Corporate changes force managers to juggle different views of fairness

Middle-managers can often find themselves trapped between different stakeholders’ perceptions of what fair treatment is, in reaction to corporate changes, shows new research from Aalto University School of Business.

According to Associate Professor Marjo-Riitta Diehl, from the Department of Management Studies, and her co-authors, these managers can often experience uncertainty, anxiety, and reluctance to take action as a result of this.

The research discovered having to navigate the conflicting perspectives of peers, senior management, and subordinates often causes managers to experience guilt over decisions they made which they feel were unjust. 

The researchers also found sometimes managers had to navigate a discrepancy between the organisation’s strategic needs and their duty of care to their individual employees.

In response, they can be, among other things, motivated to discreetly recompense employees they feel they treated unfairly before changing to a role without managerial responsibilities. This is known as “Robin Hoodism”.

The internal conflict managers feel, as the company’s expectations of their managerial role pressure them to make decisions contrary to what they deem to be fair, can have severe consequences. 

Those who cannot reconcile their values with the company’s may choose to leave their employment as a result.

“Organisations must be aware if managers can't reconcile their role with their values, this may result in them trying to establish fairness according to their own rules ‘under the radar’ or even exit the company. 

Some managers, of course, also choose to prioritise the strategic needs of the organisation, aiming to contribute to the company’s survival, or the ‘greater good,’” says Professor Diehl.

Professor Diehl and her co-researchers also found managers varied in their likelihood to justify their decisions by dehumanising people that may have suffered from their decisions, for example declaring laid off employees as “bad apples”.

This research was based on two rounds of interviews with managers in the German branch of an international company shortly before and after restructuring changes. The paper was published in the Journal of Business Ethics.

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12531441.

New book 'Good Work, Great Technology' explores how HR technologies can help ‘humans to be their best’

Featuring valuable insights from 93 experts from 87 different organisations across the HR and people management space, a new book commissioned by HR systems provider Ciphr aims to ‘lift the lid’ on the technology that matters most to HR professionals.

'Good Work, Great Technology: enabling strategic HR success through digital tools', written by award-winning HR journalist Jo Faragher, examines how organisations are employing different technologies to attract, engage, develop, and manage their workforce, and the positive impact that’s making to HR teams and the wider employee experience.

The book presents actionable strategies, research and lessons learned from around the world of work, while making the case for the power of integrated people technology, showing how rather than trying to get every single software solution from a single provider, there are significant benefits to be had from selecting the best technologies for an organisation’s particular needs that can easily link with the people data in their central HR system.

David Richter, director of marketing at Ciphr, says: “A big impetus for Ciphr in commissioning this book was to help HR teams see people technology in a new light, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. 

"Our experience of speaking with many HR teams, is, initially at least, that their first preference is to try and procure everything from a single provider. And that's great if you can. Realistically though, no single provider is ever going to be able to keep up with the pace of change and innovation across the entire market and satisfy every single HR technology need.

“Instead, why not focus on having an excellent central HR solution, and embracing the possibilities offered by connecting it to the specialist tools and software that are most important to your organisation – that helps your people in their roles. There is so much smart, useful, and innovative technology out there that HR shouldn't be afraid of experimenting to find what works best for them. Because with integrations you don’t need to shift your entire technology stack you can just integrate with additional, specialist software, depending on your needs.

“Of course, technology is just an enabler. Organisations should never lose sight of why they're using a particular piece of technology and the benefits that they expect to get from it, and plan accordingly. For me, the best workplace technologies are those that are designed to enhance and support people to do great work. And, importantly, help alleviate the evolving challenges that HR and organisations face in a post-pandemic world, with different ways of working.”

Ciphr’s 207-page book is broken down into sections covering: HR administration – charting how the market for HR and payroll technology has evolved to encompass remote working, collaboration technologies, and automation; Hiring showing how the right recruitment technology can support HR teams and enhance the candidate experience; Employee engagement and experience exploring some of the key elements to creating good organisational culture, including how to understand and measure what employees want from a good place to work; Learning and career progression looking at how organisations can assess and fill their skills gaps and build learning into an employee’s ‘flow of work’.

Within each section are chapters on everything from analytics to automation, onboarding, wellbeing, collaboration, performance management, pay and reward, and more.

Author Jo Faragher says: “For me, one of the book’s key takeaways is that there really is no perfect template for technology in an organisation – you always have to be led by the business. The HR tech market is growing at such a pace that many of the areas covered by the book will have evolved yet further by the time you read it. But as with every digital wave that came before, the key is to understand where it is you’re trying to go, and how technology can help you get there.”

'Good Work, Great Technology: enabling strategic HR success through digital tools', is now available to buy in ebook and print versions at Amazon, WHSmith and other online booksellers.

To download a pdf copy of Ciphr’s book, please visit www.ciphr.com/good-work-book.

Ciphr is a specialist provider of cloud-based HR, payroll, recruitment and learning software. More than 600 organisations use Ciphr’s integrated HR and people management solutions to help manage, retain and engage staff more effectively – while reducing the admin burden on busy HR teams.

For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.

‘Storytelling’ found to be fundamental to HR analytics, new research reveals

‘Storytelling’ as a practice is a frequently-used and effective tool for HR analytics professionals, new research from Trinity Business School, UCD and Maynooth University has revealed.

According to recent research, undertaken by Na Fu, an associate professor of human resource management at Trinity Business School, and Anne Keegan, Full Professor of Human Resource Management at UCD and Steven McCartney, Assistant Professor, Management & Organisational Behaviour at Maynooth University, HR analysts regularly engage in storytelling to aid them in doing their jobs.

Having undertaken 15 semi-structured interviews with HR analytics professionals, the researchers identified two key uses for storytelling practices: storytelling as showcasing, and storytelling as curbing.

“Showcasing HR analytics involves translating the results and insights from HR analytics to different stakeholders to take actions, that is, revising, updating, or initiating new policies,” Dr Na Fu explains.

“Meanwhile, curbing entails the careful curation of projects in the short term, motivated by a desire to protect the quality of implementation, employee interests including privacy, and to establish solid analytical principles based on sound data and systems which their organisations do not currently possess,” she adds.

According to the research team, HR analytics professionals regularly engage in these two seemingly contradictory aspects of storytelling to develop sustainable and legitimate HR analytics.

Reflecting on the findings of the study, Dr Fu stated: “This research also sheds invaluable insights to other professionals who are interested in thriving at work. In order to do so, business professionals need to navigate and combine the showcasing (e.g., promoting a new practice, an intervention, or changes) and curbing (e.g., slowing down, refocusing). Curbing is not to simple step backward, but to prepare our organisations, people and professionals like us, and to get ready for the showcasing - to make it happen."

Dr Steven McCartney added: “Although much has been made about the need for analytical skills in roles such as HR Analysts, this paper illustrates the sometimes underrecognized skill of storytelling in performing HR analytics tasks in practice while highlighting its complexities.

Typically, when we think of the role of the HR Analyst, we are immediately drawn to the multitude of analytical skills required to perform complex data analysis. 

However, we find storytelling is also a multi-faceted concept involving more than just translating and selling HR analytics to stakeholders. This is an important finding for firms as they continue building HR analytics capabilities.

One key takeaway from this research is that firms need to invest in developing HR analytics experts who not only have a fundamental understanding of the technical elements but also, the ability to balance the complex challenges of HR analytics through storytelling.”

The paper, The duality of HR analysts' storytelling: Showcasing and curbing, published in Human Resource Management Journal, can be accessed here https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1748-8583.12466.

That's Books and Entertainment: Stepping Into My Shoes

That's Books and Entertainment: Stepping Into My Shoes: Stepping Into My Shoes is an truly amazing autobiographical book by businesswoman, entrepreneur and business coach by Dr Catherine A Baudino...

Aeris Launches IoT Readiness Calculator to Instantly Determine Enterprises’ Level of Preparedness When Launching IoT Projects

Aeris, a leading global Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider has revealed it has launched announced the Aeris IoT Readiness Calculator, a free online tool to help determine enterprises’ level of preparedness for deploying IoT solutions.

The Aeris IoT Readiness Calculator provides organisations planning IoT projects with a scorecard that details the readiness of your IoT project from a business and technical perspective and how it compares to others in the same vertical market or geography. It will also help you identify potential issues in your IoT launch plan, so you can remediate them before they become costly.

The average cost of a cybersecurity data breach in the U.S. is estimated at more than $4 million. However, with the right IoT security strategy in place, it’s possible to mitigate those risks. Security is just one element that the Aeris IoT Readiness Calculator takes into consideration. It also examines variables such as latency, integration, and scalability.

Syed Hosain, Chief Technology Officer, at Aeris pointed out: “According to Microsoft, 30% of IoT projects never get past the proof-of-concept phase. The Aeris IoT Readiness Calculator and our IoT experts can help identify the gaps in your current IoT plan and can ensure that your IoT deployment launches successfully.”

Learn more about Aeris’ IoT Readiness Calculator in this short video https://tinyurl.com/p3e9eyba 

or you can calculate your own IoT Readiness Score now at aeris.com (www.aeris.net)

Founded back in 1996, Aeris is a global IoT solutions provider with a proven history of helping companies unlock the value of IoT. For decades, we have powered critical projects for some of the most complex customers of IoT services. Aeris strives to fundamentally improve businesses by dramatically reducing costs, accelerating time-to-market, and enabling new revenue streams. 

A spokesperson said: "Built from the ground up for IoT and road tested at scale, Aeris’ offering is based on the broadest technology stack in the industry, spanning connectivity up to vertical applications. 

"As veterans of the industry, we know that implementing an IoT solution can be complex, and we pride ourselves on making it simpler."

Employees find connection through feeling “different” at work

Feeling vulnerable is often associated with weakness, but in some cases it can become a source of strength, reveals new research from Linköping University and Aalto University School of Business.

Alice Wickström, from the Department of Management Studies at Aalto University School of Business, co-authored a study into diversity management practices together with Janet Johansson, Associate Professor at Linköping University. The research is based on Johansson’s ethnographic work at the publicly-funded Swedish theatre company, SPAC.

Previous research has criticised diversity management practices for only valuing diversity to an extent as it furthers organisational goals. This is expressed by promoting social cohesion and assimilation while at the same time essentialising cultures perceived as “other” than the norm.

Based on Johansson’s in-depth interviews with company staff, and over two years of observations of weekly organisational meetings, rehearsals, and day to day practices at SPAC, the researchers note how employees viewed as “different” due to their ethnicity, disabilities, or other reasons, felt marginalised and frustrated due to perceived pressured to conform.

Instead of limiting their agency, however, the findings show that feelings of vulnerability stemming from marginalisation reinforced employees’ feelings of responsibility to care about their co-workers. It became a source of strength which helped them form caring relationships.

Johansson and Wickström note that relationships forged this way do not carry the same intention of forming groups based on homogeneity, rather they emphasise tolerance of perceived differences.

“We identify meaningful care emerging from caring with, instead of for, others. This is where caregiver relates to caregiver by viewing each other as equals and connecting with each other emotionally while seeking empowerment for each other,” says Wickström.

This paper was published in the Journal of Business Ethics.

https://www.aalto.fi/en/school-of-business.

Sectigo Named a Sample Vendor in Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Digital Identity, 2022

Sectigo®, a global leader in digital certificates and automated Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM), today announced it has been included by Gartner as a Sample Vendor in the Hype Cycle for Digital Identity, 2022.

Each year, Gartner creates over 100 Hype Cycles across various domains to help clients track the maturity and future potential of innovations. 

The Hype Cycle for Digital Identity, 2022, is a new Gartner Hype Cycle, which focuses on “technologies that enable secure and trusted digital interactions among people, machines and assets, based on a digital representation of people’s and machines’ physical (real world) and virtual (electronic) identities,” according to the report published on July 25.

Senior Director Analyst Michael Kelley said: “IoT solutions promise to unlock new opportunities to optimize processes or tap into new revenue streams. Industrial IoT (IIot) drives disruption through better automation and optimization in manufacturing. 

"However, these connected devices bridge cyber and physical worlds, and open up new threat vectors. Sound IoT security coupled with strong identity in IoT devices requires strong IoT authentication, with the goal of mitigating and minimizing cyberattacks and/or other issues and vulnerabilities.”

Kelley continued stating from the Gartner report: “Spend on IoT across key industries reached over $213 billion in 2021, and IoT devices are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% between 2021 and 2025. These investments will drive attention and spend on IoT authentication methods.”

Sectigo’s CSO & CISO Advisor and former Gartner VP Analyst David Mahdi said: “We are thrilled to be recognized in this Gartner Hype Cycle for Digital Identity, 2022. Sectigo is innovating leading identity-first security solutions to help enterprises of all sizes establish digital trust for the massive amounts of both human and machine identities accessing workplace data today.”

Mahdi went on to say: “In today’s enterprises, a lot of time and resources are spent on authenticating human identities, but equally important are the IoT devices and software (aka machines and machine identities) that are critical conduits into the digital world, and they need identities, too. Sectigo is committed to innovating universal identity management products to help enterprises establish and maintain digital trust to securely transact business.”

The Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit 2022 brings together a community of trailblazers, thought leaders and industry experts pushing the bounds of IAM. Gartner analysts present advice and insights for IAM leaders to deliver robust and agile authentication and authorization to their organizations using the latest technologies.

Disclaimer: GARTNER and HYPE CYCLE are registered trademarks and service marks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

For more information, visit www.sectigo.com.