Business Partner Development
for Human Resource professionals

Because today's world is more complex and demanding than it was 5 years ago, the expectations of and opportunities for HR professionals are also greater. HR professionals are increasingly being asked, 'What's the added value that you bring to the business?' The implications are clear - add value or else. Becoming Business Partners with line managers is one way to at least ensure that HR professionals are in the front seat and in a position to add value. Being in the front seat, however, is not enough; they must be competent, credible and able to address three interrelated challenges -

1. Business

2. Organization and

3. People - with their partners.

The Business Challenges are in many ways the same as they were 50 years ago - remaining profitable and increasing shareholder value. However, today's business environment has expanded and intensified due to six major factors

1. A focus on the core business and demand for profitability

2. Heightened customer expectations

3. Global competition

4. Global economic differences

5. Advances in technology

6. Increased expectations for safety, the environment and social responsibility

These 6 factors have consequences and opportunities for both HR and line professionals including re-defining, eliminating and creating jobs; digesting, analyzing and quickly deciding what to do with enormous amounts of information; adapting and succeeding in new cultures - both corporate and national; working across functions; taking more responsibility for our communities and our planet; understanding, appreciating, communicating and working together; and listening to the customer's voice. 

The Organization Challenges revolve around the word "alignment" - alignment of mission, vision, strategy, structure, systems and values. Regardless of a company's size, HR professionals need to be able to support their business partners in addressing the following questions:

1. "What business do we want to be in?"

2. "Where are we going?"

3. "How are we getting there?"

4. "Does our structure fit our strategy?"

5. "What systems do we need in order to make our structure work?"

6. "What values will enable us to enjoy working productively together?"

The People Challenges are the ones most familiar to and frequently still led by HR. We have identified thirteen - attracting, selecting, assessing, appreciating, motivating, challenging, involving, developing, promoting, listening to, supporting, measuring and rewarding. Two items, not usually on anyone's 'front burner' - appreciating and listening to employees - can unleash untapped human potential and contribute significantly to the financial and organizational health of a company.

These three groups of challenges - Business, Organization and People - are best tackled with the combined experience, expertise and knowledge of HR professionals and line managers. In truth, these challenges are all very much interdependent - requiring teamwork from both parties.

What do Business Partners do?

First, both parties must see and believe that there is a 'business case' - added value to the management team, the business and the organization - for partnering. Once the business case has been established then it comes down to competence, credibility and chemistry. These three may be more difficult to achieve than building the business case but are key if the partnership is to work. Each partnership will be different because of the nature of the business but the many of the following elements would likely exist:

• Management expects HR to actively participate as a member of the management team and clarifies this role with the other members of the management team;

• They work together on tough business, organization and people challenges;

• Together they own and link leadership development, succession planning, career planning, performance management, compensation and recognition;

• Both partners are equally concerned and actively involved in becoming employer of choice and retaining talented people;

• Both partners appreciate, listen to and support all employees and customers; they know that if both employees and customers aren't satisfied the business will suffer;

• Both partners take time to reflect on what they're doing, and give one another feedback on how they're doing and what they're learning; they model what they expect from others;

• They both live the corporate values and share the responsibility of shaping the corporate culture;

• They no longer separate functions into 'my world' and 'your world'; the business, organization and people become 'our world'.

As a result both partners add value to the organization in areas where they had marginal roles in the past. Everyone gains including the customer and the employee.

What are the possible outcomes from such a business partnership?

• Increased profitability and business growth

• Delighted customers

• Retention of key talent

• Enthusiastic loyal employees

• High performing teams and an aligned organization

• Increased involvement and participation

• Faster execution and fewer mistakes

• Faster to market; beating the competition

• Happy community

What does it mean to "Become"?

Assuming that both parties desire to become business partners then both must take some developmental steps. The amount of development required will depend upon the current state and the desired state. In addition to being experts in the HR basics, HR professionals will need varying knowledge and expertise in the following:

• The business basics - products, services, different business sectors, key customers, key competitors, market trends, stakeholder concerns, key financial indicators, etc.;

• Making and maintaining alliances, acquisitions, joint ventures and mergers;

• The ins and outs of downsizing, re-engineering and growing the business;

• Strategic thinking, change management and project management;

• Working with teams, facilitating, consulting, mentoring, coaching and organization development.

This list is a sample of some of the key areas identified by many HR professionals as important elements of their own development plan. In addition, line managers need to draw up their own development plan so that HR professionals and business leaders are becoming business partners together.

LIM's Business Model
Earning While Learning™

Together we develop your people while they develop your business

LIM's Approach

We partner with HR Leadership to co-design and deliver appropriate development interventions that enable HR professionals and line managers to become business partners so that together they can address their many challenges for continued business success.

To do this we can facilitate and support the planning process with HR leadership to..

1. Identify the specific partnership needs and challenges

2. Explore lessons from the past

3. Discover strengths and weaknesses

4. Envision new roles and relationships

5. Identify the required key competencies and experiences

6. Design supports that address these needed competencies and experiences

7. Co-deliver the intervention/s

8. Support the entire change process during the intervention

9. Evaluate the outcomes and the process

10. Extract the lessons

[ top ]