Business Partnering

This subject is a well known pet-peeve of mine. During my years as chief human resources officer, I did not let a single opportunity go by without my pilloring the misuse of the terminology.

HR, as a function, started a sobering revival in the early '90's. Academics and consultants provided intriguing tools for diagnosing the current state of the function relative to the expectations of senior management. The tools built on the seminal work identifying the four levels of HR work: administration, advocacy, development, and partnering. Together these four levels represent the four floors of the HR pyramid from the basics to the more esoteric.

The administrative functions of staffing, compensation, payroll, HR policy and work place services constitute the foundation -- or first floor of the four-floor HR building. The second floor is occupied by advocacy on behalf of the employee, on one hand, and advocacy on behalf of management on the other. The third floor houses development, both at the individual and organizational level. The fourth floor is the business partner floor where the HR function sits at the executive table, so to speak.

Needless to say, the fourth floor is where the honey is -- inclusion, power, recognition, whole picture view. That is why I call it the "wannabe place". In my view, you get there by doing a good job at the lower floors, and you cannot leapfrog to the top, but you can earn your place there. Business partner is not a job title but the payoff for outstanding professional work. It is not what you call yourself, but how internal clients view you as an HR professional. It is in the eye of the beholder -- the internal client ---that one finds the answer.

In the mid 1990's the consulting firm I was associated with conducted a study of some 60 organizations, of varying size, most if not all in the State of California. We asked the CEOs of these companies to complete a questionnaire containing 48 items surveying elements of the four-story HR model discussed above. We also sampled the chief human resources persons in these organizations as well as their direct reports. We found that 85% of the CEOs did not regard their HR function as a business partner at all; most viewed it as an administrative and employee relations function. A few recognized HR contribution to development and business problem solving. Most chief human resources persons, on the contrary, saw themselves, by and large as full-fledged business partners to senior management. Their staff saw reality more as a mixed bag. Big gap between the "what is" versus the "want to be"!

Some interesting field-based observations about the business partner model:

1. Under tough economic conditions, the HR function, unless perceived to be a real business partner, is downsized to the basics, the first floor. When this happens, one realizes that in the eyes of senior management the upper floors are seen as luxury and the lower floors as necessity.

2. When the model collapses, it collapses in a pancake fashion, by getting back to the basic minimum of staffing, compensation, payroll, employee services, and regulatory reporting.

3. Each floor has two components. The first floor has hygiene and regulatory. The second floor has concern for employees as well as concern for the organization. The third floor has concern for individual development as well as the development of the organization. The top floor includes being a resource to management on matters of HR expertise as well as a partner in the strategic management of the organization.

Experience teaches us that it is difficult for most HR professionals to be excellent in all four floors, let alone in both elements within each floor. For example, some HR folks are very good at articulating the employees' concerns to management, but they are incapable of articulating management's concerns to the employees. Some HR folks are great at making rules, but they are incapable of creating a productive and attractive workplace. Some HR folks are great at building teams, but they are incapable of building communities.

HR has a reputation problem. It is often not seen as adding value, to be a drag on the decision making wheel. This criticism is well founded. HR has deep and well known roots. It has an administrative and legal pedigree -- bureaucratic and legalistic genes, so to speak. It has a history for foot-dragging, slow to change, concerned with rules and regulations, and as a gate keeper. Although not all HR departments fall into this dismal category, there is enough history that helps perpetuate the perception.

The advent of the organization development field pumped life in HR's clogged arteries by shifting our direction to a client-centered reality. The rise of the customer satisfaction movement increased the awareness of HR's responsibility towards its clients and users.

But the job is not yet done. Much more remains to be done. Governments certainly do not make things easier by introducing complex legislation for HR departments with which to contend.

If you are calling yourself a "business partner", I suggest you get business cards that are more representative of how senior management assesses your performance. Meanwhile, continue to refine your approach, try to be the best you can be, meet your clients needs. They are the ultimate arbiters for your performance.

Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To

That is the title of a paperback I bought at the San Francisco International Airport before catching a flight. The title caught my eye and I could not resist getting a copy to read during my flight.

The author is Anthony DeStefano. He is well known for having written the best seller "A Travel Guide to Heaven". You can purchase a copy of the book at Doubleday (www.doubleday.com). The book has received excellent reviews by a number of leading religious authorities. In my view, it applies to all denominations, Christian, Jewish and Muslim.

You may wonder why this blog, and what it might have to do with either HR or OD. In our jaded society, it is easy to roll our eyes cynically. Trust me, it is no joke or a gimmick to think about our profession in a more elevated notion!

I do not know about you, but I have often shaken my head in frustration, asking myself the question: "Why does not God answer me when I cry out to him?". Why does not God solve my pressing problems? If God is supposedly all-powerful, all-loving God -- who made the sun, the moon, and the stars and He has the power to do absolutely anything He wants -- yet so many times He seems to ignore our prayers, or worse yet, flat out turn us down.

The truth of the matter is that God does say yes to a lot. But often He seems to reject our simplest requests. Why? God is not a supermarket clerk. The truth is that God follows some strict guidelines when considering our requests, and they are often difficult for us to understand. He surely does not say yes to requests that are not good for our spiritual welfare. Although He never stops us from making bad choices, He surely does not want to help us making them. God gives us what we need, not necessarily what we want. He is concerned about the ultimate good, not the intermediary want.

The book goes on to list the ten prayers that God always says yes to. They are:

1. God, show me that you exist. If we pay real attention to this, we surely see that God shows us that He exists every day, every hour, in many subtle and not so subtle ways.

2. Why should I get involved? God wants us to be an instrument for His work, to do what is right for us to do. He wants us to feed His sheep.

3. What's in it for me? God will always outdo us in generosity. He will always bless us with His many gifts. Serving others is the greatest call of all.

4. I can't take it anymore? God will always get us through our suffering. He will always comfort us in our sorrow. He is with us. He does not abandon us.

5. Am I a terrible person? God forgives us for our trangressions, for our sins, for our foibles. His love is infinite and His love comes with no conditions attached.

6. This stress is killing me! God gives us peace. He relieves us of our burdens. He makes our journey bearable. He takes away our worries.

7. Okay, I admit it: I am afraid. God gives us courage. He sheds light to darkness. He removes our fears and consoles our souls. We are not alone.

8. Sometimes being smart just is not enough. God gives us wisdom. He helps us harvest from our experiences the lessons learned. He gives us insights, He makes us perceptive. He gives us a second, third, fourth chance.

9. Will I ever be happy again? God brings out the good in all situations. He helps us rise from the valley to the mountain top. He showers us with joy.

10. Why am I here, anyway? God leads us to our destiny. He helps us fullfill our mission. He makes our journey meaningful and our labors worthwhile.

HR and OD work are about serving others, about doing the right things the right way, maybe not the first time, but in time. To do a good job, we need God's help and His guidance. He cares that we serve others properly, genuinely, caringly. He has high standards and He wants us to apply them.

I might not have done justice to the book, but I can assure you that it uplifted my spirit and gave me courage to continue my journey. I pray that He guides you and bless you too.

Independence Day

July 4th America celebrates its independence from Britain. Fireworks, parades, barbeques, festivities. Americans celebrate their freedoms -- and there are many. It is a day when their love of country is in public display. Veterans are honored for their service to the defence of the country. Few other countries go to these lengths. There is pride and thanksgiving for living in a great society.

America is not perfect but it is still the symbol of freedom, opportunity, and the future. The country was found by Pilgrims from Europe, who came in search of religious freedom, and who wanted to escape unbearable conditions in their home continent. They came to build a country, not to exploit it. Over the years, immigrants from other parts of the globe have come to America. I am told that there are more than 175 nationalities in the USA. Talk about melting pot! So many wonderful flavors! They all have contributed uniquely to its progress and growth.

I have traveled to 70 countries, at last count. I have visited most for just a few hours or days; I have lived in a few for years. I have not found a better place to live, albeit as I have already said America is not perfect.

I am indeed a lucky person. I am citizen of two countries -- one by choice (America) and one by birth (Italy). I hold dual citizenship and I travel with two different passports. I learned some years ago that the Italian passport comes handy while traveling through the European Union, and that I save several hundreds of dollars when I visit Brazil and Argentina. The visa for US citizens costs several hundred dollars and it takes several days to get. Italians do not need a visa to enter these two South American countries.

I came at age 18 for a one year visit and decided to stay, to my parents chagrin. My father had waited 5 years to get a visa for us to emigrate to the USA and be reunited with his younger brother. My paternal grandfather Antonio emigrated to the US in 1912, returned to Italy to fight in the First World War in 1915, and came back to the US in 1918 for good. He died in 1943 and he is buried in New London, Connecticut. My maternal grandfather also spend 3 years in America around 1905-07 but he decided not to stay, preferring to return home.

My mother in particular wanted that the family stay close together but she did not get her wish. To overcome my father's opposition, I joined the US military so that I could stay. My middle brother Carmelo also decided to stay. My parents and my youngest brother Angelo returned to Italy after a couple years in America. Sadly, the 4th of July is also my late mother's birthday. She often reminded others that she was born on America's Independence Day!

Although I visit Italy frequently, I consider myself more of an American than an Italian. I have spent 75% of my life in the USA. I am married to an American citizen and so is my daughter. America is my home. It is where I want to be. It is where one day I will die.

I owe a great deal to this country. It gave me the opportunity to work my way through the university. This would have been impossible in Italy. I was also offered many opportunities as a professional and as an entrepreneur. I have made many lasting friends. I have become an American. I am reminded of this whenever I return to my home town, a fishing village on the Northern Sicilian coast. My relatives and their kids refer to me as the American. Here in the US my friends refer to me as the Italian or the Sicilian. I guess Americans love to hyphonate the origins ... Italo-American, Spanish-American, Irish-American, African-American, etc.

There is a song that Americans sing on the 4th of July. It always brings tears to my eyes. I would like to include a couple lines here:

Oh beautiful for spacious skies. For amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain! America, America,! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea.

God bless America!