It is not a new phenomenon that those of us who work in the challenging world of HR seem to be doing more with less. With the current global pandemic there is a challenge for the world of HR leading out of 2021. That is, how are we going to maintain the work accomplished and link the 4 C’s for HR.
I use the 4 C’s (creativity, competition, consistency, collaboration) in organisational contexts. Aligning them with organisational values and behaviours which act as an extraordinary platform, to meet the challenges we experience tomorrow and in future.
1.Creativity
Think creativity, iterative innovation, future exploration, continuous improvement, and design led thinking and problem solving. As trusted HR advisors we want the people we serve, and ourselves to be creative, imparting new-found knowledge and authentic capabilities into everything we do at work, socially and virtually in these challenging times.
From a creative perspective PwC Australia identify the Orange, Green and Blue worlds of work in the future The future of work a journey to 2022 – Knowledge Bank Workplace Innovation. These frames take the dynamics of work to another dimension, aligning creativity as well as exploring how future workplaces may operate and continually improve, while being mindful of the current agenda around workforce planning, levelling up employer value propositions (EVP) and HR strategies.
By allowing our employees to be creative unlocks reflective potential, increases awareness and drives innovation. Including creativity as a business value and aligning the value with behaviours opens the organisation to new ways of thinking and doing, as well as competing with purpose, courage, and resilience.
https://www.workplaceinnovation.org/kennis/the-future-of-work-a-journey-to-2022/
2. Competition
Competition is not only about how one business competes against another, based on its product or service offering but how it attracts, retains, and develops talent through the employee lifecycle. By ensuring the company has an EVP which highlights; financial rewards, employment benefits, career development, work environment and company culture, is ultimately good practice and certainly one way the business demonstrates its competitive advantage.
When and how a business operationally and strategically plans, schedules and evaluates that competitive advantage also needs to be aligned with the company values and behaviours https://hbr.org/2021/01/9-trends-that-will-shape-work-in-2021-and-beyond.
To ensure we bring our customers back, it is all about the customer experience. If the right talent is not onboard delivering those products and services at the right time, for the right valued reason, then the customer may just go elsewhere.
3. Consistency
Whatever happens in the future of HR there is one certainty If we are not consistent in why, how, when and where we do good practice, whatever structure exists, may crumble. It is often said, consistency is key. My findings are that many organisations are not consistent. Further, inconsistency can occur all the way through the employee lifecycle.
Inconsistency in recruitment, onboarding, financial rewards, and career development creates a negative culture. This can diminish the company values to a level that sees employees not taking them seriously and potentially serves as a reason for employee departures.
It is becoming common HR knowledge that business must, to be consistent, focus on talent, retention, communication, organisational fatigue, and culture. This is highlighted in HRD’s article https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/4-ways-work-will-be-different-in-2025/. Moreover, linking these elements and combining them consistently with business values and behaviours will enable constructive collaboration.
4. Collaboration
How we as trusted HR advisors role model and demonstrate collaboration both internally and externally will be looked at with positive perceptions. By being transparent, authentic, and emotionally intelligent as we collaborate lifts our space to higher levels. As collaboration is ensued essentially from the initial onboarding process and method, demonstrating efficiency for the business which is observable and tacit.
This doesn’t mean there needs to be shift of focus away for the control of work, but collaboration becoming the key enabler for individuals and teams alike to use for the greater good. This helps to achieve the organisational objectives, deliver on the mission, and align with the business values, behaviours and cultural and professional networks that have declined.
Chris Burton concurs in his article https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/constructive-collaboration-chris-burton/ by stating, “effective collaboration requires the integration of different perspectives and iterative approaches to innovation and problem solving”.
Working at building constructive workplaces, enables people to grow and develop, continually learn and experience psychologically safety as we collaborate to take our organisations into the new era of organisational and professional life, way beyond the current and present challenges.