corus slides combined soft power

Taking HR to the C-SuiteThe Rise and Importance of Soft

Power

Connect. Inspire. Thrive.

Where Are We At?

We are continuing to build upon the business case to include the HR Function at the highest levels of business strategy

Looked at how to put a business case together on an HR Issue Looked at how to initiate and drive the change management process


Responding to Change

External change factors impacting upon business planning

Environmental Factors

Legal Factors

Economic & Demographic Factors


Responding to Change

Environmental ImpactSkills ShortageIntergenerational changeEducation and Training supply chain lagsChanging GovernmentEconomic Reform (eg Carbon Tax)Shifting Social ValuesGlobalisationIncrease trend in outsourcing


Responding to Change: Legal Impact

Agreement Making

Minimum Employment

Standards

Personal Responsibility

What is a Workplace?

Compliance Culture

Workplace Rights

Economic & Demographics



Shift in the balance Pendulum swings back to candidates Pressure on Immigration Targets Baby Boomer Retirements



Balance is therefore shifting – employees are not a luxury

The Vietnam Experience – 180 Degree Therefore practice needs to change to reflect

◦ Need to attract what is out there◦ Need to reward them and keep them◦ Need to keep them longer


Solutions


Soft Power

What it isn’t


Soft Power

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will

overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong

Sun Tzu


Soft Power

Originally devised as a term used in International relations

Soft power is the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion

Power based on intangible or indirect influences such as culture, values, and ideology


Soft Power

The aim is to secure 4 key outcomes:

◦ High employee commitment to the organisation

◦ Strategic integration of employees

◦ High workforce flexibility and adaptability

◦ High quality workforce


Soft Power

Outcomes are derived through 4 key platforms:

◦ Employee Influence

◦ Human Resource Flow

◦ Reward Systems

◦ Work systems dealing with the arrangement of people, information & technology


Platform 1: Empowering Staff

Defined by the amount of authority that management voluntarily delegates to staff


Empowerment, Influence & ResponsibilityAsker v Jemal Group Pty Ltd and Darley (2007)

Employer’s business involved installing lifts

?Responsible Officer was semi-retired & relied on experienced employeesInstallation was defective & lift went into free-fall

Responsible Officer was prosecuted under OHSW Act

Empowerment, Influence & ResponsibilityAsker v Jemal Group Pty Ltd and Darley (2007)

Employer’s business involved installing lifts

• Responsible Officer convicted

• Fined $7,500 plus costs

• Some responsibilities can’t be delegated

• Employees must know the boundaries of their authority

Responsible Officer was semi-retired & relied on experienced employeesInstallation was defective & lift went into free-fall

Responsible Officer was prosecuted under OHSW Act

Platform 2: HR Flow

Fair Hiring Staff Development and Management Developing key competencies Feedback culture Appropriate and fair performance management


Making HR Flows WorkMcKellar v Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd (No 2) (2010)

Employment contract required repayment of training costs

?Employee repeatedly failed to pass

Argued training was poor & failure was employer’s fault

Refused to repay & made unfair dismissal claim

Making HR Flows WorkMcKellar v Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd (No 2) (2010)

Employment contract required repayment of training costs

• No deficiencies in training programme

• Failure was due to employee’s own lack of ability

• Employee’s claims unsuccessful

• Invest time in developing & communicating fair, measurable and appropriate HR tools

Employee repeatedly failed to pass

Argued training was poor & failure was employer’s fault

Refused to repay & made unfair dismissal claim

Platform 3: Rewards Systems

Need to be flexible and listen to what employees need Do the research on your employee demographic Don’t lose sight of business goals Think outside the piggy bank


Reward Systems: Getting it RightAllied Express Transport Pty Ltd v Owens (2011)

Employee requested change to job duties during pregnancy

?Dispute arose about impact on remuneration

Employer unilaterally changed employee’s role & rate of pay

Employee resigned and made constructive dismissal claim

Reward Systems: Getting it RightAllied Express Transport Pty Ltd v Owens (2011)

Employee requested change to job duties during pregnancy

• Constructive dismissal claim succeeded

• Employee was awarded $25,000 – upheld on appeal

• Dispute probably could have been avoided if reward / remuneration structure was more transparent

Dispute arose about impact on remuneration

Employer unilaterally changed employee’s role & rate of pay

Employee resigned and made constructive dismissal claim

Platform 4: Work Systems

Ergonomic requirements of an intergeneration workforce

Differential distribution of technology Understanding team dynamics


Work Systems: Getting it RightWright v Telstra Corporation Limited (2003)

Employer had an automated telemarketing system & clear policies

?System had some flaws but employee repeatedly failed to comply

Employee said they were all “mistakes”

Dismissal for serious misconduct

Work Systems: Getting it RightWright v Telstra Corporation Limited (2003)

Employer had an automated telemarketing system & clear policies • Employee was

negligent but summary dismissal was too harsh

• Reinstatement plus lost wages ordered

• Technology needs to work for you, not against you

System had some flaws but employee repeatedly failed to comply

Employee said they were all “mistakes”

Dismissal for serious misconduct

Soft Power: What it’s NotG v Westpac Banking Corporation (2010)

Employee had gambling problem & poor performance record

?Employer provided assistance & financial support – with conditionsEmployee developed psychiatric illness & felt privacy invaded

Employee made workers compensation claim

Soft Power: What it’s NotG v Westpac Banking Corporation (2010)

Employee had gambling problem & poor performance record • Employee’s claim was

successful

• Employer stepped over boundary from supervisory role into employee’s personal life

• Know when to use power and when not to

Employer provided assistance & financial support – with conditionsEmployee developed psychiatric illness & felt privacy invaded

Employee made workers compensation claim

Conclusions


Further Reading

Bernard Salt “The Big Tilt”, 2011 Hardie Grant Books Joseph Nye “Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics”,

2004 Public Affairs Erickson JI, Hamilton GA, Jones DE, Ditomassi M. The value of

collaborative governance/staff empowerment. J Nurs Admin 2003 Feb;33(2):96-104.

Productivity Commission - http://www.pc.gov.au/


http://www.pc.gov.au/

Taking HR to the C-SuiteThe Rise and Importance of Soft

Power


corus slides combined soft power

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