The David Ulrich HR model is used by big, customer-focused

companies around the world to improve efficiency and

efficacy in their HR departments.

Ulrich's model helps to organize roles and responsibilities

across HR departments, defining who is responsible and
accountable for the key tasks that contribute to the smooth
running of any business.

What is The David Ulrich HR model?

The Ulrich model of HR is a model that helps to organize
roles and responsibilities across HR departments. This HR
model was first introduced by David Ulrich in 1995 as a way
of organizing HR functions.

Meant particularly for large corporations with big and

unwieldy teams, the model is designed to streamline ways
of working and ensure every team member is clear on their
roles and responsibilities, and what they're accountable for.

Ulrich splits HR into four key sections:

Strategic Partner. The Strategic Partner is there to help

manage the development and growth of the workforce. They
look to the customer to see what they could make better,
and they review the systems and processes that might help
to deliver what the customer wants and needs more
efficiently.

Administrative Expert. The Administrative Expert has more

of an internally focused role. They manage costs, people,
and the overall delivery of the day-to-day 'business as usual'
output.

Change Agent. The Change Agent looks into the company's

overall culture and thinks about how it can be better, both
from a personal and professional perspective. They'll
connect with line managers to lead and facilitate change to
make the organization a better place for everyone.

Employee Champion. The Employee Champion aids

employees to speak up and ensures they feel heard and
respected at work. They support the delivery of processes
and practicalities that ensure safeguarding, and they can
also help to make sure the company's people are happier
and healthier, which is of huge overall benefit to the
organization.

This sets up the framework for a high-functioning HR

department and clearly defines which roles should be
focused on people and processes. Within those roles, it
states whether each individual should be looking at
operational or strategic planning.

The core goals attached to the model are to:

 Create a high-functioning and unified team structure

 Define every role in the department
 Ensure the company is performing to its best and
operating competitively
 Measure performance to consistently do better

The model was particularly revolutionary at the time as it

put talent sourcing and future-thinking firmly on the radar,
and showed them to be as significant as the more traditional
HR roles of employee assistance and administrative tasks.

Who is David Ulrich?

David Ulrich is a university professor, author, speaker,
management coach, and thought leader in HR.

He was born in Nevada in 1953 but grew up in Oregon. Ulrich

attended Birmingham Young University where he studied
University Studies, before earning a Ph.D. in Business
Organisation Theory.

The focus of Ulrich's professional career has been strategic

leadership and human resources practices, and his HR
books have helped thousands of businesses to address
internal structure issues, make positive changes and
improve productivity and effectiveness.

Among many other topics, he's helped to shape thinking in

aligning HR practices to customer needs, the outcomes of
effective leadership, and how investing in leadership can
increase shareholder value.

In the human resources world, David Ulrich is considered a

guru, even though many now argue that his theories are
becoming increasingly outdated in a modern, technology-
focused world. The fundamental principles of his work
continue to help many companies organize their HR function
in a way that better supports both people and processes.

Is the David Ulrich HR model still relevant?

When Ulrich's HR model came out, HR departments were not
generally as efficient and forward-thinking as they are now
and there was certainly a need for a foundation on which to
base and build a team on.

These days, HR teams in big businesses tend to run like

well-oiled machines; delivering both the everyday output
that ensures people feel supported and well looked after,
while also proactively looking to the future by sourcing
talent, working on strategies, and helping to stay one step
ahead of the competition.

A lot may have changed in terms of landscape, but the

Ulrich model still has a great deal of importance and
relevance for modern businesses. Especially those with HR
departments that recognize it as a useful foundation, and
can build on it in a way that works for the particular needs
of their business.

Core Principles

Ulrich's HR model provided clarity of focus that greatly

improved the efficiency of HR departments in thousands of
large-scale companies, which ultimately helped to improve
the customer experience.

Splitting the workforce into four key areas (Strategic

Partner, Administrative Expert, Change Agent, and Employee
Champion) helped to define roles and responsibilities and
ensured things like safeguarding, employee satisfaction, and
the future of the company were not being neglected in favor
of more traditional HR tasks.