Processes, influence and measurement can give HR the authority to get the job done
HR practitioners are increasingly expected to achieve results that depend on others over whom they have little or no formal authority.
Success requires effective planning and leadership, securing meaningful commitments and disciplined followup. There is much HR can do to establish and retain control even when it is not “in charge.” These techniques are also effective in cases where HR has substantial authority, because it avoids the inevitable resentment and demotivation that results from “pulling rank.”
The three main elements for establishing control without resorting to explicit authority are:
Processes: Established processes ensure consistency and alignment. Processes provide the structure necessary for control and serve as an effective substitute for formal authority.
Influence: Increasing influence will allow HR to gain co-operation and enhance teamwork. The more HR is able to influence others, the more control it will have.
Measurement: Measurement quantifies results and drives behaviour, so metrics are useful for both understanding the status of efforts and encouraging co-operation.
By making effective use of these techniques, HR practitioners can improve their ability to achieve results through others.
Using established processes
Processes establish rules and limits. Recently, a good friend celebrated a 50th birthday at a bowling alley with about 100 friends. Few of us had bowled in the past 30 years, so the initial frames were spectacularly pathetic. The gutters on either side of the lanes seemed to have developed an appetite for bowling balls.
Fortunately, each alley had “bumpers” on either side. Once flipped into position, they bounced the balls back onto the lane. With more balls heading toward the pins, scoring improved dramatically.
Good processes are analogous to bumpers in bowling. Well-defined processes, when applied, keep things from meandering aimlessly.
When HR practitioners begin to establish processes at the start of each new effort, remind people of unpleasant results or inefficiencies in earlier work where defined processes were inadequate. Almost everyone involved will happily accept processes that stand a good chance of reducing the pain associated with past problems.
Explore opportunities to use processes to improve co-operation from others in areas such as planning work, ensuring quality, documenting requirements, managing risk, controlling change, communicating and tracking progress. Well-defined, accepted processes can provide powerful assistance in keeping the ball rolling toward the objective.
Increasing influence
Increasing influence with people requires reciprocity — an exchange of something that co-workers want in exchange for their commitment to complete work. In most situations, people enthusiastically work on activities they have chosen to work on. Conversely, forcing people to do things they don’t want to do generally results in resentment and poor motivation. So make every effort to give members of the team the sense they have at least some choice in how they contribute.
HR practitioners will have more success when they begin by asking questions to discover what aspects of the project align with the interests of people working on it. To be an effective leader, identify opportunities to describe what is needed in compelling terms that relate to what the team members care about and then assign responsibilities accordingly.
Even when HR has little formal authority, it still has a lot to offer, including:
•general considerations, such as the importance or value of the work;
•specific aspects of the work, like using new equipment or opportunities for learning;
•rewards and recognition, whether tangible or simply gratitude;
•interpersonal considerations, such as a chance to work on a desirable team; and
•access to information or personal visibility to management.
Measurement
Bill Hewlett, one of the founders of Hewlett-Packard, was fond of saying: “What gets measured gets done.”
Control in any environment relies on measurements. In addition to the obvious role of metrics in determining overall progress and performance, what gets measured and reported on will also affect the behavior of team members. As processes are defined, consider what needs to be measured and determine whether contributors are delivering what is needed to achieve results.
Success in achieving difficult objectives ultimately requires a high-performing, close-knit team that understands the goal and strives together to accomplish it. If an HR practitioner wants to lead such a team and has little formal authority, the processes will need to be well-defined, influence will need to be established and used and metrics should be strategically selected.
Tom Kendrick managed HR training programs for several years at Hewlett-Packard and is author of several books on project management, including Results Without Authority. He can be reached at [email protected].
Success requires effective planning and leadership, securing meaningful commitments and disciplined followup. There is much HR can do to establish and retain control even when it is not “in charge.” These techniques are also effective in cases where HR has substantial authority, because it avoids the inevitable resentment and demotivation that results from “pulling rank.”
The three main elements for establishing control without resorting to explicit authority are:
Processes: Established processes ensure consistency and alignment. Processes provide the structure necessary for control and serve as an effective substitute for formal authority.
Influence: Increasing influence will allow HR to gain co-operation and enhance teamwork. The more HR is able to influence others, the more control it will have.
Measurement: Measurement quantifies results and drives behaviour, so metrics are useful for both understanding the status of efforts and encouraging co-operation.
By making effective use of these techniques, HR practitioners can improve their ability to achieve results through others.
Using established processes
Processes establish rules and limits. Recently, a good friend celebrated a 50th birthday at a bowling alley with about 100 friends. Few of us had bowled in the past 30 years, so the initial frames were spectacularly pathetic. The gutters on either side of the lanes seemed to have developed an appetite for bowling balls.
Fortunately, each alley had “bumpers” on either side. Once flipped into position, they bounced the balls back onto the lane. With more balls heading toward the pins, scoring improved dramatically.
Good processes are analogous to bumpers in bowling. Well-defined processes, when applied, keep things from meandering aimlessly.
When HR practitioners begin to establish processes at the start of each new effort, remind people of unpleasant results or inefficiencies in earlier work where defined processes were inadequate. Almost everyone involved will happily accept processes that stand a good chance of reducing the pain associated with past problems.
Explore opportunities to use processes to improve co-operation from others in areas such as planning work, ensuring quality, documenting requirements, managing risk, controlling change, communicating and tracking progress. Well-defined, accepted processes can provide powerful assistance in keeping the ball rolling toward the objective.
Increasing influence
Increasing influence with people requires reciprocity — an exchange of something that co-workers want in exchange for their commitment to complete work. In most situations, people enthusiastically work on activities they have chosen to work on. Conversely, forcing people to do things they don’t want to do generally results in resentment and poor motivation. So make every effort to give members of the team the sense they have at least some choice in how they contribute.
HR practitioners will have more success when they begin by asking questions to discover what aspects of the project align with the interests of people working on it. To be an effective leader, identify opportunities to describe what is needed in compelling terms that relate to what the team members care about and then assign responsibilities accordingly.
Even when HR has little formal authority, it still has a lot to offer, including:
•general considerations, such as the importance or value of the work;
•specific aspects of the work, like using new equipment or opportunities for learning;
•rewards and recognition, whether tangible or simply gratitude;
•interpersonal considerations, such as a chance to work on a desirable team; and
•access to information or personal visibility to management.
Measurement
Bill Hewlett, one of the founders of Hewlett-Packard, was fond of saying: “What gets measured gets done.”
Control in any environment relies on measurements. In addition to the obvious role of metrics in determining overall progress and performance, what gets measured and reported on will also affect the behavior of team members. As processes are defined, consider what needs to be measured and determine whether contributors are delivering what is needed to achieve results.
Success in achieving difficult objectives ultimately requires a high-performing, close-knit team that understands the goal and strives together to accomplish it. If an HR practitioner wants to lead such a team and has little formal authority, the processes will need to be well-defined, influence will need to be established and used and metrics should be strategically selected.
Tom Kendrick managed HR training programs for several years at Hewlett-Packard and is author of several books on project management, including Results Without Authority. He can be reached at [email protected].
