April/May 2008 Newsletter
April/May 2008
Welcome to the PageUp People Newsletter
At PageUp People we view the four key areas of talent management as elements which, when strategically integrated, combine to form a powerful business approach - exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. A recent PageUp People White Paper discusses Integrated Talent Management as being a critical "business challenge facing organisations this century". We firmly believe that by understanding each element and how they all fit together, professionals across any area of talent management will be better equipped to deal proactively with the changing face of human capital and ultimately, its impact on business sustainability.
This years newsletters will each address a key area of talent management, providing thought provoking discussion and an opportunity to stay in the loop with PageUp People and the latest development in the industry.
This issue focuses on Performance Management and covers the following:
1. Half Full versus Half Empty? The Power of a Positive Approach in Performance Management
2. Want to Help Your Performance Flourish?
Half Full versus Half Empty?
The Power of a Positive Approach in Performance Management
The Harvard Business Review recently drew attention to a psychological paradox: we tend to remember negative feedback, but we respond best to praise. The article goes on to provide a blueprint 'to discover who you are at your very best'.
Before extending this idea, let's take a step back. In 1998 Martin Seligman, then President of the American Psychological Association, pioneered the Positive Psychology movement. Seligman defined Positive Psychology as the study of strength and virtue. The antithesis of remedial psychology, this field is focused on building what is right rather than fixing what is wrong.
The primary purpose of Positive Psychology is to measure, understand and build human strengths. It is relevant across different fields of psychology - and across different aspects of our lives.
Positive Organisational Scholarship (POS) has lifted positive psychology principles into the business mainstream. An exciting new discipline in organisational behaviour, it focuses on improving individual and organisational performance through the development of human strengths. While in its infancy, past research provides a sound basis for this approach.
We already know:
- Most feedback is corrective
- Individuals remember negative information
- Individuals respond best to praise
- Five positive comments to one negative comment fuels higher levels of individual performance
- Positive organisational attributes, such as trust and resilience, reap strong bottom line results.
In practice POS has direct implications for the management and development of organisational and individual performance. At an organisational level it provides a positive focus for culture change initiatives: celebrate achievements, encourage employee flexibility, build trust, energy and enthusiasm. At an individual level it encourages managers and employees to tap into their strengths, reach greater potential, and so contribute more to their organisation. On the flip side, a strength-orientation is also thought to offer a better understanding of weaknesses, and to build one's confidence to address them.
A core focus of the POS discipline is the development of tools and assessments that can help organisations adopt a positive orientation and improve their practices.
For more information about POS see www.bus.umich.edu/positive, or explore Positive Psychology at: www.positivepsychology.org.
Want to Help Your Performance Flourish?
The PageUp People Performance Management solution is designed to get the most out of your talent by providing you with best practice technology as well as consulting support for your Hiring Managers.
Just like our Recruitment Management solution, our web-based Performance Management tool is designed to streamline and enhance your process with the additional benefit of being underpinned by a Capability Framework.
The Capability Framework is a key component of your performance management process ensuring your performance related discussions are a strategic component of your human capital activities through being linked to your business objectives. Concerned that your Capability Framework is not up to scratch?
Not a problem, PageUp People has a robust Capability Framework, designed by our Senior Organisational Psychologists that will raise your talent management strategies To learn more about our Performance Management technology or consulting services, please contact your closest PageUp People office.
PageUp People News
Visit our new online Resource Centre for free best practice resources!
We have received so much interest in our Integrated Talent Management Whitepaper that we have created a Resource Centre on our website for everyone to download our research free! To subscribe to our podcast, listen to our audio files or access our Whitepapers, please visit our website at www.pageuppeople.com
Another Global Deal for PageUp People!
PageUp People recently announced one of the largest deals in its history, the signing of global giant, Anglo American. Anglo American have elevated their partnership with PageUp People, from being localised in Australia with part of the Anglo Coal division, to now additionally underpinning the recruitment drive across Southern Africa, UK and South America. Despite looking into other vendors with global experience, the usability and global functionality of the PageUp People Recruitment Management solution supported the decision to extend the use to a world wide scale.
The deal, bolstered by a winning streak of new clients, places PageUp People with continued strong revenue growth of over 30% for the financial year to date.
PageUp People opens New York Office!
A fundamental step as a player in the global arena, PageUp People is pleased to announce its new office in the Big Apple, New York City. Stay tuned for exciting developments from our offshore offices.
Upcoming Events
PageUp People is sponsoring several key events on the Talent Management calendar:
Australasian Talent Conference
Sydney - 15-16 April 2008
Please visit us at Booth 10 and listen out for Sylvia Vorhauser, General Manager, Client Portfolio Management's presentation on 15th April 2008.
2008 Australian Employer Branding Summit
Sydney - 17 June 2008 9am-5pm
Melbourne - 24 June 2008 9am-5pm
Olympia, London - 8-19 June 2008
Friends of PageUp People are eligible for discounts on some of the above events. For further information on how you can take advantage of these offers, please contact the PageUp People marketing department on marketing@pageuppeople.com.
2008 Breakfast Series
PageUp People's 2008 breakfast series is in full swing with guest speakers presenting in Melbourne and Sydney throughout the year on best practice and trends across the four key areas of talent management.
Kevin Wheeler, will be presenting at the Melbourne breakfast on 24th April. Kevin is a globally known speaker, author, teacher and consultant in human capital acquisition and development, as well as an expert on corporate education. If you are interested in attending this event and would like to keep up to date with future events, please email marketing@pageuppeople.com.
Not able to attend the breakfast but keen to keep up to date with ongoing PageUp People research and interviews? No problem! Simply subscribe to the PageUp People Podcast, located at the Resource Centre on the PageUp People website and we will ensure you are up to date on the latest trends.
What did you think of this issue?
At PageUp People we are continually looking to improve our e-newsletter. If you have any suggestions for future issues, please contact our marketing department on marketing@pageuppeople.com.