Transformation of Human Resources to become innovative strategic partner

The business world is far more complex than it was any time before in the history of our civilization. No organization can afford to have a simple business model that worked several years ago. Competitors evolve every day trying to grab the market share. The firm has to change its processes, products and services to succeed on the market. The same story has to live in Human Resources Department.

HR Professionals have to understand to the business strategy and how Human Resources can contribute to the success of the company. HR Transformation is an essential part of the success of the modern company. It answers to real needs of the company that needs to acquire additional skills to be competitive. The change has to become a natural part of our core HR values and capabilities.

The accountability of HR Professionals is on the rise in modern companies. They are not valued for the performing tasks; they are valued for accomplishing challenging goals and closing performance gaps in the company. However, the current status of the HR Management in the company needs to be shifted, because the current HR Organization does not support the growth and innovations.

The transformation of Human Resources does not have to be necessary a big deal. It is better to manage a well planned set of smaller changes while keeping the performance of the team at the required level. Even a small step forward can help, if it is followed by another small step.

Days of Big Bang transformations are over. Managing the huge and complete transformation requires highly experienced HR Project Manager and biggest Bang HR Transformations fail (a conflict of too high expectations and issues with the delivery). The change of Human Resources is often hidden in the change of behavior and acquiring additional skills and competencies.

The transformation of HR must be conducted in the context of the business strategy and business requirements. Human Resources has to design the HR Transformation Strategy that clearly sets boundaries for the change project. It has to analyze common obstacles, gaps and the status of the HR Management in the organization. A dedicated internal team has to propose the HR transformation roadmap that will guide the HR Organization through the set of small changes.

Each transformation has to be put into the business context. No leader will approve the change that is not aligned with the general vision of the organization and the standard business requirements. Most organizations identify weak spots in Human Resources that block the possibility to reach higher productivity and performance.

Connecting the weak points with the potential gains in productivity is always an excellent start of any transformation journey. The CEO supports changes that are beneficial for the company; the top management does not support individual ambitions of HR Managers with no evidence of benefits for all.

HR has to explain clearly why the change in the team is required. It has to communicate clearly the benefits of the HR transformation. If people understand the big reason to change, they accept the fact. Each change and transformation are done through people and their minds. This is a masterpiece of changes in soft areas like Human Resources.

Like any other change management project the transformation of Human Resources is about managing expectations, keeping in a close touch with stakeholders and right tools used to manage the project. As any other change management activity the burning platform is a great basis for the effort. Without recognized needs to change no one is willing to go on a challenging transformation journey.

The leader of the organization usually has a clear vision where the company should go. The management team of Human Resources has to break down the business vision and business strategy into smaller pieces. The team has to set up the HR Transformation plan if changes are more significant than HR can cope within the current set up. The team has to prepare a new HR Model that incorporates all new business requirements. It has to write down the new vision for Human Resources.

The HR Transformation story is the last piece before the journey starts. No one wants to follow the Microsoft Project Plan; people want to follow dreams and visions. The team just has to choose the right tools to support the journey and effort.