Category: Insights

In your company, HR people are (almost) useless!

It is true! HR are a cost center: you have to pay the members of the team and to allocate them offices and equipment.

HR are a pain in your neck!

There too, it is true! HR think of applying the law and the best practice and they ask you to fill in dozens of formal documents. The survey named “Radioscopie of HR” led in 2016 by Cegos, the international leader in training, underlines the growing weight of the administrative and law constraints.

HR, one doesn’t know what that is used for!

Again, it is completely true! The survey confirms that the HR profile holds the most uncomfortable position within the steering committee.

And you certainly do agree with a famous survey led in 2015 by ADP, leader in the outsourcing of HR processes: only 24% of the employees are “extremely or very satisfied” with the HR function in their company.

Then, well: prompt the change!

Recruit an HR Director and, while requiring of him a strong participation within the steering committee, check thathe/she has phobia of HR offices.

From then, it is easy! Establish a “live my life” program and make sure he will be invited to the business meetings.That done, ask him to use a problem-solving methodology: no receipts, not easy solutions, no magic wand. Instead, get into the habit of co-designing with him what the problem is, defining objectives, listing the solutions you have tried to implement in vain. Thus, you will be able to co-create relevant and durable HR solutions for your company.

Yes, make your RH the guarantor of legal and good practices. But do more: make him the solid support of yourbusiness.

And you will see: he will re-examine the HR processes from a customer point of view, he will see mandatory agreements as many opportunities to create managerial tools, he will be an ambassador of your company when facing candidates, he effectively will represent you with the staff representatives, the trade unions and the labour authorities.

Naturally, it will be a little painful. The HR Director will want to understand the business and he will ask all kinds ofstupid questions. He will require to be part of some meetings. He will analyze the figures in his way. And, more than that, he will make funny and contradictory suggestions and will propose kinky action plans. But don’t panic: he won’t take any offense if you don’t adopt them.

In short, he will really sit at your strategic steering committee, considering the business requirements and the stakes of the field. His belief: performance and corporate social responsibility. His behavior: both humble and charismatic.

Your RH will then be your true partner. And he will have the satisfaction to really take part in the creation of added value and performance within your company. He will experiment the joy of not being seen more like a pure cost center or a necessary evil.

Backstage, he will be obliged to make the splits between operational and legal requirements which he must implement as best as possible not to disturb the operations.

Please note that this kind of positioning is much more exposed and difficult to hold than the “hidden in my office” one. It will then be your job to support your HR director. And thus, to give the lie to the Cegos inquiry: the roadmap of your HR will be a little less fuzzy, a little less contradictory.

Your HR is there to support you! Count on him! Let him be at your side and let him “stick his nose in everything”. Please do not confine him within the space of his office. He will support you even if he doesn’t understand you all the time and even when he slightly disagrees.

Dear leaders, by recruiting an HR Business Partner, you’ll recruit your loyal and useful fellow worker.

Don’t hesitate!

Click here to view Michele’s Short Bio

Women currently represent 36% of European MBA students and 42% of US MBA students.

However, when they enter the business world, they’ll notice just 22% of board members, and 7% of board presidents, are female. 

Are business schools doing enough to push and prioritise gender diversity? For some, the answer is ‘not yet’.

Breaking down enrollment barriers

Without a steady stream of qualified female MBA students, the landscape of senior management is unlikely to change. Some international business schools are working hard to attract more female applicants each academic year.

Barriers begin to form before women even reach enrollment. 29% of women turn down MBA offers because of “financial concerns”, whereas the main reason male applicants rejected offers was because they chose an alternative university. In response, top business schools in China, Singapore, and Europe have launched MBA scholarships exclusively for women, ranging from €8,000 to full tuition costs.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School pairs prospective female students with current female students, funds outreach programmes, and even “hand-write congratulatory postcards to successful female applicants” to invite them to their MBA programme. 44% of Wharton students are female, making them one of the most diverse MBAs in global rankings.

Building the right campus environment

London Business School has cited increasing the number of female applicants as one of its main diversity goals. Currently, 39% of LBS MBA students are women, but 52% of the school’s senior management are women, so their initiatives are informed by first-hand experiences. 

LBS regularly hosts female speakers, and its Women in Business Club is one of the largest on campus. Many of their female alumni have gone on to become CEOs, company presidents, and found their own startups.

The power of donors, awards, and mentorship

As educators and enablers, MBA programmes and universities need to focus on improving gender diversity beyond their programmes and within businesses.

One university taking this particularly seriously is international business school INSEAD. Ninety-eight percent of INSEAD alumni have mentored other women – including 89% of male graduates. 69% enable other female leaders within their own organisations, and 91% are heavily invested in increasing the representation of women in business leadership generally.

INSEAD graduate Helen Pitcher OBE is now the Chairperson of Advancing Boardroom Excellence, and committed to mentoring other women in business. “I have been supported and challenged by mentors – both female and male – at key points in my career, and it’s important for me to pass this on.”

Developing connections

A highly regarded study published in the Academy of Management Journal found “career development for women is tied more to attachment and relationships”. Whether this is true for everyone or not, building connections is essential when it comes to reaching senior leadership positions.

71% of Fortune 500 companies in the US have mentoring programmes, but networking groups with women from different sectors can sometimes be more valuable. Having access to a group of other professional women can create new employment opportunities, help women negotiate pay increases, and trade skills when they create their own businesses and brands.

For company founder and CFO Sophie Eisenmann, who finished her MBA in 2009, “Studying, working and sharing my life with so many amazing and inspiring fellow students helped trigger my decision to become an entrepreneur. INSEAD gave me a network and credentials that opened up doors.”

Driving the gender diversity agenda through education

Some business schools nurture their environment, some prioritise diverse admissions strategies, and others develop valuable scholarships and awards. The most successful focus on all three.

Back in 2017, the European commission pushed for company boards with more than 60% male members to prioritise recruiting more women. If MBA programmes and universities are determined to produce even more savvy, skilled, and determined female graduates, parity surely can’t be far away.

One article among others in France highlights “A scarcity of women with CEO’s experience, one of the profiles that companies are seeking widely for their board of directors”.
This implies that in order to validly exercise a mandate in France, it is almost essential to have managed a company, at least a business unit?
Not to mention the essential financial expertise… Do we often become CEOs after having been CFOs? Not so sure: that’s not the point here.

The purpose is to guide the gaze in another direction, to make people aware that there are many women with demonstrated leadership. All you have to do is look and see, open your eyes wide, even better your ears and your heart.

Other types of responsibilities may have been exercised and real added value may have been added to a Board of Directors/Supervisory Boards (BoD/SB). If this works for foreign companies, is it worth missing out on in France?

FIRST AN INTRIGUING QUESTION “A PREVIOUS CEO’S EXPERIENCE” FOR WHICH REASONS?

• Have already held a corporate office? For legal liability? For the complexity of stakeholder relations? For the loneliness of the leader? The reservoir to satisfy these demands goes beyond the scope of companies alone: without looking very far, chairing a non-profit organization already requires knowing how to play, or even juggle, with these components. And in many cases, with the added complexity of the absence of a strict hierarchical relationship…

• Have an ambition for the company, a sharpened understanding of its challenges, a strategic vision? Have the foresight to apply it in activities, taking advantage of transversality up to the operational level? In other words, being open to the environment of the company and the sector of activity, being in contact with its customers and more generally its external partners, its teams and in particular the managerial line and of course the directors? Here again, acquiring and cultivating skills can be done through other channels, other responsibilities.

In fact, it could be a risk. The non-executive director is not a CEO bis. Its mandate can thus be justified through skills that the CEO does not have, whether they are more specialized or from another perspective that enriches the debate.

ONE CAN HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED BUSINESS WORTH MILLIONS OF € ($) WITHOUT EVER HAVING HELD THE POSITION OF CEO

This is the case of a contract/project pilot because this responsibility requires knowing how to act in
complexity, to find the right alchemy to satisfy paradoxical injunctions.

A multiple strategic vision.

• External: linked to the client’s environment, its transformations. This has to be taken into account to help the client succeed, decode and take advantage of power games, skillfully set up alliance strategies, ensure congruence in decision-making and the implementation/effectiveness of actions…
• Internal: that of the employing company, which has its own environment to decipher, its ambitions to satisfy, its power plays to take into account… For which an enlightened contribution to the elaboration of the strategic plan and a strong commitment in its deployment are expected.
The strategic evolution factors of the customer(s) may also be factors for the company… or not. It is necessary to be comfortable with this point to deliver value-added products/services.

Various operational constraints.

• Relational: adjusting customer interaction flexibly to meet justified needs, avoiding commercial risks and maintaining a relationship of trust over time, in other words knowing how to combine various relational modes
• Represent the company to the client 
• Deliver product/service
• Continuously negotiate (many multi-year contracts/projects now mean a “permanent sale” within the framework of existing legal support. This requires acting as a value-added “advisor”).
• Partners: establish a balanced relationship with partners and service providers to ensure their long-term success, by securing their achievements (at stake: customer) and giving them sufficient visibility on their revenue so that they can organize themselves as effectively as possible. Proactive and reactive management.

• Managerial: exercise a functional and cooperative management, satisfying divergent demands. 

•  Actively contribute to the development of teams (medium- to long-term progress, diversity in their activities) and optimize the quality of production. 
• Find the right balance between immediate performance (working with those who already  know  how  to do) and  sustainable performance (and commitment) (taking risk)

The contract/project pilot has a wide range of skills (1)

• Financial: dealing with the internal pressure that poses a multiple unknown equation:
•  Always more profitability by producing at the lowest cost,
•  Be 100% focused on satisfying the customer’s right need (medium term) and/or the need to sell (short term),
• Maximize customer contact while supporting non-productive internal activities that are essential to the smooth operation and her visibility inside her company.  

A type of experience that therefore combines:
• strategic and operational,
• transversal vision,
• sales/development,
• production,
• management (people including paradoxical hierarchy, and performance)
In other words, significant challenges and risks to be controlled.            

                                                                                                           Skills of the true (?) CEOs (2)

A downside? If you “fail” on a contract/project, you are not likely to sink the company. Not sure. This depends on the contract/project (e.g. share of activity) and the reason for the failure.

This is similar to what a large number of SMEs and even TWAs, depending on major contractors, are experiencing. Is it a strategic or operational error? Who/Where are the safeguards?

In terms of turnover and number of employees, many SMEs are “smaller” than multi-year contracts/projects. Managing a contract/project means managing a profit and loss account, ensuring the level of profitability expected by shareholders… with a team that is not always chosen.

So when you have successfully evolved in a complex universe and have been able to adapt to it, you are, a priori, able to find your place in the group that is a BoD/SB . Able to bring value to it thanks to the speed of adaptation and reaction to situations, to all the relational intelligence developed to successfully manage a contract/project.

These are indeed essential skills when dealing with stakeholders with diverse or even divergent interests. They are very useful to quickly understand what is at stake for the company, the alliance games within the members of the existing BoD/SB, to co-develop the strategy, to act in the most effective way to ensure its sustainability and development.                                                                                                         
A contract/project pilot has all these skills.

If you agree to look in this direction, to open up to these talents, the “pool” of female non-executive directors2 immediately becomes much richer.

Where are the women… potential independent/external directors? Everywhere if you want to get out of the frame, out of the mold, out of the clone and dare (a little!) something different. Want to move forward? Innovation? Agility?

Where are the women… potential independent/external directors?

Everywhere if you want to get out of the frame, out of the mold, out of the clone and dare (a little!) something different. Willing to move forward? Innovation? Agility?

________________________________________

1. What is valid at the board table can also be valid for managing a SME.
2. As a minimum, let us say from the lower third of the SBF 120 and all the ETI/PMEs

About the author:

Viviane Strickfaden

 

 

Prior to the “big data”, predominant in an information society, a knowledge economy, where a real “war of knowledge” reigns, the control of its data and those of its environment is essential to last and generate profits.

DATA VALUATION AND SECURITY ARE A REAL TOPIC OF GOVERNANCE.

1) Security: protection, integrity, quality.

Spontaneously, we think theft, malicious alteration. And also poor quality during acquisition, processing and storage. And in use?
Security (of data) is normally one of the components of an internal control system. The development and implementation of such a system is the responsibility of the General Management. It is the responsibility (and interest) of the Board of Directors / Supervisory Board (BoD/SB) to ensure the existence, effectiveness and efficiency of this system. The Risk Committee, if it exists, has a key role to play in this area.

A risk mapping often includes “durability of the information system (IS)”, “intrusion into the IS”. More rarely “breach of data integrity / confidentiality”: this is probably due to the sector of activity, international exposure and the maturity of the system itself. Almost all maps identify the (e)reputation that can be equated with the circulation of erroneous and/or misleading information (and therefore data) about the company. In those I have seen, “data exploitation” is rarely listed.
Since data is the basis for decision support information, no company has the means to base its decisions on wrong information when it has the opportunity to influence data quality.

Concerning data, what should a member of the Bod/SB pay attention to? For example, the identification of “sensitive” data for the company and the existence – relevance – efficiency of protection measures (physical and remote access, training, compliance tests, etc.). Has each board member signed a confidentiality agreement? This is inherent in the mandate…. A signature is much more engaging; even more so when it is renewed every year. What about employees who have access to sensitive data? What about exchanges with their loved ones? The list of vulnerabilities as well as measures is long. It is up to
the members of the Board of Directors to ensure that the map is drawn up and that the measures are implemented.

2) Valuation: full use.

What data is this about?
Those from management information systems (HR accounting, production, CRM, etc.). Dashboard data: turnover, margin, market penetration, staff turnover, respect of customer deadlines, cash flow, price of a strategic raw material, etc.

Those from contact forms, customer surveys (often), employee surveys (sometimes), suppliers/partners (rarely). The data, pre-identified as important (as information quality), has been structured and can be analyzed. They correspond to the company’s modeling of its ecosystem. Is it good… in the long term?
What if the company (executives and directors) went further in reading, or even changing the grid? Starting by taking advantage of unstructured data. Comments in surveys and forms (these infernal are as because each one puts one’s words in one’s repository). Exchanges on social networks (whether the company is present, active or not, its name, its brand are mentioned. See (e)-reputation).

A mine to explore and exploit then appeared. By bringing together, crossing and deciphering the words and expressions of its ecosystem, the company can bring nuances to the figures. Reading differently, it can better understand its environment. It can enrich its stakeholder mapping, a key element in a rapidly changing environment. It may also see its risks evolve.
Useful, even essential, to adjust its strategy and pursue its goal.
Valuable to ensure that the company’s vision, culture and values are perceived as expected. And if not,to adapt quickly.
Precious to meet its current target, to see a target and needs emerge and be inside, better in front of it.

Source of innovation? Trend observatory?
We find the couple durability and development of the company. The digital world is everywhere: it is better to benefit from it.

Data as assets: definitely a subject for the board of directors / supervisory board.

About the author: Viviane Strickfaden

Career advice for women from some of INSEAD’s leading female alumni.

https://limitless.insead.edu/dare-to-be-bold/

Insights from research papers and articles around the world offer five ways in which women can empower themselves.

https://www.slideshare.net/insead/5-ways-to-achieve-selfempowerment-for-women-89919604

International Organizations have laid down principles, promoted programs and taken an increasing number of initiatives to foster respect for cultural diversity  and equal opportunities . Thereby, utmost importance is attached to the development of intercultural skills and the promotion of intercultural dialogue. Likewise, great emphasis is placed on equal opportunities, not only with regards to men and women (gender mainstreaming), and on non-discrimination. These vast concepts, based on a numerous criteria, play an essential role in human interaction, in both professional and private life, and in the training room. Indeed, the facilitator must avoid referring to one single culture or gender and must focus in their presentations on the wealth created by the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Organizations’ staff. We sometimes still hear multicultural audiences complaining that the ideas, concepts or examples given are too oriented towards one single culture and that the instructor has not moved beyond the ‘borders’ of a specific cultural reference. So, how can cultural dominance, real or perceived, be subtly circumvented in the training room? How can we avoid marked allusions to a religion, language or culture while at the same time bearing them in mind? How can we encourage individual expression in the knowledge that some cultures are more inward-looking? Any provider commits to adhere to these values and concepts by focusing on them within its group of speakers. The speakers are partly selected according to their ability to adapt to multicultural audiences. We have chosen to present this section in the form of a chart which becomes our code of good practice for multiculturalism, equal opportunities and diversity.

COMMITMENT

A – IN THE DELIVERY OF TRAINING COURSES, IN PARTICULAR CONTENT, METHODOLOGY AND REFERENCES

A. 1. In the facilitation of courses:

• To adopt a suitable attitude, free of any discrimination or remark which would go against the principles of multiculturalism, equal opportunities and respect for diversity in the International Organizations.
• In the language used:
  • to cut down on jargon
  • to (re)-define new words
  • to reformulate
  • to word speeches in a comprehensible, audible manner for everyone
  • to pay attention to body language and non-verbal communication
  • to ensure the “neutrality” of their words as regards to gender, making sure that equal reference is made to both genders.
• To observe this neutrality when presenting concepts such as management styles (hierarchical or matrix) and avoid imposing any preference on the group.
• To keep an open mind and offer positive solutions.
• To make up groups for role-playing or other activities which
  •  are mixed,
  • respect a certain balance (between cultures, male/female, ages, etc.),
  • are supported by the group,
  • do not marginalise any participant who could then feel discriminated against.
• When feedback is being given, to avoid giving only negative feedback, and to balance the positive and the negative.

A. 2. In training course content:

• To make preferential use of reciprocal acculturation processes and avoid any apparent domination of one culture by another .
• To encourage a pragmatic approach: it is the right practice or solution to the problem that matters, and in particular the content of a training course:
  • can be understood from a wide range of angles and cultural starting points,
  • is likely to inspire discussion and further consideration amongst all the participants,
  • is applicable by all participants.

A. 3. In the methodology:

• Not to see contributions as dogmas or as exclusive reasoning processes. For example, a purely analytical approach (breaking down a problem or situation into constituent elements) or a strictly deductive approach (statement of principles and examination of their various consequences) cannot, irrespective of their scientific nature, be established as unique lines of reasoning.
• To favour working methods which call upon the most universal cognitive capacities in order to foster respect for the diversity of cultures and for different ways of taking on board knowledge and practices:
  • sense of observation (modalities, protocols, etc.),
  • classification ability (forms of classification, rankings, etc.),
  • the linking of cause and effect (the establishment of relationships between phenomena).

A. 4. In the references used:

• To use several types of reference (institutional, procedural, cultural, etc.) keeping three imperatives in mind:
  • To draw on obligatory knowledge using a reference which will inevitably be integrated and shared,
  • to highlight an event or item of work which indisputably reflects a European culture,
  • to show a diversity of references which in one way or another enrich or throw light on the subject at hand.
• To avoid references with a very strong national connotation, even if they are important references, and to use a variety of sources to voice a range of cultural contributions.

B – IN TEACHING RESOURCES

• To make it easier for participants from different cultural backgrounds to grasp and understand the documents by:
  • Seeking to present the documents offered in a sober manner,
  • visualising the concepts in question whenever the content makes this possible,
  • making use of metaphors, comparisons and examples which facilitate the representation of the contents,
  • looking for examples and case studies free of all stereotypes (for instance, do not always talk about a female secretary and a male manager) and expand the spectrum of references,
  • Laying emphasis on the links which relate the document in question to other information or knowledge resources,
  • For long and complicated documents, by creating a glossary of main terms used in the official languages of the International Organizations.

Before we go into the details of the brand turnaround project, I would like to give a short statement about being a women leader: YES, I AM A WOMEN BUT I have always behaved without thinking I am a women. Work place is competitive for all (men and women) and what will make difference is results, how to get them and how you develop your team& work with others. I have always tried to lead by example. When I took this turnaround challenge, I was the first women to do so and my sales force and customers were mostly men. I gained respect step by step from all. Then I tried to balance the team with more women as I believe the balance creates a good mix and is part of diversity.

Let’s look at the turnaround project:

•    Industry: Apparel
•    Positions held: Sales Director and then General Manager
•    How hired: Internal promotion via internal interviews
•    Brand context: First signs of decline when I applied for the role. At that time I held a sales director role on a smaller brand within the company and became with the new role the first women in that role for this brand in this market!

TURNAROUND STEP 1: FACE REALITY

Meet customers, spend time in the field with the sales team on different channels
Assess in depth & evaluate impact of decline on your budget in terms of revenue and profitability
Hold conversation with your top management and be transparent.
Hold meetings with your direct and indirect team and be transparent about the challenge to over come
Start working on actions to minimize the current gap

STEP 2: CHANGE – “INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS” EINSTEIN QUOTE

Same behaviors will generate same results. Once you know that you need to identify what changes are required. You need to be radical and drive their implementation.

STEP3: FASHION APPAREL REQUIRES ALSO PROCESS AND STRUCTURE

Apply the same principals in apparel than in FMCG but in a simple, smart way. This approach was new at that time for apparel industry. Principles:

1) Prioritize your accounts (revenue/profit criteria)
2) Plan your visits/calls 4 weeks in advance
3) Share your final plan a week before with your manager of the whole organization
4) Prepare each call with clear quantified objectives and define agendas
5) Debrief on agreed actions regarding the next steps and the achieved results
6) Keep all information in the customer file.

Drive execution of this new way of working via your managers team and ensure by yourself it’s done. Be consistent on it if you want your team to believe in it and do it.

STEP 4: CELEBRATE SUCCESS WITHIN YOUR TEAM AND GROW YOUR TEAM CONFIDENCE

Failing at delivering budget creates tension and month after month, team starts lacking confidence.
This is reason why it’s key to start celebrating even small success from one team member or one region with all. It gives a light and put everyone in a different mode.
It’s like in sports. If you believe you can make it, you train yourself and there will be a day when you will be successful.

STEP 5: NEVER COMPROMISE SHORT TERM WITH MEDIUM TERM

Brand turnaround comes from several factors but there is a big one called “brand equity” on which sales have a great role to play. Sales have to drive revenue within the frame of brand equity! This is never to forget. Align with marketing and merchandising on brand objectives and ensure sales force understand them and have also qualitative objectives to reach and reason behind those targets. Ensure you deliver your short term with quick win that will not damage your medium term objectives

STEP 6: BRING RETAIL BEST PRACTICES INTO WHOLESALE

Sell out focus is key any case.
With a retail back ground, it’s obvious.
For ones having work in wholesale, it has been a learning path.

Focus most of your team on improving sell thru results of their customers.
Act as a retailer for your customer! It’s has been a key mindset to develop and actions to put in place.

STEP 7: CELEBRATE SUCCESS WITH ALL

Important to take time to celebrate and pause to review progress and how success has been achieved.
Celebrate with all within the company to ensure team spirit is kept in good time also!

STEP 8: BE DEMANDING, CONSISTENT AND RESILIENT AND FAIR TO YOUR TEAM!

If you want your growth to be sustainable, you need to keep driving implementation all initiatives and ensure processes are used at any time. This is restless effort!

STEP 9: KEEP DEVELOPING YOUR TEAM AND EMPOWER THEM

Spend time in coaching and developing your team. Identify within your team who could be your potential bench and prepare him as best as possible. It will allow you to be promoted and feel secured if you have a successor ready for the role.

WHAT I LEARNED:
–    Work under business and financial pressure
–    Be transparent
–    Say what you do and do what you say
–    Be consistent
–    Be demanding
–    Encourage your team especially when times are tough
–    Invest time in coaching & developing your team