I amuse myself thinking about how many people will see this title and think that I have an answer to such a question. I don't. But what I do know is there seems to be no lack of drama between corporate HR "Centers of Excellence" (think, corporate-based TA, TM, Comp teams, etc.) and the field HR business partners.

Here's how it usually plays out:

Field HR: "They don't have any idea how things really work out here in the business."
HR COE: "We create all these great programs and they can't execute a thing."
Field HR: "They don't have a clue about what we really need."
HR COE: "We ask their opinion, they don't respond, and then they criticize what we develop."
Field HR: "They should work a day in the field to understand how things really work out here."
HR COE: "They should work a day in headquarters to understand how things really work in here."

Which is better? Impossible to say. But what I do feel strongly about is that the structure of field HR business partners, working with an HR Shared Service center and HR Centers of Excellence, can be a great one. But how well it all plays out - meaning, how effectively these departments, outputs and people - actually support the business strategy - is more dependent on the skills of those in these roles than anything else.

Skills, you say? What about process, technology, tools and measurements? Yeah - that's all good stuff - but if the people in the roles don't have skills in influencing, consulting, coaching, advising and, um, actually getting work done - it really doesn't matter that you have the slickest, newest talent management technology. And don't forget to throw 'business acumen' in the mix. If your HR people - field or corporate, doesn't matter to me - can't answer basic questions about the business (like, what's our overall revenue? what's our fastest growing division and why?), then they won't have the credibility they need to get a leader to return their phone call.

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