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UPFRONT
LEADERSHIP DRIVES EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
AND CULTURE
Organizations are struggling to develop leaders in the modern,
multigenerational workplace, according to the Canadian edition
of Deloitte’s Human Capital 2015 Trends report, Canadian perspectives
on the new world of work. In a survey of Canadian business
and HR leaders, leadership once again tops the list of concerns
amongst 90 per cent of survey respondents followed by culture
and engagement (86 per cent).
In a critical time of transition when workers are getting younger
and older, as millennials step into the roles left by retired boomers,
as new jobs are being created that did not exist five years ago
and as senior leaders choose to remain in the workforce, only 58
per cent of respondents felt their organization provides adequate
leadership programs for all levels.
“Leadership and culture work in tandem. The decisions, attitudes
and behaviours of leaders shape an organization’s culture,”
said Heather Stockton, partner and human capital leader at
Deloitte. “When an organization’s values and business goals are
aligned, its culture tends to drive better employee engagement,
customer experience and financial performance.”
REDESIGNING WORK FOR THE ON-DEMAND WORKFORCE
Almost half of the survey respondents indicated plans to increase
the use of contingent, outsourced, contract or part-time workers
in the next three to five years. Tapping into the open talent economy
provides firms with the ability to scale up or down as business
needs fluctuate. Redesigning work so that tasks and deliverables
can be provided by workers outside of a company maximizes an
organization’s ability to tap a vast array of talent as a competitive
advantage.
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HR ORGS ARE UNPREPARED TO SUPPORT AGILITY
AND OTHER ENTERPRISE GOALS
The newly released HR Key Issues research from The Hackett
Group, Inc. found that HR organizations are largely unprepared
to help improve enterprise agility and address issues most relevant
to achieving business objectives, including workforce strategy,
innovation and talent management in the context of changing
business needs.
Companies are struggling to improve in several key HR strategy
areas, and are focusing transformation efforts in the areas of
talent, technology and analytics. These transformations are likely
to take several years, so prioritization and prudent resource allocation
is key. A clear dichotomy is also emerging in the area of digital
transformation of the HR function, including adoption of cloud
technology – with the best-prepared HR groups moving forward
aggressively while typical organizations fall behind.
“The bottom line is that many HR organizations are simply
falling short when it comes to building the capabilities required
to respond swiftly to changes in business demands and truly contribute
to greater enterprise agility, providing strategic guidance as
business objectives shift,” said The Hackett Group’s principal and
global HR practice leader, Harry Osle. “Many of these deficiencies
are in two key areas – talent and technology. This is a tremendous
hurdle that many HR organizations know they need to overcome.
But it will take time and courage. The top HR organizations are
spending their time and efforts on talent and analytics.”
HR organizations should focus on operational excellence,
freeing up resources that can be dedicated to strategic activities
such as talent management and analytics. As HR develops a core
LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE WORK
IN TANDEM. THE DECISIONS,
ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS
OF LEADERS SHAPE AN
ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ JULY/AUGUST 2015 ❚ 9