HR as a Business Partner Carol Whitaker The NEC Group

Agenda Strategic and Tactical HR Management (What everybody is probably doing) Brand Management (What will differentiate you) –Reflecting your brand through your people (outside in) –Managing the “employer brand” (inside out)

Organisational Analysis External Environment Internal Environment Future Strategic Options and HR Implications

External Environment Political Economic Social Technology

Political Relationship with local authority Employment law Increasing EU influence Economic Labour market trends Business cycles The Euro External Environment Social Consumerism Growth of leisure spend Work-life balance issues Green issues e.g transport Technology The internet Smart buildings

Internal Environment Structure Strategy Systems SkillsStaff Style Shared Values

How do we work toward our objectives? How should we be organised? What will be our procedures? What staff do we need? What competencies do our staff need? How should we manage/communicate/motivate? What beliefs do we share? Strategy Structure Systems Staff Skills Style Values

Future Strategic Options Exhibition organising Off site catering Graphics & Production Promotions/PR Conference and Event Organisation Hotel Management? Facilities Management? Acquisition? Products Markets ExistingNew Existing Exhibitions Conferences Events Managing Other Venues Consultancy Joint Ventures Operational Excellence Sweat our assets Build our reputation Leverage Knowledge Entrepreneurial Risk Taking Innovation Extend the Brand Quality & Consistency

HR Operations Client Focused Business Model Streamline Processes Empower Managers with Appropriate Support

What is a Brand? Features (What your product/service is) Benefits (Needs and wants that your product/service meets) Values (What the customer associates with the product) Brands enable customers to instinctively make purchasing decisions

Who Owns The Brand?

HR’s Brand Ownership The Conference business is a people business The brand is delivered by people, not by buildings All brands are identified by their personality and personal characteristics

Think of some major brands…

What would their personality be like? What person(s) and object(`s) would epitomise the brand? What behaviour would their personality and identity promise? If your company was a “person”: - Flexible/rule bound, fast moving/steady paced, etc.

What does your discussion tell you? And… When is it that you are “delighted” by people representing these companies?

People Deliver your Brand Recruitment Recognition and Reward Development Management and Leadership All of these need to ensure that the personality and style of your people matches and reinforces the personality and style of your brand.

The Employer Brand “The package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by employment and identified with the employing company.” –Functional – development and useful job related activities –Economic – monetary or other reward –Psychological – feelings of purpose, belonging and recognition

The combination of factors which differentiate you as an employer. Shape the perceptions of past, present and future employees Position you with other stakeholders (local communities, industry bodies, etc.) The Employer Brand

Vision & Leadership Policies & Procedures Values Corporate Personality External Reputation Communication Recruitment & Induction Performance Management Development Working Environment Reward Systems Post – Employment

Develop the Employer Brand CompetitionCulture ChangePeople Orientation Change ManagementActive Participation QualitySupport BrandCustomer Focus

The Organisation of the Future Knowledge-basedKnowledge-based Networked through ITNetworked through IT Business partnershipsBusiness partnerships Self-managed teamsSelf-managed teams Highly flexibleHighly flexible Core and non-core businessCore and non-core business Virtual organisationsVirtual organisations Global involvementGlobal involvement Learning Training, processes, systems Commercial awareness Leadership, reward systems Rewards, contracts Outsource and insource Managing ambiguity Cultural awareness & diversity

Any Questions?

Summary HR can add real value to organisations. Traditional HR areas are today necessary requirements, not business differentiators. The future for HR is in connecting marketing and business strategies to people strategy to deliver the brand promise.