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Published 11th Feb 2009 Posted by admin |
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The role of the Department of Human Resources has changed dramatically over the past 30 years and will become increasingly strategic in nature in the future, said a leading light in the community of human resources at the recent Annual Conference and Exhibition 2006 of human resource professionals in Washington, DC.
Rita Craig, president of the Craig Group and a long-time human resources consultant, said the human resource function has evolved from a primarily administrative position to a more strategic approach. Times certainly change those days when the human resources department was called the “smile file” from the department at that time, the main titles of human resources are simply a friendly disposition and an ability to file. He said that new trends in human resources for the call for human resources professionals to assume leadership in planning for the future and become strategic partners in their organizations. She identified several other trends in the industry, as follows: (1) a decrease of talent, (2) An increase in subcontracting, (3) a more intense work / life balance (4) Change of workplace demographics, (5) Greater need for talent management, (6) Ethics requirements, and (6) Globalization. But the key seems to be the strategic planning. With the changing landscape of Human Resources Management in the coming years, strategic planning is the key to human resources to meet those needs and to succeed. The key to human resource planning for the future begins with a simple question that HR professionals need to ask themselves, says Craig: “If we succeed in the coming years, which our customers and competitors are saying about us?” With the answers to this question, human resource professionals can make a clear, shared vision and a sense of direction for the organization. As a possible starting point to answer the key question, Craig suggested the following: to concentrate resources on key objectives and strategic measures, create and maintain long term and create a living document that can change when necessary. In closing, Craig warned against “powerful and pervasive barriers” that prevent HR professionals from being effective in their roles. She said as resistance to change, lack of implementation of the plans, the wounds of the past failures of strategic planning and failure to anticipate the impact on people, processes and organizational structure. |
