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The Importance of Employee Commitment
Written by John Berry on 4th May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
1 min read
Managers often crave staff engagement. But commitment is a lot more straight forward and potential much easier to use.
This video contrasts employee engagement and commitment, arguing that commitment is fundamental to management. It goes on to suggest that commitment can be achieved though managers giving development opportunities to staff.
Up-skilling the firm to match change in customer needs
Written by John Berry on 20th November 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
The firm had been offering modelling of telecommunications systems. It had the necessary software tools. and a well-trained, experienced workforce. But the market was changing. New questions needed huge additional skills – skills in building massively more complex methods. Here's how those skills were achieved.
So, what jobs to recruit to next?
Written by John Berry on 10th January 2018. Revised 25th March 2020.
6 min read
So what jobs to recruit to next? Increasing staff numbers is a scary prospect. No manager wants to get it wrong. You can't guess. You've no precedent. You can't ask a friend because all firms are different. You must model the company and evaluate each option for its effect on the company and it's KPIs. And it becomes all the more difficult when considering indirect roles like sales people, marketers and other support staff. They could drive the firm to light speed. It's always a tough call.
The role of training in culture change
Written by John Berry on 18th December 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
4 min read
Whilst training interventions can indeed change the whole organisation, the culture change scenario differs from ‘normal’ training. ‘Normal’ training is in pursuit of change in competencies in individuals. Change in culture involves change in the way things are done in the organisation – the normative behaviour of all. Here's how they differ.
Skills shortages amid full employment
Written by John Berry on 28th January 2019. Revised 25th March 2020.
6 min read
It’s bizarre. We’ve a record 32.54 million people in work in the UK. But the number of job vacancies jumped to a record high of 853,000. Despite record employment today, companies are suffering skills shortages. Managers have three options - accept the lack of skills and invest in technology to sustain capability - or invest in the people they do have to improve productivity. Here's the rationale.
Organisational development (OD) is different from human resource management (HRM). Organisational development involves exploring options that will permit strategies to be achieved. OD techniques such as modelling permit outcomes to be predicted and the right plan to be selected. People are of course the lifeblood of any firm. They join, they leave, and in between they have to be managed. Everyone who manages or supervises people has to double as an HR generalist. Here's the scope of HR and OD.
