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DEFINE 'Reposition Opportunities' | DRIVE 'Reposition Initiatives' | DELIVER 'Reposition Outcomes'
One of the most difficult challenges facing business leaders is to ensure central functions enhance business performance. Central functions are typically referred to as support functions, implying that these functions do not directly impact performance. Similalry they are often managed as cost centres rather than managed as functions with operating costs and capex costs that directly impact business performance in both the short-term and the long-term.
These Speaker Forums assist business leaders to repostion their central functions so that they contribute more directly to aggregate business performance.
Speaker Topics
Presenter - John Reed of Reposition Pty Ltd
E: john@reposition.net.au
M: +61 438 648 678 +61 438 648 678
‘Reposition’ your Organisation’s Support Functions for Enhanced Performance
One of the most difficult challenges that business leaders face is to ensure that central support functions are accountable for business performance.
In using the word ‘accountable’ the point is not that central support functions are solely accountable for business performance, but rather that these functions are just as accountable for business performance as operations and sales. It is a fact that for most organisations, the accountability that support functions have for business performance is not readily evident in the organisation’s management accounts or performance management system. Central functions are often established as cost centres that ‘support’ whilst not directly impacting business performance. The all too frequent implication is that support functions exist and grow somewhat detached from the obligation to enhance business performance. The consequences of not being accountable for business performance include over-resourcing, under-resourcing, wastage, delayed upgrade of systems, ad-hoc central function initiatives, and ill-advised central function CAPEX projects.
John emphasises that this alignment is a significant ‘reposition’ opportunity. John presents guiding principles to help management better align the performance of central support functions with overall business performance. He suggests that a good starting point is to do away with the term ‘support function’. Further to this he focuses on the need to revisit the business planning process and the management accounts in order to ensure that each central function is made to be accountable for planned efficiencies over time. John points to the importance of fully considering the cost base for each central function by focusing on both expenses and a depreciation element for long-term initiatives. This helps central functions focus on both short-term efficiencies and long-term capacity building to enable future growth. John draws attention to the benefit of ‘tracking’ indirect costs and indirect revenue where these can be linked to the performance of a particular central function.
Aligning central functions with business performance in both the short-term and the long-term is a complex challenge for business leaders. John calls for leaders to ensure the challenge is not in the ‘too hard basket’ but rather to recognise and action this ‘reposition’ opportunity’.
Who will benefit?
Business Leaders, Directors, CEOS, Divisional Heads, Functional Heads, Management Teams.
The speaker topic enables the audience to assess the ‘reposition opportunity’ for their business or for the component of a business for which they are responsible. Realising the ‘reposition opportunity’ requires management commitment together with a well defined initiative that is implemented well.
Speaker Topics
Presenter - John Reed of Reposition Pty Ltd
E: john@reposition.net.au
M: +61 438 648 678 +61 438 648 678
‘How to build the HR Function so that it gets downsized later on’
Robert Townsend’s 1970 classic book, “Up the Organisation”, records his thoughts on various topics based on his experience of leading a business turnaround at AVIS. His reflections on the first things you do as a CEO leading a turnaround are most disturbing for HR practitioners. His counsel was to “fire every consultant and get rid of the HR department”.
His advice must be considered in the context of his overriding theme which was, “how to stop the corporation from stifling people and strangling profits”. From his perspective the HR function had the potential to both stifle people and strangle profits.
This presentation focuses on approaches that HR Leaders often adopt in good times, which have the effect of increasing the probability that the HR Function gets downsized when the going gets tough. John speaks to 5 such approaches:
Ø Positioning the HR Function as a ‘support function’ with no accountability that pertains to business performance
Ø Positioning the HR Function as a ‘cost centre’ rather than a cost needed to generate more income more efficiently
Ø Operating the HR Function with Key Performance Indicators that are not aligned to the organisation’s KPIs
Ø Working in isolation of the business leaders in developing the organisation’s performance management system
Ø Defining and introducing HR initiatives that do not have a measurable impact on business performance
The presentation is thought provoking, causing attendees to reassess the business impact of their HR approach. The underlying theme is that the HR Function has an obligation to contribute to a better business. Tough times have a way of testing the extent to which the HR Function is meeting this obligation.
Who will benefit?
HR Directors, HR Practitioners, Executives, Senior Managers, Business Leaders, Directors, Managing Directors, Divisional Heads, Functional Heads, Management Teams, Operational Managers.
Business Impact?
The speaker topic causes the audience to rethink the approach to building and managing the HR Function. Business leaders and HR practitioners are challenged to refocus the HR Function so that it makes a well-defined, tangible and measurable contribution to business performance.
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