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HR ZONE Any Answers Digest – Issue 3
Tuesday 19 March 2002
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/
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********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS **********
Competition v cooperation… Relocation expenses… Management
Appraisals… Planning roadshow… Presentations and cultural
difference
********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS **********
Any Answers is getting more and more lively on HRZone, so here’s
another selection of what the community has been talking about.
To post a question, offer a solution, or just share your point of
view, go to:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/
What you asked this fortnight: New questions include:
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What relocation expenses are offered to employees relocating from
abroad? Asks Alison Egan
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/75031
Any statistics on the relation between poor induction and
sickness and absence? Asks Caroline Starling
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74923
Any suggestions for a format for management appraisals? Asks
Louise Redman
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74588
What entitlements can a staff member expect when starting a
programme of learning? Asks John Chambers
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74329
Louise Hadfield is looking for examples on the pros and cons of
working from home:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/75072
Do you have a question you need answered? Post it now, free of
charge at
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers
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Featured question: Competition versus Cooperation
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Q – I have been asked to launch some “planning” roadshows to
highlight the importance of planning to every body in the company
and I am looking for some ideas ! Its such a huge task I don’t
know where to start doing something a bit “different ” and
something that will be of use to all levels of the business
Claire Barber
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74982
A – Clive O’Donnell says: I would do some research within each
business unit (at all levels) to source evidence of successful
and non-successful planning activities (assuring anonymity to all
concerned). Use this information as case studies.
Discuss with the group the merits of planning, success and the
consequences of failure. Create a forum by using an example from
your collected data. You could use a volunteer to describe the
experience (prior planning required here)! From the discussion
and example, create bullet points (in line with your objectives)
that could be noted on a flip chart, for reference during
discussion/exercises. Form your delegates into teams with a good
mix from different departments and levels. After the introduction
and the discussion of your salient points at high level, provide
the case studies as handouts (the case studies should be mixed
with other examples of success and failure with the end result
removed)…
The purpose of the exercises is to identify the case study
conclusions, the best method of planning, the cost and
consequence of poor planning, the promotion of teamwork and
diversity. As some of the information originated from within your
own environment, it should be perceived as relevant to all
concerned… (Edited response appears – see the site for full
response)
A – Tony Latimer says: Get participants to imagine they are at a
point in the future where Success is. Get them to look around and
describe what they see (behaviours etc) Then get them to figure
out how they got there, what did we do, when who etc. It is
sometimes easier than the forward planning process and validates
against it.
A – Barbara Findlay says: An alternative approach could be via
Arts and Business, who give workshop/training based around the
Arts – a member of staff returned from a workshop saying it was
really alternative, great fun and very useful.
A – Eric Welburn: The danger is that it is not a perceived need
by the majority and you will end up with people attending the
events with a negative attitude. The more ‘alternative’ it is,
the greater the likelihood there will be of delegates complaining
about style over substance as well as questioning the
relevance…
To see all the responses to this question in full, go to:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74982
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Questions answered this fortnight include
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Q – Is management effectiveness best achieved through
‘Competition’ or ‘Cooperation’ among employees? Asks Michael Bye
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74975
A – Susan McGaughran says: Internal competition can be ruinous to
some businesses as it often is not checked. However we find that
team cooperation with interdepartmental targets has been a good
model. This has taken into account the competitive spirit of some
employees whilst retaining the team unity.
A – Clive Hook says: I despair when I work with organisations who
suggest that “a little healthy competition between
departments/people is a good thing”. I truly believe there is no
such thing as healthy in this respect. Internal competition is a
pointless exercise which leads nowhere and diverts attention from
gaining competitive advantage in the real competitive arena.
A – Dave Bramwell says: All the examples I’ve worked with have
shown that COOPERATION ie striving to a common goal, produces
much better results than “Devil take the hindmost”. I find the
competition comes mostly from having sub-optimised or even
conflicting, goals & thus no-one is working to “the common good”.
You might find “Improving Performance – managing the white space
on the Org Chart” by Rummler & Brache helpful.
A – Every competition, no matter how much it is dressed up as
friendly, healthy etc, implies and demands winners and losers.
Winners tend to become arrogant and losers tend to become
demotivated. I have seen organisations tear themselves apart on a
large and small scale by introducing internal competitiveness.
Sadly so many senior managers got there from having intensely
competitive natures that it tends to be self-perpetuating.
To see all the responses to this question in full, go to:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74975
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Q – Has anyone got any tips or training material on things to
do/not do when making presentations to overseas audiences ie
cultural differences. This is for an advanced presentations
skills course. Asks Judi Geisler
A – Celia Redmore says: The one area that seems to get people
into more trouble than any other is in the use of humour. We let
our cultural assumptions show through when we make jokes, so you
need to be extra careful there. Britons especially, have a
reputation for acerbic and self-deprecating humour, that is quite
shocking to some nationalities.
And always, always have a trusted local person vet a presentation
before you do it in front of the intended audience. Remember how
President Kennedy called himself a berliner doughnut, because he
didn’t bother to have his four word sentence checked by a real
Berliner?
To see all the responses to this question in full, go to:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/74906
You make Any Answers work by sharing your insight and experience.
And your problems and questions of course! Join in now, at
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers
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