INTRODUCTION

Although the “taking a view” phrase is one I’ve been using for some time on my Strategic HR Transformation development workshops, I could not continue this brief article on the subject without paying respects to Kathy Bernard and her recent message to CHROS – “You get paid for taking a view”.

Essentially the phrase originated (at least with me) from hearing so many different ideas, approaches, models, roles, titles, structures, services, priorities being expounded on my workshops and spending more and more time trying to help participants determine what “the best” human capital management approach was for their organisation/ business that would help it succeed over “let’s say” the next strategic plan period.

THE BEST WAY?

Not to say that there is one “best way” but “taking a view” does entail determining current value added to business success by the strategic advice counsel and services HR are IMPLEMENTING with their business customers. Supporting and enhancing the successful approaches, finding the gaps in the current deliverables and filling them with even more value-added impactful service.

Of course, you cannot have hung around the human capital management scene for as long as I have without having taken a view! So, despite my “no one best way” comment, I do steer my clients towards IMPLEMENTING 5 key pieces of advice. counsel and service somewhat confusing and stifles progress rather than enhancing it? that are interconnected and take a couple of years (usually) to get a team together that is fully knowledgeable, capable and confident to engage, educate, influence, listen and deliver and of course then use engagement scores, HR and business metrics and Glassdoor ratings/reviews to gauge progress and determine next stage improvements.

However, on the one hand, I feel very fortunate to have been involved in the L&D and HR field over the last 25 years or so. It has on occasions been immensely rewarding to be a part of a transformation that sees business and people strategic success progressing hand in hand. On the other, it is clear from the most recent data that the few shining lights of progress we can point at are too often outweighed by organisations/businesses that have not been able to progress their human capital development and management as they would have liked and that their business needs.

COMMUNICATION/ EDUCATION/INTRODUCTION

Not a blame game. No one’s fault particularly. Just that in the time period I mentioned above we have learned so much about human capital management solutions, best practices, business impact etc. that it is a bit surprising that the better practices are not more widely known or perhaps so many ideas and options make the roadmap. Despite the oft used phrase that the world in now a much smaller place (in communication terms) it seems we have been poor (or worse) at communicating and sharing these better practices. I often come across a thirst at the individual and team level to develop the very best HR responses (great see below) when so much has been available to them prior to walking into one of my programmes but has not been offered/accessed. It may simply come down to what individuals/businesses have been introduced to (or not) or educated to believe is best practice. Human Capital Transformation often involves changing work experiences, upgrading knowledge and capabilities, reworking guidance and delivery expectations. Scary stuff so, even when introduced, APPETITE for IMPLEMENTAION often varies again slowing best practice progress.

A MORE POSITIVE FUTURE?

BUT, on a more positive note. In a number of my recent development programmes a much more detailed focus has arisen as to where an HR team may be currently placed along what I call “The HR Continuum” – a visual I use to describe our administrative history (briefly), our progress to being a strategic business/organisation partner (in some depth) and our current attempts to become a predictive analyst, feeding top teams with human capital updates and proposals for inclusion in an organization’s strategic intentions and plans.

Why the more recent uptick in focus of these areas? I think there are a number of influences at play here:

DATA; there is more data available to judge HR contribution and impact than ever before; engagement surveys, Glassdoor star ratings (plus pros/cons of working at a particular firm and their recommendation to friends), key metrics related to “employer of choice” status being tracked and reported; business metrics related to HCM, among others. Al is enhancing the future part of this debate but isn’t boggling minds as yet at least not mine – but it may down the road. (Of course, such data often says as much about the leadership and management teams we serve as about ourselves (HR) but they do give us all a basis for initiatives to improve and actions to IMPLEMENT – together!).

1. INCREASING pressure on and from more enlightened top teams to attract, develop. retain and progress best talent as the means of achieving strategic intent – the best strategy in the world needs talent to deliver it. HR then increasingly charged to respond to these enhanced demands.
2. PROGRESSIVE HR!, There are now some very progressive HR leaders and teams who are delivering the IMPLEMENTION of advice and services that aid business (or government or NGO) success. A CIPD study found 13 individual HR leaders in the UK not that long ago, prompting tag lines of them being the Bruce Willis and Captain Marvel’s of the HR world. Somewhat fanciful you may say but they do provide progressive examples for us to emulate.
3. A RECOGNITION that in differing industries and geographies the rate of progress along the HR continuum differs and that HR advice and services may not have progressed as far as we thought particularly from the IMPLEMENTATION perspective as recognized by the business.

The business customer’s perspective. Once understanding what business partnership and predictive analytics really look like in practice and are being responded to, ratings (on a 1 to 10 scale) of a programme participant’s own HR team progress tend to fall during the week. Usually from a 6 or 7 average at the start to around 4 by the end of a programme (AND 4 is about the average rating that participants from business programmes give THEIR HR teams!). These numbers, and the services they relate to do then provide at least a handle on where their advice/counsel/service gaps are and how to fill them!! AND bring a recognition of previous progress over rating usually by mistaking issuance of tools, models and processes for progress rather than embedded and impactful action and experiences!!

It can be argued that as my exposure is, recently at least, predominantly in the developing world and as such is slanted toward the need for improvement rather than recognizing progress. This may be true BUT:

A Mckinsey study in early 2024 of 2500 companies found only 5% of senior leaders believe they have the talent in place to deliver business strategy (and were critical of HR’s efforts to improve this).

Gallup reported in August 2024 that only 20% of employees surveyed rated their performance review as transparent and fair.

In December 2024 Gartner reported that only 28% of HR leaders agree that Business and HR strategies are truly aligned.

BUT BUT:

A Fortune study in the same year listed the Top 5 Companies globally and Top 3 Companies in Asia in terms of bottom-line results AND people experiences – their glass door ratings and pros/cons make interesting reading!!

A recent summary of engagement scores showed Europe relatively low and flat in recent years, the US barely growing, Africa progressing nicely and ASIA increasing fairly rapidly!!

Essentially the point being that the developing world is learning and implementing best practices for a combined business/people approach to success and perhaps the developed world needs to reinvigorate what it already knows about IMPLEMENTING these practices.

AND SO:

My ADVICE to HR leaders and teams usually revolves around:

Determining with business leaders “the agreed view” on the key five pieces of advice or services to deliver that will help their business succeed it took us a while to work these out but they are NOT secret.

• IMPLEMENTING them.

• Surveying business leaders and employees on their impact and improvements needed.

• Tracking and reporting key metrics (HR and Business) that indicate progress along with further improvement/actionable suggestions.

ABOVE ALL:

Create a knowledgeable, capable, confident team of specialists to drive best practice and generalists (HRBPs) to be allocated to business and function lines as a “one stop shop” solution provider and an HR channel And finally from Dave Ulrich himself “HRBPs are architects that diagnose and upgrade organisations”!!!

Author: Dr. Joel Farnworth

About the Author

Dr. Joel Farnworth, DBA, MAML, and Chartered Fellow CIPD, is the Dean of Business and Management Studies at European International University (EIU) – Paris and Managing Partner at Kasemsri Farnworth & Associates (KF&A). He leads EIU’s Leadership, Strategy, and HRM content within the MBA program and delivers strategic HR services globally. With 22 years at HSBC, he held key roles like Global Head of Talent and Head of HR for Thailand, India, and MENA, working across 42 countries. A sought-after consultant, he
specializes in leadership development, performance, rewards, and talent management, with deep expertise in driving impactful HR strategies worldwide.