Even before the epidemic, HR teams were finding it difficult to hire suitable employees, find employees suitably skilled with the necessary tools to navigate the increasingly digitised workplace.
Today HR teams are working round the clock to ensure that the employees are safe and ensure that the organisations survive. They are managing layoffs, leave of absence, reductions in the workforce. They are creating business continuity plans, drafting emergency communication procedures, disinfecting offices.
All these problems are being handled through the standard process - defining the problem, addressing the variables that complicate it, and agreeing in the best way forward. However, today's problems are complicated and unknown and are being faced for the first time. So traditional problem-solving methods will not establish the most effective solutions.
Many HR teams aim to solve these issues by developing new policies and procedures. These lead to additional problems in this constantly changing landscape. The current scenario calls for individual thinking and creativity to come up with the most innovative solutions. To be truly effective the HR team should adjust and develop a new core capability - complexity mindset.
Shifting from complicated to complex
This requires shifting away from complicated thinking and adopting complexity awareness. Complicated problems require linear thinking which can often be predicted and can benefit from expert input.
Complex problems deal with the unknown. There are no experiences to fall back on and it is crucial to tap into collective intelligence and look for solutions. The majority of the workforce know their jobs better than their leaders. HR teams should help them brainstorm solutions and they need to embrace the collective intelligence of the workforce.
Collective intelligence requires four conditions to flourish
- Diversity of opinions to guard against groupthink
- Independent thinking without judgement or pressure to conform
- Decentralisation
- A good method for aggregation of results.
It requires excellent facilitation skills, clear parameters and teams get to share real, meaningful input on important issues. This results in innovative ideas, diversity of thought. HR should invite members outside their department o share their ideas. By promoting engagement between diverse workers and departments, companies can overcome the obstacles.
Form this new viewpoint, HR teams view company performance as a result of open communications, positive assumptions and self-management. Emotional intelligence will lead to increased productivity and higher engagement levels. This requires HR team members to probe for an underlying cause instead of the rulebook when someone approaches with a problem.
Foster a trust culture
We need trust to serve as the underlying culture to create teams grappling with the unknown. Create respectful, trusting workplaces, improve communications, recognise employees and practice transparency. High trust environments allow people to be their true selves, which helps in making them more creative and productive.
It starts with cultivating positive beliefs about employees. If you believe that employees work hard, care about the company's success and have integrity, they would in turn act accordingly.
This means rewarding exceptional performance, encouraging employee autonomy and foster transparency through open communications. the goal is to develop relationships based on genuineness and debunk the notion that managers should keep their distance.
Make your company values foundational
HR leader should fight the instinct of taking autocratic decisions without regard to its impact on their employees and emphasize demonstrating fairness and passion for their people.
Complexity mindset means returning to the values of the company and making these values a filter for decision-making in a high-pressure situation. This has the potential to transform the organisations and most employees believe that positive work culture is the result of value and mission-oriented foundation.
Some questions to guide based on commonly held values.
- What information to share t increase transparency?
- What information do employees need and want?
- What information make employees feel more involved?
- What would you do differently, if we trust our employees?
- What's getting in the way of trust?
- What behaviours would help build even more trust?
This approach yields powerful benefits. Using your values as a filter means less stress, more time, and better results.
How HR Leaders Can Adapt to Uncertain Times
by Sue Bingham HBR August 04, 2020
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