Hello, and welcome to my blog.Having done my first two weeks as CEO here at the CIPD, I think I'm ready to enter the blogosphere!I plan to use the blogs to talk about some of the key issues and challenges we're all dealing with as a profession, and things that catch my eye, and hopefully to engage in a bit of dialogue with you all. We're in times of a lot of uncertainty and change, and that drives the opportunity, and indeed the need, to think differently. As I said in my People Management interview [Read here], I don't think there's ever been a more interesting time to be in HR.There is much for us to engage with as a profession that impacts our own organisations as well as the broader economic and social context. Issues such as skills shortfalls and changes in employment, increasing diversity in the workforce and in ways of working, sustainability, and trust and corporate cultures, are important to us all.We need to share our perspectives and experiences to help each other, but also to confidently engage with the leaders who have responsibility for the enterprises we work in, and beyond to the policy makers and opinion formers who are trying to shape the future, to make a positive impact and have our voice heard. But we must think strategically, and be able to offer solid analytical and systematic insight to ideas and solutions which will resonate with leaders at all levels.I'll be coming back to those themes and more in the days and weeks to come. But I think this'll work better as a dialogue than a monologue.So tell me, what's on your agenda?
Peter,
congratulations on the new post and look forward to your blog postings.
Kolarele Sonaike
The 'Great Speech' Consultancy
www.greatspeech.co
Congratulations. Can you try to reconcile the following contradiction:
We keep being told that the CIPD qualification scheme and membership are crucial for HR career success (which is why I went that route myself), but the vast majority of the people profiled in People Management and who are in leading HR positions in UK companies don't have the CIPD qualifications. In addition to this, the CIPD keeps creating new abridged versions of the qualifications to satisfy those people who wake up years after they should have slogged through it. This devalues our previous efforts and achievement. Other professions don't do this, why does the CIPD? You are sending mixed messages.
Congratulations Peter.
Those of us in West Africa are looking forward to being included in CIPD's international agenda/programmes. The SHRM is doing better in engaging practitioners in this part of the world than CIPD is doing. CIPD has not even got a Centre/Office within the region to help/support practitioners who want to seek an internationally recognized and proactive certification in HR - Ghana/Nigeria.
Door are open to facilitate that in Ghana.
Congratulations on your appointment. I am sure you will have a challenging & interesting time!
I agree with Kwasi, it would be nice to see CIPD's profile raised on the African continent. Although we have an HR professional body in South Africa, other countries do not and the influence of CIPD could do much to raise the standard and, consequently, the influence of the profession in both Public & Privates sectors.
One personal wish is that CIPD highlight at every opportunity the importance of HR people being knowledgeable about the business operations, strategies etc of the organisation for which they work. IF HR people isolate themselves from the business of business, they will diminish the influence they may have on performance through people and portray themselves as lacking in the knowledge & experience for real business leadership.
Many Congratulation Peter.
I agree with Kwasi as I have a similar request for emerging markets like India.
SHRM India is doing an excellent in engaging practitioners in this part of the world as for CIPD it does not have any existence. CIPD has not even got a Centre/Office within the region to help/support practitioners who want to seek an internationally recognised and proactive certification in Human Resource profession.
Please open doors for practitioners in India
Many thanks
Contrats Peter! Glad to see you are settling in enough to start blogging...scary business!
I'm just starting out my career in the HR World and am fascinated by the whole concept...we'll see where this takes me as I'm soon starting a qualification with the CIPD.
Congratulations Peter. Good Luck and best wishes in your new role.
I would be interested in your thoughts about how HR can move beyond a process focus to further engage in the leadership of organisations. A good time to be in the profession as there is a huge opportunity for those organisations who can get this right.
Thanks for your comments. I’m reading and listening. Knowing what’s on your minds is a helpful and important part of my induction, and looking at where there’s more we can do to support you all and keep you informed of what we’re working on will play an important part in my next steps!
Peter - thank you for finding the time to write - and I hope you'll continue to post on a regular basis.
Can I join everyone else in welcoming you and thanking you for taking the time to blog and directly engage with your membership.
What's on my agenda? Now that would be more than a comment on a blog and I could cheekily self promote by pointing you to my blog...but I'll leave that to others.
So I'll try and summarise! I think the way in which organisations operate is changing at a faster pace than perhaps ever before and therefore how we organise our people, the skills that we need, the way in which we reward and motivate are all changing too.
There are inevitable tensions on the horizon, between young an old as people stay longer in the workplace, between skilled and unskilled. All of these will need to be managed effectively and productively if we are to have successful businesses and a successful economy.
This really throws people, and therefore potentially HR, into the centre of organisational and strategic thinking. My question is, "Is the HR profession capable and equipped to handle this? And if not, what can the CIPD do to support our profession to take this opportunity?"
OK, I'll shut up now!
Neil
Hi Peter,
Welcome from Ireland.
I agree with Neil, HR needs to be at the centre of organisational and strategic thinking and planning, however HR are not equipped to engage at this level for the most part,in my view. HR needs CIPD's support to take that step.
Maggie
Thank you for starting a conversation with us Peter, like Steve Bridger, it would be great to have your thoughts - and our contributions - here more often.
What's on our agenda then? Neil Morrison sums it up about the pace and variety of change and is HR and the CIPD equipped? Being honest, at present - not equipped enough. But there is hope.
So my agenda is for you to consider is around not what we do now (which is clearly important) it's what we set up for the future.
I come across young, fresh, inventive HR practitioners and they make my heart soar at the thought of their ability to succeed in their chosen career path. I'm also inspired and in awe of their already burgeoning skills and insight. There is hope.
So the agenda is; what are we - the current incumbents - and you/CIPD as our professional chartered body - doing to make sure these superstars are nurtured, supported, unleashed and take our profession's impact beyond that we can only dream of?
Enjoy this exciting few months in the role. I hope I speak for all in HR - we're with you all the way.
I wanted to comment to provide some feedback on the Trust, Leadership and Culture seminar you hosted at the CIPD exhibition yesterday.
I currently work at the Royal Bank of Scotland and I am also studying for an MA in HRM. My research report aims to explore the concept of trust within the banking sector as I feel this is relevant to the current economic times and will have a direct link into my organisation.
I thought the seminar was articulated well as it identified the key areas of trust and how leadership and management are core elements of the trust cycle.
If you or any other CIPD members have any comments or recommendations around trust I would be interested in hearing from you.
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