THE CHANGING ROLE OF HR PROFESSIONALS

INTRODUCTION
What is the role of HR in the company? This basic question must be
addressed first by the businesses to assure their success in the competitive
climate of the business world. It is common to all organizations to have HR
(Human Resource) Department. HR includes the talent management and
organization design. According to HR professors, HR is a one-stop shop for all
employee issues. HR looks for resolutions of the problem regarding employees.
HR units are formed to operate as the employment heart. HR is involved in
making plans for the organizations for the future. HR performs significant
administrative function like selection, evaluation, and payroll processes. As time
pass by all the activities of HR professionals has become more significant and
more complex. The degree of their workload has gone through tracking
innumerable data points on each employee, from personal histories, data, skills,
capabilities, experiences to payroll records.

Over the past years, the changes to human resource management have
gone rapidly. Most HR functions transformed faster. A study conducted
by(1995) notes that the traditional HR function represents an “industrial
enterprise model”. Playing a reactive and often subordinate role, HR (still referred
to by many as "personnel") limited itself to three sets of responsibilities: a)
administering personnel compliance functions; b) processing personnel
transactions; and c) sponsoring community and employee welfare
projects. According to (1998) HR has become a “strategic partner” of many
organizations in transforming the function from a low-level expense center to a
more visible and responsive investment center. (1997), & (1995) and
(1994) explain that one key dimension of this transformation is globalization,
incorporating the perspectives, customs, and laws of other countries into
effective HR policies.

Nowadays HR is playing a strategic role in the organizations. HR has risen

from its mere operational importance and has become partner of the business to
meet strategic goals. HR is now playing a role in giving a strategic drive for the
development of the organization. With the help of HR activities business plans for
every unit in the company has become synchronized. In addition, HR
competency development has become the means to achieve organizations
strategic plans. The transformation does not only happen on management
functions but also to the functions of the personnel. Today HR business-oriented
personnel who specialize in strategic HR are being criticized because they have
lost touch with the traditional operational side of HR.

HR PROFESSIONALS

HR professionals are mainly concern with developing spontaneous theories

and models for improving HR practices. They are creating models that will fit with
the required organizational requirements. In some research, it has been proven
that HR professionals make every effort to create balance with the contradicting
forces within the organization. HR personnel are doing this effort without thinking
many business changes. Before the traditional role of Human Resource
professional as being the administrative arm of the organization was to
systematize and make policies. The role of the HR professional in serving
executive objectives has been well executed. However, it has become a major
roadblock for some organization. Despite that views this role is occasionally
maintain.

The Traditional Role

The traditional role of HR professionals was confined on the context of

operational responsibilities. Their activities involve only the following:

• Staffing/resourcing/hiring

This category involves the responsibility of getting the right people for the
appropriate role or position in the company.

• Evaluating/rewarding

The task of HR professional is to set a system of that will evaluate the

performance and will ensure adequate returns and rewards.

• Motivating/mentoring/ counseling
 The task of HR professional is to make sure that the employees are
happy with their roles in the working environment, reducing disagreements or
conflicts among the employees.

• Developing/maintaining culture

It is also their responsibility to develop the unique character, values, ethics

and principles organization.

• Managing/controlling

With their administrative capacity, they must ensure that policies,

processes and standards of the company are appropriately implemented.

The New Role

The role of the HR manager is transforming and answering the changes

that occur in his organization. In order for the organizations to succeed in
business environment they are now becoming adaptable, elastic, quickly respond
to changes and has become customer-centered. (2001) explains that the HR
professional must balance the roles of being a change agent, an administrative
expert, a strategic partner, and an employee champion.

Change agent

As a change agent, HR must play an active role in molding the workforce

attitude and focus in support with the business objectives. The HR function
should function to plan and execute large-scale change programs and leadership
development initiatives that will improve the performance of the workforce. In
today’s times two or more organizations merges, and become strategic
partnerships to form a bigger entity. In such situation, the responsibility of HR
functions to ensure that the whole organization is greater than the sum of its
parts. The HR function has to handle the transition, change, and evolution of the
bigger organization, as fast and as smooth as possible.

Administrative expert

The HR function has to perform its basic functions, and this need is to
continue its evolution with the new developments that happened within the
business environment. An effective HR needs to be familiar with a variety of
newly develop tools and techniques, and with the new innovated organizational
approaches to advance the way in which traditional roles are performed. Along
with this, traditional roles also need to be enhanced, so that more value can be
derived from the information of its administrative functions.

Strategic partner

HR must actively participate in strategic decision-making. From the HR

role, it can help advice, coach and educate the senior executives on how to
handle the issues within the workforce that can affect the overall performance of
the company, and offer solutions that will support the implementation of business
plans. HR becomes a more essential element in the entire functioning of the
business, because it holds the basic knowledge on challenges of the
organization. Therefore, HR actually contributes to the formulation of the
business plans.

Employee champion

Furthermore, HR should maintain a well bonded relationship with the

employees and develop their trust and confidence in the objectives of the
organization. HR plays a critical ‘career planning’ function and provides the
growth and development for the employee. Nowadays the role of HR is
enhancing employee training, for upgrading the technology, and for professional
development. The HR function does not only work towards the goal of the
organization, but also focuses on every dreams and aspirations of the individual
employee. HR maintains a balance between these individual and organizational
goals.

According to (2003) in his article entitled The Role of Human Resources in

Whole Systems Change: HR as Scout, Chess Master, Cartographer, and
Architect, he cited that over the past few years there is an increasing need for HR
professionals to be more strategically partners of executives. He stated that for
most Human Resource professionals the current environment is characterized in
the following:

1) HR organizations have tighter budgets and fewer people

2) Technology is playing a bigger role in day-to-day HR related activities

 3) ERP systems are providing more self-service functionality for employees
and managers alike, reducing the transaction-based work for HR staff

4) Many HR functions are being outsourced entirely

He further added that HR professionals nowadays are forced to come out

of the “comfort zone” and deviating from their roles in administrative, legal, and
employee relations tasks. Instead, they are demonstrating skills and knowledge
in: strategic human resource planning, talent management, merger/acquisition
integration and rationalization, global team development, strategic diversity and
to general business operations. In present situation HR professionals are
performing four key roles ( 2003). These four key roles are the following:

The Role as Scout

In the role of Scout, the HR professional is scouting the landscape and

internal business environment to identify opportunities, threats, challenges,
weaknesses, and strengths. In doing this he or she endeavors themselves in the
following:

• Scanning the business horizon

The HR professionals do this to identify the potential threats to the

business and develop programs to address and overcome those threats.

• Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the organization

HR professionals evaluate the information related to people, process,

structure, and technology.

• Identifying future talent needs

This must be done to support the business strategy and takes action to
recruit, acquire, or develop those talent capabilities

• Identifying opportunities to improve or restructure business operations

• Identifying experts and key stakeholders who can help in leading or supporting change plans.
The Role as Chess Master

In the role of Chess Master, the HR professional is engaging in a constant

evaluation of all the “players” (employees) on the “chess board” (organization),
determining how best to influence or them to make change happen. In this role,
he/she engages in the following endeavors:

• Identifying and coaching the key players, or “change champions”

This collaboration of HR professionals with the employee can largely

influenced change efforts, whether or not those key players are properly
positioned in the organizational structure.

• Understanding and influencing the opinions, ideas, concerns, and goals of executives, managers,

and employees within his/her client organization

• Defining, developing, and communicating significant messages to support and lead the players in

change initiatives
• Evaluating the positions of major stakeholders in the organization and developing strategies for

managing different concerns of the stakeholder.

• Participating in both strategic and tactical human resource deployment in order to influence the

outcome of change efforts.

The Role as Cartographer

The HR professional is positioned to advise and educate executives and

managers on best approach to manage and handle change efforts. They are
providing a “roadmap” for change that contains all the critical elements of
successful change efforts. This roadmap is containing the necessary tools and
techniques to navigate successfully through re-engineering efforts, mergers,
acquisitions, divestitures, etc. In this role, the HR professional engages in the
following:

• Assessing the possible challenges, barriers, and risks to the change initiative, and defining

strategies to address these challenges.

 • Recommending and helps establishing the suitable organizational structure to effectively administer

changes.
• Developing communication discussions and channel to facilitate two-way communication with

employees about change efforts.

• Educating the leaders on the appropriate change tools and techniques.

• Establishing resolution for the issues to ensure that any barriers to change are managed quickly

and effectively.

The Role as Architect

In developing change efforts, the HR professionals are required to redesign

the systems and processes of managing human performance. Performing role of
Architect, the HR professional engages in the following endeavors:

• Designing and re-designing the performance of the management as a team and the performance of

the individual in the organization.

• Designing and re-designing jobs or job specification systems to strengthen the greater

responsibility of the employees and authority in their day-to-day operations.

• Designing and re-designing the organizational structure to improve the efficiency and effectiveness

of the operation.
• Designing and re-designing the systems for compensation and incentive to reward the pleasing

behaviors and improvements in business performance.

• Implementing informal recognition systems to acknowledge employee performance.

• Providing training and development programs for executives and managers on how to create a

working climate that will result to a high performance of the employee.

CONCLUSIONS
As time pass by all the activities of HR professionals has become more
significant and more complex. The degree of their workload has gone
through tracking innumerable data points on each employee, from personal
histories, data, skills, capabilities, experiences to payroll records. Over the past
years, the changes to human resource management have gone rapidly. The
traditional role of Human Resource professional as being the administrative arm
of the organization was to systematize and make policies. The role of the HR
professional in serving executive objectives has been well executed. However, it
has become a major roadblock for some organization. The role of the HR
manager is transforming and answering the changes that occur in his
organization. In order for the organizations to succeed in business environment
they are now becoming adaptable, elastic, quickly respond to changes and has
become customer-centered. (2001) explains that the HR professional must
balance the roles of being a change agent, an administrative expert, a strategic
partner, and an employee champion. (2003) stated HR professionals are
performing four key roles. These four key roles are the role of scout, the role of
chess master, the role of cartographer, and the role of architect.

(2004) reiterated that the challenge of managing workforce productivity is

now a new challenge for strategic HR. For some the unwillingness to accept
accountability for managing productivity is an issue that must be addressed. For
others it is the lack of a clearly defined customer hinders their change efforts. To
become strategic HR efforts requires the coordination and unification under one
set of goals and objectives.

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