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Is being a strategic player a pipe dream?
Life in Workforce Management
Is being a strategic player a pipe dream?
Share your stories of workforce-management success in contributing to your business' bottom line, as well as your tales of business bloopers and blunders.
I work for a software organization with approximately 210 employees. I have been there for 2 years and have seen senior management mishandle defining and communicating the goals of the company. Now th
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Forums » Topic Forums » Life in Workforce Management » Is being a strategic player a pipe dream?
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Is being a strategic player a pipe dream?
posted at 1/12/2003 11:32 AM EST
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Posts: 7
First: 8/10/2001 Last: 1/13/2004 |
I work for a software organization with approximately 210 employees. I have been there for 2 years and have seen senior management mishandle defining and communicating the goals of the company. Now that the financial picture is awful and we are cutting head count, and the VP of HR left more than 6 months ago and they haven't replaced the position, the training manager and I are left to deal with HR issues. Several managers are upset that they have to cut good people and they feel like there is lack of leadership at the very top. I have been involved in trying to find the VP of HR replacement and it has come to my attention that our CEO gets the human equation and he is very visionary. The rest of his executive team, including my boss, the CFO, does not. I am VERY troubled that the CFO doesn't see our department as strategic and this is supported by things like not letting us in on manager meetings because she doesn't think we need to be there. I don't have a strong relationship with the CEO because the VP of HR always sheltered that. I am thinking about leaving but is it any better any where else? |
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Is being a strategic player a pipe dream?
posted at 1/30/2003 10:57 AM EST
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Posts: 71
First: 7/19/2002 Last: 4/5/2011 |
Your situation is, unfortunately, not unique. All organizations and HR groups have their challenges.
You, no doubt should, prepare yourself for an assignment in other companies and at the same time work with your colleague, the training manager, to put HR on a the path to playing a significant strategic role. If you are involved in the recruitment of the new HR VP, here is a wonderful opportunity to present HR as a strategic partner in the success of the enterprise. As part of the recruitment process, you might suggest to that you will work with the executive and CEO to develop the following: 1. a profile for the HR VP (where you include the statements of HR as a strategic partner, among other examples). If this wasn't in the prior job profile, put it in. If this type of language was there, reinforce the need for this in other things you will put together. Do this before the ad is written and get it signed off by the CEO. 2. Develop a set of HR challenges that the VP must address upon assuming the role. 3. Develop recruiting questions that are both behaviourally based and which include the approach the candidate has taken to the strategic challenges your company has faced. Get these signed off by the CEO if this the person to whom the VP will report. Do a good job of this and maybe you will find yourself a candidate for the position. This approach will serve to determine what the CEO expects from the HR and the extent to which he or she agrees with what you see are the key challenges for HR now that your company is struggling. I hope this helps. |
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