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HR and L&D Professionals: Checklist for Business Success

Just like any part of the business, HR and L&D Managers can get wrapped up in the day-to-day operations and activities. We get absorbed into the “fire fighting” mode and have no time to be proactive.

business-successWhile this list is by no means exhaustive, it does form a good start to assist HR and L&D managers to refocus.

To earn that seat, HR and L&D managers need to develop C-suite-level thinking and contribute to the business conversation, not just the HR conversation. So, stop getting accused of being paper pushers and start being proactive and think like the business.

BUSINESS UNDERSTANDING CHECKLIST

  • Understand the organization’s business – its business model, its products and how it makes money in its industry
  • Speak the language of business to gain credibility
  • Understand the balance sheet and how it relates to business success measures
  • Provide advice on how human capital can be developed and aligned to meet current and future business needs
  • Recognize and act on emerging opportunities to quickly help prepare the workforce to respond to them
  • Understand what makes an open and learning organisation, and then support and develop that environment
  • Partner with senior leaders to establish HR and learning and development strategies that support the organization’s business strategy

BUSINESS PERFORMANCE CHECKLIST

  • Focus your efforts on improving those areas that will enhance business performance – such as customer loyalty, product quality and innovation, speed of development and delivery as well as sales effectiveness
  • Make sure there is a clear business case for an initiative prior to any investment, including the identification of the initiative’s drivers such as increased market share, improved leadership capability, reduction of key staff turnover
  • Establish clear measures that help answer the questions: Why are we doing this in the first place? Have we been successful? How do we know we are successful?
  • Demonstrate ROI and business contribution by linking initiatives to lasting and important business metrics that are key differentiators – such as revenue, market share, customer service and loyalty, quality, retention, turnover, efficiency and innovation
  • Share results with business partners and senior management and those who matter

STRATEGIC CHECKLIST

  • Ensure that employees have the right skills and knowledge to meet the strategic challenges of the organization in an effective manner
  • Work with senior management to identify high potential individuals to fill key positions in the future as well as a succession plan in which valuable knowledge of key senior &/or experienced employees are retained and transferred back into the business
  • Help the organization realign talent to meet the organization’s critical business needs
  • Develop your HR and L&D strategies to align with each other and more importantly, to the organisation’s vision and strategy
  • Ensure that the supply of talent equals the organization’s demand
  • Help implement career development and talent management strategies to retain and motivate the organization’s high potential and high performing employees
  • Help leaders diagnose developmental needs, identify training and development opportunities and create a learning culture
  • Budget for key development and training
  • Promote an environment where employees feel they make a difference, are valued and are continuing to learn
  • Capture employees’ hearts and minds to keep the best people who can create, innovate and move the organization forward

TECHNOLOGIES CHECKLIST

  • Learn about new and emerging learning technologies and support systems and how they can best help deliver training and learning as well as engage employees. For instance,
    • Mobile computing
    • Cloud computing
    • Social media
    • Big data
  • Ensure organization’s systems (e.g. employee selection and recruitment, promotion, rewards planning, management, information and control) encourage effective performance among employees
  • Ensure that these systems are reviewed regularly and are consistent across the organization and that they mutually support each other and produce meaningful reports
  • Analyze and select training and learning technologies based on a needs driven approach to meet diverse learners’ needs and accomplish learning goals and objectives
  • Integrate training and learning technology options to produce coherent blended-learning solutions that best meet an individual’s learning needs and learning styles

ETHICS CHECKLIST

  • Advocate and implement organizational practices that respect the individual and support a humane workplace in times of instability, high pressure and constant changes
  • Value multidimensional learning experiences that facilitate the development of emotional intelligence as well as knowledge and skills
  • Operate ethically and with integrity, “walk the talk” and ensure the right consequences are in place (i.e. rewards and punishments are fairly carried out)
  • Lead by example and serve as a role model for the organization’s values
  • Model personal development by actively identifying new areas for your own personal development

DIVERSITY CHECKLIST

  • Understand cultural differences and how to develop, design and implement HR, training and learning solutions for a global, culturally diverse audience
  • Help your organization’s leaders develop cultural sensitivities and abilities so that they can produce, market and sell products and services in other cultures
  • Stay current with all employment laws and regulations and ensure internal policies and procedures are current to the changing times
  • Leverage diversity to help employees, including leaders, understand and maximize relationships with associates form other cultures, countries, races and backgrounds
  • Make your learning community and learning resources available freely in the organisation

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