London HR Forum

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London HR Forum

• Leading HR in a Downturn
• Jane Saunders
• February 4th 2009

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For today.

• A brief introduction
• Taking the lead where should you focus
• Over to you roundtable discussion
• Review and close

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Orion Partners are the UKs leading independent
advisors in HR Transformation

• We help organisations succeed in their HR
  transformation efforts by enabling them to
• Clarify and define HRs role relative to the line
  and business
• Decide on the most suitable operating model for
  HR, including the option of shared services or
  outsourcing
• Manage the resulting core HR service
• Select and implement the right technology
  solutions
• Make the transformation happen on the ground

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What do we do?
We help HR functions
create smarter, more streamlined, credible HR
functions that are in synch with the business and
support the competitive edge give a better
service to the business and at reduced cost
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Our vision

• An effective HR function needs to
• link directly into the business and operate to a
  clear vision
• understand its contribution to the success of
  the business
• deliver on that vision with rigour and discipline

We call this commercialising HR
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Some of our clients
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Doom..
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And gloom.
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HR to the rescue?
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• In challenging times, the more value
• HR can bring to your business, the more your
  business will value HR

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How are you valued?
Source Saratoga Key Trends in Human Capital
Metrics 2008
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Setting the agenda

• Worst of times can be best of times to create
  long term value
• Understand where the value lies
• Have the capability to act on your insights
• Opportunity to challenge the status quo
• Cut through complacency
• Break with the past
• Rumours cause distraction
• Clear communication is key

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Where should you start?
New Priorities for Business Growth Should we be
developing different capabilities and
behaviours? How do ensure that my HR programme
supports my overall business strategy?
After a Merger and Acquisition What should our
new operating model be to build synergy across
the HR function after we have merged? Do I have
sufficient in-house HR experience or resources to
deal with people issues effectively?
How can we become more competitive? How do I
centralise our HR processes and embed best
practice in HR? Am I getting the maximum value
for my HR spend? Is now the time to consider
outsourcing to improve cost effectiveness?
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Where should you focus?

• Force hard choices
• Embed cost disciplines
• Seize new opportunities
• Accelerate transformation

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Force hard choices

• Prioritise what really matters
• Draw the line between critical and nice to have
• Communicate priorities with clear rationale
• Manage programmes as a portfolio
• Clearly articulate your investment goals
• Review exiting portfolio to determine
  relationships project outcomes, financial and
  organisational components
• Process to manage gates for selection,
  prioritisation, kill/go-forth and financial
  alerts
• Role model and train HR leaders to manage and
  communicate project, financial and resource risks
  to the business

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Embed cost disciplines
Is bad!

• Ongoing maintenance is the key
• Regular weeding vs scorched earth
• What processes do we have to systematically
  indentify and eliminate waste?
• How do we build these into the way we do business?

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Seize new opportunities

• Identify where investment in building capability
  will drive new opportunities
• Cutting development spend may be short sighted
• Investment in the right places could increase
  revenues
• Focus on top talent
• Reappraise talent definitions to ensure they
  still stack up
• Revise your talent plan and ensure it is
  communicated
• Scan the market
• Make changes happen while you can

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Accelerate transformation

• Transformational change takes time
• Programmes can run out of steam
• Downturn can be ideal opportunity to reinvigorate
  the change agenda
• Key questions to ask
• Which large scale change had we started?
• What is still critical to our long-term success?
• Where will we be if we dont drive them through?
• How can we harness the opportunity to accelerate?

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Take the lead

• Be clear on your agenda and stick to it
• Ensure HR is fighting fit
• Dont lose your sense of pride
• Or your sense of humour!

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Over to you?

• How are you addressing the downturn?
• What are you top five tips for leading the way?