Best practice & research at Orion Partners
We are committed to identifying, developing and disseminating the latest thinking on how HR functions can improve their performance. Our thinking is always focused on what works in the real world.
We conduct research into the developments that are shaping the HR profession, in leading organisations across all sectors. In doing so we seek to drive and promote further debate amongst HR professionals.
To access our published thinking in these areas, go to our books and reports and newsletters pages.
People Strategy Research Project
Call it Strategy , call it planning - but setting a clear direction and articulating how you'll get there, and then monitoring progress are core principles key to the success of any well run organisation. Strategic HR by another name - isn't this what all HR functions strive for? A role that is about ensuring that business strategy is not just "ink on paper" - after all, it's people that implement strategy so the right capabilities, climate and mindsets must be in place - and people's efforts aligned - to vouchsafe its execution.
At Orion Partners, we have a view that the key to building a people strategy that drives business performance is less in the 'what' and more in the 'how'. Although the content of the people strategies developed by organisations will vary significantly, there are a number of common characteristics we believe to be shared by those organisations that get it right.
From formulation through to execution, our goal is to understand how successful organisations develop people strategies that are integral to enhancing business performance, how these are made to live and breathe and how the capability of HR function needs to be shaped to ensure delivery. We are undertaking a comprehensive piece of research to look at a number of areas including:
- How does HR work with the business to help formulate business strategy?
- How does the development of the business strategy relate to the formulation of people strategy?
- How does the people strategy get translated into people solutions?
- If relevant, what is the interrelationship between corporate level strategy and business unit or geographic strategy?
- How do HR organisations reflect the demands of their people strategy in their HR delivery capability?
What makes this research different?
Be it talent management or employee engagement, workforce planning or total reward management, there is an abundance of studies into the typical content of good people strategies. However, we believe that much less is understood about how successful organisations make their strategies a reality. We want to get under the skin of the process the best HR functions go through, the relationships and information they use as well as the key capabilities skills, mindset and behaviours they bring to the task.
How will the research be carried out?
The majority of our research will be done structured 1.5 hour interview with selected individuals from participant organisations - ideally from both the business and HR.
All responses will be treated in confidence. Data from the participant group will only be shared at an aggregate level. Orion Partners has a long track record of independent research. Some of our past research can be viewed at www.orion-partners.com. All participants will receive a summary report detailing the findings of the research.
How can I get involved? - If you are interested in taking part - please contact Jane Saunders (janesaunders@orion-partners.com) to schedule a time for our 1.5 hour conversation.
Research project: Talent Management Technology
To find out more or to participate in this research mailto:mikesheridan@orion-partners.com
Talent management persists as a hot topic - through boom, recession and recovery.
And the buzz about "talent technology" - systems to support performance, succession, recruiting, compensation etc. - just seems to get louder and louder.
But what role can and does technology
actually play in effective talent management?
That question is the focal point of our research. The results will provide leaders responsible for talent management, and for HR systems, with data and insights to help them create and implement "talent technology" plans that are aligned to their organisation's talent management strategy and approach, are workable, and will deliver a return on investment.
What's different about this research?
It's not about technology for its own sake
It's truly global
It's independent
It's not about technology for its own sake
Our research focuses on the linkage between talent management strategy and the role of technology - we are not exploring technology matters for their own sake. We are keen to keep technology in its place - and we hope to define more clearly what that place is, and what it is not. We will ask what is needed to ensure that any investment in "talent technology" is well-targeted and capable of delivering real value as an integrated component of the overall talent management endeavour.
It's global
Unlike most other published opinion and research on this topic, we are putting particular emphasis on global approaches and in exposing the differences that might exist across regions and countries, both in terms of talent management itself and the role of technology in it.
It's independent
The research is independent of any technology provider or any pre-conceived point of view about the specific role of technology or about the vendors themselves. You will find no vendor sponsorships or comparative evaluations of vendors or products - but we will invite input from senior executives of leading vendors in key markets, seeking their responses to critical questions about the role of their products and services in support of talent management strategy and execution.
How will the research be done?
The research input from user organisations will come from structured interviews (1.5 hours). All responses will be treated in confidence. Data from participating user organisations will only be shared at an aggregate level. Orion Partners has a long track record of independent research. Some of our past research can be viewed at www.orion-partners.com. All participants will receive a summary report detailing the findings of the research and be invited to a webinar (or a face-to-face event) to review and discuss the results in more depth with their peers.
The research input from vendor firms will similarly come from structured interviews (1 hour) and participants will also receive the summary report.
Who should be interested?
HR leaders responsible for Talent Management - and HRIS leaders - in organisations that are:
- considering the role of technology to support their talent management efforts, or...
- currently in the process of implementing such technology, or...
- already experienced in using such technology...
...whether the organisation is focused on a specific talent issue (such as planning succession into critical roles), or applies a more all-encompassing definition of talent and the activities required to manage it effectively in line with business objectives.
We are keen to involve participants from all industry sectors (including public and private) and all regions of the globe.
The research will also interest those senior executives in "talent management system" vendor firms who have overall responsibility for product strategy.
How can I get involved?
If you are interested in taking part - please contact Mike Sheridan to receive more information and to schedule a time for our conversation.
Research Project: Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Orion Partners are conducting research among suppliers and users of Recruitment Process Outsourcing. The aim of this research is to better understand and educate interested parties on the value achievable through RPO as well as the challenges associated with RPO and how these can be overcome. The research will review with key RPO providers, their view of the market's requirements and what benefits and opportunities their offering addresses. It will analyse which recruitment activities are typically outsourced, which HR processes RPO is typically bundled with and common pricing models. The research will include both a supplier and a client point of view of benefits, challenges and lessons learned.
The research is ongoing, with results being published late April 2010. If you are interested in participating, or receiving a copy of the results, please contact Stefania Cappello at stefaniacappello@orion-partners.com