1) As a strategic positioner I must adopt the outside-in concept. As an HR professional working for a custodian bank, I need to be aware for example that the role of sub-custodians will change once the new method of trade settlement is implemented in the near future. The custodian will have to adjust some existing functions and develop strategies to protect clients' interests. My role is to help leadership make strategic choices (including hiring, training, retaining talents) that lead to strong business results.
An SHRM article by Jennifer Schramm (2012) supports this concept. She reports that some companies are adding the value of their staff to their balance sheet as they continue to recognize the impact of effective HR practices on business results when they are strategically linked. Lawler & Boudreau (2009) also maintain that as a strategic business partner, the HR leader is required to make strategic decisions for an organization.
2) As a credible activist and HR manager, I must be able to focus on financial performance while providing support to the workforce behind the performance (The RBL Group, 2012). I must be trustworthy, reliable, efficient and influential in building a cultural environment that promotes productivity. To continue with the above example, one of my roles as a credible activist is to provide clear and reliable information that motivates employee to support company initiatives.
A Harvard Business Review article by Craig Mundy (2012) provides some ideas on this concept. As a credible activist, the HR professional must take actions that create flow in the business; which implies "removing barriers and promoting better performance".
3) As an HR manager who is a capability builder I must work to align individual talents with specific functions; an alignment that ultimately leads to organization success (The RBL Group, 2012) In regards to changes in the financial services industry, I must find ways to allow people to best use their skills as they work to support the company's strategic efforts in response to the anticipated change in the trade settlement platform. The Hay Group article cited in the prior posting supports this idea in stating that "It's crucial to analyze work if people resources are to be best deployed to deliver on business objectives" (Hay Group, n.d.).
4) As a change champion, I must be able convince people of the need for change and help them adapt to it. In other words, the new automated settlement platform may be viewed by financial services employees as a new process that will lead to job elimination. As an efficient HR manager, I must be able to talk to employees about the opportunities that will be created as a result of this change. I must help build training practices that will enable them to work on reinventing themselves and grow with the company.
5) As an innovator and integrator I must be able to combine administrative roles with strategic skills to solve business problems. The following articles provide some great insights on this concept. Erna Oldenboom, from the University of Cape Town (UCT) Graduate School of Business, maintains that the current global organizational structure needs strong HR support. As a result, it "cannot afford to have an HR function that fails to contribute to and even lead modern thinking" (How We Made It in Africa, 2013). In an Academy of Management Executive article, Rynes, Brown & Colbert (2002)suggest that HR managers must keep themselves informed of latest HR research findings; they must be aware of latest practices that lead to business results.
6) As a technology proponent, my role as an HR manager is to facilitate access to HR functions (training, benefits, record keeping, other), to information and between people through technology. To continue with financial services example, using the intranet, I can communicate the various phases of the change process to employees. In a recent Forbes article, Galer (2013) suggests that technology plays an important role in HR as a strategic partner. He maintains that with the right software, HR can help determine a company's ability to function through the various business cycles.
In looking for a response to my question regarding financial services HR professional's ability to maintain credibility in the face of constant technological changes (see SHRMConnect links below for detail question), I was able to obtain some video resources which covered the importance of "accountability" in fulfilling the various HR functions. Beverly Kaye, CEO of Career Systems Intl and Pam Benzona of Performance e-Source discuss this key component of credibility. The new hire must be held accountable based on his agreed upon function and organization standards. The production manager or HR manager must be held accountable for taking specific steps to self-improvement and to do what he promises to do (SHRM, 2012). Maintaining a sense of accountability promotes a credible HR that can effectively lead its organization through change.
http://community.shrm.org/Communities/ViewDiscussions/ViewThread/?GroupId=1303&MID=16921
http://community.shrm.org/Communities/ViewDiscussions/ViewThread/?GroupId=145&MessageKey=f3590d0d-7493-474a-ab02-a8a6ecb42063
References:
How We Made It in Africa, (2013, July 19). HR as a strategic business partner for success. Retrieved from http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/hr-as-a-strategic-business-partner-for-success/28335/
Galer, S., (2013, August 15). How analytics is transforming HR into a Strategic business partner. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2013/08/15/how-analytics-is-transforming-hr-into-a-strategic-business-partner/
Lawler, E., Boudreau, J., (2009). What makes HR a strategic partner? University of Southern California. Retrieved from
http://ceo.usc.edu/pdf/g09-01.pdf
Mundy, C., (2012, July 5). Why HR still isn't a strategic partner. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/why_hr_still_isnt_a_strategic_partner.html
SHRM, (2012). SHRM Video. http://www.shrm.org/multimedia/video/vid_archive/Pages/110726_kaye2.aspx
The RBL Group, (2012). The 2012 HR competency model. Michigan Ross School of Business. Retrieved from http://rbl.net/index.php/hrcs/index/overview
No comments:
Post a Comment