Smith.   The concept of Unique Ability is one that is taught early on in the program, and for good reason. 

The principle is quite simple.  Every individual has a unique set of talents, skills, abilities and interests.  When these are clearly identified and added to the things you are passionate about (why do do it), you come to your Unique Ability.

I am passionate about finding individual's Unique Ability because when a person knows very clearly what they do best, and you unleash them to do just that, amazing things happen.  They are highly motivated, happy, extremely productive.  "Work" doesn't seem like work anymore.  An organization can leverage these strengths and fit individuals to teams and teams to groups, and groups within the organization, and the organization to its larger communities.

At the Core of HCM2020 is our vision that people come first.  Identifying and understanding an individual's Unique Ability, clearly defining and articulating it, and building teams around individuals is the hidden gem.  This philosophy will help grow strong, vibrant teams who can adapt and change more effectively.  The culture of the organization shifts as well.

We are big fans of the concept of Unique Ability, it is at the Core of what we do.

Welcome to HCM2020!

It's amazing the great new things that come when change happens.  We are welcoming in 2009 and looking to the future as we establish HCM2020 as a major player in the human capital arena.  The reference to 2020 could mean the year, it could mean having 20/20 vision...we love the inferences to both.

As the founder of HCM2020, I am very excited about the possibilities and changes happening in today's workforce.  Major shifts in generations, rapid advances in technology, and philosophical exploration about management and leadership are going to make the next eleven years a very exciting time for everyone.  We are at the center of this revolution and will use this blog to leverage independent thinking about the changes we see and unique perspectives we uncover around all issues related to Human Capital Strategy.

If you are interested in guest blogging here, please do not hesitate to contact us at Blog@hcm2020.com. We welcome cross-posting and linking as well and look forward to doing the same.