HR Business Partners (HRBPs) are pivotal in aligning talent plans with business outcomes. However, the effectiveness of HRBPs often depends on whether HRBPs and Business leaders see 2eye to eye and how well they and business leaders recognise critical business needs that talent programmes, strategies, and outputs can address.
To navigate this, we’ve developed a matrix that evaluates two dimensions:
HRBP recognition of the business need: Does the HRBP recognise a pressing business need that can be solved with talent strategies?
Business leader recognition of the need: Do business leaders also acknowledge the importance of this need?
The matrix below illustrates how these dimensions intersect and provides a guide for HRBPs to evaluate their impact.
The Matrix
Recognised by Head of HR/HRBP | Not Recognised by Head of HR/HRBP | |
Recognised by business leaders | Strategic Alignment: Deliver with impact | Blind Spot: Engage to understand the needs; seek to see what business leaders see |
Not recognised by business leaders | Missed Opportunity: Build broad Business awareness & Engagement | Future Shaping: Anticipate & prepare, work with uncertainty |
1. Strategic Alignment: Delivering Impact
Where you are: Both you, as the Head of HR/HRBP, and business leaders recognise a clear business need. There is alignment, and you’re ready to act. Management development programs, mainly for new managers, often fall under this category and seen equally valuable by HR and the business.
What to do:
Implement well-structured programmes that address the issue directly.
Use KPIs to measure success and share results with both HR and business leadership to reinforce alignment.
Your opportunity: Avoid becoming reactive. Balance delivery with strategic foresight and keep one eye on what’s coming ahead.
2. Missed Opportunity: Build Business Awareness & Engagement
Where you are: You have identified a need, but business leaders haven’t yet recognised or addressed it as a priority. A good example might be building succession plans. A simple exercise can expose the stability and richness of replacement options at different levels, but that is not always seen by business leaders.
What to do:
Build a clear business case and solution draft with an expected value linked to the current or anticipated business need.
Engage stakeholders to create urgency and demonstrate the business impact of your proposed approach.
3. Blind Spot: Engage to understand the needs; seek to see what business leaders see
Where you are: A blind spot is risky territory, as missing a critical business need linked to talent might dilute the value of your work. There is an open door for partnership, so digging deeper and gaining a better understanding of what business leaders are asking for will allow you to fully grasp the needs on the ground. Solutions may differ, but identifying the core “problems to be solved” will elevate your engagement.
What to do:
Shift from “what they say” to “what they mean.” Improve your listening by identifying pain points and understanding their impact.
Test hypotheses with the business (“What would be the impact if we did X?”) before committing to plans or solutions.
4. Future Shaping: Anticipate & Prepare Work with Uncertainty
Where you are: Neither you nor business leaders have identified the next pressing need yet, which makes this one of the key strategic focuses in talent. Why? Because the underlying assumption is that something is emerging, even if it hasn’t yet been recognised or addressed. Skills and job scope are likely part of this “bucket,” and a systematic way to uncover future needs is essential.
What to do:
Treat this category a core part of your role, requiring dedicated time, focus, and partnership.
Ringfence resources (time, people, processes) to explore key questions:
What current and future trends are likely to impact our work in talent?
What is our internal data showing that we need to pay attention to?
What risks do we need to manage effectively?
How to Use the Matrix
Similar to any 2 x 2 , there are variations but to get started we offer a simple way to kickstart:
1. Prepare to be in more than one place at the same time: Different initiatives may fall into different quadrants.
Assess your position: Evaluate where you currently stand with each key initiative as an essential step to engaging with diverse stakeholders.
Engage stakeholders: Use the framework to discuss priorities with both HR and business leaders.
Balance and focus: Concentrate on what matters now and in the near/midterm future
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