Why HR Doesn’t Need a Product Manager
On a Monday morning in late March, the CHRO of a fast-growing SaaS company walked into the executive meeting with quiet pride.
For months, she and her team had been building what they believed would be a breakthrough: a completely redesigned onboarding experience.
They had hired a People PM—someone fluent in sprints, journey maps, and user feedback loops. Each step was mapped with precision. The rollout felt intentional, almost Apple‑like in its attention to detail.
The launch was a success.
New hires raved about the experience.
Engagement scores jumped.
The CEO praised the initiative at an all‑hands meeting.
But by September, the program was quietly unraveling.
Managers were skipping steps. IT had reverted to its old processes. The VP of Sales had a “fast‑track” onboarding path for reps.
The onboarding program—like countless HR initiatives before it—had burned out.
Not because the design was bad.
But because no one was accountable to a single, enforceable system.
The Pattern We Don’t Want to See
This is not an isolated case.
According to Gartner, 70% of HR initiatives fail to achieve full adoption, largely because managers aren’t held accountable to follow them.
It’s why onboarding programs so often fail. Gallup reports that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a good job onboarding.
The reality is stark: HR can build better programs. It can design more elegant workflows. But unless it controls the system, those programs will always depend on manager goodwill.
And goodwill is not a strategy.
The Temptation of Product Thinking
There’s a trendy idea circulating on LinkedIn: “What if HR had a Product Manager?”
It’s seductive. It borrows credibility from tech—journey maps, iteration, user obsession.
But the analogy is flawed.
Product Managers don’t own budgets. They don’t control adoption. They influence features inside someone else’s boundaries.
Borrowing that model for HR only makes the function more efficient at being powerless.
Treating HR like a product team is like hiring an air traffic controller who can track flights on a screen—but has no authority to land planes.
Everything looks organized. Nothing actually lands.
Two Companies. Two Outcomes.
Company A:
They hire a People PM. They map journeys. They launch onboarding with fanfare.
But the initiative depends on manager goodwill.
The VP of Sales skips steps. The CTO decides engineering will “do it their way.”
By year‑end, HR is tweaking the “experience” while executives quietly deprioritize it.
Company B:
HR owns the operating system.
Onboarding is not a program—it’s part of an enforced enterprise model. Budgets, calendars, and platforms are tied to one standard.
Managers who ignore the process see it reflected in their own reviews.
Performance management isn’t an initiative. It’s how the company runs.
Engagement rises—not because HR “iterated,” but because employees trust the system.
Programs burn out. Power endures.
Why Both Sides Miss the Point
Some argue HR should have a Product Manager. Others argue it shouldn’t.
Both positions miss the real issue: HR lacks authority.
As long as HR is treated as a service provider—responsible for programs, dependent on buy‑in—nothing will change.
The answer is not iteration. The answer is ownership.
The Bigger Picture: Why HR Lacks Power
This entire debate is a symptom of a deeper problem:
HR has spent decades being positioned as a partner, not an owner.
The Ulrich model of “strategic business partner” codified HR as an advisory function—close to power but never holding it.
It’s why HR still fights for budgets. Why managers can ignore processes. Why CEOs rarely see HR as an operating leader.
Giving HR a Product Manager doesn’t solve this.
Rejecting the idea of a Product Manager doesn’t solve it either.
The only solution is to give HR structural authority.
What Power Looks Like
Power means:
Budget ownership.
Control of platforms and processes.
Enforceable standards—with consequences for noncompliance.
Great product teams iterate on features.
Great HR leaders hardwire execution.
The question isn’t whether HR should—or shouldn’t—have a Product Manager.
The question is:
When will HR gain the authority to run the enterprise as its operating system?
The Data Is Clear
McKinsey research shows that companies with enforced, standardized operating systems outperform peers by 30–50% in productivity.
Not because they have better “experiences.”
Because they have better execution.
The Takeaway
Until HR owns the system, programs will keep launching with fanfare—only to quietly collapse.
Every new debate about titles, processes, or roles distracts from the only question that matters:
When will HR stop burning out on programs—and start running the company as the system owner?
About the Author
James Woods is the CEO of Seattle Consulting Group and author of HR Unchained. Seattle Consulting Group helps organizations replace Ulrich’s outdated HR model with the Woods HR Power Model™—a framework that gives HR structural authority, not just influence.
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