Here is a trend I have not heard of – managers without human resources backgrounds being moved into HR Manager roles. From the Wall Street Journal online:
Of the 15 large-company chief HR officer changes that consultant Brian Wilkerson has tracked in the past five years, about one-third have been filled by non-HR executives, he says. That compares with maybe 10% of such appointments before…
The driver behind this increasing approach is fairly simple:
The shift reflects the increased importance that chief executives and boards place on recruiting, retaining and grooming employees. It also reflects a perception that some traditional HR professionals lack the deep understanding of business and financial issues that CEOs increasingly want, say consultants and recruiters.
“Many organizations are looking for their HR leader to be able to understand in great detail the business and the challenges of the business,”
This approach makes great sense as talented managers from other departments bring a different perspective. There seems to be some irony if the HR department is fully focused on experience-based hiring. A manager from outside the HR world brings hope of changing that unwise conventional wisdom.