Executive Summary:

Based on the research we conducted among 500+ organizations, DigitalGlobe, Inc. would benefit
the greatest by switching to the Solutions Center Model. This document will cover the following
topics:
Research of HR Models
Pulse Survey Results
Recommendations & Implementation
Research of HR Models
The following are the HR Models the group researched:
Task Model
High-Touch Service Model
Business Partner Model
Shared Services Model
Solutions Center Model
Task Model
The Task model is one of the earlier HR models for companies who were operating on a global
scale. This model splits up the workload into administrative work, day-to-day activities, and
strategic tasks, long-term planning. One of the advantages of this model is how flexible it is and
how easily HR duties can be rearranged to meet the companies needs. On the other hand, this
model does not foster any innovation or company growth. The task model is currently being
utilized by LiquaDry, Inc and Tanner Clinic.
High-Touch Service Model
This model focuses on satisfying the employees needs.This model revolves around trying to
establish a one-on-one relationship between an HR professional and the employees. The HighTouch Service model provides a personal factor to HR professionals and employees alike. In
addition, this model sets a clear set of expectations which helps direct the front-line employees.
Some challenges that face this model is the lack of technology involved in the business settings.
The model does not address the needs of administration or senior management as well. A few
companies who utilize this model are the following: General Mills, Precor, Walmart, and IM
Flash.
Business Partner Model
The Business Partner Model is set up to have general HR representatives or groups manage a
location or branch of a business. At these locations, the general HR representatives sole purpose
is to meet companys employees need. They are supported by minimally staffed specialist
centers, also known as Centers of Excellence. Advantage, the model is focused more on using
HR generalists to strategically help individual internal clients within their functional sphere
rather than being oblivious to what the business is doing. Disadvantage, frustration between
front-line employees and HR generalists tend to arise when there is not a clear set of
responsibilities for either groups. In these cases, HR generalist become tied down with busy
work to sort out the confusion. The HR generalist then limits the amount of time he or she spends

on the strategic side of the organization. This is a very common HR model. The following are a
few of the companies who operate under this model: Novell, Honeywell, Weyerhaeuser, J.M.
Smucker Company, and Teva.
Shared Services Model
The Shared Services Model bridges the gap between the managerial staff and front-line
employees. All the organizations resources are pooled into a central location for all employee
members to access. HR generalists, with various skills, manage the allocation of resources and
help needed by company staff members. The best part, more flexibility of HR resources and
alignment of work priorities are achieved with this model. In addition, HR employees are
exposed to various experiences which guarantees the employee will not be doing the same task
everyday. A difficulty seen with the Shared Services Model is a melt-down in the organization if
the HR employees are fully able to fulfill all their job functions asked of them. Plus, there are
unclear lines of communication and accountability of different employees to their supervisors.
Some companies who use this model are the following: Dell, Microsoft, DecisionWise, US
Foods, and Comcast.
Solutions Center Model
This Model, similar to the Business Partner Model, has HR representatives responsible for a
specific sector of the business. However, a single HR representative works with a particular
internal client. Then minimally staffed specialist teams support the HR representative. The focus
is bridging the gap between the HR rep, who has direct contact with the client, and the teams
with specialized skills in the background. Some of the greatest advantages are the following: has
a strategic focus, cost savings and efficiency, manages more employees with less HR employees,
and HR resources can be shifted to the highest priorities more flexibly than any other model.
Some of the disadvantages is the complexity of the model. This model requires substantial
training. Eli Lilly, Oracle, Kraft Foods Group, American Express, and Intel Corporation use the
Solutions Center Model.
Pulse Survey Results
The data we collected addresses the following key topics, more data and results are covered in
the Pulse Survey Results Section:
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks
Outsourcing HR Activities
Automated HR Functions
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio
Change in Technology Spending in 2014
Task Model
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
80 percent of the HR employees day is spent dealing with administrative work.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
The two companies who use this model outsource between 0-20 percent of all the HR activities,
which includes Benefits, Compensation, Employee Relations, Performance Management,
Recruiting, and Training & Development.

Automated HR Functions:
Companies with this model automate between 0-20 percent of all their business functions, which
includes Employee Self-Service, Manager Self-Service Portals, Policies & Procedures,
Performance Management, and Training Scheduling.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
The average amount of HR employees to be in charge of regular employees is 1:120.
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
Respondents are planning to spend between the same amount and slightly more in the upcoming
year on HR technology solutions.
High-Touch Service Model
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
55.35 percent of the HR employees day is spent dealing with administrative work rather than
strategic issues in the company.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
The 20 companies that filled out our survey about the High-Touch Service Model outsource
between 0-20 percent of their HR activities, likes to keep these activities in house to ensure
higher quality and service to internal employees.
Automated HR Functions:
This HR model involves much more automated systems compared to the Task Model. On
average, business using the High-Touch Service Model automates between 20-40 percent of their
HR functions.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
The average amount of HR employees to be in charge of regular employees is 1:125.
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
57 percent of the companies who use this model are planning to maintain the same amount of
spending on HR technology. 33 percent will spend slightly more in the upcoming year on HR
improvements.
Business Partner Model
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
55.63 percent of the HR employees day is spent dealing with administrative work.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
Out of the 45 companies who responded to this particular question, the mean of all the data
indicated that companies with the Business Partner Model outsource between 0-20 percent of
their HR activities.
Automated HR Functions:

The average amount of automated HR functions in these business was between 40-60 percent.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
The average amount of HR employees to regular employees is 1:152.
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
48 percent of the respondents plan to spend the same amount as they have for HR technology. 40
percent are planning on spending somewhat more and 6 percent intend to spend significantly
more for HR technology.
Shared Services Model
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
41.88 percent of the HR employees day is spent dealing with administrative work. The rest is
devoted to focusing on strategic aspects of the organization.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
30 companies indicated that they use this particular HR model; these companies outsource about
20-40 percent of their HR duties in the following areas: Benefits, Compensation, Employee
Relations, Performance Management, Recruiting, and Training & Development.
Automated HR Functions:
The mean of all the Shared Services Model showed that 40-60 percent of HR functions are
automated, such as Employee Self-Service, Manager Self-Service Portals, Policies & Procedures,
Performance Management, and Training Scheduling.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
The average amount of HR employees to regular employees is 1:157.
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
50 percent of companies are planning on spending the same as they have in the past year for HR
technology. 27 percent responded that they will spend somewhat more in the upcoming year. 10
percent indicated they will spend significantly more on HR needs and solutions.
Solutions Center Model
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
49.29 percent of the HR employees day is spent dealing with administrative work, daily tasks.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
On average, 21 respondents indicated they outsource about 20-40 percent of their HR
responsibilities.
Automated HR Functions:
Between 60-80 percent of the companys HR function are automated.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
The average amount of HR employees to regular employees is 1:186.

Change in Technology Spending in 2014:

48 percent of the companies which use the Solutions Center Model plan to spend approximately
the same amount on HR technology solutions as they did in 2013. 33 percent plan to spend
somewhat more, while 14 percent of the respondents plan to spend significantly more to change
their HR technology systems.
Recommendations & Implementation
Based on what we know about DigitalGlobe, Inc., we recommend switching to a Solution
Centers Model. We recommend this model because it combines the Business Partner and Shared
Services Model; its a happy medium between the two. The following are additional benefits that
DigitalGlobe, Inc. will enjoy:
Strategic Focus
Cost Savings and Efficiency
Higher HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio
Flexible HR resources that can be shifted to the highest priorities
A detailed analysis of switching to this model will be covered in the actual report. Some main
points include: diagnose current problems, set goals and steps to achieve company goals, make
sure everyone is onboard with the transition, and do not become complacent once
implementation is in place.

Section 1: Research
HR Models
Task Model
The Task Model is a theoretical model that is not used by many companies but was an
early attempt to introduce strategic elements into Human Resources (HR). The main idea of the
task model is to split HR functions into day-to-day operational tasks and long-term strategic
tasks. Categorizing HR tasks by scope and focusing on easy transfer-ability of HR resources.
In this model, employees are a strategic resource that need to be developed for either
operational, or strategic roles within the organization. That means that companies using this
model need sufficient people working in the HR department to meet all the demands of the
company: operating needs and strategic development.
Advantages: It relies heavily on the personal touch and is relatively fluid in its ability to
meet both company and employee needs (they are not mutually exclusive). Ensures that the
company is dealing with the current day to day issues and looking towards future growth and
opportunities.
Disadvantages: People cannot be managed mechanistically or placed in all types of
roles/responsibilities. Thus, cross-cultural training and in-career development strategies must be
designed to avoid potential misplacement of people.
Company that uses it: LiquaDry, inc. (manufacturing).
High-Touch Service Model

The High-Touch Service Model is characterized by a high amount of face-to-face

interaction between HR professionals and the employees they serve. The emphasis of this model
is placed on making sure the employees are well-served, especially regarding sensitive or
confidential issues. HR professionals will work personally with employees if the situation calls
for it.
Advantages: This model is very useful and decisions, to a large degree, are pushed to the
lowest level. The ability to give personal service, technology and training to employees. Service
oriented with significance influence in the organization. High consistency of employee
quality/competency and provides stability across departments.
Disadvantages: It is not in harmony with current thought and philosophy. It requires a lot
of people to effectively provide the needed HR delivery. Does not utilize technology to reduce
administrative workload of HR employees.
Companies that use it: Precor (consumer products), Walmart (Retail).
Business Partner Model
The Business Partner Model began in 1997 when Dave Ulrichs book, Human Resource
Champions, was released. Before that time, HR had consisted mainly of administrative tasks
performed by generalists or groups of specialists. HR employees often felt that their function
within companies was not well-respected or acknowledged by the company(Jamieson). As
companies worked to become more efficient and ensure that all company functions were
contributing to profitability, they pressured HR to contribute more to the company strategy. As a
result, HR had to evolve and the Business Partner Model was the primary solution for searching

companies.

The main purpose of the Business Partner Model is to strategically connect human capital
with the business and its goals. (Lambert 7) This is accomplished by assigning a Business
Partner (BP), a group of well-rounded HR professionals, to specific business divisions or
regional areas. These BPs focus on the specific human capital needs of that business division or
region and use their knowledge of the business division to address those needs as efficiently as
possible.

Advantages: Division and line managers appreciate that they have one contact for all of
their HR needs and do not need to communicate with different HR people for every different task
they needed done.
The Business Partner Model improves company efficiency by placing the primary
emphasis on understanding and furthering the company strategy instead of just doing
administrative work. Instead of being unconnected from what is important to the company, HR
professionals are an integral part of furthering company objectives.
According to Corporate Research Forum, when a company changes to a Business Partner
Model, HR functions should then comprise fewer, better deployed and more effective
professionals, better able to contribute to business agendas.(Lambert 7) Companies will be able
to accomplish the same amount with fewer HR employees, thereby improving department
efficiency.
Disadvantages: If a company does not do a good enough job automating or outsourcing
administrative HR tasks, BPs can become tied down with transactional work and administration.
BPs are then unable to focus on the strategic functions that are their primary responsibility and
the model becomes no more efficient than other HR models.
If not handled correctly, line managers can think that BPs are adding more work for them
to do instead of reducing their workload and making things easier for them. BPs need to ensure
that they are working with line and division managers in such a way, that the managers feel that
their job is made easier (Lambert 10).
Often, BPs are not completely clear on what their responsibilities include. They may feel
that they need to have all of the answers and do everything HR related for their customer.
There may be conflicting views between BPs and employees in Centers of Excellence regarding
who has responsibility for certain tasks (Holley 11).
Companies using this model: This model is very popular and used by a large percentage
of companies. Some of the companies that use this model are Novell (technology), Honeywell
(technology), Weyerhaeuser (timberland management), J.M Smucker Company (consumer
products), and Teva (Healthcare).

http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/2010/0910/PublishingImages/C
RFReseach.pdf
http://www.henley.ac.uk/web/FILES/corporate/clHenley_Centre_HR_models_desk_research_October_2009.pdf
http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hr/features/1014777/the-business-partner-model-lessons-learned
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.hrps.org/resource/resmgr/p_s_article_preview/hrps_issue29.2_des
igningorga.pdf
http://www.theodcenter.com/strategic-business-partner-role-definition-knowledge-skillsoperating-tensions

Shared Services Model

The Shared Services Model is the among the most popular HR Model of the five. Based
on Tower Watson Corporations research, Tower Watson says that almost half of today
companies that are changing their HR models are changing over to a shared services one with
business partners and centers of excellence. This model is the strongest option and the most
available out of all the HR models. (HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey Executive
Summary Report 2013, 4).[i]
Figure 3.0 above gives a quick overview of what the Shared Service Model
accomplishes. Simply, this model bridges the front-line employees to the managerial staff to
better coordinate efforts. This model utilizes the Business Partners for the front-line employees
and incorporates Centers of Excellence for the management teams. Then, the shared model
introduces a middle group that is made up of HR employees with varied skill sets that can be
easily transferred between projects. The end result is expanded flexibility and integration of HR
resources for better service delivery.
The HR shared services model generally handles HR administration/transactions and
deliver HR services to HRs customers (managers and employees). These services are payroll,
benefits administration, salary administration, training administration, employee relations. HR
shared service centers often are the first line of communication with employees regarding these
various services and issues, as well as more advanced advice and support.
Advantages: This model aligns work priorities of all the employees so everyone is
informed and not wasting resources on unnecessary tasks, promotes standardized processes and
policies, and allows resources to be shared across the business. Overall, the Shared Services
Model will increase efficiency and effectiveness of HR services (State of Illinois Shared Services
Program 2013).[ii]
The shared services model allows each HR partner to meet with many levels of the
organization and understand the business more closely. It gives HR professionals a variety of

available experiences and provides good value to the business. It also has increased efficiency
and reduced costs dramatically while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
Disadvantages: If employees are not fully capable of handling different job functions,
there can be confusion and impaired business performance. Plus, the model may have unclear
lines of accountability if key roles and responsibilities are not specified up front.
More automation in scheduling, benefits administration, performance management,
among others, this model still uses many manual processes. This model also needs an increase
ease of access to information.
Another disadvantage in this model is that there is almost no personal touch between the
employees and the HR people. Most of the issues are dealt over the phone, which does not make
the employees feel they have a personal touch.
Companies that use this model: Dell, Microsoft, DecisionWise, US Foods, Comcast,
Honeywell International (technology).
[i] 2013. HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey Executive Summary Report. Survey
Results, 1-8. New York: Tower Watson.
[ii] 2013. State of Illinois Shared Service Program. Accessed November 12, 2013.
http://www2.illinois.gov/sharedservices/Pages/hownewprogramworks.aspx
Solutions Center Model

The Solutions Center Model was created in order to address some perceived flaws in the
Business Partner Model. It has the same basic shape, with the addition of a new component: a
matrixed group of functional specialists that are the delivery engine for the back-end COE and
the front-end business partners. The front end of this model is similar to the front end of the
Business Partner Model, with a customer-facing team but instead of many levels of generalists,

they have smaller teams with the skills focused on the work of organization assessment, design
and development, and talent management. The scope of the front end is comparatively small. In
some extreme cases only one person takes care of a whole line of business or a whole functional
area. The number of people on the Business Partner teams does not depend on the number of
executives on the management team, but depends instead on the complexity of the business
function.
Because the front end is very light, the middle is somewhat overarching. The Centers
of Excellence are similar to the back end of the Business Partner Model but they are also
lighter: small groups of true specialists with deep expertise that make policy and adjudicate
issues but do not usually deliver the work. They also provide a link externally and to other
business functionssuch as strategic planning, finance, or process reengineeringwhose work
more and more overlaps with that of HR.
Advantages: Strong strategic business partner roles and global centers of expertise.
Strong understanding of the business and seat at the table. Strong impact on talent management
and leadership development. Aligned to strategic businesses, work directly in their specific
needs, strong centers of excellence, a major contributor to the business, valued contributor,
strong support from external suppliers. Able to bring a level of high-touch interaction with
business leaders while also driving efficiency and innovation through COEs and shared services.
Great emphasis on connecting and supporting each business unit.
Amy Kates, an HR specialist at Downey Kates Associates, says, Disconnecting the
majority of staff from the front end also makes for much easier shifting of resources to those
parts of the business that have differentiated human capital requirements, because the people are
not all tied up in the front-end business units (Kates 2006, 27).[i]
[i] Kates, Amy. 2005. "(Re) Designing the HR Organization." Human Resource Planning 29.2
22-30.
Disadvantages: More applications of effective employee and supervisor self-service. The
business partner roles are split between two people: one focused on strategy and senior talent,
and one focused on program implementation and transactional requirements. This model is
confusing to the client and needs to be more user-friendly.
Companies using this model: Some of the companies who use this model are Eli Lilly
(healthcare), Oracle (technology), Bridgeway Search Group (executive recruiting), Kraft Foods
Group (consumer products), American Express (financial services), and Intel Corporation
(technology).
Supports managers and staff for workforce planning, performance management, employee
relations, individual and organizational development, and overall coordination of HR service
delivery

Serves as HR generalists and business partners for client groups in University

administration, CUSP, ISAW, and NYU Shanghai

Proactively recommends innovative solutions and leads initiatives that enhance

organizational effectiveness and contribute to the achievement of NYUs vision and mission

Influences and advises assigned senior clients on people and related matters, and acts
as a trusted advisor on sensitive and/or critical issues


Contributes to strategy and plan development by supporting University leaders to
identify, prioritize, and build organizational climate, capabilities, behaviors, structures, and
processes

Ensures high quality delivery of fundamental HR services through meaningful

metrics, reports, dashboards, and continuous process improvement, and is a highly ethical,
visible member of client and HR leadership teams

Section 2: Pulse Survey Results (Heading)

As part of our research, we sent a pulse survey, comprised of 18 questions, out to 566 HR
employees in over 10 different industries. We had 122 fully completed surveys and 68 partially
completed surveys that were over 60 percent complete. We identified these individuals using
LinkedIn, Lead411, and the BYU Alumni Office. This part of the report will address the
following:
Demographic Information
HR Model Key Findings
Demographic Information (Sub heading)
This section of the report will cover various demographic data about the participants:
Global Vs. Local Companies
HR Experience
Company Size Scale
Global Vs. Local Companies (Super Sub heading)
One of the pulse survey questions asked the HR representative if their company did business on a
global or local scale. 68 percent of our respondents indicated that their company is global,
meaning their company has multiple locations inside and outside of the United States. 32 percent
of the participants are local companies, has multiple locations only inside of the United States.
HR Experience (Super Sub heading)
Another question in the survey asked about the survey participants work experience. Only five
percent of the survey participants have zero to two years experience working in the HR field. 17
percent said they have worked between 3-5 years in HR. 23 percent of respondents indicated
they have worked between 5-10 years in HR. And, 55 percent said they have worked in the field
of HR for over 10 years.
Company Size Scale (Super Sub heading)
We reached out to many different sized organizations.
HR Model Key Findings (Sub heading)
The HR activities which we asked survey participants whether or not they outsourced are the
following: (1) Benefits, (2) Compensation, (3) Employee Relations, (4) Performance
Management, (5) Recruiting, and (6) Training & Development.

The business functions we asked about being automated, utilizing technology, are the following:
(1) Employee Self-Service, (2) Manager Self-Service Portal, (3) Policies and Procedures, (4)
Performance Management, and (5) Training.
This next section will cover the following key findings, for each of the five HR models discussed
in the previous section:
Background About This Models Survey Participants
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks
Outsourcing HR Activities
Automated HR Functions
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio
Change in Technology Spending in 2014
For the purpose of this report, we found averages with the data we collected on each of these
categories so we could more easily compare the results across all five models.
Task Model
Background About This Models Survey Participants:
The Task Model only had two respondents, LiquaDry, Inc. and Tanner Clinic. Only Therefore,
this model is very uncommon and unpopular to implement. LiquaDry, Inc is in the
manufacturing Industry while Tanner Clinic is health-care. LiquaDry, Inc mentioned that this
model was good for meeting its needs since LiquaDry is a younger company and to some
degree still finding its feet in terms of policy and guideline development. The company size of
the two respondents was 0-1,500 employees, local companies. However, these two organizations
are increasing slightly to significantly compared to last year. So the companies are growing,
whether at a steady or heavy rate.
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
According to the results, 80 percent of the HR employees day is spent dealing with
administrative work. The remainder is devoted to strategic concerns with the company. This data
makes sense because the task model is primarily meant to help companies deal with business
operations to stay afloat.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
Of the six HR activities that we asked about, the respondents outsource between 0-20 percent of
the HR activities.
Automated HR Functions:
Of the five business functions, the participants automate between 0-20 percent of their business
functions.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
The average amount of HR employees to be in charge of regular employees is 1:120. From the
data, the lowest ratio being 1:80 and the highest being 1:160 equals an average of 1:120.
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:

LiquaDry is planning on spending somewhat more for HR technology solutions while Tanner
Clinic will spend about the same as it has in 2013.
High-Touch Model
The number of people who answered whether or not they use the High Touch Model was 21.
In the description, include the following: (Refer to the Task Model as an example)
Number of respondents
List of companies
Which is the primary industry
Comment/Quote
Company size of those using this model
Info about whether or not the business are growing or not
Background About This Models Survey Participants:
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
Outsourcing HR Activities:
Automated HR Functions:
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
Business Partner Model
In the description, include the following: (Refer to the Task Model as an example)
Number of respondents
List of companies
Which is the primary industry
Comment/Quote
Company size of those using this model
Info about whether or not the business are growing or not
Background About This Models Survey Participants:
There were 48 companies that selected the Business Partner Model as the HR model that their
company organization most closely resembles. The companies that selected this model were
Smith & Nephew, Access International Solutions and L3 Communications, Alcoa Forgings and
Extrusions, Kimberly Clark Corporation, General Mills, Avery Dennison Corporation, Ford
Motor Company, Riverbed Technology, Inc., Novell, Eaton Alliance, Booz Allen Hamilton,
Medline Industries, inContact, Marriott International, Grant Thornton LLP in Canada,
Intermountain Healthcare, KLA-Tencor, Spine, Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy,
CoreLogic, Weyerhaeuser, GE, TILT HR Consulting LLC, The Hartford Insurance Group, Teva,
IM Flash Technologies, Honeywell, Procter & Gamble, Cargill Meat Solutions, Citigroup,
American Electric Power, Social Security Admin, Tektronix, PepsiCo, Automatic Data
Processing, Idaho State University, Kootenai Health, H.J. Heinz Company, The CHurch of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, Boart Longyear, Avnet, Bank of America, Teva Pharmaceuticals, The
J.M. Smucker Company, Nu Skin, University of Alaska Anchorage, BD Medical, Citi.

These companies represent many different industries including Healthcare (19%), Technology
(17%), Consumer Products (17%), Financial Services (10%), and assorted other industries (38%,
Manufacturing, Professional Services, etc.). Of the 48 companies using the Business Partner
Model, 75% classify themselves as global companies while the other 25% consider themselves
local companies. For the HR Professionals that responded for this model, 4%had 0-2 years of HR
experience, 13% had 3-5 years, have 0-2 years of HR Experience, 13% have 3-5 years, 23% have
5-10 years, and 60% have 10+ years of HR Experience. The companies that use this model are of
varying size with 15% having 0-1,500 employees, 21% having 1,500-5,000 employees, 13%
having 5,000-10,000 employees, and 52% having more than 10,000 employees. There is not a
clear pattern to company growth for this set of companies with 13% having significantly less
employees than last year, 21% having slightly less employees, 23% having the same number of
employees, 33% having slightly more employees, and 10% having significantly more employees
than last year. Only 19% of those we surveyed using a Business Partner model are planning to
restructure or change their HR model and the main reason given is improved organizational
efficiency, followed by cost-savings and accommodation of change in company size.
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
For companies using the Business Partner Model, the average amount of time spent per day
handling administrative tasks is 55.63%. The minimum amount recorded by a respondent was
5%, while the greatest amount of time spent handling administrative tasks that we found was
100%.
Outsourcing HR Activities:
The functions that were outsourced the least were performance management and employee
relations, with only six respondents outsourcing each of those functions by any significant
amount and only two of those outsourcing each of them 80-100%. Compensation had 13
respondents outsourcing it significantly with 3 outsourcing it 80-100%. Recruiting was
outsourced more heavily with 23 respondents outsourcing recruiting by more than 20% and 4
respondents outsourcing it 80-100%. Training and Development was also outsourced a large
amount with 30 survey respondents outsourcing over 20% of that function and 2 outsourcing
training and development 80-100%. The majority of respondents said that their company
outsourced this function 20-40%. Finally, benefits was outsourced the most, with 31 respondents
outsourcing it more than 20%, including 10 that outsourced it 80-100%. For full results, please
refer to the appendix.
Automated HR Functions:
Companies using the Business Partner Model automated HR functions much more frequently
than they outsourced them. We wanted to know how much they automated the following HR
functions: employee self service, manager self service portal, policies and procedures,
performance management, and training scheduling. Each of these functions were heavily
automated with each one having more respondents say they automate them 80-100% than any
other amount. Few companies said that they do not automate these functions at all. There was a
fairly even amount of responses for each of the percentage ranges that we provided other than 020% and 80-100%. For full results, please refer to the appendix.
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:

The average HR ratio, defined as the number of HR employees over the number of non-HR
employees, for companies using the Business Partner was 1:152. The range of responses was
very large with the lowest ratio provided being 1:20 and the highest 1:800. This ratio can be
useful but needs to be used with caution because HR ratio is heavily influenced by company size.
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
To find current technology trends within HR, we asked survey respondents to indicate their
companys planned change in spending for HR technology in the coming calendar year. For
companies using the Business Partner Model, there is a definite trend towards spending as much
or more than they have in the past on HR technology solutions. One company said that they plan
to spend significantly less on technology next year than they did this year. Two companies said
they plan to spend slightly less on technology, 23 companies plan to spend the same amount as
last year, 19 companies plan to spend somewhat more on technology, and 3 companies plan to
spend significantly more on technology than they did last year.
Shared Service Model
In the description, include the following: (Refer to the Task Model as an example)
Number of respondents
List of companies
Which is the primary industry
Comment/Quote
Company size of those using this model
Info about whether or not the business are growing or not
Background About This Models Survey Participants:
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
Outsourcing HR Activities:
Automated HR Functions:
HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:
Change in Technology Spending in 2014:
Solution Center Model
In the description, include the following: (Refer to the Task Model as an example)
Number of respondents
List of companies
Which is the primary industry
Comment/Quote
Company size of those using this model
Info about whether or not the business are growing or not
Background About This Models Survey Participants:
Time Spent Dealing Administrative vs. Strategic Tasks:
Outsourcing HR Activities:
Automated HR Functions:

HR Employee to Regular Employee Ratio:

Change in Technology Spending in 2014:

Section 3: Recommendations and Implementation

Recommendation:
Based on our limited knowledge of the current situation at DigitalGlobe Inc., we
recommend transitioning to a Solution Centers Model. We recommend this model because it
combines the strategic focus of the Business Partner Model with the cost savings and efficiency
of the Shared Services Model. We feel that it is extremely important to work directly with the
line and function managers through the Business Partner position, but it seems that the Business
Partner Model can create redundancies and unnecessary cost in some instances. Therefore, we
suggest having minimal HR presence in locations overseas functioning as Business Partners or
liaisons and keeping most of your HR personnel in a central location to handle the majority of
the HR delivery services. Because we dont have a lot of specific information regarding your
current situation and cant diagnose the issues personally, it is impossible to give a detailed
implementation plan, but we have presented below a general plan for implementation that can be
adapted to fit your circumstances.
Implementation:
In order to properly implement an organizational change or a new system, you would
need to first diagnose where you are at currently. Understanding what the problems are with the
current system as well as any underlying causes of those problems helps ensure that any new
system will address those issues. Sometimes a perceived problem is not the real issue at all and it
is important to determine what issues arise from the specific HR model and what issues come

from underlying causes that arent directly associated with the specific HR model, such as
coworker interaction.
Once the problems of the current situation have been properly diagnosed it becomes
possible to create a vision of what the organization should look like in the future. The future
vision of the organization involves setting goals for what you hope to accomplish. Usually that
means identifying key metrics that are important to the company such as cost per hire, average
time to fill an open position, and employee turnover. Once the key metrics you want to improve
are identified it becomes easier to choose the HR model that will best fix the problems seen. Its
important to clearly design what the organization will look like and how it will function as
specifically as possible.
After the vision for the future has been clearly defined, it is necessary to decide the steps
needed to reach that future state. Creating a transition management team is useful for supporting
the change and tracking its progress. For each step identified, there needs to be someone
responsible for making sure that it is completed and a deadline should be set for its
completion.Keeping people accountable for the change accelerates the change and makes sure it
doesnt go stagnant. Also, as people begin to be placed in new teams or to change job
responsibilities, you need to make sure they are trained in the new tasks that they are expected to
perform and the new functions they are responsible for. Without adequate training, productivity
will suffer and often the change will not be very well received.
It is often useful to start a transition with aspects of the new system that are most similar
to what you already have. This allows you to deal with aspects of the change with which you
already have experience and are familiar. For instance, if you are transitioning from a Business
Partner Model to a Solutions Center Model, you would first focus on transforming the BPs and

the Centers of Excellence into the form they need to be in the new system before really working
to optimize the Solutions Centers and their functions. It would be impossible to not create
Solutions Centers until you are done changing the BPs and Centers of Excellence because they
are all interdependent, but to try to make everything just right at the same time is often not
possible as well. Breaking the change into sequential steps allows a company to make the
transition at a pace that gives them opportunity to adapt.
In your change, one of the most vital aspect is making sure everyone is on board and buys
into the change. It is very difficult to manage a successful change if the employees dont want to
change. Some useful tools for helping employees want to change include involving them in
planning the change, letting them know the reasons behind the change, and giving them relevant
incentives to change. All of these tools reduce resistance to the change and help everyone get on
board and work together to make the change successful. You can involve employees in planning
the change by including some employees from each HR section or area on the transition
management team. That way, every HR group has a say in the way the change is implemented
and is more willing to support it. Employees also are much more likely to support a change if
they understand managements reasoning behind making the change. If they dont see why the
change needs to happen then they will just see the change as extra effort for them without any
real benefit. Finally, providing incentives in connection with supporting the change that the
employees care about, such as flexible hours, gift cards to popular stores, reserved parking, etc.
gives the employees added motivation to make the change successful. If there are employees or
managers that resist the change, it is vital to work with them and resolve their concerns using the
tools above.

Once the change has been implemented, it is very easy to become complacent as a
company and as individuals and slowly slip back to the old habits and responsibilities that you
used to have. Sustaining the change is one of the most important steps of managing change
because without it, the expense and effort of the change is wasted. Some mechanisms for
sustaining change include periodic team meetings, change-related performance reviews, and
long-term incentive systems encouraging the change. As you evaluate the effectiveness of the
change, you can continue to make adjustments to the transition. The transition management team
should report regularly on the progress and projections of the change. Through sustained effort
the change can be realized and made to stick for the company.