Anyone read this outrageous piece yet?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nevin on April 1, 2009 at 7:33am

Oddly, I hadn't (yet) read it - and now I have (thanks, I think).

It's pretty clear to me that the "good" professor is preaching about a stereotype, and doubtless to an audience where such comments constituted "red meat." Of course, while it's been a while, I recall that a lot of my college professors who taught about things like HR management were several years removed from that reality - I'm guessing that's true here, as well. I also suspect that the more anger he stirs up, the more he thinks he's fulfilling his purpose. Consequently, I'm sure your note made his day/week. More's the pity.

I still hear a lot of the HR vs. Treasury talk, and I know that it remains a reality in some, perhaps many, workplaces. But I have found that the organizations that truly thrive don't have that perception.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dave Crisp on April 9, 2009 at 2:27pm

Interesting comment and even more interesting example, Kenneth. I agree with your last paragraph on both counts - HR often doesn't get the support and we certainly heard the opposite in Beatty's remarks where he suggests HR is a 'place to dis-invest.' In fact, I emailed Dr. Beatty asking for clarification of his full comments and while he got back immediately on my small challenge to someday debate the issues, he has ignored two requests for more information so I could understand if I was missing something that mitigated his most negative remarks.

As a matter of debate, most HR pros I've encountered actually do understand the link between effective HR and productivity, so perhaps our experience differs or we're looking at different things.

Several other bloggers have squelched the idea that 'employer of choice' is a fallacy. There are some great reasons to promote it (not as the exclusive target of HR, but one value-add piece), among them because it draws resumes and candidates who are the best, most productive, etc., which is certainly a function HR is tasked with and which can create greater productivity. That task is one of many great examples why HR is more than a 'communication strategy,' though again I agree that the latter is one key task of HR.

Having said that, your interesting, insightful example of what goes wrong would seem to me to point to more of a lack of understanding by the CEO than by HR. I spent years trying to explain to CEOs that you can't just announce a new strategy and expect everyone to understand it day one, but I often found that fell on deaf ears. In my longest job, I saw 110 changes of strategy/re-organization of business elements in 14 years - about one every six weeks. Before one strategy was worked into place, several more had supplanted it. Until Senior Exec groups understand that people don't absorb and turn on a dime, this onslaught will continue and no amount of HR communication expertise will elicit the right answers and cooperation from employees within that short a time frame, nor could you possibly expect to see or measure results from a new strategy that fast. If the job of HR is to produce such miracles, we better find angels to take it on.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mark Fogel on April 19, 2009 at 5:37pm

Prof. B's buddy and writing partner Husselid is incompetent at anything to do with real world HR. My team went to a scorecard 1 day seminar a couple of yrs. ago in chicago. He dished alot of the same stuff during a 1 day scorecard seminar. When my director pressed him on some questions outside his material he blew her off. More then half the seminar did not return after lunch. We got our money back because I was so angered. They are self promoting Mensa jerks, that think they know better because they have PHD's, no cred in my book. Let an ex CHRO make that statement and maybe my ears will turn up to listen...
thx for posting this...
M

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dave Crisp on April 20, 2009 at 3:36pm

Thanks Mark; interesting about Huselid. As an ex-CHRO I appreciate your vote of confidence. In my current work I focus on why HR should and how it can have greater impact on executive understanding of HR. It's a bit of an uphill battle sometimes as so many in our profession seems to take it for granted that we get dumped on routinely this way... and we shouldn't.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Guy Farmer on May 11, 2009 at 3:10pm

Dear Dave,

I've worked with many leaders who value long-term investment in their employees and HR programs. Many others are still functioning from the paradigm that employees and HR are to be mistrusted. Like with anything, CFOs, CEOs, or whomever, get to choose what they believe in. However, those beliefs do lead them and their companies in certain directions. They get to choose what path they take. Building up HR and employees leads in one direction and then there are other options.

It's sort of like asking someone if they would rather be frustrated or happy and then having them choose to be frustrated. In my experience there are leaders who understand the value of building employees up and others who just see them as a commodity to be used until it wears out and they buy a new one.

It's a challenge to bring leaders to the perspective that employee support, satisfaction and growth is key to success but it can happen. I've found that it's helpful to create a dialogue wherein HR and Management get together and work together to exchange ideas.

It is often this cross-pollination and collaboration that yields a third perspective that benefits all sides and helps build trust. As the two groups work jointly, it builds a rapport that enables HR people to disseminate their ideas more effectively. It also initiates the process of planning together and supporting long-term thinking.

Regards,

Guy
www.myrelationshipguy.com/leadershiptraining

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by William Kingi on May 17, 2009 at 4:42am

Hi Dave,

As part of my PhD. thesis i am looking at employee involvement/empowerment and its impact on organizational performance and there is enough empirical evidence to suggest a strong correlation. The prof. has touched on core HR functions and with no detailed evidencal proof passed a blanket judgement on HR professionals. I do not agree with that, however, i am of the view that as professionals, we need to diagnose his opinions soberly and look at their merits and demerits with the sole purpose of improving our craft.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle Passmore on August 14, 2009 at 1:08pm

I have seen this article several times, along with my current CFO bringing it to me. Although RWB makes good points about the stereotypical HR department, I find his labeling degrading to the profession.
Richard W Beatty has spent his entire life in the educaltional sector, although he has 40+ years as an author, witness and speaker he has never spent a day in the life of a "REAL HR" person. His comments come from research, observation, review and analysis. Not real life experiences, day-to-day trenches with those employees, executives he seems so qualified to counsel. He is a typical Ivy Leauge professor, some like those from Cornell. A lot of book knowledge, a lot of talk, yet no action.
I am not bashing those schools, in fact one I am Alumni of. Yet I found after practicing HR in the real world, I was very much argumentative with the "scholar" approach to dealing with issues. Yes HR people get in the way of bottom-line decisions. However if more CFO's embraced HR and learned the value, along with teaching the HR professional the value of business, companies would prosper much faster. Jack Welch has been a long time supporter of the HR profession, he embraced the knowledge and fostered a "seat at the table" for GE.
I am optimistic of industry and public sector doing the same. Just my two cents.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by George Anthony Guajardo on August 14, 2009 at 6:50pm

Given his expertise, I would have though Beatty knew a bit more about the benefit HR can provide to strategic decisions.

I disagree with most of what he says, but I think we stand to learn a bit from his words. I wrote a reaction piece and would love any feedback HRM today has to offer: http://tinyurl.com/mwkken

Thanks for bringing this article to my attention. I had missed it, before.

▶ Reply to This