He said HR professionals often fall into the trap of adopting “product push mindset”. “Someone shows us something bright and shiny, and irrespective of circumstance, we try and fit it into our organisation, even though the circumstances of our organisation might be completely different.”
Hayward said another HR failing was that “we do not design and build something to run”.
Instead adopt a “product management mindset”, he advised HR directors.
"If something is being designed to work in the organisation, there has to be an end user and customer," he said. "It has to be taken through ideation, design, testing, piloting and rollout.
"It has to connect the whole function end-to-end. If a great, shiny idea like rolling out training doesn't have the administration and booking right, and you can’t cope with the volume in the HR service centre, it falls over straight away."
He added: “If it’s not demonstrably solving a business problem with a business owner and a sponsor, and you haven’t adopted a programme mindset, it’s doomed to failure.”
Check back next week for a full interview with Neil Hayward
