Successfully completing the day-to-day, administrative tasks of the department is an integral part of HR. While important, these tasks are really just a support mechanism for the rest of the company. It is in the strategic arena where human resource or, more accurately, human capital management can really have an impact on the overall success of a business.
The HR professional who can hurdle the transition from administrative to strategic HR thinking will better serve his company’s employees, enhance his own professional reputation and provide far more value to the company.
Be Involved in the Big Picture – While it is important to fully grasp the fundamentals of HR encompassed by the administrative side, the real value of HCM only reveals itself when HR is integrated into the company’s overall strategic plan. Similarly, being the expert on the administrative aspects will make you the “go to” person on HCM matters, especially when they involve challenges and assignments that go beyond the merely administrative.
Understand the Needs of Your Colleagues – HR is often treated as an outsider or kept in a support role. HR can be so much more on a strategic level if you understand the needs of the other departments. You need to establish yourself and your department as a partner in the business and not just ancillary support. Start by asking the most important question, “How can HCM help each department fulfill its mission?”
Delegate the Administrative Details – Even a small or mid-sized company can benefit from the integration of HCM into their strategic plan. Unfortunately, these smaller companies do not always have the resources to accomplish the task. Consider outsourcing the administrative HR tasks to a professional employer organization so that your HCM team can focus on the more important strategic aspects.
Leverage Your Outside Contacts – There is no reason to reinvent the wheel when there are perfectly good solutions already present. Look for parallels in other industries. You might see a solution in an out of the way place. Similarly, trade associations may have answers or tools to help you implement the strategic view.
The Great Leap Forward
Making the transition from an administrative HR perspective to one with a strategic view can seem a Herculean task. Still, it is the most effective way to leverage your company’s most valuable asset, its people. Start by delegating the least strategic task like payroll to an automated HRIS or outsourcing the task completely. Next, attend as many strategic meetings as possible to determine where your efforts will most likely produce results. Lastly, take that great leap and integrate the HR strategy into the overall company one.
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