2008 Indiana State Personnel Department Conference

Presented byKrista F. Skidmore, Esq., SPHR, President

Strategic Doing—A Model to Align and Execute Strategy in Your Agency

Our Objectives

• Discuss why strategic partnerships are so important in public-sector HR today

• Review the characteristics and model of a high-performing organization (HI-PO) and show how strategy ties to both people and operations

• Discuss the knowledge and skills you need in order to be a strategic force in your agency

• Review the strategic-doing cycle and discuss your role in aligning and executing the strategic plan

Changing Face of the Public Sector

• Terms such as “innovation” and “empowerment” aren’t often associated with public-sector employment. Nor is the high level of job satisfaction that many HR professionals would like to see.

• An increasing sense of accountability and rising public expectations has diminished the difference between public and private sectors over the last 10 to 15 years.

• Public-sector HR is trying to take on a more strategic role.

• Public-sector HR is moving away from the stereotypical role of what one HR professional calls “pointer-outers of federal regulations that say, ‘You can’t do that.’”

• The public sector is more willing than in the past to let HR innovate, a fact that may increase the appeal of working for the government.

Changing Face of the Public Sector

• Public-sector HR faces the following unique challenges :◦ Procedures are general more rigid.

◦ Forms and approvals are greater.

◦ Lead times for changing work rules or launching special projects are longer.

◦ The HR agenda shifts with each election cycle.

◦ Determining success in an organization that has no profit motive can be tough.

Changing Face of the Public Sector

• Well-articulated and compelling mission focused on the needs of constituents

• Strategic priorities/goals to support the mission• Performance management system that aligns

with these goals so employees see how they are connected to the results

• Focus on regular measurement to ensure results are achieved

Key Characteristics of High-Performing Organizations

(HI-POs)

• Achieve significant results for the money spent• Provide value to customers/constituencies• Deliver services on time• Achieve recognition for the services they provide• Build a high level of trust and commitment• Ensure every employee understands the mission

and how his or her job helps to achieve it• Integrate and synchronize everything

What Do HI-POs Do Well?

• Strategy Processo Defines where the

organization wants to go

• People Process o Defines who’s going to

get it there• Operations Process

o Provides the path for those people to be able to strategically DO

The HI-PO Success Model

Clear Mission

StrategicPriorities

Results/Achievement

of Desired Outcomes

+ =

Formula for Success

+ Performance Measurement

• Line managers don’t feel that Human Resource Business Partners (HRBPs) are effective.

• Of all the roles HRBPs play, the strategic partner role is most critical to achieving results.

• Only 20 percent of line managers feel that HRBPs are effective at performing the strategic business partner role (40 percent feel that they’re ineffective).

So, How Are We Currently Doing with Our Strategic

Roles?

Adapted from HR Performance and Capabilities Survey by the Corporate Leadership Council (Washington, D.C.: Corporate Executive Board, 2007).

• Everyone agrees that HRBPs need to be playing a more strategic role, so resistance is low.

• Structure, budget, and design of function have little to do with success as a strategic partner.

• Ninety-seven percent of effectiveness as a strategic partner comes from focusing on the person and the design of the job.

So, How Are We Currently Doing with Our Strategic

Roles?

Adapted from HR Performance and Capabilities Survey by the Corporate Leadership Council (Washington, D.C.: Corporate Executive Board, 2007).

• Sixty-five percent of an HRBP’s strategic contribution relates to his or her own skills and behaviors; skills and behaviors determine success far more than do background, experience, education/certifications, or motivation.

• Knowledge areas that matter most are:◦ Business Acumen

◦ Workforce Planning

◦ Engagement Strategies

Building Your Competencies

◦ Succession Management

◦ Performance Management

◦ Retention Strategies

Adapted from HR Performance and Capabilities Survey by the Corporate Leadership Council (Washington, D.C.: Corporate Executive Board, 2007).

• Skills that matter most are:

◦ Business Skills: Must find creative solutions to business problems

◦ Metric Skills: Must be able to measure the success of those strategies

◦ Interpersonal Skills: Must play a leading role in driving business and talent outcomes

Adapted from HR Performance and Capabilities Survey by the Corporate Leadership Council (Washington, D.C.: Corporate Executive Board, 2007).

Building Your Competencies

• How do we overcome these challenges?• How do we develop these skills?• How do we change our perception and/or

reputation?

Discussion Questionson HR’s Strategic Role

Clear Mission

StrategicPriorities

Results/Achievement

of Desired Outcomes

+ =

How Do You Get Started?

+ Performance Measurement

Use your skills and knowledge to facilitate and influence the strategic-doing cycle!

Align

Focus

Explore

ExecuteChoose what

to do

Identify and align resources

Execute and measure results

Develop ideas

InsightsEvaluations

Action Plans

Initiatives

The Strategic-Doing Cycle

V/M

Discussion Questionson Strategic Doing

• What aspects of the strategic-doing cycle does your agency/organization do well?

• What things get in the way of successful strategic doing in your agency/organization?

• What do you perceive your role to be in this process/cycle?

• What should your role be going forward?

Strategic-Doing Template

Connection to Mission

OverallStrategicPriority

People/Operations Strategy

Specific TasksRequired to

Accomplish GoalAccountability Time Frame

PerformanceTarget

(How will we measure success?)

Cascade to Individual GoalsPART II – Purpose of Organization and Position

Organizational Vision, Mission, and/or Objectives:     

Division/Function/Facility Vision, Mission, and/or Objectives:     

Purpose of Position (How does this position fit into the Organization/Division/Facility? What does this position contribute to the Organization/Division/Facility objectives?)

     

PART III – Performance Expectations

Use this section to document specific performance expectations for this individual employee for this evaluation cycle. Rank Expectations in Order of Importance.

Please identify the most important objectives, assignments, and/or responsibilities that this employee will be evaluated on.

For each expectation: Clearly state the desired outcome, task or responsibility Define standards for how well, how much and how quickly (or completion date)

Performance Expectation #1:     

Performance Expectation #2:     

Performance Expectation #3:     

Cascade to Individual Goals

• How strong is the organizational capability to execute the strategy?• Can we collaborate with others to achieve our desired results?• Is the plan scattered or sharply focused?• Are we choosing the right ideas?• Is the plan too ambitious? What are our priorities to avoid

fragmentation of effort?• Are the linkages with people (staff, members, volunteers) and

operations clear?• What do we need to do to further develop our talent?• Are financial resources assigned in the budget to allow us to focus

on our strategic priorities?

Facilitating Strategic-Doing Sessions

Questions?

107 S. Pennsylvania St., Ste. 101, Indianapolis, IN 46204

317.229.3035—www.FlashPointHR.com