The Outstanding Strategic HR Business Partner award is sponsored by University Human Resources and will be presented at the annual HR & Business Conference typically held each spring. The award consists of $1000, paid through special compensation, and a commemorative gift.

Nominees for this award must be a part of the University of Iowa HR community within a college/division, department/unit, health care or university HR. They also must be a regular (non-temporary) employee at 50% time or greater.

The Outstanding Strategic HR Business Partner award will typically be an experienced generalist or specialist with a minimum of five years of HR experience with responsibilities such as, but not limited to, developing and leading implementation plans, analyzing business information, functioning as organizational leader and designer of HR strategy. The nomination information should provide evidence that the HR professional demonstrates the following competencies:

• Leadership & Navigation
  • Drives alignment and buy-in at all levels in the various units across the organization
  • Champions behaviors that inspire cohesiveness and moves the organization to reach a vision
• Business Acumen
  • Develops HR business strategies to drive key business results
  • Participates in creating organizational strategy, exhibits how own function contributes to results
  • Demonstrates mastery of business process improvements, has a key role in setting strategy and best practices for business process improvement, focuses on accountability and outcomes
• Global and Cultural Effectiveness
  • Promotes a culture that values diversity and inclusion
  • Advocates for the strategic connection of diversity and inclusion practices to organizational success
  • Drives an HR strategy that leverages diversity, inclusion and cultural differences for organizational success
• Relationship Management/Communicating for Effective Relationships
  • Coaches others in the values, issues, and methods of collaborative partnerships
  • Establishes and maintains credibility, able to influence individuals inside and outside own group and earn their respect
• Critical Evaluation
  • Demonstrates knowledge of advance analytical techniques used to interpret data and facilitate effective recommendations
  • Uses HR metrics to measure effectiveness and promote a culture of continuous improvement
• Change Management
  • Works with organizational leadership to identify when and where change is, or is not, needed
  • Partners with others to achieve change objectives and goals
  • Oversees implementation of change initiatives throughout the organization and the institution

The Outstanding HR Business Partner award is sponsored by University Human Resources, and will be presented at the annual HR & Business Conference typically held each spring. The award consists of $1000, paid through special compensation, and a commemorative gift.

Nominees for this award must be a part of the University of Iowa HR community within a college/division, department/unit, health care or university HR. They also must be a regular (non-temporary) employee at 50% time or greater.

The Outstanding HR Business Partner award will typically be an HR professional in a generalist or specialist role with a minimum of 2 years of HR experience with responsibilities such as, but not limited to, managing projects, programs and initiatives, implementing plans, and supporting the strategy of their organization. The nomination information should provide evidence that the HR professional demonstrates the following competencies:

• Leadership & Navigation
  • Successfully develops and manages programs, policies, and procedures to support the organizational objectives
  • Translates vision into specific functional or departmental initiatives
• Business Acumen
  • Skilled in building business cases for HR projects
  • Demonstrates a big picture understanding of the business, its interrelationships, and priorities
  • Knowledge of business process design techniques that encourage a critical, fresh look at key processes and focuses on optimizing organizational performance, eliminating waste and increasing effectiveness
• Global and Cultural Effectiveness
  • Promotes the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce
  • Adopts behaviors to navigate different cultural conditions, situations and people
  • Uses the organization’s policies and philosophy toward diversity and inclusion to inform business decisions and implementation of HR programs, practices and policies
• Relationship Management/Communicating for Effective Relationships
  • Empowers others to establish collaborative, healthy relationships
  • Establishes and maintains credibility and is able to influence individuals inside and outside own group, earning their respect
• Critical Evaluation
  • Identifies patterns in data and raises relevant issues in collaboration with departmental/organizational level leadership
  • Defines, captures and monitors HR metrics
• Change Management
  • Leads and supports changes in strategy, organization, and/or operations
  • Aligns and deploys HR programs to support change initiatives

The Outstanding Strategic Business Partner award is sponsored by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and will be presented at the annual HR & Business Conference typically held each spring. The award consists of $1000, paid through special compensation, and a commemorative gift.

Nominees for this award must be a part of the University of Iowa business community within a college/division, department/unit, health care or central administration. They also must be a regular (non-temporary) employee at 50% time or greater.

The Outstanding Strategic Business Partner award will typically be an experienced accountant, analyst or other role supporting the business functions at the University of Iowa with a minimum of five years of business experience with responsibilities such as, but not limited to, recommending processes and strategies, contributing to the implementation of policies and procedures, and functioning as an organizational leader of business strategy. The nomination information should provide evidence that the business professional demonstrates the following competencies:

• Accuracy and Attention to Detail
  • Evaluates and makes contributions to best practices for high levels of accuracy
  • Productively balances speed and accuracy when processing detailed information
• Financial Analysis and Accounting
  • Implements financial analysis aligned with key criteria
  • Participates in accounting practices of classifying and recording financial data
• Relationship Management/Effective Communications
  • Delivers helpful feedback that focuses on behaviors and listens to feedback
  • Ensures prompt and effective response to requests and interactions from customers
  • Works with customers to address critical issues and resolve problems
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking
  • Assists in assessing risks, benefits and consideration of alternatives
  • Recognizes, clarifies, and prioritizes concerns
• Service Excellence/Customer Focus
  • Communicates in alternative ways to accommodate different listeners
  • Enhances service by seeking ways to add value to customer interactions/services
  • Demonstrates sincere concern and takes responsibility for customer complaints, even if the cause of the problem lies elsewhere
• Team Management and Team Building
  • Facilitates discussion of team goals, roles, needs, and responsibilities
  • Communicates both within the team and to stakeholders
  • Ensures that team members are on board, unified, and moving in the same direction

The Outstanding Business Partner award is sponsored by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and will be presented at the annual HR & Business Conference typically held each spring. The award consists of $1000, paid through special compensation, and a commemorative gift.

Nominees for this award must be a part of the University of Iowa business community within a college/division, department/unit, health care or central administration. They also must be a regular (non-temporary) employee at 50% time or greater.

The Outstanding Business Partner award will typically be a business professional in an accountant, analyst or other role supporting the business functions at the University of Iowa with a minimum of 2 years of business experience with responsibilities such as, but not limited to, assisting in developing financial reports for financial planning, performing analysis of financial data, and supporting the strategy of their organization. The nomination information should provide evidence that the business professional demonstrates the following competencies:

• Accuracy and Attention to Detail
  • Utilizes specific approaches and tools for checking outputs
  • Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and oversights
• Financial Analysis and Accounting
  • Participates in accounting practices of classifying and recording financial data
  • Describes the concepts behind financial analysis and implications of financial data
• Relationship Management/Effective Communications
  • Explains the importance of effective business communication
  • Provides examples of the characteristics of effective collaborative work relationships
  • Identifies key working relationships in own area
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking
  • Identifies issues and communicates with others when a decision needs to be made
  • Explains steps in an effective decision-making process
• Service Excellence/Customer Focus
  • Consistently provides excellent service
  • Manages customer expectations and takes responsibility to enhance service excellence
  • Seeks feedback on communication style and effectiveness
• Team Management and Team Building
  • Understands the importance of cohesive team effort and concept of synergy
  • Identifies key factors and requisite activities for building an effective team

The Partners in Progress Team award is designed to promote, advance and recognize the importance of leadership, partnership, collaboration, commitment, and organizational success achieved as a team effort.

This award will be given to a team comprised of individuals from human resources and business roles who have worked collaboratively and effectively to achieve a successful outcome. The team may be recognized for demonstrating exemplary leadership, building and maintaining effective partnerships, serving as a role model of personal integrity and high ethical standards and/or some other noteworthy accomplishment. 

The Partners in Progress Team award is sponsored by University Human Resources and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Each member of the team will receive a special compensation payment of up to $500, for up to a maximum of $3,000 for the entire team. (For example, if there are six members of the team, each member will receive $500 paid through special compensation. If there are ten members of the team, each individual will receive $300, paid through special compensation.)

All members of the team must be a part of the University of Iowa community. The team may consist of members exclusively within or generally from various colleges/divisions/departments/units. Each member of the team must be a regular (non-temporary) employee at 50% time or greater and be known for exhibiting the key characteristics as outlined in the criteria section. The team must be comprised of at least one individual working in a human resources role and one individual working in a business role.

The Partners in Progress Team award will typically be a group that has worked together for a minimum of three months. The nomination information should share the story of collaboration that led to a successful outcome and provide evidence to demonstrate that the group epitomizes the following competencies:

• Collaboration/Teamwork
  • Understands the necessity and value of teamwork
  • Demonstrates the ability to work effectively as part of a team
  • Shows respect for differences and diversity
  • Earns trust, respect and loyalty of team members
  • Focuses on team accomplishments and sharing credit
• Integrity
  • Demonstrates sound business ethics and consistently adheres to and promotes those values and principles in their work
  • Exhibits personal and collective standards of excellence marked by honesty and integrity
  • Builds trust with coworkers across organizational and functional boundaries
  • Ensures that individual and team actions build the organization's reputation for excellent business practices
  • Leads transparently and approachably
• Results-Oriented
  • Creates a team environment of accountability and commitment for reaching project goals
  • Reinforces positive contributions and recommends adjustments for improving outcomes
  • Monitors personal and team activity against expectations
  • Advocates on behalf of the team
  • Takes actions to ensure the success of the team