HR, spider in the disrupted web.

Talents. Find them, bind them, fascinate them, facilitate them (in their personal growth). One of the many challenges of HR in organizations sounds so easy.           Yet there are many connected issues to consider.

The traditional hierarchical way of looking at the world from an employee perspective: we’re supposed to work, do what we’re told, try to accomplish life time employment, going through the ranks to the best of our abilities. Now and then we follow a training, often perceived as ‘time offline’, an incentive.  We simply either enjoy the training or regard it as ‘I was sent’. Many of us fail to see the bigger picture of the necessity for the organization to continously and with priority develop leadership. Traditional leadership development.

Another perspective of the same situation: generation Y, a.k.a. millenials (and soon generation Z too): I expect an inspiring culture, the organization should challenge me or will soon lose me again. Career value instead of career planning. And by the way, since I’m a digital native, I expect to communicate and learn like I do in my private time. Instant and relevant information to the issue only. Digitized leadership development.

Third perspective, this time of the CEO: leadership development is key to strategy execution. Yet business strategy execution is my priority. So I expect HR to have a leadership development strategy in place. Which has a budgetary constraint by the way. So deal with it.

A changed environment: matrix working situation, agile approach, teamwork. Fewer or no more traditional management. Everyone is -or can be- a leader because leadership now is determined by results and your ability to influence. Collective individual leadership. Organization-wide leadership development.

The disruption of traditional leadership development and the differences in perception and expectations are the reasons for poor leadership development strategy formulated by HR, if there is a strategy at all. Every strategic change or operational improvement has a consequential change of behaviour for everyone in the organization. Thus for the culture of the organization. How to manage this with limited time, other (business-) priorities, as well as budget constraints?

The first issue HR needs to adress at the CEO’s table is the exemplary behaviour at the top. Don’t expect people to change if you send the message that it doesn't concern you. A CEO is just another colleague with a different responsibility.

Secondly the HR leadership development strategy should not just be aligned with the business strategy (or depending on budget constraints); it should be part of it.

And last but not least: HR should find a way to develop leadership strategy on a day to day base; millenials get their information on the job and on demand. How to bridge this with the rest of the disrupted formerly traditional organization?

Think about the 70-20-10 principle. 10 % of the learning should be formal; books, trainings, education. 70 % should be on the job. Challenging assignments, clear objectives, regular feedback. And 20 % of learning should be obtained through others. By observation and coaching. So coaching still means regular feedback and facetime. Yet by digitizing this process to the max, HR accommodates organization-wide leadership development in a digital native-friendly way.           It will lead to engagement maximization.