The Problem
A natural resources company faced an urgent need to improve the strategic skills of its HR business partners to both broaden the perspective of site-HR and to help region and group HR better connect HR practices and processes with the “dirt under the nails” reality of the day-to-day business. There was also a need to improve consistency of application and understanding of the HR operating model to help HR function more efficiently and effectively in “extracting value from the operating model.”
The Solution
RBL helped create and deliver a 2-track HR Academy for the organization’s HR leaders and HR professionals. Each track included a 360 competency assessment, coaching, four 3-day modules spread out over six months, and a business challenge project where teams integrated the concepts and applied the tools they learned to specific business challenges.
Over 250 HR leaders and professionals from all business units participated in learning modules that were co-delivered by RBL consultants and some of the client's HR leaders. These modules were designed to focus on application with on-the-job issues and the need for leveraging the concepts through daily routines.
The mix of experience and capability among the population and the co-delivery with RBL facilitators helped experienced leaders quickly absorb key concepts and more junior, independent contributors gained confidence as they were mentored by senior professionals.
The Outcome
One key measure of the success of the program was the growth in confidence in implementing HR ideas, tools, and methodologies among program participants from 30% before the program to 70% after.
Building on the success of the program and the knowledge-transfer achieved by the partnership with RBL another 400 participants will be developed internally using the program and future new hires and additional participants will participate in an online and virtual iteration of the program.
Based on the success of the program, the client was awarded the Leadership Excellence Award from HR.com in 2016.