HR STRATEGIC EXCELLENCE
Being a more effective strategic contributor is an important objective for many
HR functions. However, this goal can not be achieved if the focus is exclusively
on the effective and efficient delivery of HR services.The new strategic work of
the human resources function is to improve decisions that impact people —
decisions that are usually made outside of HR. By shifting its focus from delivering
services to improving decisions, the HR function will discover new avenues to
contribute to organizational success.
How the Work of HR is Changing
■ Organizations understand it is critical to make sound decisions about
people. Most of those decisions are made by line leaders, not HR. A truly
strategic HR function equips managers to make good people decisions.
■ The HR profession has traditionally focused on delivering services. As cost
pressures increase, HR can find its success narrowly defined in terms of its
ability to make year-over-year cost reductions while improving vital services.
The new strategic HR focuses on improving decisions which directly
contribute to business results.That transforms the view of HR from a cost
to be minimized to an essential driver of the execution of the strategy.
■ HR commonly falls in the trap of implementing the “best practices” of
other companies. Organizations cannot win by copying their competitors
financial or marketing strategies, so why copy their HR practices? Worldclass
HR organizations concentrate on designing distinctive approaches to
support their organization’s strategy-not just copying what others are doing.
■ Instead of teaching leaders about rules and policies, the new HR needs
to develop a strong teachable point of view in every HR discipline (e.g.,
staffing, talent management, compensation). HR needs to communicate
that point of view to leaders who will then make smarter decisions
about people.
■ Many HR organizations gauge their success on metrics such as
compliance, speed, efficiency, and satisfaction with HR services.While
those metrics are important, they are not enough, because they do not
measure the quality of decisions.
HR Strategic Excellence Framework
The HR Strategic Excellence Framework, developed by Dr. John Boudreau and
Pete Ramstad, is central to our approach.The framework was developed over the
last ten years in response to leading-edge HR organizations who were saying,“We
have great practices already; there has to be some way to move to the next level.”
As organizations address elements of the framework, they improve the HR
function and increase their ability to realize sustained competitive advantage
through talent.
The HR Strategic Excellence Framework(从这5个层面入手是规划的切入)
The Strategic Excellence Framework has five factors. It starts with Purpose, which
addresses the fundamental mission of HR.The framework then moves on to
Talent Resource Analysis, to examine the talent available and determine
specifically how talent drives strategy execution.The third factor is Functional
Strategy, which includes the design of the HR organization itself, differentiating
HR strategies for different talent pools (a lever HR uses too little), and the annual
plan for the HR function, which if done well facilitates HR’s acquisition of the
resources it needs.The fourth factor is Integrated Execution, which deals with the
more familiar areas of HR programs, infrastructure and metrics.The final factor is
Professional HR Talent, recognizing that HR must continuously build new skills
and capabilities within its own ranks.
Few HR departments have had a sound, well-developed framework before. Many
HR functions start with purpose and jump right to the execution issues.The
Strategic Excellence Framework fills in the missing factors and ties our analysis of
HR into a coherent model, one that can be used to guide improvement on both
short-term and long-term issues.
