Disqus - Latest Comments for Scott McArthur

Re: 15 Most Viewed Posts in 2007

Scott McArthur — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 13:29:54 -0000

Grreat list and I wish I had found your amazing blog earlier. Great stuff!

Re: Just Because You’ve Been Diagnosed as Paranoid Doesn’t Mean That Your Company Isn’t Watching You

Scott McArthur — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:35:12 -0000

I have to "let go" 60 people a while back for distributing porn over the company email system. Totally stupid and a waste of a lot of people's time. I belive that people should be free to do what they like but that was taking it a bit far!

Re: Just Because You’ve Been Diagnosed as Paranoid Doesn’t Mean That Your Company Isn’t Watching You

Scott McArthur — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:44:43 -0000

It was a combination of denial and content! Terrible few weeks for the business and the individuals alike.

Re: Just Because You’ve Been Diagnosed as Paranoid Doesn’t Mean That Your Company Isn’t Watching You

Scott McArthur — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:57:47 -0000

Yea! What made it worse was that it was a manufacturing business with some very specialised skills. We did manage however and in fact the factory broke records the following month. I wonder what that says for the workforce. I put it down to a kind of corporate "action slip" where a group of people make a mistake and get in so deep they can't get out.

The one thing that makes you reflect though is this, often although the pain at the point of separation is shared between the person and the business (especially the HR professional) the pain tends to fade quickly for the staff but lingers for the HR practitioner. I have the scars to show for it!

Re: Twitter and HR

Scott McArthur — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:47:17 -0000

I agree Sarah. I just started doing it and I'm not sure I get it. Perhaps I'm getting old or something? It may be the fact that I've just started though and I wil keep it going and see what happens!

Here is mine - http://twitter.com/ScottRanting

Re: KnowHR Blog Named One of the Best of the Web by Human Resource Executive

Scott McArthur — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 10:17:14 -0000

Nice one Frank. Good to see a decent blog getting some recognition rather than the same old same old.

Re: KnowHR Blog Named One of the Best of the Web by Human Resource Executive

Scott McArthur — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 10:18:22 -0000

woops got the email address wrong!

Re: What Everybody in HR Ought to Know About Blogs and How to Read them Fast

Scott McArthur — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 04:45:34 -0000

Good advice Frank - I finally got myself sorted out on Technorati - only took me 3 months! I think the lesson for technology experts that we HR people can help them with is "please write in English!"

Re: The 4-Hour Workweek

Scott McArthur — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 05:22:32 -0000

That is just so true! Although these days I enjoy what I do so much (and yes I am a consultant) that I love every second of it!

Re: How to Finagle a Day Off

Scott McArthur — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:08:41 -0000

Hiya. We had some fun in the UK HR press recently - a organizations have started to give employees time off to look after sick pets. Made me laugh. When I got up off the floor I realised it was yest another reason (excuse) for the odd day off....where's that dog of mine?

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=f...

Re: How to Finagle a Day Off

Scott McArthur — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:39:29 -0000

What about days off for haircuts - for your dog of course!

Re: Congratulations on Your Promotion

Scott McArthur — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:03:51 -0000

Nice one. I think a book on this would make fantastic reading in airports...aka management porn.

Re: HR Consulting or Corporate: Which is the Right Career Move for You?

Scott McArthur — Mon, 07 May 2007 05:17:31 -0000

I'd have enjoyed that debate Frank. For me, as you know, there is no contest, but as with most things it is down to personal preferance. Corporate roles give you stability (sometimes!), and perhaps what I do really miss, the opportunity to see your efforts from the start to the end! Consulting gives you the flexibility, variety and challenge which I thrive on. Disney World, no contest!

Re: Congratulations on Your Promotion

Scott McArthur — Tue, 08 May 2007 05:52:06 -0000

I try! We should write a book!

Re: Forbes Org Chart Wiki

Scott McArthur — Tue, 08 May 2007 09:57:29 -0000

I really like the idea of wikis - and think that they would be ideal for firms to manage KM. I wonder how many organisations can really claim competitive advantage as a consequence of their Org Chart?

Re: Hey, HR, You’d Better Hear This

Scott McArthur — Tue, 08 May 2007 10:53:58 -0000

...and its friend at www.fuckedcompany.com

Re: All Work and No Play

Scott McArthur — Tue, 22 May 2007 07:14:56 -0000

I like this and agree that Robyn's blog is fab. This is especially important in the creative environment. There is a myth that creativity is freeform. As discussed in Made to Stick this is not the case and creativity tends to be at its best where there is a structure and fun should be part of this.

Re: All Work and No Play

Scott McArthur — Tue, 22 May 2007 08:47:03 -0000

Right on Bill. I mentioned some research quoted in the brilliant "Made to Stick" by the Heath brothers. The notion is that "Creativity starts with templates". The research identified 6 principles - Pictorial Analogy, Extreme Consequence, Extreme Situations, Competition, Interactive Experiments and Dimensionality Alteration.

Re: If an HR Department Sets Policy in the Woods and No One Listens, Does It Make a Sound?

Scott McArthur — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 08:17:36 -0000

Good debate. Perhaps what we need is to get some good old fashioned systemic thinking in the workplace to help the HRphobes understand?

Re: New Executive Hires Need Some HR Hand Holding to Keep from Stumbling

Scott McArthur — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:49:46 -0000

I'm not sure about this subject - yes I agree that new starts need help with company process and can benefit from a buddy. Do they really need HR to tell them about the culture? and what is culture anyway and can it (whatever "it" is") really be measured? I've used many different techniques (from Q12 to MORI) and I have a feeling that the "covert" culture is much more powerful than the culture determined from any study or from HR's map of the world.

Lots of questions and I'm not sure I've been much help with the answers but it is Sunday morning......!

Re: Just Brilliant

Scott McArthur — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:26:52 -0000

I told this at a consulting event and it went down very well!

Re: Employee Satisfaction or Serfdom?

Scott McArthur — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:03:41 -0000

So true Frank. It will be interesting over the next few years as HR 2.0 stars to come in and people potentially work for 4 or 5 organisations at once. Position power will be more difficult and the intellect will become to "boss"!

Re: Who Reads KnowHR Blog? Got 37 Seconds?

Scott McArthur — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:05:32 -0000

Great idea Frank - will be really interetsting to see the results.

Re: Want a 3-Minute Master’s Degree in Communication?

Scott McArthur — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 19:15:17 -0000

Music is a unique and powerful form of communication for sure. I have tried to come up with some ways of using it with my clients but as yet I don't seem to have managed to get it right. I have used it as a way to remember stuff - chapters in a book, key points from a lecture etc but I'm still not able to hit the spot with using music as a "technique".

Any ideas or experience?

Oh and I like the song - Blues Traveler have never really made it over here in the UK and although I had heard of them I must confess I'm new to their music!

Re: Want a 3-Minute Master’s Degree in Communication?

Scott McArthur — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:19:31 -0000

Love to Frank - I'm on holiday right now but will be back and blogging from the 27th. Lets catch up on the email?

As far as UK artists - where to start? I love the song Tank Park Salute by Billy Bragg - I will post it on my blog for you and your readers to hear. the words are simply stunning.

Re: Our Real Job in HR

Scott McArthur — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:36:52 -0000

For me HR should be about about creating "meaning" for the workforce - both internal and external. More from me on this very soon Frank.

Re: Left Brain vs. Right Brain HR: The Test

Scott McArthur — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:07:12 -0000

Interesting idea - rational v creative HR!

Re: Golden Parachutes Should Be Made of Lead

Scott McArthur — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:29:08 -0000

If you work out how to get one of these please bottle it and send me a 6 pack!

Re: Unique Isn’t Always What It’s Cracked Up to Be

Scott McArthur — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:40:04 -0000

The good thing about this sort of thing is that it makes you think. It falls well into the Heath brothers notion that creativity needs a framework.

Re: 10 Reasons You Should Be Thankful for HR

Scott McArthur — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:00:30 -0000

Frank - you raise a really important point here.

As an HR professional, I’m get really tired of feeling like a target for the "boo boys".

For years research surveys have demonstrated the shortcomings of the human resources profession. It’s getting to be really boring story,

HR needs to be more “strategic”;

HR is too focused on administrative minutiae;

HR needs to be more aligned with the company’s business goals;

HR must be more adept at change management;

HR wants a “seat at the table”

…but HR people generally don’t have the business savvy to get there; etc.

Here is a shock! There is yet another study showing how HR does not know what needs to be done in organisations to really be trusted, strategic and a business partner (I still struggle with this term). Vertitude’s, headline says it all, “Working Together, Working Apart: When It Comes to Workforce Planning, HR and Business Leaders Agree Their Working Relationship Needs Work.”

The highlights of the study are both familiar and depressing:

• Strategy—“Both business and HR leaders agree that talent acquisition and recruitment top the list of strategic business issues, but one in five business leaders see HR as only involved in “implementing” strategy, not participating in plan development. What’s more, a common perception is that HR is lacking adequate financial aptitude and therefore is not asked to contribute to strategy development because they do not speak the language of business.”

• A “Seat at the Table”—“Many business leaders indicate they do not have an established relationship with HR or it world not occur to them to include HR in implementing workforce plans. In general HR leaders agree that business leaders minimize the role that HR plays in workforce planning and don’t consider the full scope of HR’s ability and expertise.”

• Driving Change—“Business leaders perceive HR as ‘resource constrained’ and, as such, unable to effectively implement workforce plans. In turn, HR believes business leaders set unrealistic timeframes, lack an understanding of workforce issues, and are inconsistent in implementing initiatives.”

In reading the summary of the research study, it’s clear that Veritude has gone out of its way to be as positive in presenting these results, but it is also clear that the song remains the same, despite all the talk and anger over “Why We Hate HR,” nothing has really changed.

HR people need to develop their change management skills to be effective in today’s changing and busy business world. I can only wonder when the HR profession finally will find the means to fight back, rather than absorbing a new pummeling every few weeks.

Re: 10 Reasons You Should Be Thankful for HR

Scott McArthur — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:48:29 -0000

Sounds like we need to mobilise a campaign!? Then again I thought that was what our professional bodies did?

Re: 10 Reasons You Should Be Thankful for HR

Scott McArthur — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:28:31 -0000

Starter for 10 Frank!

http://mcarthursrant.blogspot.com/2007/11/appre...

Re: HR Has To Do a Lot of Presentations. Here Are Some Design Rules You Should Know.

Scott McArthur — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 04:13:05 -0000

Link isn't working for me Frank - I'm in the middle of some work on this subject and would REALLY like to read this!

Re: Communicate…Then Wait

Scott McArthur — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:39:15 -0000

Nice idea. It's a bit like planting a seed one day and digging it up the next day to see if it has grown!

Re: Business Slang: Socialize

Scott McArthur — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:29:27 -0000

Socialize! Now it's not often I get cross at work but this is one of those words that makes me want to be sick every time I hear it. It should be a rule that if you use that word you should have to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3 for the rest of your life!

Re: Excessive Exec Pay = Chance for Malfeasance?

Scott McArthur — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:54:37 -0000

Lies damn lies and statistics! Whatever next - business growth v HR levers?

Re: Are You Wiki Worthy?

Scott McArthur — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:25:11 -0000

my one....To improve the reputation of the HR function and HR professional.

Re: Think Titles Don’t Matter to People?

Scott McArthur — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:19:54 -0000

My old boss was called Global Operations Director (GOD)...now there is a job title.

Like the new look on the blog Frank!

Re: Why Doesn’t HR Talk to the Press More Often?

Scott McArthur — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:21:07 -0000

Interesting observation Frank. I think it is down to a combination of factors not least of which that HR people often just have very little to say. I get frustrated all the time when HR takes a neutral stance on business issues - for goodness sake have an opinion! We see this over in the UK in our professional magazines where most of the letters are written by consultants with very few contributions come from the corporates. Now perhaps they don't want to divulge thier secret HR leavers but I suspect it is simpler than that - they just have no opinion. Now, this could be seen as being a bit negative about our profession and in some sense this would be correct. However, I actually belive it is more about confidence and fear than capability. Meaning personal confidence and fear of saying something out of turn. The recent Terminal 5 mess at London airport points to a good example. The now ex HR director has written recently about how great everything was with this huge project. This was followed a few short weeks later by the whole thing going pear shaped largely due to poor implementation planning and techonolgy. As a good HR professional (which I believe this person is) time would have been much better spent telling us (an the organisation) about the challeges being faced than in blowing the trumpet of success built on very thin ice.

Re: Clueless HR People

Scott McArthur — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:24:08 -0000

Fantastic example of how powerful video and acting can be. This would make a good West Wing(the HR story) episode!

Re: Lost in Translation

Scott McArthur — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:41:45 -0000

Reminds me of the "tappers and listeners" idea from Covey.

This is a great way of getting the point you make over to people Frank.

Here is a shorhand version for a workshop

Take a senior person from the group - give them a tune everyone knows (happy birthday etc) and ask them to tap out the melody on a table with a pen.

Then ask the group to "name that tune". I have never met a group yet that gets it right. The good bit is when you ask the tapper how they felt - "frustrated" "isn't it obvious?" is what normally comes back - ah ha so communication isn't as easy as you thought!

Re: We Are the Champions: Philadelphia Edition

Scott McArthur — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:36:52 -0000

I have no idea what this post is about but I love the song and it looks like you had a good time. Well done Frank and the "Phils"!

Re: Silence Is Not Golden When the Economy is Crumbling

Scott McArthur — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:39:14 -0000

Yes yes yes!

All the evidence is that organisations who invest in (especially) innovation when we are in a downturn come out fighting and become more successful as a consequence! Come on HR - speak up!

Re: KnowHR Redesign!

Scott McArthur — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:23:41 -0000

Looks good to me Frank - congratulations on the book - nothing more than you deserve!

Re: The Not-To-Do List: 9 Habits to Stop Now

Scott McArthur — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:12:14 -0000

Good idea!

Here's a few from me,

1. Don't allow yourself to be greenwashed
2. Stop typing on your laptop when someone comes up to talk to you
3. Don't wait for your employer to train you - we are ALL self employed!
4. Don't think of a pink elephant!
5. Don't publish lists that start with "don't"

Did you think of a pink elephant?

Cheers from the UK

Scott

Re: Lack of Seriousness - The Last Interview with Vonnegut

Scott McArthur — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:44:33 -0000

People like Kurt are rare indeed. It would be great in these troubled times if some of his vision could be done justice on the big screen!

Re: Recommended Read: Made to Stick

Scott McArthur — Fri, 25 May 2007 19:37:13 -0000

I agree - great wee book. Really made me think a lot about how I develop materials and present to clients and potential clients. Great blog

Re: You just might be a 2.0 geek if…

Scott McArthur — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:21:14 -0000

I must be a geek too but even worse I'm an HR geek! We should form a Society for Geeks (wonder what that would be called?) and do geek stuff together.....