Stewarding Change through effective HR / OD Panel Discussion Bruce Baehnisch (Bendigo) Anthony Mills (Sunraysia) Jude Hollings (Kangan Batman) Sue Seawright (Wodonga)

Demonstrate the Right HR Competencies PEOPLE BUSINESS HR professionalism Talent manager/ organisational designer Culture and change steward Strategy architect Operational executor Business ally Credible activist Capabilities Processes Relationships

Strategy architect & business ally

A NEW PARADIGM… “Human Resource Management…seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce using an array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques” Storey J (1995) quoted in NCVER issues paper Control or capability? Human resource practices for a changing environment. August 2006.

The evolution of HR/OD IndividualServices Gatekeeper BusinessServices BusinessPartner FutureHorizons HR/OD Transition

TASK AND ROLE Linking the organisation to external customer expectations. Contributes to the organisation’s understanding of its context Customer orientation relevant to employees Performance management, reward and recognition systems staff development and so on should reflect what external customers want.

Current policy drivers / environmental factors Which of these are relevant to the HR/OD Professional? Australia’s workforce profile Skills shortages The push for Skills Recognition / RPL The push for Higher Level skills The COAG agenda and the new AQTF standards Community perceptions of VET and trades ALL OF THEM !!

Quotable quote… “HR Management is not just about administering people but also about shaping the culture of the organisation.” “Human Resource Management is literally too important to be left only to HR managers. Engaging the commitment of employees and shaping culture requires the active participation and leadership of line managers.” NCVER issues paper Control or capability? Human resource practices for a changing environment – August 2006

Credible Activist Culture & Change Steward

TASK AND ROLE As HR/OD practitioners we need to take up our authority: The Task and The Role: “There are two ways to enact a role. We can take it by facing the real work it represents, or we violate it by escaping the risks such work poses.” Larry Hirschhorn The Workplace Within The Workplace Within

BEING A CREDIBLE ACTIVIST CREDIBLE: believable, being worthy of praise, convincing. ACTIVIST: person who works energetically to achieve political or social goals.

WHAT DO WE KNOW? “Those who are credible without being activists may be admired, but they will have little impact……And activists who lack credibility may have ideas, but won’t be listened to”. “Those who are credible without being activists may be admired, but they will have little impact……And activists who lack credibility may have ideas, but won’t be listened to”. Dave Ulrich – Professor at University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business

Where do you get credibility from? By taking up our role. By knowing the business and being a partner in the business. Don’t wait to be asked – offer an opinion, make recommendations, challenge long held beliefs. Find and identify the decision makers in the business and learn from them, partner with them. Be willing to take a risk. Be visible in your organisation through accepting accountability for your actions.

What does an Activist look like Activists have a vision, they see a future that is different from today's reality. Activists offer a point of view, take a position and challenge assumptions, they put themselves out there to be seen and to be heard. Activists look for opportunities to be seen and to be heard. You need to look for these opportunities so you are seen and heard. You know when you are being successful when you find yourself being asked by your peers and senior managers for your input and when this happens you have credibility and it is important to use it wisely.

PERSONAL AUTHORITY If individuals are to bring their strivings and passions to their work (as their bosses desperately want), they must now rely more on internalized images of themselves – on an emotional appreciation of who they are, who they wish to become and what they can contribute specifically to an organisation. “They have to rely in greater measures on their own personal authority.” Larry Hirschhorn Reworking Authority Leading and Following in the Post-Modern Organisation

What do TAFE CEOs want? Know the business – credibility Know the customer – fact based decisions Know your stuff – research, use & interpret data - bring your knowledge to the table, ‘put the case’ Know our people – build capability through frameworks, tools & coaching/mentoring, ‘be an enabler’

What do TAFE CEOs want? Be a key influencer of cultural change & a culture ‘filter’ Ensure alignment to business goals & values Model the behaviours - flexible, responsive, innovative, entreprenerial, customer focussed Have absolute integrity…… …………“be the change you seek” Gandhi

HR/OD today is very much about how you can use your knowledge to contribute to the bottom line by not being afraid to express hard messages about organisational design, the need for culture change, and how people can be supported in their careers.