The HR Business Partner (HRBP) model has gained popularity for good reason. For organizations, it transforms HR into a strategic partner that addresses business challenges and contributes directly to organizational goals. For HR leaders, it offers the chance to drive efficiency, build credibility, and make an impact at strategic, tactical, and operational levels.
But with so much potential, how can we ensure the HRBP model truly delivers on these promises?
To turn the model into momentum, we’ve developed and validated a blueprint for implementation — the AIHR HRBP Effectiveness Measure. This framework offers a practical guide to help HR leaders set the HRBP model up for success. Backed by research involving 961 HR teams, it provides actionable steps to help you prioritize and make better decisions.
In this article, we’ll explain how the measure works and discuss the six key dimensions needed to ensure success. We’ll also highlight insights from our research to help you drive real impact within your organization.
Why an HRBP Effectiveness Measure is needed
As organizations face more pressure to deliver results while building for the future, there’s a growing focus on organizational effectiveness. It’s no longer just about achieving goals; it’s about creating sustainable outcomes that drive long-term success. For HR leaders, this means determining how to build an HR function that’s both effective today and ready for tomorrow.
But, frequently, HR teams don’t know where to start when it comes to defining what effectiveness looks like for HR or identifying the factors that drive it. That’s where the HRBP Effectiveness Measure can help.
We’ve developed these criteria to guide HR leaders in implementing an impactful HRBP model within their organizations. It helps to practically put the theory into practice, giving HR leaders a clear, actionable framework to set their HRBP teams up for success.
The AIHR HRBP Effectiveness Measure explained
The HRBP Effectiveness Measure outlines six key dimensions essential for success. The framework is built around five interconnected dimensions, all supported and balanced by a central sixth dimension.
The five key dimensions are:
- Strategy: Aligning HR objectives with overarching business priorities.
- Structure: Defining the operating model, roles, and responsibilities needed to execute the strategy.
- Skills: Ensuring the right talent and expertise are in place to meet expectations.
- Systems of Work: Leveraging processes, systems, and technology to enable effective execution.
- Stakeholders: Building strong partnerships and collaboration with the business.
At the center of the model is HR leadership and culture (the sixth dimension), which ties these dimensions together to ensure alignment and effective execution.
The external environment and business realities provide the context in which this model operates, shaping how HR actions are guided.
Below, we’ll further explain each dimension, highlighting key strengths and challenges they face.
1. Strategy
A strong HR function starts with a clear, aligned strategy that ties HR priorities directly to business outcomes. A well-defined HR strategy also clearly shows value and impact by demonstrating measurable value, showing how it supports and enables business outcomes.
- When it works: HR delivers clear value, aligns with business expectations, and has a structured operating model to execute strategic initiatives.
- When it fails: HR struggles to demonstrate impact, misallocates resources, and remains disconnected from business priorities.
What our research says
Strategy is the highest-rated success pillar by HR teams.
Most HR professionals believe in the strength of their strategy, with 71% of respondents indicating confidence in aligning HR strategy with business objectives. Yet, only 56% feel confident in proving the value of that strategy.
This reveals a skills gap in the ability to translate strategic plans into measurable results.
HRBP Effectiveness Model Strategy DimensionMoving from strategy to execution
Strategy is closely connected to the execution dimensions of Structure and Systems of Work, showing that strategic alignment and operational execution go hand in hand. In particular, technology-enabled HR practices play a key role in demonstrating HR’s strategic value. A strong HR strategy uses technology-driven systems to deliver measurable value to the business.
2. Structure
A well-defined HR operating model is essential to translating strategy into impact. Structure determines how work is allocated, how decisions are made, and HR’s role within the business. Structure is the cornerstone of building the right execution capability within HR.
- When it works: HR structure aligns with business needs, roles and responsibilities are clear, and work is efficiently allocated.
- When it fails: Confusion, inefficiency, and unclear accountability limit HR’s ability to deliver effectively.
What our research says
Structure is one of the lowest-scoring dimensions within the model, with 45% of respondents identifying it as a concern for their teams despite some confidence in the operating model fit.
The issue, however, goes beyond the right operating model. Creating execution capacity through the HR operating model is the biggest challenge that HR leaders face, with only 56% of HR professionals confident that the operating model helps them execute effectively.
This illustrates a common measure pattern: HR models often look effective in theory but fail to integrate into daily workflows, processes, and behaviors.
Enabling the structure through technology
Strong relationships between execution capacity, HR service delivery, and technology enablement show that execution heavily depends on HR’s ability to leverage systems and technology. Yet, many organizations still lag in this area. Even well-designed strategies and models struggle to create meaningful impact without effective HR service delivery and technology integration.
3. Systems of Work
Systems of work include processes, technology, data, and governance to maximize efficiency and impact to support execution. These are critical for HR service delivery and business partnering, as they inform key decisions and enable robust partnering aligned to business expectations.
- When it works: HR is data-driven, operates with streamlined processes, integrates technology, and proactively mitigates people risks.
- When it fails: HR remains bogged down in manual work, lacks evidence-based decision-making, and struggles to scale its impact.
What our research says
42% of HR leaders indicate they don’t have adequate systems of work in place. This significantly impacts their ability to execute the strategy through the structure. Specifically, driving technology-enabled evidence-based HR practices is the biggest challenge for HR. This impacts HR’s overall service delivery and creates friction in ways of working within the team.
Connecting planning and execution
Systems of Work play a key role in connecting Strategy and Structure, acting as a bridge between planning and execution. When designed effectively, these systems align processes, technology, and organizational structures to support smooth delivery. This is especially evident in smaller organizations, where strong Systems of Work enhance agility and make it easier to adopt modern tools and methods for greater impact.
4. Skills
HR can only execute effectively if it has the right skills to deliver within its structure. A capable team drives strategy, engages the business, and ensures sustainable impact. This also means that HR has to know what skills are needed in the future, what skills exist within the function and focus development efforts on closing the gaps.
- When it works: Team members can operate independently, HR engages strategically, and talent development supports performance.
- When it fails: Teams become overwhelmed, reactive, and lose business trust due to an inability to deliver results.
What our research says
Skills are another major concern for most HR teams.
The biggest challenge that 50% of HR leaders say they face lies in identifying the right HR skills to meet strategic goals, accessing the skills needed now and in the future, and developing talent to close current gaps while preparing for future needs.
Our research indicates that only 61% of HR professionals can identify the skills they need to be effective. However, only 60% of HR respondents indicate they have the skills they need.
HRBP Effectiveness Measure Skills DimensionPrioritizing digital and data skills
Skills gaps are particularly prevalent in data and digital capabilities. This is especially concerning as AI and labor market shifts accelerate transformation. Our data suggests that skill-building is increasingly tied to technological capabilities. If technology enablement is challenging for HR, skill development efforts may fall short because of inadequate access to tools and systems. This skills gap directly impacts HR’s ability to design and implement effective work systems, limiting impact.
5. Stakeholders
HR’s ability to execute depends on its relationships, networks, and influence. It starts with understanding the stakeholder landscape and implementing mechanisms that support proactive partnerships. Strong stakeholder management ensures HR has a seat at the table for key decisions and secures buy-in for key initiatives.
- When it works: HR is a trusted partner who is involved in strategic discussions and helps shape business priorities.
- When it fails: HR is excluded from decision-making, seen as transactional, and struggles to influence business direction.
What our research says
Most HR teams (69%) are effective at stakeholder management, enabling the HRBP model’s success. Being able to identify stakeholders, strategically partner with them on joint strategic objectives, and collaborate proactively ensures that HR builds credibility and can get buy-in into key initiatives.
Proactively collaborating within smaller organizations
Smaller organizations are particularly effective at proactive collaboration, likely due to flatter hierarchies and closer interaction between HR and leaders. This shows the importance of collaboration and influence beyond traditional hierarchy and structure constraints to truly unlock value for stakeholders.
6. HR Leadership and Culture
HR leadership and culture align these five focus areas, ensuring clear priorities, credibility, and cohesion within the function. It is the unifying force within the HR function that guides the team, and creates external visibility and credibility with business.
- When it works: HR leaders create clarity, support collaboration, and make decisive, business-aligned decisions.
- When it fails: HR lacks direction, credibility suffers, and internal politics overshadow business needs.
What our research says
HR leadership is a notable strength that enables HR effectiveness. It is the highest-scoring dimension, with 73% of HR teams noting this as their strength. What sets successful teams apart is the ability of HR leadership to model ethical integrity, build stakeholder trust, advocate for people, and create a culture of feedback within the organization.
Influencing beyond leadership
HR’s leadership success is closely tied to its ability to foster cross-functional collaboration. This reflects HR’s ability to work across teams and drive change, a critical skill in large, matrixed organizations where influence is key. By leveraging strong leadership and stakeholder influence, HR can guide business strategy and organizational culture.
External context and business realities
The external environment and business realities provide the context within which the HR organization needs to operate.
This ensures that HR is aligned with market shifts, workforce dynamics, and technological advancements. It also reinforces the idea that HR should never operate independently of the business context. Instead, the five dimensions are anchored in the realities of the organization and the broader landscape, enabling HR to adapt and drive sustained impact.
Taking action
Our research insights highlight five key takeaways for HR leaders to consider when implementing the HRBP model or evaluating its effectiveness.
- Most HR teams face a critical gap in moving from strategy to execution: HR has made progress in aligning with business strategy but must focus on execution—ensuring that models, systems, and workflows translate strategy into real results.
- Technology and data gaps create a missing tactical layer: HR’s ability to execute depends on its ability to harness technology and data as tactical enablers. Until misaligned systems and poor data infrastructure are addressed, execution challenges will persist.
- Persistent skills deficits remain a challenge for HR to address: HR’s digital and data skills gap is a significant roadblock to execution. Without the right skills, HR struggles to implement effective work structures and leverage technology, further widening the execution gap.
- Scaling organizations presents complexity challenges for HR effectiveness: Smaller, more agile HR teams are better at execution, while larger organizations struggle with complexity. To scale effectively, HR must focus on reducing bureaucracy, streamlining decision-making, and maintaining execution agility as businesses grow.
- Stakeholder influence and leadership as HR’s core strengths: HR’s stakeholder influence and leadership capacity are among its greatest strengths. HR plays a crucial role in driving organizational alignment and change by fostering trust, collaboration, and ethical leadership.
Over to you
HRBP impact is about more than just implementing an operating model. It requires careful consideration and intentional implementation of six factors related to Strategy, Structure, Systems of Work, Skills, Stakeholders, and Leadership.
Based on our research, HR’s biggest challenge to creating impact remains the execution gap. This reflects the inability to translate strategy into business impact due to misaligned structures, weak technology foundations, and skills deficits. Closing this gap will require investments in systems of work, digital enablement, and execution excellence, ensuring that HR functions can move beyond strategy design and toward real-world value creation.
