Recently an article about HR Generalists being dinosaurs caused much consternation in the HR community.
My point of view is that the HR Generalist, with the right Sr. HR Executive, can play a very impactful role in the organization.
I will start this out by saying that I am currently in IT, not HR. So I am not saying this out of any bias or loyalty to HR. In fact there are many days where HR makes my job much harder than it needs to be.
In my opinion, the key to how the HR Generalist performs in an organization is how the SR HR Executive is viewed by his/her peers.
I have worked for a great HR Leader in a previous life. He earned the respect of his peers and established the Generalist organization as key business partner and the cornerstone of the HR Function. All other HR "Specialites" like Compensation, Benefits and OD supported the generalist organization. These generalists were creating "people plans" that matched the business needs. They attended their business leaders staff meetings as they were key contributors to the business strategy. This organization lead the change management initiatives and were the change agents.
In fact at this particular company, people aspired to the HR Generalist role.
The sad fact is that there are not a lot of companies who have good HR Leadership, let alone great leadership. It takes great leadership to establish a highly effective HR Generalist organization.
So let's stop generalizing about HR and criticize what HR is not doing and celebrate those HR Leaders who are doing great things.
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2 comments:
Jacqueline, thanks for your vote of confidence in the potential for HR generalists to add value...I think I read the same article.....a key issue for "HR generalists" is to be able to clarify their role in relation to specialists....similar to our medical practitioners...there is value of having a GP (general practitioner) who builds an ongoing, more holistic relationship with their clients, knowing what they can treat and what they need to refer to the specialists..
One of my current passions is working to build better networks and connections between HR & IT. In preparing for a presentation to a provincial HR conference, we are seeking input from IT professionals in this regard....here is a link to the survey we are currently conducting and welcome additional responses from IT professionals.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=157463011315
As HR practitioners, whether in HR or IT, we keep talking about "strategic HR." Until management takes a truly strategic view of HR, HR will continue to be viewed in the traditional role as information gatekeeper, rather than partner with the company's core business. Transformation comes from a cultural shift within the organization, not from technology or other external factors.
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