【正文】 with the cost of salary, benefits and training. This format encourages workers to be more aware of their economic impact to the pany.DEVELOPMENTEmployee learning plan One of the main reasons that people either accept or quit a job is their rate of learning. Top professionals demand the opportunity to learn continuously. By asking each top performer about their learning goals and how they learn best, managers can develop individualized learning plans to ensure that the employee learns at a speed necessary to excite and stimulate them.Parallel benchmarking Benchmark the best practices in related or parallel industries that traditionally implement advanced programs faster than your industry does. Learn from the advanced programs and processes of other disciplines, industries or geographic regions. For example, I once developed an incredibly fast speed of hire process for a Fortune 100 pany based solely on information gathered from fast lube and fast food chains. I studied the existing processes throughout human resources, but they were all slow, so there was really little to learn.Part of any strategic approach is being aware of the best practices that exist outside your discipline. In particular, disciplines of finance, marketing, PR, and decision sciences are frequently ahead of human resources in metrics and program development.Where top performers learn In a fast changing world it is essential that everyone is continually learning. Unfortunately, in a fast paced world there39。s often little time for traditional learning. One way to speed up the learning process is to provide employees with presorted sources. By asking top performers directly which resources they use to learn quickly (., what sources have top performers utilized and found effective), human resources can relatively easily identify which sources are effective and which sources have little value. Then provide this best practice learning list to managers and employees so that they can begin learning the same way that the pany39。s top performers do.Virtual learning networks A learning network is a group of individuals that exchanges information and ideas in real time. By sharing reading and learning, members can learn faster and from each other. Normally, a learning network consists of four to 10 individuals with a passion for learning. Information can be exchanged through , fax, telephone, in person, or by a bination of approaches. Information that might be exchanged includes best practices, problems, articles and more.There are three basic types of learning networks: , fax and telephone. In the first two types, a problem, article or proposal is sent to the group for ment. Ideas and criticisms are given and the results are summarized and sent to all (or to all who participated). Telephone groups use conference calls and hold roundtable discussions.COMMON STRATEGIC ERRORS OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTSNow that you39。ve seen a list of provocative and innovative strategic human resources ideas, it39。s time to consider the opposite. After conducting an audit of human resources department operations, it is mon to find the following errors or omissions: Not measuring or rewarding managers for great people management. Not tracking management satisfaction with human resources. Not allocating resources to human resources in line with strategic goals. Treating all employees and business units the same in recruiting and other human resources functions. Not having a feedback loop to learn and revise the human resources processes when things don39。t work (., bad hires, bad promotions and losing key individuals). Failing to do zero based budgeting to critically assess existing human resources programs, and then dropping the weak ones. Promoting managers based on technical skills rather than their people skills. Having no formal non monetary motivation team pensation. Not including on the job training and job rotations as an essential element of the development function. Using the same target pay percentile for all jobs and business units when clearly all jobs do not have the same business impact. Having no formal retention department or program. Only using cost based and no qualitative human resources metrics. Having few transfers to and from line management. Having no periodic measurement of individual human resources and business knowledge. Having no periodic human resources audit. Not developing and continually running what if? scenarios to ensure there is a plan B for the entire range of possible problems. Failing to develop human resources programs that cannot be easily copied by petitors. Hiring human resources staff without business or line experience. Not coordinating human resources plans with other business functions to ensure a coordinated effort. Failing to ask new hires why they considered and accepted the job in order to determine which organization efforts had any direct impact on their decision (pay, training, benefits, career Web site, etc.). Not having new human resources programs assessed by someone with fresh eyes and by managers that hate human resources. Failing to measure human resources response time and on time service delivery. Failing to assess the value of the human resources department39。s brand name and market share. 12 /