Not another remake!

Welcome to this week’s Discuss HR, the HR blog written for and by members of Human Resources UK.

In a change to the schedule I am writing this week’s post (the stampede is defeaning) and I am really taking my penchant for tenuous links to breaking point!  This week I look at how recruitment processes mirror the world of the Hollywood blockbuster. (Ed Scrivener)

Not another remake!

Peter Sellers he was not!

For every Ocean’s Eleven there are three Alfie’s, Clash of the Titans or Total Recall or more pertinently seven Police Academy’s!  The film world seems to be increasingly intent on remakes and sequels.  In the last year alone the list of remakes in production includes the likes of The Dambusters, The Great Gatsby, Excalibur, The Twilight Zone and Dune to name but a few.  Rather than pen a new story, Hollywoodfeels the easy choice in this economy is to copy and tinker with an original idea.  The common theme with the vast bulk is that the original was a success, hence the belief the remake will be a success too.

This is not my attempt to become the next Barry Norman, although being paid to watch films would be a rather good profession!  I am sure some of you will have already guessed the analogy I am using.  Films are remade due to the commercial success of the original.  Invariably due to the success of the original the remake will prove a financial success, but nowhere near the original.  It will be remembered as a poor relation and fans will all prefer the original.  Let’s now use this analogy for the recruitment world.  How often are roles recruited with the intention of replacing the current incumbent with a copy?  The incumbent has been a success, so the belief is that hiring someone from the same background will also prove to be a success, but how often is this the case?  The new hire may do a good job, but were they the best person?  Of course, there are times that hiring an exact replacement proves to be a real success – in film terms Scarface, The Departed or Father of the Bride – but these occasions are due to a clear understanding of what made the original successful and using that to make the remake equally so.  Again, putting this in recruitment terms, it is not someone’s background but their aptitude and emotional intelligence that makes them a good hire and this is what needs to be focused on.

Unfortunately in both recruitment and film terms we are seeing more and more remakes at present.   A remake offers the safe option and due to the economic strife we’re all in, organisations are risk averse at present.  They feel the easy option is the safe option, but is this the best option?  Invariably no.

And for a bit of fun...

Worst Film Remakes

Psycho
The Wicker Man
The Stepford Wives
Alfie
The Pink Panther
The Ladykillers
Clash of the Titans

Best Film Remakes

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the Donald Sutherland version and not the Nicole Kidman version which should be on the list above!)

Ocean’s Eleven

The Magnificent Seven

Scarface

Father of the Bride

The Departed

The Thing

About the author

Ed spent the best part of 10 years being an evil HR recruitment consultant.  After finding redemption he now works on the other side helping organisations optimise their direct recruitment channels, a role which allows him to focus on his passion, namely social media.  He manages Human Resources UK and organises regular networking events for the group across the UK.   He is also Editor of Discuss HR and occasionally his humour will creep into articles!

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.

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