Ready for HR partnering? : The shape of things to come

Purpose – Highlights the reasons for the move to HR partnering and the advantages it can bring. Design/methodology/approach – Suggests three essentials of successful HR partnering – understanding, resources and credibility. Explores each in some depth, and illustrates them with cases based on the experience of European companies. Findings – Advances the view that there is no one best way to implement partnering; the HR model and its pace of introduction should be tailored to the organization. Practical implications – Offers practical advice and suggestions on judging readiness for partnering, and for putting the key requirements in place. Originality/value – Helps readers to gauge their organizations’ readiness for partnering, and to avoid some of the pitfalls. Also proves valuable to organizations that have begun their partnering journey.