[aHr #9] Critical Functions in your Organization
Shift the corporate HR function from a transactional focus to one of enablement, benefiting business agility by transitioning to a more resourceful human centered Enablement Agency.
This series shed a perspective on the present & future challenges in the world of Human Resources. Howto tweak our ways of working from process to purpose…
As we’re crafting an effective program for Agility in HR we’ll include evolutionary insights and invite your feedback in the comments.
TL;DR
Dora leads a strategic effort company-wide but also locally in her span op control optimizing resource allocation of the HR department; a team of 12. While mastering the passion and hammer of Continuous Improvement, she always looks for nails. As she embraces systems thinking, she looks for patterns and interconnections in the work design & social systems.
Buoyed by the success of aligning HR initiatives with business goals, Dora enjoyed her first year of being an agile HRBP. High time to set her sights on a new challenge – optimizing resource allocation within the HR department itself.
While the department had undergone a significant transformation, a nagging suspicion lingered: were they focusing their efforts on the right areas?
"We've come a long way," Dora admitted to her ever team during a brainstorming session. "We grew in 1 year from 7 to 12, but are we putting our resources where they matter most?" Her colleagues indicated that they don’t think the already well-established Skill Matrix is enough.
The question resonated with the team. They were spread thin, juggling a wide range of initiatives – from onboarding new hires to managing employee benefits to spearheading the ongoing development of the people-centered culture. But were these initiatives strategically aligned with Unison critical functions?
To answer this question, Dora revisited the concept of the talent management portfolio. She sketched a two-dimensional matrix on the whiteboard: The X-axis represented strategic relevance, signifying how crucial each function was to Unison’s success. The Y-axis represented talent availability, indicating the difficulty of finding qualified people/characteristics for each role.
"Let's map our current HR activities onto this framework," Dora suggested.
The team started by listing all their major tasks. Recruitment, for example, fell under high strategic relevance – attracting and retaining top talent was essential for any function at Unison. However, talent availability varied depending on the specific role being filled. Finding data analysts proved challenging, placing recruitment for that function in the high strategic relevance/low availability quadrant.
On the other hand, tasks like payroll processing, while important, fell under low strategic relevance. Qualified payroll specialists were readily available, placing this activity in the low strategic relevance/high availability quadrant.
The exercise revealed a crucial insight. A significant portion of the HR team's resources were being spent on activities that, while necessary, weren't directly tied to Unison’s most critical functions. This meant less energy was available for strategic initiatives like developing future leaders or fostering a culture of innovation.
"We need to shift our focus," Dora declared. "Let's invest more resources in the high strategic relevance/low availability areas." This meant streamlining low-impact tasks. Sarah explored outsourcing some payroll functions and implementing online self-service portals for employees to manage basic administrative tasks.
The freed-up resources were then directed towards strengthening activities in the critical zones. The HR team partnered with the data analytics department to develop targeted recruitment strategies and training programs. They also established a leadership development program to identify and nurture high-potential employees within the organization.
These strategic shifts weren't easy. Some team members, accustomed to their existing routines, expressed resistance to change. But Dora, armed with data and a clear vision, patiently explained the rationale behind these adjustments. She emphasized the importance of aligning their core values and daily work with the overall success of the company.
Not only in the creative IT-world, but also in HR, continuous changes require organizations to balance team capacity, foster cross-functional collaboration, maintain flexible resource pools, and leverage visual management techniques such as Kanban. Team members helping each other achieving shared goals.
Slowly, the team embraced the new approach. The shift in resource allocation paid dividends. Unison was able to attract and retain top talent in critical areas like data analytics, leading to the development of innovative new insurance products. The leadership development program also started to yield results, with several high-potential employees identified and groomed for future leadership roles.
Dora's focus on resource allocation within HR sent a powerful message throughout Unison. It demonstrated that HR wasn't just about filling out paperwork and processing benefits; it was a strategic partner actively working to optimize the organization's most valuable asset – its people.
By strategically utilizing their resources and aligning their work with the company's critical functions, Dora's team had transformed HR into a true engine of growth for Unison. The once-rigid behemoth was now a more agile and dynamic organization, well-positioned for success in the ever-evolving business landscape.
Show your support
Every post on Socio-Technical Criteria takes several days of research and (re)writing.
Your support with small gestures (like, reshare, subscribe, comment,…) is hugely appreciated!
The next episode Dora will delve deeper into Strategic Facilitation of Human Resources Management.