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HR/Training Insights
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November 2009
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Your CFO - More Interested Than You Think
Enlightened CFOs now view human resource functions as a business driver
 Life as you know it is changing for those in training and human resource professions. These departments, which have historically been viewed as purely cost and overhead, are now being considered key investments and potential business drivers as CFOs are taking a bigger interest in the performance of their company’s most valuable intangible asset – their people.
Most often changes in human resource functions and processes are the result of critical strategic initiatives put in place to improve financial results and increase shareholder value. CFOs, who generally initiate the strategic change, pay close attention to the success or failure of these initiatives. What they may not know is that 70 percent of all organizational changes fail to deliver anticipated financial results. CFOs need to be aware of the inherent risks associated with every strategic initiative.
According to Dr. Seth Leibler, CEO of CEP (The Center for Effective Performance), the success of planned strategic change, such as mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, downsizing and ERP implementations, depends largely on the workforce having the “skills” and the “will” (motivation) to execute these initiatives. “More often than not, workforce performance problems are the cause for failed strategic change. CFOs underestimate the impact the changes will have on the employees and the jobs they are expected to do.”
“As workforce performance experts, we have the tools and behavioral science-based procedures to provide people with the new skills that are required to meet the changed expectations,” continues Leibler. “What’s more, we can eliminate and even prevent the motivational and environmental obstacles that lead to workforce performance problems.”
No one is better positioned to help the CFO mitigate risks brought on by strategic changes than those in human resource professions. And those wanting to get ahead of the curve aren’t waiting for the CFO to come to them.
Says Leibler, “By being involved up front, you will be able to analyze the affects of the changes on jobs and the individuals in the jobs to ensure the workforce has the ‘skills and will’ to meet the new performance requirements.”
Leibler recommends proactive human resource professionals focus on the seven following critical actions:
--Identify, with the CFO and other senior executives, those planned strategic initiatives intended to increase shareholder value.
--Identify the jobs that are most critical to the successful implementation of the strategic change.
--Help executives determine and clearly articulate the performance requirements for these identified jobs.
--Identify any new skills required to meet the changed performance expectations.
--Design and implement state-of-the-art training to address the skill deficiencies.
--Identify and recommend fixes for motivational and other obstacles (non-skill-related) that may be barriers to successful organizational change.
--Measure the results in monetary terms, and communicate those results to senior executives.
CEP can help you position your company to thrive during times of strategic change. The industry leader in helping organizations turn their workforce into a competitive advantage, CEP’s behavioral-based methodology is proven and guaranteed. For nearly two decades, CEP has helped companies develop training guaranteed to work, implement best practices, and create performance improvement strategies that translate into improved financial results.
For information on how CEP can do the same for your organization, visit www.cepworkforceperformance.com.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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§ Organizational Performance Solutions
§ Results-Based Training
§ Best Practices Implementation
§ Skill-Based Candidate Selection
§ ROI Documentation
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CEP, The Center for Effective Performance, is the industry leader in helping organizations turn their workforce into a competitive advantage. For nearly two decades, CEP has helped companies solve performance problems, develop training guaranteed to work, implement best practices, and create performance improvement strategies that translate into improved financial results. As the world's leading practitioners of Dr. Robert Mager's research-based methodology, CEP delivers world-class, proven solutions that increase profitability and shareholder value. Learn more about us at www.cepworkforceperformance.com.
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