Hacking HR to Build an Adaptability Advantage

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This sprint ended on July 1.

SPRINT 2.1: INVENTING MINI HACKS

During sprint 1.3, the hackathon team collaboratively developed and prioritized a list of almost 60 design principles to make our organizations more adaptable and fit for the future. We've synthesized these ideas into nine key principles you can read more about in a post entitled The Design Principles of Adaptable Organizations.

We are now beginning the second phase of the hackathon, where we will begin to develop a set of management hacks: radical, yet practical ideas for re-inventing core HR processes and practices to spur adaptability across the organization.

Sprint 2.1 will last over 3 weeks, ending on July 1, and is perhaps the most exciting and creative part of the hackathon. In this sprint, we will develop a set of "mini hacks" -- short yet provocative ideas for how we can overcome one or more of the enemies of adaptability we identified during Sprint 1.1 + 1.2, drawing inspiration from the key design principles of adaptability we identified during Sprint 1.3.

For this sprint we have three tasks:


TASK 1: Read A short guide to developing mini hacks by Michele Zanini and the hackathon guide team to learn how to invent your own mini hacks.


TASK 2: Invent your own mini hacks. Share your initial ideas for "hacking" HR and creating truly adaptable organizations. You could use this chart to find one or more places you are interested in hacking at the intersection of key HR processes and the key principles of adaptability. Submit as many mini hacks as you like.

Note: you must be logged in to submit a new mini hack or to comment on an existing mini hack.


TASK 3:  Mark your calendar to participate in the upcoming June 25 hangout featuring Dan Pink: It’s the People, People: A conversation with Dan Pink and Polly LaBarre on 21st Century People Practices.


This sprint ended on July 1.
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andy-lippok's picture

Deming and others showed that when you look at the performance of an organisation (however you measure performance), about 85% to 95% (one can argue pointlessly about the precise figure but the scale is key) is due to the system, i.e. the way the work works and is designed. That...

By Andy Lippok on June 21, 2022
andy-lippok's picture

As Coens & Jenkins outline in their book "Abolishing Performance Appraisals", and as I've encountered in numerous on-line discussions and with hunderds of people within many organisations, and as outlined in a paper written by Prof Phil Taylor at the University of Strathclyde, I believe that performance management as practiced...

By Andy Lippok on June 21, 2022

Creativity, innovation, synthesizing ambiguity, re-imagining the possible, and making unexpected connections - all important stuff; all becoming (/is already) business imperative.

Finally, all of this is about the absence of (in nearly all cases) routine problem solving.

I'm definitely biased, but I think this means that if we (sometimes) want...

By Sean Schofield on June 21, 2022

The core challenge is to let energy be the currency for access to engage in executing pertinent ideas. I.e., freedom to work on what gets people excited, whilst ensuring alignment.

If the MIX is any indication, there are many people out there with lots of hunches, dreams, and a whack...

By Sean Schofield on June 21, 2022

Most major organizations have a vast amount of untapped employee data that sits across a number of platforms that fail to communicate with one another. The platforms were built with specific purposes in mind, eg acquisition, learning, performance. The legacy systems were costly and are now inefficient. HR should take...

TCOW or Total Cost Of Workforce in and of itself is meaningless, however it is absolutely fundamental to almost every metric calculation that show movement in investments in people, or Return on People (ROP). It's also very difficult to calculate without agreement from HR, finance, and line of business on...

Looking at the principles of Autonomy & Trust and Openess & Transparency, my mini hack aims to to establish the credibility and value of HR as a business partner by adapting the language and measurment principles of  the core business.  As long as HR continues to measure itself with the...

sue-waldock's picture

Despite the fact that much has been published and delivered through the concept of 'sharing best practice' it still appears to be immensely difficult for businesses and individuals within it to break down silos, and by doing so deliver significant competitive advantage to the internal and external stakeholders of their...

By Sue Waldock on June 21, 2022
giuseppe-gerardo-ciarambino's picture

In a rapidly changing environment, is it appropriate to continue to be based primarily on official qualifications and experience?

Or is it better appraise aspects of character, skills of ...

simon-gosney's picture

Too often, organisations propogate rather than enable creativity and innovation. One of the enemies of adaptability is Command-and-control systems (that) lead to organizations filled with anxious employees who are hesitant to take the initiative or trust their own judgment.

I see this manifested frequently in the form of posters, signs,...

By Simon Gosney on June 21, 2022

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