What is Innovative HR?
Guest Blogger-Tim Silvera
I actually believe that innovative HR is quite simple! Innovative HR takes tactical and strategic practices and adapts them to integrate with a company’s business strategy and culture.
I believe the most powerful HR innovation comes from working with business leaders to develop the “next practices” that give a company a competitive advantage and ability to thrive in the new world of business. HR’s role is to adapt HR strategies and practices to help the company succeed in the future. HR innovation comes from working with business leaders to create practices that give the company a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Innovative HR practices also need to translate the business strategy into action, engage employees at all levels to drive results and be transparent so everyone uses them every day to run the business. Innovative HR practices can result in a competitive advantage for the company in the marketplace, profitable revenue and strategic alignment.
At a global call center outsourcing company, I created a real-time performance optimization process that linked every employee to the key metrics that drove the success of the business every day. We eliminated traditional performance reviews because they negatively impacted productivity and the high-performance culture of the company. The performance optimization process was integrated with rewards and recognition programs every month to reinforce the success of each employee. This was innovative because it gave the company a competitive advantage in hiring top talent in the each of the global markets of operation and reinforced the achievement of the metrics that drove profitable revenue. To see complete details on the success of performance optimization, click on the following link, http://timsilvera.com/success-stories/performance-optimization/.
I asked a colleague of mine, Diane Gallo of CNC Strategy (www.cncstrategy.com), for her viewpoint on innovative HR. The following was her take on the topic. Innovative HR is about alignment. Alignment of the organization in structure, resources, vision, strategy, business processes and communication is crucial. Organizations that are aligned can execute on strategy, those that are not, don’t. The Conference Board 2010 survey says that the biggest concern of CEOs is being able to execute on strategy. As an HR leader, it is important to make sure that all players first understand the strategy, then that the organization’s structure supports it and resources are dedicated to execute on it. In simple terms, getting everyone to “row in the same direction” is often a first step towards innovation for an HR leader. The ability to step back and see where the organization is not supporting its goals and developing a set of practices that move the organization towards execution is HR innovation.
Have you created an innovative HR practice? Please share your innovative HR practices to inspire others to follow in your footsteps!
Human Capital – Love it, do it, prove it!
Tim Silvera - A business savvy senior human resources executive with extensive experience driving profitable revenue growth by integrating effective human capital principles with business practices and culture. Known for global human resources leadership and expertise in areas including organizational effectiveness, talent management, and total rewards that result in strategic alignment and innovation.



