9 Practical Steps to Realign HR to the Business

Most HR teams that recognize a misalignment with the business make the same mistake — they start by looking at what HR does today and try to evolve from there. That approach anchors the function to legacy structures and programs that may have no connection to what the business actually needs.

The right approach works in the opposite direction. It starts with the business — its objectives, its strategy, its capability gaps — and works backward to design the HR function the organization actually requires.

This framework, developed by Meklen, lays out a sequenced 9-step path from business understanding to HR transformation. Each step includes recommended assessment tools, frameworks, and methodologies that HR leaders can use to move from diagnosis to action — from the Business Model Canvas and Balanced Scorecard in the early discovery stages, to Kotter's 8-Step Change Model and Agile sprint planning when building the transformation roadmap.

Two foundational disciplines — Systems Thinking and Design Thinking — should be applied continuously across every step, ensuring that decisions account for organizational interdependencies and remain centered on the people the HR function serves.

The frameworks referenced are proven starting points, but every organization is unique. The sequence matters more than the specific tools — and the willingness to design the future HR function from scratch, rather than optimizing what already exists, is where the real shift begins.

Download the full framework below.