How to influence decisions as an HR business partner
| Published date | 01 January 2006 |
| Date | 01 January 2006 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390680000854 |
| Pages | 5-5 |
| Author | Peter Goodge |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
5
Volume 5 Issue 2 January/February 2006
HOW TO…
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Practical advice for HR professionals
DEPARTMENTS AT A GLANCE
STRATEGIC COMMENTARY
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e-HR
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HOW TO…
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PRACTITIONER PROFILE
METRICS
HR AT WORK
REWARDS
,
RESEARCH AND RESULTS
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,
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Influence decisions as an HR
business partner
1
UNITE AND
ORGANIZE HR
5
FOCUS YOUR
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
4
ALIGN YOUR
OBJECTIVES WITH THE
BUSINESS
3
IDENTIFY THE HOT
BUSINESS ISSUES
2
Work hard to ensure all of
the HR team supports the HR
vision, principles and
strategy.If you don’t iron out
teamwork issues quickly,
they will obstruct everyone’s
ability to engage with
the business.
Ensure that HR itself is a
model of business-focused
effectiveness – HR’s internal
processes must be effective
and low-cost.
Don’t be afraid to abandon
HR projects that have failed
to deliver concrete benefits to
the organization, even if they
seemed to be “best practice”
at the time. Nothing destroys
HR’s credibility more than
hanging on to projects that
fail to benefit the bottom line.
Read through your
organization’s business plans
and talk to executives about
their objectives.
Look for the people
implications of plans and
proposals, especially where
things are likely to go wrong.
Seek out possibilities and
opportunities that the plans
might have missed. Suggest
ways that HR can address
any pitfalls or ideas that
arise from this. If there are
no plans, or no consensus on
plans, it’s an opportunity for
HR to help develop some.
Find out what the nagging
business issues are; the
issues that worry executives
right now.
Agree with executives how
HR is to be measured and
ensure executives pick
business metrics, not
traditional HR metrics – for
example, pick cost reductions,
not absence.
Use those measures to justify
your seat in meetings and
take every opportunity to
report on HR’s performance in
those meetings (even if the
news is bad).
Take senior management
objectives as your own – if
one of the key business
objectives is to raise service
levels, then it’s also your
objective. Ensure you’re
appraised against those
business objectives, and ask
that senior line managers are
engaged in your appraisal.
E
xactly how do you get executives
to listen to your ideas and
opinions, offer you a role in the
major business decisions and value
your contribution?
That’s the critical step as a strategic
business partner, but it’s often met with
misunderstanding, resistance or
incredulity from line executives.
If you’re new to business partnering,
it’s wise to avoid trying to adapt high-
risk areas – stick to a more stable area.
Above all, don’t believe that persuasion
alone can win or keep your place in
decision making. You’ll have to earn
your influence by showing you continue
to add real value to the business. Results
are much more persuasive than words.
The following key steps for
contributing to the decision-making
process are based on successful HR
partner projects in a range of sectors.
Source:
Peter Goodge is an expert in HR business partnering and service delivery.He
works with HR functions developing added-value strategies and structures.He
also provides assessment and coaching to individual HR professionals.For
further information, visit:www.strategichr.co.uk
KNOW THE BUSINESS
INSIDE OUT
Get to know the business
and read the sector’s press.
Ask the commercial
questions HR is not expected
to ask.
Take every opportunity to
attend conferences and talk
to employees, suppliers and
customers.This helps you to
speak with clarity and
authority on business issues.
Use people, meetings,
projects, visits and reports to
discover how the business
really works.
If possible, take on
challenges that are unrelated
to HR. Find out how
comparable organizations
use new HR initiatives to
strengthen their businesses,
and suggest how your
organization can use such
initiatives.All this builds
knowledge and credibility.
Concentrate your personal
development on acquiring new
practical tools that you can
use to make a difference in the
business tomorrow – for
example,“Strategic Mapping.”
This uses visual techniques to
create, question and elaborate
on business plans.
Finally,create some early
victories in parts of the
organization where success is
easier and then suggest that
similar successes can be
delivered elsewhere in the
business.
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