HR : The Business Partner

by Kenton,Barbara

• ISBN13: 9781856178471
• ISBN10: 1856178471
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-03
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

With HR professionals increasingly expected to be "business partners", are you prepared with the skills and tools to make a positive difference to your organization?As the recognised definitive guide to the topic, HR: The Business Partner, second edition, offers practical insights to take you through the challenging process of business partnering, including:. No-nonsense description of what business partnering entails, with case studies to illustrate real-life practice . Detailed coverage of the common challenges and advice on how to overcome them . Guidance on how to develop the skills and confidence required to work effectivelyCovering the transition from working operationally to working strategically and the tools, techniques and skill sets needed for partnering, this inexpensive guide will help to both add real value to your business and to develop your career in business partnering. If you are aspiring to or about to embark on a business partner role, this book will provide you with ideas and inspiration for the position. * The definitive guide to HR business partnering, written by recognised experts in the field * Takes you through the essential theory and practical application to help you develop a range of skills for building internal and external client relationships * Updated throughout with additional case studies included to illustrate fully the tools and techniques of business partnering in practice

Author Biography

Barbara Kenton, Freelance Consultant and Director of WHooSH, The Change and Conflict Consultancy Jane Yarnall, Director of Skills Evolution Ltd, UK

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. ix
List of Tables	p. x
Foreword	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
About the Authors	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
A little of the history of business partnering	p. 2
What does the role involve?	p. 5
Business partnering as a strategic role	p. 6
Business partnering as a practice	p. 7
Business partnering as a formal set of skills associated with different roles	p. 9
Links to culture and level of maturity of the organisation	p. 9
Background to our research approach and framework for this book	p. 11
Behavioural framework for business partners	p. 12
Working alongside managers in the business	p. 13
Self-awareness and impact	p. 13
Creating and leading change	p. 14
Delivering a business-focused service	p. 15
References	p. 16
Shaping the Business Partnership
Positioning the Partnership	p. 19
What are you seeking to achieve?	p. 20
What are the cultural considerations?	p. 21
Systems theory and thinking	p. 22
Understand current perceptions	p. 26
Assess your brand image	p. 27
Developing your marketing plan	p. 28
Balancing organisational and individual needs	p. 35
Summary	p. 35
Checklist	p. 36
References	p. 37
Setting Up the Partnership Function	p. 39
What do business partners actually do?	p. 39
What are the options on how partnerships should be structured?	p. 40
Shared service centres	p. 49
Funding	p. 51
Staffing issues	p. 52
Summary	p. 57
Checklist	p. 58
References	p. 59
Positioning Yourself with the Client	p. 61
Challenge for existing HR personnel	p. 61
Getting in!	p. 62
Early impressions	p. 62
Client readiness and capability	p. 63
A framework for working collaboratively	p. 68
Reviewing the relationship from different perspectives	p. 72
Promoting yourself	p. 77
Summary	p. 78
Checklist	p. 79
References	p. 80
Developing a Professional Edge
Creating and Leading Change
Influencing and Leading Change	p. 85
What kinds of change are you likely to be involved in?	p. 85
What is the nature of change?	p. 87
What are the boundaries of your role in influencing and leading change?	p. 88
Dealing with ambiguity	p. 90
What are the issues and implications for others in times of change?	p. 91
Other aspects of change	p. 97
Influencing skills and strategies	p. 99
Dealing with resistance to change	p. 103
Summary	p. 106
Checklist	p. 106
References	p. 107
Developing Your Thinking Style	p. 109
Rational thinking - the detective's approach	p. 110
Creative thinking - the magician's approach	p. 112
Strategic thinking - the leader's approach	p. 115
So how can you develop your strategic thinking ability?	p. 119
Summary	p. 120
Checklist	p. 121
References	p. 121
Delivering a Business Focused Service	p. 123
Key Consultancy Skills	p. 125
The consultancy cycle	p. 126
Benefits of internal consulting	p. 128
The importance of contracting	p. 130
What to do at the initial client meetings	p. 133
Avoiding some of the pitfalls of contracting	p. 141
Summary	p. 145
Checklist	p. 146
References	p. 147
Managing Projects and Reviewing Performance	p. 149
So what is project management?	p. 150
Guidelines for moving on	p. 158
Reviewing the effectiveness of the client-partner relationship	p. 160
Reviewing the effectiveness of the project	p. 162
Summary	p. 164
Checklist	p. 165
References	p. 165
Relationship Skills	p. 167
Developing Self and Organizational Awareness	p. 169
So what are the more advanced skills of consultancy?	p. 169
Theoretical underpinning	p. 170
Awareness of self, others and the system as a whole	p. 171
Reflective practice	p. 173
The use of power in organisations	p. 174
Model	p. 177
Networking	p. 180
Summary	p. 187
Checklist	p. 188
References	p. 188
Interpersonal Skills and Challenges	p. 189
Developing rapport and empathy with your client	p. 189
Establishing and maintaining trust	p. 192
Building credibility	p. 193
Individual credibility	p. 194
Credibility for the function	p. 198
Dealing effectively with pressures along the way	p. 199
Pressures stemming from the business	p. 200
Pressures stemming from the business partner	p. 202
Pressures stemming from the client system	p. 203
Summary	p. 204
Checklist	p. 205
References	p. 206
Benchmarking Your Progress
Measuring Your Impact	p. 209
Evaluating the success of the partnership	p. 210
What gets in the way?	p. 211
Good practice guidelines for establishing a focus on evaluation	p. 212
What models of evaluation might apply to business partnerships?	p. 221
Traditional HR approaches	p. 222
OD evaluation models	p. 224
Business partnership models	p. 230
Summary	p. 232
Checklist	p. 233
References	p. 233
Case Studies	p. 235
Introduction	p. 235
DSGi business - Widening out the partnering principles	p. 236
NHS Wirral - Moving from an operational to partnering Role: Reflections from Gemma Mcardle, HR business partner	p. 239
English heritage from Sarah Aston, HR director	p. 246
A high street retailer - the initial transition to business partnership	p. 248
Cargill - an established and successful multinational business partnership from Karin Braanker, HR director for Europe and Africa	p. 251
value added interventions	p. 253
Conclusions	p. 259
The 4c approach to business partnership	p. 260
Lessons from best practice	p. 261
Guiding principles for the business partner role	p. 264
Resources and Recommended Reading	p. 265
Appendix	p. 269
Index	p. 277
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