HR Professional - April/May 2008 - (Page 14)

UPFRONT M A N A G E M E N T | O F F I C E L I F E | A C C R E D I TAT I O N FOREIGN PROFESSIONALS A ALBERTA HELPS IMMIGRANTS G S RECEIVE CANADIAN ACCREDITATION IN A BID TO HELP SOLVE ITS ACUTE TALENT SHORTAGE, ALBERTA IS OFFERING LOANS TO ASSIST FOREIGN-TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME ACCREDITED IN THEIR PROFESSION. THE IMMIGRANT ACCESS FUND (IAF) COVERS TUITION FEES, COURSE MATERIALS, EXAM FEES, EXPENSES, QUALIFICATION ASSESSMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION FEES. “AT THIS STAGE OF ALBERTA’S UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH, WE NEED EVERYONE WORKING TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, AND NEW IMMIGRANTS ARE NO EXCEPTION,” SAYS IRIS EVANS, MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT, IMMIGRATION AND INDUSTRY. “SOME NEWCOMERS HAVE TROUBLE FINDING WORK IN THEIR PROFESSION BECAUSE OF A RANGE OF REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATION OR EDUCATION ISSUES—WE NEED TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO PRACTISE THEIR PROFESSIONS FAIRLY AND SAFELY, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH CANADIAN STANDARDS.” MANAGEMENT M AO I N F LU E N T I A L W I T H C H I N E S E C E O S Chi Chinese CEO are still i ﬂuenced b th CEOs till inﬂ d by the revolutionary principles of Mao Zedong, according to a recent study conducted by researchers Shaomin Li and Kuang S. Yeh. Li and Yeh interviewed 15 Chinese CEOs and found that all but one “often turned to Mao’s teachings for management ideas.” They reported their findings in the December 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Looking for inspiration from Mao is not necessarily a good thing, especially for mid- to upper-level managers. “Mao wielded power by keeping the country in a state of chaotic flux, often playing one group against another,” write Li and Yeh. “We found several Chinese CEOs who employ a business version of that tactic: They keep managers in a constant state of uncertainty, sometimes f tit ti mobilizing lower-level employees to criticize and pressure executives.” Canadian companies involved in joint ventures with Chinese firms should be aware of this penchant for Mao-style management among some Chinese CEOs, say Li and Yeh. “Multinational partners should recognize Mao’s tactics and regard their use as an indication they are dealing with a secretive authoritarian who may bypass formal decision-making processes. Such companies often have vague structures and CEOs who can easily nullify agreements.” PHOTO: ©ISTOCKPHOTO Ofﬁce Life M I DDL E M A NAGE M E N T ROCKS THE MIC One song that’s become something of an office anthem is “Cake in the Kitchen”: The announcement is made you watch the heads pop up fields of cubicle farms where everybody is stuck potential sugar rush appeals like a redflag deal there’s cake in the kitchen so everybody get real. Slowey and McLaughlin started rhyming together a couple of years ago at office events. “People would ask us to rap for them. We figured why not take it further, so we started writing music and putting beats together.” While they haven’t given up their day jobs yet— McLaughlin is a project manager at a marketing company and Slowey is a retail sales account manager—they are putting together an album and shopping it around to record labels. “I think there’s a niche for us,” says McLaughlin. “We’re Jay-Z meets Dilbert.” Check out Middle Management at www.cakeinthekitchen.com. HR P R OF E S S I ON A L Meet Brian “BSlow” Slowey and Keon “KMac” McLaughlin, two Toronto wage slaves that have been turning mundane ofﬁce experience into inspired hip hop rhymes. Together, they are Middle Management, a hip hop duo that has been rocking the Toronto office party scene with their office-inspired raps. “We’re inspired by different situations and experiences we come across in the office— mundane meetings, broken photocopiers, interns, casual Fridays—there’s lots to work with,” says McLaughlin. 14 A p r i l / M a y 2 0 0 8 http://www.cakeinthekitchen.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - April/May 2008

HR Professional - April/May 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters By the Numbers On the Web Careers World Watch Accounting Health & Safety Foreign Professionals Management Office Life Legal Compensation Web 2.0 @ Work Talent Management Systems On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview With Colin Mackay Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - April/May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.