Delivering Organisational Change

Why many boards don’t have an HR Director?

The times they are a changing … and aren’t they always. In the world of HR professionals it is no different. With a brief to support organisational change, they must also change themselves to deliver what the Board says it wants (and probably needs). There are many theories about why many organisations choose not to have an HR Director on the Board. If people are an organisation’s greatest asset or provide the only source of competitive advantage it would seem an obvious decision.

Fire Fighting & Building Credibility

Many HR teams are so wrapped up in ‘fire fighting’ and dealing with the basics yet stillgetting them wrong, that they have little credibility with directors and senior managers. Getting the routine transactions right, like paying people their pay rise in the month it’s due, is fundamental to belief in what HR does. Many HR professionals can tell you why you can’t do something much more easily than why you can – and this is not what managers, with many competing pressures, want to hear. That said in many organisations there is little incentive for managers to have an honest dialogue with employees or for delivery of performance improvement through effective people management; it seems insufficient training and support is available to enable them to feel confident and competent to manage people effectively. All too often HR is dragged in on rescue missions after a manager has not dealt effectively with performance or behavioral issues or worse. Some HR departments are nicknamed ‘Human Remains’ because after they put in an appearance, an employee disappears off the scene, never to be seen again. This is a no win situation for the employee, manager or HR.

Unclear HR policies and procedures do not deliver the outcome the manager wants. Employment law is getting more and more complex and few organisations want to fight an employment tribunal claim, especially on the grounds of discrimination, where the financial award has no ceiling unless they believe they have a very strong case. Managers want clear, quick & effective advice on how to deal with a situation, HR need to provide this through a single point / service. The answer in my view is for clear accountability for people management to rest with managers, with recognition and reward linked to achievement & a partnership between HR and the line, rather than the blame culture that exists in so many organisations between the two, especially when things go wrong.

So how would this work in practice?

Firstly, HR needs to get the basic transactions right. This involves clarity between the line and HR about who does what – and doing it. Secondly, HR professionals need to understand the issues the business faces –and to be involved in shaping its response to them at the outset. That’s where the HR Director comes in. Developing a strategy that supports an organisation to achieve its goals is essential, so that it can then be used as a route map for all to see – directors, managers, employees and customers - and achievement measured against it. This will cover all the key activities that are needed to deliver business success through its people. For example, a business’s ability to recruit and keeping good people is critical to its success, particularly in service industries where businesses are their people.

Copyright 2006 Hilary Jeanes
http://purplelineconsulting.co.uk