HR - Glorified Chatbots or Agents of Change?

There was an uncomfortable train of thought at a meeting I attended this week, that HR in many businesses, rather than being seen as enablers of change, they can often be viewed as the corporate equivalent of a chatbot—repeating policy, enforcing rules, and slowing things down rather than driving progress. It’s an image that does the profession no favours and does a disservice to the businesses they are supposed to support. It was the first time I heard this ‘chatbot’ comment, which has inspired this article.?

So why is HR too often seen as a policing function, more focused on compliance than contribution??

Why do many business leaders perceive HR as a hurdle to change rather than a force for growth??

Perhaps more importantly, what should HR be doing to change the narrative, because if there’s a certainty in business today (from Cranfield), it’s that the next five years will bring more transformation and change than the last fifty.

For HR to be relevant in this landscape, surely it needs transform itself and step up. It needs to move beyond outdated perceptions and become a true partner in driving business success. The challenge – and opportunity - is not just for HR professionals themselves, it’s for CEOs, boards and leadership teams to demand more from HR, to set higher expectations, and to ensure they are equipped with the influence and support they need to make an impact.?

Is HR’s biggest problem that it has historically been positioned as the department of ‘No’. No, you can’t do that. No, that’s against policy. No, we have to follow process. While governance and risk management are crucial, these rules should not be the defining features of HR’s role. Businesses are not powered by policies, they are powered by people and purpose. My thinking – and conversations I’ve had - is that people need HR to be a force for progress, not a roadblock to it.?

The function should not be about enforcing rules, it could or should be about enabling the business to succeed. This means shifting from a compliance mindset to more of a leadership mindset, which we see in higher performing businesses. In part, it means HR professionals seeing themselves as business leaders first and HR professionals second. If HR does not deeply understand the business—its market, its strategy, its customers and its challenges—then it cannot possibly serve as the effective facilitator of change that it can be.?

The reality is that change is coming at businesses faster than ever. AI, automation, new workforce expectations, regulatory shifts and economic pressures are forcing companies to rethink how they operate and HR should be at the centre of that transformation. Yet too often, HR is relegated to the back seat, stuck in transactional processes while the real business conversations happen elsewhere.

I really hope this will change. The best HR functions are embedded in the business, not sitting on the sidelines. They are shaping organisational culture, developing leadership capability and helping businesses navigate the complex human challenges, emotions, fear and expectations that come with transformation. But my concern is it won’t happen unless HR is given the backing, influence and accountability to make a difference.

A question that occurs to me, is does HR get the sponsorship from other business leaders that it needs? In too many organisations I see, the answer is no. HR is expected to handle people issues but is not really invited into the real strategic discussions. This is a failure of leadership, not just a failure of HR in my view. If businesses want HR to step up – and businesses need this - they must demand it, support it and challenge it. If they don’t, they will continue to get the HR they deserve, which might be characterised as reactive, procedural and often irrelevant to real business success.?

HR’s role should be about making businesses better, not just making them compliant. It should be about creating an environment where people thrive, where leaders lead, and where change is not just managed but actively driven. To do that, HR must stop hiding behind policies and start demonstrating real commercial acumen. They need to move from talking about ‘best practices’ and move more towards talking about business outcomes. They need to challenge outdated ways of working rather than reinforce them.

The businesses that get this right—where HR is a powerful strategic force—will be the ones that attract and retain the best talent, navigate disruption effectively, save time and money, and outperform their competition. Those that don’t are likely to continue to struggle with disengagement, slow decision-making and a workforce that resists change rather than embraces it.?

UK businesses need to demand more from HR. They need HR leaders who think like business leaders, who act with commercial awareness, and who have the confidence to challenge the status quo. This is not about abandoning HR’s core responsibilities by any means, for me it is about elevating them. It is about ensuring that HR is not just a function, but a critical driver of business success.

What are your thoughts and hopes for HR in business?

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My offer : I will be very pleased to host and facilitate Open Space sessions for businesses, networks and groups on this important matter, and thus help businesses lead change.

With c20+ years experience in facilitating sessions and enabling change, I am both well placed and - I hope as you might read – extremely interested in this topic. That said, I do not have the answers, but believe that we as a collective have more than enough knowledge, skill and creativity to problem solve on this and build far better British business for good.

#Leadingbusinsschange #HR #FutureProof #Leadership #BuildingBetterBusiness #OpenSpaceTechnology

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