UPFRONT
HEAD TO HEAD
Is a long-term HR strategy a dead concept? In a fast-changing world is the idea of a three, five- or 10-year plan a thing of the past?
Damir Kucan
Sonam Jain
VP HR Asia Pacific region DHL eCommerce
Executive general manager, HR Crown Perth
“HR strategy is more alive today than ever. It is the overall business strategy that dictates the strategy of every function; it is the employees that help realise the business strategy. “If your business wants to improve sales (short- or long-term), and you have no HR strategy to either further develop sales capabilities or create an environment that encourages high sales output behaviour, then all you have is someone hoping that it turns out right! “Don’t confuse HR strategy with HR function. HR strategy can be business or HR led, but unless well planned, you are leaving business success to chance!”
“A person, a team, or an organisation without strategy is an entity without direction. While the business environment is rapidly evolving, a company’s core purpose should be enduring. How that purpose is executed is the element subject to competitive and environmental pressures; it is incumbent upon HR to position the business to meet those challenges. This requires a two-level approach ensuring clarity around longterm direction and the actions required to get there. Simultaneously, the business must position itself to respond to shortterm factors. I think that’s called a strategy, and HR has a critical role to play in both.”
Holly Barnes
Head of people and culture Moodle “Our world of work moves quickly: organisations need to be agile. Gone are the days of executing a rigid three-year HR strategy that aligns to the implementation of a business plan. “Instead HR must support the business in shifting its focus to team and culture. Putting energy into building a great team rather than a structured plan makes adapting at a moment’s notice easier. While focusing on hiring and developing talent for culture and capability across multiple skill sets, HR strategic planning needs to evolve to create the agility that the business requires to adapt to changing market conditions. Fast trumps long-term.”
RACING TO STAY RELEVANT Darren Linton, CEO of digital agency Yellow, says the pace of change has of necessity shortened the time window available for planning so much that strategy may no longer fit into the thinking of an HR department the way it once did. “I used to talk about strategy rather than execution, but I think it’s harder these days to have a three-year plan and a set strategy – it’s more about how your organisation can execute in the next quarter, the next six months, maybe the next 12 months. When I started my career we used to sit down and write three- and five-year strategies because the world didn’t move quite so fast. Now – and we know this in both our professional and personal lives – so much is changing around us and you need people who can help you execute in order to stay relevant.”
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13/04/2018 2:36:27 PM