Hr Model

HR Centre of Excellence

HR Models – lessons from best practice
Initial desk research October 2009
Nick Holley

© Henley Business School 2009

www.henley.reading.ac.uk

Contents

Introduction The classic HR model
Over the last decade a classic model, based on the work of Dave Ulrich et al, has emerged that has three elements (recently he has added to the model but these three remain the core). We don’t need to go into detail but we will simply highlight these three key elements: business partners, shared services and centres of expertise: Business Partners Establish relationships with customers line/ business units Contribute to business unit plans Shared Services Deliver HR services Manage routine processes effectively and efficiently Often using a single HRIS, intranets to provide basic information and call centres for specific queries May be outsourced Back Office Centres of Expertise Create HR frameworks Develop and introduce strategic HR initiatives. Specialised areas such as compensation and benefits, employee relations, learning and development, talent management, OD, staffing, diversity, and workforce planning Often depend on the business partners to roll out programmes to the business.

Develop organisational capabilities Implement HR practices Represent central HR Log needs and coordinate HR services Front Office

In this report we are not seeking to reinvent this model but to review how to implement it effectively. Like so many apparently simple models we believe the model is sound but that understanding the complexities that lie behind it, and implementing it in a way that is relevant to each organisation specific context, are the real challenges. This report is based on extensive desk research over the last few months and will be followed up with a series of interviews to look at the latest view ‘from the street’. (CIPD 2009 Market Wire 2005 Kates 2006 Lawler 2006 Porter 2006)

The challenge of deciding what HR model
In adopting

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