Canadian HR Strategy

21 mate and, as a result, each is focusing on customer experience to improve fi nancial performance. Customer service and expe- rience are viewed as key in retaining and attracting clients and competing in a diffi cult economy. Each company saw a similar approach to driving that cus- tomer experience — the service value chain. e belief that a great work environment engages employees and releases their discretionary eff ort. In turn, customers will benefi t from that discretionary eff ort through high-quality products, services and experience, leading to enhanced customer loyalty, share of wallet and an improved fi nancial performance. Each one is focusing on employees and corporate culture to codify the employee experience. It was refreshing to see real-time examples of organizations moving business forward through cul- ture. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's Fan First initiative leveraged tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) and social media. It was also mirrored in a similar em- ployee relationship management focus, including engaging the gen-Y workforce, adapting the workplace and building in more fl exibility. Similarly, OpenText focused on the employee experience to support its customer experience and link 5,500 employees across 40 countries through a common corporate culture. At the same time, human resources will be transformed to support this new employee value proposition rather than the more traditional transactional functions. At Eli Lilly, this work was seen as an alignment initiative, built around the service value chain and anchored in the belief that focusing on the right things for employees and customers would culminate in business results. Collectively, these employers viewed success with customers and ultimate fi nancial success as starting with employees. e care and feeding of a corporate culture is, at a minimum, a decision-making mechanism or compass for how to treat em- ployees and, ideally, a strategic diff erentiator for a business. Blair Pollard is the senior vice-president, people and culture at Holt Renfrew & Company Limited in Toronto and commentator on leadership for the Strategic Capability Network. Mission, vision and values in the short- and long-term (Strategic Capability) By Karen Gorsline A ll three panellists at the SCNetwork session indicated they were undertaking activities related to corporate cul- ture. Mission, vision and values provide the foundation for corporate culture, but the actual culture refl ects how these foundation ele- ments are put into operation and exhibited on a day-to-day basis. Focusing on alignment is not enough. Organizations must also look constantly at whether the extent of the mission, vision and values — and resulting culture — are robust enough to sus- tain them now and in the future. Eli Lilly's shi to a more customer-centric focus has it re- examining leadership, development and nearly every aspect of HR management, including communication. OpenText has un- dertaken a major eff ort to re-examine its corporate values and to use that feedback and input to shape its culture. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is looking at its culture in terms of changes in society. Some considerations are the role of women in a business previously dominated by men, the ability of tech- nology to increase a virtual audience and the impact of social media in relationships with customers and employees. Culture in the near term: Culture is what it is. It may be consistent with the mission, vision and values or there may be disconnects and dysfunction. ose within the organization may be doing their best while experiencing confusion about ex- pectations, wasting valuable time and resources. Or they may be overwhelmed by cynicism, giving up and waiting to see if the new trend blows over. ey may exhibit negative and disruptive behaviour. Employers are looking closely at what they can do to develop a culture that supports their businesses. Culture in the long term: e predisposition toward evo- lution or continuous improvement on an existing platform or culture underplays the possibility we are looking at something more disruptive, where adventurous and radical changes are re- quired. Changes over the past four decades have actually been revo- lutionary in terms of women, race, sexual orientation, technol- ogy and the economic power of developing or new global com- petitors. North American society has signifi cantly changed and others are rapidly changing as well. Competition is global. e genera- tion preparing to take over has been "connected" almost since birth. ey exchanged one umbilical cord for another — they expect to be continually connected. Technology is driving mas- sive social change and we don't know what that will look like. Are employers, even those described as proactive, preparing for radical change over a compressed time period? HR is still evolving and talking about being a strategic business partner. ere is an increasing use of social media and technology, but it's primarily in the context of familiar HR processes. Engagement, work-life balance and mental health are topics of interest and focus as companies try to address the changeover in the workforce over the next decade. But are employers proac- tively preparing to embrace what might be radical change over a shorter period than in the past? Karen Gorsline is SCNetwork's lead commentator on strategic capability and she leads HR Initiatives, a consulting practice fo- cused on facilitation and tailored HR initiatives. Toronto-based, she has taught HR planning, held senior roles in strategy and pol- icy, managed a large, decentralized HR function and directed a small business. She can be reached at gorslin@pathcom.com.

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