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The role of training in culture change
Written by John Berry on 18th December 2017. Revised 17th June 2022.
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.
Making the shift to home working – practical steps for the firm
Written by John Berry on 7th December 2021. Revised 17th June 2022.
8 min read
A firm that’s oriented around a central headquarters and offices is a very different beast from one that embraces flexible working and working from home. There are some practical things that all firms must do when moving to home working. Here we discuss some of the changes needed to the terms and conditions of contract and employee handbook.
Director of Happiness is a sham of a job
Written by John Berry on 1st March 2022. Revised 17th June 2022.
5 min read
A Director of Happiness does not have the executive authority to make what’s needed happen every day. They can't build the trust needed in the relationship between manager and employee. Such a job is a sham. It’s an invention to avoid the hard work of learning and getting good at management. Here we discuss why.
Achieving competitive advantage through people
Written by John Berry on 1st May 2017. Revised 17th June 2022.
27 min read
Competitive advantage is where a firm enjoys lower costs or greater sales than competitors. This paper builds an argument for a set of HR practices that form the basis of the psychological contract, the set of expectations that both employee and employer hold.
TEPID OIL makes desired capability a reality
Written by John Berry on 25th March 2022. Revised 17th June 2022.
5 min read
Management is not about the manager – it’s about the people working for the manager and the technology they use. It’s about creating a capability that meets the required goal. The mnemonic TEPID-OIL helps managers consider necessary lines of development. In organisations where capability is released for use when ready, any omission in the TEPIDOIL elements must necessarily stop release while corrective action is taken. The manager’s job is therefore to develop, test and attempt release - and then maintain.
Recruit like a punter: rationalise
Written by John Berry on 6th March 2018. Revised 17th June 2022.
6 min read
There are three approaches that humans take to make decisions - automatic, neuralistic and rational. Emma Beddington in The Guardian summarised those recently, asking, "...can you really wing it to the top?" As she describes, only one - rational - has any place in recruitment and selection. Automatic helps us survive. Neuralistic is fine for incident commanders. But only rational works for hiring decisions. Here's why.
