Nepotism: A Blessing or Curse for Organizations?

in the southwest of the Netherlands, and is the biggest laboratory in our country working on analysis of water quality. My main responsibilities are analyzing samples of phytoplankton in line with the European Water Framework Directive, writing ecological reports and protocols, developing expertise by attending expert meetings and updating our literature database, participating in special projects involving fieldwork and field courses, and promotional work such as giving lectures and training.

ws Which are the most interesting aspects of your current job and what are the challenges?

md Nowadays, I mainly determine species of phytoplankton in samples in the laboratory. It’s always astonishing to find rare or new species. The most interesting part is probably writing the ecological reports – interpreting the results of phytoplankton species in terms of the ecological conditions of a lake or fen hollow. Eventually this leads to giving professional advice to our customers from the Dutch water boards. My challenge is to expand my expertise. In a few years I want to become a senior hydrobiologist in phytoplankton, and this involves developing my research skills through education – continuing my pre-master’s and later on my master’s in environmental sciences – and by participating in special projects and expert meetings.

ws Did your cultural background influence your career change?

md Possibly it was triggered by the idea of “space.” In the Netherlands it is quite crowded, with lots of noise and other distractions. I tend to look for silence, for open places and the desolation of nature. My cultural background is therefore much different than, say, someone from north Norway with a mountain range in the backyard and no property boundaries. In my career I therefore prefer to go into the field now and again to find “my open space.”

ws Has your relationship with nature changed since becoming a biologist?

md People tend to think that nature and the environment are separate concepts outside of us, like economics and politics. I believe in deep ecology – that nature has an intrinsic value in itself, not only a monetary value. Nature is dynamic, complex, inventive and part of us all – in a quantum perspective – not only outside us but also inside us, at the core of our own existence. Consequently, my bond with nature has always been intense and my curiosity about how nature works keeps growing and growing.

ws What about the relationship between your work and your passion for travel photography? They are two different ways of looking at nature: through scientific instruments in one case and through a camera in the other.

md The camera can be a creative way to “paint” how we perceive nature in all its beauty, cruelty and roughness. We can only admire what we observe, and photographs are a great way to let someone take a peek at a special place or living entity without actually being there. At the same time, a camera can be a scientific instrument! With our professional microscopes we can examine and photograph algae in water samples. Algae are 3D too, with all different kinds of geometric forms and po-

I still want to be part of the corporate world, contributing through projects focused on the individual and taking advantage of artistic expressions like yoga and pottery experiences.

Elio Cristiani, after a successful career in marketing, became a professional potter, following his passion for the charming world of raku pottery.

ws What were you doing before you opened your pottery laboratory?

ec I graduated in economics from Bocconi University with a specialization in marketing, and I soon received a job offer from JP Morgan. After that experience, I worked in the consumer field for five years, then as head of marketing in the publishing and food industries.

ws What is your current occupation?

ec I have always been keen on pottery, and particularly the raku technique, thanks to an artist friend of mine who introduced me to this wonderful hobby. In 2012, following a difficult period at work, I decided to start my personal artistic project. In January 2012 I organized my first pottery course in Milan and last September I inaugurated a new artistic space called “manualmente lab,” where people can participate in courses and buy my handmade work.

ws What kind of investment did you make in this change?

ec I have invested 20,000 euros in the laboratory, which means the purchase of furniture and instruments and the rental of the building. To be honest, it wasn't so difficult to start my dream because by 2013 I managed to write off the expenses of starting a business.

ws What are your working projects for the future?

ec I've been working in the corporate sector for several years and I still like it. That's why, even if I've changed profession, I'm going to propose some activities for employees working at companies. It's not traditional consulting, but projects based on yoga and pottery.

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01 Marta Demarteau collects samples of water for analysis 02 Marta Demarteau tags the samples to take them to the lab

lygonal outlines. We are able to capture this characteristic by taking Z-stack images; this is a digital image that consists of layers of photographs, like an MRI scan. If we produce a Z-stack image to capture the algae as a whole, we are able to study the material afterwards, exactly as we encountered them. So I believe photography can be creative and scientific at the same time, being complementary to each other. And it’s a gateway to show everyone how captivating the world can be, in a macro and micro perspective.•

Although all the facors that make a perfect job were there, my love of food and cooking became my high road

Francesca De Lucchi is an Italian entrepreneur managing a traditional take-away restaurant called Divina Piadina in the heart of Milan. She founded her company after leaving a promising career in the commercial division of an IT company.

ws What were you doing before you started to manage a “piadineria”?

fdl After graduating in economics at the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, I started working for a company in their commercial division in a managerial role. I was always traveling abroad and was in charge of many tasks, but I also had great rewards.

ws What is your occupation now?

fdl I currently manage a traditional “piadineria” in Milan, the city where I live. I started this challenge in 2006 and now it is my full-time job, although it allows me to have much more spare time than my previous job at the company. At the beginning it was not easy.

ws What made you change?

fdl I have always been keen on cooking and I have always been attracted by the food service sector. But the main thing that convinced me to change was my desire to spend more time with my family, and especially with my daughter.

ws What investment did you make in this career change?

fdl It was 2006 and compared to now it was quite easy to get 30,000 euros to start a business. Recently I have restructured the rooms and, because of the recession, it has been harder to obtain a loan.

ws What is the secret to change management without regrets?

fdl For me, it’s important to have a very entrepreneurial attitude and to be decisive. In my case, this approach has helped me to get what I wanted: personal satisfaction and a perfect trade-off between private and working life.

Best Practices in HR Management Unusual Job

The Voice-Over: Giving Life with your Voice

By MARTHA TINTIN

Voice-over actors can work on a wide variety of projects. They can be narrators in movies, they can bring cartoon characters to life and they can voice commercials, as well as dubbing movies in foreign languages, especially in countries such as Spain and Italy.

When we go to the movies we usually go to see the big actors who have won numerous awards, however, we often forget about those actors we never see but who are there – the voice actors.

GOING TO SCHOOL

Becoming a voice-over artist always starts with a good acting background, as Roger Del Pozo, director of acting admissions at the New York Film Academy, points out: “The New York Film Academy’s acting for film courses would be the best place to start. Most successful VO actors have extensive acting technique training. All of our actors do extensive voice training as a part of a fully comprehensive acting program.” Joanna Ruiz, a British voice-over actress, says, “There are some really good courses around; one should look for the ones offering accent courses and character courses.” In Spain, the Escuela del Doblaje (Dubbing School), owned by DL Multimedia, offers a 16-month training course, as explained by the school’s general manager, Carmen Gambín, who says, “The course is both theoretical and practical, developing comprehension, diction, modulation and articulation skills in Castilian,” and adds, “The training focuses on both the technique and interpretation as well as the study of the acting register that every acting professional must possess.” If you’re based in London a good option could be The Showreel, as JP Orr, head of voice production and training director, asserts: “We offer many courses and demo packages, for example the beginners’ workshop, as well as personal training plans.”

PROS & CONS

Like all jobs, even one that might seem glamorous has its advantages and disadvantages, according to Gambín: “The job is not as well recognized as that of a movie actor, even though many prefer it for this very reason, but the advantages are that you can be any character you want and that as the voice timbre doesn’t change you can be 70 and give your voice to a 30-year-old character; the physical conditions are not as discriminatory as for a camera actor.” Orr thinks that every job, every script and every client is different and says, “It keeps you on your toes and your brain active, the money can be great, you get to see inside some great studios and to hear yourself on the TV and radio and say ‘That’s me!’” On the other hand, however, Orr thinks it is a very tough market, with lots of voices competing for the same jobs. In the USA, the advantages of being a successful voice-over actor are numerous. As Del Pozo says, “It is a very flexible, lucrative and creative profession.” On the other hand, it appears that this field is extremely competitive, meaning that breaking in can be very difficult as the talent level at the top of the voiceover chain is very high. “Competition is fierce,” claims Del Pozo. Voice-over actress Ruiz says, “Work can be very quiet at times... only the best work all the time,” adding, “The advan-

tages are that you get to do all kinds of things, from being a small child in an animation to being a deep- and huskyvoiced woman in a commercial – and for a lot of money!”

THE RIGHT PROFILE There are many factors that make a good voice actor and having a good voice is just one of them. There is also the ability to take a script you have not seen before and somehow breathe life into it so that you sound like you are improvising. “Being spontaneous is a key skill to have,” says Orr. There are, however, many other skills needed, for example the ability to sound like you are not reading even though it’s known you are, turning up on time, if not early, to every session, and having excellent sight-reading ability. It is clear that a nice-sounding voice is absolutely not enough to be a good voice-over actor, but it’s a great advantage “provided one knows how to use it properly,” says

KEYWORDS

➜ Acting ➜ Practice and Theory ➜ Competitive Market ➜ Soft Skills ➜ Perseverance

Gambín. Many people may have a great voice, but to be an extraordinary voiceover actor one also needs the talent and ability to use that voice effectively. Del Pozo says, “If you think of voice-over work as a sort of music, your voice is your instrument,” and adds, “You have to be able to use that instrument in very technical and specific ways that go way beyond simply having a nice-sounding voice.” Being able to act well is probably the top skill to possess, as Ruiz explains: “A good voice actor is someone who first and foremost can act. As they can’t use the rest of their body they must be really good at expressing things just with their voice as they can’t rely on aids like facial expressions,” and adds, “One must also have a good, strong voice; it must not be quiet and whispery and one must take care not to talk too fast.” Other skills needed are a good ear for different sounds, styles and accents as well as being able to change your voice quite a lot. “I listen to different voices and characters all the time and practice different sounds,” confesses Ruiz, adding, “You do have to sound nice, but if you can change the way your voice sounds you’ll be ok as most jobs will want a completely different sound from the last job you did for them!” If you don’t have a good-sounding voice, don’t panic. You can still make your dream come true, as Del Pozo explains: “If you do not have a traditionally ‘nice’ voice you can still work, provided your voice is specific, expressive and flexible. What is important is talent, intelligence, timing, perseverance and a well-trained and conditioned voice.”

AROUND THE WORLD

The use of voice-over artists varies from country to country. In Italy and Spain, for example, movies are still translated and dubbed, but in the USA this works slightly differently. To start with, movies are not dubbed but rather subtitled, and many voices are those of Hollywood actors or other celebrities, such as Ellen De Generes in Finding Nemo, Kat Dennings or Beth Behrs. Del Pozo comments: “Thankfully movies are subtitled in the USA, so there is not a market for actors dubbing movies,” and adds, “Many celebrities do voice-over work because it is so lucrative and easy in comparison to working on camera or stage. They can make a lot of money in a short time and producers hire celebrities so they can take advantage of the instant recognition; for example, when you hear Ellen you immediately recognize her voice and personality. Commercially, producers want to hire celebrities so that the brand is associated with that specific celebrity.”

FINAL ADVICE

According to Ruiz, the best advice would be, “Practice talking along with cartoon characters, read lots of things out loud and listen to commercials, as most successful VO actors are very expressive and great storytellers with technically precise, distinctive, well-trained voices!”

Orr claims, “It’s not only about how you sound but how you make the listener feel that will get you hired again.”•

Best Practices in HR Management Joining the Company

By FEDERICA MILANI

Searching for the Right Person

Finding the most suitable employee for a position is not easy. Psychological assessment tools are becoming the key strategy of hiring corporations interested in hitting their business goals and avoiding high employee turnover.

Hiring and training new employees can be an expensive process. This is one of the main reasons why an increasing number of companies around the world are including assessment tools in their effort to accomplish a wide range of objectives and to answer a list of needs inside corporations. Together with the aim of hiring the right person for a position, psychological tests run by international work assessment companies also aim to identify high-potential talent, develop workers’ interpersonal and leadership skills, and set performance goals for staff.

WHY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT?

In today’s job market the purpose of psychological testing is to make more informed hiring decisions, and the easiest and fastest way for companies to do this is to consult outside corporations committed to employee screening with the promise to help companies save on the costs associated with high employee turnover. “Assessments are used for a variety of purposes. Most commonly to inform selection decisions regarding who should be hired, but increasingly for decisions about who to promote into sensitive roles and to diagnose areas for learning and development prior to moving into more complex roles,” says Doug Reynolds, past president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and senior vice president of assessment technology at DDI, a global talent management consultancy. “Well-designed assessments give you an in-depth reading on the work-related capabilities of people, just as a blood test can help give a reading on physical health. Assessment solutions are useful in promoting and retaining top performers and identifying areas for development. In the case of John Clements, we take pride in our heritage as we have been in HR consulting work for the last 39 years.” “In my experience, assessment tools are often utilized when considering hiring new leaders, senior-level promotions, employee career development and overseas assignments,” adds Carol Olsby, principal of Carol Olsby & Associates Inc., based in Washington. “I have spent my entire career with technology companies and assessment tools are often utilized for the recruiting of executives and senior leaders, senior-level promotions, career development and consideration for overseas leadership role assignments,” continues Olsby. In some cases, psychological testing at companies still appears to be a matter of a “war of talent.” This is the belief of Evelyn Grace C. Sorongon, vice president and managing director of John Clements Consultants Inc., who comments, “As we all know, the war for talent is real and it is best to gear ourselves up and face such a market phenomenon. The talent landscape has also changed. We scramble for talent whenever there are vacancies, and a lot of times we are also unable to keep the talent as we neither need nor motivate the people to perform in accordance with our expectations. It is for this reason that managers of the 21st century should take a serious look at how they conduct their selection and recruitment process. They should also look at whatever assessment tools are available in the market to make the selection process robust and effective.” A “war of talent,” but also a war against the risk of spending money and wasting time on hiring the wrong person: “Assessment companies help their clients manage risk. A bad hire is expensive in time, money, lost momentum and aggravation. Now more than ever, our clients can’t afford a loss in any of these categories. By reducing the amount of ‘unknowns’ we help our clients make better hires and fewer mistakes,” affirms Guy Beaudin, senior partner at RHR International.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

In the hiring psychological assessment the central questions is: “How well does the candidate fit the profile required for the role?” But it would be a mistake to focus only on this and overlook some other key aspects for a successful assessment. “The most important thing is how well the assessment was designed. This is a technical area that requires extensive training and expertise,” explains Reynolds. “Ask your assessment providers if they have industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists on their staff (they should). Ask for a review of the technical support for the assessment tool. Ask for a conversation with the I-O psychologist about the appropriateness for your application. If the tool is well designed, the expert will be very willing to discuss the foundation for the instrument in terms you can understand. Unfortunately, you can’t often tell a good assessment from a bad one by looking at the surface. It’s the underlying statistical work that makes for a strong tool.” Employee potential and resistance to stress are the key elements at RHR International: “A good assessment goes beyond the person’s current skill set to provide a perspective on their ability to handle roles of increased scope and complexity along with the steps that are required to help that individual achieve their potential. Moreover, as scope and complexity increase, so do stress and scrutiny, which make it more likely that an individual’s derailers will surface. A good assessment will outline an individual’s likely derailers and provide advice on how to minimize and manage them more effectively,” says Beaudin. However, the way to a successful assessment process is not free of obstacles, stresses the managing director of John Clements Consultants Inc.: “For faster and greater productivity, we have embedded computer-based assessment solutions into our selection process. This is a priority step in attracting talents whose interests and discipline are what differentiates them from our generation of manual systems operators. But who says that talent assessment and recruiting is an easy job? Certainly, it requires much effort and a strategic mindset. It also requires a lot of ground work, research and continuous effort to strike the right balance between HR activities versus cost. If one is not careful, costs can skyrocket and the results will not justify putting in place a talent management system.”

A “PASSEPARTOUT TOOL”

Assessment companies can provide a significant, positive impact for a full range of public, private and non-profit organizations dealing with many different businesses and situations. “Assessments are used in practically every industry,” confirms Doug Reynolds. “The typical situations where assessments are most useful involve one or more of a few factors: there are far more candidates looking for a job than can be hired, the job is complex enough that not everybody who is hired ultimately succeeds in the job, and/or the job carries a significant amount of risk (either for the company, the person in the job or the public). Senior executives are often asked to go through assessments to get an idea of their fit and strengths/ weaknesses because their work carries so much risk. Conversely, there is not much of a need to assess for instance dishwashers, because most people who would want the job have the capability to succeed and the risks are low if they don’t.” “When a current consumer goods client announced a merger with another international manufacturer of household cleaning products, they contacted RHR to help with the integration of the two executive teams. RHR recommended top candidates for the top 200 positions within the merged company. Seven years out, the merger was identified as one of the most successful corporate mergers of recent times and one of the few that drove real shareholder value,” explains Guy Beaudin of RHR International. “Also, a venture capital organization had a significant interest in a promising software firm. As directors, they witnessed problems occurring as the leadership transitioned from the CEO/founder to a new CEO. They contacted RHR to assist them. RHR interviewed the founder, the new CEO and the employees to ascertain what was happening. An assessment indicated that the new CEO was not a good cultural fit. The board terminated the new CEO. An RHR-recommended candidate successfully took the company forward.”

WATCH OUT FOR FAILURES

Assessing candidates using psychological tools can hide the risk of running into bad performance and wasting time. Unsuccessful psychological assessments are not excluded at all. “When tools are used that don’t have the required validation work, employers can be liable for damages if the tool unfairly discriminates,” explains Reynolds. “This depends on the laws of the country in which they are used, of course. In many countries, it is important to show a correlation between the assessment and job performance. If this relationship does not exist and the test eliminates people from a legally protected class, then the organization can be forced to change the procedure and pay fines. This is one example of an unsuccessful assessment. Well-designed assessments that fit the job they are used for are your best defense against this situation. Companies must be aware that some assessment tools are not much more than a pop psychology quiz invented by a lay person to market a product.” “Being just one aspect of the interview process, assessment could be disastrous,” adds Carol Olsby. “The company also considers the candidate’s interview with the team, employment references, employment history and, if they have received any, personal recommendations from highly regarded individuals. An assessment tool’s results are influential in the candidate evaluation process. For example, if the company has an environment that promotes collaboration and transparent communications and the leading candidate’s assessment reflects low scores on these indicators, this would be highly beneficial information for the company to have when considering the candidate.” “No assessment process is perfect, but all good assessment processes will reduce the risk of a bad hire over time,” is the final conclusion of the senior partner at RHR Interna tional, Guy Beaudin.• -

• Development Dimensions

International (DDI) is a top talent management consultancy founded in 1970. The company today counts 46 offices in 26 countries. • Carol Olsby & Associates is the company founded by Carol Olsby and offers leadership, operational and tactical solutions in human resources. • John Clements Consultants is an executive search consultancy founded in 1974 in the Philippines. • RHR International is an executive search firm with offices in 12 countries worldwide. The company specifies in assessment, alignment and development of senior leaders.

KEYWORDS

➜ Psychological Testing ➜ High Potential ➜ Cost Cutting ➜ Computer-based Assessments ➜ Stress Endurance

Private Eye The Business Side of Style

DESIGN for Work

INDEx Product Design Awards – Dubai (UAE).

The INDEX & Workspace at INDEX Product Design Awards honors manufacturers and designers for excellence and innovation in product design for the residential and commercial sectors. The competition is open exclusively to companies exhibiting at the 2014 editions of INDEX and Workspace at INDEX exhibitions, and covers a range of awards categories. The awards are divided into 6 categories covering a range of exciting products. For workplaces there are 3 categories: desks and tables, seating, and surfaces and finishes.

The award winners for the 3 Workplace categories are:

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Desks & Tables WINNER: ASPIRE BY GUIALMI DESIGN TEAM, PORTUGAL

The project developed a desk, ASPIRE, which is available in more than 6 different finishes made from 100% wood veneer, and with small but important quality details such as leather handles and lacquered fronts and/or decorative stripes. The main item is the desk with a side credenza that configures the manager/executive area – his or her territory - and it comes with space for filing, leather extensions on handles and on top of the table, and an optional modesty panel.

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Seating WINNER: MODELLO BY OFS BRANDS, ITALY

Modello is a family of Italian-designed chairs that consists of an arm and armless side/dining chair along with a counter-height and bar-height stool to complete the look. The armchair includes a beautiful chrome arm option, which gives the chair a distinct look with a mix of materials. The stitched pattern design spans the back of the chair adding a special detail. Beautiful from every angle, this design will stand out in any surrounding and make an environment instantly feel warm and rich.

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Screens, Partitions & Moveable Walls, Germany WINNER: MONOTOP CLIMATE WALL BY C&P MOEBELSYSTEME GBMH

In cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, C&P presented the Monotop climate wall. It enables totally clean, energysaving and healthy cooling. At the same time, the Monotop climate wall is quite eye-catching and enhances the room thanks to its design and functionality. This advanced concept dehumidifies and cools the ambient air without any noticeable or even bothersome air flow. Furthermore, the cooling water film "disposes of" minor air pollutants such as dust or pollen.