HDA

Business Partnership Culture Implementation - Public Service: Central Government

Background

Recognising the importance of business partnering (BP), the HR Director of a UK Central Government Department; decided to set up an interactive process of sharing information across the whole of HR, including setting up a working group to sponsor its introduction.

This initiative was launched as a key response to the planned implementation of an HR shared service structure within the organisation, and a recognition that the combined HR and L&D team suffered a degree of ‘’unempowerment’’, and a lower than acceptable image within the organisation.

Objectives:

1. To disseminate information about business partnering across HR.

2. To identify a new skill set for HR personnel wishing to become business partners.

3. To establish a BP working group to sponsor the introduction of business partnering.

4. To design a Business Partner Development Guide to enable the HR team to become more strategic in focus; acting as solution providers and guardians of best practice, and creators of new learning solutions

Key Activities undertaken by HDA

• HDA conducted background research into best practice in business partnering, including exploring the David Ulrich model which has gained traction within the Public Service.

 (Ulrich Model)

• HDA designed the content of briefings, and shared this content with the Senior Management Team.

• Briefings were delivered by HDA for all HR team members in a relatively large team based in multiple locations, with the opportunity created for everyone in the team to gain an understanding of the BP process and to put questions to the HR Director in an open forum.

• Volunteers were invited from the briefings to form a Business Partner Working Group.

• HDA facilitated regular meetings of the BP Working Group and conducted background research into how other Departments and other private sector businesses were addressing business partnering.

• Recommendations were made on how to introduce business partnering, including the dissemination of the Professional Skills for Government and the HR Professional Standards.

• Together with the BP Working Group, HDA prepared presentations and recommendations to the Senior Management Team and Team Leaders on  proposed organisational structure, business partner role specification and next stage actions.

• HDA scripted and designed a Business Partner Development Guide based on the HR Professional Standards and customised for the role of a Business Partner.

• This included how to develop and demonstrate competence, as well as a detailed list of additional resources.

• HDA made recommendations to the client for next stage actions.

Outcomes

At a time of concern about changes within the Department as a result of the proposed introduction of shared services, introducing the Business Partner briefings gave everyone within HR the opportunity to clearly understand what was meant by business partnering. In addition through the use of the Ulrich model there was also the opportunity to demonstrate how everyone had a positive role to play in the process. Finally by gaining access to the HR Director in small intimate groups people were given the opportunity to ask more general questions about the future.

Another positive by-product was the setting up of the BP Working Group, this group was in no way pre-selected, and the invitation was made to everyone within HR irrespective of grade, or role. The resultant group of volunteers took their role very seriously and made high-level recommendations on both the organisational structure and the role specification. They also gained valuable experience through networking with other Departments and making presentations to the senior teams.

The BP Development Guide will now also be used as a template for the design of other development guides as the other key roles are defined. The Department is now in the process of organising cross-department briefings to create a joined up picture of HR in advance of introducing the Business Partner process.

For more information on any of the above or to understand how HDA can add value to your organisation,

Please contact Melissa Nealon, Client Partner & Project Manager – man@hda.co.uk / 0207 484 5065