THE UNIQUE ROLE HR LEADERS PLAY IN ORGANISATIONS

The pandemic had a significant impact on the role of the HR function in our organisations. Specifically, the unique role HR leaders play has been highlighted as many HR leaders stepped in to provide guidance as companies all over the world navigated the complexity of ‘human’ issues associated with the pandemic. So what makes the role of a HR leader unique?

The world of work is constantly changing, and the COVID pandemic accelerated the rate of change. HR leaders have been instrumental in supporting organisations and individuals throughout the pandemic, in many cases ensuring that their organisations have been able to continue to operate safely and effectively. In many ways the pandemic parachuted HR into a realm of significance and resulted in the HR function contributing more regularly to major decision-making activities inside their organisations.

How has the pandemic changed HR?

While the world of work has been changing, the function of HR has been disrupted in unprecedented ways. HR practitioners now need to operate very differently to be successful in the new world of work. It is also important to highlight that this shift in HR did not only arise from the pandemic. A shift in expectations of HR has been underway, with significant momentum, for at least the last ten years.

The changes brought about by this shift can be witnessed in, for example, in the higher education sector. Education offerings at masters and bachelor level now include those that are exclusively focused on the professional discipline of human resources. Top-tier business schools around the world now offer exclusive learning opportunities focused on and targeted at HR, with increasing attendance by non-HR practitioners. This includes people in CEO or general management positions who attend these programs to better understand the HR functions that they lead. This is very pleasing to see, because non-HR practitioners are key to the future impact that HR can have in organisations, with HR practitioners partnering more closely with those outside the HR profession to progress and embed the people agenda.

Human resources now stands as a discipline – just like accounting, medicine or law – that is a professional specialisation. This is a great time for HR practitioners everywhere, as HR gets the recognition it deserves.

What makes HR leadership different from more general leadership?

It is important to understand the subtle yet key differences between HR leadership and leadership more generally. The foundations are the same, in that a HR leader must understand the general concepts of leadership, but the application and impact are different. This is because HR leaders are often also responsible for guiding the development of leaders across their organisations.

HR leaders guide the development of leadership and culture. This has a ripple effect on the daily work of almost every employee in an organisation. The reach and impact of HR in any organisation should never be underestimated – it extends from the systems employees use to receive feedback on their work performance or to access leave or pay details, to the way they understand and engage with the culture of the organisation, to the way they engage at a one-to-one level based on the accepted norms that HR has shaped around respectful communication in the workplace.

How HR leaders lead across the organisational system

The impact of HR leaders on the overall leadership of any organisation is generally greater than the impact of other roles. The influence of a HR leader reaches across an organisation; this contrasts with the influence of a line manager, who would typically have a more limited leadership focus on direct team members and on managing within their immediate span of control.

It is important for HR leaders in particular to understand at a deeper level what makes their role different, so they can have greater awareness of their impact. It is easy for HR to get caught up in an operational or technical focus, concerned only with the next review or the implementation of a HR policy or initiative. This can be all consuming, as HR practitioners work tirelessly to ensure that every detail is covered and captured. However, by taking this approach, HR leaders miss the endgame and are often not fully aware of the scale, breadth and impact of their roles from a leadership perspective. HR’s operational objective in releasing the next policy might be, for example, to meet a compliance target – but ultimately everything HR does is about leading right across the organisational system.

Figure - Impact of HR leaders in the organisational system

How effective HR leadership is a shared responsibility

The figure above shows the extent of the impact or ‘reach’ of influence of the role of a HR manager compared with the role of a line manager operating at the same level. The role of a HR manager is not confined like that of a line manager. The HR manager’s role expands to influence other managers, executive managers, other teams and other employees throughout the entire organisation. Accordingly, every action that HR takes – whether that be a policy or operational initiative, or contributions to decisions that are more strategic in nature – is being observed by the entire organisation. Actions that are small and potentially insignificant (to HR anyway) can combine to paint a picture to the organisation about the culture that HR is leading inside the organisation.

As a HR leader, it is important to think about the role of HR in this way. This will ensure that you are able to impress upon your team the magnitude of their work and the organisational impact that they are having. The role of HR leadership is a shared responsibility, with almost every member of a HR team contributing to the overall leadership impact that HR is having in your organisation.

What does this mean for HR practitioners?

HR practitioners need to be aware of the magnitude of these changes and what it means for their careers, particularly if they occupy HR leadership roles. It will be important for HR to invest in building their own leadership capability as they continue to guide their organisations through future challenges. Humanify HR Consulting is supporting the development of HR leaders through our HR Leadership in Practice (HRLP) program. To find out more about the HRLP you can click on the image below.