Time to Jettison the HR Business Partner Role
Emmanuel Michael, SPHRi
100 Most Influential Global HR Leader. 101 Global HR Hero. Leadership Coach. Career Coach. Success Coach. Author. Public Speaker. Founder & Host of #HRwithEM?
It was indeed a nice beautiful evening which afforded me an opportunity to meet friends and admirers known to me only online in the social media circle. This event brought us together in flesh and blood.
In all the deliberation of the evening, what stood out to me was the role that HR is expected to play in any organisation. There were lots of SHOULDs in almost every contribution to ensure that HR is relevant at the table or seat. The speaker challenged the notion “HR as a Business Partner” and posited that “it is high time that HR became the business, instead of being a partner to the business.”
The first time I came across the business partner model was in 2007 while reading Dave Ulrich’s book titled Human Resource Champions published in 1997. I do not believe that in 2017, we should still be talking about what HR should do in order to partner the business. I think that we should be analysing the impact of the last 20 years that HR has partnered the business. Our experiences today have shown that HR is the business. No people, no business. For any business to succeed you need people, hence the notion that HR is business is correct. Check out any successful business, you will see that the success is hinged on the kind and type of people in that business. Your people determine how far your business will go. Any successful business leader is a great people manager. People make or mar any business. It is time to highlight businesses that focused on their people and the impact that those businesses derived from this act.
HR is the business of successful organisations. HR should no longer be seen as a business partner. HR should be the business of any organisation that wants to excel and beat the competition. I will like to read stories of how HR transformed your business to what it is today.
Follow me on Twitter @enmichael for my thoughts on HR, employee engagement and people issues.
Talent Business Partner| HR Director | Author | Career Mentor | HR Certification Subject Matter Expert |100 Most Influential Global HR | Founder | Employee Engagement Pro
8 年Good stuff Mike, And Solid comment there everyone. And I agree HR is not just about HR it's really about business! HR is people, People are/do the business I think also that HR as Business Partners should go beyond just *partnering* but rather getting involved in direct *managing* of business in terms of being a *significant* part of business decision making at whatever level the HR is involved. Springing up new ideas on managing the business rather than just executing the already sprung up ideas.
MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO at REASONNABILITTI SERVICES
8 年You are right as regards the centre position of people in the succes of the business organization. However, with regard to the role of HR people in the business, I do not think a majority of them know their left from their right. In their drive to retain their jobs, HR people have become a shame.
CEO & Founder, Lean Leadership Center | Program Developer of the Coaching Style of Leadership | Promoter of Heart-Based Leadership | Global Expert, Lean HR | Author | Speaker | AME Chair | TWI Expert | Shingo Fellow
8 年Your comments are music to my ears. Hope to see this view become mainstream someday.
HR & Org. Dev. Professional
8 年HR Should evolve.