Turning Strategy into Action: Why Operational HR is the Unsung Hero of Business Success

When we think about business success, we often focus on things like growth, profits, and innovation. But there’s one area that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: operational HR. HR isn’t just about hiring and payroll—it plays a huge role in turning company strategy into action. Let’s take a look at why tactical HR matters so much and how it can drive business success.

Let’s explore why 2025 is shaping up to be the year of exceptional HR execution and how businesses can prepare for success.

When HR Execution Goes Wrong

Execution is often invisible when done well, but glaringly obvious when it fails. A stark example is Uber’s 2017 failure to address sexual harassment claims, which led to widespread damage to its culture, public scandals, and the departure of the CEO. This incident underscored the importance of implementing robust HR policies and processes to prevent crises before they arise. It’s a painful reminder that operational HR is not something to be neglected or underestimated—it’s crucial for maintaining organizational health and ensuring business success.

Turning HR Strategy into Action

1. Give HR the Right Tools and Resources

For HR to make things happen, they need the right support. This means giving them enough time, the right technology, and the right people.

• Technology: Tools like AI and chatbots can improve HR productivity by 30%, making processes faster and smoother. From recruitment automation to employee performance tracking, technology frees up HR professionals from administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic priorities that directly impact business outcomes. HR teams equipped with advanced tools can build better employee experiences, provide data-driven insights, and respond more efficiently to company needs.
• Staffing and Budgets: If HR teams are understaffed or lack the resources they need, things fall through the cracks. Adequate staffing and budgets help HR meet business goals quickly and effectively. Ensuring HR departments are sufficiently resourced allows them to focus on developing effective people strategies, supporting recruitment, onboarding, and retention initiatives, and fostering a positive company culture.

2. Encourage Collaboration Across HR Teams

HR is made up of different departments, like recruitment, employee relations, and training. But sometimes these teams work in isolation, which can lead to fragmented and inconsistent results.

By promoting collaboration, HR teams can create smarter, more cohesive strategies that work across the entire employee lifecycle—from hiring to development to retention. For example:

• A shared approach to onboarding ensures that all employees, regardless of department, experience consistent training and company culture from day one.
• Integrating AI with human insight can help streamline HR processes, creating faster, more effective solutions. For example, AI-powered recruitment tools can analyze resumes and identify high-potential candidates, while human interviewers focus on assessing cultural fit and team dynamics.

The cross-functional collaboration within HR teams, as well as between HR and other departments, ensures that people strategies are not siloed but are instead aligned with broader business goals. This ultimately results in a more engaged workforce, a higher level of productivity, and better retention rates.

3. Build Well-Rounded HR Professionals

HR pros today need more than just expertise in one area. They need to have a deep understanding of their specialty, but also know enough about the bigger picture to collaborate across different parts of the business. This is why we need “T-shaped” HR professionals: people who are experts in their field but also understand the broader business needs.

• T-shaped professionals are adaptable, bringing fresh ideas to the table while also understanding the intricacies of their department. These HR professionals can collaborate with marketing, finance, operations, and other departments, ensuring that people strategies are designed in harmony with overall business objectives. A well-rounded HR professional is capable of balancing both the human element of HR and the data-driven side that helps businesses thrive.
• Continuous Learning and Development: The HR landscape is constantly evolving, and HR professionals must be committed to ongoing development. By keeping up with trends in leadership, technology, and organizational culture, they can better support the company’s strategic initiatives. This ensures that HR teams not only manage current needs but are also equipped to anticipate and address future challenges.

4. Empower Line Managers

Line managers are the ones on the front lines, working directly with teams every day. To make sure HR strategies work, we need to give line managers the power to make decisions that impact their teams.

When line managers are empowered:

• They can make quicker, more effective people decisions. Having authority to hire, give feedback, and even decide on promotions creates a sense of ownership and accountability among managers. This results in more aligned decision-making at all levels.
• HR teams can focus on supporting the bigger picture, while line managers handle the day-to-day. Line managers are the first line of defense in implementing HR initiatives on the ground. For example, if the company is rolling out a new performance management system, it’s the line managers who will be most involved in guiding employees through the process. By empowering them to make key decisions, you’re ensuring that HR policies have a direct impact at the team level.

Research shows that 55% of CHROs are shifting more decision-making power to line managers, and it’s making a big difference in the workplace. Empowered managers are more engaged and more capable of fostering positive employee experiences, which contributes to the overall success of HR strategies.

HR as a Business Partner

HR is no longer just a back-office function—it’s becoming a key player in business strategy. In fact, 93% of CHROs now regularly attend board meetings, helping guide major decisions. By integrating HR into strategic discussions, companies can ensure that their people strategies align with their overall goals.

When HR works closely with other departments, it can help align people strategies with business goals. Cross-department rotations, for example, give HR professionals a chance to see how other parts of the business operate, which helps them create solutions that better meet company needs. This collaborative approach enables HR to influence decision-making at the highest levels and to provide valuable insights that drive business performance.

Furthermore, as companies navigate changes in the workforce—such as remote work, flexible scheduling, and the rise of the gig economy—HR professionals will play a pivotal role in adapting company culture, refining people strategies, and ensuring that business objectives are met.

Learn More About Culture Works

At Culture Works, we want to partner with your company to create success for your team– whatever that looks like for your specific company. Our passionate HR team has the experience you need in culture ops and hospitality to create success. Our approach is centered upon the importance of humanizing, customizing, and simplifying. We believe in what we do, and we want to help your company operationalize culture, talent, and HR to create ongoing success. Read on to learn more about what we do.