Human resource professionals: a competitive tool.

• Author: Ross, Nancy Ray

How do you view the Human Resource function at your cooperative? Is it the enforcer of governmental regulations as well as cooperative rules and policies? Is it the administrator of the payroll and benefits? Is it the change agent, a driver and implementer of your corporate culture? Is it a competitive tool? Is it a strategic business partner?

G&T Human Resource (HR) Professionals discussed the diverse duties they are being asked to perform at their cooperatives while continuing to have responsibility for the traditional functions. Yes, they are the writer of rules, the implementer of regulations, the compliance officer for government agencies, the benefits and payroll administrators. However, many have become the implementors of participatory management styles and the process planners for a customer oriented business. Some are members of the executive management team involved in strategic business issues.

As facilitators of change, HR Professionals have recommended external change consultants for the business or assumed that role themselves. They've designed and taught courses on team building and facilitation, facilitated staff committees for process review with a customer oriented mindset, and become information system specialists changing from manual to automated HR systems permitting networked databases. They've customized the hiring and appraisal processes to reflect competitive competencies, fostered management reviews of the impact of technology, and become management team players helping to set the direction of the business. They've been on negotiating teams for restructuring arrangements with power marketers. They've assisted member boards with management searches and strategic planning. They've established benchmarking tools. They are coaches to other managers and all employees about dealing with change.

These responsibilities have also required them to actively participate with the cooperative's communicators in order to inform employees of viable changes occurring in the industry. Table 1 identifies a list of the more traditional roles HR Professionals have occupied in the past compared with the emerging roles.

TABLE 1 SIGNIFICANT ROLES ASSUMED BY HR PROFESSIONALS Traditional Role Confidant Administrator Enforcer of policies Record keeper Compliance officer Safety expert Payroll/benefits expert Union negotiator Social event planner Chief accountant/office manager/ financial officer Emerging Role Morale manager Consultant to CEO/GM & employees Communication link between employees & management Process reviewer Change agent Safety, health, welfare administrator Facilitator Coach Business analyst; bottom line contributor HR manager or HR officer (degreed/certified) Strategic...