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Annual Conference: Strategic HR

It has been the ambition for some time for HR to become more strategic, but what does this mean? What are the components of strategic HR? Having defined it, how do you get there? At the annual HR conference 2014, we will explore these questions through two case studies – one private sector and one public sector – which will exemplify how HR in these organisations has played a strategic role.

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Network News Issue 5

Peter Reilly

It has been the ambition for some time for HR to become more strategic, but what does this mean? What are the components of strategic HR? Having defined it, how do you get there?

We will explore these questions through two case studies – one private sector and one public sector – which will exemplify how HR in these organisations has played a strategic role.

Professor David Guest of Kings College London will offer his reflections on how these examples link to academic research and wider evidence. The audience will be asked to reflect on what your two experiences mean for their own HR practice.

Case study one: Public sector

Robin Wilkinson, HR Director, Metropolitan Police

Case study two: Private sector

Tony Williams, Director of Human Resources, Royal Bank of Scotland

Why Strategic HR?

The development of effective HR strategies is increasingly important in a turbulent world. The effects of austerity and recession are not over for many. The labour market remains tricky to recruit certain specialist skills. The demography of the UK is shifting, with growing numbers of elderly but also a rising birth rate. Public policy questions about appropriate levels of business and employment regulation are still contentious. The list goes on.

Against such a background, HR teams have to think about how to deliver cost effective services, meet customer expectations, identify and deal with internal operational challenges, as well as respond to the changing external environment. To guide them through this situation, HR functions must prioritise through identifying the highest risk areas or those with the greatest opportunity for benefits. Be it investing in the employment brand or value proposition; conducting an equal pay review; building organisational development capability, HR, with the business, needs to make choices on what to focus on. It then has to consider how to deliver the agenda through consideration of structure, skills, processes, etc.

This is the stuff of HR strategy. The conference will highlight the issues of content and method through both case study approach and reference to academic research. This should give an idea of how others have done it as well us inform us on what evidence says is good practice.