How Do You Advocate for Hr's Role in Strategic Planning?
In a business landscape where strategic planning is paramount, HR's pivotal role is often misunderstood. Insights from a Founder and a Chief Executive Officer uncover the true impact of HR in this realm. The discussion opens with a proposal for HR-led people forecasting and wraps up with a demonstration of HR's value in business expansion. Join us as we explore six compelling insights from industry experts.
- Propose HR-Led People Forecast
- Present Empirical Study on HR Impact
- Show Data on Team-Building Impact
- Advocate for HR in Recruitment Drive
- Highlight HR's Role in Restructuring
- Demonstrate HR's Value in Expansion
Propose HR-Led People Forecast
I noticed HR wasn't included in strategic planning sessions, despite their critical role in scaling talent. I made the case that workforce planning—anticipating hiring needs, aligning skills with business goals—wasn't just an operational task; it was a strategic necessity.
I proposed an HR-led "People Forecast" to map out talent gaps against our growth strategy. Not only was HR brought into the fold, but the insights helped us prioritize hiring for roles that directly impacted our trajectory. This shift solidified HR as a strategic partner, proving their value beyond traditional boundaries.
Present Empirical Study on HR Impact
As a fellow HR leader with an intimate knowledge of the healthcare environment, I have at times found myself figuratively banging my gavel and declaring that HR should be part of the strategic planning process. A particular example that comes to mind is when I was at Penn Medicine, where leadership was in the process of creating a five-year growth strategy. The first wave of growth had been about investing in clinical services and infrastructure but much less about the people side of the equation: talent acquisition, employee engagement, and succession planning.
I seized the opportunity to make a case for human resources needing a seat at the table. I explained that regardless of how solid the operational plan is, without the proper talent and a culture conducive to innovation and retention, it will be useless. In order to make my point, I undertook an empirical study that demonstrated how high attrition of critical roles was costing the organization millions of dollars a year and negatively influencing patient care outcomes.
This advocacy paid off. Leadership found this very actionable and identified HR metrics as an important element of the strategic plan: we would need to include workforce planning as part of any strategy. We defined career-progression pathways, implemented culture-improvement initiatives, and reactivated the recruitment program for critical-to-fill roles.
The outcome? In the years that followed, we were able to see a tangible improvement in retention rates, a decrease of 16% in time-to-hire for critical roles, and a sharp increase in employee engagement scores. Above all, it established HR not as a mere support function but as an engine of organizational success.
Anyone in HR dealing with a similar problem, bring data and solutions. Unofficially, frame your argument in terms of how the buyer can save money, minimize risk, and create operational efficiencies. And by the way, HR is not merely creating activities to manage people but designing a resilient and future-ready organization.
Show Data on Team-Building Impact
I learned the importance of HR's strategic value when I showed our leadership team how team-building events directly impacted our quarterly retention rates and employee satisfaction scores. By presenting concrete data showing a 23% improvement in cross-department collaboration after implementing structured social activities, I secured HR's permanent seat at our strategic planning table.
Advocate for HR in Recruitment Drive
When we were gearing up for a new project at Theme Park Brochures, the initial strategy was heavily skewed towards marketing and operations. I felt strongly that we were overlooking how crucial our human resources could be in this phase, particularly because we needed to bring on staff who were passionate about theme parks. I advocated for HR to have a seat at the table during our strategic planning sessions. It took some convincing, but eventually, the leadership team saw the light. The outcome of this is that HR led a targeted recruitment drive that not only filled our open positions quickly but also found us folks who were genuinely excited about our mission, which has made a big difference in our team's overall morale and project success.
Highlight HR's Role in Restructuring
An instance where I had to advocate for HR's role in strategic planning was during a major restructuring at LaGrande Marketing. We were expanding our services and needed to shift team roles to align better with our growth goals. Leadership initially focused on financial and operational changes but hadn't considered the impact on employee morale and retention. That's where I stepped in to highlight how HR could play a key role in ensuring the transition was smooth and effective.
I presented a plan to include HR in the early stages of strategic discussions. This included creating clear communication strategies, providing training for employees transitioning into new roles, and implementing surveys to measure employee sentiment throughout the process. I emphasized that investing in HR initiatives during this time wasn't just about maintaining morale—it was about ensuring that employees felt supported and engaged so they could contribute fully to the company's growth.
The outcome was positive. Leadership agreed to integrate HR into the planning process, and we were able to address employee concerns proactively. We introduced mentorship programs for employees taking on new responsibilities and held regular check-ins to ensure alignment with their goals. Turnover during the restructuring was significantly lower than expected, and productivity increased as employees felt more prepared and included in the company's vision. It reinforced how HR isn't just a support function but a strategic partner in driving business success.
Demonstrate HR's Value in Expansion
As Director-General, I've had several opportunities to advocate for HR's involvement in strategic planning. One notable instance was when we were preparing to expand our services and scale the organization. During discussions about growth, it became clear that without aligning our people strategy with business objectives, we wouldn't be able to achieve the desired outcomes.
I advocated for HR's involvement by demonstrating how a robust talent strategy could directly support business goals. I highlighted the need for workforce planning, leadership development, and employee engagement initiatives to ensure we had the right skills and culture to drive success. I also emphasized that HR's input was essential in shaping our organizational structure and defining clear performance metrics.
As a result, HR became a core part of the strategic planning process. We worked closely with leadership to map talent needs, ensure a smooth organizational change process, and create targeted employee-development programs.
The outcome was positive. Our expansion went smoothly, and we saw an increase in employee satisfaction and retention, as HR's insights helped us build a more aligned and effective workforce. This experience reinforced the value of HR as a strategic partner in business growth.
