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Business Partnering

Gary

I’m due to deliver the CIPD Business Partner Practitioner programme (in March) and it’s prompted a reflection I’d be interested in members’ views on.

Many HR business partners I have worked with are technically strong, credible, and well-intentioned - yet still struggle to influence when decisions become politically charged, time-pressured, or emotionally loaded.

In practice, what’s been the hardest shift for you in moving from trusted advisor to genuine business partner?

Not theory - actual experience. What surprised you? What didn’t work the first time you tried it?

I’ve noticed some patterns, but I’m curious how this shows up across different contexts.

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  • I have seen many HRBPs struggle not because the role is flawed, but because the capability mix is wrong. The title says business partner, but the skill set often says senior advisor. That gap matters most when decisions get political, fast, or emotional.

    Dave Ulrich wrote that HRBPs must deliver value by understanding the business context as deeply as line leaders. In practice, many never make that shift. They stay anchored in policy, process, and risk framing. That earns trust early on, but it limits influence later. When the pressure is on, leaders listen to people who think like them.

    I also think we recruit the wrong profiles into HR. We over index on technical depth and underweight commercial judgement, narrative skill, and personal courage. Edgar Schein described influence as a function of relationship, timing, and shared goals. Those are learned capabilities, not byproducts of experience.

    The hardest shift is realising that being right is not enough. You have to sell the insight, read the room, and sometimes tolerate discomfort. Many HRBPs are surprised that logic fails when identity, power, or fear are involved. What often does not work is waiting to be invited in. Real partnering means stepping into the mess early, even when it feels unsafe.

    So for me, the issue is not the HRBP model. It is how we define, recruit for, and develop the role
  • in reply to Keith

    I hope this is where my people career will benefit, Keith. I was an Army Officer, auditor, banker, charity worker, and contracting finance specialist for 20 + years before becoming a school bursar, then 12 years at that before moving into pure HR.

    Of course working in schools means that a lot of the leadership aren't actually business people, but it's been refreshing that where I am now has appointed a bursar to oversee all support functions and she has a very strong background in other business before becoming a bursar elsewhere more than ten years ago!

  • in reply to Matthew

     That really comes through, and your path is a great example of what the business part of business partner can look like in practice. Depth outside HR builds judgement, confidence, and a shared language with leaders. It changes how and when you are heard.

    I think we need to be much more intentional about reflecting the business element in HR business partners. Not just exposure, but real accountability, commercial thinking, and decision making experience. Schools are a good illustration. When leadership roles bring in people with wider business backgrounds, the conversation shifts. HR stops being an add on and becomes part of how the organisation actually runs. That feels like the direction we should be aiming for.

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  • in reply to Matthew

     That really comes through, and your path is a great example of what the business part of business partner can look like in practice. Depth outside HR builds judgement, confidence, and a shared language with leaders. It changes how and when you are heard.

    I think we need to be much more intentional about reflecting the business element in HR business partners. Not just exposure, but real accountability, commercial thinking, and decision making experience. Schools are a good illustration. When leadership roles bring in people with wider business backgrounds, the conversation shifts. HR stops being an add on and becomes part of how the organisation actually runs. That feels like the direction we should be aiming for.

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