Research

Making Career Transition Work for You
By  Muriel Watkins

Muriel Watkins is Founder & President of MRW Consulting, an HR consulting organization that delivers solutions focused on building organizational and individual capability.  For further information, visit www.MRWConsulting.com.  Linda Tepedino is Vice President of Human Resources at Consumers Union.

Talent Management

Attain business goals with effective talent management.

While companies may define talent management differently, Ernst & Young sees it as an end-to-end process – linking a company’s mission and strategy with the way it manages its people. Don’t miss E&Y’s key findings and learn more about enhancing your human capital pool.

High-Impact Succession Management – from the Center of Creative Leadership

Succession management has become an important talent management initiative at companies around the world. For some companies, succession management is a strategic process that minimizes leadership gaps for critical positions and provides opportunities for top talent to develop the skills necessary for future roles. With other companies, succession management is a constant struggle, viewed as an administrative exercise rather than as a competitive advantage. In strong economic times, it is easier to ignore deficiencies in the succession management process — but in the current economic downturn, the need to identify and develop top talent for critical roles has never been more important. (more…)

Organizational Success and Effective Change Management

“How do you keep momentum and grow forward when everything around you is changing?” This is a recent Towers Watson study of high-performing organizations and their post-recession plans. Many of the participants are anticipating new products, services, organizational structures and/or processes, so they’re basing their growth plans on change.

Organizational Success and Effective Change Management
Towers Watson
March 2010
By Kathryn Yates

Employee Well-being and Engagement in the Workplace

Although the recession and its effect on the workforce and workplace are bringing the issue to a head, employer concern about employee well-being shouldn’t be driven by the economy. Rather, it should be an integral part of an organization’s culture, reflected in its benefit design, training and development policies, its employees’ ability to create work/life balance and in the way managers are expected to interact with and manage employees. Employees’ concerns about their well-being may be exacerbated by the recession, but as the economy improves, those concerns aren’t going away.

Employee Well-being and Engagement in the Workplace
Towers Watson
April 2010
By Denise Fairhurst and Justine O’Conner

Compensation, Benefits and Rewards

World at Work

Visit the World at Work’s website and its FLSA Exemption Tookkit:  – FLSA Exemption Toolkit to find a variety of tools to help you implement the new U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations. These tools were designed as generic templates to aid you through the implementation process. While the regulatory content has been taken directly from the Federal Register, WorldatWork copyrights the format of these templates and any nonregulatory content. You may download and modify the templates to meet the internal needs of your company. If you want to distribute the material to a wider audience, you may request permission from WorldatWork at 877/951-9191, 480/922-2008 or via e-mail at mfinke@worldatwork.org .

Disclaimer: WorldatWork cautions that there is a wide range of practices related to this subject. We are providing this information with the understanding that WorldatWork is not engaged directly or by implication in rendering legal, accounting or other related professional services. These tools should not be relied upon as an official reference for understanding and implementing the changes to the FLSA regulations. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is the authority on 29 CFR 541. You can access the DOL’s FairPay Web site at www.dol.gov/fairpay.

Health Care Reform Legislation Q&A
May 2010
By Randy Abbott, Mike Langan, and Mark Maselli

With U.S. health care reform legislation now on the books, three consultants in Towers Watson’s Health and Group Benefits practice examine the implications for employers. In particular, the piece explores the strategic implications for employers in designing their benefit plans.

Exploring the Frequency and Duration of Incentives
World at Work explores: How often you should reward individuals during the program (frequency), and how long you should your program run (duration)?

Publications

The Medici Effect
www.themedicieffect.com
By Frans Johanssen

In a rare opportunity, NAAAHR was able to offer to a select group of senior leaders the ability to participate in a Medici workshop “The Intersection of Innovation and Diversity:  Lead Your Organization’s Transformation!”

This event was led by Frans Johansson, acclaimed author of The Medici Effect. Even if you could not attend this event, you can discover why  BusinessWeek called the Medici Effect “One of the “Best Books on Innovation” and why this book has become a powerful force for re-igniting diversity and inclusion efforts world wide.

Reviews include:

One of the “Best Books on Innovation”

- BusinessWeek

“One of the most insightful books on managing innovation I have ever read.”

– Clay Christensen, author, The Innovator’s Dilemma

“Bold and original!”

– Tom Freston, co-President Viacom (former CEO of MTV)

“He’s written the book dozens of business school professors meant to write, but couldn’t.”

– Washington Post

“There is a good deal that managers can draw from this collection of ideas.”

– Financial Times

The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership For Black Women
www.littleblackbookofsuccess.com
by Marsha Haygood, Elaine Meryl Brown, and Rhonda Joy McLean

NAAAHR’s former Board Member, Marsha Haygood, is a co-author of “The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership For Black Women.”  Have you ever wished that you had a mentor available 24/7?  Kind of like a lifeline . . .  You know, someone with advice and words of wisdom perfectly appropriate for whatever workplace situation you happen to find yourself in at any given moment? Well, The Little Black Book of Success just might be the next best thing.   Together the authors have almost 100 years of experience navigating the corporate world successfully.  While the book is aimed at African-American women, it’s actually a book that will resonate with all women working in the corporate world seeking leadership and success. So, whether you’re in an entry level or more senior job, whether you’re in the public or private sector, the authors hope their book will help you achieve ultimate success. Possessing Your STYLE is about more than dressing stylishly; it’s also about being confident and competent in your chosen profession.  The Little Black Book of Success is a great tool to help you Possess Your STYLE. The authors wrote the book to share their collective years of experience and knowledge so that those of us still in the trenches might benefit and then pass the torch to  future generations of leaders. Ultimately, their goal is to help women maximize their leadership potential — and possibly even exceed the expectations you have of yourself.

The Little Black Book of Success Authors, from left to right: Elaine Meryl Brown, Rhonda Joy Mclean, and Marsha Haygood

Good is Not Enough
www.keithwyche.com/buythebook.html
By Keith Wyche

“Good Is Not Enough” is a practical, no-nonsense guide to help minorities of all backgrounds better understand what is required to move beyond the level of middle management to senior level positions within corporate America . Wyche, a 2009 NAACP Image Award Nominee, states “Today, like never before, it is essential for minorities in business to understand the rules of engagement if they expect to survive in the race called Corporate America. All too often, careers of young, minority executives are left wrecked at the middle management level, as they fail to properly navigate the roads of right-sizing, mergers, acquisitions and other potholes of corporate life.”

Thousands of minority, middle management executives are frustrated, confused and burned out. They are good at what they do, their results are good, and their performance is as good as their peers, who seem to get ahead. To make matters worse, they typically lack the support of “mentors” and “sponsors”, those powerbrokers and influencers who provide guidance and direction within corporate America, to not only “survive”, but to “thrive” and enjoy successful, rewarding careers.

However, as the title suggests, to rise above the ranks of middle management and into the boardroom, “Good is Not Enough”. By sharing secrets of today’s minority senior executives, this book will serve as a tool to help prepare the next generation of minority leadership ascend to even greater heights and accomplishments. A must read for the individual who is serious about their career and who wants to gain the know-how that will enable them to springboard from middle management to the executive suite. The reader will discover how to re-evaluate and recalibrate an actionable development plan, based on the tips, secrets and experiences of those who have successfully made the transition to the top!