Developing Directors
Rick Freeman, Vice President and Head of Employee Transformation, Capgemini UK discusses the issues facing HR directors in the UK market.
9 July 2008
Publication
This article appeared in Recruitment Times on 8 July 2008.
What are the common challenges facing directors in the UK market?
The challenges facing directors in the UK market vary depending on the length
of time that a director has been in that position.
The main challenge that new directors face is making the step change into leadership.
When coming from an operational background, it is difficult to get used to the
skills required for effective leadership. The role of a director is to develop
the future of the organisation in which they work, and it can sometimes be difficult
to start focusing on that rather than on the day-to-day HR processes.
On the other hand, existing directors who have been in the position for a while
can often suffer from a sort of ‘Difficult Second Album Syndrome’. After initial
successes, many lose perspective and experience difficulties in revitalising their
ideas and ensuring that their ideas are fresh and innovative.
How can you teach directors to innovate and embrace technology and best practice?
Capgemini is associated with technology and innovation. How innovative is the
company and the directors?
It is very important that directors understand the folly of merely staying with
what they know. They must be encouraged to constantly explore new processes and
technology. That said, one thing that is clear to me that most directors are not
interested in sitting in a classroom being presented at. The most effective way
that directors can learn about new processes and stay ahead of the game is by
communicating peer-to-peer.
At Capgemini, we have a number of senior forums, such as the Innovation Forum,
which are designed to bring directors together in one room to encourage debate
and discussion and to help them learn from eachother. It is surprising how rare
this form of talent management has become within many organisations: while there
are lots of conferences directed at HR Directors, the majority of them are on
too large a scale and do not give the right level of intimacy required for effective
sharing of ideas.
Commiting to and implementing innovations is essential for directors, as many
of the problems that big organisations are facing require great imagination and
an ability to learn from other people’s mistakes.
Capgemini as a brand has a long history of innovation and is known for its quirkiness.
We operate in an innovative solution environment; a structure in which there is
tremendous opportunities for directors and operators to individually develop.
Many of the processes are targeted and are about constantly coming up with new
ideas. This looser, more federal structure allows individuals to explore their
own creativity.
This combination of an innovative heritage and brand culture, along with a structure
designed to enhance each individuals’ creativity makes for the most innovative
environment possible.
How can smaller companies replicate the role of the HR Director?
Ultimately, small companies must be alert enough to realise that their people
are important to the business and ensure that they get the right level of advice
about leadership and people at the right time. The problem that many SMEs have
is remembering the importance of their employees while also focusing on growing
their business. A number of organisations have found a niche in the market and
have worked hard to generate profit but it is done in a shortsighted way, with
their people being worked into the ground until they eventually run out of steam.
There are various sources that SMEs can get advice about leadership issues, but
these should be seen more as a support than as a replacement to the HR Director.
Indeed, when a company is very small, it becomes the responsibility of the CEO
to assume the role of an HR Director.
Research over a multitude of studies proves that directors are essential in ensuring
the longevity of a company. If the directors are seen as strong leaders, it gives
the entire company a perceived level of confidence.
Entrepreneurs who have to be directors: what should they pay attention to (the
boring stuff that is not as sexy as VC funding and a continuous stream of new
ideas)?
While there are a number of entrepreneurs who have the capability of becoming
someone who can run a successful business, there are many who have a lack of self-awareness
that can be damaging to the company. Entrepreneurs must be aware of their strengths
and weaknesses and should be sure to delegate the bits that they are not good
at to other people in the team. What’s more, they should constantly listen to
the rest of the team and their advice and learn to let go of some parts of the
business. If entrepreneurs do not pay attention to their team, they are at risk
of seeing their business failing because of a lack of leadership of the parts
of it that they are not successful at running, or even becoming a ‘serial entrepreneur’.
Interestingly, a study of US entrepreneurial millionaires under 30 found that
they had tried on average 16 different business ideas - this can be avoided if
the individual delegates to his or her team.
How important is the HR Director in developing all staff?
The HR Director should be absolutely central in developing all staff. This is
not necessarily in terms of actually doing it, but in terms of working with the
board to manage the structure of the business in such a way that will ultimately
develop staff. One way of getting the message across to other parts if the business
is to learn to talk business rather than HR. Business leaders will take HR directors
far more seriously if they can talk about HR in business terms.
HR Directors are notoriously busy and hard to get a hold of. What steps should
a company or a HRD take to ensure that time is kept for contemplation and review
to ensure that the HRD is abreast of what challenges the company and its staff
are facing and how to implement best practice and/or devices that will improve
performance?
My strongest recommendation would simply be to get out of the office. One of
the most effective HR Directors I have come across was from a large supermarket
chain in Germany, who spent three days a week out of the office speaking to the
chain’s suppliers and consumers. This allowed freshness and the ability to work
innovatively to get hold of clever, new innovative ideas. People risk becoming
stifled by their own office.
To learn more about our services in Employee Transformation, click here.
Related links:
Rick Freeman talks to Personnel Today on the high demand of change management specialists.
