The Human Resources team being a "Strategic Business Partner" with the Operations team is not a new notion.
HR should not be considered a "partner" because HR is part of the organization making it whole not a separate organization with similar goals as term partnership implies. Maybe the view of being a "partner" contributes to ongoing battle that HR can be viewed quite often as a separate identity from other departments in the company.
Management Concept
I often hear things like "How do we get HR a seat at the table?" HR professional often view themselves as an individual entity from the other teams in the organization if they want to admit it or not. "What are WE (HR) going to do to get THEM (everyone else) to understand?"
Human Resources team is often viewed by people inside HR and out as "HR against everyone else." So for instance, if the strategy of the HR team is to "break down the walls between departments" How can this effectively occur when HR is viewed as an outsider? Trying to break the walls down before they are ready to can inadvertently create higher ones and can continue the cycle.
So what do WE (The organization as a WHOLE) do? There as so many concepts, theories, practices and models out there it can make your head spin. Which one is the best?
Almost anything I delve into has HR/Business concepts or elements that are in common. Most things that I personally agree with are integrated in one way or another with the next and it is not because I am being one sided in my research. It is because the books, articles, and website and blogs I research are by people that have proven success in HR and Business and are sharing their knowledge, successes and failures.
So what do WE (The organization as a WHOLE) do join all forces inside the company?
REALLY be people oriented.
1-Listen to your people.
Many companies like the idea of saying they have an open door to all employee's ideas. BUT do they really? Many companies like to say they are "focused on the people" and I am sure they would really like to be. If you dissect the actual facts, they are not. If you look at the "Best Places to Work" in the USA they have one thing in common, no matter what the product, it is people focused first.
It is amazing what you can learn about your organization when people are truly encouraged to speak up.
2- Foster a work environment that truly embraces a "Bias for Action" atmosphere at all levels. In many organizations if you just act in the best interest of your customer, client, subordinates and then ask for permission, you get in trouble.
More often I see organizations that are inconsistent with this philosophy. In reality it is more of a "some people can be take action, and others can take action sometimes but only if those actions are nominal."
Other companies will claim to encourage employees to be to take action but in reality they are really "if you are part of upper management or in HR you can bias for action but if you are lower on the totem pole, there will be career consequences for your actions."
Pretending to take action is not taking action.
3- Challenge The Same Old to Change the Status Quo
How can an organization move forward if no one scrutinizes what they are doing today to make it better?
Staying the same doesn't grow an organization. Not ever being complacent with status quo does. The biggest hero's in the business world are never referred to as the man/women that just showed up each day and did the same thing over and over day in and day out. Personally, I would be uncomfortable to be known as someone who is just consistent. I prefer to be known as someone who is consistent, BUT consistently passionate about growing the business, taking action and inspiring others to do the same!
You have heard the saying- "If you do what you always do, you will get what you have always got" It doesn't even fit anymore. It should now be "The companies that do what they always do, get a bankruptcy attorney."
4- Discover underutilized and underdeveloped talent in your organization. To put it plainly and simply "Use um' or Lose um'!" To quote Marcus Buckingham author of First Break all the Rules and Go put your Strengths to Work, "People are not an organizations best asset, peoples strengths are." This is actually one of my all time favorite quotes.
How many times have you heard variations of "It is too bad he left us for them, he has so much potential." Potential!? Potential!? The definition of potential is the capable of being or becoming possible. Is it possible? DEVELOP HIM! Don't lose HIM!
I speak to hundreds of talented candidates in a year. Of course I often ask the obvious question. "Why do you want to leave your present position? All to often I hear "I am looking for a better opportunity" This can mean so many things but can it be I am just speaking with someone that is under developed or underutilized? Am I speaking to a person that may work for you?
Often employers are under utilizing talent. I am not saying everyone can be promoted to CEO I am saying if you have people that unmistakably stand above the rest as consistent, high performers and/or leaders, you better pay attention, these are the companies future. Many companies like to refer to these people as "High Potential." If you know they stand out, often they know they do as well and are in waiting for you to notice. NOTICE! If you aren't in a position to promote this person, or if that is not an option in your company, show appreciation, provide them with ability to lead, develop others and themselves. Do something! Make sure they do know that you notice! Because if you don't, I promise you, other companies will.
Strategic Business? How about aligning the talent you have. Now that's a Strategy! Move your company forward by utilizing current talent, these people already work for the organization, and they are invested in to the future of the organization that is why they are there. Stop over analyzing the past, learn from it, and use this talent to move forward, discover future goals and future threats.
5- Continued Training and Development in all areas.
Never, never stop training and developing talent.
All too often programs come and go with no real impact on the organization. What a waste of time and money. Often promising programs are developed and implemented. They come out of the gate full force, EVERYONE is trained and energized! Then, that it. No continued support or development of the program and the developers want to know where they went wrong. Often they didn't do anything wrong, they did exactly what they were to do but take the blame when it fails. It was a failure after the initial implementation when it was out of the hands of the developers and trainers. The program gets passed over to the people it was designed to benefit and they are trained and then sent out to put it into practice and they don't.
Why? Did the program stink? Probably not. How about this for a concept; Are the people that should be executing the plan, actually trained on executing the plan or was the "training" just understanding what the plan is designed to do?
HR is part of the organization making it whole. As a HR professional stop trying to get a seat at the table in which you sit. Just be a rational, influential, motivating part of the business strategic plans moving forward. Acknowledge past good and bad patterns make informed suggestions and decisions to move the organization forward.
Human Resources professionals tend to be the first to embrace change. This is your opportunity to be influential and inspiring to those reluctant to embrace the strategic change.
If you view yourself as an individual entity apart from the other teams in the organization you will be an individual identity. This practice will not be effective when bringing your expertise forward when Human Resources changes are necessary. Be part of the organizations solutions, not part of the barriers.
If companies do not grow and change they do not move forward. In reality change is much less threatening then having to look for a job when your company becomes extinct because it didn't keep up. So if that is the case how come often when we see a "major" change to processes you see a negative vibe to follow? To me, it is clear. Too much all at once, it is reactive to the company's lack of continued ongoing incremental growth changes.
Personally, I not only embrace any change in my organization, I actually thrive on it! It invigorates me even it if can threaten my very existence in the organization. I have heard comments like "If you don't like this plan, process, policy, don't worry, just hold on, it will change. All I can say is, "I hope so."
HR as a "Strategic Business Partner"? 5 Concepts To Really Being A People Oriented Company
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