63

---

HR business roles

The big picture

In many organisations, the activities related to HR are organised in an HR department. This department supports the organisation with advice, procedures, administrative processing and other activities related to a managing human resources of the organisation. However, the HR department can take on different roles. The HR business roles model by David Ulrich introduces four roles for HR:

• Strategic partner
• Administrative expert
• Employee champion
• Change agent.

The best HR departments know how to act in each of these four roles, at the right time.

When to use it

Traditionally HR has to keep a balance in supporting the organisation as a whole and management in particular. This is where the HR business partner model is useful. By differentiating between the focus of the department (short-term or long-term) and the activities (process-oriented or people-oriented), David Ulrich introduced a framework that indicates four roles for HR:

Figure 63.1 Ulrich’s HR business partner model: four roles for HR
Source: after Human Resource Champions, Harvard Business School Press (Ulrich, D. 1996) Copyright © 1996 by the Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation; all rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of Harvard Business School Press

• HR as strategic partner. The role of HR as strategic (business) partner is aimed at the long-term focus of the organisation and is process-oriented. The key objective for HR is to enable the organisation to achieve its strategic goals. Organisational goals are translated into sub-goals for the HR department and, similar to performance indicators for the organisation, can be ‘broken down’ into performance indicators for the HR department in the balanced scorecard model (see Chapter 17). As a strategic partner, HR positions itself as a counterpart to senior and top management. Understanding the business is thus a key prerequisite for HR staff.
• HR as administrative expert. The role of HR as administrative expert is aimed at the short-term focus of the organisation and is process-oriented. The key objective for HR is to help the organisation with optimal processes for inflow, flow and outflow of people and optimal procedures for provision of HR services to both management and employees. HR administration is the backbone of any HR department and it needs to be organised efficiently. As an administrative expert, HR positions itself as a specialist, offering supportive and highly efficient processes and procedures. Being (more than) up to date with HR regulations and legislation is thus a key prerequisite for HR staff.
• HR as employee champion. The role of HR as employee champion is aimed at the short-term focus of the organisation and is people-oriented. The key objective for HR is to provide an effective employee-and-organisation relationship: to bind and capture (the right) employees for the organisation, for instance with active competence development programmes. As an employee champion, HR positions itself as a counsel to employees and less directly as a counterpart to management. The key prerequisites for HR staff are relational skills to be able to bind and advise employees.
• HR as change agent. The role of HR as change agent is aimed at the long-term focus of the organisation and is people-oriented. The key objective for HR is to provide the organisational capability to manage change and facilitate change processes. As a change agent, HR positions itself as a facilitator to senior and top management to realise the intended changes in the organisation. Good knowledge of the organisation and its strategy and culture, as well as knowledge of change management are thus prerequisites for HR staff.

How to use it

The HR business partner model is intended to allow HR professionals to show the added value of their activities. The model allows HR departments to become better connected to and embedded in the organisational processes and thus to contribute effectively to the organisation. It also gives HR and the organisation an insight into the roles HR can adopt that match the organisation’s expectations of what the HR contribution should be.

Very often the model is also used by HR departments to set the agenda for their own development: to be able to take on any of the roles, HR needs certain capabilities and capacities, and to be able to take on more or all of the roles, HR needs to organise itself and its capabilities.

The final analysis

One of the most common challenges for HR is to maintain a balance between supporting employees and supporting management. In its relationship with employees, in particular, HR can have a dual agenda that sometimes conflicts: HR can have a policing role (carrying out management decisions) but also be a trusted counsel (answering employees’ questions). Although the HR business roles model makes clear what roles HR can take on in an organisation, it does not provide an answer to this potential conflict.

One pitfall associated with the HR business roles model is that one of the roles becomes valued more than the others. Often the strategic partner role is considered the nec plus ultra level that an HR department can reach: being positioned as the counterpart of top management and being invited to think about the organisation’s long-term strategy. The other roles are equally important, depending on the needs of the organisation (and not the ambitions of HR). Where the real challenge lies for an HR department is to master all roles and thus be able to take on the one role that is required (and expected by the organisation) in a specific situation.

References

Ulrich, D. (1996) Human Resource Champions. Cambridge MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Ulrich, D., Allen, J., Brockbank, W., Younger, J. and Nyman, M. (2009) HR Transformation: Building HR Resources from the Outside In. New York: McGraw-Hill.