Human Resources, HR, Transformation, Survey

New HR survey reveals mismatch between desire for transformation and the right skill mix to drive it through

NEWS RELEASE

New HR Survey Reveals Mismatch Between Desire for Transformation and the Right Skill Mix to Drive it Through

BRUSSELS, Belgium (November 07, 2006) — In order to achieve truly successful, sustainable HR transformation, HR professionals must acquire new skills and capabilities, according to the findings of the HROA (Human Resources Outsourcing Association) Europe’s third annual HR Transformation Survey. A full 57 percent of respondents cited “skills of existing staff” as a major barrier to transformation, which sends a clear signal of the critical need for consistent training and reskilling of both HR executives and staff.
 
195 respondents in 29 countries, predominantly in Europe – but also in the Americas and Asia Pacific – participated in the survey, which was conducted in cooperation with ADP Employer Services, a leading worldwide provider of integrated outsourced payroll and human resource services. 
 
67 percent of respondents cited the need to make HR more strategic as the most pressing reason for change, while 61 percent are transforming their HR functions as a result of broader organizational changes. Improving services for line managers and employees is considered the third most important factor driving HR transformation (59 percent). Cost savings is not a major driver behind HR transformation initiatives.
 
The full results and an analysis of the HR Transformation Survey will be announced during the HRO World Conference the Conrad Hotel in Brussels, November 6th – 8th. 

Budgeted savings tend to be on target, but timing does not

The survey results show that HR transformation cost savings most commonly range from five to 25 percent, with a close correlation between forecast and actual savings. The results also indicate that while actual transformation timing often meets expectations, generally requiring six months to three years, 28 percent of respondents noted that transformation took more than a year longer than anticipated.
 
Says Deborah Kops, Head, Program Planning and Development for SharedXpertise, the association management company driving the activities of HROA Europe, “Perhaps the most troubling finding in this year’s survey is the degree to which a lack of skills among existing HR staff is hindering the potential for full transformation in many organizations. This is also reflected in the demand we’ve seen for the HROA’s recently launched Transformation through Capability training series.”
 
Continues Kops, “Our events and training courses are designed to help professionals understand and appreciate the full subtleties and complexities of transformation in order to achieve and sustain benefits. And, although many HR professionals are making every effort to keep one step ahead through systematic learning, these latest survey results suggest that HR professionals do not have the skills they need to design, justify, implement and govern major change programs.”

Future-proofing theme

This year’s HROA Europe conference takes the theme of “future-proofing” and will examine the lessons learned during the last decade as the human resources transformation industry reaches maturity.
 
The speaker program features presentations from some of Europe’s most influential HR directors and strategists including: Reg Bull, SVP Global HR Transformation, Unilever; Claus Fey, Senior HR Executive Bayer AG; Mary Sue Rogers, HCM Global Leader at IBM; Albert Martens, Director of HR Services at IKEA and Luigi Pierleoni, HR GBS-ES Vendor and Customer Relationship Manager at Procter & Gamble.
 
A full report of survey results can be downloaded here: HR Transformation 2006

HRO World Europe is the largest HRO Transformation Conference in Europe.  It is set to attract more than 350 senior executives and human resources professionals from 20 countries, making it one of the largest gatherings of HR experts to take place each year outside the U.S.