Changing the HR Mindset from Transactional to Strategic: Lessons from the Government of Alberta
Stephanie Noel, Queen's IRC Business Development Manager
For the Alberta government's Pauline Melnyk, the Queen's IRC HR Business Partner Certificate Program couldn't have come at a better time.
Melnyk was helping design a cumulative effects management system (CEMS) for her department, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. As part of the system, which designs programs and processes based on the cumulative effects of development on the environment, the department itself needed to review its organizational design.
Melynk enrolled in the inaugural program hosted by the departments of Environment, Energy, and Advanced Education and Technology, and immediately saw how she could apply what she learned to the CEMS project.
"It was so timely," said Melnyk, an organizational learning and effectiveness consultant. "When we were learning about the IRC's Blueprint for Organizational Effectiveness that very much came to the forefront in my learning about what the CEMS system looks like.
"Because of the IRC program, I was able to ask more poignant questions, and dig deeper."
Career Assessments: An Overview
Lee Anderson, Principal, Lee Anderson & Associates, 2012
Lee Anderson
Is there an organization today that isn't thinking about how to become more effective, efficient, economical, and equitable? Whether large or small, private, public, or not-for-profit, unionized or not, employers' goals in this competitive global marketplace are all similar: to engage individual employees, to inspire teams to attract and retain satisfied clients, and to be profitable and sustainable.
Employers may be challenged by business needs changing faster than employees' skills, clients looking for more innovation, managers who aren't engaging their teams, or employees who are denying or resisting change. While many employers showcase employees, their human capital, as the competitive advantage in strategic plans and annual reports, not all offer the comprehensive training and development or succession planning programs needed to support such claims.
Employees may be challenged by evaluating the pros and cons of a job versus a career, failing to recognize what they'd be interested in doing let alone good at, wanting more purpose in the work they do, or lacking any kind of formal career plan.
I contend that career assessments are viable tools that can help to match employee goals with organizational goals and add measurable value to both employers and employees throughout their relationship. Effective recruitment needs process; unfortunately, career assessments and background checks are the two elements given short shrift in the recruitment process. I think assessments are an upfront investment that ensures the best candidate is hired, placed in the right role, and supported to do the right things well. If recruitment isn't done well, the impact of every subsequent HR dollar (i.e., on-boarding, training and development, succession planning, and retention) is reduced. In this article, I outline some of the types of career assessment tools that exist, their criteria, who benefits from them, and why, when, where, and how they should be conducted.
This spring, Queen's IRC attended the 2013 HRIA Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, and the Canadian Talent Management Summit in Toronto, Ontario. When individuals visited our information booth, they were invited to enter their business card in a draw. Prizes included Starbucks gift cards and three resources: Switchpoints, authored by Peter Edwards, Gary Furlong's Conflict Resolution Toolbox, and Made in Canada Leadership, written by Amal Henein and Francoise Morissette.
We would like to congratulate the following individuals who have been selected to receive a gift from the IRC: Sandee Baker, Vicky Honsberger, Janos Kocsis, Lindsey Rocks, and Steven White.
Of course, we would also like to thank all of the individuals who stopped by our booth to visit with us. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming programs!
