Many experts believe that HR has a holistic perspective on talent alignment to the business strategy. Those who follow the HR space, in fact, know that helping with “business strategy” is arguably the profession’s Holy Grail. Show According to two experts in organization transformation at BPI group North America, HR is in a unique position to help leaders understand that how strategy is developed is just as important as what the strategy is. They say HR has the tools, competencies and capabilities to support the organization in bringing the strategy to life. Silvia Masini, managing director, Organization Transformation & People, BPI group, and Emily Smith, senior manager, Organization Transformation & People, BPI group, shared some thoughts with HR Dive on the five most critical roles today for HR in shaping business strategy. Ensure alignment around the organization’s vision and values as a solid foundation for strategyBusiness leaders sometimes focus so much on strategic planning and day-to-day operations that they can lose sight of the core of the organization – the vision and values. HR, as organization and talent experts, can “re-ground” business leaders in the vision around what the organization’s purpose is and the values that drive people’s motivations and behaviors. HR, in facilitating discussions with the leadership team, can refocus the organization on what’s important and reignite the vision and values. HR leaders can also play a powerful role by modeling organizational values in their own team’s behavior and actions, which can be especially helpful during the changes that a new strategy creates. Keep culture top of mind as an enabler of strategyThe best of strategies can be derailed by a dysfunctional culture. A great culture powerfully enables the right strategic vision and plan. Leaders must think carefully about how their organization’s culture aligns and support its strategy. As the only function with an organization-wide view on employee’s performance and effectiveness, HR is ideally positioned to drive the right conversations about the current culture and how the culture may need to evolve to support the strategy. The most successful HR leaders help leaders and employees alike articulate the desired culture in specific, relatable examples and behaviors. Help leaders clearly identify and articulate the people components of the strategyWhile the organization’s financial goals are often front and center in a top-level strategy, in most organizations, people and talent priorities are equally important. These may include attracting and retaining top talent, developing new core capabilities, or enhancing diversity and inclusion – all of which are driven or supported by HR in some way. HR can ensure that talent and people factors are addressed head-on in the organizational strategy. The people and talent requirements of the organizational strategy are owned by business leaders and managers, but HR professionals can establish the people requirements and ensure that the organization is set up to successfully execute on those requirements. HR often has access to useful analytics and knowledge around the current and future talent strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and can bring these insights to early stages of strategic discussions. Build plans to align the organizational “levers” to support the strategyWhile the overall strategic objectives and major initiatives are critical, so are the cross-functional plans that support execution of the strategy. In fact, many organizations fail when they don’t have practical, tactical implementation plans that take into account the changes that must occur to align the organization around the strategy. HR can be an important partner in determining what aspects of the organization will need to be addressed going forward, who will be impacted and how, and what actions will be required to ensure success. Keep employees engaged around the strategy and other changes aheadHR is often able to tap into the opinions and feelings of employees across levels, business units, functions and geographies. Engaging employees around the strategy early-on is critical for capturing their hearts and minds in the long-term. With people engaged, the strategy moves from mere words on paper to a blueprint for success. HR can help solicit employee feedback, ideas, reactions and suggestions about what the strategy should be and how it should be implemented. If there are major changes ahead – such as a restructuring or a new technology implementation – HR also can act as a “change architect:” creating and executing strategies and plans necessary to lead and communicate the change.
In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Nearly every business strategy or change relates back to culture. Creating a culture that helps your business succeed requires enabling these three principles:
So, why is it important to align HR and business strategy?
In this blog, we’ll share highlights from this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast—featuring David Green, Director of Insight222 and Jolen Anderson, Global Head of Human Resources at BNY Mellon. We share why aligning HR and business strategy is important, plus:
The role of the CHRO in business successHR leaders have a responsibility to ensure that employees are showing up and performing their best. This demonstrates the connection between employee-first initiatives and an opportunity to reinforce business strategy. Doing so enables you to translate business strategy into workforce strategy. However, HR is always in the search of an answer to the question, “how do we ensure that we are powering our business?” HR leaders must not only create a connection between employee and business success but move the needle on it. It all boils down to an understanding of your business strategy. Ask these questions:
How to build connection between your people and businessAs HR and business leaders assess the challenges and changes happening in their organizations, they need to understand the tools, skills, and resources needed to enable and support employees to create positive outcomes. Here are three things you can do to sustain an effective relationship with your people and business: 1. Set clear leadership expectations.Leaders should be solutions- and process-driven about how they are guiding their teams. Make it clear to leaders what’s expected from them. Help them understand the values and the behaviors required to lead, and how to leverage the tools and people around them to drive business success. 2. Conduct a skills assessment.Make sure you are supporting individuals. Asses what employees bring to the table and provide the resources that allow leaders to get the skills that they need to drive your business agenda. 3. Think about the entire employee experience.As employees make their way back into the office or continue hybrid work, people leaders need to make it easy for employees to get work done so that they can meet the increasing demands, needs and expectations of clients.
Aligning HR and business strategy is essential to producing optimal results within your business. HR leaders must create a connection between employee and business success by setting clear expectations for employees, thinking about the entire employee experience, and assessing the skill sets of employees to provide them with the right resources. Align your business agenda with your people agenda to maximize business success. Ready to assess your employee experience to align HR and business strategy? Take a look at our HR Pro's Guide to Business Success Metrics to get tips for connecting your talent initiatives to organizational growth and success.
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