HR Transformation

In May 2022, Skye Duckett, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, created a 12-member cross-functional steering committee charged with engaging in research and data gathering to inform the development of a strategic plan which will chart GTHR’s course for the next several years.

The goal was to develop a clearly-defined, well-informed, data-driven and stakeholder-supported strategy for GTHR that aligns with the Institute’s and Administration and Finance’s strategic plans.

Thanks to a dynamic collaboration with Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting, the 15-week strategic planning process yielded GTHR’s new mission, vision, goals, and objectives.

Get To Know The New GTHR

GTHR is in the process of an organizational transformation in parallel with the launch of a new central service center, the ASC. The new design for GTHR will:

• Leverage the launch of the ASC as an opportunity to better support Institute leadership on people strategy,
• Add new roles to address organizational and Institute pain points,
• Provide new services to the Institute (e.g., recruitment branding, workforce and succession planning, people analytics), and
• Provide clearer career paths for HR staff that span the broader Institute.

Most importantly, we are seeking to create a seamless and efficient customer experience and partnership for all Georgia Tech students and employees.

Our Aspirations

GTHR aspires to:

• Provide best in class service and HR guidance to support the Institute.
• Be proactive rather than reactive.
• Bring a solution-oriented mindset.
• Enable and support institutional growth.
• Live the Institute’s goals and values.

Guiding Principles

These guiding principles informed the organizational design process:

• Deliver strategic HR functions that empower talent in line with the vision and goals for the Institute, colleges, and units
• Define a clear set of competencies and procedures that ensure consistent delivery on services that matter the most to end users
• Build a strong community among, and attractive career paths for, HR practitioners regardless of where they sit
• Build flexibility and agility into structures that allow the organization to deliver as needs evolve, while staying efficient and being no larger than necessary
• Design spans of control consistent with similar job functions and industry standards.

The focus on Administrative Excellence sets the foundation for a remarkable transformation for GTHR.

In the future state, HR services will be delivered to the Institute through multiple channels, all of which will be built upon and governed by the same core foundational components. ​

Here’s how implementing the shared service center transforms the day-to-day work for Georgia Tech HR professionals. As you can see from the image below, under the current, traditional model, much of the work performed by HR professionals is transactional. Focusing on transactions doesn’t leave much time for the advisement and functional work, and leaves even less time for strategic partnership and collaboration.  

As a portion of the workload shifts to the ASC, HR professionals will have expanded bandwidth and capacity to provide enhanced advisement and strategic support. This means they can be more empowered to provide impactful strategic services, such as workforce planning, employee engagement and retention strategies.

Here is summary of organizational changes and operational achievements that occurred in FY23.

• March 2022 Draft HR Transformation Plan 
• April 2022 Draft HR Transformation Plan
• April 2022 HR Transformation Launch