Human Resources is often the department that people don’t think about until they need something, and then they need it immediately. But HR professionals know that great HR work requires long-term strategy and planning, a year-round set of tactics for talent development and succession planning, and being recognized as a valued partner in the organization.
And that last item is a key factor for HR success. So how do you get HR a seat at the leadership table as a valued business partner?
Link HR to business strategy
You know that HR is a key element of the overall strategy for your organization, but you also need to make sure that your counterparts in other departments or divisions understand the value of HR and how they can work with you to achieve strategic goals.
Think about how pieces of the HR portfolio such as succession planning, culture change, or even compensation impact other key strategic priorities. As a senior member of the HR team you need to not just be aware of what other areas of the organization are focused on but how HR can contribute to their success. By breaking down silos, you can position yourself and HR as a valuable resource, allowing them to rely on you for insights.
Integrate leadership development and succession planning
When a senior member of the leadership team leaves, organizations can be left scrambling for a replacement. It can be difficult to get your board of directors or leadership team to commit to long-term strategies for leadership development or succession planning, but the pay-off is more than worth it.
In helping the board plan for the future, you will again gain valuable insights into the larger organization, as well as information you can use for other projects such as culture building and change, talent management, performance alignment, and more.
Make HR strategy part of organizational strategy
The more closely you work with and contribute to other areas of the organization the better you can incorporate pieces of the bigger picture into your own long-term strategy and other pieces of your HR toolbox. The relationships you build across the organization should be like a feedback loop: your work on talent management, culture and performance alignment and compensation should have a direct impact on larger strategic objectives. And the outcomes of that larger strategy work as well as those priorities should feed back into your priorities.
The reason HR often isn’t seen as a key partner of the organization is because it is siloed or not considered a contributor to overall success. Your challenge is to remind people that HR is more than hiring, firing, and benefits. HR is a key factor in strategy, in the longevity of the organization, and can drive innovation and change by embracing formal strategies and frameworks. Over time you need to better incorporate elements like workforce planning, leadership development, strategy alignment, and employee engagement in new ways that are more meaningful to the larger organization.
It’s up to you to learn how you can best effect the perceptual shift in your organization that will make HR a valued partner at the table, truly seen as not a cost centre but a profit engine. Rotman’s Strategic Human Resource Management program allows for the exploration of latest research, best practices and thinking in areas such as business and human resource strategy, leadership development, talent management and succession planning.