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March 18,
2002 Issue
Managing the "Human Resources" in
Human Resources
Human resources has
been in a state of transition during the past few years,
from administrative function to internal strategic partner.
Human resources has addressed some of the most complex
issues any organization will face, as evidenced by the
events of 9/11/01. Human resources has taken the lead in
dealing with employee safety and fear.
Specifically, the human resource function has been asked to:
- Become experts at retrieving and interpreting data
from current sources to make fact-based recommendations.
Knowing how to use available information, no matter how
limited, is critical to making a case for human resource
program development.
- Strive to improve the delivery of human resources by
integrating technology, sensitivity, business sense, and
common sense. A core competency of human resources is
the ability to blend all aspects of an organization’s
values and culture in making human resource program
decisions.
- Develop total reward systems well beyond the
traditional base pay / fringe benefit mix to address the
multiple cultures and needs found in the work setting
today. Understanding different generational needs is
critical in developing total reward programs.
- Develop processes to reinforce employee efforts and
behaviors that support the organization’s strategic
objectives. Using rewards and incentives to reinforce
these behaviors is a critical component of an effective
human resource strategy.
- Establish “metrics” to track and measure the impact
of human resources programs in the organization. The
development of a human resource “balanced scorecard” is
essential. Human resources must be measured on the
quality of services provided, contribution to the
financial integrity of the organization, support and
enhancement of internal and external customer
satisfaction, and the ability to adapt and grow with the
organization.
To respond to these new and increasing demands, human
resources must better understand the “human resource”
component of their service. To accomplish this, take a
closer look at how HR is organized and what talent is
required to meet the new requirements. David Hilborn of
William M. Mercer’s human resource operations consulting
practice offers a six-step process to accomplish this.
- Define the human resources services delivery model.
Organization leaders, human resource leadership, and key
stakeholders must forge the critical link between
business and human resource strategy. Expected outcomes
should be clearly defined. Once defined, a service model
that maps out the fundamental changes to human resource
infrastructure, processes, technology, and customer
relationships needs to be established. Then, core human
resource competencies required to implement the model
are determined.
- Conduct a talent assessment. Use tools such as
performance reviews to assess current human resource
talent in terms of the new service model. Focus on
actual outcomes and customer perceptions.
- Conduct a talent review - the traditional “gap”
analysis. Compare the current human resource talent
available with what will be required to implement the
new service model. The most effective way to determine
this is through workshops involving all human resource
leadership. The leadership team determines the
effectiveness of the current talent, immediate and
future talent needs, and the potential reassignment of
current talent.
- Develop a talent strategy. Document the decisions
made by human resources leadership and develop a formal
strategy for how to obtain the required talent.
- Implement the talent strategy. Hire or re-deploy
human resource staff. Select outsource providers to
support the overall human resource strategy.
- Assessment of human resource leadership. The success
of human resource transformation always comes down to
the quality of human resource leadership. The most
successful human resource departments have leaders who
are business professionals first, human resource experts
second.
Undertaking this six-step process is critical for human
resources to meet the challenges of today and the future.
Human resources must take serious steps to look inward,
reassess its talent, and make the necessary adjustments.
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Copyright 2007, Astron Solutions, LLC
ISSN Number 1549-0467
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