A UK retailer (Corporate HR)

The business issue
A corporate HR team wanted help to claim its place at the business table. Leaders in the business brought the team much too late into situations requiring their support. Consequently the team was always in fire-fighting mode, reinforcing an outdated image of their role. It was a vicious circle.

What we discovered
The team very much wanted to operate as proactive HR business partners and were frustrated at being left out of situations in which they felt they could add value. Digging deeper, however, and with the benefit of internal client feedback, it was clear that they were lacking both some skills and the confidence to step up.

What we did next
We designed a development programme comprised of workshops and one-to-one coaching. The aim was to take them on a journey through which they developed the skills and confidence to turn themselves into a high performing HR Partner team.

The programme incorporated an element of self selection. The leader of the team wanted only those to "graduate" who had the capability to operate at the new level. There had to be complete honesty in the feedback given to the team members along the way, and about what was going to be expected moving forward. This helped the individuals to see for themselves what were their gaps and whether, and how, these could be bridged.

The outcome
The team that emerged now operates at a completely different level, with the value they add now acknowledged by the business.