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Week 1:

This week the information in Dave Ulrich's HR From the Outside In really resonated with me. I've always felt Human Resources should be aware of operations, but after reading the questions for the business literacy test (p. 65) I realize I'm not as informed as I should be. Of the 13 questions stated, I only knew the answer to about 4 questions. While I can articulate what we do, I'm not informed about our market segment (vegetable and fruit processing machinery) or emerging technology in the industry. My organization's niche is our proprietary and innovative machinery, and without innovation, we would lose our competitive advantage. My next thought becomes, how do I find the time to learn more? Each day I'm presented with a litany of problems that need solutions and projects with strict deadlines. How can I incorporate being a strategic practitioner in my daily work? I recognize I have a tendency to get "stuck in the weeds" and forget to think about the "big picture." 


Week 2:

As we further explore the competencies in David Ulrich's HR From the Outside In, I find myself able to connect the ideas in the book to my current and past roles in HR. One of the characteristics I always felt was the most important for an HR professional was credibility, so I was excited to read about expanding on this further. The second factor, Influencing and Relating to Others, listed some concrete actions that I plan to immediately implement in my day-to-day work. For example, I have a solid relationship with some of the managers I work with, and we work as a partnership. For other managers, it's been more challenging to gain their trust, and I feel I need to work on these relationships. I plan on creating a stakeholder relationship map to identify who it's vital to have a strong working relationship with, why it's essential, the current status, and ideas to improve the relationship. 


Week 3:

This week the idea of a "change champion" from David Ulrich's HR From the Outside In really hit home. One of the areas I struggle with within my current role is implementing and sustaining change to meet organizational goals. As a company with long-tenured employees, some over 40 years, there is significant resistance to any sort of change. This is very problematic because we won't be competitive if we aren't making strategic changes and adapting to the ever-changing world. Reading the Conditions Needed for Successful Change taught me what areas I need to start with. Our leadership team is primarily supportive of HR initiatives, and getting their "buy-in" isn't usually too difficult. One area that could be improved is better communicating to employees "why" a change is needed. What is the benefit? How does it affect them? Our HR team is also about to embark on an upgrade to our HCM technology, significantly changing how we conduct day-to-day tasks. While it will be more efficient, there has already been some pushback by those who want to continue using the older system. I have started to build a business case that shows cost savings and improved efficiency by automating tasks and moving things digitally. 


Week 4:

This week I was really intrigued by the idea of technology being so heavily involved in HR as discussed in  David Ulrich's HR From the Outside In. While I knew it was a huge factor, it wasn't until I started to think about all of our processes that I realized the critical role technology plays. Our organization is about to undergo a significant upgrade in our technology, and I've been thinking about all the possibilities this new system will bring us. Specifically, the idea of having internal social networks. We will soon have the functionalities in the new system, and I've started planning how this can be best used by employees. The most significant benefit I see is the dissemination of critical information to employees. As it stands, email is our best avenue for communicating information. Still, it's not always practical or efficient as people tend to not read all the way or, worse, ignore the email altogether. I've also thought about how this can be used to reduce low-value-added tasks, such as providing various policies, procedures, processes, or various forms to employees upon request. In addition, this new system will be able to house the documents, which will free up my time locating them and sending them to the employee.


Week 5:

This week I enjoyed doing the competency self-assessment from HR From the Outside In. The areas I tested low were Capability Builder, Strategic Positioner, and Change Champion. For this reason, I will be going back and rereading these chapters to work on improving these areas. I was happy to see I scored high on Credible Activist, although I'm not surprised because I've always viewed credibility as my number one strength in HR. I've worked really hard to be a credible professional and the respect I'm given in my position reflects this. 


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