HR Professional - December/January 2008 - (Page 54)

I N T ERV I EW HRP: How do you maintain and develop that culture during rapid growth? D DW: Initially, we were growing a at a base of eight people per m month for paid employees and n now it’s up to 100 per month b because we’re recruiting v volunteers. The theory I’ve a applied to culture development is from Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point, which t suggests that if you have direct impact over the key systems that influence an organization, the organizational values you want will build on themselves. For example, CEO John Furlong and I personally interviewed all hires at the senior-director level. Once we did, we had to trust, using Gladwell’s theory, that we had inculcated enough people in the thinking, philosophy and values of the organization to sustain it. The other approach we use is compensation. Our whole senior-level compensation structure is based on measurable objectives and every leader from director and up is evaluated against how they measure up to the vision and values. If you want to inﬂuence behaviour, this is the most direct way to do it. We also make sure all employees go through the same screening process regardless of position. This involves a character review based on their attitude, the way they work and treat others as it ﬁts with the values of the organization. We do this for two reasons: to get a consistent type of person working here and to increase retention—people stay at organizations they are personally aligned with. HRP: What kind of orientation program have you developed? DW: One of the fundamental principles for the organizing committee was that every employee would undergo mandatory orientation, no matter how senior. The same principle applies for volunteers. Every volunteer that gets a face-to-face interview is orientated and receives service-excellence training. The orientation we give volunteers mirrors that given to paid employees. The orientation ensures everyone understands the history of the Games, the way we work and the attitudes we expect. HR P ROF ES SI O N AL Next Generation HR Lead change Mold culture Build strategy Cultivate partnerships Redesign departments Discover leaders Discover yourself Are you ready to move from transactions to transformations? To learn more about Canada’s only comprehensive suite of programs designed to build organizational effectiveness, go to: irc.queensu.ca Dc 392768_Queens.indd e 1 e m b e r 54 2008/January 2009 7/21/08 8:05:49 AM http://www.irc.queensu.ca

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - December/January 2008

HR Professional - December/January 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Upfront Legal Compensation Human Capital Talent Management The R-Word Speak No Evil On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview with Donna Wilson Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - December/January 2008

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