HR Professional - February/March 2008 - (Page 53)

make it work you have to take out certain levels of management or redefine job descriptions. You can’t launch it in a vacuum.” In other words, to successfully implement a new strategy into your organization, you have to first ensure it makes sense for your particular structure. Cultural shift And then it’s all about execution and maintaining momentum. “Coming up with an idea is relatively easy, but then how do you turn it into reality? Oftentimes with change, people come out with the coffee mugs and caps and two months later the enthusiasm is gone and it quietly dies,” says Seijts. “After you’ve sold the idea, you have to continually reinforce the new behaviour.” Seijts suggests creating a champion within the organization to keep the momentum going. Maple Leaf Foods, for example, created a VP of Six Sigma position when it implemented the quality strategy in its business. “That’s a signal that they’re serious about bringing this to the rank and file,” says Seijts. After that, it’s all about communication—reinforcing the idea over and over again. Once people are tired of the message, multiply it by three so they know you’re serious. And rewards go a long way in keeping the message front and centre. “Don’t use rewards as an initiator of change, but as a reinforcer of change. Celebrate all your successes. It’s not a win if no one knows about it,” says Seijts. What’s old is new again Whether a new trend goes on to create great success within an organization, or is quietly forgotten as an also-ran fad, all new HR ideas have value because they provide new, current ways of getting people to reshape old problems. And usually, trends don’t die out completely— core lessons become embedded within an organizations’ framework, or morph into new trends. “In human resources, people are people—you’re always going to have conflict, disputes, power politics,” says Chalupiak. “What these ideas do is help reframe questions using current terminology; and because people have heard about it and think they’re being exposed to something new and different, you can then generate a way for people to re-examine their own situations. That’s the value of these things.” Leading Retail Sector Lost-Time Injuries Injury # 3 Slips, Trips & Falls You might not think it but Slips, Trips and Falls accounted for more than 1,198 Lost-Time Injuries in the Ontario Retail sector in 2006… The total cost to industry was more than $3,151,933. The potential direct cost to your business from a single injury was $2,631. That’s money out of your pocket. We can help. Visit www.ossa.com/retailtips.cfm for a FREE RetailTips! Health & Safety Brief and other resources that can help you build prevention and learn how to implement a slip, trip and fall hazard prevention program. Ontario Service Safety Alliance 1-888-478-6772 www.ossa.com w w w.H RThought L eader. c om 347600_Ont.indd 1 F e b r u a r y / M a r c h4:02:48 8 53 2 0 0 PM 10/22/07 http://www.ossa.com http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - February/March 2008

HR Professional - February/March 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Boards By the Numbers Did You Know Sustainability Education News: E-Recycling Communications News: HR Study FYI Ethics World Watch News: Legislation Legal Compensation Focus Strategy The Colour of Money Sustainable Skills From Brown to Green HR Trends: From Winners to Also-Rans Branding Human Capital HR 101 Interview with David Suzuki Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - February/March 2008

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