Archive (10/31/09) Perception: Why can't HR make an impact?

Aug/10

Archive (10/31/09) Perception: Why can’t HR make an impact?

by ReThinkHR.org | Leadership, Work, HR & Inspiration by @BenjaminMcCall under Business Impact, Human Resources

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For some reason, I have been up later and later. Not being able to get to sleep. Not for the wrong reasons. Not for worries or issues with the day. Not problems with work, contracts or developing ideas. I have been up late lately simply because my mind has been filled with ideas. A few of those ideas are about HR (I know, I am a dork). Been spending a lot of time thinking of solutions to issues that we create ourselves and differentiating them from what the environmental barriers are presented for us to face and conquer.

The topic on my mind now is “Why can HR not be considered as important as Marketing, Sales and/or Operations?” These are areas that have been traditionally looked at as revenue generators for the business. While HR helps in, what I call, the 3 D’s – Direction, Delivery and Development of talent and business strategies; the business does not give the function as much weight as the others. Why even ask the question. This is a big question. It is a question that should be asked and followed with steps and actions put in place to address, improve and change the typical business perception.

I ask because we should care and we want to have an effect. As professionals within the field, we should care in order to have a true impact on connecting the HR practices and strategies to the overall business strategies. Like a marriage, these principles may be happy and dysfunctional, but it is the hope that the marriage will last.

The History of HR did not start with the mindset of Henry Ford, wondering why people so often brought their heads and hearts, when all he needed was their hands and feet. In my opinion, and based on history, the true aspects of HR started with the idea out of concern for the worker and the business. That basic personnel management functions - employee selection, training and compensation needed to be addressed.

Whether I am right or wrong, I believe we do not sit down enough with the RIGHT leadership. We do not encourage the WRONG leadership enough. Proving to both with evidence of how HR can be right for the organization. Some of you may not have the positional power to demand or drive this strategy. Whether other parts of leadership use HR in a transactional way agree with our expertise or not, HR should be in the vehicle to drive discussions and even make arguments to help increase the effectiveness of the all people, processes and strategies involved. I mean we help direct, deliver and develop the people right. Ultimately driving the impact of the business. So I simply ask, what actions will you take to help your position make an impact and change the perception? Change the perception. Become legendary!

Comments

comments

Business Impact, Leadership

http://twitter.com/MBrisciana_HR Michael Brisciana

Benjamin - - -

I’ve been pondering much the same issue myself, lately. (Somehow, after 20 years in HR, I’ve only recently become aware that we’re not well-liked as a function. Self-awareness sometimes has a slow learning curve!).

Two quick thoughts:

1. We haven’t “quantified” our value well-enough. Granted, this is very hard to do when your value is on the “soft” side and in the “in between places” (i.e., the quiet conversations and discreet nudges that help leadership do what it needs to do for the good of the organization). At the same time, while it’s hard to put a “number” to this, if we “deliver the goods” day after day (i.e., truly help leadership “get things done”), true leaders will recognize our value and keep inviting (and allowing) us to help them in the “quiet moments” that make all the difference.

2. We do shoot ourselves in the foot a lot (we have to be honest with ourselves) by being overly reliant on policy, being afraid of lawsuits, wanting every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed before signing off on terminations, etc. Certainly we have to protect the organization (our primary job) — but, we can never forget that management has an organization to run (which is very different than trying to run a 100% risk-free theoretically “perfect” HR operation); i.e., business needs to be done, and sometimes this gets messy. (This is not to excuse ethical lapses, of course — I’m just talking here about straying from established “process” to make things happen). If we’re not comfortable with that, then we’ll never be seen as a true partner (our loyalty has to be to the organization’s success, not to HR “purity”).

I’ve expanded on these thoughts at: http://bit.ly/9kSMB7 (“Why Does Everyone Hate HR”).

It’s a fascinating question . . . thanks so much for raising it again.
http://www.maximizepossibility.com Chris

Intriguing post Benjamin - thanks for dipping into your archives to share!

Part of me can’t help but feel much of HR’s inability to be seen as a key member of the team stems from its own mindset. The first step for HR to be considered a core function of the organization is for it to recognize the enormous opportunities it is afforded to dramatically improve the performance of the company. They have, as you put it, the ability to direct, deliver, and develop the talent that drives everything in the organization. It is only once HR recognizes this as its true mission, that it will be able to communicate the value it provides and be seen as a key player in the organization.

I have chosen your post for inclusion in my Rainmaker ‘Fab Five’ blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2010/08/the-1.html) to provide some inspiration for my readers to recognize the opportunities HR has to transform the organizations it serves.

Be well!