Defining the Strategic HR Leader

Human resources is subdivided into two parts: transactional work and transformational work. Transactional work consists of payroll, benefits administration and other traditional HR tasks. These tasks have been automated, centralized and outsourced.

Transformational work is reinventing the Human Resources function. Indeed, the term "Human Resources as a value-added partner" is no longer a slogan in many organizations, but rather an operating reality. Transformational work equates with the term Strategic HR.

Strategic HR provides an opportunity to human resources professionals that was not available five or even 10 years ago in most organizations. But because of the outstanding success of a handful of strategic HR practitioners, new opportunities abound.

The world of human resources is changing to accommodate a rapidly changing economic environment. If you have the aspiration and ability to capitalize on this fast-moving trend, you can catapult your internal human resources organization into a vital new organization role.

Wharton professor and HR guru Peter Cappelli discusses with Human Resources IQ the tasks or practices that are required to enable human resources to make a real difference in the strategic success of the organization.

Specifically, you'll discover:

• Strategic HR in practice • The attributes of a transformative HR leader • What HR leaders of the future must know and do differently than those in the past • The key competencies of this new HR leader