I came across insights from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) raising a critical question: are CHROs truly positioned to drive business performance today?
The direction feels clear: the role of HR is shifting from support to value creation.
Many HR functions continue to operate comfortably in areas they can control. Compliance, processes, operational efficiency.
Necessary, but insufficient.
The real shift is harder. It requires CHROs to move closer to how the business actually creates value.
Four moves matter here:
🔹Treat business performance as the starting point. HR priorities should be shaped by what the business is trying to achieve, not by functional agendas.
🔹Take ownership of digital and AI, not as tools for HR efficiency, but as drivers of how work gets done across the organisation.
🔹Build capability with intent. Skills, leadership and workforce planning need to be directly connected to strategy, not developed in isolation.
🔹Ensure follow-through. Without discipline in execution, even well-designed people strategies lose impact.
None of this is new, but it requires a level of consistency and focus that many organisations still underestimate.
The CHRO role has already changed, but leaders need to work on whether the function is ready to operate at that level.