In the article “A New Mandate for Human Resources” written by Dave Ulrich, the author examines the answer to the question that “Should we do away with HR?”. The author’s opinion that the discussion is caused by serious and widespread suspicions about the contribution of HR to organizational performance.
David Ulrich argues that HR is necessary to achieve organizational perfection. He also describes the new task of HR as creating a completely new role and agenda for the area, which focuses not on customary HR activities, like staffing and compensation, but on results.
Reading David Ulrich’s A New Mandate For Human Resources will offer insights into modern HR practices, demonstrating how HR can significantly contribute to an organization’s success by aligning HR strategies with business objectives.
In many companies today, HR activities seem to be disconnected from the organization’s actual work. The new agenda, however, argues that each of the HR activities will somehow help the corporation to better serve its clients or increase its stockholder value. The author says the HR department is not alone in the process of changing the role of HR, and that the biggest supporters should be the CEOs and department managers aiming to achieve their goals. He explains that HR is more important than ever because organizations have the opportunity to play a leading role in enhancing – Globalization, profitability through growth, technology, intellectual capital, change, change, and more change – their competitiveness.
David Ulrich also mentions that a successful organization can quickly implement the strategy, manage processes intelligently and efficiently, maximize employee engagement and commitment, and create conditions for uninterrupted change and that HR has a role in developing these capabilities. These tasks;
1.Becoming a Partner in Strategy Execution
HR needs to guide senior executives on how the company should be organized in order to fulfill its strategies.
David Ulrich explained these tasks to four steps;
- HR should be held liable for defining an organizational structure,
- HR should be held accountable for conducting an organizational audit,
- Identify the methods for renewing the parts of the organizational architecture,
- HR must stock its own work and set clear priorities.
2. Becoming an Administrative Expert
There are dozens of transactions that can be made better, faster and cheaper within the HR function. Finding and correcting these processes is part of the work of new HR.
3. Becoming an Employee Champion
In their new role, HR professionals should be made responsible for ensuring that employees are committed to the organization and contribute to the organization. HR should now train line management on methods to increase employee morale.
4. Becoming a Change Agent
The fourth responsibility of the new HR is the task of the organization to improve the capacity to adopt and invest in change.
Finally, in A New Mandate for Human Resources, David Ulrich mentions that human resources is now entering a new era and taking on more important roles in this period than before.
Opinion: The Most Important Part of HR is To Be A Partner in Strategy Execution
In my opinion the most important role of HR in this article is to be a partner in strategy execution. Because this role also includes some of the other roles. In order to achieve its goals, the HR company is responsible for the identification of organizational architecture, supervision, renewal of the required parts and setting priorities. I think that the role that makes this role the most important is the responsibilities of HR in this role. As a result, I think that the most important role that HR will undertake in the new period is to be a partner in the development of the organization and the establishment of a strategy.
