Future of the Profession

Tabletop exercises are a valuable way to identify situations where strategic partnerships are important to solve a problem, reach a goal, or manage a situation. There are times when relationships can develop during a process (serving on a committee) or times when it is necessary that the relationship is already in place (navigating a crisis situation). There are unspoken campus politics that can dictate who decision-makers are or who are seen as respected voices. This may be challenging for new professionals (who lack experience in this arena) or people in new professional roles (who haven’t had time to identify key constituents).

The ability to cultivate strong partnerships between HRL professionals and others can be a learned skill. To aid in this effort, the following scenarios can be used as tabletop exercises for entry and mid-level professionals to gain practice in building relationships with campus partners, which includes recognizing and managing politics. The goals of this exercise are to:

• increase understanding and knowledge of university culture; 
• create a plan for identifying campus partners and building relationships; 
• understand personal strengths and ability to influence others; and 
• practice reflection, application, and revision of skills.