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This month, Patrick Hynes, the global leader for Spencer Stuart’s leadership advisory services, and Deborah Warburton, who leads Spencer Stuart’s human resources practice, discuss the growth in prominence of Chief People Officers. How can a high-profile Chief People Officer or similar role improve upon how HR matters were managed within organizations previously? Patrick: Well, I… Continue reading “Bringing in a higher powered, more strategic Chief People Officer is one of the most transforming things a CEO could do”
Author: theloopeditor theloopeditor
“As the importance of the CPO continues to elevate and the role evolves, CEOs should set the expectation of the CPO being a strategic partner”
As companies determine what the future of work looks like, battle a tight talent market, and adjust to increasing economic pressures, the Chief People Officer’s (CPO) role continues to evolve. The CPO role was originally created to draft and execute policy that guides the company through the legal issues of labor management. Today, many people… Continue reading “As the importance of the CPO continues to elevate and the role evolves, CEOs should set the expectation of the CPO being a strategic partner”
Chief People Officer was one of the top ten fastest-growing job titles over the past five years, according to LinkedIn research as reported on by HR magazine last year.
A changing workforce and the need for increased learning and development opportunities for employees are two developments to which the increase has been attributed. More widescale challenges such as The Great Resignation, supply chain issues, and market volatility were also cited in a thought piece by CEO advisory firm Teneo last year.
Chief People Officers for leading companies such as Microsoft and Walmart have recently been discussing in the media how to engage employees and rebuild organizational culture after COVID.
Walmart CPO Donna Morris said in an interview with Harvard Business Review that she would “love for all of our people to think like a Chief People Officer because then they’d be focused on creating the environment that allows us to attract, engage, develop, and retain the best associates or employees”.
Chief People Officers are not a new phenomenon, but their numbers have been expanding. Research by executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates published towards the end of last year found that over 30 per cent of the Chief People Officers that the firm had placed over the last three and a half years were for organizations that had never had a senior HR leader on their leadership team before.
Apple this month appointed Carol Surface as its first Chief People Officer. Surface, who served in the same role for a medical technology company since 2013, will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook and take over human resources responsibilities from the senior vice president of retail and people, Deirdre O’Brien.
Speaking to HR magazine about LinkedIn’s research, the chief executive of consultancy PTHR Perry Timms commented: “When most CEOs are purportedly concerned about skills gaps and talent, the role of a Chief People Officer becomes as critical as legal, digital, compliance, finance and customer experience leading roles. If not more so.”
The demand for Chief People Officers is not likely to slacken, either. Interviewed for The Loop, Spencer Stuart consultant Patrick Hynes said: “The demand for the very best CPO talent is extremely high.”
The president of US learning company O’Reilly, also speaking to HR, has said: “Due to the changing workforce and the need for increased learning and development, the demand for skilled Chief People Officers and other HR roles will continue to grow over the coming decade.”
Cognitive diversity to drive problem-solving and decision-making
diversity ensures a breadth of thinking styles in an organization to generate alternative approaches and actions, encouraging testing against devil’s advocate alternatives.
‘Cognitive diversity ultimately contributes to better decision making and effectiveness.’
This month, Krishna Grenville-Goble, the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Director of KPMG UK’s Board Leadership Centre spoke to The Loop about the importance of cognitive diversity in the boardroom.
‘That is a very important aspect of culture building, where you expect leaders to walk the talk’
This month, Avadhesh Dixit, the Chief Human Resources Officer of Acuity Knowledge Partners spoke to The Loop about the role of critical feedback in large organizations… What role does critical feedback play in a high-performing organization? The way you give staff feedback about their careers and how they can be successful in their jobs matters… Continue reading ‘That is a very important aspect of culture building, where you expect leaders to walk the talk’
‘What happens when the praise has run dry and critical feedback must be delivered?’
Dr Roger Barker, Director of Policy and Governance for the Institute of Directors, sets out how board directors can benefit from critical feedback, including from external stakeholders… Praise is more effective than criticism, according to Dale Carnegie’s seminal self-help book ‘How To Win Friends And Influence People’, first published in 1936. Carnegie was certainly onto… Continue reading ‘What happens when the praise has run dry and critical feedback must be delivered?’
Feedback as a means of driving high performance
While the act of giving feedback is important, how that feedback is given is equally crucial
‘If you can’t measure something, you can’t improve it’
The Loop’s editor Ab Banerjee outlines how ViewsHub’s platform will empower teams in organizations to measure and improve their psychological safety, cognitive diversity, and growth mindset… Our mission at ViewsHub is to empower every team in every organization to become high-performing, and as a consequence, boost productivity and profitability, enhance client service levels, break down organizational silos,… Continue reading ‘If you can’t measure something, you can’t improve it’
Is AI the future of HR?
The collapse in the US of Silicon Valley Bank and the ongoing problems faced by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in the UK have occurred for two very different but nonetheless extreme reasons. Yet in the commentary surrounding the two organizations’ failures, a common theme has emerged: Both SVB and the CBI appeared to have… Continue reading Is AI the future of HR?
