October 2008 Vol 1, Issue 5

Provided by: HRGroup The workforce catalyst

Performance & Productivity Catalysts Why Read HRTips?   John and I pledge to provide you with practical Human Resources insights in each edition of HRTips.  Our experience confirms what research has shown --- there is a direct link between how firms manage their workforce and financial success --- and we belive that human resources fucntions should be designed to support business objectives.    In this issue of HRTips we address the following:   HRTip "Staying Great in Tough Times"      HRGreen Tip "Green is Red Hot in Job Creation"   HRGroup In Action "A New Form of 360"   Ask the HRPros                                -  Rejecting Performance Reviews --- Good or Bad Idea? Your recommendations have been terrific and we will address the  following issues in future editions of HRTips:                                   -  Communication Tips for New Hires                                   -  Finding the "Right One" to Promote        Please continue to respond to "Ask the HRPros."  We want to address the issues/questions that are important to you!! Thanks, Ted & John   HRGroup Client Quote  "We value their business ethics.  They deliver what they say they will,  and work to do the right thing."     President, Scottsdale-based   International Company HRTip     "Staying Great in Tough Times"   Most of our clients have read Good to Great and practice the principles contained in the book.  "Getting the right people on the bus," is an often quoted phrase in the work we do with clients to "select the best."    In a recent article in Fortune magazine, Jim Collins expands on his initial ideas with, "The Secret of Enduring Greatness."  Following are edited excerpts from the article:     Many times I am told that we should forget about building great companies that endure.  One technology pundit stated:     "We live in an era when nothing can be built to last.   Everything is in flux; nothing can sustain."     His argument feels particularly sharp today when we read that Bear Stearns disappeared over a weekend after eight decades of growth.  Some of the most celebrated companies in history no longer even appear on the Fortune 500, having fallen from Great to good to gone.  Companies like Scott Paper, Zenith, Rubbermaid, Teledyne, Warner Lambert, and Bethlehem Steel have all fallen off the Fortune 500 list.   But if we look through another lens, we can see a different story, a story of well-founded hope.  For one thing, we find clear examples of enduring greatness.  In 1873, more than two decades before the American Civil War, William Proctor and James Gamble formed a partnership to make soap and candles.  In 1955, P&G stood at No. 27 on the Fortune 500; today it is No. 23.   General Electric's Charles Coffin brought forth perhaps the most significant business innovation of the past 200 years: systematic management development.  GE created generations of leaders and thereby produced more than a century of sustained success so reliable that a hiccup in quarterly profits can drive down the entire stock market.  Today GE is No. 6 on the Fortune 500.     Recipe for Sustaining Greatness Companies do not fail primarily because of what the world does to them or because of how the world changes around them; they fail first and foremost because of what they do to themselves. Great companies that have achieved and sustained greatness have trained leaders who could evolve and create a portfolio of flywheels - yet they also held tight to core values that have remained fixed for 100 years or more. Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, whether you make it onto the Fortune 500, and whether you stay there, depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you. Throughout history the greatest companies have used adverse times to their advantage When you've built an institution with values and a purpose beyond just making money - when you've built a culture that makes a distinctive contribution while delivering exceptional results - why would you surrender to the forces of mediocrity and succumb to irrelevance? The best corporate leaders never point out the window to blame external conditions; they look in the mirror and say, "We are responsible for our results!" Can "Culture" be measured in YOUR organization? Every position has a unique culture which may or may not be similar to the overall organizational culture.  Tools are available that enable organizations to determine the type of individual that would be most successful in a given position.  If you are curious about workplace culture, please contact us at info@hrgrouponline.com HRGreenTip         "Green" is Red Hot in                                                    Job Creation    As we work and play on this big blue orb, we should also help one another protect our environment. So, in each issue of HRTips we include ideas for you to  "Green It Forward"  - Ted & John      According to a study by Management Information Services Inc., a Washington D.C., research firm that has been tracking green jobs for two decades, the new industries of environmental management and protection have created 5.3 million jobs in the United States alone.   In the past, environmental jobs were mostly about regulatory compliance; now, they are supporting a wide variety of initiatives, including sustainability, water processing, and alternative energies.  By 2010, "green employment" will reach 5.8 million jobs and by 2020, a whopping 6.9 million.   Moreover, sales in the green-industries---including energy suppliers and consumer-products makers---are expected to climb from $341 billion in 2010 to $496 billion in 2020.  When industries grow like this, you can expect significant job creation.   What more and more employers have discovered, particularly in light of the IBM Global Business Services Study on Corporate Social Responsibility, is that "being green" is cost-effective in all kinds of ways...not only does it make the organization more attractive to employees, but to customers as well. HRGroup In Action   A New Form of 360 360's have proven their value as a tool to identify and diagnose the strengths and development needs of individuals.  HRGroup has recently adapted the 360 methodology to apply to a team.  The tool itself is called:     Teams Evolving and Mastering Success (T.E.A.M.S.TM) Survey.     The objectives are: To gather input from members of the team regarding the leadership, processes, relationships, work management and culture they perceive as necessary in order to be successful at an optimal level To learn from the team as individuals and as a part of the team what they are thinking to build the team into a highly effective and productive team. The process begins by administering the T.E.A.M.S.TM survey to anonymously gather  the respondents' views of their team/organization regarding Work Processes, Relationships, Work Management and Team Leadership.   The next step is one-on-one in person or phone interviews.  During these one-on-one sessions we elicit each individual's personal perspectives regarding the team and how it is led, managed and rewarded.   We then facilitate a team workshop to provide an overview of the composite T.E.A.M.S.TM  Survey results.  In addition we draw out what the team wants the team/organization to do differently in each of the four TEAMS Survey categories.  The result is a TEAM Action Plan aimed at producing optimum team performance.   HRGroup has applied the TEAMS version of the 360 in a number of recent client engagements with significant positive results.  Sound interesting?  Contact John or Ted to discuss how TEAMS can be applied to your organization.        Diagnose Needs ~ Identify Obstacles ~ Recommend Strategies ~ Measure Results Ask the HRPros           Want more information?   Please forward your issues/questions to us and we will incorporate them into future e-newsletters.                                Call Ted or John at (480) 753-6188, shoot us an email at info@hrgrouponline.com, or visit www.hrgrouponline.com.