Agile HR – Mindset not Methodology

Change is the common thread that runs through all our working lives. Irrespective of sector or size of organisation, the need to respond effectively to the changing demands of customers and consumers at ever increasing speed is generally what determines survival. Wider changes impacting the way we work, how we view work and what this will mean for the whole concept of what is work are all questions taxing the best brains. In an increasingly turbulent world, the ability of organisations to anticipate new opportunities and respond and transform effectively has been given a new name –  agility.

Much has been written about the need for and characteristics of organisational agility. There is however much less on the role HR has to play, how effective it is and what impact this is having on how the HR functions of today need to evolve. These questions have been at the heart of our most recent research study. We talked with senior HR leaders in over 30 organisations and our questions had four main areas of focus:

• Business Context – what are the main forces for change affecting your organisation? What is the organisation’s strategic response to these changes and how are these reflected/ integrated into your People Strategy?
• Defining Agility – How do you define agility? What does this mean for your organisation? What does it mean for you personally? What are the characteristics of an agile organisation? How important are they to your success and how effective are you?
• People Practices – Which people practices have the most impact on agility? To what extent have these needed to change in response to increasing demands?
• HR Delivery – To what extent have you needed to adapt your HR Delivery model to help increase organisational agility? Which parts of your function have been most affected? How has this affected your relationship with the business?

The answers make for interesting reading – a positive story of HR playing an increasingly strategic role – with many having recognised the need to improve the people management practices that build and harness agility. However, the question still remains as to whether these changes will achieve the desired outcome.

The key findings of our survey are published in a summary report – click here to download. We will be discussing the implications of the research on this site and in the HR press in the coming weeks. We hope you will follow our blogs and articles and join in the discussion.

Click here to download the complete PDF report