How do we make HR Business Partnering more strategic?

HR business partnering is more than a role – it’s an attitude, an ambition and a driving force to raise the level at which HR operates, at all levels.

It transforms how HR interacts with stakeholders, which leads to transforming what HR can deliver, and how they’re regarded.

Expecting more from the HR professional in the role is unfair – and won’t deliver – if the conditions are not created for them to succeed.

A good HR business partner can be a powerful conduit to understanding business reality and deploying all of HR’s resources effectively. But only if there is proactive leadership from the CPO and CEO.

Business partnering has to be led from the top. What is the business rationale? How will it work as a strategic principle as well as an operational relationship?

Often, this positioning is a key part of the work we do with clients. Building the strategic rationale for true business partnering is vital, to set up the CPO for a powerful conversation with the CEO.

The CEO simply doesn’t understand (often hasn’t given thought to it) unless HR explains it, and quantifies the benefits. Then, HRBPing is led from the top and falls into place.