Joining up HR for maximum contribution
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390680000926 |
| Date | 01 November 2006 |
| Pages | 2-2 |
| Published date | 01 November 2006 |
| Author | Annie Waite |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Volume 6 Issue 1 November/December 2006
2
FROM THE EDITOR
,
CONTACT
Annie Waite
E-mail: annie.waite@melcrum.com
,
Joining up HR for
maximum contribution
Restructuring talent sourcing at DuPont (page 28)
looks at how the science company adjusted the way it
hired employees for key roles. By partly outsourcing
recruitment, the company was able to implement a
simplified, structured hiring process which improved
its diversity levels and brand awareness.
Practical research suggestions
The power of targeted research results for enabling
effective problem solving has never been more
important in terms of proving HR’s worth and
contribution to the busines. Dr Andy Brown and Steve
Kelly of Mercer Delta Consulting provide, in
Connecting staff research with company success (page
24), a practical guide to exploring levels of employee
engagement, helping you to identify profit drivers and
key motivating factors at your company.
Management development strategies at Fujitsu
Services (page 32) delves into the effect key employee
development has on the organization overall – in
Fujitsu’s case, developing the managerial skills of a
workforce of traditionally technically minded
employees.
Don’t forget, send in your queries on any area of strategic
HR to: HRquestions@melcrum.com, and your question
could be plucked from the inbox and answered by one of
our expert panellists. In the next issue, Strategic HR
Review editorial board member and director of the HR
Society, Andrew Mayo, answers one reader’s question
about how to become a true learning organization.
Those who can remember when HR was looked upon
mainly as an administrative function should be
delighted at the giant leaps HR has recently made.
Looking around at networking events, speaking to
conference delegates and reading research results (see
page 14-15), evidence suggests that more HR directors
are now included in the top executive salary band and
are reaching their strategic potential – indeed, just in
the last issue of Strategic HR Review, Cathryn Gabor of
AXA Equitable told us of her CEO’s belief in the major
effect HR has on the business and his aim to develop
HR’s role throughout AXA Group.
In order to maintain and maximize this promising
progress, HR practitioners should look for ways to
create extra value in all their key areas of focus and
align their function’s processes with overall
organizational objectives. This issue of Strategic HR
Review looks at some of the ways HR can provide
added value to the business.
Action planning and goal setting
In this issue’s lead article, Six ways to link training with
business performance (page 20), Ron Vonk of Kepner-
Tregoe consultancy uses his research experience to outline
a dozen steps to follow in order to make the most of your
employees’ learning processes. By setting immediate post-
training objectives and putting plans into action,
learnings can be harnessed more effectively.
Coping with external challenges
HR has to adapt to changes in industry just as much as
production, sales and marketing departments. Northern
Foods realized it would have to operate more efficiently
in its HR department in order to face tough competition
in the UK food industry. In Making dynamic changes at
Northern Foods (page 16), Norman Pickavance explains
how HR ensured its pivotal role in the company’s future.
Annie Waite
To continue reading
Request your trial