The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR Build - How to structure a “People Ops as a Product team”
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May 16, 2025 In this engaging discussion, Jessica Zwaan, an expert in structuring people operations as a product team, shares her insights on building effective HR squads. She emphasizes the value of using spider diagrams for squad design and proposes piloting a single squad before scaling. The conversation also tackles the importance of aligning skills and roles within teams, balancing core HR duties with innovative projects, and the power of a shared mission across squads. Jessica's real-world examples provide a practical perspective on revolutionizing people ops.
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Squads in Small Teams
- For small teams or solo practitioners, focus on prioritizing and solving the most urgent HR problem each quarter.
- When balancing squad work with core HR tasks, squads should focus on solving root problems that reduce workload long term.
Squad Leads and Reporting
- Each squad has a lead responsible for guiding the project and reporting progress.
- Managerial reporting lines stay unchanged; squads add a cross-functional working style.
Squad Lead Without Management
- Daniel Huerta shared his wife's experience as a squad lead with no direct reports.
- She enjoys developing leadership skills without traditional management responsibilities.