Collaboration is a buzzword that's thrown around often in the world of HR, and business in general – and for good reason. Getting great minds to work together often produces results greater than the sum of its parts. And often, companies look to HR for advice and guidance on how to get employees to emerge from their own little worlds and collaborate to effect big change.
So why then, is it so difficult for HR pros themselves to embrace the concept of collaboration in their daily work? For starters, according to Carol Anderson, a seasoned HR veteran:
1. Many skills in HR are highly specialized and not transferable
2. HR pros prize autonomy
"HR pros want to run their own show," she writes on Human Capitalist. "I know I certainly did when I was in these roles."
But what if HR managers took a dose of their own medicine and worked collaboratively to achieve the greater goals of the company: hiring great people, helping those people to reach their full potential, and doing everything in their power to retain top talent. By making sure the entire HR department is on the same page and continuously working together to achieve these goals, the silos that impede collaboration will come tumbling down. Think of the possibilities.
If your company's HR department is still operating with an every-man-for-himself mentality, maybe it's time for an HR performance review?
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