One way of looking at the term "employee champion" is as what Dave Ulrich mentioned: champion for employees - HR professionals vigorously representing employees' concerns to senior management and at the same time working to increase employees' contribution (see Harvard Business Review, Jan 1988, pp. 124-134.) This a valid view and I have no issues with this view.
I can also think of another view of employee champion: champion among employees - the best among employees! Like a Roger Federer being a champion among the tennis players in a tournament.
As a champion among employees, a HR professional is the best among the employees. If an organisation has "The Best Employee Award," this award is won by a HR professional every time! For, the HR professional epitomises what the organisation wants its employees to be, to do and to contribute. She is an ideal example for being an employee. She is a role model every employee yearns to follow. Borrowing from Katz and Kahn, the HR professional shows the highest form of membership behaviors, role related behaviors and extra-role related behaviors. She is deeply engaged at work (i.e., delighted with the job, team and organisation) and produces the highest contribution in her role, to her team and to the organisation.
How about considering the term "employee champion" as meaning "champion among employees?" What all will become possible when HR professionals are unquestionably the champions among employees!
In other words - Mojo! (www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com) Rgds,..Naga
ReplyDeleteChampion thoughts prof. makes you think of what you can really achieve if you thought otherwise. the interesting point for me is, how many of us choose to be a champion. The champions obviously chose to be there, hence they are. Lets all choose to be so.
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