Business partners should be seen, and heard - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Business partners should be seen, and heard - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Over the coming weeks I will be publishing a series of articles on issues and opportunities which the finance industry faces in todays environment. I have a particular passion for developing the role of finance from accountant to operational and strategic business partner, so some of the articles will inevitably be on this subject. The range of subjects will go beyond this, however, including the role of the Accounting Bodies in promoting the profession, the continued evolution of Shared Services and more. Many of these should be of interest to other support functions such as HR and IT, although written from a finance perspective.  This first post will focus on whether it is feasible or advisable to outsource the business partner function. What makes a good partnership? A true relationship, especially on an equal footing, can only be established in person The very concept of partnering means that the partners should be in close collaboration. Can this be achieved with someone outside the organisation? The role of the business partner is to work with business leaders to identify, support and influence decision making. Theoretically, this could be done at a distance and today’s technology certainly makes the communication somewhat easier. However, a true relationship, especially on an equal footing, can only be established in person. At the heart of the best working partnerships is a strong relationship where there is regular contact, good personal understanding, and the ability to debate and consider on an ad-hoc basis. This aspect cannot be achieved between people who are both physically and professionally in different places. Impromptu coffee meetings add value There are always formal decision making bodies, and these can be supported with analysis and information from any source, but there are several challenges even here. Firstly, most decisions are made outside of the formal decision making processes. Informal discussions and ad-hoc meetings often determine the outcome of a meeting which follows. Leaders will look for their own view on a major decision before the meeting takes place and will look for information which is not necessarily available to others at the meeting. The best partnerships work where one knows the other well enough to act instinctively and proactively Not only this but many decisions, especially operational, are taken at ad-hoc meetings in an office environment and require the finance partner to be included at short notice. Take the example of a senior leadership team in a large operational unit who met for coffee every morning. No agenda, no preparation but yet major decisions. A presence from finance was essential to regulate the decision making. Secondly, in influencing these leaders it is necessary to know how they work, what they like to know, when they are likely to consume it, and the dynamics of the group with whom they will be taking decisions. This is difficult, if not impossible to achieve at a distance. The best partnerships work where one knows the other well enough to act instinctively and proactively rather than reacting to requests. This builds trust and reliance which in turn strengthens the partnership. The power of presence Finally, providing information is but a small part of the business partner role. There should be more to the job than this. An effective business partner must influence. This is achieved through articulation of data and information in a relevant way, coupled with sheer weight of personality. Statistics and information are easily ignored on a piece of paper but not so readily when presented personally with passion and belief. Statistics and information are easily ignored on a piece of paper but not so when presented personally So whilst business partners will appreciate the opportunity to ask others to prepare and produce information they require, the role of the partner is to influence a business and this is not achievable from outside the organisation. We will continue to see outsourcing (or centralisation) of information production, but this does not threaten the ongoing role of the business partner â€" if anything it further promotes the role of the business partner in the organisation. My next article will go back to basics on business partnering looking at the building blocks which must be in place to establish a successful business partner operation. //