The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of implementation thoroughness on the achievement of expected results from people development initiatives and to provide a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of implementation thoroughness on the achievement of expected results from people development initiatives and to provide a framework of consideration to improve levels of success
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on experience from working at senior levels within FTSE100 companies over the past 20 years, wider experience gained from benchmark groups and association and institute roles. The paper is a result of a review of past programmes implemented by the author and his team and learning gained from good practice in change and people initiatives in other benchmark group organisations. It offers the conclusions drawn through a suggested simple model for future consideration when implementing change or people‐based initiatives.
Findings
The paper finds that few people‐based change initiatives realise their maximum potential, difficulties arise in the timing of specialist involvement, wasted time in areas of responsibility overlap with negative debate, communication is often cited as having been poor or incomplete, measures and intent are often not well aligned and considered late in the process, thoroughness and blend is often restricted to single elements of the change or learning process.
Practical implications
The proposed model of consideration offers the framework within which clear consideration may be given to minimise the impact of the issues identified in findings and maximise the potential of the specific initiative.
Originality/value
A framework of operation to maximise contribution from change and people‐based initiatives and to realise the intended benefits is provided in the paper. The rationalisation of roles within the process and the positive power to be gained from areas of responsibility overlap through collaboration in each aspect of the framework. The paper is useful for anyone involved in the management of functions or specific initiatives/projects within learning and development, human resources, change, communication and project management.
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The purpose of this article is to provide consideration for debate with respect to the role of specialists in HR and people support and development roles, their current dilemma…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide consideration for debate with respect to the role of specialists in HR and people support and development roles, their current dilemma and potential solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
Based upon experience from working at senior levels within FTSE 100 companies over the past 20 years, wider experience gained from benchmark groups and association and institute roles. The paper is a reflection on the HR journey in the past ten years, its struggle to justify and its need to contribute.
Findings
The intent behind a number of people related initiatives have had variable impact on organization performance, employee engagement and capability levels. The direct contribution of specialists has not always been helped through organization design. The need for depth of knowledge, genuine business application, managed communication frameworks and collaboration across related functions is paramount to taking a grip of HR contribution and maximizing the potential of component roles.
Practical implications
Review of HR in terms of alignment, integration, governance, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. Additionally a shift in mindset from justifying to contributing through teamwork and collaboration.
Originality/value
The AIGEES framework of review and the consequences in terms of organizing people related functions within organizations to maximize contribution. For anyone working within and having responsibility for HR/ Development functions
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This paper aims to demonstrate the significance and potential of learning as a performance lever.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate the significance and potential of learning as a performance lever.
Design/methodology/approach
Through experience of working within a number of organizations across varied industries the author has formulated a clear link between learning and performance. This paper intends to demonstrate an approach that ensures a collaborative responsibility between learning functions and organization management in the deployment of learning opportunities in a performance journey from current to expected levels.
Findings
The paper considers that learning and performance journeys can be combined and managed to greater effect if training is not treated as a one‐off event and that change is more likely if the responsibility for learning and performance is held by individuals and the coordination of learning opportunity support is led by specialists yet implemented in an integrated way by all.
Practical implications
There are a number of implications: the concept of learning and performance journeys being coordinated to ensure transfer of learning to the workplace rather than a focus on single training events or interventions; the use of multi‐media approaches to the provision of learning opportunity to enable improved performance over time; the focus of measurement, reporting and subsequent adjustments to the provision of learning on performance outputs rather than measurement of training inputs.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates learning and performance journeys as a concept. It is of significant value to heads of learning and development and organization management involved in change and the achievement of strategy and vision.
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To demonstrate the significance ensuring the clarity and alignment of purpose to the achievement of organisation goals.
Abstract
Purpose
To demonstrate the significance ensuring the clarity and alignment of purpose to the achievement of organisation goals.
Design/methodology/approach
Through experience of working within a number of organisations across varied industries the author has formulated a link between the extent to which interpretation of organisation purpose is aligned within functional and individual objectives and the achievement of organisational goals. This paper intends to provide a series of checks and a framework of audit that ensures that an organisation can consider the extent of consistency and inform management of the potential for improvement.
Findings
The consideration that a consistent interpretation and deployment of organisation purpose can serve as a catalyst of well‐implemented change and achievement of intent. The extent of potential negative impact and the potential sources of disengagement can be identified through investigation of ten questions. The potential to address issues from within a considered framework of review will enable improved consistency and application.
Practical implications
Improved approaches to the monitoring of aligned and integrated business unit, functional, team and individual objectives will provide a greater potential for organisation initiative success.
Originality/value
The structured review of the extent of alignment and integration will provide valuable information on the potential success of strategic initiatives, operational improvement projects and organisation vision. It is valuable to heads of HR, Learning and Development, executive, senior and middle management involved in change and the achievement of strategy and vision.
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Jon Chidley and Neville Pritchard
Using the staff and customers as a starting point, the purpose of this paper is to describe a framework that helps board and senior management identify key drivers that generate…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the staff and customers as a starting point, the purpose of this paper is to describe a framework that helps board and senior management identify key drivers that generate value for their organisation and for their customers.
Design/methodology/approach
With research into the range of customer experience metrics available the authors identified a lack of consideration within the staff directly involved. The paper explores the considerations that lie behind how staff impact upon customer experience within any process framework.
Findings
The approach to customer service is based around: “Treat customers well and they’ll come back, spend more and recommend your company”. To achieve this following the research the authors now subscribe to a “customer third” edict that recognises that people are at the heart of that experience not processes. If individuals are motivated to serve well, if teams around them work in an encouraging environment then the customer will usually believe they are coming first. The health check now developed recognises the impacting factors on staff and their provision of a great customer experience.
Practical implications
The authors find that a focus on staff will positively impact their levels of productivity, absenteeism, engagement and tenure. In customer experience, tenure with enhanced motivation to serve realises a positive impact to financials.
Social implications
Reducing stress in the workplace should positively impact the whole life balance for individuals.
Originality/value
Appropriate focus on people rather than process within customer service industries will reduce unnecessary investment in process and system change and deliver enhanced results within existing frameworks. Change driven by the people within the process is positive.
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The institution of food and cookery exhibitions and the dissemination of practical knowledge with respect to cookery by means of lectures and demonstrations are excellent things…
Abstract
The institution of food and cookery exhibitions and the dissemination of practical knowledge with respect to cookery by means of lectures and demonstrations are excellent things in their way. But while it is important that better and more scientific attention should be generally given to the preparation of food for the table, it must be admitted to be at least equally important to insure that the food before it comes into the hands of the expert cook shall be free from adulteration, and as far as possible from impurity,—that it should be, in fact, of the quality expected. Protection up to a certain point and in certain directions is afforded to the consumer by penal enactments, and hitherto the general public have been disposed to believe that those enactments are in their nature and in their application such as to guarantee a fairly general supply of articles of tolerable quality. The adulteration laws, however, while absolutely necessary for the purpose of holding many forms of fraud in check, and particularly for keeping them within certain bounds, cannot afford any guarantees of superior, or even of good, quality. Except in rare instances, even those who control the supply of articles of food to large public and private establishments fail to take steps to assure themselves that the nature and quality of the goods supplied to them are what they are represented to be. The sophisticator and adulterator are always with us. The temptations to undersell and to misrepresent seem to be so strong that firms and individuals from whom far better things might reasonably be expected fall away from the right path with deplorable facility, and seek to save themselves, should they by chance be brought to book, by forms of quibbling and wriggling which are in themselves sufficient to show the moral rottenness which can be brought about by an insatiable lust for gain. There is, unfortunately, cheating to be met with at every turn, and it behoves at least those who control the purchase and the cooking of food on the large scale to do what they can to insure the supply to them of articles which have not been tampered with, and which are in all respects of proper quality, both by insisting on being furnished with sufficiently authoritative guarantees by the vendors, and by themselves causing the application of reasonably frequent scientific checks upon the quality of the goods.
IN order to be able to discriminate with certainty between butter and such margarine as is sold in England, it is necessary to carry out two or three elaborate and delicate…
Abstract
IN order to be able to discriminate with certainty between butter and such margarine as is sold in England, it is necessary to carry out two or three elaborate and delicate chemical processes. But there has always been a craving by the public for some simple method of determining the genuineness of butter by means of which the necessary trouble could be dispensed with. It has been suggested that such easy detection would be possible if all margarine bought and sold in England were to be manufactured with some distinctive colouring added—light‐blue, for instance—or were to contain a small amount of phenolphthalein, so that the addition of a drop of a solution of caustic potash to a suspected sample would cause it to become pink if it were margarine, while nothing would occur if it were genuine butter. These methods, which have been put forward seriously, will be found on consideration to be unnecessary, and, indeed, absurd.
Through a literature review, this article aims to identify the needs of those people with dementia who wish to remain at home, and those of their carers. It goes on to model a…
Abstract
Through a literature review, this article aims to identify the needs of those people with dementia who wish to remain at home, and those of their carers. It goes on to model a range of services that can be linked together to meet these needs comprehensively.
Leanne Weber, Jarrett Blaustein, Kathryn Benier, Rebecca Wickes and Diana Johns