HR Vision

Challenging assumptions means questioning the everyday things you take for granted and getting away from old ideas. This may be one of the most effective things that those in the HR Profession can do to improve their performance in the workplace. The concept of Paradigm Shift was popular in management literature about eight years ago. It was adapted from the theory developed for science by Thomas Kuhn (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolution, into a broader social context. “Think of a paradigm shift as a change from one way of thinking to another. It is a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It does not just happen, but is driven by agents of change. We all look at the world around us in accordance with a certain paradigm. The paradigm we use depends on what we believe is reliable and true.” (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_shift)

HR articles often note that HR Professionals want to have a ‘seat at the table’ but are not attaining the respect required to get there. As any business leader will tell you finding the right balance to priority setting means developing multiple competencies. There have been many articles and seminars over the past several years advising HR Practitioners on how to develop competencies such as business acumen and HR metrics that should be integrated as part of the basics of the role of HR. Perhaps it is time for HR Leaders to begin to shift some of their focus to vision. Successful leaders have a vision; they use creativity and innovation combined with their other leadership skills and knowledge to develop a vision for the organization. HR Leaders need to be able to develop a vision for the contribution of HR to the success of the organization. This vision must clearly support the overall organizational vision and goals, and the HR Leader must adapt this vision as various change drivers, both internal and external will create the need to adapt.

Creating a vision requires big picture thinking. One must be able to assimilate the forces of change and trends that will impact the business and develop a flexible goal that will ensure the employees in the organization will thrive productively.