Roles and Challenges of Human Resource Business Partners

Abstract

Human resource business partners are human resource specialists who can take up role of aligning with organization goals to improve business performance and develop organizational culture. Business partnering refers to the way that the human resource function is restructured into different roles, with the aim of providing improved human resource services to the organisation. In this new role, human resource professionals who are managers and supervisors must take on the emerging roles of business partner, change agent, and leader in radically new organizational structures, quite different from those of the past. The present study analyses the differentiating roles & responsibilities and diverse challenges that are encountered by business partners in human resource management in selected industries of India. The data for the study was collected from a sample of thirty Indian human resources professionals from different industries such as IT, ITeS, manufacturing, R& D, and management consulting. The study addresses the opportunities, challenges, and contributions of human resources business partners in organizations in different industries. The study proposes a new model for human resources diversity and execution flexibility, providing an insight into the differentiation factors and freedom of execution for human resource professionals.