Today’s HR Business Partner: What Does It Take To Be One?

A guaranteed way for HRBPs to show impact and significant value to the organization

So much has been written and said about the need for HR to be true business partners.  But what does that exactly mean? What skill sets are needed and what roles does an HR Business Partner need to play?

The role that HRBPs play in organizations is a delicate balancing act.  On the one hand, we are employed by a company to represent its interests. On the other hand, we also represent employees. We need to listen to employees’ concerns and be legitimate advocates for them.

The best and most effective HRBPs are those who can understand both sides – employer and employee, and can represent both at the same time, while keeping in mind that contributing to the overall business objectives is our main driver. The ability to legitimately represent and advocate for both sides and come up with the best outcomes for both is a critical skill. There may be times when we need to be flexible by adjusting company policy or influencing change to ensure the best outcomes for all. In these situations, we must have the courage to make these recommendations.

HRBPs have the opportunity to drive strategy in any organization, regardless of its size.  If we are the Head of HR, we can help create strategy with our leaders in addition to formally driving it.  Even if we are not the Head of HR of an organization, we can still drive strategy.

Strategy is having a plan of where the organization is trying to go and what its long-term objectives are. It is necessary to understand the overall company strategy in order to develop the HR strategy. If we don't know where the company is trying to go, we may make decisions and take actions today that make the long-term strategy more difficult to achieve.
 
As HRBPs, we can drive the process of helping our leaders see the value of strategy and embed it in the company culture and objectives. We can drive the process of sharing the plans across the businesses for broad alignment and measuring progress. We can work closely with our leaders to determine the best ways to communicate and cascade the plans throughout the company. We can work with our managers to create more tactical goals and objectives that are achievable and aligned with the broader strategy, and we can hold all employees accountable for meeting their objectives.

The ability to think of issues strategically and to execute them effectively is a skill that we must demonstrate. Thinking strategically is thinking long-term and approaching HR decision-making from a holistic perspective. It is thinking about the company strategy and understanding that every action that we take and program we implement should be tied to the overall company strategy. It is understanding the implications of these actions and programs, and ensuring that they are tied to the company’s overall goals. Leaders will find our strategic thinking an invaluable skill as an HRBP, but if we cannot execute the day-to-day work required of an HRBP, our role will be unsustainable.

Even if we think strategically, our performance is ultimately measured by our accomplishments and the impact we have. Leaders want to see results and they usually want to see them immediately. We may need to be hands-on and handle situations on our own, be intimately involved in the work itself or delegate to one of our team members while moving progress along. Regardless of how we get things done, we need to ensure accountability of our team members and of ourselves. The ability to get work done, either through a team or individually, is a direct reflection of our performance and us.

In our role as an HRBP, we are change agents. We have the ability to influence our leader’s area and the programs, values, culture and talent within it. We can influence change from the inside and not as an outsider and we have the opportunity to influence and lead people who don’t report to us. We can present ideas for improvement and with the right support and finesse, we can create change.

Our role is not to be a change agent for the sake of bringing about change.  However, if we feel that changes are necessary for the betterment of the organization and its culture, then we should act as a change agent. Changes can happen only if the changes are fully supported by leadership.

We can influence decisions and individuals, not by telling people what to do but in a gradual way and by utilizing our coaching skills. We are able to influence our leaders because we are already known for our genuine integrity and we have a proven track record of fulfilling our commitments and being driven by what’s best for the organization instead of our own personal interests.

Organization Development (OD) interventions are an area of greatest potential impact within an organization if done well and taken seriously.  As HRBPs, we should be versed in OD. That does not mean being an expert in OD but being able to see the need for organizational development initiatives and knowing what the outcome should be for our client group.  Since we are on the ground working with our client groups on a daily basis, we have an excellent sense of the pulse of our groups and what will work well with them. We are OD practitioners and not OD specialists. An OD practitioner knows what tools are available in the OD specialists’ toolbox, properly diagnoses client groups’ needs and understands the value that an OD intervention brings. By being versed in OD, it allows us to work in sync and beautifully with an OD specialist to create an intervention that works best for our client groups.  
 
OD interventions and subsequent follow-through provide immense value to our clients and client groups. This is a guaranteed way for HRBPs to show impact and significant value to the organization.