Strategic Edge Forget the paper shuffle, HR has a starring role in successful businesses

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A global view on communication

Korn/Ferry's Greg Hessel says more companies are searching for HR professionals who have global experience even if the company is not planning to do business outside the United States.

"They have exceptional communication skills because they have had to make sure nothing gets lost in translation," he says.

That deliberate approach is not necessarily unique to those who have worked outside the United States, but it's something all HR professionals (and any other business communicators for that matter) should be asking themselves before they communicate with employees. Hessel says it boils down to these few questions:

  • What am I trying to convey?
  • What specific points do I want to get across?
  • How can I do that?

An important final step is to test the communication strategically and tactically to ensure better success when the message is finally delivered to its intended audience. e

HR is not your company's paper shuffle department anymore. Human resources has expanded and elevated beyond tracking employees' hours, pay, raises and monitoring all the forms necessary for the IRS, benefits, etc.

More than half of HR professionals report that strategic planning is part of their function, according to the 2006 Strategic HR Management Survey, a study performed by SHRM (formerly Society for Human Resource Management). "The survey reveals a transition from administrative functions to strategic planning roles," it states.

"I've never been a paper pusher," says Rebecca Osborne, human resource director at SS&G Financial Services, a Leading Edge Alliance firm. "The role of HR is seen strategically here," she says. "We really use HR to grow the business."

Greg Hessel, global head of the Human Resources Center of Expertise at Korn/Ferry International, says when his company conducts an HR executive search, nine times out of 10 it's to replace someone who was not seen as strategic. "They weren't asking the tough questions," he says.

"If HR is viewed as too tactical in approach, it does not drive a business' strategy," Hessel says.

Strategic HR staff should be members of the leadership team, not only supporting the leadership. The top HR executives need to be involved from the beginning on all strategic efforts focused on helping the business succeed, he says.

In a recent search conducted for a $100 million manufacturer by Kreischer Miller, a Leading Edge Alliance firm, the company desired top HR professionals who could recruit all levels of employees, administer the benefits and payroll AND advise senior management, sit on all top strategic committees and interact and negotiate with the union.

"This effectively illustrates how far the HR role has come," says Tyler A. Ridgeway, a director at Kreischer Miller. "The president desired to hear advice and suggestions from the HR director, however the department was lean and still required the HR professionals to get their hands dirty in all personnel matters."
 

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