Week 4 Learning Log: Post 3

Section 2 cont.

Additional References:

As was the case last week, I found a couple of great references to help support my positions on the discussion boards.

Hollon(2011) listed the top 10 best practices high-impact organizations.  This was a great article that supported the need for metrics.  I found the study very informative.

 Hollon, J. (2011, January 27). New Study: The Top 10 Best Practices of High-Impact HR Organizations. Retrieved on September 16, 2016 from: http://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/new-study-the-top-10-best-practices-of-high-impact-hr-organizations/ (Links to 

 I found Vanhegan's (2013) article very thought provoking when thinking about using cloud computing for HR purposes.  As a Compliance professional, I have been cautioned about moving once shared drive data to the cloud.  I felt that there additional risks like employee theft and Vanhegan's article supporting my thinking.

Vanhegan, S. (2013, May 10). How HR can manage the risk of Cloud Computing. Retrieved on September 9, 2016 from: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/how-hr-can-manage-the-risk-of-cloud-computing

Section 4: Feedback from SHRM

I checked into my question and had some responses.  Our thread elicited a lot of conversation.  Here is my link and a picture of my response:

Section 6: Learning Lessons

Provide an exceptionally clear and thorough description of what you found to be the most valuable information you discovered throughout this week’s assignments, discussions, readings, or research. 

As in weeks one, two, and three, I appreciated the discussion posts.  This time around, we learned about technology and data analytics.

Firstly, I learned that cloud computing is extremely helpful. Cloud computing can help reduce costs and make data easier access globally.  While there are benefits, there are also some pitfalls including theft of data. I am also a believer that because of the regulatory constraints, the financial industry may be a late adoptor

Secondly, I learned about using the Internet to find additional data analytic tools.  I especially liked some new ratio and data analytics that could be found on the SHRM website. 

Finally, I spent more time on the SHRM board this week.  While I posted in response to a classmate, I got a  lot of feedback about our class.  Again, I would suggest that future classes either create their own board or preface every post with the exact assignment.

I look forward to our final week of learning!

Reference:

Ulrich, D., W., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. McGraw-Hill.

 

Week 4 Learning Log: Post 2

Section 2 Cont.:

Additional References

In responding to Professor Steadham's question, I found a great resource around the keys to having a High-Impact HR Organization. 
Hollon, J. (2011, January 27). New Study: The Top 10 Best Practices of High-Impact HR Organizations. Retrieved on September 16, 2016 from: http://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/new-study-the-top-10-best-practices-of-high-impact-hr-organizations/
 
I found a great article about working from home.  Ms. Smith makes great suggestions about working from home.  On a personal level, I do the books for our Sears Store at home.  I generally complete the books on the last weekend of the month and sit in my living room.  Smith(2012) suggests making a dedicated office in ones house.  Since reading her article, I have set up an office in our spare bedroom.  I am hoping that I will become more efficient.

Smith, J. (2012, August 16 ).  How to Succeed at Working From Home.  Retrieved on September 15,2016 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/16/how-to-succeed-at-working-from-home/#2c390caa2eb5

 

 

Section 3

Feedback SHRM Connect and My Question

I have posted my comment and question on the Academic Board in an Internal Social Media thread started by another student and attached the link:
https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=1957&MID=94128&tab=digestviewer

 

 

Section 5: Manager Tie- In

Without a doubt, my favorite part of this week was learning about technology to support HR Analytics.  I found a great whitepaper around new metrics to be used to measure company success.  The metrics of particular interest were around internal promotions and terminations.  At Dimensional, we have historically promoted folks from within the company.  I would love to see this calculation used to measure internal transfers.  I think the statistic could add to our signature experience.

At our Sears store, I would love to delve deeper into terminations.  As I had shared before, we purchased the store a year ago.  Since then, we have had over 100% turnover.  While it can be measured, I would love to understand the why's.  This whitepaper helped me with the calculation, which is a start.  Our next step is to look at our pay, policy's and procedures, and opportunities for growth.  Again, I am trying to apply my learning to strategic outcomes at both of my "jobs."
  

Reference:

Saba (2016). Workplace Top Five Metrics for Workplace Analytics.  Retrieved on September 16,2016 from: https://www.saba.com/media/18638/wp_top_five_metrics_for_workforce_analytics-web.pdf (Links to an external site.)
 
 Ulrich, D., W., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. McGraw-Hill.

Week 4 Learning Log: Post One

 

Section 1 - 
This week’s exploration will involve exploring the use of social media tools (internal platforms) platforms to do one or more of the following: connect employees, allow collaboration, identify new talent, generate new ideas, share best practices, etc.

I had the privilege to work for a Company that was ahead of its time when it came to internal Social Media for employee use.  At Nationwide Insurance, we were one of the first financial services companies to offer Yammer.    Yammer was an internet based social tool that was link to employee email.  It was secure and was able to be captured and retained for regulators.

Yammer opened the door to internal communication and was helpful during projects.  We could meet virtually and post links to documents that were housed on SharePoint.  Yammer allowed employees to set up a profile, post a status, and even blog.  One of our senior leaders even started a blog and would send out daily sales goals and numbers.  This was implemented in 2010 at Nationwide.
 

Since then, I have worked for two companies that have not allowed for internal social media.  I think that if the company can get over the risks of storing the data, it would benefit the company through open communication channels both upward and downward in the organizations. My hope is that social media continues to evolve for financials services.  I see the benefits and have lived them first hand.

Reference:

Ulrich, D., W., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. McGraw-Hill.

Section 2- Additional References:

This weeks discussions allowed me to find some additional references. 

Biro(2012) gave a great look at challenges for HR Leaders.  I especially liked her look at rewards and emotional intelligence.  I have worked in a number of organizations that rewarded individual contributors with people management positions.  To me, this idea is flawed.  The same skillset needed to be in a functional role is far different than leader people.

Biro, M. (2012, November 11). 5 Greatest Challenges Ahead for HR and Leaders. Retrieved on September 14, 2016 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2012/11/11/5-greatest-challenges-ahead-for-hr-and-leaders/#62206bea67a1

Du & Jiang(2015) took a look at the need for engaging in Social Media.  They did research that looked at 1500 S& P firms.  They found that firms with a social media presence are more highly valued by the market and have higher future financial performance .  I used this in my discussion to support my assertion that a move to employee usage of pre-approved content would enable HR to maintain control while increasing Dimensional’s brand awareness and footprint.

Du, H. & Jiang, W.  (2015) Do Social Media Matter? Initial Empirical Evidence. Journal of Information Systems: Summer 2015, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 51-70.

Galer(2015) helped support my assertions around some of the benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing for HR.  While it can be helpful, there are some risks including privacy and regulatory record keeping requirements.

Galer, S. (2015, March 26). 3 Benefits of Cloud Computing for Human Resources. Retrieved on September 14, 2016 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2015/03/26/3-benefits-of-cloud-computing-for-human-resources/#40e487a95ab2

Vorhauser(2013) had an  interesting article around employee engagement. At a previous employer, we had an annual engagement survey.  The results became part of the signature experience and a way to measure leadership success.  Vorhauser(2013) helped support my personal experience.

 Vorhauser, Smith, S. (2013, August 14).  How the best places to work are nailing employee engagement. Retrieved on September 14,2016 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/sylviavorhausersmith/2013/08/14/how-the-best-places-to-work-are-nailing-employee-engagement/#2f1a32338aa4

   

Section 3: SHRM Connect:  

Like last week, I have been a lurker this week. I  did get a response from my Communication Audit Statement.  The HR professional agreed that the results should be pushed out from HR and communicated to a wider audience.

It is below with the link: https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=19&MID=92830&tab=digestviewer

 

 

Learning Log - Week 3: Post 3

Section 2 cont.

Additional References:

As was the case last week, I found a couple of great reference to help support my positions on the discussion boards.

One of my peers wrote about her experience in the Insurance Industry.  She primarily focused on the need for recruiting to replace Insurance personnel that are retiring.  I have also worked in the Insurance field for many years and also understand the need to innovate.  Because of this, I tried to find a source that could support my claims that Insurance Agents are aging out. Coffin(2014) suggested that the average of an agent was late forties.  While at MetLife, we received company statistics that the average age was 58. 

I posed the question about HR trying to help innovate and move from hiring replacement bodies, to making suggestions about keeping up with the technology boom. 

Coffin, B. (2014, November 11). Occupations with worse Aging Problems than Insurance. Retrieved on September 9,2016 from: http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2014/11/11/13-occupations-with-worse-aging-problems-than-insurance

I found Vanhegan's (2013) article very thought provoking when thinking about using cloud computing for HR purposes.  As a Compliance professional, I have been cautioned about moving once shared drive data to the cloud.  I felt that there additional risks like employee theft and Vanhegan's article supporting my thinking.

Vanhegan, S. (2013, May 10). How HR can manage the risk of Cloud Computing. Retrieved on September 9, 2016 from: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/how-hr-can-manage-the-risk-of-cloud-computing

Section 4: Feedback from SHRM

I checked back into my account this morning and had no responses to my question.  I posted a response to another HR professional on the initial thread.  Here is my link and a picture of my response:

https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=19&MID=92594&tab=digestviewer&SuccessMsg=Thank+you+for+submitting+your+message.
 

 

 

Section 6: Learning LessonsProvide an exceptionally clear and thorough description of what you found to be the most valuable information you discovered throughout this week’s assignments, discussions, readings, or research. 
As in weeks one and two, I appreciated the discussion posts.  This time around, we learned about leadership branding and HR innovation.

Firstly, I learned that a leadership brand is key to attract and retain employees.  As I looked at my current company, I could see a clear tie to Dimensional's leadership brand.  It made me proud to work for my company.  I also enjoyed the further discussions around developing talent.  My big takeaway was that what got a company to success, will not necessarily take them into the future.  One must look at current talent and new generations of talent and structure branding and talent development initiatives that support current and future needs.

Secondly, I enjoyed learning more about HR as an innovator.  To help build talent, HR must invest in people development.  Our text suggested that these investments include: buy, build, borrow, boost, bounce, and bind (Ulrich et al, 2012, pp. 169-170).  While reflecting on my own career, I came to the conclusion that most HR departments I have worked with were not good at helping to bounce talent.  I have seen far to many people kept on for fear of real communication or litigation. 

Finally, I spent more time on the SHRM board this week.  While I posted a couple of questions, I found that the HR professionals were not open to helping MBA students.  It left a sour taste in my mouth.  As a suggestion for future classes, NECB may want to find another board or have students respond to each other.  At the end of the day, we are just trying to learn for current HR professionals.

Reference:

Ulrich, D., W., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. McGraw-Hill.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3 Learning Log: Post 2

Section 2 Cont.: Additional References

Through my discussion responses, I had to find additional resources to support my positions.  They are:
In my second discussion post for week three, I found that I wanted to dig deeper on developing talent in an organization.  Hansen (2011) provided some thought leadership around focusing on the development of ones existing team.  I likened it to the axiom around it is less expensive to keep current customer rather than getting a new customer.  I think the same can be true of talent.  It is easier and less expensive to develop existing talent.

Hansen, D. (2011, December 02). 5 Keys For Developing Talent In Your Organization. Retrieved September 07, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhansen/2011/12/02/5-keys-developing-talent-in-your-organization/#16d018c74788

In my first discussion post, I decided to focus on the attributes of my most successful team.  Without a doubt, it would be my Compliance Team at Nationwide.  We were all new and in the same boat.  We talked with each other and truly became a family.  We made decisions together and measured all of our successes.  Hedges (2014)further supported my personal experience by outlining some key steps to building a great team.

Hedges, K. (2014, September 10). Build a High Performing Team in 30 Minutes. Retrieved on September 8, 2016 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/09/10/build-a-high-performing-team-in-30-minutes/#60ffbc501263

 

 

Section 3

Feedback SHRM Connect and My Question

I have posted my question on the Academic Board in a Communications Audit thread and attached the link:

https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=19&MID=92406&tab=digestviewer&CommunityKey=d8fc5e77-5d0c-4953-8297-81f0cb18dbae&SuccessMsg=Thank+you+for+submitting+your+message.

My question:

 

 

 

Section 5: Manager Tie- In

  

Describe what you found to be the most valuable information you discovered throughout this week’s assignments, discussions, readings, research, and why?

 

 I found our text to be most valuable this week.  The focus on HR as change champion was especially intriguing. Like many, I found previous change to be cumbersome and confusing.  The part of the text about organizational viruses was very eye opening.  So eye opening, that I shared the list with my co-workers.  I am hopeful that the list will help us have meaningful conversations on a go forward basis.

I also found the discussion around HR as an Innovator and Integrator.  The five factors of innovator and integrator include optimizing human capital through workforce planning and analytics, developing talent, shaping the organization, driving performance, and creating a leadership brand (Ulrich et al, 2012).  I chose to focus on creating a leadership brand and learned a lot about organizations should do to create a sustained brand.

Finally, I learned more about Prezi.  I utilized the learning shared by Dr. Steadham and found multiple tutorials on YouTube.  I look forward to the next steps.

Reference:

Ulrich, D., W., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. McGraw-Hill.

 

Week 3 Learning Log: Post One

 

Section 1 -  Investigate the use of Communications Audits (Chapter 7)

 

Communication Audits can provide a powerful tool to measure effectiveness.  Our text suggests seven different communication audit tools.  These tools include interviews, surveys, critical incident reviews, network analysis, observation, document review, and focus groups (Ulrich et al, 2012, p. 174).  Like most audits, there are pros and cons to each audit. 

As I have shared before, my husband and I own a small retail store.  My husband manages the store and we are struggling with consistent communication.  There does not appear to be a two way communication in the store.  While this can be seen through observation, it does not lead us to better communication.  After reviewing each of the tools, we have decided that we need to take a step back and make sure to define our purpose, governance, ongoing learning, and accountability.  We have decided to approach this audit by including our staff.  We will begin by conducting a survey.  While the cons are that it does not provide in-depth  commentary, we feel we need to address the basics.

Our goal is to provide consistent communication and feedback.  We also see a need to institute a  reward and recognize our top performers.  Now, we do not.   

Reference:

Ulrich, D., W., Younger, J., Brockbank, & Ulrich,M . (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. McGraw-Hill.

Section 2- Additional References:

This weeks discussions allowed me to find some additional references. 

Buckingham (2011) offered some great insight into 360 feedback surveys.  As I shared in my post, I have been a member of a 360 feedback pilot group that did not go well.  Buckingham's (2011) assertion that they do not work well, backed up my personal experience.

Buckingham, M. (2011, October 11). The Fatal Flaw with 360 Surveys. Retrieved on September 6, 2016 from: https://hbr.org/2011/10/the-fatal-flaw-with-360-survey (Links to an external site.)

Myatt's (2013) article pointed out that not everyone is a leader.  While I think HR can help develop employees, not everyone has the ability.  This article helped bolster my argument.

Myatt, M. (2013, January 2013).  Why You're not a Leader.  Retrieved on September 7, 2016 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2013/01/23/why-youre-not-a-leader/#423855d25a4e (Links to an external site.)

Smallwood and Ulrich (2007) defined a leadership brand.  I felt their focus on the steps necessary for a company to move from being individually focused to creating a corporate culture of leadership was key.

Smallwood, N. & Ulrich, D. (2007, July-August ed.)  Building a Leadership Brand. Retrieved on September 7, 2016 from: https://hbr.org/2007/07/building-a-leadership-brand

Section 3: SHRM Connect:  

Like last week, I have been a lurker this week. I did get a follow-up question from a fellow submitter around the capability audit.  We did conduct an informal audit on Monday.  We have identified main functions in our business:

1. Receiving,
2. Delivery,
3. Sales,
4. Accounting and
5. Strategic Planning. 
Our next goal is to help improve communication.  I will be posting about my communication audit in the next few days.

Here is the link to my discussion from last week: 


https://community.shrm.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=19&MID=91631&tab=digestviewer

   

Week 2 - Learning Log: Part 3

Section 2 cont.
Additional References:

As was the case last week, I found a couple of great reference to help support my positions on the discussion boards.

Capelli (2011) wrote an interesting article in the middle of the recession that outlined the difficulty in getting good "fit" employees.  It helped support my position that employees have more power in the hiring equation than they have in the not so distant past.  Fit is important for an employer and an employee.

Capelli, P. (2011, October 24). Why Companies aren’t getting the Employees they need. Retrieved on September 2,2016 from: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204422404576596630897409182 

Ulrich continues to be a great source for Human Resource direction in our current era.  "To state it plainly: achieving organizational excellence must be the work of HR (Ulrich, 1998)."

Ulrich, D. (1998,January and February). A New Mandate for Human Resources. Retrieved on September 2, 2016 from: https://hbr.org/1998/01/a-new-mandate-for-human-resources

Section 4: Feedback from SHRM

I checked back into my account this morning and had no responses to my question.  Instead, I decided to respond to another students post.

Original Question:

My question:

 

Section 6: Learning Lessons
Provide an exceptionally clear and thorough description of what you found to be the most valuable information you discovered throughout this week’s assignments, discussions, readings, or research. 

As in week one, I enjoyed the discussion and subsequent collaborations around credible activism and creating  signature experience.  Credible activism can be gained by focusing on building trust.  As I argued in my discussion, without trust, one can never hope to be a credible activist.

Secondly, I learned that creating a signature experience is an important HR tenant.  I had the experience in my recent job transition to live a signature experience.  HR treated me as a valued customer and managed my hiring process. They proactively managed my entire experience and did so with reliability, transparency, and grace.  My goal is to apply this knowledge to my own business.  While my husband and I wear multiple hats, attracting and retaining quality employees has been our most difficult task.  On Monday, we are spending the day reviewing our proforma for our first year and making our plan for next year.  Our goal is to retain and attract great salespeople that live our values.  What I have learned is that we must first define what a signature experience is and then live it.  This second week has taught me the importance of the strategic planning.

Finally, our group has collaborated to develop our questions.  We have also worked to begin to learn Prezi.  I look forward to the coming weeks.