Canadian HR Reporter

HR, INTERRUPTED ...CONTINUED to move quickly. So they started the Special Forces," he said. "In a VUCA world, you can't have big and slow. You've got to have small and fast. And that applies to organizations. "It's not how big we are, it's how mobile we are – while still having the benefi ts of skill. And we see fi rms doing that today." For instance, Amazon had started creating pop-up stores that sell only bestsellers for the geographic region they are in. That's one way in which a behemoth fi rm has managed to be mobile, fl exible and adaptive. So how does a business build that model? First and foremost, through its stakeholders, says Ulrich. "The boundary between investors and customers and employees is clearly blurred… You win by having an exceptional consumer experience. You win by having high net promoter scores," he said. "What's the biggest single promoter of a net promoter score? The product? No. It's your experience with the employees who work there – as refl ected by the culture." Take Airbnb, for example. "How does Hyatt beat Airbnb? They give their frequent travelers an incredible experience. They give them unusual experiences. And that's what we need to look at." Culture as a social interface In fact, constructing that culture is, at its core, all about creating connection. "(And) this is my fear with technology: in research on the digital age, it isolates people – it doesn't connect people. I can now get a college degree sitting in my basement – or better yet, my parents' basement," said Ulrich. "The social experience. The interface. This is where I think technology is an enabler and a disabler. Because if technology isolates us, pushes us apart… we fail. The challenge is how do we use technology to pull us together? How do we use technology to help people form better relationships?" That's one critical piece to consider when constructing a culture – but another is this: Are we in a place where employees can gain meaning? "In engagement literature, there's been an evolution. It used to be, 'Do you like your job?' Satisfaction. Then it became engagement. 'Does your boss give you the tools to do your job?' Now, engagement literature is about meaning and purpose. 'Do you fi nd meaning and purpose in your job?' 'Is it linked to your identity?'" said Ulrich. "And the other piece that goes along with that is to focus the accountability of this on the employee. This is active engagement." It's not about whether you like your job or you like your pay. Instead, you can answer any engagement question by asking, "Do I do my best?" "So the engagement is not the company's obligation – it's the employee's obligation. And that kind of active engagement logic is a very good predictor of future (success). In fact, what we're fi nding is that employee engagement correlates to customer engagement. So if I'm competing with Airbnb, I want my wyees to be very engaged. If I'm competing in retail with Amazon, I want my employees to be very engaged. Because when they're engaged, customers will be engaged," he said. It's not about timesheets and attendance and processing payroll anymore. It's not even just about people and culture-shaping. It's about creating the right culture, with the right people, to deliver strategic business results, says Ulrich. That's what HR has to aspire to, and that's why one small sentence can sum up the singular goal the profession should strive toward. "HR is not about HR – it's about the business." Photo by Ali Aghtar, HRPA

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