Paragraph published in Human Resource
Development by David Megginson, Paul Banfield and Jennifer Joy-Matthews, second edition, 1999, Kogan Page.
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Authenticity and HRD
for the New Millennium
By Tony Page
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I have just looked back in time (with
help from Bill Gate's encyclopedia),
to see that 1000 years ago we were in the dark ages. There was serfdom, hunger,
cold, poverty, disease...and we were emerging from centuries of stagnation.
Coming to our present time, I notice
echoes from the past and I wonder how far have we
really moved. There is still hunger, poverty, disease in the world. We are
still on the brink of something (hopefully positive!) in
My father became a management trainer in
the late 1960s. Since then we have had an almost exponential growth in HRD
activities and budgets and I sense a growing awareness of human psychology in
the workplace as I meet more and more emotionally intelligent managers. But the
indications are that our organisations are still accessing only a fraction of
the potential wisdom, creativity and energy available from people. I still
notice mixed messages from business leaders, saying for
example, we want to win our people's hearts and minds, and at the same time
treating people as if they had no hearts or minds. This for me is the context
for today's HRD.
I believe our HRD role is to dismantle
some of the artificial barriers between people, and within people, and bring
out their intelligence. First between people: our organisations lock people in
boxes with labels, such as customer, employee, supplier, manager,
shareholder...and then treat them as if that is all they are. We do not harvest
the shared wisdom that is available in each person to person relationship.
Second, within people: each of us holds alot of
ourselves back to survive in the intense, driven, oppressive, judging cultures
of organisations undergoing change. How much of our true dream, motivation,
skill and talent can then get accessed through our work?
Perhaps this helps to explain why I have
settled on a single word, authenticity, as an
aspiration (although not always achieved!) for each conversation I have as I
work in the field of HRD. If I can be authentic and encourage others to be,
then I think we expand the possibility. Far from being "nice to
have", I believe authenticity directly enhances team and organisational
performance, and that in competitive labour markets, where people move
employers regularly, authentic cultures may become the attractors of talent in
the years ahead. After all, would anyone sensible want to work anywhere else?
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-----Original
Message-----
From: Jenny JOY-MATTHEWS
[SMTP:J.Joy-Matthews@shu.ac.uk]
Sent:
To: tonypage@dircon.co.uk
Subject: Re: RE: RE: Book quote - please
Thanks it is stunning!
I will let you have a
copy of the chapter when we have put it together,
thanks once again
Jenny
-----Original
Message-----
From: tonypage [SMTP:tonypage@dircon.co.uk]
Sent:
To: 'Jenny JOY-MATTHEWS'
Subject: RE: RE: Book quote - please
Jenny
Well here it
is.
Sorry if it's
a bit long. Trust you'll edit as necessary. I'd like to see the end result in
context. Could you send me a copy of the proof of the chapter in which it
appears?
Glad you
found inspiration in D of a CA and I hope what appears below does not
disappoint. I enjoyed writing it!
Please send
my regards to David.
I'd
appreciate any comments/feedback.
Tony
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-----Original
Message-----
From: Jenny JOY-MATTHEWS
[SMTP:J.Joy-Matthews@shu.ac.uk]
Sent:
To: tonypage@dircon.co.uk
Subject: Re: RE: Book quote - please
Tony
thanks for replying so promptly
1
The deadline is asap Dave is
trying to extend it but I guess next
week would be great!! (well for the
editor if not the rest of us!!)
2
One normal sized paragraph would be ideal
3
I found your comments about authenticity to be really useful and I
would like you to write on that.
I
hope that this helps and look forward to hearing from you
thanks in advance
Jenny
-----Original
Message-----
From: tonypage [SMTP:tonypage@dircon.co.uk]
Sent:
To: 'Jenny JOY-MATTHEWS'
Subject: RE: Book quote - please
Jenny
Thanks for
your EMail. Yes in principle. 3 questions:
1. What's the
deadline
2. How many
words
3. What could
you imagine me saying in this short para (give me a
clue to fire my imagination!)
Tony
-----Original
Message-----
From: Jenny JOY-MATTHEWS [SMTP:J.Joy-Matthews@shu.ac.uk]
Sent:
To: tonypage@dircon.co.uk
Subject: Book quote - please
Hello
I
am re-writing a book Magginson, Joy-Matthews and Banfield HRD for
Managers
Kogan Page and would like to end with quotes from
notable
people, We have found your Diary of a change agent to be
inspirational
and wondered if you would write a paragraph about
authenticity and hrd
for the new millenium?
Dave
Megginson sends his best regards,
Do
let me know if you will be able to provide a quote, as usual the
deadline is very tight. I look forward to hearing from you and
thanks
for insights that have changed my view on a variety of
things!
Jenny
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