The HR Business Partner role has been evolving since the 1990s and is now firmly established and well understood within the HR function.

What is much less well understood is what it takes to be an exceptional, high performing HR Business Partner. What are the skills, knowledge and attributes of the best of the breed? What is the difference that makes the difference between the best and the rest?

By 2004, Jan Hills at Head Heart + Brain found that too many client organisations were still struggling with the answer to that question. This was hampering clients’ ability to identify the best candidates, guide and develop those already in position and consequently to deliver the full value of the HR transformation to the business.

We decided to invest in a search for some answers and began a global study using The Success Profile methodology. We show here how the study was conducted and what results were found. Since then the study has been regularly updated and the results verified with client companies.