People Development

HR Business Partners Programme

This was a practical programme for a private sector organisation, which aimed to equip HR managers to further develop their skills as HR Business partners. It was run over 4 modules – consultancy skills, acting strategically, developing HR strategy and influencing skills. Participants applied their skills to current projects and relationships in between the modules and built a personal development plan that helped to drive their learning throughout the programme.

Outcomes of the programme included agreed methods of communication about the new role and agreement on how to manage expectations about the role within the organisation. Understanding around the development and practise of business strategy increased, as did business and financial awareness. This increased understanding was used to explore and develop HR’s strategy and the implications for HR’s primary services and the HRBPs. Participants were equipped with a range of approaches enhancing their ability to build relationships and influence key stakeholders in the organisation.


Consulting & Influencing Skills for Corporate IT

This skills development programme supported the re-structure of Corporate IT in a large public sector organisation. The programme was underpinned by structure and rigour and enabled participants to practise skills and tools to help them apply consultancy and influencing skills with confidence. It was experiential, focused primarily on learning through doing, and structured around the consultancy cycle which provided a useful tool for managing the task and relationship dimensions of a project. In addition the workshops included the core skills underpinning the consultancy cycle including establishing rapport and credibility, scoping the work and contracting with internal clients.

Participants were encouraged to ask questions to deepen their understanding of the strategic context, problem or solution and to explore tools for gathering, analysing and reporting data to in turn help them in generating and evaluating options. During the programme, participants also benefited from working with senior managers on real issues they were facing.

Key learning and application reported by participants includes:

‘It helped me greatly to understand the consulting process. It made me more confident in some areas. I don’t feel uncomfortable now discussing some of the organisation’s burning issues.’

‘I am more able to use strategic thinking questions, and know how to deal with real consulting issues.’

‘I need to stop and act rather than reacting and to consciously use strategies.’

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