| | Print | |
|
Press Release HR profession challenged to stop navel-gazing 5th January 2010 1-5 The Stud Offices, Redenham Park, Redenham, Andover, SP11 9AQ
Leading HR academic and author Linda Holbeche will urge HR practitioners to stop their endless introspection and dissection of the mechanics of HR delivery, and to take the lead to rebuild organisations in the wake of the economic crisis. In an event to be staged by the HR Society on 29th January 2010, Holbeche will present examples of what she terms “real HR leaders” who are business people first, and people specialists second. “For me, HR leadership is a mindset that is proactive, strategic and visionary, energetic and empowering,” she said. “Many HR professionals are none of these, because they spend too much time and energy worrying about their position in the board room, or their level of influence.” Holbeche’s latest book, HR Leadership gathers examples of senior HR professionals who eschew the navel gazing and are resolutely focused on making their organisations more effective, more profitable and better places to work. “I’m delighted that many of the people whom I consider to be real HR leaders have agreed to be featured in the book, and it’s these people I will be talking about at the HR Society research briefing,” Linda said. “These are the people who look beyond the short term and the organisation, who raise the sights of management and other stakeholders to play an active part in not only benefiting the workplace, but also society.” However, despite the widened horizons, Holbeche will also stress the importance of first class implementation. “You need great delivery to be credible,” she said. “All the HR leaders I will talk about in the research briefing aim to provide first class execution, and incorporate new and innovative thinking to deliver what the business requires, including a sustained focus on measurement.”
Andrew Mayo, President of the HR Society, said: “This is a timely briefing as many HR people continue to worry about their role and future. Linda's findings emphasise the essential importance of "thinking business" in all that HR does, which is the heart of what the HR Society is about.”
Linda Holbeche is co-Director of the Holbeche Partnership, a research based development consultancy. Linda specialises in leadership development, the development of human resources professionals, organisational development/change management and executive coaching. She was previously director of research and policy at the CIPD, a role she held from 2007. Prior to this, she was director of leadership and consultancy at The Work Foundation and also worked as director of research and strategy at Roffey Park Management Institute and management development manager for American Express. Linda is author of over 40 research reports and more than 100 articles. Her books, include Motivating People in Lean Organisations, (1997), Aligning HR and Business Strategy (1999, 2001 and 2009), The High Performance Organization (2005), Understanding Change: theory, implementation and success (2005). These and her latest book, HR Leadership (2009), are all published by Butterworth-Heinemann. For further information, please contact: HR Society: |