My Take
by Deborah Dorsett
Originally published in Human Resource Executive,
January, 2007.
Reprinted with permission.
What’s the one most troubling concern facing HR Executives in the year 2007?
In the past, it was common for a man to have but one wife and employment with but one company throughout his adult life. Today, both are increasingly rare. Just as marriage is a consensual, legal relationship between two adults, employment is also a consensual, legal relationship between an organization and an individual. The divorce rate is high in the 21st century; and for many HR executives, simply finding and keeping employees is the most troubling concern they face in 2007. This leads to the question: "Why are relationships, especially within an organization, so difficult to establish and maintain?"
Assuming an individual is sincerely interested in a particular job and the organization is sincerely interested in filling the particular job, the dance of courtship begins. Like the process of dating between a couple, both the individual and the company representative are presenting what they perceive to be their "best" behaviors. If what each says sounds good to the other, if their expectations match and if there is an attraction, there is the possibility of a long-term relationship. But how much do they really know about the beliefs, values and culture of the other, and how can they really find out? During the hiring phase, like courting, what you see is not necessarily what you get.
In a Center for Creative Leadership study, 40 percent of external candidates failed in their new positions within 18 months, so even when acceptable candidates are hired, the onboarding process fails them and the organization. Often the organization hires "the right person" and expects the new hire to "hit the ground running." Yet how can a person "run" without understanding the culture and speaking the language of the organization? The new hire is left to fend for himself or herself, without a guide or buddy to tell the truth about how it really works, and when the unexpected occurs, it causes questions, disappointments or upsets. Because so much of understanding the culture of an organization is non-verbal, felt but not expressed, it is difficult to gather enough information before saying "yes." The process of deciding when and how to reveal information about who they really are and how the business really works is tricky.
Since managing the hiring process is usually viewed as an HR responsibility, often no internal person or department assumes responsibility for the new hire's success. Is the organization realistic about the time and commitment needed to truly support the new hire? Is information shared in a way the new hire can actually hear? Does onboarding get the new hire up to speed quickly and provide what is needed to feel confident in a new environment, learning situation and job role that may not initially feel like fun? In short, what is the organization doing to ensure success by fulfilling leadership responsibilities?
About the Author
Deborah Dorsett is a Vice President and Executive Consultant with Personalysis Corporation, a management consulting firm located in Houston, Texas. Since 1975, Personalysis Corporation has worked with national and international companies to help them achieve higher productivity and performance. For more information, call (713) 784-4421 or go to www.Personalysis.com.