Does HR need rock stars?
HR 'rock stars' are everywhere, particularly at conferences and on Twitter. But who precisely are they – and are they pointing us in the wrong direction?A Google search for ‘HR rock star’ yields more than 22 million results.
A search for ‘HR effectiveness’ serves up 21.5 million.
This, at a glance, tells us something about the prevalence of the ‘HR rock star’ movement, which appears to be growing in influence all the time.
The majority of the search results appear to come from our American counterparts, who, let’s face it, aren’t known for their fear of hyperbole.
However, the movement is also well established on this side of the Atlantic and shows no sign of abating. It can be seen at conferences and in presentations, articles and social media.
If you’re not familiar with it, the ‘HR rock star’ thing appears to be an attempt by some HR thinkers to brand an area of HR as something different. Cooler, edgier, perhaps more dangerous, than how HR is typically perceived.
HR rock stars are becoming as ubiquitous as social media ‘gurus’ and coding ‘ninjas’. And the term is close to being as incongruous as those.
Attention seekers
So what exactly is an ‘HR rock star’, and why should the profession pay them any attention?
Thinking of some of the typical rock star traits, it’s hard to imagine them being applied to HR. Prodigious booze and drug intake? Private jet? Trashing of equipment? Early death? Nope – not very HR, any of those. Perhaps the closest rock star aspiration for an HR professional is to retire early and open a trout farm somewhere.
Ben Moss, managing director of business psychology consultancy Robertson Cooper, says there are some rock star behaviours that might benefit organisations – but others might not be so welcome.
‘Rock stars can have qualities that many people in the world of business might envy, such as confidence, raw talent, being a role model for others and achieving success. But the label brings with it other connotations, such as rebelliousness, which can of course sometimes be desirable in business,’ says Moss.
‘But what about less desirable attributes, like impulsive or instinctive pleasure seeking behaviour, that we often associate with real rock stars?’
There is also, Moss adds, an inherent incongruity at the heart of the topic. “Could there be any organisational function less inherently ‘rock star’ than HR?” he asks.
“Of course, in a sense this is the point that self-appointed HR rock stars are seizing upon – HR is apparently so ‘dry’ that the irony of associating something ‘sexy’ with it might get people’s attention. The question is, how far can the rock star analogy be stretched and still remain relevant or meaningful – and is an audience of HR professionals, however tired of the status quo they might be, even looking for that particular voice anyway?”
Perhaps the most telling definition of a rock star is the one offered by Wikipedia. Instead of defining the term, Wikipedia redirects to a page on celebrity. There, it offers:
“A celebrity is a person, who has a prominent profile and commands some degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media.”
So, there’s a theme running through these definitions, and it’s nothing to do with rock music.
Fame. Celebrity. Infamy, even.
Fifteen minutes of fame
Is this it? Have we stumbled across the true definition of a rock star, and therefore an HR rock star? Do aspiring ‘HR rock stars’ simply want their fifteen minutes?
If this is the case, it’s interesting to consider what they want to be famous for.
Look at the example of this ’HR rock star’ blog, put together by a US-based HR professional, and which is one of the higher search results thrown up by Google.
The blog offers – as far as I can see – no evidence whatsoever of rock star behaviour. It does, however, include an author profile.
“Catherine is a certified Human Resources professional currently working in the telecommunications sector. With over a decade of HR experience below her belt with a focus on Recruitment and Selection and Training and Development, her true passion is people and helping them realize their full potential.”
Now, it’s not very rock and roll. But, it’s a description of a fairly passionate and experienced HR professional. Furthermore, the blog’s content is useful, insightful stuff from somebody who appears to care deeply about her profession.
So why isn’t that enough? Is it not sufficient to be an effective, committed practitioner in your field without branding yourself with an empty epithet?
It appears that, instead of achieving a professional profile by emphasising your achievements, working methods, career successes, even your qualifications, the quick way to get yourself a headline in HR now is simply to call yourself a rock star. You don’t even have to substantiate it.
Obsolete Exercise
It’s understandable that some HR folk might set out to draw attention to their work and practices, and set themselves apart from their peers by badging themselves as something different. But if they then fail to support that with any demonstrable differences in how they operate, doesn’t that render the entire exercise obsolete?
Moss says, ‘There’s no doubt that HR’s brand and identity is ripe for some refreshing, but that has to be authentic too. A more agile, challenging and fast-moving HR community would be a positive thing – so maybe there is room for new identities to promote this change, but they must have clear links back to ideas that will grab and motivate the practitioner community.
‘Identities like ‘HR disruptor’, ‘HR contrarian’, ‘HR futurologist’ or, indeed the ‘chief happiness officer’ all bring a notion of challenge and have much more relevance to people in the world of work than parachuting in a largely irrelevant identity like ‘rock star’.
At a time when the profession is taking some fairly high-profile kickings, perhaps HR should consider how it currently promotes itself.
Effectiveness devalued
For example, what would benefit HR more at the moment – a new ‘brand’ of HR professional, setting themselves apart from their peers but ultimately offering no real evidence of what makes them different? Or, a real effort to demonstrate the value HR adds to organisations, based on solid data and evidence?
This is why the two Google search results mentioned at the start of this article are ultimately so interesting.
HR’s ability to prove its effectiveness and true organisational value should surely be the profession’s current focus. And this isn’t an insurmountably difficult task – there are numerous methods the profession could utilise if it wanted to do this.
And yet, a cursory internet search suggests it’s easier to find content on ‘HR rock stars’. Surely it’s reasonable to point out this is a pretty significant imbalance.
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