1) The document discusses whether HR truly empowers management or is just a power play. It outlines different roles HR can take such as strategic partner, change agent, administrative expert, and employee champion. 2) Managers expect HR to add value through talent management, training, knowledge management, and change support. For HR to empower management, they must think and work together using business language to understand and solve manager's needs and support strategic plans. 3) For HR to gain credibility and influence, they must receive value from the work they do for others. The HR business partner model can be effective if HR understands customer needs and contributes to performance management and business goals.

1. Em-power-ment or power play?
Erik Luts
8 June 2011

2. Em-power-ment or power play?
Future – strategic focus
STRATEGIC PARTNER CHANGE AGENT
Management of strategic Management of transformation
human resources and change
Processes People
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERT EMPLOYEE CHAMPION
Management of organisations Management of employee
infrastructure contribution
Does HR really empower
management ?
Day by day operations focus
What managers What managers expect What really excites
expected yesterday today managers
Support Add value Empowerment
Payroll, administration, headcount,cost Talent management, competitive Speak their language, transfer know
control, social relations, legal, rewarding, training and development, how, think together, solve needs,
recruitment ... knowledge management, change ... support (strategic) plans ...
HR as empowerment means: “think, work, act ...” together.

3. HR empowering management requires a mind shift.
Key question:
How much do we really contribute to
our colleagues’ plans, needs, burdens
… ???
HR is a service provider Business is in the driving seat
• focus on output - quality • trust their decision making capabilities !
• ease of use – face validity • align with the kind of business (markets …). Allow
• use business concepts different approaches.
• avoid rules – use benchmarks, frameworks …

4. How to sell PM, if we are not convinced ourselves ?
What managers expect from their staff What HR offers to enhance performance
Skilled and professional Hiring, training, change, recognition, salary
Motivated systems, teambuilding, appraisal systems,
Result driven talent management, culture programs,
Team oriented leadership, firing, social relations, legal,
Aligned with strategy benefits, management information ...
Open and responsive

5. PM is an ongoing process.
Career decisions: HR provides relevant information
Fit to job requirements Contributes to goals
(assessments, benchmarks …).
Fits to culture Management decides about job level and growth.
BASE SALARY
Company wide Business goals and
competence model values Market as a reference:, HR provides relevant
building blocks (expert, commercial results, team,
…). VARIABLE SALARY
Career decisions Salary decisions
Evaluation, reward &
Self-assessment and Performance review Salary Career
promotion proposals decisions decisions
Talent review
third party feedback interviews
and calibration
1/12 15/12 31/01 31/03 09/04 07/05
Development decisions:
What is expected (knowledge, skills, attitude …) ?
Output
Do people match / gap ?
How can we support ? Solid performers
training Low performers
Key figures
coaching Growing
change program HR-MIS
recruit / move
Potential

6. Does the HR business partner model work.
… value is defined by the recievers of HR work
When others receive value from HR work, HR will be credible,
respected and influential! (Ulrich)

7. HR as the spider in the web? Communicate!
Align with your customer
• listen – understand
• use business language
• promote, entertain
• explain – convince
• find common points of interest
How does this contribute to
• adapt to needs and ambitions
performance management ?
• be open and transparent
• understand better, advice better ...
• engage
• build up credibility
• trust
• receive useful feedback
• ...
• are able to explain
• connect – receive support
By doing so we get refreshing ideas:
• being more responsive (e.g. company cars)
• being more creative (e.g. recognition program)
• integrating in business as usual (e.g. financial framework)
• contributing to bottom line (e.g. cost saving plan)
• ...

8. Gaining credibility ... How to build our HR force ?
Do you think we can convince management to:
• review > 200 functions ?
• train 800 branch managers in HR skills ?
• evaluate and reallocate 6000 people ? YES WE CAN !
• invest 50.000 days in training effort ?
• review appraisal and salary systems ?
Planned and agreed
activity on
• developing and training Align with strategic plans
• recruiting • not “one size fits all”
• reward strategy • seek sponsorship
• knowledge management HR - calendar • align to objectives
• change and transformation • deliver – time to market
In practice • learn to say “yes”
• HR-business plans • develop consultancy skills
• HR-business partners • don’t preach, don’t teach
• Delivery centres • ...
HR-actions embedded in business strategy, will be highly effective ... and welcome!

9. Did we focus too much on the system ... ?
HR is an enabler – not a disabler
• HR systems must contribute to business success
• Systems must not be a burden – ease of use
• Support decision making – avoid rules
• Train, take time for change
• Take customers perspective
Biggest challenge: trust and creativity
• Management can decide – large degrees of freedom
• Models adapted to markets and specialisations
• Management is / acts responsible for HR development
• HR advises, provides solutions
• HR systems as competitive advantage
If HR managers would consequently “eat their own dog food” …

10. Empowering management without loosing consistency.
• HR must balance between stakeholders. Giving degrees of freedom to management
always bounces on limitations.
• Managers are not HR –experts. What about best practices?
• What about cost control?
How do other “internal service providers” deal with this?
• Provide “frameworks” and policies.
• Use peer discussions and benchmarks.
• Learn from other departments (e.g. audit, ...).
• Integrate with other company processes (finance ...).
• Learn from other delivery models (consultants ...).
• Do not neglect “basic sanity” tasks.
• Engage yourself.
HR is a catalyst, not a key ingredient ... but essential to enhance the chemistry.

11. ARE WE READY TO SERVE ?