Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/213549
Similarly, Morley Gunderson, from the Centre for Industrial Relations at the University of Toronto, sees it this way: "It is now generally recognized that human resource practices must be integrated into a coherent 'bundle' of practices, such as job design, employee involvement and compensation." To be effective, these practices must fit into the strategic objectives of the organization. In other words, integration and fit are as important as the practices themselves. "As such, being an HR generalist helps in seeing this broader integrated picture and to develop a strategic human resource policy," he says. This model of leadership implies the HR leader should have a generalist background. The generalist background will provide the necessary experiences to develop the knowledge, skills and abilities to understand the "big picture." The HR leader will have a team of specialists that report to her, who will develop systems and practices that integrate with each other and meet the goals of the organization. These specialists will be more knowledgeable than managers on matters in their functional areas, and may in fact make more money than their managers. Where, then, does this leave the specialist in terms of professional development? One of the important factors for the development and selection of leaders is the rewards systems available in organizations. Gallup recently asked 1,000 people the following question: "Would you choose to change roles if you could increase your pay by doing your current job better?" Fifty-eight per cent of respondents said that they would choose to remain in their current job rather than be promoted. Under "traditional" organizational structures, promotion is often the only reward or recognition available. The alternative is a combination of pay-for-performance and broadbanding, which will allow specialists to remain in their current roles while rewarding increases in their expertise, as demonstrated by skills development and the value of their contribution to the success of the organization. Broadbanding allows specialists to remain and develop in a job, with fewer restrictions on wages. Another way to keep specialists motivated — and retain their talents — is leadership in functional work teams (permanent) and task forces (transient). For example, an HR technology specialist as manager of HRMS and a leader of a system upgrade taskforce, a position that expires at the end of a project. Notwithstanding the above discussion, some specialists of course make exemplary leaders. In a knowledgebased economy, we need to examine work structures to determine if they add value to the organization. To paraphrase Gunderson, what is needed is the development of structures and policies that integrate with each other and fit with the culture and goals of the organization. Therefore we need to develop big picture leaders and at the same time retain high-quality specialists. The hierarchical view of the organization, where leaders are the specialists, who make the most money, is outdated. Instead, consider a system where a group of functional specialists have more (focused) knowledge than the manager and make more money. This will make intuitive sense to some, and challenge the concept of leadership and rewards for others. / BOB DELANEY is president of EarningThroughLearning.com canadian hr profession 22 hrreporter.com HRP.indd 22 12-03-26 11:27 AM