What Does HR Do, Anyways?

Pop-quiz: What does HR do? (Hint: “Get in the way” isn’t the right answer)

I’ve heard a lot of answers to that question, but the one I like best is short and simple: HR aligns employee behaviors with business strategies. If you read my last article, then you already know how to conduct an analysis of your company’s competitive strategies. Today we’re going to be talking about defining and assessing behaviors that support those strategies.

In order to really drive employee behavior, it’s essential that all of your human resource practices align to accomplish the same goal.

For example, if your organization tries to distinguish itself with superior customer service, all of your processes and programs should drive customer-oriented behavior. Based on your selection tests and criteria, you should be hiring service-oriented individuals. Performance management programs should place a high emphasis on customer-service skills. Compensation packages should reward and retain those who deliver high-quality service. Training and development should help employees perfect their service skills.

Get the Job Done (and Then Some!)

When talking about employee performance, there are two types of behaviors you are trying to elicit:

Get the Job Done (GJD) behaviors are the ones that are required to be successful in a role. If an employee did nothing but GJD behaviors, the company would operate smoothly.

Above And Beyond (AAB) behaviors are those that go above and beyond (obviously) the requirements of the job.

Your first priority should always be to make sure that all of your employees are meeting their GJD requirements. But the AAB behaviors are what drive an organization to the next level.

Defining Strategically Aligned Performance

If you haven’t already done so, the first thing you need to do is conduct an analysis of your company’s unique value propositions (UVPs) and the structures that are in place to support them. Once you’ve figure that out, consider how your team fits into the picture. Is your sales team responsible for delivering excellent customer service? Does your manufacturing force focus on quality or on cost (or both)?

Thinking about a team’s role in supporting the UVPs will allow you to determine what individual roles you need to be successful. It’s just like building a fantasy football team (well maybe not just like it). When you’re evaluating performance for any role, the first thing you should do is define the GJD behaviors. This is not the time to define qualifications for a role. You should be focusing on behaviors and outcomes. Be specific – define what really needs to get done for this role to adequately support the team.

After you’ve defined GJD behaviors, define AAB behaviors. If GJD is what needs to happen, AAB is what you’d like to happen. These are behaviors that aren’t necessary to meet your strategies, but will push them to the next level. Again, be specific – in a perfect world, what would you like your employees to do? These behaviors are important. Very successful organizations are better than most at getting their employees to go above and beyond.