The changing role of human resource function

THE CHANGING ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE FUNCTION

by

DR JANEFRANCIS I. DURU

B.A, MPA, Ph.D, MNIM, ACIPM, MNITAD

[email protected]

0803 3210968

Course Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Define HR management • List and define the seven categories of HR

activities.• Describe the new four roles of HR

management.• Identify three causes of the changing HR

Roles.

What is Human Resources?

Human Resources are the people in the organization

What is Human Resources Management?

Human Resource Management can be defined as the implementation of the strategies, plans and programs required to attract, motivate, develop, reward and retain the best people to meet the organizational goals and operational objectives of the organization.

Human Resources Management Functions

• Strategic HR Management• Equal Employment Opportunity• Staffing• HR Development• Compensation and Benefits• Health, Safety, and Security• Employee and Labor Relations

Human Resources Management Functions

• Source: HR Department Benchmarks and Analysis Survey 2004 (Washington, DC: Bureau of National Affairs, 2004), 21.

The Changing Human Resources Role

• The role of the HR professional is changing. In the past, HR managers were often viewed as the systematizing, policing arm of executive management.

• Their role was more closely aligned with personnel and administration functions that were viewed by the organization as paperwork.

Changing Roles of HR Management

Note: Example percentages are based on various surveys.

Operational to Strategic Transformation of HR

Role of HR Professionals

The Past

• Operational

• Monitor

• Short term

• Administrative

• Reactive

• Activity focus

The Future

• StrategicStrategic• PartnerPartner• Long termLong term• ConsultativeConsultative• ProactiveProactive• Solution Solution

focusfocus

Changing Roles of HR Management (cont)

The new roles of HR management are classified into four:

• Strategic Partner

• Employee Advocate

• Administrative Expert

• Change Agent

The Changing Role of Human Resource Management

HR Expert

Change Agent

Employee Advocate

Administrative Expert

Strategic Partner

The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)

Strategic Partner• In this role, the HR person contributes to

the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives.


Strategic Partner• To be successful business partners, the HR staff

members have to think like business people, know finance and accounting, and be accountable and responsible for cost reductions and the measurement of all HR programs and processes.

• It's not enough to ask for a seat at the executive table; HR people will have to prove they have the business savvy necessary to sit there.

http://humanresources.about.com/cs/strategichr/a/exec_success.htm


HR requires some competencies to become a strategic partner. These are:

• Leadership competencies• Knowledge of business• Strategic Thinking• Process skills• Technology


Leadership competencies• Understand the nature and styles of leadership, and

display appropriate leadership characteristics in performance of professional responsibilities.

• Demonstrate leadership at multiple performance levels:– Individual– Team– Unit or Organization

The Changing Human Resources Role (cont

Knowledge of business• Understand corporate business (structure, vision

and values, goals, strategies, financial, and performance characteristics).

• Understand the unit’s business, including special knowledge of competitors, products, technology, and sources of competitive advantage.


Knowledge of business (cont)

• Understand internal and external customers.• Understand the environment (external and

internal) of corporation and individual businesses.– Understand key business disciplines– Nature, scope, and HR implications of business

globalization– Information technology as it affects competitiveness

and business processes


Strategic Thinking

• Understand the strategic business planning process.

• Understand and be able to apply a systematic HR planning process.

• Be able to select, design, and integrate HR systems or practices to build organizational mindset, capability, and competitive advantage for the business.

• Be able to develop and integrate business unit HR strategies within framework of corporate HR strategies.


Process skills• All HR professionals should be competent in key

corporate processes and understand management processes critical to particular business units.

• Understand key process skills such as consulting, problem solving, evaluation/diagnosis, workshop design, and facilitation.


Process skills (cont)

• Understand the basic principles, methodologies, and processes or organizational change and development.

• Facilitate and manage organizational change.

• Balance, integrate, and manage under conditions of uncertainty and paradox.


Technology

• Maintain HR documentation using knowledge management and technology

• Build firm’s capability using info systems

• Provide training in use of technology


Administrative Expert

HR expert will be working to improve organizational processes and deliver basic HR services,


Employee Advocate• As an employee advocate, the HR

manager plays an integral role in organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people.


Employee Advocate (cont)This advocacy includes expertise in how to:• Builds employee ownership of the organization.• Establish the organizational culture and climate

in which people have the competency, concern and commitment to serve customers well.

• Create a work environment in which people will choose to be motivated, contributing, and happy.


Change Agent• HR executives sponsors change in other

departments and in work practices. • They champion the identification of the

organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans in other to promote the overall success of his organization.

• They help determine the measures that will tell the organization how well it is succeeding in all of this.

Reasons for Human Resources Changing Role

There are various reasons for human resource changing role, including:

• The acceptance by many large organizations that people are their most important asset

• The search for more effective ways in managing diverse employees.

http://www.strategic-human-resource.com/diversified-human-resources.html

Reasons for Human Resources Changing Role

• The strategic position of people in leveraging organization' competitive advantage based on their skills, knowledge and personalities

• The fear that the HR Department and HR professionals will fade into insignificance.

Causes of HR Changing Role

Globalization

Technological Advances

Trends in the Nature of Work

Workforce Demographic & Diversity

Causes of Human Resource Mgt Changing Role

Causes of HR Changing Role (cont)

• Globalization:Tendency of firms to extend their sales and manufacturing to new markets abroad

• Technological advances:Technology has been forcing and enabling firms to become more competitive (skilled employee, empowerment)

Causes of HR Changing Role (cont)

• The nature of work:Human capital(knowledge, education, training, skills and expertise of a firm’s worker) provides competitive advantage

• The workforce diversity:Increased diversity provide challenges for HR management

The Implications Changing Roles Of HR Management

• The changing role of human resources has tremendous implications not just for businesses, but for the human resources function and for all human resources professionals.

The Implications Changing Roles Of HR Management (cont)

The implications of this are that:

• Administrative skills are no longer enough; human resources now demands a skill mix that also includes consulting, coaching and communication, along with broad understanding of business issues.


• Human resource professionals will be expected to demonstrate an enhanced set of core competencies to effectively handle their expanded responsibility.


• Organizations will seek human resource professionals who can align human resources strategy with business strategy to make a positive impact on the bottom line.

Thank You

Documents

The changing role of human resource function