Speaking truth to power: the dialogic culture
This is one of the key findings to come out of research from Ashridge Executive Education which looks at the dynamics of ‘speaking truth to power’ and provides practical advice on how leaders can improve dialogue in their organisation. Leaders’ ability to manage the subtle nuances that influence why people speak up – or choose […]
Book review: Riding the Leadership Rollercoaster
HRZone has a range of books available for review. If you would like to receive one of our business books, free of charge, please contact the editor on editor at hrzone dot com and we can send you a list of what’s available. In return, we ask for a 400-700 word review of the book, […]
If you want to be a great leader, it pays not to be too smart
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
Inclusion is the glue: 5 ways to create a holistic diverse and inclusive company
Corporate recruiters and headhunters spend an exorbitant amount of time and effort to recruit diverse talent. Even when organisations are serious about diversity– as with an ever growing number of companies – it is not enough to merely push for more diversity. By merely creating diverse teams without appropriate organisational and managerial interventions, companies run […]
Male managers command less authority in ‘female’ jobs
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
Mental health at Crossrail, the ROI of wellbeing and wellbeing optimism
Christina Butterworth is Occupational Health and Wellbeing Strategy Lead at Crossrail. We caught up with Christina at this year’s Good Day At Work Conversation, organised by Robertson Cooper. She was previously Head of Health and BG Group and is on the board of the National School of Occupational Health. Jamie Lawrence, Editor, HRZone: What have you learnt […]
4 companies on how to win at leadership development
Leadership is a hugely important factor for any organization. Given how important it is to have great leadership in place, developing first-time or more junior managers is of vital importance. Having the support and processes in place to take young managers and help them flourish, though often overlooked, makes all the difference! We spoke to […]
What you can do about the workplace gender gap
For a long time, many people saw workplace diversity as little more than a box-ticking exercise, or simply a banner for companies to wave. Thankfully, these attitudes are disappearing and now workplace diversity is increasingly being recognised for what it is: crucial for business success. In recent years, HR departments have made huge and tangible […]
Leadership development isn’t working. Why?
Blaire Palmer has been in the leadership development field for nearly two decades. And in that time she’s experienced plenty of fads. But rarely has she come across leadership development that really works. In this two-part series Blaire busts some myths about leadership development and offers some alternatives that might actually create more leadership. You […]
What should modern leadership development look like?
Blaire Palmer has been in the leadership development field for nearly 2 decades. And in that time she’s experienced plenty of fads. But rarely has she come across leadership development that really works. In this two-part series Blaire busts some myths about leadership development and offers some alternatives that might actually create more leadership. If […]
The Madness of Kings: leadership, hyper-masculinity & mental health
If you had a choice to return to Earth after this lifetime, and, while resting on your celestial cloud, were given a menu of gender, racial and sexual orientation preferences to choose from, what would you pick for your next time around? Of course, approaching this logically, received wisdom would tell you to check the […]
Change leadership: how to give employees a sense of control
A few years ago a group of London psychology students were charged with carrying out a survey on the general public. Their study consisted of approaching strangers in the street and posing the question, “Which of the following would you find the most physically challenging? (1) deep sea diving, (2) power gliding, (3) addressing a […]
Getting employee engagement on your CEO’s agenda: Create actionable steps
This is the concluding article in the series How to secure employee engagement on your CEO's agenda – make sure you've read parts one and two your case before you carry on with this article. In your role as a HR leader, it is likely that maintaining employee engagement and striving to improve it are recognised as […]
Getting employee engagement on your CEO’s agenda: Appeal to emotional triggers
This is part two in the series How to secure employee engagement on your CEO's agenda – make sure you've read Part one: Presenting your case before you carry on with this article. Employee engagement is far more than a hot topic: through extensive research, we have come to know a lot about the direct results of […]
Getting employee engagement on your CEO’s agenda: Presenting your case
For any meaningful changes to happen within a business, the subject needs to be firmly on the CEO’s agenda. However, this is easier said than done and more often than not, it appears that the business has more important issues that will compete with your efforts to push topics such as employee engagement. Whether you […]
The Apprenticeship Levy: making it work for your leadership needs
From the start, 2017 was dubbed a year of change. Whilst widespread political upheaval was a driving force behind this, significant change is rife elsewhere. In the UK, this year we’re seeing somewhat of a revolution when it comes to the skills agenda. Investment in infrastructure and innovation is a clear priority for the government […]
“The company acknowledges that big growth ambitions have to be complemented with investment in people and talent”
Taking on a new role is as challenging as it is exciting. In this series we will be talking to HR professionals who are getting to grips with a new job and finding out what attracted them to the role, as well as what their key priorities are for the months ahead. Want to tell […]
Three examples of organisational failure to give up the illusion of control
Just like every year on Christmas Eve, a portly, white-bearded and red-garmented man delivered gifts to all the good children in the world, with only the help of some reindeer and a few elves. Even if the reindeer could actually fly and if you corrected for all the different time zones, admittedly, it sounds incredible. […]
Control in times of uncertainty: how can you combat change fatigue?
Organisations are under increasing pressure to be more agile, competitive and customer focused, and a key role of HR is to support them through the process of change. Although change is essential, there is evidence that around 70% of all organisational change initiatives fail. In many cases, failure is exacerbated by employees’ mistrust of changes […]
What makes the Japanese railways so efficient?
It was a Sunday night at a quiet and emptying train station, close to the end of shifts. I was met by a man in an immaculate uniform and as sharp-looking as he would have been at 9am on a Monday morning. He was taking the trouble of speaking with the occasional passengers as they […]
