Posts Tagged Verax
Verax International announces new research findings which will be incorporated into its highly advanced organisational change and effectiveness diagnostics too, “Organisational Transitions” (OTI)
Posted by Internet Business Press in Verax on October 9, 2014
October 9th 2014. Odiham, Hants. Verax International Ltd, as part of its on going research into organisational effectiveness, has, following research, isolated factors involving maturity of an organisation that can apply to organisations of any size and any market sector. The factors are responsible for organisational ineffectiveness in terms of hindering the achievement of corporate goals, customer satisfaction, ability to change and grow, staff retention etc.
The factors will be incorporated into Verax’s organisational change and effectiveness diagnostics tool, Organisational Transitions (OTI) effective from October 8th 2014.
“It is essential for organisations to identify and deal with systemic factors, or organisational de-railers, because they can have up to three times the impact of any positive effectiveness factor,” says Keith Bedingham, Chairman, Verax International.
“They may exist in strategy implementation, leadership, performance management and or in organisation structure, systems, processes and procedures. It’s important to get to the root cause of the reasons they exist and address it.”
Verax’s research revolved around identifying the source of organisational de-railers. Incorporating them into OTI will enable the tool to deliver yet more sophisticated results.
Says Bedingham, “The source is typically an organisation’s maturity level. The level has nothing to do with how long the organisation has been established but more with how the organisation is managed and how it, or its senior managers, responds to external events.
“As organisations become more mature, the de-railers diminish. Organisations have to be managed in order to achieve different levels of maturity. The journey is not necessarily linear and organisations can and do shift from more to less mature levels as well as from less to more.”
Keith Bedingham, Chairman, Verax International
And Bedingham warns, “With the economic upheavals of the last five years or so, many organisations will have shifted to a less mature state than they might have been enjoyed earlier.”
About the levels of maturity
Low maturity organisations are likely to be focused on “efficiencies”, cost savings, monthly revenues, and compliance. Risk management tends to be ad hoc. Punishment and blame when things go wrong are the reward systems.
Selection is likely to be based on “technical” skills and behavioural fit and based on immediate need. Training and development is incidental, on the job and “technical”. 360 degree tools don’t work due to low levels of trust.
Organisation structure is likely to be hierarchical and siloed.
Decision making is likely to be based on information provided by management and based on limited criteria. Senior managers appear to be more interested in their own self importance with little attention paid to other stakeholders’ interests.
The above attributes mean that immature organisations have difficulty breaking through various plateaux e.g. revenue levels, growth etc. Growth typically occurs through major external investment, mergers/acquisitions or unexpected larger sales. Organisations may not be at the same level on all factors at one time.
Medium Maturity Organisations
Here managers are thinking about at least a five year plan, new market innovations or a new business model.
Management tends to be aligned to longer term objectives. Executive evaluation is part of the culture. Stakeholders and other external influences contribute to decision making. There is common risk assessment based on understanding the causes of risk.
Learning and development becomes more sophisticated including professional use of 360 degree tools, coaching and performance management. Selection is done with an eye to the future.
High Maturity Organisations
Here the concern is to translate business value into societal value. Managers and staff are motivated to serve the needs and objectives of the Company which is being re-shaped for the next 20 years.
Diverse perspectives are sought and used. There are likely to be heavy hitting non execs on the board. Risk is embedded in daily activities, prioritised, evaluated and responded to accordingly.
Organisation structures are likely to be more complex e.g. matrix, partnerships etc. Learning is likely to be based on future organisational needs, involving a mix of approaches including 360 degree tools and coaching, directly aligned to the business aimed at creating appropriate business leaders.
Selection considers potential contribution, especially to growth, change, achievement and sustainability.
Many senior executives believe their organisation to be more mature than it is in reality. This results in frustration, poor management of change and disappointing business results.
For more information please contact Keith Bedingham on telephone +44 (0) 1256 395050 or email info@verax.co.uk
Verax – OTI link http://www.verax.co.uk/organisational-bullets.html#oti-rt
“Aligning Talent with Business Strategy” – summary of Verax-led seminar
Posted by Internet Business Press in Verax on June 10, 2014
June 10th, 2014, Odiham, Hants. Verax International’s seminar in London last month, entitled “Aligning Talent with Business Strategy”, discussed issues arising from major skills gaps in organisations and how to close those gaps most effectively.
Some of the major talent gaps identified during open discussion were
• Relationship and people skills
• Performance management
• Adaptability/change/innovation
Keith Bedingham, Chairman, Verax International, comments, “As a result of the discussion, I believe we can define talent as ‘the ability to deliver the results the business needs.’”
The seminar agreed that the way people behave in organisations determines how successfully an organisation can implement and achieve its strategy. However, obstacles to progress included organisational culture, typically defined as “the way things are done around here”.
Delegates were reminded that “Culture can eat strategy for breakfast” (Peter Drucker), and that “there needs to be an appropriate culture directly in tune with the business strategy. This in turn means that staff need to know how they can behave appropriately in order to deliver, which includes what is expected of them,” says Bedingham.
“Verax research shows what kind of behaviour directly impacts the various aspects of business performance and the precise nature of the relationship between what people do and the results that the organisation achieves.”
Martin Bushell, Head of Tata Consulting Service’s Business School, demonstrated that focusing development on business needs pays off and results in increasing business. One route was using Verax’s Personal Effectiveness Profile [PEP] and developing appropriate adaptability in team members; that way, he had been able to change the effectiveness of team members, and the “team climate”, to the extent that “it impressed TCS clients, increased business through winning additional contracts and gained requests from clients to do the same for them.”
Kris Wadia, formerly with Accenture and now head of Humanized Leadership, highlighted the challenges of working in a “virtual world” and how lack of human contact – not being able to experience the behaviour of others – “can seriously damage trust between individuals and hence business performance.”
He proposed some novel development ideas that would help overcome the potential barriers created by operating in a “virtual world”. And both he and Martin Bushell reinforced the value of “developing people in an environment that closely mimics the real environment in which they will work.”
The seminar discussed ways of demonstrating the value of talent development to the business and ways of calculating a financial ROI on any development, change, or coaching intervention. An example was how an organisation’s strategic priorities affect the value of the development outcomes, including which are the most important in terms of achieving the strategic objectives.
“We saw that organisations often create barriers to achieving a greater ROI, transfer of learning, and personal productivity, through the way that procedures, processes and structures are designed and implemented,” says Bedingham.
“In summary, appropriate adaptability needs to be recruited and developed if we are to see employees demonstrating the talent that an organisation needs in order to achieve its goals.”
Included in Adaptability are:
• Self-confidence – Self belief that you can handle what is thrown at you
• Fearlessness – Coolness under pressure
• Mental toughness – Empathy, Trust, Respect
• Focus
What organisations don’t want is:
• Unthinking ruthlessness
• Impulsivity
… “because they are likely to lead to mistakes,” says Bedingham.
“Learn from the past, live in the moment, don’t get anxious about the future,” he adds.
Web: verax.co.uk
…ends…
Free seminar in London on May 23rd for Heads of Business, Heads of Business Development and Heads of HR
Posted by Internet Business Press in Uncategorized, Verax on May 14, 2014
Aligning Talent Development with Business Strategy – A Global Perspective
“Culture could eat Strategy for Breakfast” [Peter Drucker]
May 14th 2014. Odiham [Hants]. Verax International Ltd and two of its global clients will be presenting their experiences of aligning global talent development with the business strategy, at a free seminar in London on May 23rd. “One lesson to be learned is that significant breakthroughs can be made in the area of aligning talent with strategy,” says Verax Chairman Keith Bedingham. “In one case, a company won a contract worth £25m from what had originally looked like a losing position.”
The seminar will be full of practical ideas and tips from Kris Wadia, a former managing director with Accenture and now Head of Humanized Leadership [Accenture], and Martin Bushell, Head of Tata Consulting Service’s Business School.
Verax will present its integrated system that scientifically calculates the relationship between leadership and talent development and business strategy.
Verax will also demonstrate its online system that calculates a financial ROI on learning and development.
The event starts at 10:30 on 23rd May, at the Knapp Gallery, Regents University, Regents Park, London, NW1 4NS.
For more information and an invitation to the seminar, contact Keith Bedingham, Verax International Ltd, Tel 01252 395 050, email info@verax.co.uk Link: http://www.verax.co.uk/newsletter-0414.html
About Verax
For more than 30 years, Verax has been researching and developing a rigorous, scientific, evidence-based methodology that pinpoints exactly what, where, when and if changes are necessary to achieve an organisation totally aligned to create its strategic objectives.
The company has worked internationally with major organisations to help them operate more efficiently – making significant improvements to effectiveness and business (revenue and profit) results.
Verax specialises in enabling clients make their strategy work, speedily and at all levels throughout the organisation.
Web: verax.co.uk
About Kris Wadia
Kris Wadia is Founder of Humanized Leadership, which demonstrates how to lead multi-cultural teams, especially when cost-controls require management of them by “virtual” means using email, conference calls and the occasional video conference. During his tenure as a managing director at Accenture, he developed talent across 30 countries while shaping a bespoke Global Delivery Network culture for more than 150,000 employees.
About Martin Bushell
Martin Bushell is Head of Tata Consulting Services Business School. At the seminar he will explain how linking talent development with business strategy generated a £25 million contract for customer.
…ends…
Note to the press:
For further information contact Keith Bedingham, Verax International
info@verax.co.uk Tel 01256 395050
or Paul Whitehead, Western Associates PR,
paul@western-pr.com Tel 01403 711177
Leadership – its impact on safety and accidents
Posted by Internet Business Press in Verax on April 3, 2013
Report by Keith Bedingham, Chairman, Verax International.
April 3rd 2013. Sharon Clarke of the Manchester University Business School recently published (March 2013 edition of the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology) her findings on the relationship between Leadership practices and safety behaviour and accidents.
Her findings were based on a study over 5000 people working in hazardous environments. To summarise, Sharon found two types of leadership styles or practices, each of which impacted safety behaviour differently.
(i) Transformational Leadership
This consisted of: –
– A vision for the future which supports the achievement of safety goals
– Demonstrating in their own behaviour that safety is important.
– Inspiring and encouraging individuals to reach higher safety levels and a “safety voice” speaking up about safety issues.
– Allowing staff to suggest new and innovative ways (not risky solutions) of reaching safety targets.
– Coaching, caring/demonstrating a concern for employees’ safety and wellbeing.
– Proactively monitoring employees’ behaviour and correcting errors before they lead to problems.
This led to:
– Close attention to safety rules and regulations by employees and greater safety compliance.
– Greater trust between managers and their direct reports.
– Greater safety participation.
– Staff prepared to go beyond formal obligations.
– Higher levels of safety performance.
(ii) Transactional Leadership
– Emphasising rule based compliance
– Active monitoring of staff
-Intervening in a visible way when problems occur
-Providing feedback on errors
-“Walk the talk” about safety
This led to:
– A perceived positive safety climate
– Safety compliance
– Less safety participation
A highly critical and punishment approach i.e. “catch them doing something wrong” was seen to increase the likelihood of accidents and more dangerous safety behaviour.
These findings are interesting in that they chime with Verax research into safety behaviour and as used in our Organisational (OTI) Health & Safety survey and our individual (Personal Effectiveness Profile – PEP) Safety and Wellbeing 360.
Verax found that informal recognition and praise for “good” safety performance was one of the factors most responsible for positive safety behaviour and low accident rates.
From a personal perspective, PEP, Self Presentation (Self Image, Self Worth, Self Confidence) – all of which could be bolstered by positive recognition – had the most positive impact on individual safety behaviour and on personal accidents, minor illness, and absenteeism.
One conclusion that can be drawn from all these studies is that while organisations can do whatever they can to create safe environments and draw up policies, rules, regulations etc to keep people safe, it is in the interaction between manager and employee that we find the subtle nuances of human attitudes and behaviour that ultimately make the difference between safe/unsafe behaviour, accidents and injury.
Ref. Clarke. S. Safety Leadership; A meta – analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours: Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology (2013), 86, 22 – 49
…ends…
HR needs to prove its value
Posted by Internet Business Press in Verax on February 28, 2013
By Keith Bedingham, Chairman, Verax International
In the Sunday Times 27.1.13 Hannah Prevett claimed that HR needs to make itself as relevant as Finance or Marketing. We agree.
The problem expressed by KPMG’s Robert Bolton is that HR needs to be more evidence based, get under the skin of specific business challenges and prove its value. We agree.
Staff are recruited to add value, i.e. make a contribution to business results. Organisations are changed and staff are trained, developed to make a bigger contribution. HR has so far not been able to prove the added value of those contributions.
HR departments have been able to show cost savings in recruitment as a result of reducing staff turnover. They have not been able to prove the value to the organisation of those they have recruited.
Learning & Development, including coaching and change programmes, may have been well costed, and anecdotal evidence provided to prove results. It has been difficult if not impossible to put a financial value on these activities! Based on various research studies, some 75% of change initiatives apparently fail.
Now all that has changed.
Verax International has developed a Human Capital Measurement tool which calculates the financial value of the contribution staff make to business results. This enables HR to prove the financial value to the organisational results of recruitment, engagement and other HR led activities.
It also identifies organisational and/or individual issues that help or hinder.
An application of the product also enables the calculation of a Financial ROI on any training, e-learning, coaching or change management programme.
This makes HR relevant, able to deal with real business/organisational issues, and so prove its value.
Ends
For further information please contact Keith Bedingham, Verax International, www.verax.co.uk
<a href=”mailto:info@verax.co.uk”>info@verax.co.uk</a> +44 (0)1252 849300
or Paul Whitehead, Western Associates PR, <a href=”mailto:paul@western-pr.com”>paul@western-pr.com</a>
+44 (0)1403 711177
Verax announces PEP-Select, a new-generation recruitment selection online tool with integrated De-railer Index
Posted by Internet Business Press in Recruitment selection and analysis, Verax on September 10, 2012
PEP-Select is designed for talent spotting, maximising ROI in candidates – and identifying rogue candidates.
September 10th 2012, Hartley Wintney, UK. Verax International has launched PEP-Select, a new-generation, online tool with an integrated De-railer Index. PEP-Select minimises the risk of recruiting the wrong candidate while helping to recruit those who will add value to the employer organisation.
Based on extensive research – and experience of developing organisational, team and personal effectiveness diagnostics – PEP-Select looks for adaptability in a candidate and shows how effective that candidate is likely to be. The De-railer Index identifies rogue candidates, including senior executives and other managers whose actions or behaviour could blow a business off course.
“Adaptability in a candidate is key,” says Verax chairman Keith Bedingham. “It correlates highly with on-job effectiveness, irrespective of role, and can be used across roles to help identify new rising stars in any part of an organisation. It is a good predictor of senior management potential.
“Individually or together, characteristics associated with adaptability and effectiveness drive ROI and add value. The more a candidate has of them, the better will be the value added to the business,” he says.
More about the PEP-Select De-railer Index
The De-railer Index minimises the risk of recruiting the wrong candidate, by identifying specific issues that could inhibit the candidate’s effectiveness in the client organisation.
“A ‘de-railer’ characteristic in a candidate can have three times more negative impact than a productive characteristic,” Bedingham adds. “By identifying potential problems at the recruitment stage, the index can save later costs associated with disruption and loss of contribution to productivity – or worse.”
The De-railer Index’s report displays a candidate’s specific de-railers from among a range of counterproductive attitudes and behaviour and displays the results in an easily understood colour coded format.
More about PEP-Select
PEP Select is a cloud application, meaning that users do not install it on their computers. Its cost per candidate is £45.00 + VAT, with discounts applying at quantities above 50 candidates.
PEP-Select profiles the precise behaviour, motivations and attitudes required for the results that a business needs today, while being flexible to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Current methods have produced the following results:
Research shows that 40% of new hires leave in the first year [an average performer breaks-even only after more than two years in the job]; 43% of line managers are seen as ineffective; 80% of employees do not contribute to their organisation as needed [50% of staff could contribute twice their current value.]
PEP-Select ensures the recruiter recruits the following: those most likely to deliver the results the organisation needs; the most productive people; good team members and network builders; those who cope best with change and different circumstances; resourceful and persistent individuals; those who fit well now and as the organisation changes; those with the capacity to grow [both professionally and personally, in both breadth and depth]; authentic people who genuinely want to be effective and successful employees.
A pre-launch field trial of PEP-Select led one user – a manager at an NHS Trust – to comment, “The PEP-Select results were scarily accurate. We are delighted with the candidates we selected using PEP-Select. They are already contributing at a very high level.”
More at http://www.verax.co.uk/PEP-Select.html
Email info@verax.co.uk
…ends…
Note to the press: For further information contact…
Keith Bedingham, Verax International,
info@verax.co.uk +44 (0)1252 849300
or Paul Whitehead, Western Associates PR,
paul@western-pr.com +44 (0)1403 711177
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