Traditional managers are driving companies out of business, sparking a need
for a new approach, according to Harvard Business School professor Clayton
Christensen.
He said recruitment and development are key to creating the entrepreneurial
approach companies now need.
The trends give personnel managers a pivotal role, but Christensen added,
"The HR function is not doing its job – it has to help managers hire
people with the skills to start up businesses."
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Christensen told the Hay HR conference in Florence that in industries such
as cars and computing, large firms chasing upmarket customers have lost out to
new companies they had dismissed as too downmarket.
The chances of converting a large established business to compete with
low-cost entrants are "zero", he added, which is why computer chip
maker Intel set up a separate company to produce the Celeron processor.
