The new global HR leader at a high technology company drives changes in HR strategy, HR team effectiveness, and HR processes in her first 90 days.

A mid-size technology company in the midst of a turnaround brought in a new SVP for Global Human Resource to help lead the global change effort. The SVP quickly realized she first needed to get her own house in order. Within HR, she faced challenges on three fronts:

• Competing HR Priorities: HR’s strategy was a wish list of programs and not anchored in the business need: driving growth on a global basis
• Fragmented HR Leadership Team: The HR leaders had competing agendas and did not share a commitment to common goals
• Broken HR Processes: Business leaders and Associates were frustrated with the poor level of service they received from HR and the HR team was burdened by administrative work. This was due to:
• Lingering issues from SAP “go live” earlier that year
• Poorly defined and manual HR processes
• Open position for HR shared services leader

KCG worked with the SVP HR and her team to set the new HR strategic direction and establish operating guidelines. We also provided one-on-one coaching for the leaders of the “90 Day Improvement Team” and hands-on support for fixing critical HR processes. The project had three parts:

Part 1: HR Leadership Team Development

We facilitated a series of off-site meetings with the HR Leadership Team (HRLT) and worked with them to institute new communications and feedback-sharing practices based on team values. To prepare for these off-sites, KCG conducted confidential interviews with each member of the HRLT and key business leaders. Outcomes included:

• Streamlined and business-focused HR strategy
• Framework and guidelines for HR leaders giving and receiving feedback
• “Contract” for new operating guidelines signed by each HRLT member

Part 2: Coaching for the 90 Day Improvement Team Leaders

The 90 Day Improvement Team, led by two senior managers in HR, was accountable for results in five areas:

• Stabilize SAP
• Define Shared Services Processes
• Fix Onboarding Process
• Assess EMEA Benefits
• Affirmative Action Planning

We worked with the team leaders to prioritize actions and develop a project plan for each subteam. An important contribution was creating shared ownership for HR effectiveness across corporate and business unit HR professionals.

Part 3: Fix HR Processes

We facilitated a series of rapid design sessions with HR business partners, HR administrative experts, Payroll, and Information Technology to identify issues with HR processes and develop future state process flows based on shared services model. Some of the outcomes of these sessions were:

• An adhoc report library and plan for building reporting self sufficiency for HR business partners
• A web-enabled onboarding process that was integrated with PC provisioning
• Streamlined termination/severance processing with automated notification sent to security, IT, and accounts payable
• Associate-initiated data changes for basic indicative data via the Intranet
• Manager-initiated shift changes via the intranet
• Simplified, role-based security profiles for HR
• On-line personal action processing

The SVP HR sent a strong message to Senior Management, partners in IT and Finance, and the HR team itself about the need to put the business first, to work efficiently, and to drive quickly to resolve open issues. She made a series of visible changes in the HR organization, including a substantial staff reduction, and terminated ongoing projects that were not viewed as critical to the business. Specific changes in HR processes were viewed very positively by Associates and helped HR do a better job of managing its administrative workload.