‘Beyond the corporation – Humanity Working’ (Bodley Head 2011) by David Erdal is written so lucidly and with such passionate argument that it should leave you in a state of euphoria if you share his ideals. This will not be your typical short-lived, feelgood-factor though; it offers a deep-rooted yet heightened sense of awareness and […]
In the last few weeks, I have been reminded several times of how an organization needs to be a whole and truly interconnected system, and particularly how leadership relates and integrates through to the rest of an organization. Firstly, a new report by the Institute for Leadership & Management describes the importance of ethical leadership […]
How long does it take for mature thinking in HR to take hold? Let’s consider this question in relation to how the problematic topic of performance management has fared over the last 20 years or so. Back in 2000, I wrote in my book “Measuring and managing employee performance” (Financial Times Executive Briefings series) – […]
One unintended joke, often heard during the total quality ‘revolution’ of the 1980’s/90’s, was the statement – ‘Oh yeh, we did TQM some years ago’. Another was the widespread belief that a revolution in management culture had actually taken place. Manufacturers flocked to Toyota, to find out their secret recipe, and were made very welcome, […]
The Puritan Gift – Reclaiming the American Dream Amidst Global Financial Chaos – Kenneth Hopper & William Hopper, 2010 (I.B.Taurus) An investigative, business journalist calls me for an interview. He is in the closing stages of writing his “definitive” account of the downfall of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The last stone he wants to turn […]
Having worked with a number of large global pharmaceutical (or ‘life science’) organisations, one of the issues raised consistently with me over the last few years has been how to deal with the lack of new medicines coming through their ‘pipelines’, and what these firms should do to get research & development teams to be […]
Are you Linkedin? Would linking-in to a Linkedin HR group make you a better HR professional? Peer pressure can be insidious and when Linkedin first appeared on the scene I was not sure whether I wanted any part of it. All of a sudden I was being forced to decide whether to connect with someone […]
In his 2013 budget speech (stay with it, it gets more interesting, honest) George Osborne, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced there would be a continuation of the policy of a 1% cap on public sector pay rises until 2016 . From a human governance perspective is that a wise decision? The immature school […]
Analysing and assessing the maturity of an organization, particularly from a people or human capital perspective, might sound more art than science and IHRM is only too happy to admit that it requires both: along with a great deal of experience and understanding of how organizations work in the real world. Maturity analysis represents a […]
Did you hear it? Perhaps not. But then MI was not designed to make a big splash when it was officially, but quietly, launched on Friday 1st February 2013. There was no fanfare or ceremony either, which is totally in keeping with MI’s purpose, ethos and values. We have all become used, even inured, to […]