Friday, September 16, 2005
A Little Less Talk
As much as I enjoy reading blogs I can't say I enjoy writing as much. Still, the idea that we have an outlet which allows us to express ourselves is just too grand to pass up.
Much of what's posted here is about the shortcomings of HR. I believe the profession has incredible potential but lacks the ability or desire to take advantage of the opportunities before us. For example, the focus on 'Best Practices' as an end instead of the means to an end. Or the new emphasis on metrics - which still isn't getting to the effectiveness of work. While I believe there is great potential my experience is that progress is slow. I see a schism between the rhetoric and the action. On one hand we hear of people suggesting HR should make the key difference in how human capital performs. On the other hand I see hardworking professionals mired in a bureaucratic practice, but no connection to the bottom line.
This is a problem. Everyone says so - yet it must not be a very urgent one. If it were, we might see some efforts to solve it. We might hear of ground breaking work connecting employee efforts to compensation, or some other creative initiatives. Instead, we hear about it in the abstract sense. It's not a real dilemma. Perhaps it's the second or third largest issue in organizations with more pressing matters - slow sales, problems with quality, or political dramas played out between shareholders and executives. Maybe it's a long-term problem so we have plenty of time to figure it out. Or, perhaps we're waiting for leadership to have a brainstorm and solve it for us.
Whatever the case may be, there is plenty of discussion but little attention given to the energizing of human capital on a large scale. It's all just talk. We need a little more action.
Much of what's posted here is about the shortcomings of HR. I believe the profession has incredible potential but lacks the ability or desire to take advantage of the opportunities before us. For example, the focus on 'Best Practices' as an end instead of the means to an end. Or the new emphasis on metrics - which still isn't getting to the effectiveness of work. While I believe there is great potential my experience is that progress is slow. I see a schism between the rhetoric and the action. On one hand we hear of people suggesting HR should make the key difference in how human capital performs. On the other hand I see hardworking professionals mired in a bureaucratic practice, but no connection to the bottom line.
This is a problem. Everyone says so - yet it must not be a very urgent one. If it were, we might see some efforts to solve it. We might hear of ground breaking work connecting employee efforts to compensation, or some other creative initiatives. Instead, we hear about it in the abstract sense. It's not a real dilemma. Perhaps it's the second or third largest issue in organizations with more pressing matters - slow sales, problems with quality, or political dramas played out between shareholders and executives. Maybe it's a long-term problem so we have plenty of time to figure it out. Or, perhaps we're waiting for leadership to have a brainstorm and solve it for us.
Whatever the case may be, there is plenty of discussion but little attention given to the energizing of human capital on a large scale. It's all just talk. We need a little more action.
