HR over last three decades

Over the last 30 years HR organizations have gone through several transformations, moving from an operational role (the 'personnel department') to one of 'HR as a service center' to one focused on 'driving talent outcomes'. Most companies we talk with are somewhere between phases two and three, so they are heavily focused on building integrated programmed to attract and retain top people, drive a compelling employment brand, improve and align the performance process, and better manage and transform L&D.

As companies move from phase 2 to 3, they focus on effectiveness of driving talent programs. They now look at measures such as 'quality of hire', 'time to fill', 'training utilization' and 'leadership pipeline' as measures of success. Here the focus is on building world-class talent programs and embracing new technologies (often social and network based) to extend the company's brand, connect people, facilitate learning and collaboration, and build leadership

Source -High-Impact HR by Josh Bersin