Ulrich Comes of Age. This is the title of a study undertaken by the British consulting company Orion Partners to mark the 18th anniversary of the publication of David Ulrich's book Human Resource Champions which formulated the groundbreaking concept of HR business partnering. The study focused on the application of Ulrich's model in 40 multinational companies collectively employing 2.5 million people.
The majority (77%) of the participating organizations stated that the Ulrich model had influenced their HR services positively. 90% even mentioned "significantly greater" HR expertise compared to 10 years ago. 63% of HR business partners, however, still perform too much transactional tasks and do not have enough time for strategic activities.
Poor talent management
Furthermore, it has turned out that the majority (83%) of these organizations still can't take advantage of significant business opportunities due to poorly implemented talent management practices. Thus, only 17% of the organizations evaluate the outcomes of their talent management programs as "good" and capable to rapidly adapt to changing business needs.
Allan Boroughs, author of the study, states that the Ulrich's book was written at a time when many organizations struggled with the basics of HR. Today, after 18 years, it has become clear that Ulrich's indicators of HR efficiency and business focus show positive results. There is, however, a problem in the area of talent management. According to Ulrich himself, the problem is that organizations tried to implement the "standard Ulrich model" without regard to their individual business needs.
What does Dave Ulrich think?
David Ulrich's opinion on the results of the Ulrich Comes of Age study was published on the HR Magazine website. Ulrich points out that the study does not reflect the gradual modifications and updates to the original concept. Judging the original concept is, he says, like saying that televisions, phones or computers from the nineties do not offer the services required today. What remains unchanged is the fundamental question HR professionals should ask: How can we deliver value to the business of our company?
Ulrich also highlights that HR function and talent management are two different things. In principle, however, he agrees with the study author when he says: "The HR organisation (or governance) should match the organisation structure of the business."
Do you apply the Ulrich's model in your organization? With what success?
-Kk-