I am helping an HR Management Team develop new ways of working. They wish to look at different models of an HR Business Partner approach. Can anyone offer some examples of models I can use in the training, or point me in the direction of a seminal piece/magazine/article? Visual diagrams and simple explanations are just as welcome as full length articles.
Amanda
4 Responses
HR Business Partner models
Hi Amanda
I have worked as a senior HR Business Partner in several companies. I use the model developed by David Ulrich as a guide. His model is the only one associated with this term. Basically this is in four equally balanced parts:
Strategic Partner a role which encompassed the vision of where the organisation (its people and its work) were going to be in the future. The HR contribution was to audit the organisation, to diagnose its strengths and weaknesses, and to translate strategy into actions.
Change Agent a role where the HR contribution is to embed the concept that management exists to effect change. Whether the change is continuous improvement or dynamic, managers are engaged to make it so.
Administrative Expert a role in which the HR contribution is first to engineer the HR processes to improve their efficiency, and then to engineer other processes to the same end.
Employee Champion a role in which the HR contribution is advocate consultation when required, to preserve the natural and contractual rights of staff, to preserve the ‘psychological’ contract, and to design and support an environment where staff are motivated and committed.
The chief thing to remember is that this role is a manager with change and staff management experience. Many HR specialists are adopting the title but it is a management role and needs that experience to fulfil the strategy and change agent pieces. Also that HR Business Partnership is a philosophy for the HR department not just a front-end role.
Ulrich’s book – Human Resource Champions (1997) is the main source book for this model. See overview: http://www.opm.gov/perform/articles/119.htm#Multiple%20Role%20Model
Good luck, and come back to me if you need any help.
Paul Strange
HR Models
Amanda
For the version currently being promoted in central government go to:
http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/hrframework/framework1.htm
This is based on the Ulrich model (covered in more detail in Paul’s response) but also makes reference to the work of Astra Zeneca and the Australian Civil Service.
Graham
New HR Charter
Try visiting Training Zone’s sister site http://www.hrzone.co.uk and look at the New HR Charter.
Personally I wouldn’t touch Ulrich’s model with the proverbial barge pole.
Regards
Paul
Business Partner models
The book HR – The business Partner : shaping a new direction, which I co-wrote and was published recently has a neat summary of 4 different Business Partner models on page 49.
Elsevier is the publisher.