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Create an HR Strategy

Focus HR resources where they will have the greatest organizational impact.

A significant gap exists in the perceived effectiveness of HR’s ability to deliver value to desired organizational outcomes. Traditional thinking about what HR does and why it exists is evolving. This requires HR leaders to reflect on the intersection of organizational needs with their responsibilities, acting as both a thought leader and a strategic partner for the organization.

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  • Get advice, coaching, and insight at key project milestones
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Critical Insight

An impactful HR strategy is fundamentally aligned with the broader organizational strategy. In strategic HR organizations, priorities are driven not just by HR’s own agenda, but by the strategic objectives of the entire organization. This ensures that HR initiatives support and enhance the broader organizational strategy, enabling HR to contribute meaningfully and adapt to evolving business needs.

Impact and Result

To create effective HR strategies, HR leaders must perform a macro and environmental scan, assess the current state, and identify strategic pillars informed by both HR and organizational perspectives regarding the current state and future needs.

HR’s value is realized by these strategic pillars prioritizing the right outcomes and resources are directed to the initiatives most critical to executing organizational strategy.

Create an HR Strategy Research & Tools

2. Establish strategic pillars and HR outcomes

Articulate what HR will work to accomplish to support the achievement of the organizational strategy, identify strategic pillars for HR, and define HR outcomes that support these pillars.

HR Strategy Workbook

3. Identify HR initiatives

Assess current HR initiatives to determine alignment with HR outcomes, evaluate gaps to identify new HR initiatives, and assess HR’s capability to achieve identified initiatives.

HR Management & Governance Diagnostic Guide Storyboard

4. Create an action plan

Assess the effort and impact of each HR initiative to prioritize and focus efforts on initiatives with the highest impact; define metrics for each HR outcome; identify the budget, skills, and resources required; communicate HR’s priorities and initiatives; and create a roadmap for the HR strategy.

HR Metrics Library
HR Strategy Presentation Template
HR Budget Business Case Presentation Template
HR Strategy Summary Templates
Standard HR Scorecard
Workshop Overview: Create an HR Strategy
Research Snapshot: HR Guide to Scenario Planning

HR Strategy

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How to complete this course:

Use these videos, along with the project blueprint deck above, to gain an understanding of the subject. Start with the Introduction, then move through each of the course modules. At the end of each module, you will be required to complete a short test to demonstrate your understanding. You will complete this course when you have completed all the course tests.

  • Number of Course Modules: 5
  • Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Learning Outcome

HR leaders must be equipped to reflect on the intersection of organizational needs and HR’s responsibilities, acting as both a thought leader and a strategic partner for the organization. This course will equip learners with foundational knowledge of the process of creating a new HR strategy or updating an existing HR strategy. This process includes performing internal and external scans, identifying strategic pillars informed by HR and organizational perspectives, prioritizing the right HR outcomes, and directing resources to the initiatives most critical to executing organizational strategy.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Perform basic scans of the organization’s key players, environment, and industry.
  • Assess HR’s current state.
  • Identify strategic pillars based on the organization and HR’s desired future states.
  • Identify key HR initiatives based on strategic pillars.
  • Create action and communication plans.

All of our McLean Academy courses have closed captioning available. To turn this function on, click on the C.C. in the bottom right corner of the video screen and click "English" on the options that pop up.

Course Modules

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Introduction

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Module 1

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Module 2

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Module 3

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Module 4

Create an HR Strategy preview picture

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company is an HR research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to human resources challenges via executable research, tools, diagnostics, and advisory services that have a clear and measurable impact on your business.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your HR problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

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Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 4-phase advisory process. You'll receive 9 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation 1: Assess the current state
  • Call 1: Determine who will participate in the strategic planning process and understand the organization’s strategy.
  • Call 2: Conduct an external environment scan and an internal assessment of HR to determine its alignment with the organization.

Guided Implementation 2: Establish strategic pillars and HR outcomes
  • Call 1: Identify talent implications for HR strategy and strategic pillars for HR.
  • Call 2: Define HR outcomes that will support HR’s strategic pillars.

Guided Implementation 3: Identify HR initiatives
  • Call 1: Assess current HR initiatives to determine alignment with HR outcomes.
  • Call 2: Evaluate gaps to identify new strategic initiatives and assess HR’s capability to achieve identified initiatives.

Guided Implementation 4: Create an action plan
  • Call 1: Conduct an effort-impact assessment for each HR initiative to prioritize and focus efforts on initiatives with the highest impact.
  • Call 2: Define metrics for each HR outcome and plan to communicate HR’s priorities and initiatives.
  • Call 3: Identify the budget and create an action plan for the HR strategy.

Contributors

  • Carol Beatty, Director of the Industrial Relations Centre, Queen's University, President, Warp Speed Training Enterprises
  • Robert Carlyle, Director, Strategic Workforce Management, Royal Bank of Canada
  • Alfonsina Chang, Professor, Seneca College
  • Courtney Harrison, Consultant
  • Michael Hoseus, Executive Director, Center for Quality People & Organizations (CQPO)
  • Lisa Jenkins, Process Optimization and Change Management Consultant
  • Sonya Kunkel, Chief Inclusion Officer and Vice-President, Talent Strategies, BMO
  • Danielle Mandell, VP, People, Habitat for Humanity GTA
  • Andrew Mayo, Human Capital Management Professor, Middlesex University London
  • Jackie Meagher, VP of HR, Info-Tech Research Group
  • Dennis Miller, Speaker, Author, and Leadership Coach, The Power of Strategic Alignment: A Guide to Energizing Leadership and Maximizing Potential in Today’s Nonprofit Organizations
  • Nan Oldroyd, HR Executive
  • Tracey Pope, Chief People Officer, Canadian Red Cross
  • Jennifer Riel, Managing Director, Knowledge Infrastructure Project, Co- Author of Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Business
  • Brenda Rigney, Vice President of People Operations, Hootsuite Blog
  • Harleen Smith, CHRO, Houston Airport System
  • Dave Ulrich, Professor and Author, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
  • Jeanne Wisniewski, Chief People Officer, Vitals

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