Making HR a Strategic Driver: Three Levers to Move From Vision to Action

Understanding the business context in order to act more effectively may seem obvious for HR. But do we truly take the time to step back, examine our organization from a broader perspective, and most importantly, ask the right questions?

In our recent article “ Setting the Stage for 2027: 6 Questions to Align Your HR Priorities with Your Business Strategy”, we proposed a series of questions designed to help organizations understand their strategy, identify priorities, anticipate future needs, uncover barriers and risks, and ultimately determine the HR priorities that will have the greatest impact.

We encourage you to use the H1, H2, and H3 Horizons framework to balance priorities between the present, the near future, and the longer-term future. The goal is to structure the organization to meet today’s needs while developing the capabilities it will require tomorrow.

Once the direction is clear, the organization must be able to execute it. Even the most promising HR initiatives will generate limited results if the organization lacks the expertise, leadership, or stability required to carry them through.

We therefore recommend four essential steps and supporting tools to help build an optimal organizational structure.

A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) helps assess the current structure by highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, as well as factors that may hinder progress or create risks to achieving business priorities.

The objective is straightforward: determine what should be maintained, strengthened, or redesigned to help teams collaborate more effectively, make decisions more efficiently, and focus their energy on activities that truly create value.

Trust us, this exercise works. Leaders are generally familiar with the framework and quickly engage in the discussion.

Before redesigning a structure, it is helpful to clarify what it must enable. Speed of execution, teamwork, clarity of accountability and authority, the number of management layers, decision-making effectiveness, and innovation are all potential criteria.

The choice will naturally depend on the context. A rapidly growing company may prioritize execution speed and role clarity, while an organization undergoing transformation may focus on strengthening collaboration and innovation.

The important thing is to define what the new structure must enable before deciding what it should look like.

To identify the expertise, skills, and tools required, mapping the Core Business Process helps visualize the key stages through which the organization creates and delivers value.

For each stage, identify:

• Key activities.
• Required skills and expertise.
• Necessary tools and technologies.

This exercise helps identify the functions, positions, expertise, and tools that are essential to delivering your value proposition. It also prompts two fundamental questions: Is your current structure the right one? What capabilities are missing to deliver your value proposition?

Even a well-designed structure loses effectiveness when responsibilities are unclear. The RASCI matrix helps define who is Responsible, who is Accountable, who provides Support, who must be Consulted, and who must be Informed for any given activity.

The exercise involves listing the team’s primary responsibilities and assigning a specific role to each person. It strengthens accountability, accelerates decision-making, and enables managers and leaders to focus on higher-value activities.

As discussed in more detail in our previous article “CEO: End Organizational Ambiguity with RASCI”, RASCI is a simple and effective tool for removing organizational uncertainty.

Once the right people are in the right roles, organizations must also engage those who contribute most significantly to their success.

Not all key people are important for the same reasons. Some consistently deliver reliable performance. Others demonstrate strong growth potential. Some stand out because of exceptional performance, while others contribute through culture, relationships, and organizational knowledge.

The nature of roles must also be considered. Some are strategic because they are directly tied to long-term strategy and performance. Others are critical because a departure or an unfilled absence would quickly affect operations. Some individuals possess rare or highly specialized expertise that is difficult to replace in the labour market.

To identify them, organizations must look beyond job titles, hierarchy levels, and tenure, and understand the actual influence of each role on business priorities. To support this process, we encourage you to develop employee personas specific to your organization and identify their expectations, needs, and aspirations.

Once key people and key roles have been identified, the organization can determine the most appropriate engagement mechanisms, whether focused on short-term engagement, long-term retention, succession development, or other objectives. The key is to select the approaches that best align with employee profiles and business goals.

Before considering a long-term incentive plan such as share ownership, two foundations must already be in place: a competitive Total Rewards program and a strong employee experience.

Engaging key people is not based solely on financial incentives. It may also include:

• An accelerated development plan.
• Involvement in strategic discussions.
• Career growth opportunities.
• Participation in special projects.
• Recognition programs.
• Knowledge-sharing and knowledge-transfer opportunities.
• Structured succession planning.

Key people do not all have the same needs or level of interest. Engagement mechanisms can be adapted based on the different categories of individuals identified. The goal is to create an environment where these individuals can fully realize their potential and contribute meaningfully to organizational success.