From Service to Product: A Smarter Way for HR to Work
Whenever we partner with HR leaders, we see the same thing: commitment, care, and ambition to create real impact and be critical partners to their business.
You want HR to be a strategic force that solves big and urgent problems for internal customers, not just an efficient machine checking boxes. Yet HR teams continue to find themselves stuck in a reactive loop — addressing immediate demands and feeling exhausted rather than creating scalable solutions.
How does HR break this cycle? How does it move from being an overextended service function to a game-changing driver of strategic solutions?
Shift from a service-first mindset to a product-first mindset.
“Product-First Sounds Like Another Trend.”
Maybe you’ve heard the term “product-first mindset” floating around. Maybe it sounds like consultant-speak or something HR professionals don’t have to worry about (or not yet at least).
But “product-first mindset” isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a necessary shift.
- From constantly responding to requests to proactively designing solutions that meet the ongoing needs of employees and the business
- From an endless cycle of one-off fixes to building solutions that people want to use and that scale value over time
- From HR’s current firefighting state to a future-proofing one
“But HR Is a Service Function. What’s Wrong with That?”
Nothing — except that being a great service function isn’t enough anymore.
The service-first approach feels good in the moment.
HR responds to needs as they come — “Help me resolve this cross-team conflict that’s blowing up my project timeline!” — provides a quick fix, is the hero of the moment, then moves on.
It feels productive. It feels like adding value. And on the surface, it is.
But when HR operates this way, a few things happen:
- HR stays reactive; it’s constantly addressing symptoms rather than root causes
- HR subteams develop their own fixes in silos, each tailored to a specific need but rarely designed to work together
- HR spins up new processes, policies, and programs all the time — each one slightly different, none truly reusable or scalable
- Feedback loops are weak, as HR rolls out solutions without a clear way to measure whether they’re solving the core problem
Over time, this way of working burns out HR teams, reinforces inefficiencies, and — ironically — lowers confidence in HR’s ability to lead strategically.
Thinking and Behaving Like a Product Team
What if instead of acting like an on-demand service provider, HR saw employees as customers with persistent, recurring needs who deserved well-designed and tested solutions?
What if HR didn’t assume people will use what’s provided simply because it exists — but instead made solutions so effective, intuitive, and desirable that employees wanted to engage with them?
What if HR didn’t define success by how many problems got fixed in the moment but by how many problems got solved at scale — and for good?
Let’s explore what’s required for HR to make the leap from a service-first to product-first approach.
Where the Service-First Mindset Falls Short
Here are several shortcomings we’ve witnessed with the traditional approach:
It incentivizes reactivity, not proactivity. A service-first HR function often addresses issues as they show up, rather than anticipating needs and preventing problems before they blow up; and HR professionals quick to “answer the call” are seen as heroes. This results in the same issues coming up over and over again, missing the opportunity to develop systemic solutions that work for the majority of people in an organization.
It de-emphasizes user-validated solutions. Developing dressed-to-impress initiatives often fail to address core employee needs. Without first validating the problem with prospective users, there’s a risk of misaligned efforts, missed feedback, and the development of rigid solutions that don’t adapt as needs evolve.
It doesn’t scale. Customizing responses to individual requests or relying on manual processes can be both resource-intensive and inefficient, making it hard to scale high-quality solutions across the organization, especially when a problem is widespread. This is part of the capacity crunch HR professionals experience, leading them to over-rely on using social capital and influencing skills to get things done.
It’s not data-driven. Given an over-reliance on reactive problem solving, service-first HR teams don’t have time for the robust data collection and analysis needed to identify patterns, measure effectiveness, and drive continuous improvement. If each HR BP has their own way of handling the same issue, there’s no way to track what’s working. This makes it nearly impossible for HR to build the muscle it needs to get better at delivering anything other than white-glove service.
“When I was an HR person, I rarely asked my clients for specific feedback. When I did, it was service-oriented: ‘Am I a good partner to you? Do you trust me? Do you want me around?’ Not ‘Did we solve the most compelling problems your business had this year?’ Because the answer would have been no.” –Rodney Evans, Adopting a Product Mindset in Organizations
The Real Cost of Staying Stuck
How many hours and dollars are wasted when different HR teams solve the same problem in different ways?
What’s missed when siloed HR subteams build solutions without the collaboration of other colleagues, as well as end users?
How much impact is left on the table when HR plays whack-a-mole instead of developing solutions to address challenges related to strategic workforce planning, employee belonging, or critical skill development?
Let’s look at a real-life example.
An HR team set out to improve manager effectiveness. They analyzed survey data, consulted leadership books, and designed a thoughtful six-session, in-person training program after determining that enhancing managerial effectiveness would address some of the organization’s most persistent challenges.
It was research-based. It was well-designed. It was successfully executed.
It was also a flop.
Why? Because the intended users — front-line managers — were presented with a solution they didn’t request. Their specific skill and knowledge gaps were unknown, because no one asked them; the feasibility of traveling for six off-sites was unexamined; and there was no insight into which materials would best support their learning. The absence of user-centered design and feedback loops led to an initiative that failed to meet the needs of its audience.
HR’s best work isn’t about what looks good on paper — it’s about what works in practice.
That means moving from designing at employees to designing with them.
What if HR didn’t define success by how many problems got fixed in the moment but by how many problems got solved at scale — and for good?
What It Takes to Shift from Service to Product Mindset
Many HR leaders know the benefits of moving toward a product-first approach, but there are some things long-baked into HR’s DNA that make it tough to…
Build for scale, not one-offs. Working in a “What’s the next fire to put out?” pattern leaves little room to do anything else except refill the water bucket. Adopting a product mindset demands time and resources for planning, experimentation, and iteration, which can feel like a luxury when the reactivity loop leaves teams stretched. It also requires trade-offs: Folks aren’t going to be happy when you can’t immediately meet a request; for HR pros who have built credibility by being responsive, this might sting.
Shift from “people-people” to “product-people.” Traditionally, HR practitioners have been expected to show up with interpersonal skillsets, such as conflict mediation and leadership coaching, plus policy knowledge, and cracker-jack “best practice roll-out” skills. There hasn’t been a push to develop skills related to data collection, analytics, and user-centered design. As a result, many HR pros lack them.
Separate identity from expertise. HR functions (like benefits or talent acquisition) are often staffed by folks who have worked hard to develop deep expertise. Shifting to a product-first approach means suspending assumptions about what’s best for employees and instead asking them what they need, validating theories before moving to solutions, and collaborating with others to ensure solutions are aligned with broader goals. Embracing a user-centered approach requires reframing expertise not as a fixed set of answers, but rather as a toolkit for facilitating solutions that resonate with employees.
“Taking a product-focused approach to everything your organization does can create some stark realities to deal with — because if we’re staying close to the customer and listening to what their challenges are, we’re forced to look at the fact that the thing you spend a lot of money and time on is maybe not creating the value you thought.” –Sam Spurlin, Adopting a Product Mindset in Organizations
The Future of HR
You can be the most experienced, people- and mission-centered HR professional, but a service-first approach won’t help you enable the transformation the business needs you to support.
You can’t just serve — you must lead. Leading means stepping beyond the good feels of fixing one leader’s problem and into the power of scaling solutions that work for many.
You don’t have to be a product designer to start thinking like one. You just have to be willing to stop firefighting and start building something better.
Because this shift isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing better — for HR, for employees, and for the entire business.
The Ready is a future-of-work consultancy. We help organizations remove bureaucracy and adapt to the complex world in which we live.
The Future of HR is designed to help HR and People teams tackle cross-functional challenges in new ways and respond to inevitable unexpected curveballs with greater ease within a future-ready operating model. Connect with us here to learn more and say hi.
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