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As a profession, Human Resources has been transforming from a transaction-focused activity (benefits, compensation, etc.) to a more strategic business partner. In that role, HR is facing a series of challenges from attracting the right talent from among a population that has different expectations than their predecessors to driving a culture that translates into employee engagement and delivery of tthe customer experience. HR leaders are expected to drive culture, maintain a positive employee experience, and promote trust and transparency in their companies.
These challenges were identified through a series of interviews with HR leaders and outlined in a report from ROI Communications. In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz talks with report authors Lesli Gee and Nolan Sundrud about the findings and their relevance to internal communicators.
You can get the report — 2016 HR Challenges Report: Diversity, Data and the Downfall of the Annual Review — here.
About Our Conversation Partners
As an expert in change management, Lesli Gee helps organizations achieve their full potential. “Change management and communication are two sides of the same coin. You can’t achieve change without communicating effectively, but communication alone won’t transform organizations unless you also shift strategy, structure and culture,” she said. “I love helping organizations do all of that.”
Lesli, who joined ROI Communication in 2002, has spent more than two decades helping executives design and execute large-scale change initiatives to strengthen organizational culture, streamline processes and improve performance. She has worked closely with leaders at Adobe, Cisco, Gap, Hewlett-Packard, PepsiCo, Safeway, Toyota, Walgreens and other leading companies to help their organizations adapt to new challenges and achieve their business goals.
Prior to joining ROI Communication, Lesli was the director of Internal Communications and Organizational Development for Maxtor Corporation, where she built internal communication, organizational development and training capabilities following the $6 billion Maxtor-Quantum HDD merger. Earlier, Lesli worked as director of Talent Development at Quantum Corporation, and managed Aetna Life & Casualty’s Training and Development Field Services team.
Lesli earned a B.S. in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. in Organization Development from the University of San Francisco. She is also past president of the Mt. Diablo Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. She has won numerous industry awards for her work, and in 2012 was named as one of the “Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business.”
For more than 20 years, Nolan Sundrud, ABC, has provided strategic thinking, expert counsel, and creativity to organizations in the manufacturing, retail, health care and human resource industries. During that time, Nolan has developed the judgment to guide clients through virtually any challenge involving change, communication and culture. “Power comes from knowledge, and the more you share that knowledge, the more you empower people to achieve common goals,” he said.
He joined ROI Communication in 2014, and his internal communications work for Toyota earned PRWeek’s 2015 Best Internal Communications Campaign of the Year, and a 2015 Gold Quill for Change Communications. Nolan also teaches communications theory and public relations in the University of Denver’s master’s program. He holds a degree in Public Relations from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Colorado State University.
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