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12 to 18 December, 2011

Leadership
What really drives value in corporate responsibility?
CB Bhattacharya, Daniel Korschun, and Sankar Sen via Mckinsey Quarterly
Few companies are clear about how investing in social initiatives will change stakeholder behavior or the harm a bad strategy can cause. Now that stakeholders—including consumers, investors, and employees—pay increasing attention to the social and environmental footprints of business, corporate-responsibility efforts have moved into uncharted management territory. We see companies reengineering supply chains to make them “greener,” supporting social causes through volunteer programs for employees, or lobbying for human rights in far-flung corners of the globe. As this tide swells, many executives are left with the nagging sense that such investments rest on a shaky understanding of how corporate responsibility creates value, both for their companies and for society. Some investments, of course, produce immediate and quantifiable gains, such as those from recycling or from manufacturing processes that save energy. But often, social investments are expected to yield longer-term benefits as engaged consumers step up their purchases, a broader investor base develops, or new talent flocks to a company’s recruiters. Read the full article on McKinsey Quarterly here.

Corporate Rage Taking Toll on Executive Lives
Vikas Kumar via The Economic Times
The CEO of a large company called the senior VP of sales to his office to discuss the sales performance, which apparently wasn't going too well. There were differences in opinion on why the numbers weren't looking good. Tempers began to flare and voices rose. In a fit of rage, the CEO picked up a glass of water, first threw the contents and then the glass at him. Luckily the sales head caught the glass in time and wasn't hurt. But he felt very humiliated as he walked out. If this appears like an overly dramatised version of what goes on inside Indian corporate offices, think again. Read the full article here on The Economic Times.

Hold Something Back
Cotswold Dawn via West Writing
Q: How to be a leader? A: Hold something back
Montaigne wrote about the need to ‘keep a private room behind the shop’: to hold something back from your public face to the world. He placed this in the context of his family and, most particularly his marriage to the seemingly rather fierce Francoise de La Chassaigne. Their marriage seemed reasonably conventional for their class and their time. He was 33, she 21; they both came from good families; she was something of a looker, it seems, and although he was on the short side and tells us he had an unusually small penis, their relationship looked like it had a fair chance of success early on. It certainly lasted but their lives seem to have been unusually separate, even for the standards of the time. Montaigne built his tower which was rather like a posh version of Grandad’s garden shed – a place of his own away from family life. He writes about his wife’s shrewishness and her temper. Perhaps most damningly, his later writings mention her hardly at all and the passion and fondness that are typical of his early words about her reduce to a chilly silence by the end. Read the full post here on West Writing.

Recruitment
Top Ten Reasons Why Large Companies Fail To Keep Their Best Talent
Eric Jackson via Forbes
Whether it’s a high-profile tech company like Yahoo!, or a more established conglomerate like GE or Home Depot, large companies have a hard time keeping their best and brightest in house. Recently, GigaOM discussed the troubles at Yahoo! with a flat stock price, vested options for some of their best people, and the apparent free flow of VC dollars luring away some of their best people to do the start-up thing again. Yet, Yahoo!, GE, Home Depot, and other large established companies have a tremendous advantage in retaining their top talent and don’t. I’ve seen the good and the bad things that large companies do in relation to talent management. Here’s my Top Ten list of what large companies do to lose their top talent. Read the full article here on Forbes.

Why You Should Hire Failed Business Owners...
R.J. Morris via Fistful of Talent
What do you do when you see a résumé from a person who ran a business that failed? Not an easy question for most—the failed business owner re-entering the market too often finds that companies just don’t know what to do with her. Without a traditional ladder-like career path, some business owners just don't "fit" traditional roles. Read the full blog post here on Fistful of Talent.

India to Witness Robust Hiring in Q4: ManpowerGroup
via The Economic Times
India is likely to maintain its pace of hiring in the next quarter, unfazed by a poor show by the economy. Of 4,556 employers surveyed across the country, 43% expected hiring to increase in the January-March period, an employment outlook survey by ManpowerGroup showed. While 35% of employers predicted no change in hiring, 2% said there would be a decline in the three months. Read the full article here on The Economic Times.

At the Work Place
Learning to Have Fun at Work - Is It Important?
Ian Welsh via Toolbox for HR
Most of us have probably been told to have fun at work. It usually happens at a meeting with our boss. After going through some big work challenges, we must face, he/she may add, “But, I want us to have fun”.What does it mean? There may be many things we consider fun, but which do not fit well in a work environment. Is it simply saying don’t be miserable and complaining? No explanation was ever given and there was usually no point in looking at our boss as an example of someone having fun – sometimes it may seem the complete opposite. Read the full post here on Toolbox for HR.

What Great Companies Know About Culture
Deidre Campbell via Harvard Business Review
Even in this unprecedented business environment, great leaders know they should invest in their people. Those companies who are committed to a strong workplace culture tend to perform well, and now they are featured prominently in a new ranking recently released by Great Place to Work Institute. Among the top performers on the 2011 World's Best Multinational Companies list are culturally-strong technology companies such as Microsoft, NetApp, SAS, and Google.
But is there a direct correlation between employee investment and the balance sheet? As Prof. James L. Heskett wrote in his latest book The Culture Cycle, effective culture can account for 20-30 percent of the differential in corporate performance when compared with "culturally unremarkable" competitors. Read the full article here on Harvard Business Review.

A Management Tip for Evaluating Employees
Michael Haberman via Omega HR Solutions
I was reviewing some notes from a book that I found to be inspirational. Alan Weiss wrote a book called Thrive! Stop Wishing Your Life Away. I think one of his tips is particularly valuable and makes an excellent management tip for evaluating employees.
According to Alan: We all grow by exploiting STRENGTHS not by correcting weaknesses.
I found that statement to be very powerful. In a performance review we often focus on what needs to be corrected as opposed to focusing on how we can help someone use their strengths to their best advantage. So the next time you are talking to someone about performance spend more time on what they did well and less time on what they did poorly.
By the way, that same tip applies to your own personal assessment of yourself. Rather than beat yourself up on what you are doing wrong focus your self-assessment on what you are doing right. You will be happy with the impact that change has on your personal performance. Read more HR wisdom from Michael Haberman here on Omega HR Solutions blog.

HR Trends
Trend Watch: Faireness and Performance Appraisal
Michael Haberman via Omega HR Solutions
There has been a lot of discussion in the HR blog world of late regarding the subject of performance appraisal. More and more people are dismissing the importance of the performance appraisal process. There are a number of arguments that have been used, most of which I have always said have more to do with the user than it does with the tool. But now I am not so sure. I am beginning to think it may have as much to do with a changing view of the concept of “fairness” in our society. So I wanted to get you thinking along those lines as the trend develops and people apply a new definition of “fairness” to the performance appraisal process. Read the full post on Omega HR Solutions here.

Earning It
Mark McGraw via HR Executive Online
A recent study finds that many corporate executives can expect modest salary increases and tougher performance goals in 2012. Experts say this development is the continuation of an ongoing trend, and signifies a greater role for HR in the design and communication of incentive plan programs. Read the full article here on HR Executive Online.

Nation Short of Trained Workers
Quynh Hoa via Vietnam News
HCM CITY — Viet Nam needs to focus on developing high quality human resources to ensure that the process of integrating into the world economy can be sustained, experts said at a conference held recently in HCM City. The conference, titled “Integration: Co-operation and Competition,” was co-organised by the Ha Noi University of Commerce and the HCM City College of Foreign Economic Relations. Attending the conference were policy-makers and scholars from Viet Nam and several other countries. They exchanged information, experiences and ideas on integration trends between Viet Nam and foreign countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region. Read the full article here.

HR EVENTS
Webinar: How Every Employee Can Be A Customer Success Agent
Presenter: Gunjan Garg
In this webinar we will be exploring the challenges facing HR professionals in 2012, and discussing how HR technology can help them overcome them. We will also be giving out pointers on how automation can help manage mundane HR processes and tasks so organizations can manage their growing talent pool. Key Learnings:

• What is customer success?
• Does your CEO pick up the phone?
• Building cross functioning teams
• Lighting the Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Using social media to listen to your customers

Venue: Your Computer
Date: Thursday 22 December, 2011
Time: 03:00 to 04:00 PM IST
To register click here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/896931510
Webinar: Why Is HR Transformation the Need of the Hour?
Presenter: Prachika Poonia
In this webinar we will be discussing that what makes HR transformation a necessity for organizations to prepare themselves for the next wave of growth. We will also be discussing what are the mandates for an HR today. The key takeaways from this webinar will be on:

• Why is HR transformation needed
• What are the key drivers for HR transformation
• What are the core HR activities that you do
• What alternative models to be adopted to handle the non-core activities
• Is HR ready for the required transformation
• Understanding what’s 'in' and what’s 'out' in HR Transformation

Venue: Your Computer
Date: Thursday 29 December, 2011
Time: 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM IST
To register click here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/249984854