- Image by star5112 via Flickr
The Great State of Human Resources
So there is this new theme that I have been beating the drums about for the past few days.
If you have been following along already, you will know that the general theme is that HR is not dead. (Check out all the rest of the discussion over the “Death of HR” from Punk Rock HR here! )
While it may not be dead or even dying, Human Resources is a profession in crisis, and suffering from multiple personality disorder in search of itself,
One of the personalities functional areas is the legal/administrative/regulatory area that manages benefits and pay, deals with government agencies, and responds to forces impacting the organization in a negative manner. I view this side as being mostly reactive in nature and responsible for crimping innovation in the field as they try protect the company by minimizing risk.
Another personality functional area is the side that is all about interfacing directly with people in the real world. This would include a number of different departments including, but not limited to recruiting, labor and employee relations, compensation, and training and development. In my view, these areas are by nature more innovative and less reactive in their approach, although this is by no means a universal trend. Many companies are being totally reactive in their approach to labor relations as it relates to preparing for dealing with an increasingly activist and aggressive labor union movement, or the increasingly unlikely passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.
The entire idea of whether or not HR is in fact a dying field has been going on for quite some time on the Internet and elsewhere.
More and more, I have been falling into the “maybe it is dying camp”, but I haven’t felt good about it. The honest truth is when I attend conferences, there is a great energy and a lot of optimism which makes me feel hopeful. There is an increasing demand for knowledge on how to use social media tools. There are great networking opportunities out there if you choose to take advantage of them, and they are enhanced by the prior contacts develop through social networking.
Networking at ERE Expo
Next Steps in Social Networking and HR
All of the networking and feel good is fine, and yields benefits, but there is a greater challenge. How does HR apply the tools of social networking in a meaningful way to everyday business? Certainly, a number of recruiters are incorporating many of the tools into their work. I use tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader and many others every day as part of conducting research and monitoring the company brand.
Initiatives are forming.
Beth Carvin and I are working on the #GreatHR initiative. The first step of several is to encourage HR leaders to share great stories, practices, and accomplishments via Twitter with the hashtag #GreatHR. There is a twub in the sidebar that you can join if you would like to be a part of this!
One of the most interesting is Talent Camp, which is being put together by Susan Burns next month out in Oregon. This promises to be an astonishing event with a very broad goal — “My goal, hope and desire is that we’ll be publishing a collective work outlining the talent function required for business in the 21st century.” -- Susan Burns
The cast for #TalentCamp is stellar. You can use the hashtag #TalentCamp to follow the conversation when the event kicks off in mid-October!
Briand DeGroodt
Franny Oxford
Jeff Hunter
Joe Gerstandt
Lance Haun
Laurie Ruettimann
Mike Johnson
Ron McManmon
Shauna Moerke
Steve Fogarty
Suzy Tonini
Susan Burns
We just have to avoid our own echo chamber, and bring this stuff to mainstream HR practitioners.
Easier said than done!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I am on a panel in October in MN re: HR people using social media. I will start there:)
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
September 22, 2009 at 10:25 am
@Lisa awesome!
Every knows about social networking but not everybody knows the benefits or uses it to it’s full advantage. Of course the main reasons people network are to talk to others, build relationships and find people who are similar to themselves.