4Is for Effective HR and Business Partnership

As an HR professional, how many of you are busy with just functional responsibilities? In most instances, as far as my observation goes, HR initiatives are restricted to their defined roles and responsibilities and seldom aligned with business needs. 

The line management sees these initiatives as extra work and gives particularly very low credence as an enabler of business outcomes. 

I have run successful HR initiatives consistently and have positioned HR as an enabler of enterprise performance and the source of organization competitive advantages. This was possible through my 4-I approach. Read on as I break it down for you. 

Before you launch a new initiative, remember these 4 crucial steps:

• Identify Issues

The first step is to identify business issues and articulate the problem statement. Remember this should have a direct impact and contribution to the business strategy. The effectiveness of the solutions largely depends on the framing of the problem statement and issues.

• Involve Line Management

While framing the problem statement, it is important to include line management. Create a strong business case and a sense of urgency to address the issue.

• Initiative translates to Implementation

Taking the line management on board builds a direct relationship between them and your proposed initiatives and business outcomes. They acknowledge your efforts and eventually become your implementation partner. Thereby, taking your strategy from the initiation stage to the implementation stage. One of the reasons why I have always advocated for Business-Focused HR Solutions. 

• Impact

Measure the outcome of the effectiveness of the HR initiatives through different indicators that are most suitable for the business.

Go ahead and apply the 4-I approach to truly partner with the business and become an effective HR Business Partner.