The HR manager and CFO might fight for the HPO bone…but will a third run away with it?

When looking at organizations that have started transitioning towards a High Performance Organization (HPO) using the HPO Framework, one thing can be noticed: there is at least one person present who is the promoter of HPO thinking in the organization. 

When looking at organizations that have started transitioning to high performance using the HPO Framework, one thing can be noticed: there is at least one person present who is the promoter of HPO thinking in the organization. That person takes the position of advocate and champion of HPO and makes sure that people get and stay excited about the prospect of becoming a world-class organization. This is a person who doesn’t give up, takes hindrances in stride, keeps at it, and finds great satisfaction in seeing the organization and its people improve over time. That person, preferably, is placed high enough in the organization so he has enough power to exact resources and time for the HPO transition activities, and to hold other people accountable for their actions during the transition. The big question of course is: who ideally should be the spider of the HPO web? Logically, this person is the chief executive officer (CEO), who – as the highest in the organization and the face of the organization to the outside world – has the main task of making the organization successful. However, precisely because the CEO has such a visible position he just doesn’t have the time to be the spider. He is normally so busy dealing with outside parties (shareholders, board of supervisors, customers) that he cannot put in enough effort. So we have to look inside the company and then two functions spring to mind: Finance and Human Resources (HR). Let’s investigate the suitability of both. The Finance Manager is generally part of the management team and has a high enough position to really get things done. In addition, virtually all the organizational information flow heads to the finance department, so the Finance Manager has an excellent view of what is going on in the organization and what needs to be done. Finally, the Finance Manager moves all around the company as he has performance talks with every unit, so he knows everybody and everybody knows him. In conclusion: an excellent choice to be the spider in the HPO transition web.

But what about the HR Manager?

The HR Manager often is still not part of the management team but at the same time is often placed on an organizational level that should have enough clout. As people are the most important asset of an organization, the HR Manager is charged with one of the most important tasks in the company: to keep this asset happy, satisfied and motivated. Two-thirds of the HPO characteristics have to do with people (managers or employees) so what better choice than to nominate the expert in the “people field” as the spider?

So it seems we have a tie. To be able to make a choice after all we need to look at how both positions function in practice. Several years ago the Finance Manager was on his way to become the business partner of management. Of course the finance processes had to be efficient and low-cost but management increasingly expected more than just management reports from the Finance Manager. Management wanted advise on the strategic consequences of the data and wanted ideas how to improve the organization. In short, the Finance Manager was squarely on his way to become the spider. However, the financial and economic crises, and especially recent financial scandals, have thrown the Finance Manager far back in his attempts to provide added value. The time of most Finance Managers is now swallowed up by looking at the reliability of data and reports and risk management activities. So exit the Finance Manager.

However, the HR Manager doesn’t seem to be a realistic option either. This is because, unfortunately, many of them are mainly busy with basic personnel activities, like collecting and maintaining personnel data, implementing all kinds of evaluation and reward systems, and setting-up training schemes for professionals. The latest activity is implementing HR metrics which are supposed to show the added value of the HR function. If you say this doesn’t sound on par with the sophistication needed to become the HPO spider, I’m afraid you are right. So exit the HR Manager.

This means the position of spider in the HPO web is for grabs. Will either the Finance Manager or the HR Manager think better of it and start spending more time on developing themselves toward the level needed to be the spider? Or will he be overtaken by operational managers, like the Chief Operating Officer, or business unit managers, or department managers who increasingly take the lead in the HPO transition? The race is on!

In What Makes a High Performance Organization: Validated Factors of Competitive Advantage that Apply Worldwide, I have published many interviews and cases with true HPO Leaders!

For more articles, cases and videos about becoming a High Performance Organization, visit this page!