The January 1987 issue of Access, a quarterly update from R.R. Bowker Company, contains a brief article entitled “Ulrich's: A Prime Source in Any Format.” This short piece tells…
Abstract
The January 1987 issue of Access, a quarterly update from R.R. Bowker Company, contains a brief article entitled “Ulrich's: A Prime Source in Any Format.” This short piece tells us that 1987 marked the silver anniversary of the founding of Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory and that we have good reason to celebrate. The reason is that Ulrich's, and its sister publications, Irregular Serials and Annuals and Bowker's Serials Database Update, are now available on CD‐ROM and known as Ulrich's Plus. The article states that “this electronic disc format offers high speed access, multiple search points and ease of use.” The article also informs us that data for Ulrich's are continuously revised and updated by no less than thirteen editors who have multilingual skills and whose combined efforts provide indepth profiles of seventy thousand serials and thirty‐five thousand irregulars published worldwide, that there are updates for more than sixty‐five thousand entries, and that there is a “descriptive analysis of the content and point of view of each publication.” And, finally, that all periodicals are subject indexed.
Steven Kerr, Vice President of Leadership Development at General Electric and David Ulrich, Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan's School of…
Abstract
Steven Kerr, Vice President of Leadership Development at General Electric and David Ulrich, Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan's School of Business, discussed their various processes for organizational renewal in a dual keynote presentation. First, Dave Ulrich describes the drivers of organizational change and his process for responding to the new demands. Steve Kerr follows with some insights from his work within GE. These presenters have co‐authored a book, The Boundaryless Organization: Breaking the Chains of Organization Structure (Jossey‐Bass) due out in September.
William Finnie and Stewart Early
Business leaders can add to their bottom line by being more attentive to “soft” organization factors, such as the commitment level of employees, the quality of leaders, and the…
Abstract
Business leaders can add to their bottom line by being more attentive to “soft” organization factors, such as the commitment level of employees, the quality of leaders, and the linkage of both to obtaining results. Such “intangible” factors account for 50 percent of a company’s market value. Results‐based leadership is the key source of increasing this intangible value. The selection and development of leaders in the organization should begin with the question, “What is it we need to deliver for the company?” Next determine the behaviors the leaders need to deliver those results. Too many companies do the reverse. For example, a firm wants leaders who have a vision “so that” the company will be able to innovate products faster than competitors. Or, the business wants leaders who can build teams quickly “so that” the time from concept to commercialization of a product is 20 percent faster in two years. Four attributes of leadership are suggested: setting direction for where the organization is headed; demonstrating personal character; mobilizing individual employee commitment; engendering the organization’s capability (building systems). Linking these attributes to results, there are four steps offered that will help build results‐based leaders: believe that leadership matters; develop a leadership brand; assess leaders and find their gaps; invest in leadership. A four by four matrix tool is offered as an aid to promote the linkage between capabilities and results. Empowerment becomes easy when the four levers (information, competence, authority, and rewards) are taken across the four boundaries of every company (vertical, horizontal, external and global). A succinct example: most firms move authority vertically from top to bottom but fail when they keep information, competence and rewards at the top.
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The purpose of this paper is to present the 2007 Human Resource Competency Study (HRCS) from David Ulrich and his associates who gave a clear account of what HR should be doing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the 2007 Human Resource Competency Study (HRCS) from David Ulrich and his associates who gave a clear account of what HR should be doing and the skills needed for high‐achieving HR people to perform even better (www.rbl.net). However, what no study has yet covered are the actual processes needed to make this happen. The first author outlines how her research has found that many HR business partners (HRBPs) are still not spending a large percentage of their time fulfilling the role as set out by Ulrich. She highlights the factors that are holding HRBPs back from being truly strategic, offers solutions to overcoming these hurdles and provides advice on how HR can play such a strategic role. The second author outlines the transition that HR advisers at Linklaters have gone through by working with the first author and Orion, including the development and exercises used and how they helped the team to provide greater value and to contribute at a more strategic level to the business.
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on ongoing research conducted by the first author, including surveys and interviews with HR people, and the experience of the Linklaters HR team.
Findings
One of the key drivers to making HR more strategic is confidence, both in its ability to be strategic and in the desire of the business that it supports for it to be so. If HR understands the barriers that stop strategic action, it can move forward – those barriers can often be broken down if they are recognized.
Originality/value
The paper presents a number of well‐defined techniques and practices that can be incorporated into training and support for HR people to help them develop the skills needed to perform better.
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The purpose of this article is to provide an interview with Professor M.S. Rao.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide an interview with Professor M.S. Rao.
Design/methodology/approach
The interview is conducted by an independent interviewer.
Findings
Professor M.S. Rao is a leadership development practitioner with over 30 years' experience. He has written 16 books, including Secrets of Your Leadership Success – The 11 Indispensable E's of a Leader, and Smart Leadership: Lessons for Leaders. In his book Soft Leadership: Make Others Feel More Important, Professor Rao advances his model for soft leadership, blending characteristics of soft skills training with traditional leadership theory. This approach is endorsed by management guru David Ulrich, who provided the foreword for the book. Professor Rao also maintains two popular blogs, http://profmsr.blogspot.com (Where Knowledge is Wealth) and http://professormsraoguru.blogspot.com (Knowledge Grows When Shared).
Originality/value
The paper provides useful information from a leading figure regarding soft leadership.
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It is demonstrated how businesses can use executive development togain competitors′ advantage. Specific choices and practices used byexecutives to help make this happen are…
Abstract
It is demonstrated how businesses can use executive development to gain competitors′ advantage. Specific choices and practices used by executives to help make this happen are identified.
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Abstract
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Huub Ruël, Tanya Bondarouk and Lena Dresselhaus
Current global business challenges and circumstances are responsible for the need for global talent management (GTM) within multinational corporations (MNCs). Social media and…
Abstract
Purpose
Current global business challenges and circumstances are responsible for the need for global talent management (GTM) within multinational corporations (MNCs). Social media and networks are becoming key channels for global communication and collaboration. For GTM in MNCs, an effective usage of social media can potentially result in a competitive edge and create value. The purpose of this study is to answer the question of how.
Design/methodology/approach
By means of the Delphi method, three groups of experts were interviewed with questionnaires in two rounds: HR managers, HR researchers, and students following a Master of Science program in Business Administration.
Findings
The findings show that all groups assessed the necessity of GTM in MNCs. The HR managers and HR researchers agreed on the areas of focus and instruments that are essential for a successful GTM system. But concerning the application of social networks, the groups have different views. The graduate students are especially open-minded about social networks, and therefore they advocate the use of this tool. The HR managers, however, are skeptical toward this new media and even now have not integrated social networks into GTM to a great extent.
Originality/value
This study presents a GTM model for MNCs based on the combined findings from the literature review and the Delphi study. To our knowledge, this is a new approach. The model helps researchers and practitioners to align GTM in MNCs with the support of social media.