Hackett: 2023 HR Key Issues Research Finds Troubling Disconnect Between Critical Priorities and the Ability to Execute Improvements

Rhea-AI Summary

The Hackett Group's new HR Key Issues research highlights a disconnect between HR priorities and their ability to implement improvements for 2023. Key findings show that while developing effective executives is the top priority, less than 40% of HR organizations have initiatives to support this. Additionally, HR faces a 10.5% expected increase in workload with minimal staffing and budget growth, and a slowdown in HR tech spending from 9.1% to 1.8%. Less than 20% of organizations utilize advanced analytics effectively, indicating a lack of strategic workforce planning capabilities. The research emphasizes the need for HR to align priorities with investments.

Positive

• Top HR priority for 2023 is developing effective executives.
• Focus on recruiting, retention, and enabling growth remains strong.

Negative

• Less than 40% of HR organizations have major initiatives for developing executives.
• Only 23% have planned initiatives to act as strategic advisors to the business.
• HR workload expected to increase by 10.5% with minimal budget growth.
• Growth in HR tech spending is expected to slow to only 1.8%.

MIAMI & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- There’s a troubling disconnect between human resources (HR) organizations’ priorities for 2023 and their ability to make improvements, according to new HR Key Issues research from The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT).

Six of the 10 top HR priorities represent business and enterprise goals related to human capital, indicating that HR remains focused on its role in enabling the success of the overall enterprise. But HR executives do not consider any of the top 10 priorities to be well supported or sufficiently funded, The Hackett Group^® found. In fact, the top seven objectives are all critical development areas – priorities of high importance but for which confidence in the ability to deliver is mixed. In most cases HR organizations also do not have improvement initiatives planned in 2023 to address their cited priorities, indicating a potential mismatch between priorities and investments of resources.

The research revealed that developing executives who can lead effectively in a changing business environment is the top priority for HR in 2023. Recruiting and retention and enabling growth both remain high priorities for 2023, while acting as a strategic advisor and creating/maintaining a high-performing culture fill out the list of top five priorities.

In addition, HR leaders face increasing productivity and efficiency gaps, with workload expected to increase by 10.5% and only minimal increases in staffing and budgets, the research found. Growth in HR tech spending is also expected to slow to just 1.8% in 2023, far less than last year’s 9.1% projected increase, which will make it more challenging for HR to rely on technology to close efficiency gaps. At the same time, HR technology adoption is expected to grow in 2023. Cloud-based core human capital management suites have become pervasive and successful, as have process management/workflow tools and HR point solutions.

While improving insight is key to an HR organization’s ability to anticipate shifts in demand, supply of skills, and changes in the labor market, the research found that most lack effective strategic workforce planning capabilities. Small-scale deployments of advanced analytics, data visualization and master data management are the norm, with less than 20% of all HR organizations reporting large-scale implementations.

A complimentary version of The Hackett Group’s 2023 CHRO Agenda research is available, with registration, at http://go.poweredbyhackett.com/23hrkey2301sm.

“Clearly, HR is recognizing the pressing need to equip managers to guide their organizations through today’s challenging business environment. This is why leadership has been elevated to the top priority for 2023, up from the seventh spot last year,” said Senior Research Director Anthony DiRomualdo. “But less than 40% of HR organizations said they have a major initiative to address this objective, and executives expressed low confidence in their ability to deliver improvements. Significant change won’t happen without action.

“Another area of concern is the No. 3 priority – acting as a strategic advisor to the business,” DiRomualdo continued. “With so many people-related issues affecting business success, this is critical. But only 23% of HR organizations have a major 2023 initiative planned to address this objective – the lowest among the top 10 priorities. Strategic workforce planning capabilities, which are key to the ability to serve as a strategic advisor, are also a significant issue. Yet only 9% of respondents consider their organizations highly effective in translating business strategy into talent implications. Similarly, most HR organizations lack highly effective capabilities for identifying risks associated with attraction and retention of critical talent. These are all troubling signs for HR moving forward.”

According to Associate Principal Franco Girimonte, “Many of the changes over the past three or four years have caught HR off guard, and I think HR leaders are realizing they need to be better prepared. If you think of all of the uncertainties today, including inflation, the economic cycle, the impact on the cost structure what’s happening with your workforce, it’s understandable that HR is focused on how to develop executives who can lead more effectively in an unpredictable environment.

“But there are concerning signs of a real disconnect between stated priorities, investments and confidence in their ability to deliver. At the same time, workload is increasing significantly, with little to no increases in staffing and budgets, and a significant reduction in the growth rate of spending on HR technology,” said Girimonte. “So HR operations are going to have to focus on cost reduction and improving efficiency as well, which will make it more challenging to effectively transform the HR organization, improve talent management, and leverage data and advanced analytics to produce insights. If these gaps and disconnects continue, HR organizations are likely to fall behind, and when the next crisis hits, it will be even more of a struggle to keep up.”

The Hackett Group’s 2023 Key Issues research series is based on results gathered from more than 350 executives in finance, procurement, supply chain, HR, information technology, and global business services at a global set of midsized and large enterprises.

About The Hackett Group

The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT) is a leading benchmarking, research advisory and strategic consultancy firm that enables organizations to achieve Digital World Class^™ performance.

Drawing upon our unparalleled intellectual property from more than 25,000 benchmark studies and our Hackett-Certified^® best practices repository from the world’s leading businesses – including 97% of the Dow Jones Industrials, 93% of the Fortune 100, 73% of the DAX 30 and 52% of the FTSE 100 – captured through our leading benchmarking platform, Quantum Leap^® and our Digital Transformation Platform, we accelerate digital transformations, including enterprise cloud implementations.

More information on The Hackett Group is available at: www.thehackettgroup.com, info@thehackettgroup.com, or by calling (770) 225-3600.

The Hackett Group, Hackett-Certified, quadrant logo, World Class Defined and Enabled, Quantum Leap and Digital Excelleration are the registered marks of The Hackett Group.

Cautionary Statement Regarding “Forward-Looking” Statements

This release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements including without limitation, words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” seeks,” “estimates,” or other similar phrases or variations of such words or similar expressions indicating, present or future anticipated or expected occurrences or outcomes are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may impact such forward-looking statements include without limitation, the ability of The Hackett Group to effectively market its digital transformation and other consulting services, competition from other consulting and technology companies that may have or develop in the future, similar offerings, the commercial viability of The Hackett Group and its services as well as other risk detailed in The Hackett Group’s reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Hackett Group does not undertake any duty to update this release or any forward-looking statements contained herein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230323005108/en/

Gary Baker, Global Communications Director - (917) 796-2391 or gbaker@thehackettgroup.com

Source: The Hackett Group, Inc.

FAQ

What are the top HR priorities for 2023 according to The Hackett Group?

The top HR priorities include developing executives, recruiting and retention, and enabling growth.

How much is the expected increase in HR workload for 2023?

HR workload is expected to increase by 10.5%.

What is the forecasted growth rate of HR technology spending?

HR technology spending growth is expected to slow to 1.8% in 2023.

What percentage of HR organizations have initiatives to develop executives?

Less than 40% of HR organizations have major initiatives to develop executives.

How many HR organizations plan to act as strategic advisors in 2023?

Only 23% of HR organizations have planned initiatives to act as strategic advisors.