HR (Human Resources)

First, prove it

magdakaspary Change, HR (Human Resources), Interdisciplinary Approach

I reflect today about my experience living in the USA since 2009. Every single idea you will read here comes from my personal perspective and my lenses to read the world and I don’t expect you to agree.

As any other country, living in the USA has good things and things that we don’t appreciate – again, similar to all other places. In contrast with outside opinions that the USA culture is individualistic, I see a lot of respect and consideration to what is public, what is part of the community. North Americans donate money and most interestingly, they donate a lot of time to social causes.

They organize associations and initiatives to defend causes they believe in. What is different from my homeland Brazil, for example, is that it seems that North Americans have their internal drive, so they are less dependent of the group.  They come together, establish goals, objectives and plans, they make agreements and then they work and deliver what they had agreed upon. From my perspective, there is less interest and connection to work together, build together, to reflect upon the process together, what it seems to be considered a waste of time.

What strikes me the most is the necessity to prove results before experiencing the process.

This is what I call a pragmatic view of life. In my experience here in the USA, I feel people more attached to outcomes than the experience of something itself. It seems there is a social belief or way of operating that says “first, prove it” by presenting certificates, by using the language that I am expecting to hear, with clear outcomes, then I will trust you. I am not saying this is bad or wrong, but it is a way of living that brings strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities.

What would happen if we connect the North American power of internal drive to create results with appreciation for experiencing the process?

How would be a society that allows itself to build its future by experiencing the qualities and failures of each attempt to build this possible future?

What if the outcomes is a fantasy, a collective-deception of control?

What if the outcome would have the same as the process experience?

What if we could accept to be surprised by good outcomes or excited about a learning experience (currently perceived as failure)?

I thank every day for my openness to experience different cultures and learn so much about myself and the world we live.

INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMAN RESOURCES (IHR)

magdakaspary HR (Human Resources), Interdisciplinary Approach, Liberating Structures, OD (Organization Development), Systems Thinking

The Context of IHR

Since 1995 when I started my career in Human Resources (HR) I was exposed to Total Quality Management, strategic planning and other management theories like ISO 9000 and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Looking back, I learned and still learn many lessons. First, I learned how much HR was integrated to other practices inside business. Second, how HR could serve as a catalyzer to implement good practices. While doing that, HR was very close to its clients. Last, I learned how to work with multidisciplinary committees to pursue business’ goals. This position increased my interest around disciplines that are related to people at workplaces, reason why I studied group dynamics in 2002/03 and obtained my Master in Social Psychology using Complex Thought and Systems Thinking to research group process in team management in 2008/09. Now, as a graduate student at OSR – Organization Systems Renewal – I am rethinking all these areas of knowledge in the North American culture.

In my HR experience, I incorporated the OD approach and also concepts from other disciplines like Systems Thinking and Complex Thought. Currently, I am an active member of SRHM through the LWHRA (http://www.lwhra.org), and WA HR State Council (http://wastatecouncil.shrm.org), PNODN (http://www.pnodn.org), and ISSS (http://www.pnodn.org) so I navigate around different areas of knowledge bringing my HR identity to all of them and using their knowledge and tools to think a better HR practice. Since 2013 I started studying Liberating Structures (http://www.liberatingstructures.com) as a way to increase everyone’s participation in meetings, trainings, etc.

I believe HR practices can be enriched using different approaches to understand its own challenges and also how to support business’ needs.

When I hear about HRBP (HR as a Business Partner), which means that HR needs to understand business to better serve it, I like to add that a business partner process requires a mutual process, where HR work can, by its nature, enable the consideration of different perspectives, clarifying different levels of the system, so that we have a real partnership.

Liberating Structures

magdakaspary Change, Group Dynamics, HR (Human Resources), Interdisciplinary Approach, Liberating Structures, OD (Organization Development), Process Design, Systems Thinking

I just finished a two-day workshop about Liberating Structures (LS).

How did LS get on my path? I need to thank Michelle Miller that announced a LS user meeting in a PNODN meeting we both attended in 2013. I truly believe that good connections make us stronger. Being in good places bring good connections. We need to be opened to hear what is happening around us. And, we need to get out of our couch… then, a virtuous circle of good people and good activities surround us.

LS provokes many feelings and thoughts on me. It is a mix of freedom, authentic connection to our nature as human beings, genuine focus on what matters. It is an intercultural approach and at the same time brings a home-sweet-home feeling. I admire and trust people that are running LS. They are not looking for selling anything, they are genuinely sharing their knowledge. They don’t intent to build certifications or any programs that are only status-related.

LS is about participation, individual and group dynamics, brain and body movement. Walls fall down. Unspoken and invisible practices are revisited and are better developed, all voices are heard.

During the workshop, a participant said to me: “this is my first LS event. I am surprised by how informal it is” and that stroke me an important truth, despite me not paying attention to that. Speakers were participants most of the time and in assigned moments they were at the stage sharing their knowledge and facilitating our learning. People had a broad range of experience in terms of years, but no different status. What a dream to our workplaces and society: respect to the other, admiration, without having to consider different statuses.

Please accept my invitation to check more information about LS: http://www.liberatingstructures.com/

I wish you will share my enthusiasm.