- The vast majority of leaders from both the business and HR assert that HR should be playing a strategic role in the organization. However, very few HR departments actually are.
- The idea of HR as a strategic business partner is still relatively new and unfamiliar. Few HR departments have achieved this gold standard, so few role models exist.
- Moving to strategic marks a fundamental shift in the way HR departments behave and the capabilities they must possess. These changes won’t happen overnight. In fact, they could take years to be fully realized.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst.
- Get on-demand project support
- Get advice, coaching, and insight at key project milestones
- Go through a Guided Implementation to help you get through your project
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Seventy-three percent of business leaders want HR to play a Strategic role in the organization.
- HR departments must align their role with the evolving needs of the business or risk decreased organizational effectiveness.
- McLean & Company research has shown that Strategic HR departments are more successful than their Functional and Administrative counterparts across a range of success measures.
- To become a “strategic business partner,” HR must think like the business. This means rethinking how the HR department is structured and adopting a series of new capabilities including metrics analysis, change management, risk management, workforce planning, organizational design, and leadership development.
Impact and Result
- Diagnose the role HR is currently playing and the role the business needs it to play using McLean & Company’s diagnostic tool.
- Assess your HR department’s readiness for the transition from Functional to Strategic, develop a detailed plan of action, and implement strategic HR building blocks including a business partner organizational model.
- Use the McLean & Company Behavior Spectrum as a framework for shifting HR from a Functional to a Strategic role.