When, a generation ago, we shifted to an HR service delivery model, the HR business partner (BP) acting as a connector between all our new different HR centres of excellence (COE) and the business, made a lot of sense.
In reality, too many BPs have been relegated to administrative or tactical duties. This is regrettable since the original vision was for this role to integrate people strategy tightly with the broader business strategy. That remains a hugely important idea and a contribution that organisations desperately need.
Leaders across every business would greatly benefit from informed guidance on how best to use data in hiring, or how to consult with individuals who have a cross-organisational perspective on how other teams are approaching topics like AI, with the rise of digital technology, globalisation, and changing workforce expectations. These examples highlight that HR BPs are now vitally needed to focus on strategic initiatives such as people analytics, employee experience, and organisation design.
Use what you already have way, way more effectively
Current approaches result in a lot of BPs not working ‘at top of licence’, working on day-to-day problems rather than strategic endeavours. Encouragingly, advancements in AI are now easing the administrative burdens previously shouldered by managers, enabling BPs to more effectively support organisations in navigating the complexities of today's business environment.
Read more: How to create an HR business plan that delivers
The chief HR officer's mission is to develop BPs, assist them in cultivating essential relationships across the business, provide the necessary support, and strategically organise them for success. This approach will maximise their impact and contribution to the organisation's goals without extensive overhaul. Our latest research suggests that this primarily entails investing in capability building.
Some of that will be training and learning and development, but a lot of it will be helping people find mentors or connections. This often translates to helping them work on projects where they can learn and gain valuable exposure. That comes down to relationships, which is where ‘systemic HR’ framework thinking helps.
Systemic HR is a paradigm shift about evolving HR from today’s siloed service provider to a more integrated, consultative function that solves a company’s most pressing business problems. Moving to this kind of optimised HR transforms the BP into a well-trained, data- and tech-savvy business consultant.
To empower your BPs to fulfil their intended roles, you need to stop asking them to manage the HR management or learning management systems. Instead:
● encourage them to become business consultants, not just advisors or administrators
● build the HR business partner capabilities they need to thrive in this capacity
● properly organise their roles, and
● clearly communicate how you expect them to operate and be utilised.
One of the key changes that needs to happen is to adopt agile and dynamic organisational structures to allow HR BPs to focus. Such structures include resource pooling, flattening hierarchies, and cross-functional teams. For BPs, an agile structure means moving away from a fixed role within a single business unit to a more fluid position, where they can contribute across various parts of the organisation.
Read more: Five golden rules for implementing agile working
Think about a consulting company: its members do not rigidly report to hierarchical managers but get assigned to projects based on their competencies. This flexibility enhances the BPs’ ability to share knowledge, learn from accumulating sector best practice, and respond more swiftly to emerging challenges and opportunities. Companies such as Lego, IBM, Accenture and Mastercard are moving in this direction.
Working across this group, collaborating with the business, and supporting the highest-priority initiatives makes the HR function much more impactful. We need to do this. While BPs were the right idea, along the way we forgot how to make the most of them.
Josh Bersin is a HR analyst
