New Study Suggests HR Departments Not Prepared For 2011

A somewhat alarming study conducted by Bersin & Asssociates, a human resources consulting firm, says that several HR organizations do not have the proper skill-set necessary to succeed over the next twelve months.

According to Josh Bersin, CEO of the company, HR departments need to start analyzing their own skill sets as priority over their department’s spending levels, organization structure, and team size.

Bersin says that the research done by his firm, “clearly shows that the days of bloated HR organization focused on administrative tasks are over. Lean, technology-enabled, well-trained HR teams are able to take advantage of modern talent practices and partner with business leaders to drive impact.”

The term “bloated” may indicate a need for a cut-down on staffers, which might startle an already difficult job market. As a matter of fact, this sort of strategy is what seems to have caused many corporations to “restructure,” and in turn, lay-off hundreds, if not thousands of employees over the past several years.

The author of the report, Stacey Harris, is the director of strategic HR and Talent Management research at Bersin.

“Our research revealed that many HR teams are unprepared for the future,” Harris said. “Twice as many HR organizations gave themselves poor marks in these 14 critical areas than those that rate themselves excellent. This shows how difficult it is for HR organizations to train their staff, stay current with new practices, and create a culture of business partnership among their HR leaders.”

In the study, 140 HR practices were evaluated in order to identify the 10 best practices, which produced the greatest results. Among the study’s findings were that companies that enabled key HR professionals to acquire a “strategic business partner” role created teams that outperformed average HR organizations by at least 25 percent.

The study also found that in order to succeed, companies needed to excel at basic HR functions such as payroll, benefits, and administration.