How to Support HR/Personnel Management Colleagues

This material was compiled by Master Certified Global Executive Coach Hannah S Wilder based on a number of published studies, ten years’ experience in this field, conversations with Advantara(R) faculty and programme participants, colleagues in the Global Executive Coaching Special Interest group which she leads, and especially with colleague Sue Stevenson of Lifted Fog Coaching.

HR/Personnel Management Organizations like SHRM – Society for Human Resources Management (US), CIPD –Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (UK) and organizations in other geographics regions are beginning to address two main areas of related interest: Improving the Development of Global Leaders and Raising their Own Credibility and Influence within their Organizations. These two areas are mutually influential as organizations globalize and require more complex blended learning. Business executives who wish to save their companies large sums of money and increase return on investment would do well to pay attention here.

At Advantara® Institute for Global Executive Coaching and Coach Training and in the Global Executive Coaching Special Interest Group we’ve been looking at this question:

How can Global Executive coaches best work with Human Resource and Personnel Management professionals to strengthen their position and support them in developing the best global leadership programs within their organizations?


The Background situation:


We have known for a number of years that companies/organizations need to make a number of significant improvements in global executive assignments:
1. better understanding of what makes effective global leader (list of qualities and skills) in all kinds of global assignments: long term, leading global teams, short term development or rotational assignments
2. better alignment of global executives and HR/PM personnel with specific business strategy of their own organizations
3. better leadership development for global executives that includes 1 and 2 in format of blended learning including coaching by global executive coaches specifically trained and experienced in this area
4. better selection criteria for long term assignments including family readiness
5. better preparation and follow through coaching for:
a. rapid “adjustment” to hit the ground running in being effective executives
b. specific issues in carrying out responsibilities (intercultural communication, negotiation, team leadership and development, etc)
c. expanding and maintaining leadership development
d. maintaining and expanding own network in HQ while “away” on long term assignments of 1-3 years
e. preparation at outset for transition to home base (repatriation) or next assignment on long term assignments of 1-3 years

Significant Costs for organizations include:
noteworthy financial losses in assignment management (by organization) and execution (by executives) :
1. mistakes due to cultural misunderstandings
2. long adjustment periods due to insufficient preparation and support
3. low engagement by executives whose career development and management is not considered or supported sufficiently
4. failed assignments due to above plus marital/family strains/risks
5. failed repatriation and inept/under utilization of globally experienced executives leading to
experienced executives being headhunted by competition or other companies
How can organizations improve their return on investment, reducing costs by improving executive preparation and reducing attrition?

Costs for executives and their familes:
1. Career derailment
2. excessive family and marital stress
3. lost time and leadership development
4. missed opportunities within home organizations (although some experience in some organizations is mandatory to have access to those opportunities)

In spite of widespread studies and analyses of these issues for at least the last 7 years, there is still little significant advance or improvement. Some companies have been cited as doing better than others; however, it’s quite uneven and by no means an unqualified success in those companies.

Obstacles include lack of partnership or “seat at the executive table” by HR/PM personnel and lack of documentation of costs of assignments to organizations and executives :

Assignments are made by non HR/PM executives without collaborating with HR/Personnel management people who often are not part of executive team and may not be taken seriously as business people (big mistake if they are well selected and trained)
No one really has a good documentation or analysis of costs, although it’s known that these are high ticket executives so that any losses involving them are costly.

Executive coaches with specific training in this field can assist by
1. Educating ourselves and HR/PM personnel about:
- patterns
- specific core and peripheral/secondary assignment costs
- skills and qualities of effective global leadership
- how to optimize executive learning (move away from “penny wise and pound foolish” over emphasis on training which has ¼ effectiveness of blended learning

2. making complex proposals for blended learning
coaching/support HR/PM personnel in their own professional development and OD work to create structural relationships that are more like strategic internal business partnerships
coaching executives to make better use of HR/PM people and to hire people experienced in global areas and develop them in these areas

What is critical is for organizations to learn to discern among coaches who have a little international experience and those who are highly trained and experienced. Advantara(R) Institute was founded specifically becuase of a lack of understanding among coaches of these issues and a lack of knowledge by corporations as to what education and experience creates effective global executive coaching.

This material was compiled by Master Certified Global Executive Coach Hannah S Wilder based on a number of published studies, ten years’ experience in this field, conversations with colleagues in the Global Executive Coaching Special Interest group which she leads, and especially with colleague Sue Stevenson of Lifted Fog Coaching.

© Copyright Hannah S. Wilder, CEO Advantara® Global Institute for Executive Coaching and Coach Training. Further information and permission to quote or comments: contact me at my website contact link www.Advantara.com