subject: Hr Workshops, Courses And Training For Unlocking Potential [print this page] In any area of business it takes a great deal of courage to do something that is different. Any kind of restructuring carries with it a certain risk of failure if it is not managed in the proper way, and so it is understandable that the temptation is sometimes to blunder along with a set-up that works badly rather than tampering with it and running the risk of finishing with one that doesnt work at all.
It is seldom easy to create a business case for a major change in human resources simply because there are so many imponderables involved and each company is unique. What may work effortlessly at one may present insurmountable difficulties at another. Normally it is wise to begin by considering the potential for making efficiencies through shared services, which if successful will have the effect of releasing resources for the next stages of the project as well as inspiring confidence in HRs potential for transforming itself, something which will most certainly help the project along the line.
The raison detre of shared services is that they should generate practical efficiencies as well as just cost efficiency, as they will eradicate duplication, repetition and costly bureaucracy, as well as hopefully creating some economies of scale. Whilst each department within the organisation may have its own subject knowledge and expertise that is unique to itself, when the department has a line of command that trickles down to much less specialised work it is frequently the case that this work could be performed more efficiently by considerably fewer people if these resources were to be shared across departments.
To make it work this process needs to be tied in with more general efficiencies such as automating or outsourcing individual tasks that do not need to be kept as an integral part of the core operation, renegotiating or replacing contracts with suppliers to ensure that the best value deal is at all times being provided, and eliminating any obstacles to the smoothest possible delivery of services to customers.
Preparations for such a huge but necessary undertaking must inevitably start off with a programme of human resources training and development, one that involves HR workshops, HR courses and all other means through which the organisation can be prepared, psychologically and practically, for the transformation that lies ahead.
The experience of a successful shift to shared services and a more integrated operation will bring the benefit of creating confidence and the mindset to enable the organisation to proceed with a more thorough overhaul of its whole structure. At the end of this process it is left with a lighter, more streamlined yet more economical operation that is much better equipped to compete in todays world.
