Human Resources As Business Partner

CHAPTER 1

The Challenge

1.1   Getting HR into Shape

The concept of redesigning the shape of New HR was an idea first expounded by Dave Ulrich. Before explaining this, it is necessary to cut through some of the myths in HR about who your customer is. Once that is understood a move to the new shape of HR becomes more comfortable and easier to explain.

I am fortunate in that I meet literally thousands of HR people every year. Ask them the question “who is your customer” and the reply is always the same (99 percent of the time)—the employees. But is this statement true?

It can’t be—the HR function is a function that is funded at corporate level, the employees don’t pay for the function, don’t have any say about your salary, and they often use HR ...