Overcoming the Disempowerment of HR
Leave a comment on today’s post and become eligible for one of twenty-five copies of, “Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest,” by Peter Block.
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Human Resource Departments that are dedicated to serving upper management and controlling front-line employees are a sad waste of human resources.
Peter Block complains,
“We have separated the management of the work from the doing of the work.” (Stewardship)
HR departments have the opportunity to create empowered organizational culture, but instead, spend much of their time focused on compliance and consistency.
HR could empower rather than disempower.
Disempower:
Any person or group that must seek and/or gain the approval of another is not empowered.
Block says HR may present a kinder, gentler face to employees, but in the end, HR has approval-granting power.
The one who grants approval has the power.
Human Resources could be more than compliance and enforcement. They could empower.
Empowerment:
In empowered organizations those closest to the work have most of the power, not staff or management. Staff and management serve, rather than control, people who touch the real work.
HR builds empowered cultures by training those closest to the work to do many of the functions currently done by HR.
To empower is to transfer skills and functions to another.
Block writes, “HR’s task, then, is to provide the tools and skills and process for people close to the work to develop their own personnel practices and procedures.”
Other expressions of empowerment:
Empowered employees hire their co-workers. HR departments that empower, equip work-teams with the skills to hire and, eventually, stop signing off on work-team decisions.
Empowered employees review. Performance reviews are placed in the control of employees not management.
Empowered employees participate in compensation practices. Traditionally, we figure out how much we can pay top people and how little we can pay front-line people. In an empowered organization, everyone has a voice in compensation.
What HR functions could be transferred to those closest to the work? What must be retained?
Block’s book, “Stewardship” challenges the status quo like no other book I’ve read. I highly recommend it. Leave a comment on today’s post for a chance to win one of twenty-five complimentary copies.
It’s sad but it has been my experience that HR is missing two important elements. Humans and Resources.
And your work experience must be very bitter.
Did not take a degree in rocket Scientology to call that one!!!!
Cassie you go girl!!!!
Shifterp Out!!!!!
Well quite to your surprise Dan I am sure………Send HR to Barry Wehmiller University to learn People Centric Leadership Communication skills and buy all of them Simon Sinek’s Start With Why.
Get everyone irregardless of department or job title connected and all the issues just flutter away!
Just go ask Bob Chapman how to deal with HR!
Or just try and regurgitate and reframe retry rename the same old lame strategy called different names that everyone loves cause they feel they are doing something different to take care of the same communication problems.
Hey man, just like my opinion, doesn’t mean I am right, just sharing my two cents worth! Worth a try? Why not, what you got to lose but trying the same stiff over and over in concept with different names!
SP OUT!
Every organization gets the HR function it deserves. HR can only support the leadership from the top, therefore it is too easy to simply blame HR. The questions to leadership are: “what kind of culture you want to have? what kind of organization do you want to be?” – that will drive the players in HR and if you ask for compliance skills vs. organizational development skills.
This is a complete cop out. If the players in HR want to lead and create an empowered organization, thay can step up and do so. If they want an excuse to fall back on, they ask “what kind of organization do you want to be”. I just do what I am told is the antithesis of leadership.
It’s not necessarily HR’s job to lead an organization though. I would think HR Management would partner with the rest of the business. If the leadership in HR is weak, then I expect weak results.
HR doesn’t drive a business. They shouldn’t drive a business. They should be partnered with others in the organization and they should be helping where needed. HR has such a bad reputation because the typical view of them is that they sit around telling management what they cannot do while throwing every resume they get in the trash.
That’s not necessarily a fair perception, but it is out there.
However, if I just described your HR department, what is it about your company culture that allows it to be that way?
Rob, I agree. The nature of the HR function is to be a partner to the business. HR is not the pilot, but rather the co-pilot. Co-pilots lead at times, but they will mostly support the pilot to be successful. They are often the only ones who are candid with the pilot. HR does not exist by it own – it is a support function.
Not deserves……creates!!!!!
Finger pointing bad……inspiring good!!!!!
I Concur!!!!
SP Out!!!!!
Dan,
Compliance and Consistency! It is the essence of HR. Not to lead or allow others to, but to keep everyone on a even level. I never understood having those who do not do the job hire the ones who do. I know its about control, but its at the expense of productivity,
“HR departments have the opportunity to create empowered organizational culture, but instead, spend much of their time focused on compliance and consistency.”
HR has and for the most part remains a tactical position, with limited strategic input in most organizations – especially small-to-midsized companies. And I believe there is a good reason this occurs. People is where most compliance and regulatory issues reside and legal risks proliferate.
HR is more about managing risk, than exploiting opportunity.
This is my experience also. Risk mitigation drives many processes. Hopefully that doesn’t become the culture of the organization, as risk taking is essential for growth and change.
My wife was in the HR field for years before coming to work with me. She constantly dealt with that turmoil between empowering employees and being a corporate enforcer and “Good Job” approval granter for behavior.
It’s been this way for over a decade. HR is more about protecting the organization from employment litigation than in developing the employees. Leaders do not have the authority to do what’s best for the team, the organization which, at times, puts others at risk for mistreatment from an employee even in cases of physical threat to others.
oddly enough, some people are just plain scared to think so “incredibly” different. Well, if I do this, then what will I do….I don’t have time to empower… yadda yadda. Great Post today, its a slow cooker approach to a common problem we try to bandage quickly. I’d like to go shake up several companies I’ve worked for previously with this “shocking” information…. Cheers!
Good article but some of it is based on the assumption that staff and management want to be empowered. I fully support that and we should include that goal when improving our organizations. Thanks.
I came to my present job, Director of HR for a large non-profit in my area, with a very shallow understanding of the HR function, based upon my past experience and training of previous leaders. It has been through experience and wisdom that I’ve come to understand that HR departments really have an opportunity to bring something value-added to an organization, rather than just compliance and rules. Cultural influence through leadership and training are where it’s at! Everyday, I feel as though I am teaching people about my job – training, employee relations and development, compensation, you name it. If every leader in my organization has the same understand as me as to why their people are their most valuable asset and should be treated as such so that they can do their job most effectively, that’s when we will be a GREAT organization.
Dan, did you choose this topic because you missed me? I haven’t had a chance to post in a while…
Do you know how many managers and supervisors give up *their* power to HR because they don’t have time, don’t have the training, could not take the half hour necessary to investigate a situation to act in a fair manner? Do you know how often we HR folks are frustrated because managers detract us from our purpose so we can do their jobs for them – even when we’ve trained them to do things in the best interests of both the company and the employee (yes, there’s a lot of common ground there – way more that your post gives credit for).
And about compliance and all that other stuff: they are real issues and shouldn’t be trivialized – although they don’t have to be a big issues. Management is there to make sure everyone has been brought up to speed, and HR does it gets the sign-offs so managers can get on with all their other work. I call that cooperation and service.
Boy do I resent Norman Helmstetler’s comment. Let it be known that my ire at his comment certainly makes me human. That is a cheap bit of criticism that demonstrates he has no interest in using the services of the human resources department at his disposal. Very, very sad. I’m glad I work where my department’s services are appreciated.
Here’s been my take on it
http://midmgrconfess.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/dont-pawn-the-tough-stuff-on-hr/
That is exactly the role HR plays in the case of an employee separation: act as a company witness while the hiring manager does the termination.
This is a tough topic for me because I have experienced it from many different angles: I’ve worked on the benefits side of the HR picture; I’ve worked for a large corporation where the HR department was the first area to be cut to the bone; I’ve owned my own small business where I had to be my own HR department; and I’ve worked for a company with a well-staffed HR department that could be a poster child for Dan’s post today.
But, Iamcaissie, one your comments hits on one of my key concerns — that companies don’t take the time or provide the resources to train their managers to be the first line “responders” for many HR-related issues. Every corporate department, every branch office should have their own mini HR capability.
It certainly does take considerable effort for a company to provide training to it’s front-line employees. And the company only reaps the benefits when the supervisor or manager actually is successful in managing a tough situation where knowledge of HR functions stands them in good stead.
Don’t get me wrong: for the most part, people want to do the right thing. And they cry out – hungrily – for help and tools and support. Rare have been the managers or supervisors who have outright refused me an offer of giving them control over all aspects of their work.
It’s only the few who have abdicated their responsibilities and put me in a position where I, or a colleague, had to step in to have the tough conversations that should have come from direct supervision.
I like this a lot, and have long advocated pushing decision making down (in my case, close to the customer) . However HR has always been a necessity (even if at times unwelcome) because of legal complexities and for administration (records) Without seaming argumentative, I’ve never sat in a meeting where the discussion focused on how little we could pay the front line worker.
.. Quite the opposite I’ve worked with a team that took no wages for five weeks (then extended to ten) to retain and pay our front line people.
Like every department HOUR requires alignment and managing.
sorry, auto fill turned HR to HOUR 🙁
Love this concept of inverting the power-pyramid. I’m enjoying the trend running through tech circles of renaming HR divisions to “Talent Teams” and similar terms.
This is a very valid perspective on most HR departments. having said that, when the reward systems for HR staff are directed to serving the needs of the specific executive that the HR is assigned as a client, what else can we expect. Perhaps if we assigned HR staff the responsibility to assist and improve work outcomes for all employees in an area, then we may see different outcomes.
It all seems to stem from trust and shared compassion for what is to be & is being accomplished. I would like to learn more..
Don’t you think that, in most organizations, HR Departments are administrative departments? There is a lot of talk about empowering HR, about HR making the difference, but I don’t see that happening
I see many organizations in our area totally eliminating the HR department. It is probably as the result of them discovering these principles themselves. There is a lot of restructuring happening in this area everywhere I believe.
Unfortunately I too have experienced working with a HR staff that seemed more concerned with disqualifying me for a promotion instead of encouraging my growth.
I recently graduated from grad school and asked my HR Director to place my official transcripts in my personnel file and her response was ” We don’t need that your education doesn’t matter.” All I could say was “Wow!”
It is in coordination that facilitation between work, personnel, management, and leadership that cooperation happens. Each area has a pertinent function when allowed and protected to do it’s role in providing appropriate personnel, on-going training and facilitation of current personnel. It is through belief support for all areas that only qualified personnel are hired and retained and that in working with qualified folks, problems can be resolved. Each worker given respect, honor, and expectation for being a vital part of the process of success, with knowledge that when someone or something is not working, a solution will be co-created even if that means at times that removal of inappropriate tasking, personnel, or attitudes will be removed.
What I have seen is that HR together with the line managers can empower employees. The collaboration between them is crucial to assure that professionals have the right information, and are able and allowed to take decisions. Neither of them can do it alone!
BTW: I prefer to use the term professionals over resources.
Yesssssssss! Collaboration of all professinals throughout an organization in all its departments is key to success.
HR should empower people rather than trying to control them.
Love your leadership focus! For the win!!
Would love the book 🙂
Interesting read! So true you must engage and empower employee. I hope to see more companies evolve towards this practice instead of the traditional norm.
It makes such a difference working with an empowered group of people.
Great post Dan. To building successful organizations and teams takes 3 things, Skills, Talents, and Community. At 54 years of age I have seen almost every company I ever worked for recognise the importants of skills and talent. However, (esp in our present era) few recognize the importance of community. When you ‘really’ get to know your people and show genuinue concern, something wonderful begins to haappen. Your people pull together. Changes and objectives now become welcome challenges. Having the right talent starts with having ‘The right Leader’.As a leader when you incororate all three, skills , talent, and community, you accellerate the developement of our next generation of great leaders. One of HR’s rolls is to formulate and enforce rules and exspected protocals. (These are only guidelines.) When rules and regulations inhibit trying new things, creativness comes to an abrupt halt. “Get to know your people, be there for them when they need your help and support.” They in turn, will be there when YOU NEED THEM… Sounds alot like Charctor Based Leadership!!! Hava great day Dan.
Empowering your staff team also means being flexible at times, because inflexibility creates a great deal of inner stress and demonstrates that you’re insensitive to other’s needs. I’d love to have a copy of the book!
I’d love a book! You do great work!
Good stuff, Dan. It’s important to take a step back and re-examine our methods and our motives. Human Resources departments, like most departments, were created with good intentions. The best organizations treat human resources as importantly as accounting, trying to “get the right people on the bus.” (Collins, Good to Great). Looks like Block’s book might be just the outside look that HR and higher executives need to reevaluate why they exist.
Controversial topic. I think HR has to navigate treacherous waters with the legal obligations of any organization in today’s climate. I would rather see HR focussing on keeping my company compliant with those requirements through training and development of others. I am a little concerned about putting all of the work in any one group. It is the responsibility of all associates (front-line, managers, and HR) to learn new skills and develop, hire, and coach one another. I have come to look at HR as a service organization: a great resource to help me keep the course. Maybe that isn’t the goal. Any thoughts from the group?
“To empower is to transfer skills and functions to another.”
Love this quote. Also empower others to create their image in the one who created them. I have always learned much from leaders who instead of trying to empower who they are on to me empower me to become the best of who I am. 1% of leadership is your position on a flow chart and 99% is your investment in other relationships. #leadership
Hi Dan:
In response to empowering your people, as a former Supervisor, I always felt that I worked for them as apposed to my bosses. They were the ones doing the work. They could do it better than I, they could do it faster. If they had a problem, I always asked them to come to me with the :”answer” and I would either agree or give them another choice to look at. I always felt my role was more a vision of how the work was to be done by co-ordinating the work flow, assigning jobs to those who had the skills, and addressing the issues surrounding the work to ease stress during busy times.
I think that HR will be empowered in the same level as management allows HR to be empowered and the degree in which they empower employees will be a direct result of “management´s empowerment”. Employees should be empowered to reach levels beyond top management, that´s the only recipe for motivating people and getting them to reach their highest potential.
Dear Dan,
I appreciate your insight about HR activities in the organizations. It is true in most of the organizations that I have seen. HR serve higher management and controls lower management. In this way, it feels safer and secured. If we see this trend from HR perspective, they could be right because if they do not serve higher management, they might harass or trouble HR people. Secondly, higher management may influence promotion and transfer for HR people. And due to this power point, fear exist in the system. And since HR is fearful, it is disseminated to lower level in many form. And ultimately, lower level employees suffer. In such scenario, top management is more responsible than HR alone. HR is just a policy executing body but in practice it does more that policy execution. It follows lots of oral instruction that may be beyond policy. So, the point is that, the whole environment is created by management and HR is accused for such activities.
HR activities should be considered as one of the most important activities. It should be treated beyond promotion and transfer. And there should be mechanism where top management should be accountable in case of exerting influence. HR must retain any information that might create havoc or unfavorable environment in the system. Even right information that can create bad climate must be retained.
I agree with you that HR serves upper management. It is tasked with preserving the company/organization above all else and in that capacity, it controls frontline workers and works on behalf of upper-level management.
Thanks for writing a post inspired by the great Peter Block, and his newly-revised edition if Stewardship. Peter is the most unique thinker I know, and it has been my privilege to meet and learn from him. The issues around empowerment are certainly not limited to HR. In my experience, these patterns reflect Peter Drucker’s famous quip that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Put another way, people get disempowered because of the two-sided “coin” of power & fear. Which of course is just about fear in the end.
In the late 1980s I was asked to create a system for employee involvement and business process improvement at the U.S. Department of Labor. This was to be a union-management partnership, which was something new at the time. Union leaders were even more scared than the managers, as they feared their own loss of power and influence. In 1990, before I’d met or heard of Peter Block, I taught DOL folks the differences between authority to recommend vs. decide, and that empowerment is letting people have a say in making the decisions that affect them. It worked.
Thanks, and have a great day!
Dis-empowerment of HR is less of an issue than Disappointment, I think. They merely set up policies and procedures about people.
The real issues are around the toxic managers and their direct and daily impact on the people around them, most often downward. Managers and supervisors need to focus on removing those un-engaging and dis-empowering work processes so that people can feel less restricted in their decisions.
Nobody can really un-empower anyone. People can make choices. Many will simply choose to be roadblocked and choose to “go along with policies” — that is generally not the thinking of the top performers.
HR? Don’t blame them. They are simply doing what they think they need to do.
There was a second-level manager in a garage of a phone company that needed a lock on his door. Physical Plant told him that it would cost $3 million. Why? Because if HE got a lock, everyone would want locks. (He put in his own lock and sent them copies.) Duh.
Wondered why I got the lock in the mail…great example Dr. S! 😉
Dan, as always, I appreciate your insights and view of leadership. I am amazed at how so few people are aware of Peter Block’s work. Stewardship along with The Answer To How Is Yes should be required reading. Both have been waypoints for me as a servant leader.
Hi Jack, I’m new to Peter Block’s work and thankful I had the chance to talk with him. I agree, everyone should read his work, even if you end up disagreeing.
This post has definitely got me thinking. I definitely would be interested to hear more about what Peter Block has to say in his book. I think that much of our mistakes and lack of productivity come from misunderstandings/lack of understanding. There seems to be gap, at times, between those who are working and those in authority and this is a very interesting way of addressing those issues.
I was once provided the astute observation from my line manager to be very wary of HR. He said, “It’s not really Human Resources, it’s Business Resources. The goal of HR is to protect upper management and the company from litigation.”
This post hits the nail on the head with the strangling role of HR in most organizations. They hire the wrong people and then blame the managers when those same people are a bad fit for the organization. I would love to see an HR modeled on empowerment to employees.
Absolutely!!
In one company I work with the front line sees HR as part of the team and middle management sees HR as someone holding them back from making the business better. The key is getting all parties on the same page and working towards the same goals. The disconnects along the way intrigue me as we look for ways to maximize the growth of the business.
I always find the connection with job satisfaction and tenure to client satisfaction intriguing. HR can assist in the satisfaction part, making tenure a better possibility.
As a former headhunter who went to work as a recruiter in an HR department, I know that they are as disliked as the law department and about as helpful to the rank and file. They are a wall that protects management from the people and from vendors that could expedite their hires. If a non-political, warm, helpful person accidentally made it into HR, they were often transferred to another department. Often management uses them as the ‘bad cop’ and they are given power that seems out of bounds. The operate a bit like an executive secretary who can never tell you yes, but has great authority to say no. Kids taking HR in college think they are going to get to help people and that isn’t their role.
Are leaders appointing enough leaders
I previously worked in HR but now work in customer service. If we used the same approach in HR that we use in Customer Service the work environment would flourish. Employees are “customers” much like a consumer. If employees aren’t happy, it affects all aspects of business. To me, it’s simple, and it’s a timeless principle, the golden rule. Try it…it works.
Some of you may experience the ultimate HR that referee on the sideline and smack hands when encouragement words are not used quite enough.
Personally, I look at the HR and ELT (Executive Leadership Teams) and support personnel to lay the groundwork to supply the vision of the forest while I take on the leadership role to lead my team to meet the objective. Along the way as we deal with the day to day drudge of life, I hope that I am encouraging them and lifting them up to push through.
However for those lost souls who have just given up and chooses to no longer be apart of the positive, professional, and productive team, I seek out that Business HR to assist them out the door.
Interesting. I would add that HR also has to be empowered to empower, in turn. In my organization, HR has been a very transactional department… the adversarial relationship has been less because HR is forcing compliance on folks and more because they are seen as a roadblock to doing what the other departments in the organization feel like doing. Process documentation just isn’t there because the expectation was that HR was going to make happen whatever the core business functions whether it was right or not. We are undergoing a transformation that is designed to reimagine HR as the “thought leader” in the organization around talent management and development functions. Hopefully we’ll be able to challenge the status quo as we move forward!
Interesting concept of changing organizational culture of HR to serve the needs of the employee(s) instead of upper management. Education new concept is changing from the HR department to Human Capital, even less likely to embrace stewardship.
Trying to force compliance and consistency (trying to make everything the same) lends itself to inequity. Every person, manger, supervisor, department, etc. is different with different needs. Treating them all the same actually hurts the organization because the people closest to the wok often aren’t getting what they need. Instead they get what HR thinks is best for them.
Enjoyed this post.
I would just like to add to the many “right on target” responses, Unfortunately due to HR demands on the front line management, I do not have the time to write a detailed response of my own, but being a nonprofit would very much like to be in the running for the free copy of Peter Block’s book. My hope would be to try to get Hr to understand the meaning of meaningless work!
HR is so different in each corporation. In our corporation a group of Executive Leader’s (men) make most of the decisions that determines how much power we have as employees. HR only takes care of the benefits, time, health care, etc.
Cool post!
This is what I am experiencing in my 9-5. They want you to do a job, then they put you in a box that makes it close to impossible to do.
Disempowerment or empowerment; whichever the case may be, goes beyond upper level management and to the front lines. It does, however, come from upper management and becomes part of the culture and, therefore, will not change unless a change in culture is achieved.
Maybe empowerment applies to only a fraction of companies, only to a specific kind of organizations, not all of them in general. The concept of empowerment is sound and looks great, then why it’s not more widely applied?
“In empowered organizations those closest to the work have most of the power, not staff or management. Staff and management serve, rather than control, people who touch the real work.”
After reading this, one may think that in empowered organizations front-line people will have higher incomes and the organization will be more competitve as a whole. In contrast, we see that many organizations are looking for front-line people with lower salaries around the world. These are not suitable for empowerment, we must look for other kind of companies, I think.
I’ve worked for many companies. I have never seen an HR department whose function was to serve and empower employees. They are not employee advocates. They are there to serve the CEO, executives, and managers, period. The assumption that HR is there to aid or empower employees leads employees into a dangerous trap that often results in a more strained work environment at best and job loss at worst. HR departments are not therapists, empowerers, advocates, nor mediators. I think it’s better just to be up front about their function rather than put them in the position of pretending to be something they are not and luring employees into a false sense of hope. I’d suggest creating a whole new department whose job it is to act as a defense lawyer would on the behalf of an employee, a department whose sole fiction is to truly be on the employees side, a role that is usually filled by the attorneys of the few employees who feel personally empowered enough to retain. I doubt anything like this will happen because to empower employees is often perceived as a disempowerment of those who currently hold the power, which they understandably view as opening a giant pool of potential lawsuits.
I’ve been in HR for years and I couldn’t agree more with the concept that HR can, and should, be a front runner in building the culture of an organization. I’ve found that HR can have a significant impact on slowly moving the ship toward one of empowerment and leadership. They need to strategically begin to feed those who will help carry the messages throughout the organization. Don’t give up on a vision of change just keep tapping away like water on a rock. You will adventually see a divet form and then a pool.
Interesting perspective. In my experience many people do not ‘have time’ to deal with HR or a desire to learn about HR practices – they would rather have ‘someone else’ do it. I like the concept but have difficulty imagining what the reality of this would look like in some workplaces.
I have checked for Peter Block’s “Stewardship” book at the local library and they do not have a copy. I would love to read it!
I have been in many HR offices in some I was able to be part of the empowerment and in some it was forbidden. I departed quickly from the most restrictive environments.
I believe most people of value do. Unfortunately, the companies that nurture this dis-empowering culture don’t see their restrictiveness as the reason for the exodus. They typically blame it all on the dis-loyalty of the American workforce.
Thorny and Slippery Both.
Thats how I see this topic. I feel like we have a good HR group in our organization with leadership that respects not only the reg’s but also the development and care of the human resources. I guess I wouldnt put a very large monkey on the back of HR in any organization. HR has certain policies that must be adhered to but how they behave beyond the privacy and benefit bits is pretty dependent on what role the management team of an organization wants them to play.
I have met a few HR folk that dont see themselves in support roles, but by and large they know what their job function is. The management team is really in charge of setting tone, direction, Modeling The Way as Kouzes and Posner preach in “The Leadership Challenge”. I actually have a problem with managers that use the excuse, ” that HR is making me do it this way”. Managers need to challenge that process! There are likely many ways to do something without coloring way outside the lines.
Dont let yourself use HR as an excuse or reason you cant make your organization, your team, your life the kind of work experience you want.
Dan,
The three items you described as “other expressions of empowerment” have me somewhat intrigued and perplexed. Coming from organizations with traditional hiring, performance review, and compensation practices; I have difficulty imagining how these would be practiced. I would love a copy of the book to read more.
Another interesting post, Dan.
Reading the comments, it seems there is some confusion among readers between administrative HR and strategic HR.
Many companies hire people to help manage the administrative aspects of HR- and many HR departments have that as their focus- an important function for organizations.
For a company to invest in strategically minded HR executives, senior leadership needs to see capacity building as an important strategic priority. Like anything, it requires focus, skill and commitment.
How a company’s HR department balances the important administrative functions of compliance and consistency with a dynamic culture that nurtures initiative, coaches and develops people and pursues strategic opportunities, depends on the attitude the company’s senior leadership team has toward its people –
A WE-Centric culture that empowers and engaging employees hearts and minds, rests on a senior leadership view of employees, as not simply implementers of top down instructions, but as valued partners in pursuit of a shared organizational mission.
Check out Judith Glaser’s best selling books- Creating WE and The DNA of Leadership- along with her soon to be released book called Conversational Intelligence…(http://creatingweinstitute.com/)-
Judith has developed a powerful, intuitive framework for inspiring, thriving WE-centric leadership and cultures.
Lori
Service creates true character.
Sometimes in Business HR as seen as blockers – they don’t always support the operational side of the business for fear of Legal and Union implications. Many managers along with HR departments are becoming disempowered as businesses lose sight of what’s really important. It’s everyone within a business that counts and everyone needs to be empowered and engaged in order for the organisation to fulfil its full potential
Thank you Dan. Your points are right on target based on my experience in my current company.
At the Big Oil company I used to work for there was a joke amongst the “worker bees”.
“Hi … I’m from HR and I’m here to help you”.
ONCE UPON A TIME there was a company that did not had an HR department, legal and administration dealt with all the compliance issues and a department called “People Development” dealt with just that…. People Development…. wonder why this was a great company to work for…. Well with mostly highly engaged employees and happy customers this business was very successful and highly profitable in its industry, people mattered more than profits and profits and customers took care of themselves…well a corporate giant was amazed and noticed this company and purchased it….HR came a along and somehow the one competitive advantage that made this business successful diminished, the priority for people went from how can a I serve/ what can I learn to how can I control what can I restrain. What caused this? a traditional HR department in an untraditional culture….
Wow! That’s all I can say.
Wow. In the time I’ve been following Leadership Freak, THIS post has generated the most (and most passionate) responses. It can all be boiled down to those working from the inside of HR (lmcaissie, for example), and those who’ve had unfortunate experiences working outside of HR (Norman Helmstetler, for example). My personal experience makes it possible for me to see both sides of the argument. Like many of us, I have worked for companies who view their staffs as unfortunate liabilities in need of shepherding. They control; they act as overseers. I have also, in my more recent years, been a Training Specialist, empowering staffs with the skills they need to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. My current employer falls somewhere in between (is that diplomatic enough? )? I look forward to reading more remarks. Great article again, Dan!
HR a conglomerate of good and bad. Judging by the responses speaks for itself.
I have yet to meet an HR Dept. that doesn’t bow to the master signing the paycheck, within the limits of legislation. This is one of the major contributing factors to the cost of demoralization.
Appropo graphic at the top o’ the column Dan, geez did you spark a firestorm! Beyond getting in the pool for the giveaway, seems this one struck a dissonant chord with folks.
Jim’s ‘thorny/slippery’ perspective and perhaps even a little of American folklore-Brer Rabbit/Brer Fox and the tar baby too.
As organizations grow, the potential for HR to be more removed, more disconnected from where the work/value is delivered occurs. It may also be somewhat symbiotic where staff feel disempowered from HR and HR also feels disconnected and disempowered. (Really don’t like the word ’empowerment’ as it immediately creates a leveraged relationship that may not be necessary or realistic, but it does happen.) The challenge then for HR is to keep aligned with those they serve…and sometimes even that may be many task masters.
When HR turns its back on the white collar worker, it opens the door for a unionized office structure. This is not a road we want to go down, but tradition suggests there’s not much choice.
The KEY to all organizations is TRUST – clear expectations, accountability and communication. Magic!
Three more words – purposeful, intentional and meaningful
Happy Learning and Leading, everyone.
This is brave stuff!
HR departments are an extension of those who OWN the company. As such, they comply with the expressed and implied desires/needs of those who do have power in the organization. In my opinion, it’s important to know who you’re really working for.
Employees trust HR to be the link between them and top management, question is how should HR empower the employees to have the freedom to challenge without having to go through them for everything. That’s when it is necessary for both parties to know the parameters within which to play in.
Servant Leaderahip what a happier world if we could strive to serve and empower others !
Another great article. Your wisdom and insight are worth sharing and reading.
In my humble opinion, the HR team should not be the solvers of all people problems rather they should offer the people of their organization a figurative “tool box” of tools they can use to fix their own problems. And they should teach their people how to use those tools in the most effective way to not only fix the immediate problem but prevent the problem from reoccurring. When problems get fixed quickly or don’t happen at all people can really be productive!
Yup agree ! True. !!
I left the corporate world after feeling disempowered for too long: the self-interest over service was painfully obvious, and it sounds like this book will be a must-read for leaders/managers at every level.
Disempowerment shows a failure to convey company vision and mission. Crucial in selecting the best candidate to complement the team culture.
We should talk about “supporting people” instead of “human ressources”.
Book should be mandatory reading for management AND HR
As an executive recruiter, I had the privilege to work with both nonprofits and for-profits. In my experience, the for-profits I dealt with exhibited more dis-empower than the nonprofits. The for-profits used the HR department as a catch all and to filter out ill matching prospects for hire. The nonprofits HR department was more responsible for the training and back office responsibilities. Again, in my experience, the nonprofits empowered the front line staff to hire because the retention rate was more important due to their status as a nonprofit.
I haven’t worked in many companies but it seems to me that HR in many ways functions as the firewall for lawsuits. We create so many policies and procedures that no one has an opportunity to be unique.
We are building a culture in which everyone needs to be protected from getting offended by someones disagreement. Political correctness has been taken so far to an extreme that it just seems to be an excuse for people to avoid hearing the facts.
The policies take so much away from the individual that it feels we are trying to make humans behave like robots.
What ever happened to honest conversations?
Ask yourself “What would your response be if you were sitting on the other side?”
Dear Dan,
An interesting post with HR’s challenging role in empowering employees and changing an organization culture. This is feasible only with defined job roles and KRAs for all positions above executive/supervisory level.
Empowerment can help every operational executive to work with freedom and take independent decisions faster. Routine activities will get a terrible boost and one can ensure higher level of productivity. Review and appraisal become more objective with a clarity in management expectations.
HR’s staff function related activities can be delegated with automation and outsourcing. HR can then concentrate and contribute in strategic areas. Retention, training and development can then get the priority to keep the organization growing on a success path.
A middle manager with extensive experience ‘doing the work’ on the floor (prior to his promotion) once told me his job was to ‘manage up’ : and that it was the job of his people on the floor to manage him.
The discord within a culture that requires the appearance of on-the-floor enthusiasm , and yet closely wields the power of approval over the front-of-line staff, undermines genuine engagement. It promotes the construction of a ‘false front’.
Customers and staff can be turned over like a consumable – or they can be a ‘sticky’ resource.
Which is sustainable?
https://savingboofheads.com/the-enthusiasm-spasm/
The firewall protecting are servers are designed to filter what needed to empower the user and removed what is designed to hinder or waste the time of the user. It does make mistakes from time to time. HR leaders could be a firewall and also empower. Great post Dan, great thinking.
WOW…..love all of the comments. Our dendrites are dancing! Or, do we all want a copy of the book!
Happy Learning and Leading!
When it comes down to it, we have to remember what HR stands for. It’s human resources. The focus should be on providing resources for the humans within our organization. HR should be an extension of management to enable them to manage better by developing skills and talents.
Instead, HR today should be relabeled as HC, human compliance, since most of the effort of HR today is in constraining our people from doing things and complying to “policy manuals”.
If HR is a risk management function, then it can’t do more than manage compliance; empowerment inherently carries risk. As I read the series on empowerment I find myself thinking wild, dangerous experiments – I get excited by the possibilities and wonder if any of us really understand just how radical this could be. When I read this one about HR having a role in building culture, I found myself thinking it doesn’t go far enough; the leaders aren’t the culture, HR isn’t the culture, the people – each and every – are the culture. What would happen if we had radical empowerment, and HR’s only job was to provide the tools, as you suggest? Is anyone really ready to try this on?
In our decades of work with investment organizations, we have found that when the head of HR is at the senior leadership table as an equal partner to the other C-suite execs, we know we’re dealing with an enlightened organization. But if HR is relegated to a lower-level support function, reporting up through operations, for example, that’s a red flag to us. Initiatives aimed at improving employee engagement, strengthening culture and developing leadership can only succeed when the senior leaders are behind them 100%. If these initiatives become “an HR project,” where HR is NOT at the table, then the likelihood of success drops significantly.
Great post Dan.
6 months ago I joined a company which has an empowered HR department, they call it “The People Department” and the difference is stark. People rave about the training they put on every year, how smart the leaders are, and what a vision the company has for its future. HR can create real momentum toward company culture and inspiration, when it is lead by the right folks with vision and leadership support.
Sometime people defer to HR for disciplinary actions, etc that a department could have proactively intervened with on their own. When a person in an HR role is proactive on their own, they’ll provide the coaching that can help teams excel, offering insight and advice to various team leaders. It’s great to see it in action.
To watch an HR department run with ‘fear’ as it’s main tool is to see the beginning to the end of a company that was full of promise and promising people.
When no one dares ‘cross’ the HR Director for fear of losing job the atmosphere of the company as a whole goes down quickly as those who enable the Director are just as guilty and just as despised for either lack of concern or having no backbone. Of course one always wonders who knows where all the skeletons are buried.
Any person or group that must seek and/or gain the approval of another is not empowered.
I will always remember this. Thank You Sir
Great article!!!
This looks like a really interesting view about empowerment and how to start doing it.
Thank you for sharing.
Very interesting take on empowerment/disempowerment. Demonstrates that time old adage of “less is more,” especially when dealing with managers that never directly affect the work they’re managing.
Common sense. Love it.
Straight forward, Succinct, and firmly rooted in common sense. Nicely done.
I have a small nonprofit with 25 employees. We have done well developing the HR role around quality control and consistency but want to take it to the next stage. Very interesting post. I like the idea of empowering people with power and the point of impact. This increases speed and accountability.
“To empower is to transfer skills and functions to another.” I find this has wider application. Some people feel threatened when they have to share information with another. It means they no longer hold all the power or have complete control, and it makes for a very stifling work environment.
I agree with your analysis of HR and its role. Organizations are still structured the way they were 50 years ago nothing has changed we continue to maintain the hierarchy no matter what. The structure is one way we control the people. HR is there as the police to ensure that people do what they are supposed to do, that is follow the rules. If we do what peter Block says we should then HR would be out of work…therefore it will not happen. The question should be is there a need for Hr and if so what is there role going forward as everything in HR can be downloaded to others within the organization and also outsourced so what is left?
Hello, I hope that you are well!
I am inclined to agree with Mr. Block. It’s as if HR creates a roadblock of valuable info between employees and management.
Take care!
Hi All,
Everything I’ve read on the Freak rings so true Dan. In twenty years owning a business I’ve done a lot of things wrong… This site empowers me to right the wrongs…The last large company I worked for had a Human Remorses Dept. 🙂
It has always been my experience that HR is more of a legal consulting department. I have never experienced an HR department that trains or provides any type of job/career counseling; they interview, make recommendations to upper management on hiring and compensation, and provide legal direction with regard to employee issues.
I believe employees would welcome an HR staff that works with them to help them develop and move within the company. And…having the employees hire (or participate in the hiring process of) their peers would go a long way toward improving team dynamics. It would be hard to complain to the supervisor about an employee you recommended for hire. Seem like it would create a little “ownership” among the crew!
It seems to me that the problems all stem from the meaning of the term “human resource”. The term demeans human dignity when you attach “resource” to human. It smacks of top down management principles rather than humans as having intrinsic value. We become an asset that requires control whenever we don’t “get in line” with managements goals for us. Lose the term!
Mind blowing blog! Love analysis in the post directly above and the comments regarding connecting everyone so issues go away and using communication strategies like Simon Sinek’s Start With Why. Start with Why and connect everyone– wow, a dream place to work!
Awesome! Can’t wait to get my hands on this book. HR is where teachers and employees get their first impressions of our schools. Excited to maximize these interactions.
Excellent topic. Too often, employees are under utilized due to over-management, under-utilization and generic planning. As leaders, it is our job to carefully evaluate and assess the strengths of each employee, coaching them as appropriate to develop and grow as they serve our organization, and being truly resourceful in our planning. Too often, it’s about wanting humans to fit the mold as the other “resources” fit for purposes of their jobs. As a previous post states, the term “resources” coupled with “human” presents a unique perspective. We cannot treat people like toner cartridges or computers, becoming frustrated when the fit isn’t right, nor discard them when we upgrade to new methods/technologies. The human element needs to be cherished, fostered, empowered and fully utilized. That’s when we see true success and our leadership can be authentically effective. Thank you all for sharing!
Music to my ears. I can attest that the current HR corporate climate doesn’t work.
I am loving this blog. I am not a leader, at my job, but someday, when I am, I hope I remember the wisdom from these daily readings. Thanks for all you do! 🙂
Would love to read the book
Something that I have experienced and trying to bring back is the “humanity” in working with others. Whether they are patients, staff, carers etc – consider the little connections made during interactions, keep the humanity and empower others.
I am a pastor and often read these posts through the lens of ancient stories. In the story of the transformation of a group of slaves into a nation, there were several leaders. Aaron was more of the manager and Moses more of the visionary and leader who empowers. In one story, God comes down to speak Moses who is overwhelmed with responsibility. God visibly takes some of the spirit that is in Moses and transfers it to the 70 other leaders who are standing with him. When the people see this physical transference of power and skills, they trust these new leaders as well.
Empowerment requires trust; however, in today’s culture – one that is infused with the “what’s in it for me” approach – makes the notion of empowerment almost unachievalbe. I say this because it requires people to put the collective interests of the group ahead of their own and while I hope we can get there, I believe it to be a very tall order unless there is a significant shift in thinking.
I would separate the process of writing job descriptions and reviewing job candidates from HR. Each department can probably better describe the function, environment, and expectations of each job, and filter through the applicants to select potential candidates. Leave the legal requirements to HR however.
Brilliant…thanks for jumping in.
Good read, I will share this with my HR department. Reading this blog made me feel very confendent in the HR team at my company. They focus a lot on empowering the management team.
I agree with the concept of HR’s role in creating a better culture, but I saw see the need for leaders to “engage” their associates/team members. Studies have proven that “engaged” employees are much more productive and more importantly committed to the mission/vision of the organization.
What companies are good samples of the “empowerment” block speaks of?
HR= Cupcakes! Hope I get a copy of your book. 🙂
Thank you for sharing! It got me thinking… While I agree with the theoretical position that “HR departments have the opportunity to create empowered organizational culture” I wonder what this looks like in practice. Is there an (unspoken? unfair? unattainable? unrealistic?) expectation that HR departments will be skilled experts in all HR functions so as to make this kind of impact?
In my opinion, becoming empowered begins within. Many times, HR is policy bound. Changing that or creating anew begins with a customers needs, whether actual, implied or projected, and finds roots in self-empowered and ambitious staff to find a way to make it happen.