Human Resource Champions

By Dave Ulrich
Strategic Human Resource
Management- EMBA
Competitive Challenges Ahead

• Globalization
• Value Chain for Business Competitiveness & HR
services
• Profitability through cost and growth
• Capability Focus
• Change, change, and change some more
• Technology
• Attracting, retaining, & measuring competence &
intellectual capital
• Turnaround is not transformation
Myth about HR Reality
• People go into HR • HR departments are not
because they like designed to provide
corporate therapy or as
people
social or health-and-
happiness retreats.
• HR professionals must
create the practices that
make employees more
competitive, not more
comfortable.
Myth about HR Reality
• Anyone can do HR. • HR activities are
based on theory and
research.
• HR professionals
must master both
theory and practice.
Myth about HR Reality
• HR deals with the • The impact of HR
soft side of business practices on
and is therefore not business results can
accountable. and must be
measured.
• HR professionals
must learn how to
translate their work
into financial
performance.
Myth about HR Reality
• HR focuses on costs, • HR practices must
which must be create value by
controlled increasing the
intellectual capital
within the firm.
• HR professionals
must add value, not
reduce costs.
Myth about HR Reality
• HR’s job is to be the • The HR function does
not own compliance-
policy police and the managers do.
health-and- • HR practices do not
happiness patrol. exist to make
employees happy but to
help them become more
committed.
• HR professionals must
help managers commit
employees and
administer policies.
Myth about HR Reality
• HR is full of fads. • HR policies have
evolved over time.
• HR professionals
must see their
current work as part
of an evolutionary
chain and explain
their work with less
jargon and more
authority.
Myth about HR Reality
• HR is staffed by nice • At times, HR should
people. force vigorous
debates.
• HR professionals
should be
confrontative and
challenging as well
as supportive.
Myth about HR Reality
• HR is HR’s job. • HR work is as important
to managers as are
finance, strategy, and
other business domains.
• HR professionals should
join with managers in
championing HR issues.