How can HR drive organisational performance?
Event summary
In this webinar, we made a call for a renewed HR focus on organisational effectiveness and productivity. We considered the nature of people performance, factors that drive it and the insight and value HR professionals have to offer. This topic is especially timely: the government’s fiscal and industrial strategies are predicated on improvements in productivity, but the debates on this lack a nuanced understanding of the ‘people’ aspects. HR has much to add.
Presenter
Jonny Gifford
Topics covered
- Performance Management Trends: Jonny discussed the evolution of performance management, highlighting the shift from traditional performance reviews to more frequent, informal, and coaching-style conversations. He noted the move away from harsh rating systems and the growth of apps facilitating better quality and more frequent feedback.
- Research Insights on Performance Management: Jonny shared insights from research on the performance management cycle, emphasising the importance of understanding different types of objectives, the reasons for using ratings, and the impact of employees' perceptions of fairness on their performance.
- HR's Role in Organisational Performance: Jonny highlighted the broader role of HR in organisational performance, mentioning the work of Paul Sparrow and the importance of linking HR and people management with organisational effectiveness.
- Psychological Safety: Jonny introduced the concept of psychological safety, explaining its origins, definition, and the importance of mutual respect and trust within teams. He also discussed the positive correlation between psychological safety and various performance outcomes.
- Factors Influencing Psychological Safety: Jonny outlined factors that influence psychological safety, including trust climate, leadership styles, fairness, respect, conflict management, tenure, team building exercises, and personal characteristics.
- Types of Employee Performance: Jonny described three key types of employee performance: task performance, contextual performance, and adaptive performance. He emphasised the importance of understanding these different types and their respective measures.
- HR's Unique Contribution: Jonny argued that HR has a unique contribution to make in driving organisational performance by focusing on both organisational needs and the needs of individuals and teams. He encouraged HR professionals to take a lead in this area.
- Proposed Agenda for Performance-Led HR: Jonny proposed a four-part agenda for advancing performance-led HR, including identifying research gaps, defining performance in people management terms, adopting a systems view, and advocating for evidence-based workshops and collaboration.
Slides
Recording