The members of a coherent team debate without conflict, disagree without animosity, and challenge each other without a breakdown in co-operation.
We believe that excellence in organisations is achieved not just by having staff with the appropriate background and skills, but by having people who work well together. While many organisations claim that "our people are our greatest resource", few devote the energy to ensuring that the resource is developed to its full potential. Only by understanding people, their abilities, values and motivations can one harness this potential and create teams where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
We apply psychology as a lever to resolve people management issues. We believe that minor changes in team composition, in methods of interaction, or simply in the way that managers see themselves, can have a major impact on performance.
We analyse the organisation as a whole, the groups which make it up, and the individuals within the groups. We aim to understand the reasons for a person's performance in the context of corporate strategy. We do this by thoroughly assessing the individual's capacity and inclination to deliver against objectives: we also inform ourselves and take a view on what the organisation is setting out to do. We define and articulate what is required if people are to work productively together. Sometimes, this is what some people already know. The difference is that, as consultants, we may be the only ones with the perspective to turn this knowledge into a productive outcome.
Our consultants bring with them a valuable combination of skills. They have the advantage of specialised training. They have the experience of having handled many similar, if not identical, circumstances. They have the independence of a broader view than those in the company. Although working inside the company, they also have the privilege of being an outsider.
Working with Chief Executives and General Managers of Large Divisions.
The Chief Executive carries a heavy burden of accountability and responsibility. It can be a lonely position. Frequently, the Chief Executive will use one of our consultants as a sounding board, to penetrate issues with an informed 'other' who is politically neutral. We maintain the highest standards of trust and confidentiality in this work.
The Dilemma of the Optimum Strategy.
Often great care and intense strategic thought have been devoted to formulating the optimum strategy. Yet, somehow, the optimum strategy is just never realised... Invariably, there are sound historical reasons for the way things are in organisations. People, structures and systems are accommodated to where the organisation is and not to where it wants to go. We identify ways to implement the transition from the status quo to where the organisation wishes to be.
1 Introduction
A company's Human Capital strategy is the translation of the business strategy into a game plan that focuses on how to optimise the performance of the company's people in order to achieve its business objectives. It will reflect how HR within the organisation will provide added value to line management in order to strengthen the company's competitive position in its business arena.
Indeed the Human Capital strategy of an organisation is the line management's strategic activity to attract, develop and retain 'in a proactive and integrated way' the right people to accomplish its business strategy.
The added value of HR to the company will consist of providing excellent services with regard to personnel administration and positioning the organisation as an employer of choice, as well as being able to contribute to the achievement of the business strategy, if it is able to position itself towards line management as a change agent and business partner.
2 Human Capital Strategy Exercise
With this exercise Executive Talent Development consultants are aiming to help the client's company in defining or reviewing its Human Capital strategy and crafting a concrete action plan in order to get there. This exercise has two components: assessing the company's current Human Capital strategy and HR organistion, and then crafting the new strategy. In the first stage we try to understand the features of the client's HC strategy and organisation. The purpose of this phase is to provide an answer to the following topics by interviewing a number of key people within the HR organisation and line management:
3 Understanding the client's Human Capital needs:
4 Understanding the needs of the HR organisation:
5 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of the HR organisation and its HC strategy.
The information gathered during the interviews will form the basis of a report that will be used in a strategic vision session with the HR management team. During this session executive Talent Development consultants will facilitate the process in order to:
This session will result in a concrete plan to implement the chosen strategy. In this process we will spend a lot of time aligning the HC strategy and the HR strategy with the business strategy and model. We therefore suggest Working Sessions with the principal HR actors, HR clients and line management.
At a later stage we will be able to coach the VP HR / HR director and his management team in the implementation, evaluation and adjustment of the defined strategy and new HR organisation.
1 Introduction
A company's strategy is the game plan the management has for positioning itself in its chosen market, competing successfully, pleasing clients and achieving good business performance.
Crafting a strategy is the process in which management say what 'among all possible paths and actions' they have decided with regard to the direction they want to move the company in, taking into account the particularities of the business environment.
The purpose of defining a strategy answers two needs. One is the need to proactively shape how a company's business will be conducted. The other one is molding independent decisions and actions of business units, departments, managers and employees across the company into a coordinated action plan.
2 The strategy making and implementation process consists of five interrelated managerial tasks:
With this exercise Executive talent development consultants are aiming at helping the client's company in defining or reviewing its strategy and in crafting a concrete action plan in order to get there. This exercise has two components: assessing the company and its environment, and crafting the strategy. In a first stage we will try to understand the features of the client company and its business environment. The purpose of this phase is to provide, by interviewing a number of key people within the organisation, an answer to following topics:
1 Understanding the company:
2 Understanding the business environment:
3 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis.
The information gathered during the interviews will be reflected in a report that will be the basis of a strategic vision session with the management team. During this session Executive Talent Development consultants will facilitate the process in order to:
This session will result in a concrete plan to implement the chosen strategy. In a further stage we are able to coach the CEO and his management team in the implementation, evaluation and adjustment of the defined strategy.