HR Models Don’t Work

Let me guess. You have the 7 Pillars of HR. Or the 5 Tenets of HR. Or the 3-Legged Stool of HR Principles. And they’re printed on a laminated card.

Throw them away.

Does anyone actually believe that writing the word “Engagement” on some model makes people more engaged? Does saying pay-for-performance substitute for having a system to actually pay for performance? Does saying people are our most important assets hold water when your only true business strategy is RIFs every October? Hardly.

Action talks. (You know the rest of the saying.)

HR models are created by HR people to impress other HR people. If each and every element on the model isn’t backed up by a system and an unwavering willingness to follow through, they’re not worth the paper they’re laminated on.

Quick communication hint: If your big idea for an HR model has to be printed on a card, it already doesn’t work. Big ideas are memorable. Dumb ideas involve geometric shapes with HR words printed on them.

HR Measurement: The Difference Between Correlation and Causality

Several years ago when I worked at a big firm there was a group of people who were pushing “human capital measurement.” I got a meeting with a very important client in The Hague, and was in his office while a few HCM members called in from New York. At some point during the conversation, one of my coworkers said to the client over the conference line: “You just don’t understand your own data. We can do a sweeping survey of your people and get causation on several dimensions.”

Once I was able to pick my client off the floor…well, you know the rest. It wasn’t good. Two hints: 1) Don’t tell clients they don’t know what they’re doing, and 2) Don’t use the word “causation” to a scientist unless you really mean it.

The words correlation and causation get flung around casually in some HR circles, which is why when I read this simple summary of both terms this morning I thought it should be required reading. Here’s what Scott Selhorst at Tyner Blain writes in the opening paragraph:

One of the most common mistakes people make when looking at data is to jump to conclusions about the data. We all live in a world of cause and effect. It is only natural that when we see data that appears to show cause and effect, we assume that it does. But it often doesn’t.

Hey, it’s cold out this morning. And it’s dark. The cold makes the sun go out. Correlation? I don’t think so. It’s super important that HR people understand cause-and-effect in the business world. Use stats, but use caution when claiming that the latest training program delivered all the business results. You can be embarrassed pretty quickly.

Think Not, Do and Social Media

The Yoda Part
In Accomplishment is What Matters, Chris Brogan writes:

In all transactions in your professional life, the weight of things will likely rest on whether or not you accomplished what you set out to achieve. Did you get the project completed on time? If the answer is no (with subtext of “because Jerry called out sick and we had nothing we could do”), then you didn’t achieve your goal. Who cares why not?

Our job in HR is to help employees be successful. A large part of that success is getting things done, no matter the obstacles. No excuses. Figure out ways to get things done rather than why it can’t be done. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you say you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

The Social Media Part
You can read the entire essay here. You know how I found this, by the way? Social media. I saw Steve Rubel’s Twitter post that he had loaded up from Facebook. Not on any of those? Your employees, especially the young ones, are.

Three Secrets to Life

John Maeda asked Prof. David Mindell about his three secrets to life. All of us could learn from what he said:

1. Take 24 uninterrupted hours of rest per week.
2. Don’t travel as it wastes time.
3. Say “no” to meetings often.

I’d add “Read Prof. Maeda’s The Laws of Simplicity” to the list. Now, I’ll get to that “rest” part after today’s fire drill. ;-)

Sometimes the Best Rules Are No Rules at All

Several European cities are doing away with traffic signs. Sometimes the best rules, whether for traffic or HR, are no rules at all. People doing the right thing always triumphs over a rulebook for behavior.

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