Human Resources in the Social Enterprise

The world  of Human Resources is not often affiliated with snap decisions. HR Professionals are well-thought-out and change tends to happen by committee. Any given workforce would look upon such strategic alchemy with appreciation, however, the HR Blogging Community (its a thing) has been less patient.

New topics seem to be popping up with greater frequency; some experimental others intended only to ruffle feathers.

One could argue that opinion in the Social Enterprise can seem to resemble a three legged donkey running in circles. At least some are bold enough to socialize new ideas. 

Challenging The Process
The image of Johnny Taylor (SHRM CEO) shaking Donald Trump's hand sent shock waves through the HR Blogosphere.... prompting the #fixitSHRM hashtag. While I love a good protest, I am not willing to downplay the effort of Leaders who step out of process to generate new ways of thinking.

Are you upset because the way things have always been is being challenged? Or are you mad that you didn't try to change things for the sake of losing favor on Twitter?

Generational Stereotyping

Note to the PR folks: if you send me a pitch about "Gen Z," I'm deleting your message before I immediately say a prayer for humanity. Please stop sending generational trash to my inbox. This is junk, there's no science behind it, and it further divides the workforce.

— Ben Eubanks (@beneubanks) February 26, 2019

Amen! Millennials have spent more than a decade being discriminated upon for their date of birth. Let's not minimize another generation of workers because we are afraid they are smarter than us!

Best Place to Work?
Mark Stelzner's article on the age-old litmus test of Organizational Culture is compelling.  Setting standards that can be benchmarked is essential to measuring growth. Is the process of applying for a trophy to put at reception solving workforce issues? With the workforce evolving at whiplash pace, can we still rely on developmental pillars written in the 1990's?

These questions prompt an investigation.....

Let's look at how "thought leadership" is positioned in the Human Capital Management space:

• Apply to speak at a conference (your speaking application will be more likely accepted if you are a Platinum sponsor of said conference).
• Apply for an industry award (and while your at it, donate to fund our research).
• Apply for a media pass to cover an event (and you'll receive a discount on your vendor fee to exhibit at said conference).

The aforementioned examples are nothing more than buying influence and only serve to promote the ideas of the less-insightful.

The Misinformation of Influencers
This week I wrote a piece extolling the virtues of my company's research. It was met with vitriol from a few different "influeners" in the space who read only the author's name and title without taking time to understand the extended applicable nature of the research.

For some reason, there is a competition for influence in the Social Enterprise. I've been part of the SHRM Social Media Team for 10 years. I've always used the platform to learn as much as possible while promoting ideas for the sake of organizational development. If you are in the trenches every day, I value your opinion and advice. Regurgitating the ideas of others may get people to advertise on your blog, but the lack of authenticity solves no workplace challenges.

Don't Forget to Remember,

Dave