| The role of the Human Resources Department has | | | | But the key appears to be strategic planning. With the |
| changed dramatically over the past 30 years and will | | | | changing landscape of Human Resources |
| become increasingly more strategic in nature in the | | | | management in the years to come, strategic planning |
| future, said a leading light of the HR community in the | | | | will be the key for HR to meet those needs and to |
| recent 2006 Annual Conference and Exposition of HR | | | | succeed. The key to HR planning for the future begins |
| practitioners in Washington, DC. | | | | with one simple question that HR professionals have to |
| Rita Craig, president of the Craig Group and a | | | | ask themselves, says Craig: "If we are successful in |
| long-time professional HR consultant, said the role of | | | | the years to come, what will our customers and |
| HR has changed from a primarily administrative | | | | competitors be saying about us?" With the answers to |
| position to one that is more strategic. Times certainly | | | | this question, HR practitioners can formulate a clear, |
| have change from those days when the HR | | | | shared vision and a sense of direction for the |
| department was called the "smile and file" department | | | | organization. |
| since in that era, the primary qualifications for HR were | | | | As a possible starting point in providing answers to the |
| simply a friendly disposition and an ability to file. | | | | key question, Craig suggested the following: Focus |
| She said that the emerging trends in HR call for HR | | | | resources on key goals and strategic measures, |
| professionals to take the lead in planning for the future | | | | create and sustain long-term performance, and create |
| and becoming strategic business partners in their | | | | a living document that can change when necessary. |
| organizations. She identified several other trends in the | | | | In closing, Craig warned against "powerful and |
| industry, as follows: (1) a shrinking talent pool, (2) An | | | | pervasive barriers" that prevent HR professionals from |
| increase in outsourcing, (3) A more intense focus on | | | | being effective in their roles. She pinpointed these as |
| work/life balance; (4) Changing workplace | | | | resistance to change, failure to implement plans, the |
| demographics, (5) Greater need for talent | | | | wounds of past strategic planning failures, and failure |
| management, (6) Ethics requirements, and (6) | | | | to anticipate the impact on people, process and |
| Globalization. | | | | organizational structure. |