Value Generation Across the Organization

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Scaling up from HR processes alone for organization excellence; business HR has been seen as a strategic team, identified for some time now for managing business related people opportunities. With the evolution of business and innovation in management practices, time is now apt for mounting up HR and business practices to enable business effectiveness and excellence.

This discussion is about a concept that is futuristic, and organizations must adopt it as soon as possible to remain competitive in business.

Firstly there has to be an HR generalist profile and a business partner HR profile as they are the backbone driving HR practice. While these act as a foundation for any robust HR practice, organizations must also build organization development (OD) practices to deal with issues and opportunities for the current and future needs. Unfortunately, OD in a lot of places becomes a gloried HR department or at best learning and development division with not much empowerment.

In the process of execution of OD practices, it is imperative that the team comprises of HR and operations professionals who work in tandem with business and HR. The role is all about ensuring team competence and behavioral dynamics which will catalyze effectiveness in the execution of current and future projects. In my experience, however, OD remains in the realm of dealing with current people challenges with no major focus on future trends.

Learning and development for sure is an important practice that must ensure people are up to speed on skill-sets and competencies. This department must roll out a calendar and specific need-based initiatives which operate at the level of awareness. Selection of right partners and internal talent for this need is crucial for success. The design methodology and delivery of programmes in line with organization culture and business is definitely the key proposition here.

The business excellence and effectiveness team must be a core team comprising of HR, business, and leadership whose focus is not on day to day operational issues but on overall development of the organization for the future. This team would need to deal with the integration of business, people and process issues for the future. This team thus emerges as a cross-functional team of collaborating performing leaders having the pulse of the organization and acts as stewards shaping up the vision of tomorrow. These members need to be high in innovation, analytic, communication, and teamwork. I do not see too many organizations worldwide implementing this at all. Mostly the senior leadership is trapped in day to day operational issues and meet to deal with such issues only. In my view should organizations integrate all the above teams and weave people, business, process, product/services and vision initiatives together through cross-functional collaborative teams we can look at a business proposition which will propel business outcomes for sure.

Value has to be generated across the business chain. However, if one really audits this chain, it will emerge that we do well in some sections. The role of the CEO is to ensure that such collaborative teams are created, and value is sustained in all sections. Being ready for the future today is imperative in the dynamics of change in the current world order.

A lot many may look at my concept as Utopian, and if this happens, I can state with confidence that you like the idea but are at sea on how to implement. Where there is a will, there is a way. My mantra always has been, be ahead of time and time will give you options to succeed.