The purpose of business strategies is to set organizations on the right path towards success.
One way to align these measures with the HR department is to address the business needs from day one. It allows businesses to find highly skilled candidates and those specifically with the right talents or attitudes for the business conditions.
If there is a lack of communication as to the types of candidates needed, new hires may not respond efficiently, resulting in additional training and more company costs. Expenses and other company resources that could have otherwise been properly allocated can quickly become unnecessary losses. Success can be achieved if there is transparency so that the HR department can respond to the general business conditions, measure the quantitative outcomes and transform HR.
Respond to General Business Conditions
For there to be an alignment between HR and the company’s business strategy, it must first respond to the business’ general conditions. These start with a clear understanding of the objectives, goals, and missions of the company. Once the ‘whys’ are transparent, establishing the ‘hows’ through the use of business strategies is the next step. These strategies allow businesses a road map on how to navigate the transformation better.
Measure Quantitative Outcomes
The organization must analyze available data to recognize if it has weaknesses and gaps that may leave it vulnerable in times of disruption. Data may be acquired through interviews, evaluations, research, and observations. Measuring quantitative outcomes is more than just knowing the percentage of employees let go, the number of team-building activities, or even how many people were hired.
The Outcomes of HR Transformation
The alignment of HR with business strategies must be a continuous transformation that eventually becomes a new pattern of behavior and thought for an organization.
To address customers’ needs, there will also be a need to look into organizational audits to see if the organization has to focus on becoming more inclusive or diverse. The organization may need to raise its standards concerning performance appraisal or decision-making practices. Or they may need to focus on more innovative approaches for better improvement and development.
Take Away
Successful transformation does not just happen in the HR departments but the entire organization’s overall culture. Outcomes are defined by stakeholder expectations and achieved by tracking and leveraging the capabilities of the organization and making transformative changes – changing not just how employees think and work in the organization but also how it contributes to society.
Now you have a choice, what kind of culture will your HR department create? As leaders, that crucial step can either support the business strategy or cause havoc.
Are you looking at how to align your HR with business strategy? Let’s talk about it. Email me at greg@inscapeconsulting.com.
