ABSTRACT
In addressing a number of skill challenges described above, HR might reasonably look at how other functions have tackled some of the same problems. This will go some way to reducing a tendency towards insularity that has weakened the function's capability to transform itself. Good HR people look to other functions to see how they have developed. More commonly HR is in follow-my-leader mode. How often have you heard at external conferences the refrain that HR ‘is of course merely following what X function did 5–10 years ago’? The most oft-quoted is that outsourcing HR transactions is much like the outsourcing of IT services of 10–15 years ago, when many large organizations, both public and private, contracted out the management of their IT infrastructure. We cover this in more detail, as well as giving other examples, including:
What can we learn about reporting and decision support from Finance?
What can we learn about employee segmentation and product development from Sales and Marketing?
What can HR learn about professional project management from business consulting?
What can we learn about HR operations from service providers?
