HR isn’t the ‘people’ function
When I ask HRDs what their role is I get a bit depressed when they answer ‘right people, right time, right place’ because HR is about so much more than just people. In the report Configuring HR for tomorrow’s challenges CRF concluded that: “HR should re-define its purpose as ‘organisational effectiveness’ – creating a high-performance work environment, not just high-performing people”.
Figure 1: Talent context and capability
You can recruit and develop high performing people but in the wrong context they won’t perform. Equally you can recruit average people but see them perform beyond even their own expectations in a great environment. The trick in HR is of course to recruit and develop the right people, at the right time, in the right place but it’s also about creating the right context within which they can flourish. I saw a great example (or not as an Englishman!) of this at the recent European Football Championships in France only a few weeks ago. England went into the Euros with the right people. After all, the team was worth £334 million in transfer fees. And yet they were beaten by Iceland, a team worth £31 million. Somehow the England manager had created a context that as the research said ‘stultified’ the players. You could see them shrink from the challenge whereas Iceland grew collectively beyond their individual capabilities to record a famous victory and make famous one of the best football chants ever! In the final, Portugal was a team of gifted individuals worth £241 million who were united as a team. In the chart below they fitted into the top right hand box - high calibre people with a high calibre culture.
© Corporate Research Forum 2016
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HR isn’t the ‘people’ function
Figure 2: Talent context and capability in practice
So as well as the traditional HR functions of recruitment, development etc., HR also needs to take on a broader ‘OD’ role. To that end we are running an OD and Change programme starting in November. You can find details on our website here. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the following link into your web browser to find out more: http://www.crforum.co.uk/events/crf-learning-advanced-programme-organisationdevelopment-change/ .
Author: Nick Holley, Corporate Research Forum
© Corporate Research Forum 2016
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