Interestingly, I recently learned that the term 'stakeholder' was coined at Stanford Research Institute in 1963 to describe 'those groups without whose support the organization would cease to exist'.
I then started thinking about the term 'table stakes', which lead me to Wikipedia. Table stakes:
HR is both table stakes and a stakeholder for an organization. It gets an unbelievably bad rap in some circles, but these days, I don't believe it's about HR needing a seat at the table. In fact, I believe they are the table. Of course, if HR begins to play offence, takes the bull by the horns, and enacts a human capital strategy that provides a more cohesive way in which employees can more efficiently do their job, then yes ... it makes sense. If HR remains passive, plays defence and simply takes marching orders from elsewhere, then no ... it cannot and will never be both. To be the 'table' of the organization, HR needs to provide a solid foundation... refers to the minimum entry requirement for a market or business arrangement. It can refer to pricing, cost models, technology, or other capability that represents a minimum requirement to have a credible competitive starting position in a market or other business arrangement.
that connects people to people and people to projects, ideas and information. It needs to make it easier for employees to do their job. When you sit at a table with other people, you naturally feel connected. It's a table and you're sharing. It could be that you're simply sharing the space, but nonetheless, you're sharing.
A table connects people. It can permit ideas to surface. It bridges distance. It acts as a solidifying force. It shares a meal.
It's easy.
HR should be the table of the organization.
Recent acquisitions and a seismic shift in the HR technology space only underlines what is in motion. The big guns like IBM, Oracle, SAP and Salesforce realized HR's opportunity to become a true stakeholder when they began gobbling up companies such as Kenexa, Taleo, SuccessFactors and Rypple. They saw it as table stakes.
For it to be a stakeholder in the organization -- to truly become the force that connects its employees and makes work-life more efficient and productive -- it needs to stop thinking a seat at the table is the ultimate win.
It's now time for HR to actually be the table. It's table stakes for the organization of tomorrow.
