The Foundation for Human Resources Development annual conference, held on Friday 14 October, attracted a record number of participants, while the demand for the promotional stands at the HR and Training Fair exceeded supply. Over 300 general managers, managers and human resources professionals from over 157 organisations gathered under one roof to discuss the latest issues and trends that will be shaping organisations in the medium term and the crucial role that HR will be playing in this emerging scenario.

Greatness is not about size

but about placing talent

in the driver’s seat

Robert Conlon − a leading global management trainer at DC Gardner City Ltd − delivered the keynote speech.

Mr Conlon discussed the need for organisations to have people onboard who are ready to invest their emotional energy into the business as a way to ensure that the talent strategy of the organisation fits its market strategy. Mr Conlon said it is essential that businesses allow emotion to come into the workplace because ultimately it is those businesses whose people are emotionally engaged with their job that will be the ones who delight customers. This is crucial as research shows that delighted customers are six times more likely to stay with the business compared to those customers who are just satisfied. Building strong and healthy relationships is critical in organisations and therefore businesses should aim at fostering them. As such, Mr Conlon emphasized the fact that HR has an increasing strategic role to play as it needs to devise ways to encourage people to share their knowledge, collaborate for innovation and be ready to communicate and develop a learning organisation. We need to have a culture that allows people to admit their mistakes but also to be tough on results, said Conlon.

Using coaching to develop

a mindset of innovation

Patrick Psaila, an executive director and training consultant at Think Talent Ltd, discussed the importance of building, trusting and emphasizing relationships with coaches to open them up to possibilities and various questioning techniques that challenge the limited views that employees might have of themselves and their potential. Mr Psaila said that feeling deeply and being accurately understood and fully accepted is the first step for an employee to move towards adopting an attitude of openness and possibilities for development. The skill of empathy involves actively listening to employees, understanding them and their concerns, and communicating this understanding to them so that they initiate the process of change and gain confidence by building on small but steady achievements.

Influencing skills for

HR professionals

In this workshop, Mr Conlon discussed ways of how HR managers can increase their personal influence and impact on their organisation to ensure success, considering that HR managers often find themselves having to influence without authority. The old dictum that you will not get a second chance to make a good impression, counts more than ever. Mr Conlon emphasised on what he called rapid trust which comes from sensible, realistic and business sense proposals that link people management and development with business success. Influence is one’s ability to get the other person to choose your priorities and this depends on one’s own behaviour. Such behaviour has to fit within the values and objectives of one’s peers in the board room and, in this respect, the HR manager needs to think business, speak business and adds value by integrating the personal objectives of the employees with that of the business. Therefore, effective influencing is not about personality but about one’s behaviour and knowing what triggers good and bad responses from the other managers. This understanding is critical not only to secure the best outcome for one’s proposals but to also ensure that one’s ideas are realistically framed within the broader business objectives. This builds reputation at boardroom level.

It’s a mind-blowing experience: how recent employment changed the way we think

Matthew Brincat, a practicing lawyer and director at Opus Corporate Services Ltd said employers should observe closely what is happening around them in courts rather than just knowing the word of law. This is because employment legislation is full of grey areas and rules that leave room for interpretation. He offered participants the opportunity to evaluate certain decisions taken by the courts and to discuss the rationale behind the decisions. He pointed out how these decisions changed the way HR practitioners think and react to various situations. It has become very clear that the courts are increasingly looking into the policies and practices of HR management and in particular the process of fairness and transparency. Dr Brincat said that HR managers had to be very well versed in legislation but also professional in their practices as their actions will be scrutinised by the courts in case of a hearing.

Shaping the future of

your organisation: what

will really make the

difference in the long term?

Jill Miller, a psychology graduate with a post graduate Masters and PhD in Management, discussed one of CIPD’s major research projects − Shaping the Future − she is currently leading, which is a three year research and engagement programme, working with case study organisations and engaging practitioners in debate on sustainable organisation performance. The research project aims to advance both thinking and practice and provide practical guides and tools for practitioners. It focuses on how organisations can achieve long-term performance for both their business and how HR has become the major tool that builds a culture of sustainable performance. Dr Miller described the 10 key insights that businesses should be focusing on that would make the difference in the future. These key insights are: 1) The organisation change response needs to be truly agile and enduring not a knee-jerk response which quickly dissipates; 2) Perceptions of unfairness often undermine employee engagement; 3) There is a fine balance between alignment and flexibility; 4) Truly understanding the locus of engagement can avoid risk of over attachment to a goal and or underperformance; 5) Shared purpose can only be found by finding the human connection beyond profit and service mission; 6) Over focusing on today’s needs is talent tunnel vision; 7) Leaders don’t always know best about the long term vision; 8) ‘Middle management’ have a valuable transforming and translating role but are often bypassed rather than refocused, re-skilled and leverage; 9) Collaborative leadership brings sustainability, so don’t default to directive and driven when the going gets tough and finally; 10) Process heavy organisations are often still insight light.

In addition, Dr Miller described the practical tools that the CIPD has developed, showing HR managers and practitioners how they can put these tools into practice in their organisation. These practical tools are: 1) Engagement; 2) Performance measures and metrics; 3) Alignment agility and shared purpose; 4) Capability and talent.

The return on investment

of effective talent management

In her workshop, Beverley Cutajar, an executive director at Think Talent Ltd, spoke about how talent management has become a hallmark for successful organisations, big or small. She explained that the younger generation are more ambitious and seek opportunities to develop more than previous generations did. In this respect, Ms Cutajar presented a plan of action for having an effective talent management strategy in place in an organisation. She advocated the creation of a culture based on three pillars, namely people, structures and respective processes and measures. She said that these three pillar need to work in tandem where the structure facilitated talent development while metrics were in place to ensure the measurement of the return on investment and the effect this investment has on the corporate objectives. These measurements can be done through employee satisfaction index surveys, outcomes of business plans and so on. Measuring the return on investing in employees’ talents is crucial for all organisations because what gets measured gets improved, advised Ms Cutajar. However, measuring should only be used as a starting point, because what will really make the difference is what you do with that measurement that will enable CEOs to understand how talent management will lead the business to grow.

So talent management is a factor of both science and the art of decision making.

Meet the Millennials (Gen Y)... How prepared are you?

Lisa Pullicino, senior manager responsible for Human Capital at PwC Malta.

Lisa Pullicino discussed the characteristics and attributes of the different generations present in the workforce with special emphasis on Generation Y, also known as the Millenials. Ms Pullicino pointed out that despite the differences that exist between the different generations, there is nothing that keeps them from working together. It is just a new reality that HR directors have to grapple with as the motivators and behaviours of these generations differ. HR strategists need to understand what makes each generation tick and devise approaches that address expectations. Those young employees who grew up communicating via their iPods or Facebook think and relate differently to those for whom advanced technology meant a landline phone. The latter learnt to use computers while for the former using a pc is second nature to them. Yet the good news is that both can be effective at the place of work provided there is clear understanding of what the other expects to avoid conflict of interests and wrong perceptions. Ms Pullicino dwelt on how authority is perceived by the different generations; the mere fact that both look at authority differently does not mean that they attach different values to it. However, technology will continue to provide the new generation with tools that affect their lifestyle. Therefore, managing diversity will not only be about different cultures but also about different life styles and behaviours. Ms Pullicino advocated a culture of open communication and strong mediation to bring down walls of division and enhance relationships.

Transforming HR

efficiency in the public sector

Paul D. Micallef, a chartered psychologist with a special interest in human factors at work, explained that the public sector needs to focus more assertively on strategic planning and thinking to ensure that the services reflect the overall plans that deliver a quality service and value for money. This approach maximizes well being at work, as people will feel more engaged and pride will grow when people feel that they can make a difference. Dr Micallef stressed the importance of effective recruitment and promoting people who have the right attributes and competencies in leadership. Dr Micallef expressed concern that HR people in the public sector are often led and not leading. He said that since change is about enhancing the right attitude and behaviour while developing competencies, the function of HR in the public service and the public sector is critical and central for the reform. He called for more investment in strategic thinking and mapping the future and commitment to the new scenario, which inevitably will have more sophisticated, demanding and intelligent customers. Public services need to gear up for this reality while one can look at some existing practices that can show the way. Once you have a direction, everything will fall into place, he maintained.

Turning appraisal into

a vital management tool

Joe Farrugia, an HR consultant and trainer at Mdina Partnership Ltd, explained that performance management can no longer be viewed as a distinct and separate function but as part of a holistic performance appraisal system that is fully in sync with the business’ requirements. Mr Farrugia said organisations need to have a clear vision and direction for the business; commitment from top management to strategic HR systems mechanisms that align group and individual performance with strategic objectives; proper communication at all levels; frequent and efficient update of performance review; adequate reward mechanisms – equitable, objective and fair; systems integration, inclusion and employee engagement with organisational values and finally; getting the right balance between the needs of the organisation and those of the individual. Mr Farrugia presented performance management as a blue print for an integrated business model.

An organisational approach to mediation at the place of work

Luke Monahan, Bernie Mizzi and Joe Gerada

Luke Monahan is an accredited mediator with the Mediation Association of America and the Mediation Institute of Ireland.

Bernie Mizzi has been a lifelong learner for 53 years, a mother for 22 years and has co-led educational organisations for 30 years.

Joe Gerada is the chief executive officer of the Foundation for Human Resources Development and an accredited mediator with the Malta Centre for Mediation.

Mediation is a process to resolve issues by agreement using an independent, trained and experienced mediator, explained Luke Monahan. The aim is to help the parties come to their agreement in a safe, confidential and cost-effective context without unnecessary recourse to the often expensive and acrimonious legal route. The participants of this workshop were presented with a role-play to demonstrate in no uncertain terms the effectiveness of a mediated settlement in a typical conflict situation at work. It was pointed out that mediators can be trained personnel in the company or they can be brought in for the specific assignment. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches but bringing in an outside consultant to conduct mediation was perceived as neutral. Joe Gerada said that often during mediation, certain dysfunctions in the internal systems come to light and the mediator may also support management in addressing these issues. Bernie Mizzi emphasised the importance of identifying the underlying issues in a conflict and a mediator is trained to do this and work through these concerns. More often than not, once these underlying concerns are resolved, the conflict fades into insignificance, Joe Gerada said that mediation is conducted in confidence and saves the company wasting time in conflict management, if not pursuing a case in court involving cost and embarrassment.

Taking HR to the next

level: from best practice

to next practice

Dr Miller closed the conference with a bang, listing the challenges that effective HR management is facing and shall be facing in the years to come. Dr Miller looked into the capabilities that professionals need to develop in HR management so that they are able to move from best practice to next practice. Dr Miller explained how Next Generation HR is built on three fundamental principles − 1) HR is there to drive sustainable performance, 2) HR needs to become insight-driven and finally 3) Apply the three savvies of the foundation for ‘next practice’ − Organizational Savvy, Business Savvy and Contextual Savvy. She practically X-rayed the new form of organisations in the coming years while highlighting the importance of the traditional management issues of communication and in particular the digital connectivity and social media, talent and skills development, leadership development and maintaining employee engagement through difficult times.

At the end of the conference, Mr Gerada expressed satisfaction that the conference and the HR & Training Fair are going from strength to strength and this reflected the growing importance of HR management. He said that although the HR profession has become so critical in its role for sustained business, it is one of those professions that has not been regulated. Mr Gerada said that FHRD is looking closely at this issue and would be consulting members in the coming months about their thoughts on this issue.

Most of the presentation can be found on the FHRD web site together with further information about the proceedings of the conference.

Participants’ feedback

“It was a very interesting and well-organized conference especially with the participation of the international speakers, namely Jill Miller and Robert Conlon. They enabled participants to get an international perspective as well as have provided a lot of food for thought.” Alan Gauci, UniBlue, HR Manager.

“The speakers all excelled in the way they delivered their speeches, however I was particularly struck by Patrick Psaila’s presentation on coaching. He was quite psychological in the way he delivered his speech which made it particularly interesting.” Patrick Gauci, Project Engineer, EneMalta

“It was particularly interesting that there were more workshops to attend this year which enabled us to take on a more active part in the conference. Beverely Cutajar was excellent in the way she delivered her workshop. She gave very sharp and practical responses to her audience.” Rita Grima, Assistant Director People Management, Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs.

“The conference was very relevant to me as it addressed issues related to people which often lie at the heart of complex problems. People management is the way forward for things that seem insurmountable and complex.” Anthea D’Amico, HR Manager and Organisational Development, FMS

“Excellent presentations with very interesting subjects that provoked a lot of thinking and questioning. The presentations of Beverley Cutajar and Robert Conlon were very interesting and stimulating. Moreover, the conference provides an excellent opportunity for networking from which a lot of things can be gained.” Natalino Attard, Project Leader, MJHA

“The conference provides a lot of encouragement that you are on the right track. It is also a very good place to meet people and to network.” Celia Bartoli, C & H Bartoli.

Ms Camilleri is a researcher at the Foundation for Human Resources Development