Agile HR – fact or fiction?
Many people who have worked in larger organizations would likely say “Fiction”. When companies are made up of many different departments, divisions, zones, branches, subs, (whatever), and have a lot of employees, the HR function can staff itself and develop programs in a number of ways which include:
-building standard programs and centralized HR support for all groups of employees,
-standardizing key HR programs with limited customization and “local” HR support,
-developing customized programs and setting up an HR support structure for each distinct piece of the organization.
As you can probably tell, the opportunity and ease of being “agile” can be limited by the level of standardization, size of company, and complexity of organizational structure and employee base. This isn’t too different than the challenges I’ve heard expressed about scaling agile software development for large projects.
So, can an HR team (of one or more) despite its structure actually ply its trade so that they are able to apply the agile approach (used by many forward thinking software developers) to HR development and support? Yes, I think so! It just takes focus on a few key values or principles that are inherent in “going agile”. These values are:
-Adaptability
-Transparency
-Simplicity
-Unity
Know them, memorize them, believe in them when you think about your HR role; and then live them whenever you think about creating something new, or in how you go about your day to day responsibilities.
If in doubt, check out my other blog “Agile HR at 2Paths” for some example of how this really can work.
UNITY:
Unity can be applied or practiced in many ways but one example is actually believing we are one team, no us versus them. If you have different functions in your company or levels of employees, think about how they support one another, rather than who has more control or power; and then make this belief a reality through actions, language you use, and how decisions get made. If you can’t get the whole company to behave this way, then at least try to influence the teams you do work with most. Perhaps the rest will see the benefits and follow your lead.
SIMPLICITY:
My biggest takeaway has been this: you don’t need to make something complicated just because others do. I have read numerous articles and books about how to create and implement various HR programs and for the most part I believe we often try to do “too much” and get caught up in our HR speak. In the end, we create something that no one likes, understands, or reads and all our time, efforts and energy are for naught. Building HR practices in an agile environment has forced me to shed my ‘big company’ mindset (even though I didn’t think I had one) and take a stab at being more simple, more concise, and yes, I’ll admit it, less wordy (this blog doesn’t count).
TRANSPARENCY:
OK, this is a really important one for us HR folks to think about and take to heart. We often think that because we see people’s compensation details, and hear a lot of confidential information and conversations, that our world is shrouded in a veil of secrecy, and we sometimes like to keep an air of mystery about our HR world and what we do and why.
This really isn’t necessary and doesn’t increase our credibility with our team and organization. It actually does the opposite as people often think we are off in our own little HR world and not in touch with what is really going on. Be clear, be open, and explain why even if the why is not what people generally want to hear. At least they’ll understand a bit better.
ADAPTABILITY:
One of the fundamental concepts in agile is the use of continuous output using short iterations so that the client sees and can use some working software early on in the project. This also allows for early feedback, reprioritization if necessary, and often changing requirements based on the client gaining a better understanding of what they really need once they get their hands on a working tool.
As far as practicing adaptability within HR, I believe it can be done by being open to feedback from others, and also being able to refocus energies and time based on team and company needs. For instance, even if we HR folks are accustomed to doing things a certain way, or believe strongly in what the best way is, it’s really important to get feedback and possibly adapt your approach to gain commitment and buy-in from the team. As Patrick Lencioni says in “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” (my recent fave book), we don’t all have to agree and gain consensus, but we do need to be able to gain commitment. That means getting everyone to come to an agreement on an approach they can live with and that will bring about the results we want. The end result may not be perfect in the eyes of some HR gurus, but it may very well be the best approach for your team.
Another opportunity for demonstrating adaptability in HR, is to be flexible and aware of what is going on around you. Often we have a certain cycle of work through the year of HR work that keeps us busy (for example, perf reviews, salary reviews, bonuses, etc . or recruiting) and generally don’t stray unless a major policy violation occurs or they sky is falling and we have to downsize or layoff suddenly. However if we don’t keep our ears open and stay in contact with the people in our organization, we will miss what we really should be working on. Perhaps it’s addressing a work team conflict, team disatissfaction with a certain hiring decision, or confusion and lack of understanding about a company communication. It might mean getting out of our comfort zone (and our offices with doors) to deal with the issue at hand but if you can actually get in there and help resolve it, you will be showing your value as an HR person to the people who matter.
So, just to summarize, the four values that are part of the AGILE philosophy of software development are:
-Adaptability
-Transparency
-Simplicity
-Unity
And the answer is “yes!”. HR can adapt its approach to delivering value and service to the company and the people who work there and become more agile and hopefully more effective and integral to the organization, big or small.
