Innovation vs efficiency

  I try to post on most of the conference I attend, but sometimes struggle to get as much time as I'd like.  One that I've missed posting on was T-E-N's session on HR Innovation for HR Excellence which I chaired recently.

The conference was run without press attendance to encourage authentic contribution so I can't post on the proceedings, but I would like to comment on the key topics of the agends, which were:

• Internal vs external (see previous T-E-N event)
• Consistency vs flexibility
• Innovation vs efficiency

 

My key question for this last topic was how innovative do we really want to be.  There is a fairly prevalent view around that HR is just about doing basic things well (e.g. this post).  In contrast, my own perspective is that there is a huge need for new thinking.

I thought it was interesting that the CIPD annual conference which was taking place at the same time was also reviewing the same topic, with Gary Hamel suggesting that 'management is a busted flush'.   I'm on his side on this debate.

So whilst it's great to see the CIPD doing new research on HR and innovation...

"Competing in a global economy in difficult times requires new ways of thinking and doing. It’s easy to think of innovation as invention, challenging product development and refinement. However, in reality a great deal of innovation is about rethinking and reorganising systems, processes and structures. It’s about changing the way people work together and how work is performedand organised."

 

… it be even better to see them focusing more deeply on innovation within HR.

 

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