Articles.(directions in human resources profession )(Editorial)

In my five years as Executive Editor, I became committed not just to "get the journal out" (a darn important first-year objective!), but also to seek and publish content that would help move the human resources profession in positive directions. Along the way, I had a chance to interact with some of the great thought leaders in HR and realized some common themes should be called out. The first article is my attempt to put a "past, present, and future" context to the changing nature of HR and to elevate our profession. It is entitled "The Evolution of HR: Developing HR as an Internal Consulting Organization." Three of our editors and review board members, as well as Ed Lawler and John Boudreau, reviewed it, and I appreciate all of their valuable insights and edits.

The "future" direction described in the article came to me after years spent with professional services organizations (Compaq, as we integrated Digital; HP, as we integrated Compaq). In all these companies, the service component had the largest number of people, and was viewed as the key to going deeper and broader with our customers. I worked with consultants who taught our service people how to develop trusted partner status with the customers they supported; the same principles apply equally well to HR with internal customers. Organizations differ greatly, but many have the same challenge for HR: how to best "outsource transactions and insource transformations." This article is a call to "seize our future" and to define actively the roles that will deliver the greatest value-added business impact that HR can contribute. From entry to senior level in HR, we have the talent and the motivation. This article provides a roadmap for all of us wrestling with how to have HR deliver its most powerful contributions to the success of people and organizations.

The second article should be read and discussed in every executive suite in our nation. Denise Lyons and Connie McArthur (Kaplan DeVries, Inc.) provide qualitative and quantitative research in describing "Gender's Unspoken Role in Leadership Evaluations." They did extensive content analyses on 737 interviews describing 44 executives in 11 well regarded US-based global companies. Of the 44 executives described and assessed in these 360-degree interviews, half were women and half were men. Even though the interviewer never asked about gender, the 370 interviews pertaining to men had eight gender-related comments, and all were positive. The 323 interviews pertaining to women had 200 gender-related comments. If a woman was describing a woman, the comments tended to be about the challenge of being a female in a male environment. If a man was describing a woman, the comments were either empathetic statements of how tough it is on women in the top ranks or outright stereotypical judgments about the capabilities of women as leaders.

If the quantitative data in this study and the research that it references do not motivate a call to action, the direct quotes that are reported should do so. Some are truly disturbing in this day and age. The official position of enlightened corporations claims a level playing field, but what the executives themselves say in private about senior corporate leaders shows a gender bias that works against women. The authors provide additional validation of the continuing existence of this prejudice through a variety of personal stories, and recommend that corporate leaders (men in particular!) counteract unintended detrimental attitudes by making it discussable within their own executive team--and then guide efforts to correct these biases.

Our third article addresses "Contingent Knowledge Worker Challenges," based on research by Lindsay Redpath, Deborah Hurst, and Kay Devine (Athabasca University in Canada). The business models that have been developed in Canada tend to have a larger percentage of contingent (vs. regular) workers than in the United States--roughly 4 percent of employment in the United States and 11 percent in Canada. The authors interviewed and coded the responses of 70 people in five organizations (47 contingent workers and 23 managers of them). Even though contingent work can meet the temporary needs of these workers, and they found many elements rewarding (wages, autonomy, variety), the majority did not prefer this as their long-term employment relationship. Contingent workers were consistently hired based on the skills they currently have, and their organizations had no reason to invest more in their continuing training and development. They could not secure long-term financial commitments (mortgage, car loan, apartment lease, etc.), nor count on contract extensions, leading to frustration and anxiety.

There were significant differences between types of contingent workers--for example, seasonal summer hires were less positive than contingent IT workers were in their perceptions of equitable work relationships. Managers' perceptions also were studied. In general, managers feel that contingent workers are an important part of their workforce, and they receive good value from them. Managers also are becoming more aware of the extremely negative implications for holding onto contingent workers too long and risking the costs of co-employment lawsuits. The authors remind us of the importance of communicating to all employees the role for the contingent workers, and to introduce them in a way that assists with their effective onboarding.

The final article reminds us that taking care of the basics is still vitally important, and even more crucial in a crisis. Sonya Premeaux (Nicholls State University) and Denise Breaux (Florida State University) present "Crisis Management of Human Resources: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita." A crisis tests the espoused character and culture of impacted organizations. As the authors state: "The ultimate outcome of any crisis is organizational learning that reduces future risks." HR needs to be directly involved in the crisis before (crisis management planning), during (implementing the plan), and after (holding debriefings to extract critical information). The authors detail the areas that require HR involvement to get businesses up and running again after the hurricanes and show how much more effective organizations can be if HR is involved on the front end, planning for a crisis--even one as unimaginable as Katrina.

In addition to the many stories and lessons cited in the final article, I have to add a footnote on my company's commitment to our people and the community of Biloxi, Mississippi, in the aftermath of Katrina's destruction of our Gulf-facing Beau Rivage resort and casino. We immediately committed to rebuilding the Beau Rivage and did so one year to the day later, a Herculean effort. All employees were offered employment at our other properties in the interim, and guaranteed a job on reopening. MGM MIRAGE raised significant donations and added company funds in support of our employees. Our response to our people and the community continues to be a source of pride throughout our entire organization. Having personally helped the families of two Compaq employees killed in the twin towers on 9/11, and then having managed through the business disruptions of SARS and the tsunami in Asia Pacific while in Singapore, I am reminded that the lessons learned from the hurricanes also hold good advice for any crisis, no matter where it originates.

As I finalize this introduction, it is 7-7-7 in Las Vegas (good luck!), and, as I have done every summer of my life, I will soon be heading for a couple of weeks to Little Sebago Lake, Maine, for a family vacation--and 30 to 40 degrees cooler weather! As you read this, I hope you, too, have had a fun and safe summer.

Richard M. Vosburgh, Executive Editor

Richard Vosburgh

SVP-HR, Mirage Resorts

MGM MIRAGE

rvosburgh@mgmmirage.com

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