Monday, December 9, 2013

OzHR #15 - Organisational Culture

This week is hosted by Michael Sleap of @michaelsleap fame! So super awesome! And he's chosen the topic of organisational culture.

Now this is frustrating because I can't find the reference for this study, but I clearly remember it from university. A factory wanted to see what effect lighting had on the productivity of the workers, so they were gathered around a table. As the light got brighter, the productivity was raised. And then the lights were dimmed, dimmed right down, and still the productivity was rising. Eventually they worked out it wasn't actually the lighting affecting the productivity, it was the workers sitting together and chatting - they created relationships & formed a bond.

Human beings are wired to our very cores to be as sensitive to our interactions as a seismometer. Trembles can equate to internal earthquakes when it comes to how we treat each other. So it's no wonder that our interactions with each other in the workplace dictate so much of how the work gets done. "How we do things around here" is very much going to affect how I feel about being here.

So let's discuss our experiences and share our theories, because organisational culture isn't only a way to add value but to 'feeel' the value.

The chat will be Thursday 12 December starting at 7pm AEDT. Now we're in daylight savings time, find your city (or corresponding time zone) below, for the starting time:

7pm - Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne (AEDT)
6:30pm - Adelaide (ACDT)
6:00pm - Brisbane (AEST)
5:30pm - Darwin (ACST)
4:00pm - Perth (AWST)

Just make sure to pop a #OzHR in your tweet so we can see it, and be sure to invite others along for the ride!

The questions this week are:

1. What does a great organisation culture look like and have you experienced it?

2. Is an organisation's culture critical to its success or is the concept over-hyped? Why?

3. What are the implications for organisations which have a 'poor' culture?

4. What is the key to building an effective culture and what is HR's role?

Thank you so much for hosting Michael, I hope it's a brilliant chat!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

OzHR #14 - HR and Internal Communications, Friends With Benefits

Internal communications are such a vital part to an organisation's health, and yet, it's often done terribly, not valued by leaders already in the know, or not done at all.

HR is all about working with people and it's a little hard not to fold communications in to the mix. But are HR pros really the best for doing the internal communications? Does their expertise even go near crafting a message?

There's no change without an announcement, but who makes that announcement, how should it be done, and most importantly, what do you like best?

The chat will be Thursday 5 December starting at 7pm AEDT. Now we're in daylight savings time, find your city (or corresponding time zone) below, for the starting time:

7pm - Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne (AEDT)
6:30pm - Adelaide (ACDT)
6:00pm - Brisbane (AEST)
5:30pm - Darwin (ACST)
4:00pm - Perth (AWST)

Just make sure to pop a #OzHR in your tweet so we can see it, and be sure to invite others along for the ride!

The questions are:

1) Does HR have any role in internal communications? Please place your answer in the context of the organisation's size.

2) Can people really not be trusted with internal social media, or is that just risk avoidance?

3) SoMe has moved media from 'talking at' to 'talking with' us. Should the same happen with employer's communications?

4) Do you find organisations can often do external communications better than internal communications? What makes it better?