THE HR MANAGER

AS STRATEGIC
PARTNER
THE ROLE OF HR
The role of HR function is to enable the
organization to achieve its objectives
by taking the initiative, providing
guidance and support and delivering
effective services on all matters
relating to the people who work
there.
The basic aim is to ensure that the
organization deals properly with
everything concerning the
employment & development of
people and the relationships that
exists between management & the
workforce.
THE ROLE OF HR
A further key for the HR function is
to play a major part in the creation
of the environment which enables
people to make the use of their
capacities and to realize their
potential to the benefit of both the
organization and themselves.
A NEW MANDATE FOR HUMAN
RESOURCES
Ulrich (1998) said that ‘The
activities of HR appear to be, and
often are, disconnected from the
real work of the organization’.
He believes that HR ‘should not be
defined by what it does but by
what it delivers’.
4 WAYS TO DELIVER
EXCELLENCE IN HR
1. HR should become a partner with
senior and line managers in
strategy execution, helping to
improve planning from the
conference room to the
marketplace.
2. It should become an expert in the
way work is organized and
executed, delivering
administrative efficiency to ensure
that costs are reduced while
quality is maintained.
4 WAYS TO DELIVER
EXCELLENCE IN HR
3. It should become a champion
for employees, vigorously
representing their concerns to
senior management and at the
same time working to increase
employee contribution – that is,
employees commitment to the
organization and their ability to
deliver results.
4 WAYS TO DELIVER
EXCELLENCE IN HR
4. It should become an agent of
continuous transformation,
shaping processes and a
culture that together improve
an organization’s capacity for
change.
THE STRATEGIC PARTNER ROLE
To be fully strategic partners w/ the
senior management, Ulrich (1998)
views that HR executives should
‘impel and guide serious
discussions of how the company
should carry out it’s strategy’.

He suggests that HR must take

stock of its own work and set clear
priorities.
ULRICH’s 6 QUESTIONS
1. SHARED MIND-SET – to what
extent does our company have
the right culture to achieve our
goals?
2. COMPETENCE – to what extent
does our company have the
required knowledge, skills and
abilities?
3. CONSEQUENCE – to what
extent does our company have
the appropriate measures,
rewards and incentives?
ULRICH’s 6 QUESTIONS
4. GOVERNANCE – to what extent
does our company have the
right organization structure,
communication systems and
policies?
5. CAPACITY FOR CHANGE – to
what extent does our company
have the ability to improve
work processes, to change and
to learn?
ULRICH’s 6 QUESTIONS
6. LEADERSHIP – to what extent
does our company have the
leadership to achieve its’
goals?
THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF THE HR
DIRECTOR / MANAGER
They envision how HR strategies
can be integrated with the
business strategy, to prepare
strategic plans, and to oversee
their implementation.
They should play a major part in
organizational development and
in change management and in
the achievement of coherence in
the different aspects of HR policy.
THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF THE HR
DIRECTOR / MANAGER
The development of HR strategies
within the businesses, although
shaped by the range of both
internal and external factors,
appeared to hang quite crucially
on the competence of HR
Directors.
STRATEGIC ROLE AS BUSINESS
PARTNERS
 Involved in business planning
and the integration of human
resource plans with business
plans.
 Professionally competent in HR
techniques – but their
contribution and credibility will
depend mainly on their business
awareness and skills and their
ability to play a full part as
members of the top team.
STRATEGIC ROLE AS BUSINESS
PARTNERS
 Able to convince others of the
need for change and to act as
champions of change and as
effective change agents.
 Fully aware of the needs to
develop a vision of what the HR
function exists to do, to define its’
mission, to provide leadership and
guidance for the members of the
function, & to maintain the quality
of the support the HR functions
provide for line managers.
STRATEGIC ROLE AS BUSINESS
PARTNERS
 Essentially pragmatists who
know about ‘best practice’ but
also know what is right for their
organization and what will work
there.
 Capable of making a
convincing business case for
anything they propose should
be done.
THANK
YOU!!!