Across the last few years, our members told us they want research that helps them navigate the challenges of today’s HR organization and the offerings of HR solution providers. We have listened. I welcome you to join Bersin & Associates in kicking off the New Year with the launch of our new HR Practice. Building on our leading expertise in learning and talent, we are expanding our work to cover the over-arching area of strategic human resources, including:
In 2004, Bersin & Associates launched its very first report in learning technology, providing a new type of research – practical and focused on business outcomes -- for learning and talent professionals. At the time, I was a mid-level HR leader in a large retail organization. The concept of Talent Management was just an idea – and my peers and I spent a great deal of time educating both our business leaders and many of our HR counter-parts on the real value of HR. For years, compliance had been the HR function’s primary role; now we were changing the playing field, providing proof that HR could impact the business. But for every two steps we took forward, it often felt like we were taking one step backward. Our systems were sub-par or non-existent, our data flawed, and our HR teams often ill-prepared to function as business partners.
My frustrations at the time were shared by many. In fact it was just the following year that Keith Hammond’s FastCompany article came out, “Why We Hate HR”. Hammond’s piece lambasted those HR leaders who focused on administrative efforts, and hadn’t claimed their role as business leaders. Copies of this article flooded the HR community. My organization, like many others, took it as an opportunity to push our belief in a strategic HR function even harder.
What Hammond forgot to mention, and I soon came to understand, was that HR is like any industry or organization and needs time to evolve. Trying to push an HR organization to play a strategic role before it can effectively manage basic tasks such as compliance tracking, hiring, or onboarding employees is frustrating for both the HR professionals as well as the business. Trying to provide sound people advice to the business without sound data is simply negligent. It takes time to build the skills, expertise, processes and trust to effectively advise the business. It truly is an evolutionary process.
Over the past two years, we’ve done extensive research into how organizations can make that greater business impact. We've spoken with organizations who have highly evolved HR functions and those that are just starting the journey. I’ve personally had the chance to talk to over 100 HR leaders, from companies like IBM and Kelly Services, and government agencies like Health and Human Services (HHS), and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Each organization is at a different place along their evolutionary path, and each organization is focused on making the right decisions with limited resources -- decisions that will lead to positive outcomes for both their workforce and their organizations.
No matter where your HR organization stands today, it plays a significant role in the success of the business. If a company’s needs grow and change and the HR function hasn’t kept pace, they can begin to have an adverse effect on the business. If HR focuses on continuous improvement, our data shows it leads to greater business impact.
To launch our HR practice, we are introducing two new major reports designed to help organizations along their evolutionary journey. These reports were written in direct response to our members’ request to better understand the modern HR organization and the best approach to setting priorities.
“The HR Framework: A Model for the High-Impact HR Function”
Based on our survey of 720 organizations, the HR framework identifies the HR organization’s roles, the work it accomplishes, and the outcomes it expects. This framework can be used by your organization to help start discussions about how your leaders see HR’s role and work, and the vision for where you want it to be. It can also help assess your current state and provide a starting point for creating your own customized HR framework.
“The High-Impact HR Organization: Top 10 Best Practices on the Road to Excellence”
This is a practical resource to help HR professionals understand the HR practices that have the greatest impact on increasing the efficiency, effectiveness, and business alignment of HR functions. This study takes a careful look at what high-impact HR organizations do that others don’t: how they operate; how they’re structured; how they pursue improvements and evolve; and how they meet business needs and work with business partners.
As HR leaders and practitioners, you play a critical role in supporting the effective management of your company’s current and future workforce. The question for HR is no longer about getting to the table; instead it is about living up to the high expectations that come with that seat.
As a member of our community, we invite you to join us in our discussions and share your thoughts on this evolving industry. Let’s start our conversation on February 15th, when I’ll be hosting a webinar to introduce the new practice and details on High Impact HR Organizations and their Top 10 Best Practices.
We look forward to your comments on our new practice and ways we can continue to add value. Feel free to contact me directly at stacey.harris@bersin.com with questions or comments on how you can participate and join the conversation.
Stacey Harris
Principal Analyst