Harnessing an organisation’s true believers and then delivering real results is the key to unlocking a strategic HR function, writes Mark Newton
Harnessing an organisation’s true believers and then delivering real results is the key to unlocking a strategic HR function, writes Mark Newton
In what kind of environment can you as an HR practitioner do your best work? Do you exist to provide administrative support to an organisation or does you exist to provide strategic partnership to the business?
If it’s the latter, how do you become strategic? Are you invited or do you barge your way in? The answer isn’t clear, but the fact that you need to be relevant is clear. You need to be connected to the business or risk being an island. If you as an HR practitioner aren’t strategic, you will be busy doing plenty of HR work, but disconnected and isolated from the business. This in turn will make you inept at making a real difference and can lead to cynicism and complacency. Never let yourself become complacent.
In building your strategic partnership with the business, you need to ask yourself what business you’re in. Spend some good quality time getting to know what your core business is and make sure this drives your decisions. Do you know what your internal customers’ need? If you don’t, then make sure you don’t assume you do. Go and ask them – it’s less scary than you think. Once you’ve determined what your core business is, then this is all you should do. Anything that isn’t part of your core business either needs to be put online or outsourced. This will ensure that you remain true to the reason you exist in the organisation.
But you as an HR practitoner cannot become strategic by on your own – you need to have others in the organisation who also believe in what you can do. So, what is needed to create an environment for the practice of strategic HR?
Is your CEO a believer in people? Does your leader see people as critical in driving business growth and financial return to shareholders or do they just pay lip service to the idea? If they’re not believers then you have a harder battle. If they are then make sure they set the people strategy with you. Then continuously meet with your CEO to check how you’re both tracking, as you both own the people strategy. On top of this, make sure you continue to communicate this to the rest of the company. Not just a few times, but build the messages into your business rhythm.
Are you a believer in being a true business partner? Do you understand your leader’s business? Can you have a business discussion with them? Do you help them make decisions? Can you advise your business leaders on the direction they need to take? These questions are important as they give you an indicator of the kind of HR role you’re choosing to play in your organisation. Answering yes means that you’re heading in the right direction to being a true business partner.
Does your HR team believe in being true business partners? Do they understand their leader’s business? Are they willing to learn how? Make sure you have the best customer focused HR team in place. HR exists because of the business, and not as a means unto itself. Check that your HR team has signed up to the people strategy. Once you set direction it’ll be clear who isn’t signed up and some career counselling may be needed.
People managers are critical to making your people strategy alive.Establish a people manager community and explain to them how you’ll hold them accountable for managing people in the organisation. Also explain what you’ll do to help build their skills and provide resources. Finally, agree on what values and behaviours are needed to drive your people strategy forward.
Make sure you meet regularly with them to figure out how to execute on the people strategy and give feedback on your progress. Execute through them and with them as they’re the ones who’ll make this real in their people.
How we relate and connect as an organisation is critical. Knowing what your priorities are, where you contribute to the overall business strategy and what difference your work will make is extremely rewarding.
What is your strategic focus? Who are the believers? How can you harness the power of your people managers? Thinking deeply about these questions is the first step to creating an environment in which people strategies can really make a difference.
Mark Newton is regional director Human Resources, Microsoft, A&NZ. Email: [email protected]
