March Newsletter
In this issue
This month we focus on people-related change issues.
Our first item is an interview with Gordon Bull, formerly of Vodafone and American Express, on the issues HR face when selling internally and what HR people can do to improve their capability. Our lead consultant, Alex Welsh continues this theme by examining the relationship between motivation and change. We complete this trio with our penultimate excerpt from the Best Practice report on the subject of engaging people which offers some great insights to building organisational support for change.
We would like to draw your attention to a case study in IT-driven change at Grainger plc, where a new Intranet, initially sponsored by IT, became part of the fabric of the business through a successful business introduction.
Finally we have a ‘last call’ for two items – a conference on the connection between Talent Management and e-learning at the end of the month, and a final invitation to those interested in Situational Judgement to join our virtual team.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter and if you would like to discuss any items within it, please contact me, Ian Lee-Emery on 0118 989 3555.
Internal selling - the challenge for HR
We ask Gordon Bull, formerly Director of Global Learning Management at Vodafone and more recently of American Express, for his views on why internal selling is challenging, the role of HR Business Partners and for some practical advice for HR professionals on how to approach and position their activities to get the business on board. Find out more here.
Motivation to change
How do you feel when confronted with change? Are you excited by the benefits and new opportunities that will come as a result of the change? Perhaps you are energised by the process of defining the change and bringing it about? Or alternatively you are unconvinced of the need to change, or doubt that it will have the intended result? Even cynical about the ability of the organisation to make the change? Or perhaps you are anxious about your own ability to make the change or the consequences it may have on you?
The response to this question will say something about your and your colleagues' general attitude towards change, and knowing about it can equip you to deal with it. Read more here.
Best practice - engaging people
Read an extract of our report for The Best Practice Club that reveals key internal communications strategies used by change agents to cajole and persuade - this includes your choice of messenger, medium and method and timing considerations. Also outlined are some implementation tips for 'hard tactics' as well!
Last call - join a virtual team to design a Situational Judgement Test
We have brought together interested parties to begin a project to develop Situational Judgment Tests. This is your last call to join this 'sales-free' environment where you will learn about when to use them and how they are developed. We expect that this unique experience will be valuable and the team will work 'virtually' to allow the highest levels of participation possible. Contact us here to let us know you are interested and we will keep you posted.
Other news
IT-driven change - Intranet case study
Grainger Trust plc, the UK's largest quoted residential property owner, embarked on a programme to introduce an Intranet into the business. Like many Intranet deployments, IT were sponsoring it and they recognised that the key to success was the adoption by the business. Read the case study.
Past articles
The following articles featured in earlier newsletters are also available on our web site:
Appreciative Inquiry - a technique for extraordinary results
The cost of e-learning - key principles for pricing bespoke e-learning programmes
Talent Management event
Alex Welsh is speaking at the next e-learning network event entitled 'How does e-learning aid Talent Management' being held on March 30 in London. Other speakers include Jane Smith, Head of Learning and Development at Mouchel Parkman and Meena Anand, Head of Capability Management for Standard Chartered Bank. To find out more, please visit www.elearningnetwork.org