30 Performance Improvement • SEPTEMBER 2000

We want human resources (HR)consulting to be seen and under-stood for what it can do for an orga-nization. The HR group is responsible for

programs that help the organization manage and develop its humanresources. HR consulting is the process used by the HR group to partner with managersto achieve business objectives. This visibility should make it easier for the HR group tocommunicate to managers how, when, and where HR consulting can help themdevelop organizational capability. Only when HR consulting becomes visible can itcontribute fully to achieving organizational objectives, including those related to per-formance improvement.

HR consulting is at the heart of the organization, tied to the organization’s capability toachieve its vision. We want managers within the business to see HR and its services asa key partner in achieving organizational effectiveness. HR consultants are positionedto lead the strategic charge of increasing organizational capability by partnering withbusiness managers to recruit, develop, and manage their HR to meet strategic objectives(Ulrich, 1998).

HR consulting can be made more visible by communicating a model that ties HR servicesto the strategic objectives of the enterprise. This model uses core competencies to tieHR programs to business strategies, thus positioning HR as a strategic partner.

One Enterprise’s Requests

The following requests came to an HR group through business managers. The requestswere framed as the answer to performance problems without consideration of strategicapproaches to achieving organizational objectives. Some were part of planned changes,but others were not.

MakingHumanResourceConsultingVisibleby Ken Kaufmann and Carol L. Weaver, PhD

• The catalog call center needed customer service repre-sentatives with consistent skills yet segmented by cus-tomer market groups. The system needed to be fast andsimple to build a contingent work force that expandedrapidly for holiday workloads.

• The product packaging supervisors wanted workers tobe more accountable for their work and contribution tothe company, but they needed to define what good per-formance looked like. In addition, they needed to dif-ferentiate workers’ roles on the production team.

• Senior management called for leadership skills andpromoting organizational values as key competenciesfor all employees. As a first step, identifying anddefining a consistent set of leadership competencieswas a priority.

• The warehouse distribution manager saw volumegrowth and larger shipments driving changes in thework group and the mix of needed skills. She wanted torestructure the work unit to create a career pathway thatdeveloped skilled equipment operators with flexible,cross-functional skills.

• On the warehouse floor, a new computer system wasentering the final phases of implementation. It wouldrequire staff to use computers with real-time data entry,interpretation, and decisionmaking, which meant thatworkers would have to function at a higher skill level.A request was made for rollout training.

As the HR group responded to each request, a model emergedto link the requests to business strategy through HR consulting(see Figure 1). The model formed the centerpiece for discus-sion and analysis by HR consultants and business managers.

The model helped identify priorities and was used toexplain why some projects but not others would be imple-mented. Managers were able to see how their request fitwith other requests and how the proposed solution sup-ported the organization’s strategic objectives. The modelcreated a new awareness in managers regarding alternativesfor solving their HR management issues. Not only were theyable to think more systematically about their needs and theresponses, but they were able to consider a wider array ofpotential responses. This awareness made it more likely thatmanagers would integrate HR services into their decisions.

A Powerful Model

As mentioned, we used a model that tied the enterprise’smission and strategy to HR interventions (see Figure 2). Themodel served two important purposes: It helped the HRgroup articulate a rationale for its responses, and it educatedmanagers regarding organizational impact and capability.The model made it visible to everybody how this approachsystematically tied the request to strategic business deci-sions, the HR management system, and the learning model.

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Figure 1. Linking Strategy to Performance.

32 Performance Improvement • SEPTEMBER 2000

The HR group gained credibility because it could respond torequests with proposals that benefited the organization.Managers gained an ability to think about the organizationas a whole and began to understand how HR consultingcould help accomplish their objectives.

Competencies are the unifying element of this model. Theytie business strategy to staff performance. Prahalad andHamel (1990) describe competencies in terms of knowledge,skills, and abilities that collectively define the enterprise’sunique capabilities. To the extent that competencies makethe enterprise unique and difficult to replicate, they repre-sent a strategic advantage. The enterprise’s core competen-cies form the foundation of a HR strategy to recruit, retain,and develop strategic talent. When these competencies arealigned with the enterprise’s strategic objectives, an organi-zation is more likely to maximize its strategic advantage.

Responding to Requests

To effectively respond to requests, the HR consultants hadto determine the actual need and what resources were avail-able to meet that need. Moreover, they had to be able toarticulate to those making the request what could be doneand why. The model became a useful tool, not only inpreparing a response to each request, but in coordinating theresponses to all requests.

Rapidly Fulfilling Complex Design Requests. When the cat-alog group needed its customer service representativestrained by segmented market focus, we outlined positionprofiles for each customer service position based on cus-tomer needs. This tied strategic market decisions to job per-formance. Customer needs highlighted the similarities anddifferences for each work group’s learning design, linking

job performance to the learning program. An inte-grated learning system was designed that addressedcommon needs by leveraging and reinforcing com-mon design elements. From common needs, thelearning design branched out to address specializedcustomer needs.

Outlining Job Performance System. The modelsketched a complete picture of job performance,allowing us to map a plan for performance improve-ment. This map laid a pathway for us to assess,design, and implement interventions with targetedresults. We used such a map with the packaging teamto develop a performance improvement plan. Themap outlined an approach to define performance, setstandards, train to those standards, and appraise per-formance with feedback. The model provided a van-tage point to see the link of job performance to learn-ing and other pieces of the performance system.

Defining Leadership Competencies. Asking seniormanagement to align competencies for the enterprise’sleadership engaged senior managers in a dialogueabout what kind of managers and leaders they wantedfor the future. The model helped the senior manage-ment group visualize the link between leadershipdevelopment, succession planning, strategic planning,and accomplishing the organization’s vision.

This link highlights the central role of competenciesin setting strategy, managing job performance, and dri-ving development. It involved senior management inleadership development rather than relegating theresponsibility to HR. It also set the stage for discussingsenior management’s performance and development. Figure 2. Model Components.

Restructuring Work Groups and Developing CareerPathways. The model provided a framework for restructur-ing work groups for flexible deployment and broader jobresponsibilities. The old career pathways developed spe-cialized distribution staff in specific warehouse functions.This made them very good at those tasks but less adept inother areas. Rigid specialization hindered deployment andlimited career growth. By defining distribution competen-cies and grouping them into progressive levels of perfor-mance, we created flexible, generalized jobs that identifieda progressive career pathway of skill development. Not onlywere general employees more flexibly deployed; they foundmore development opportunities and broader job fulfill-ment, a key factor in employee retention.

Implementing Information Technology. The model helpedmanagers see how a decision to introduce new informationtechnology affects many aspects of performance. For exam-ple, discussions about training on a new warehouse man-agement system expanded beyond computer skills training.The decision to install a new computer system forced theorganization to re-examine capabilities required for posi-tions that would rely heavily on the new system. Redefiningcapabilities enabled the job descriptions to be rewritten sofuture employees would be prepared to use the computersystem. The process also fostered the development of train-ing efforts that were precisely aimed at the skill gaps of theexisting employees so that they too would be able to use thenew system efficiently and effectively.

The greatest value of the model was that it provided a practi-cal way for employees and their managers to understand theimplications of their efforts on other components of the system.Managers were able to see how what they did in the “middle”of the organization might affect organizational hiring strate-

gies, for example, or they were able to see that changes in thestrategic plan would require alignment throughout the organi-zation, including the way in which individuals wererecruited, rewarded, and trained. The model made visible therelationships among organizational activities and HR servicesthat were previously hidden from view (see Figure 3). Thisvisibility promoted greater cohesion within the organization.

Using Models with Managers

Solutions that are based on a systemwide perspective havea higher probability of being successful. Integrating HR ser-vices into managerial decisionmaking increases the com-mitment to purposeful HR management throughout theorganization. This integration makes HR management a partof everyone’s job, not just the work of HR. Following are rec-ommendations for getting managers to see the strategicvalue of HR consulting.

Have a Visible Model

It may be an attractive graphic or it may be a seven-stepapproach. It may be made visible through handouts, posters,or other graphics. Include it in your proposals, show it at thestart of your presentations, or articulate it through youragenda items. Make it visible over and over again. Theactual form of the model is not critical; however, all indi-viduals must use the same model.

A visible model makes it easier for practitioners to speakconsistently, coordinate their efforts, and get to the same des-tination. Models help managers understand what HR practi-tioners are trying to accomplish and how the managers’ goalscan be accomplished through HR consulting. A visiblemodel serves as road map to achieving organizational goals.

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Figure 3. Making a Model.

34 Performance Improvement • SEPTEMBER 2000

Use the Model in Business Planning

Make the connection between business decisions and yourmodel concrete and consistent with management practices.Use the model to lay out a project. Once the project is laidout, you can budget, schedule, and staff it. This is businessplanning and project scoping, and it matches the language ofbusiness managers.

Managers and executives are comfortable with business plan-ning. Senior management uses business planning to set theyear’s agenda. If senior managers can see your model as anapproach to achieving their goals, this aligns HR managementwith strategic planning. It becomes a tool to staff their projectsand plan for performance. This also puts the budgeting for HRprojects up front and minimizes underfunding. It forces HRefforts to be on an equal basis with other funding decisions.

Make Sure the Model Reflects Reality

The map must match the landscape and accurately describethe relationships among the organizational structures, thedecisionmaking authority, and the priorities. Involve othersin building the model to be sure that it represents their viewof reality as well as your own.

If the model is inaccurate, it will not be used. To be effective,models need to be grounded in the way things really happen.We all know the difference between theory and practice. Themodel must reflect reality rather than an idealized concep-tion of how it ought to be. It must be adjusted following sig-nificant organizational changes that alter the way business isdone. It must accurately represent current practices.

Get Management to Use the Model

It is one thing for the HR group to agree on an approach, butit is quite another to get management to consistently envisionand support those HR strategies to achieve organizationalobjectives. The model must be visible to managers when theymake key decisions, and it ought to guide their understandingof the contribution the HR group can make to business results.

People are committed to plans they help create. So if themodel is used in a way to help managers solve their prob-lems, they will have a greater stake in the plan’s success.Buy-in creates more natural sponsorship.

Closing Thoughts

The model itself doesn’t solve problems, but it does provideinformation, perspective, and an organizational view that

isn’t always evident from within business units or divisions.Nor is this view always obvious to individual workers.

A visual model of HR consulting that accurately reflectswhat the HR group can do to achieve desired organizationaloutcomes is a powerful tool. When performance improve-ment is the desired outcome, a visual model can providefocus and direction. We believe that basing the model onorganizational mission, business strategies, and essentialcompetencies ties HR to strategic organizational decisions.Then the HR function can fully contribute to organizationalsuccess. Visibility is the key.

References

Prahalad, C.K., & Hamel, G. (1990). “The competence ofthe corporation.” Harvard Business Review, 68(3), 79–91.

Ulrich, D. (1998). “A new mandate for human resources.”Harvard Business Review, 76(1), 124–134.

Ken Kaufmann is a performance consultant and learning designer withStarbucks Coffee Company in Seattle. He specializes in facilitating projectteams’ performance improvement, implementing information systems, andbuilding new work groups. He enjoys the challenge of balancing group facilita-tion with design tasks when engaging with teams to deliver on their projects.

Mr. Kaufmann earned a master’s degree in Adult Education and Trainingat Seattle University, with Carol Weaver serving as his major advisor. Beforecoming to Starbucks, Ken worked as a training director and environmental con-sultant with engineering consulting firms. He holds another master’s degree insoil science and microbiology and a bachelor’s degree in environmental scienceand biology.

Working for a coffee company, Ken enjoys tasting the varieties of coffeesfrom around the world. He participates in tasting panels to evaluate flavor char-acteristics and qualities of coffee products. When he is not working with clientsor sipping coffee, Ken enjoys gardening and travel.

For Carol L. Weaver, this article represents another collaborative effort withKen and demonstrates the rich rewards of teaching adult education and humanresources courses at Seattle University. During a recent sabbatical, Carol com-pleted an internship at Starbucks, working cooperatively with Ken on a varietyof performance improvement projects. This “corporate” experience augmentedher 30 years of public- and private-sector employment as an educator, man-ager, and consultant.

With an undergraduate degree in Home Economics Education and a mas-ter’s in Adult Education, Carol completed her PhD in Vocational-Technical andAdult Education at The Ohio State University. She began her teaching careerworking with incarcerated juveniles at a state corrections center and thenworked with vocational youth organizations in the state of Washington. Beforejoining the faculty at Seattle University, she served as the state manager of judi-cial education and provided continuing education programs for judges andcourt support personnel.

Carol balances her busy professional life with family activities, gardening,and quilting. Camping in the summer with her husband and son is her favoriteescape. She may be reached at cweaver@seattleu.edu.