HR Transformation

Most medium-sized businesses in Australia believe that HR is a necessary evil.  They think of contracts, policies, disciplinaries and terminations.  Such an approach is what HR used to be, when it was called “personnel management”.  As a cost centre, the goal was to minimise it.

Large corporations moved on from this definition several decades ago and have implemented a strategic approach to human resource management.  Many will employ Strategic People and Culture specialists, whose sole task is to assist the organisation with aligning its people to its strategy and improved performance.  They achieve this by using techniques and knowledge based on proven principles in psychological science and pragmatic management approaches.

Whilst it is unfortunate that many medium-sized businesses in Australia still have a view that HR is simply the old personnel management, it also creates a tremendous opportunity.   For those who understand that the one true source of competitive advantage is in your people and culture, the opportunity to beat the competition is substantial.

By utilising the right HR experts, business leaders have a better chance of achieving their goals.  They do so by avoiding the likely failed efforts of change management practices that neglect that people are people.  Once they unlock the knowledge that enables the change, rather than detracting from it, it is then that business leaders truly appreciate the power of an organisational development approach.