THE CHANGING ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE FUNCTION
by
DR JANEFRANCIS I. DURU
B.A, MPA, Ph.D, MNIM, ACIPM, MNITAD
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
HR requires some competencies to become a strategic partner. These are:
• Leadership competencies• Knowledge of business• Strategic Thinking• Process skills• Technology
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont
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
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont
Technology
• Maintain HR documentation using knowledge management and technology
• Build firm’s capability using info systems
• Provide training in use of technology
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
Administrative Expert
HR expert will be working to improve organizational processes and deliver basic HR services,
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
Employee Advocate• As an employee advocate, the HR
manager plays an integral role in organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
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.
The Changing Human Resources Role (cont)
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.
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.
The Implications Changing Roles Of HR Management (cont)
• Human resource professionals will be expected to demonstrate an enhanced set of core competencies to effectively handle their expanded responsibility.
The Implications Changing Roles Of HR Management (cont)
• 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