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The latest event in Henley’s Engaging Business series: ‘Is ethics killing business?’ P8 HR Doctor talks about the negative impact on your business of initiativitis P6 READ Ella’s Kitchen. Good in every sense – and meaning it P4 READ Corporate Learning Priorities 2014 P5 Henley puts internet founder, Dr Vinton Cerf under the spotlight ISSUE 3. FEBRUARY 2014 READ Focus Bringing you the insights you need to drive your agenda Reap what you sow – 10 employee benefits most appreciated by staff P10 READ Why 90% of us may be getting our strategy completely wrong P9 READ READ READ

Focus@Henley, February 2014

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Henley Focus features research and latest news from Executive Education at Henley Business School

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The latest event in Henley’s Engaging Business series: ‘Is ethics killing business?’ P8

HR Doctor talks about the negative impact on your business of initiativitis P6

READ

Ella’s Kitchen. Good in every sense – and meaning it P4

READ

Corporate Learning Priorities 2014 P5

Henley puts internet founder, Dr Vinton Cerf under the spotlight

ISSUE 3. FEBRUARy 2014

READ

FocusBringing you the insights you need to drive your agenda

Reap what you sow – 10 employee benefits most appreciated by staff P10

READ

Why 90% of us may be getting our strategy completely wrong P9

READ

READREAD

2 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

Welcome to the first Focus@Henley of 2014 – your gateway to the latest learning and development innovations

2 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

Welcome

Our online magazine always aims to bring you the best of our cutting-edge research and innovation in strategy, leadership, management, HR and coaching, and this issue is no exception!

This issue kicks off with a report of a momentous event featuring

one of the fathers of the internet, Dr Vinton Cerf, who enthralled the audience with his insider’s chronology of the development of the web, and showed off Google’s latest must-have communications device… the Google Glass.

You’ll also find a heartwarming case study on how Ella’s Kitchen has developed its brand in conjunction with Henley Business School, and why Professor Andrew Kakabadse thinks 90% of us are getting our strategy completely wrong. There’s also part 3 of Nick Holley’s compelling

HR Doctor series, which highlights the recent outbreak of Initiativitis, and explains how it can be cured!

As ever, all feedback on what you like – and especially what you don’t – is hugely valued, so do get in touch and play your part in continuing to make Focus@Henley essential reading.

Thanks for reading Focus@Henley. We look forward to hearing from you.

Claire Hewitt, Head of Learning Design

+44 (0) 1491 418767 [email protected]

www.henley.ac.uk

3Focus@Henley

disadvantaged people through the application of new technologies. Dr Cerf is President of the Deafax charitable company, and his personal interest in the subject was evident as he described the benefits it has delivered to him and his wife, Sigrid, both of whom have hearing disorders.

Now and into the futureTo close the event, Dr Cerf showed off the Google Glass to an enthralled audience, demonstrating how the multimedia eyewear operates, and describing some of the ways in which it could be used to facilitate simultaneous translation between people using different languages, including deaf signing.

Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like, hands-free format that can communicate with the internet via natural language voice commands. It also features integrated video and stills cameras.

Although still in the testing phase, it is anticipated that consumers will be able to buy the product later in 2014.

To see more about this event including reactions from the attendees please

To find out more about future events, visit www.henley.ac.uk/events or contact Charlotte Zittel at the Corporate Events Office on +44 (0)1491 418 777 or at

In November over 200 people packed into Henley Business School’s lecture

theatre at the University of Reading to listen to one of the acknowledged founding fathers of the internet tell his story, and showcase one of the very latest technological breakthroughs.

The latest in the School’s Engaging Business series of events featured an interview with Dr Vinton Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, recognised as one of the most innovative and influential figures of the technological era.

Engaging Business Event

Henley puts internet founder, Dr Vinton Cerf under the spotlight

A lifetime of achievementDr Cerf spoke at length about his background, from his teenage years as a science fiction fan, to his studies at Stanford University and UCLA, and to the development of TCP/IP protocols. Dr Cerf’s latest projects include working with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the design of an interplanetary internet!

Q&AThe audience was then invited to question Dr Cerf, and the range of topics covered included the WikiLeaks scandal; surveillance of personal files; censorship; attitudes to and within China; and the challenges presented by the potential for invasion of privacy, which are forcing us to evolve new social conventions.

Putting it all to good useThose present were visibly moved by Dr Cerf’s poignant stories of the work being done to bring opportunity and assistance to deaf and other

click here

4 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

Ella’s Kitchen Good in every sense – and meaning it Dr Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Engaging Leadership, is an Associate Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour.

CASE STUDy: Ella’s Kitchen

click here For the full article,

One of the great British success stories of the past few years

has been that of baby and toddler organic foods manufacturer, Ella’s Kitchen, which has risen from one entrepreneur’s dream to become an award-winning brand, with a 20% share of the UK market and a growing international presence.

Along the way, it has also proved that brands can be successful and still be ‘good’, both outside and inside the business.

According to founder Paul Lindley, the secret of the company’s success is down to: ‘Putting kids first, being innovative, and having a very direct relationship with consumers and staff.’ The culture – ‘Ella’s-ness’ as it’s known in the company – uses the team’s energy and enthusiasm for the brand and products to drive performance.

Paul’s collaboration with Dr Bernd Vogel and doctoral researcher Amal Ahmadi at Henley Business School explored ways in which any business can harness that positive energy to vitalise strategy, structure and culture and optimise the potential of their people. And, critically, it looked at how businesses can grow without losing the essence of the culture – and values – that made them successful, focusing on the strengths of leadership and teams.

The work sought to identify the specific type of energy Ella’s Kitchen exhibits, based on Bernd Vogel and Heike Bruch’s model of organisational energy.

The outcome? Ella’s Kitchen clearly demonstrated that its clear values and strong leadership translated into ‘productive energy’ throughout the organisation, creating a sustainable, innovative and high-performing

company, which can genuinely still be ‘good in every sense’.

To read the full article, click here or for further information, contact Bernd Vogel, [email protected]

Bernd Vogel is Associate Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour and Director of the Henley Centre for Engaging Leadership. Amal Ahmadi is a doctoral researcher at Henley Business School.Corrosive

EnergyProductive

Energy

Resigned Inertia

ComfortableEnergy

Low

High

INTENSITY

Negative PositiveQUALITY

Professor Bernd Vogel

Paul Lindley

5Focus@Henley

ahead of innovation, entrepreneurial thinking and developing management teams. But respondents are concerned at the lack of support and supervision currently in place for their coaching activities

• Customised executive education is planned for just under half of organisations in 2014 with the most important factor in choosing which business school to work with being their ability to demonstrate impact on business performance

• Open programmes are earmarked for almost four in ten respondents in 2014, with the most important factor in the choice of programme being the quality of faculty and contributors, followed by competitive fees

Corporate Learning Priorities 2014

The Henley Corporate Learning Survey is conducted at the end

of each year to explore trends in senior executives’ views concerning leadership, learning and development. Now in its fifth year, the 2014 survey has been canvassing the anonymous views of 359 executives from 38 countries, and the initial signs are proving to be highly enlightening.

The full report, along with a cross-section of insights and views from faculty, is yet to be released, but while the responses are being analysed, the top-line outcomes suggest that:

• 85% of respondents forecast a learning and development budget for 2014, which is the same or larger than 2013

• The overall leadership capability in their organisation is the major challenge for respondents in the next three years

• Leadership capability development is also identified as a key priority, with senior management being the priority group, followed by high potentials and then middle management

• Once again, retention and employee engagement score highly, although supporting growth and talent attraction are increasing in importance

• Individual coaching will be the most used tool in 2014, by more than 80% of organisations, and coaching skills are seen as a key area for development,

Corporate Learning Survey

At Henley we are using this research to inform our own development agenda and to ensure that we address the current and future needs of the individuals and organisations we work with. Further points of view from faculty members about some of the key findings will be released next month.

And what are your opinions? Do these top-line trends reflect your company? If not, how do they differ from those that prevail in your organisation? Do let us know! [email protected]

6 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

Are you too busy inventing and reinventing innovative HR solutions to make a real impact on your business?If so, you may be suffering from a bout of initiativitis, but don’t worry, there is a cure…

In this latest instalment adapted from Nick Holley’s tongue-in-

cheek look at some of the most common ailments affecting the HR sector, the focus is on initiativitis, and how to overcome it.

What are the symptoms?• Constantly looking for the next

new thing, the ‘silver bullet’ that will solve everything.

• HR people wanting to make their mark by doing lots of ‘HR stuff’, as opposed to actually making a difference to the business.

• Due to a simultaneous infection of ‘delivery deficiency’ (see Focus@Henley, Issue 2), not following projects through but always looking to start something new.

• Trying to do too many things and never prioritising the things that can actually be delivered and which will make the biggest difference.

• Seeing HR’s value in being busy, busy, busy, but never letting go, even when a project is no longer relevant.

Note: complications can set in, leading to projectitis, programmitis, let’s-brand-everythingitis and the often fatal flavour-of-the-monthitis.

The HR Doctor

Nick Holley

In what ways does it have a negative impact?• The focus on continual reinvention

confuses everyone and stresses out the HR team as they run harder and harder to stand still. It costs money and time to make each change but the biggest impact is on HR’s reputation.

• Line managers who previously supported HR’s work become increasingly disillusioned.

• HR becomes marginalised and demotivated, and the best people start to leave.

A couple of real-life examples…In my younger days I completed a long HR project only to find that the company had embarked on a major and unexpected acquisition. I asked my boss how I should adjust the project, but he took me aside and told me it was irrelevant.

I pushed harder, but my boss insisted that I let it go. ‘you did a good job, but if you keep pushing something that isn’t now relevant to the business, you are going to alienate a lot of people, including me.’ It was great advice.

Nick Holley, Director of Henley’s HR Centre of Excellence

7Focus@Henley

Henley Business School is a part of the University of Reading, ranked among the

of universities in the world.1top

Edited from a paper by Nick Holley. To read the full article, click here

Author Nick Holley is joint programme director for Henley’s Advanced HR Business Partner Programme. Nick regularly contributes to articles in the HR press.

While at Henley, Nick has worked with: BT, Cadbury Schweppes, Canon, Centrica, GSK, M&S, Microsoft, Ministry of Justice, Nestlé, the NHS, Oracle, Oxfam, Panasonic, RBS, Royal Mail, Shell, Siemens, Travelport, Unilever and Vodafone to help them advance their thinking around HR.

In another company research revealed that there were more than 250 HR projects underway.

We applied a clear prioritisation process based on each project’s impact on the bottom line compared to how difficult it was to implement. In doing so we narrowed the projects down to just seven that were fully supported by the business, properly resourced, effectively implemented and had a measurable business impact. Not only was HR put under less pressure, but the focus on the ‘vital few’ was widely appreciated.

And the cure?The best cure, highlighted in our research into talent management, is to focus on implementing the basic HR processes really well – rather than on constantly reinventing them – but it requires:

• constant and rigorous prioritisation

• real business cases that start with a business issue rather than post-event rationalisation

• an HR operational plan that focuses on the issues, risks and implications of the business strategy

• a focus on incremental improvement rather than continual radical change

• a culture where people value challenge based on the difference it will actually make, set against the diseconomies of changing it.

8 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

‘Morals come from the individuals not the organisations. Companies have a duty to maximise their return on investment and companies’ tax payments have become a brand differentiator.’

‘Transparency is key, but the mass of legislation makes it difficult, especially now that so many companies operate internationally and have to adhere to different laws in each territory.’

‘We have to keep it in context; corporation tax represents around a quarter of the revenue collected from income tax, and less than half received from VAT. The main reason most people are so adamant that companies such as Starbucks, Amazon and so on are seen to be paying their way is because we feel it’s simply unfair if they don’t.’

‘Companies who pay “the right amount of tax” are perceived to be a part of their society, and there is no doubt that this affects companies’ reputations.’

To see a more detailed report of this event, including more Q&As,

The latest event in Henley’s Engaging Business series: ‘Is ethics killing business?’

Our latest breakfast debate, held at Deloitte in London, was chaired

by Professor Ginny Gibson, Henley Business School’s Deputy Dean, with a panel comprising:• Professor Theodore Roosevelt Malloch

from the Roosevelt Group and yale University

• Dr Carola Hillenbrand, representing the John Madejski Centre for Reputation, Henley Business School

• Alan MacPherson, a specialist in Global Tax Strategy, Risk & Operations at Deloitte

• Simon Culhane, from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment

Simon Culhane began by defining ethics and, in particular, integrity, as honesty, openness, fairness and trust. He observed that there had been a real sea-change in the ethics of the finance sector in recent years, led by the introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which has made culture and trust two of the hottest of hot topics, although he believes that it may take five to seven years before the banks have fully integrated this into all their operations.

Alan MacPherson focused on the need for transparency, citing tax fairness as a big issue, and particularly highlighting the need for government to clearly explain the intricacies of how they plan to generate the right amount of tax, especially at a time when there is so much competition between governments globally.

Dr Hillenbrand asserted that there are some cases of unethical behaviour that have been successful in the short term

but generally the question should be: ‘Is business killing ethics?’ Dr Hillenbrand cited a recent study project run in conjunction with HM Revenue & Customs, which suggested that when big companies and high-profile wealthy individuals are seen to be avoiding tax, others will follow.

Professor Malloch was unequivocal in his response, stating categorically that ‘Business is killing ethics!’, and lamenting the fact that – in his opinion – ‘we have lost the word “virtue” from our vocabulary, and we are increasingly succumbing to the seven deadly sins’ (usually given as: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony).

‘Enterprise risk management is a performance-enhancing drug’, he added, ‘and ethics has become mere compliance. But there is a way back, and trust is now becoming a boardroom agenda item’.

Q&AThe audience was then invited to submit questions to the panel.

The first came from Lior Jassur, Managing Director from HSBC, who asked about the morality behind corporation tax.

Responses from the panel included:

‘Evasion is clearly unacceptable, but avoidance is still an interesting debate.’

click here

Events

Please note that panel responses, even when shown in speech marks, may have been summarised from the verbatim transcripts.

9Focus@Henley

So the difference is that most organisations are working towards notional objectives with little or no evidence to support the process, while a few, enlightened companies have realised that while it might be a more painful process to gather the evidence, challenge it and deliver in line with its findings, the rewards are massively increased.

But without replacing entire levels of management, those organisations that are currently sweeping the evidence under the carpet may well be those least likely to want to utilise it.

1. Strategy based on value propositions 2. Strategies based on value delivery

At its simplest level, 90% of organisations fall into the former category, in which the really important issues are probably recognised, but are either ignored or brushed aside for fear of rocking the boat.

Indeed, Professor Kakabadse believes that his study of major commercial scandals and collapses over the past 20 years can attribute every single one of them to this almost endemic failure to deal with issues that may have been known about for up to seven years prior to the point of impact.

So what characterises the second group of organisations, those that the survey suggests are getting it right? According to Andrew, they are the organisations in which the decision-makers ‘have the guts to use the evidence’.

Why 90% of us may be getting our strategy completely wrong

It seems that nine out of ten corporate leaders are taking something of a

‘don’t confuse me with the facts…’ approach to strategic planning.

A study by Andrew Kakabadse, Professor of Governance and Leadership at Henley Business School, suggests that 90% of companies, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are simply getting their strategic practice all wrong.

Much of the problem is in the disaggregation found within the senior management teams and decision-making groups, across which there is division on virtually every aspect of the strategy, from the overall mission downwards.

Professor Kakabadse maintains that there are two fundamental approaches to strategic adoption:

Professor Andrew P Kakabadse, Professor of Governance and Leadership, Henley Business School

Latest Research

Andrew P Kakabadse

Henley’s Executive Education ranks in Europe’s

for the quality of faculty and custom programme design.

15Top

For the full article, click here

10 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

3. Third-party benefitsVisa employees receive discounted tickets to local recreation and entertainment venues, such as cinemas, sports arenas and amusement parks.

4. Putting your foot down… InDemand Interpreting CEO, Daniel Pirestani, rewards an employee who has performed well above average with the keys to his car. The lucky employee is then allowed to drive the Porsche Boxster to a company-paid lunch.

5. Job swap If the staff at Money Crashers manage to reach a certain sales goal or other benchmark, then the management carry out the menial duties normally performed by more junior members of staff.

6. Barking madness at the NerderyNerdery Support provides benefits not only to their staff, but employees’ canine friends as well, and will even arrange a mobile groomer upon request. Each Thursday the company holds what they have called ‘puppy fight club’, where the dogs get to run around unleashed!

Listmania

Reap what you sow – 10 employee benefits most appreciated by staff

Employee retention is a big issue and is likely to become even

hotter as the economy eases and staff look to get ahead. So what can you do to keep them sweet?

1. Looking after employees’ health and wellbeing3M are known for office products, but this family-oriented company offers child and elder care consulting services, a smoking cessation programme, weight management programme reimbursement and a fitness centre on site.And keen to stay head and shoulders above its competitors, Chesapeake Energy Corporation offers its employees an indoor rock climbing wall and free SCUBA certification.

Not to be outdone, Cisco offers primary care, physical therapy and acupuncture to its staff, believing in the importance of a healthy work–life balance.

2. Send ’em packing Each year, law firm Freeborn & Peters holds a ‘luggage party’. Employees bring a packed bag to the office on the day of the party. Four names are drawn and the winners are whisked away for an all-expenses paid weekend in Las Vegas.

7. Time hath no meaning… At Netflix headquarters, neither working hours nor holidays are tracked, only what people get done. So as long as employees’ do their work, it doesn’t matter when or for how long they’re in the office.

8. Child’s play…Toy company Mattel is devoted to the happiness and futures of employees by defraying adoption costs and offering paid time off for school-related absences, such as parent–teacher conferences or field trips.

9. The better you get, the better we get…Vehicle manufacturing company, Oshkosh Defense, shows its loyalty to employees through extensive training and advancement benefits, such as tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees. And Texas Instruments also seeks to develop its employees by providing financial support to those receiving ongoing university education.

10. The way to an employee’s heart… There’s a reason Google has been ranked in the top five of the Fortune list of ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ for the past six years. Among other benefits employees can help themselves to whatever’s in the overflowing food pantries or cafeterias. CEO Larry Page reflected: ‘When you treat people well… you get better productivity…’