Role of HR Business Partners in Implementation of Change Management Strategy - Research Proposal Example

(max. 15 words) HR operations: Role of HR Business Partners in Implementation of change management strategy (max. 200 words) The document explores the roles and challenges at the HR operational level of change management. Business situations make it necessary for organizations to alter their methods of functioning on an ongoing or on an overhaul basis. Organizations undergoing change look for the continuing involvement of the Human Resource function to provide inputs on strategy and for implementation support. Once the strategy is in place, the implementation is monitored by various functionaries with the tacit support of the HR operations team. The role of the HR operations team requires a definition that allows it to provide effective support. Change management processes can be derailed by flawed communication at different levels and by varied perspectives on the actual versus intended outcomes of the process. The ability to mould the larger business intent to reality is largely dependent on a mechanism that allows for an effective flow of communication. The fluidity of the situation may require roles to be continually reviewed and appropriate tools to be designed for enabling the supporters. The HR functionary who partners the business head and strategist must possess clarity about the overall purpose, the anticipated outcomes and the expectations harbored and the role of HR. Introduction (approx. 200 words) Markets may stagnate or shrink due to the changing consumer needs or competitive purchase options. The scramble to retain the competitive edge may engender a change initiative that affects units, processes or the entire business itself. The search for strategic advantage and the consequent strategic design and actions occur with varying time lags. This can create a festering sense of insecurity and uncertainty among the staff about the intentions of the management and the continuation of employment and livelihood. The reason for this is brought out by Hiatt and Creasey (2003, p. 8). The authors highlight the different perspectives at the level of the strategist and that of the workforce. The strategist is privy to information like the expected return on investment, the impact on financial performance, the effect of the change on the business and on customers. The frontline staff has no access to this information and finds itself in a maelstrom of seemingly threatening activity. The importance of the topic lies in the methods found to maintain this connection while retaining the integrity of the HR function, that is, to avoid it being perceived as a message-bearer. How do organizations define expectations for the HR operations team? • A statement of your research question, possibly including a central question and three or four aspects or sub-questions (approx. 30–100 words depending on number of research questions). • Explain why this question is interesting (approx. 100 words). What is the role of the HR operations person in the course of a change initiative? HR structure: What is the impact of HR structure on the perception of the role of HR? Strategy building: What are the strategic initiatives that the HR business partner can be expected to take responsibility for? Communication and feedback mechanism: What tools are in use for communication management? While the workforce expects honesty and clarity, the strategist would prefer to be cautious. The Human Resources function is viewed as a vital connection between business heads and the workforce though the role runs the risk of becoming ambiguous to all – including the functionary. On the one hand, the strategist expects vital inputs on workplace reactions from the HR Business Partner. On the other hand, the workforce may be wary or opt to use the HR function only as a means to pass information to the strategic team. The expectations of the HR function as a whole and that of the HR operations team varies. Relation to previous research (approx. 400 words) Organizations struggle to maintain a sense of stability in times of incremental or drastic transition. Thomson and Thomson (2002, p.204) point to the paradox of the attempt at stability since ‘coping with change means that organizations can no longer expect stability.’ Managers and top management may try to assuage insecurity with assurances but Scott and Jaffe (1995, p. 12) warn managers against notions that change will not be disruptive, not be expensive and will provide a universal solution. Resistance to change may be overt or covert as employees seek to come to terms with the situation (Doppelt, 2003, p.170). The OD approach seeks to overcome this ‘political’ resistance by bringing it out in the open and addressing it (Jones, p.224; Cook, et al, p. 119). Cameron and Green (2004, pp. 107-110) quote Bridges’ concept that transition creates an emotional reaction among people. When an existing way of living changes there is a period, a ‘Neutral Zone’, when people will get disoriented and become less trusting. Martin (2006, p. 47)recommends effective communication mechanisms that stress on the need for change, thinking win-win solutions and use creative means to convert problems to opportunities. Lawler (2004, p. 117) describes a situation of change involving the stress of change and crunched timelines. Through the frenetic pace of activity of knowledge and data transfer, issues that cropped up were mostly linked to distrust. In such a situation, what is the role of the HR team? The HR function may be designed as a central department or an outsourced service or through the creation of unit-level HR teams. Hunter (2005, pp. 59-61) points to the possibility of outsourcing the administrative role of HR to garner the benefits of economy and the presence of specialized HR as the Change Agent and the Employee Champion. Ulrich (2005, p. 59) believes that the talent management function should be developed to strategize and manage change. A sound understanding of business, finance and information technology is essential for the HR practitioner. Lawler and Boudreau (p. 135-139, 2009) see the role of HR as being the perspective providers on talent availability and human behavior. Holbeche (2009, p. 85) lays stress on the importance of honing HR competencies to adapt to changing situations. as a result of the transition, the HR function is likely to find new activities to be undertaken. The HR function may find itself in the role of creating a ‘fair’ list of redundant and necessary employees. Secord (p. 76, 2003) highlights that the HR practitioner must possess knowledge of the future of the business and the effect on careers and job design to do this. HR can also enable dignified exits (Harvard Business Press, 2005, pp. 175 – 183). Proposed methods (approx. 400 words) This study will adopt an exploratory method in order to establish key actions that must be undertaken within the HR department during a change initiative. Type of research - Pure or applied This research may be categorized as applied research since it considers the types of solutions that HR departments across organizations utilize in response to change situations (Saunders, xx, p.23). The researcher is considering this exercise to understand how organizations seek to resolve problems and design actions in the context of change (Anderson, 2004, p.7) as opposed to pure research as a ‘knowledge for knowledge’s sake’ oriented enterprise (Babbie, xx, p. 25). This has been chosen since the researcher seeks to apply historical information to real-world situations in the future. Approach to research The researcher aims at a better understanding of how the HR function has defined its role during past transitions. Data of past events will be recorded and analyzed using a positivist approach. The data will then be clarified with qualitative inputs to add subjective perspectives to events using an interpretivist approach. There is a limit to the positivist approach adopted since the researcher does not intend to be a part of an ongoing change process. The research seeks to be descriptive and explanatory using quantitative and qualitative data (Anderson, 2004, p. 14). Exploratory research is expected to be limited due to anticipated constraints on the part of the survey population. Companies are likely to be limited in sharing information and willingness to spare time for the research. Data collection The focus is exploratory and will involve the use of primary and secondary data. In order to collect primary data, the researcher will identify small to medium-sized organizations in the Information Technology sector that have gone through a change process wrought by external factors –inorganic growth efforts, downsizing, loss of major accounts or decision to relocate. The size of organizations chosen will be 300 to 500 people. The reason for the choice is that a slight change in the environment has an impact on every individual unlike in large organizations where the impact is less harshly felt. Questionnaires will be sent by email after organizations confirm their participation in the study. The questionnaires will be short and require about 10 minutes for each respondent. Questions will be designed to be close-ended and to elicit a Yes/ No answer (Bradburn, Sudman and Wansink , 2004, p. 154). Telephonic interviews will be conducted to clarify the information provided by the HR teams with subjective inputs. Reflections (approx. 500 words) The researcher has identified 50 companies as potential respondents. The geographic locations of the headquarters and therefore of the HR department are varied. An introduction of the effort and purpose will be made to each of the companies with a follow-up email or telephone call (depending on the time-zone and willingness of the HR representative). A potential road-block is the unwillingness of the organization and the HR team to discuss the experiences of change situations. The researcher will seek permission from the HR head before proceeding to send out the survey forms. As a part of the permission seeking process, the information regarding the scope of the research, type of data that will be sought, implications of participation and subsequent use of data will be shared (Anderson, 2004, p. 60). In anticipation of issues arising from unwilling companies, the researcher has approached a few personal contacts in the corporate sector. The researcher will proceed to share the survey forms with a single point of contact in the participating companies and will take the tacit agreement of all participants before embarking on a follow-up telephonic interview. The researcher is committed to managing the data that ensues from the exercise with appropriate confidentiality. Names of organizations and respondents will not be requested in the survey form which will separate neutral email id may be provided for the purpose of the survey. The quality of inputs is directly associated with the specificity of statements in the questionnaire. The questionnaire will be put through a vetting process to remove ambiguous statements and statements. A study of the literature pertaining to the role of HR operations in transition focuses on the actions that HR can take but does not discuss the reactions and perceptions of the workforce. There is a possibility that HR departments that have undergone internal flux due to the transition will be less willing to share their experiences. HR departments that are more closely aligned to the top management may tend to avoid or gloss over subjects that pertain to workforce sensitivities. The notion of successfully assisting a transition may be more closely linked with the approval of ‘those who matter’ while being perceived as stooges of the top management by the workforce. Besides, the structure of the HR Department will have an impact on the role played by its functionaries. The researcher is conscious of the perceptions that will be held by different role-holders in the organization and chooses to limit the study to the central function. As an individual with a personal stake in the perceptions of HR, the researcher looks to demystify the role of the HR operation member by considering the inputs provided by the functionaries themselves. The purpose behind this choice is that the functionary is the one who is aware of the contrary forces acting at the same time and makes a conscious choice of taking a certain direction. The choice may be forced by circumstance or personal preference. It is a choice and the presence of the individual in the organization points to the likelihood that the choice was rightly made. Conclusion (max. 200 words) • Very brief wrap-up, including discussion of immediate next steps you need to take. Organizational transitory processes and their impact on the role of HR will vary on the basis of how the department is designed. The implications of change differ on the basis of a centralized, decentralized or outsourced HR function. Three types of structures are envisaged: first, centralized HR department with all activities emanating from one source; second, decentralized HR with team members allotted to different units with dual reporting to HR and a line manager; third, outsourced HR with only strategic business HR partners on the rolls. The immediate next steps involve drafting a comprehensive communication, identifying suitable routes to communicate (telephone or email or both) and sending out communications to the 50 shortlisted respondent companies with details about the exercise. The communication will specifically request the respondent to choose the type of HR department in existence. Three choices will be offered and the respondent will be invited to choose the description that is closest to reality. This information will form the basis of future analysis. On a parallel level, the questionnaire will be vetted by disparate groups to remove ambiguity and incorrect statements. Timetable (approx. 100 words, or a one page diagram) Date and day Activity Tuesday, February 01, 2011 Approval of proposal to Monday, February 14, 2011 Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Send mails to respondents Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Receive responses and share questionnaire format, follow-up for pending responses by mail or telephone to Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Thursday, February 24, 2011 Check responses and correctly sent questionnaire Friday, February 25, 2011 Receive filled questionnaires and follow up for pending ones Monday, February 28, 2011 Tuesday, March 01, 2011 Data analysis to Thursday, March 10, 2011 Friday, March 11, 2011 First draft of report to Monday, March 21, 2011 Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Finalize report for submission to Thursday, March 31, 2011 References 1. Anderson, Valerie, 2004. Research Methods in Human Resource management. CIPD Publishing. 2. Babbie, Earl R., 2010. The Practice of Social Research. Cengage Learning. 3. Bradburn, Norman M., Sudman, Seymour and Wansink, Brian, 2004. Asking questions: The Definitive Guide to Questionnaire Design. John Wiley and Sons. 4. Cameron, Esther and Green, Mike, 2004. Making Sense of Change Management. Kogan Page Publishers. 5. Cook, Sarah, Macaulay, Steve and Coldicott, Hilary, 2004. Change management Excellence: Using the Four Intelligences for Successful Organizational Change. Kogan Page Publishers. 6. Doppelt, Bob, 2003. Leading Change towards Sustainability. Greenleaf Publishing. 7. Green, Mike, 2007. Change Management Masterclass: A Step-by-step Guide to Successful Change Management. Kogan Page Publishers 8. Harvard Business School Press, 2005. The Essentials of Managing Change and Transition. Harvard Business School Press. 9. Hiatt, Jeff and Creasey, Timothy J., 2003. Change Management: The People Side of Change. Prosci. 10. Holbeche, Linda, 2009. Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy. Butterworth-Heinemann. 11. Hunter, Ian (2005) HR Business Partners. Gower Publishing Ltd. 12. Jones, Brenda B., 2006. The NTL handbook of Organization Development and Change. John Wiley and Sons. 13. Lawler, Edward, 2004. Human Resource Business Process Outsourcing: Transforming How HR gets its Work Done. John Wiley and Sons. 14. Lawler, Edward E. and Boudreau, John W., 2009. Achieving Excellence in Human Resources Management: An Assessment of Human Resource Functions. Stanford University Press. 15. Martin, Graeme, 2006. Managing People and Organizations in Changing Contexts. Butterworth-Heinemann. 16. Saunders, 2003. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson Education. 17. Scott, Cynthia D. and Jaffe, Dennis T., 1995. Managing Change at Work: Leading People Through Organizational Transitions. Cengage Learning. 18. Secord, Hugh, 2003. Implementing Best Practice in Human Resource Management. CCH Canadian Limited. 19. Thomson, Rosemary and Thomson, A.W.J., 2002. Managing People. Butterworth-Heinemann. 20. Ulrich, David, 2005. The Future of Human Resource management: 64 Thought Leaders Explore the Critical HR Issues of Today and Tomorrow. John Wiley and Sons. Appendices (optional) Interview questions: Read More