Take a look at the 2004 Personnel Today Awards winners brochure to find out what sets truly great HR teams apart from the rest.
Teams that make a difference have common attributes. Strong leadership, a clear, shared vision in line with organisational goals, innovation and a ‘can do’ attitude to change.
Congratulations to all 51 teams shortlisted in this year’s awards line up – the quality and diversity of entries keeps improving year on year. But three teams in particular showed outstanding achievement: West Bromwich Building Society, Jaguar and Compass.
Building alignment between HR strategy and business objectives is the Holy Grail – often talked about, but rarely achieved. However, this year’s overall winner, West Bromwich Building Society, was supremely clear in quantifying the link between people and business strategies. This team resisted quick wins in favour of building sustainability, and demonstrated innovative leadership by galvanizing management and employees.
Special thanks to everyone – teams, sponsors and judges – who participated in making this year’s awards ceremony the best yet. Yet again, you’ve proved how HR should, and can, add value.
See pictures from the awards night at www.prazzi.com/ptawards2004
Time for directors to get more actively involved
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has known for some time that it needs to do more to engage senior HR professionals, particularly directors.
Geoff Armstrong, the CIPD’s director general, admitted to Personnel Today readers earlier this year that the institute had to become better at helping more directors make it to the boardroom or the CEO post. It struggles to be all things to all people in HR, but its entire membership would benefit if more HR directors became actively involved in its work.
As our own HR Directors Club has shown, there’s room for all kinds of support groups fulfilling a variety of roles at the senior end. Peer-to-peer networking and business inspiration are key needs for this audience, but getting directors to take time out for this can be challenging.
The newly launched Commercial Added Value HR Organisation is to be welcomed if it is to support the development of HR as a business partner. It complements the work that we have undertaken with HR directors in organisations with 1000-plus employees.
More than 600 senior executives have registered with the Personnel Today HR Directors Club.
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If you are an HR director fitting this criteria, take a look at our website and noticeboard at www.hrdirectorsclub.com where you can post questions, share ideas and make new contacts.
A programme of director events for next year will be announced shortly.
