Henley Centre for HR & Organisational Capability

Organisational capability is the driving force behind successful strategy execution. And it depends on people and organisational functions being not only aligned, but leading the conversation.

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Introducing the Henley Centre for HR & Organisational Capability

Why is organisational capability so important?

In any organisation, strategy is just a promise. Ultimately, it’s got to be delivered by people and organisation, and unfortunately in a lot of organisations, that thinking is either done a little bit too late – we get into reactive mode – or it’s done in a very disjointed way. So this is really what we’re trying to address.

What is the HR & Organisational Capability Centre’s mission?

What we're really trying to do and what's at the heart of the mission of the Centre is to bring together all the different domains that are involved in the development of people and organisational capability and to break down those silos to get them all around the table, discussing business issues through that people and organisational lens.

Who is the Centre for?

Mainstream HR, learning and development, knowledge management, talent, reward, recruitment, all of these different elements, organisational development and design. So it's really about bringing together those functions. But then at an individual level, you might be a CHRO or an HRD, you might be a head of talent or a head of L&D. You might be a contributor within one of those functions, or you might be a business leader who just wants to learn more about the topic because ultimately you have an accountability around it.

What benefits does the Centre provide?

The Centre works with members and non-members, but the heart of it is a membership offer. It’s about being able to get access to best practice, it’s about being able to get together as a group with your peers and to exchange learnings, but also there are some other benefits for example around discounts on People & Organisational Change open programmes, it’s about getting some free consulting, and then lastly the opportunity to get some really tailored support through our custom programme offer as well, so lots and lots of benefits.

How is the HR & Organisational Capability Centre supporting organisations?

We're currently in the midst of a very significant development programme with a global FMCG upskilling over 100 of their HR business partners in a number of very relevant areas ranging from organisational capability itself to things like data to things like influencing skills. On the other side, we get involved a lot in supporting organisations to get better at that people and organisational planning and diagnosis piece, working with a couple of organisations on that at the moment. And past successes in that have identified actually some really key factors, or in some cases risks that have not been uncovered prior to that involvement. So we're continually working on ways to add value.

Business strategy and organisational capability must be aligned in order to deliver. Yet often, gaps are not identified early enough, resulting in poor execution.

As people and organisation functions, we have the expertise to identify and pre-emptively address the people and organisational implications of strategy. It's a chance to demonstrate our strategic value and take a seat at the table.

The Henley Centre for HR & Organisational Capability (HR&OC) connects your key players in people and organisational capability to break down silos, pool expertise and develop aligned approaches. The Centre also aims to help you:

Develop the abilities of the various functions and their individuals to enhance the capability and performance of the wider organisation and its people
Establish the functions as true partners in strategy development and execution
Gain insights and solutions across a broad range of topics

What does the Centre offer?

We work with both members and non-members. However, at the heart of the Centre is our membership community. By becoming a member, you'll unlock deeper insight, a longer-term partnership and exclusive benefits.

What we offer

People & Organisational Change programmes (open enrolment)
Customised programmes
Consulting
Webinars (free for members, pay-as-you-go for non-members)
A series of virtual and face-to-face member-only events across the year
Thought leadership and research

Member exclusive benefits

Discounted fees on People & Organisational Change programmes
Discounted multi-centre memberships
Free diagnostic insights (on a limited no-charge consulting basis)
Free access to HR&OC webinars
Access to a calendar of member-only, face-to-face and virtual masterclasses on the topics most relevant to members
Networking, knowledge exchange and communities of practice
Deep-dive research debriefs, thought leadership pieces and articles
The chance to help select and participate in two research projects each year

How much does membership cost?

Our annual subscription fee is £15,000.

Is HR&OC membership right for my organisation?

We welcome any business that wants to transform its HR and organisational capability - from global to national, private to public sector and not-for-profit.

As a member, we'll encourage you to break down silos by sending mixed groups to our events. We support professionals across functions and roles including, but not limited to:

Leadership teams
HR Directors and Chief Human Resource Officers
HR Business Partners
Leadership, talent and strategic workforce planning
Organisational development and design
Knowledge management and data insight
Learning and development

Knowledge in Action

Download free leaflets or research outputs summarised for Knowledge in Action.

People & Organisational Change programmes

Our People & Organisational Change masterclasses equip HR, OD and change leaders to navigate the complexities and challenges of their role. HR&OC members benefit from discounted programme fees.

Upcoming events

Challenge your thinking and explore key topics, chosen by Centre members. Featuring expert speakers from Henley and our wider network, HR&OC events include webinars (free for members, pay-as-you-go for non-members) and face-to-face or virtual masterclasses (members only).

Explore all events