A colleague recently forwarded to me an article written by Dr. Jac Fitz-enz on the rebranding of human resources. I’m a fan of Dr. Jac and recommend his book, “How to Measure Human Resource Management” to everyone I know. So naturally, I was interested in what he had to say.
While I enjoyed reading the white paper, I thought the last thing Dr. Jac said should have been the first thing he pointed out to make his case. It reads:
“The HR function has no inherent right to exist. It serves at the pleasure of its customers. Managers and employees are not fools. Rebranding must go beyond the 1970s relabeling of personnel as human resources. The change must be substantive and aligned to the interconnected revolution taking place amongst employees, customers, regulators and competitors.”
Wow. Very powerful. I couldn’t think of another department that doesn’t have the inherent right to exist. Marketing and sales – can’t survive without ’em. Technology – yeah you can outsource but it still exists in a different form. Accounting – gotta have it.
If human resources has no inherent right to exist, does this mean that HR Pros could become extinct in our lifetime? Maybe we’re on the endangered species list right now.
Our current economic crisis is making one thing perfectly clear…human resources must demonstrate value.
They need to walk the talk, be a business partner, get a seat at the table…whatever cliché you want to use. If you’re talking about it, just stop and start doing it. I’ve written before about the things we need to do – check them out here, here, here, here and here.
Do I expect HR to go the way of the 8-track, typewriter, and Mastodon? I certainly hope not. But the only way we’ll continue to exist as a profession is to learn more and invest in own development. We need to change with our businesses and our workforce. If we don’t want to be left behind, we need to make it a priority to move forward.
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Topher says
I think it is important to show the risk management aspect of HR, its more than just reacting, the real benefit comes from those who can be proactive and at the same time backup the financial gains with hard data. Too often people I talk to in HR dont feel they have an obligation to show how their work is impacting the bottom line, they feel that belongs in sales(they usually say “I avoid dealing with numbers, im just not good with them”). Again, risk management is the key!
Mark Danielson says
HR always needs to prove value. It never stops. The forces of Finance will always be aligned against us.
What is the ROI on a human being? Great article. Thank you.
Wally Bock says
I doubt that HR will go the way of the dinosaur, but I see very few signs that the vaunted “seat at the table” is likely to be a part of most HR futures.