Unit 4 Blog HR

My Professor asked me if I believe that leadership development should be primarily a human resource function.

My answer to this is no. Why is my answer a resounding no? Because if human resources has total responsibility for leadership training and development, they will not be acting as part of a team, which could translate into a disconnect  if there is a lack of communication  when interacting with other organizational teams; separate does not mean that it will be better. As I see it, the problem with isolated responsibility is that it will operate in a vacuum. Whether a team will share information with  other teams is in question here. I picture the best practices team as being made up of senior leaders, middle managers and line managers, human resources and others who have formed one unit and have a common goal, which is the present and future success of the company. Human resources, as talent managers have key roles, but are only a portion of what is needed and share a portion of the successes or failures that a company experiences. These failures or mistakes, and successes are not the “fault” of one person or group; it is usually a combination of processes that when critically evaluated, determine what happened. If one department has the weight of the future on its shoulders, this would be too much to carry. Also, if the responsibility is given to several, it is shared by all because collectively the “all” can do more than just one person.

Case in point: Recently, I heard a speech that talked about changing the status quo. It was about new ideas and he gave several specific ideas on how to go about making those changes. It was a grand speech at best and very inspiring. Whether I agree or disagree with the changes that were suggested, is immaterial to this post. What is important as I listened, is what I observed and thought about. What I observed in those that were listening was negative body language, which for me translates into resistance to trying something new. I began to think about our class in leadership development and what it might take to get the CEO and others to look at new ideas that challenge the old ways. If one person suggests change, that can be discounted, but when teams suggest change, there is more power in that suggestion. One person, with the best of ideas is only one person. However, I must challenge myself here, because in history, one person, did make a difference and that is Dr. Martin Luther King. He suggested a new way of thinking, and it was met with resistance, however, those that embraced his ideas, collectively helped change our country for the better.

To bring this post back to human resources as the primary leadership development, I think that it must be a team effort. Silzer and Dowell (2010), when discussing competencies, say that it is the “organizational processes” that create the most comprehensive experiences when building leadership programs (p. 324). Comprehensive means all-inclusive where many parts are included together to make something happen.

Reference
Silzer, R., & Dowell, B. E. (Eds.). (2010). Strategy-driven talent management: A leadership imperative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.


Forever, Paulina Beautovia