Hello Cite Contribution,
Thank you for posting a very interesting article on the future role of HR champions.
As you may be aware, in the past, HR had at least two senior partners in place before it entered the scene in the mid-eighties in India. Personnel & Administrative functions - as they were popularly known then - were to take care of the routine administration, recruitment, fulfillment of various statutory compliance, safety, etc.
Suddenly, HUMAN RESOURCES was talked about everywhere. A Ministry was also created at the National level headed by a senior person who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India. (A useful piece of information for all HR heads. They can quote this in their future presentations!)
Be it a top official or a high-flying executive of the eighties, on the lighter side, everyone used to say that they themselves were not clear about what was expected of them!!
A lot of water has flowed since then, and in the next three decades, our country has seen and benefited from many HR professionals contributing immensely. The new vistas brought out in the article are a welcome change.
As rightly observed, routine matters involving payroll, compliances, training, etc., are to be handled at a lower level or outsourced. Progressive companies in India are giving due respect to HR. I know for sure that in Aditya Birla Group, the HR Director sits on the board, and this has been the case for many years now. In addition to that, he also heads a particular manufacturing division at the Global Level.
The person at the helm of affairs in HR in any organization has a chance to work closely with others who head their respective functions. So, he does have exposure to what they do. If the HR person is given a chance to handle other functions in a small way, it will boost his confidence and also give him an opportunity to gain cross-functional knowledge. With the new experience gained, CEOs can effectively utilize HR stewards for the better.
V. Raghunathan