Professionalisation of the HR Function in transitional societies

1
Professionalisation of the HR Function in
transitional societies

• The role of professional educational programmes
  experiences in Russia and Azerbaijan
• David Doughty Director of International HR
  Developments

2
HR Practitioner as a profession

• Characteristics and traits distinctive
  competencies
• Formalised period of training leading to
  certification
• Gaining greater credibility and influence

3
Background to the Programme - Russia

• Master class April 2003 in Moscow attended by
  28 specialists
• Anecdotal evidence of relatively low status of HR
  function
• Participants from major global blue chips with
  commitment to long term presence in Russia
• Key HR Issues
• Power and influence of the function
• Retention and development of talent
• Recruitment concerns in key skill areas
• First PDPM cohort 30 students from a
  cross-section of middle ranking HR managers from
  many most prominent multi-national, local Russian
  companies and NGOs
• Second PDPM cohort - 28 students - similar
  representation

4
Background to the Programme - Azerbaijan

• Involvement in a number of educational programmes
  in Azerbaijan since 1994, relationship developed
  with multi national BP teaching technical staff
• Approached to deliver PDPM in Baku
• First PDPM cohort May 2006, 20 students from
  mainly BP BUE Caspian, senior HR roles
• Second PDPM cohort Oct 2007, 19 Students BP
  BUE Caspian, middle level HR roles
• Key Issues
• Resourcing and retention
• Credibility and influence of the HR Function
• Driving force to gain CIPD membership to enhance
  professional status

5
Context of Transitional Societies

• Localisation Programme Azerbaijan
• Russianisation of companies Russia
• Global Economy/Platform

6
Structure of the Programme

• 11 Workshops of 4 days duration over 18 months
• Pre and post workshop work with regular
  assessments
• Variety of assessment including exams, case
  studies, individual and group presentations,
  assignments, management research report
• Delivered at local venue from visiting NBS
  faculty

7
Induction

• Criticality of establishing the learning
  relationship
• Developing the learning relationship
• Identifying expectations
• Matching expectations
• Cultural adaptation
• The assessment regime
• Creating an enjoyable learning environment
• Clarifying the role of NBS tutors

8
Participants expectations

• New ideas with application
• Qualification
• Sharing best practise from UK and Russian/Azeri
  colleagues
• Conceptual understanding
• Networking
• Professional Knowledge
• Link between business and HR Strategy
• Experience
• New Skills
• Different Learning Approaches
• Help to develop the future of HR in Russia and
  Azerbaijan
• FUN

9
What students bring to the programme

• Sharing of diverse backgrounds
• Understanding of Russian and Azeri context
• Development of the CIPD in Russia, Azerbaijan and
  worldwide
• Commitment and motivation
• Creativity
• Open minds
• Team Working
• Challenge tutors/colleagues
• Inform tutors

10
The Value of a Professional Qualification

• The students perspective
• CIPD and its reputation
• Relative standing of HR professionmeasured
  against other functional specialisms?
• Why do companies sponsor their employees?
• Career/Personal Development
• Managing expectations

11
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (CIPD)

• The professional body for those involved in the
  management and development of people.
• Over 130,000 individual members
• 4,000 international members in over 120
  countries including Kazakhstan, Malaysia,
  Barbados, Canada, USA, Jamaica, Chile, Argentina,
  Mexico, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Syria, UAE, Kuwait,
  Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus Belarus, Latvia,
  Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Croatia, Austria,
  Spain etc.
• Viewed globally as a leader in supporting the
  practice of, and research around, the human
  resource profession.
• Chartered membership is increasingly being
  recognised by large employers outside of the UK
  as a standard for human resource practice.

12
Student Feedback - Russia

• I would like to say that I greatly enjoyed the
  course and the learning process we went through.
  It was intense and sometimes unexpectedly time
  consuming, although the quality of the programme
  was very good (Zhanna Doritskaya, April 2007)
• Nottingham Trent University have as part of its
  missionto change the lives of its students and
  societies it operates in your course has truly
  done this and I and my colleagues will forever be
  grateful to you and your teaching team (Ludmila
  Shvetsova, May 2007)

13
Student Feedback Baku

• Nottingham Trent Universitys People
  Management and Development Programme run in Baku
  is a good example of brining learning to work.
  The experience of the teachers and the structure
  of material ensured that vital link between
  theory and practice often missing in
  post-graduate education. NTU also managed to hit
  the spot between accommodating the reality of the
  developing location while rigorously maintaining
  its standards. According to the students,
  development of the thinking performer culture
  through provocative discussions and honest
  assessment taught them to fish for their own
  solutions rather than gave them the fish
  itself.
• Narmina Nabyeva, August 2008

14
Student Progress

• 7 of Russian cohort 1 have had promotions since
  commencing the programme to more senior roles
• Major promotion achieved by one student made a
  partner at Ernst Young in Moscow
• A number of Azeri graduates have been promoted
  into more senior roles
• International mobility enhanced
• Graduates moved to UK, Germany, Netherlands,
  USA, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Uzbekistan

15
The Future?

• Immense talent of participants
• Huge intellectual capabilities and levels of
  commitment
• Real desire to enhance professionalism and make a
  contribution to organisation and societal success
  creation of an HR community
• Strongly aspirational
• Internationally mobile with global mindset

16
Other Benefits

• Articles and conference papers written/presented
  e.g. Learning and Tensions in Managerial
  Intercultural Encounters
• Departmental text book includes case studies
  based on working in Azerbaijan and Russia
• Knowledge transfer between UK, Russia and
  Azerbaijan re HR practices
• Development and internationalisation of teaching
  team

17
In Summary

• Development of the HR profession in transitional
  societies
• OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
• As opposed to OPPORTUNITY LOST in many developed
  western economies