A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate human resources team with all HR functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the vice presidents of HR, who report to the senior vice president of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A human resources manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach.
1. How should the team start the process of determining the appropriate HR servicing model?
2. How should the team best use the HR manager's experience with the organization?
3. What should the team do to gain buy-in for its recommendations?
4. Changes to the HR structure or delivery model can create frustration and anxiety among employees. What is the best approach the team should take to ensure a smooth adoption by employees?