Massive turnover. Rapid market shifts. Disruption of global supply chains. Organizations are dealing with constant and rapid change. And HR teams must prepare for what’s ahead to help leaders of all levels handle the effects. To stay ahead of the curve, DDI research points to HR leadership best practices to help leaders and organizations thrive in 2022.
1. Teach Leaders to Manage Change
As deep shifts take place in your business strategy, offer leadership training on managing change. Offering training consistently across all levels of leadership can help the collective organization effectively manage change. Even in HR, managing change can be a challenge. And with the increasing frequency and rapidity of changes, it is risky for any group to be unprepared.
When training on managing change is offered in organizations, the likelihood of having strong leadership effectiveness doubles from 25 percent to 50 percent.
2. Ensure Leaders Get Transition Support
In addition to training on managing change, HR needs to keep a pulse on leadership development offerings. During disruptive times, priorities fluctuate so much that leadership development may be missed. According to the Leadership Transitions Report 2021, the percentage of recently transitioning leaders who received leadership skills training dropped from 61 percent in early 2019 to 48 percent in 2020.
HR teams should evaluate their talent programs to ensure leaders are being set up for success. They should pay special attention to ensuring leaders get transition support during disruptive times. These are the times when leaders will need it the most.
3. Focus on High-Quality Diversity and Inclusion Programs
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs accomplish far more than just improving specific demographic numbers in your company. These programs have a strong effect on the overall culture of the workplace and help to attract and retain talent of all backgrounds. In fact, a DDI report showed that companies with strong D&I programs are nine times more likely to have overall high-quality leadership, and 28 percent more leaders are ready to fill critical roles. By focusing on increasing the quality of current D&I programs or starting one if it is currently nonexistent, HR teams can change the culture of their organizations for the better. In changing the culture to one that’s more inclusive and diverse, the organization will be more likely to recruit from a diverse pool, which opens the door to find more qualified talent faster.
4. Use a Consistent Process for Hiring and Promotions
Inconsistent hiring practices are inefficient and make implicit bias easier to creep into your process, and this can make it harder to make the right hiring decisions. As HR teams struggle to replace leaders, having a structured selection process in place will minimize potential bias and improve the quality of hiring and promotion decisions.
To learn more, including the three top challenges HR needs to be able to overcome to thrive in 2022, read the DDI blog.