Every year we bring together key thinkers in the HR Profession for the Ochre House HR Directors Annual Symposium and this year, they certainly didn’t fail to impress.
The subject for the day was Redefining Business Value Through a Talent Centric Approach and it wasn’t long before the room was buzzing with conversation.
One thing which really stood out to me was the overall consensus about the increasing need to connect the business and HR functions. It was widely agreed by the HR experts in attendance that these two important functions had become disconnected, with some suggesting the Ulrich model may be responsible as it has disrupted the link between the basic processes and the more strategic elements of corporate development.
And it doesn’t help that HR is under growing pressure to enable growth whilst making operations leaner, faster and more cost effective to run, pressure which shows no signs of fading. A few of the speakers at the event and those taking part in the breakout groups shared their insights into what lies in store for the HR profession.
The key thoughts I took away from this event were:
- HR needs to present its case in a more structured and well-researched way to be able to create the more nimble and responsive HR strategies needed in today’s economic climate
- Strategies need to include an analysis of both the more common elements impacting the organisation, such as demographics, as well as the variances in less tangible areas such as engagement and motivation across countries
- A “one-size-fits-all” approach will not work, instead we should be looking to develop a ‘road map’ for the investment of scarce corporate resources
- Forecasting, attracting and retaining the people an organisation will need for an uncertain future is a huge challenge for HR, but the solution could at least partly lie in the employment of people who thrive on ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty
- A more relaxed attitude towards retention which involves taking a few risks on people who don’t necessarily fit with the organisation in its current form is needed to attract and retain these people
It is clear to me that that the HR function is changing and will continue to do so over the coming years. It is my view that HR and line managers alike will need to take more risks in recruitment and talent management to stay ahead in business, but to do so effectively the two functions need to combine their efforts and support each other as strategic partners should.
Sue Brooks is co-founder and managing director of recruitment outsourcing services provider, Ochre House.
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2 Responses
Innovative approach
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your comment, I have to say I agree with you. Organisational agility is a key area of focus for HR. Having the right people in the right roles at the right time is the number one strategic objective. In response to that we are seeing a trend towards a total workforce management approach – i.e. companies are integrating their approach to permanent, contractor and temporary workers – so effectively they are making the right resourcing decision against the immediate need. As you mentioned, this has resulted in a greater use of contingent expertise and this whole area of developing a flex workforce is hot on the agenda. We’re seeing real innovation in how companies are building relationships with their flexible workforce , changing their approach to increase loyalty and the overall performance of this valuable resource
Many thanks
Sue
A Common Thread
A fascinating article, Sue. I see a common thread between this article and the one that I wrote for this site (http://www.hrzone.co.uk/topic/strategies/will-gig-economy-be-death-hr/115702). We are both looking at HR to take the lead in delivering organisational agility.
I wonder if time will see a clearer distinction between a much greater use of contingent Expertise on Demand and a much smaller Core of "traditional" employees. The core will definitely be those who "thrive on ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty". They will be well rewarded and looked after but much will be demanded of them. Managing and coordinating the Expertise on Demand will be an emerging skill that may sit somewhere between traditional HR and traditional views of Procurement.
Just my non-HR perspective 🙂