A new People and Culture Function for 2026: In conversation with David Liddle, The TCM Group
Summary
David Liddle, CEO of The TCM Group, argues that traditional HR operating models — designed for control, risk mitigation and retribution — are holding organisations back. He proposes a modern People and Culture function that centres on compassion, dialogue, fairness and strategic value rather than punishment.
Liddle outlines a People and Culture operating model built around five domains: People, Culture, Strategy, Justice and Value. He explains how restorative and transformative approaches to workplace justice, combined with deliberate cultural design and alignment to corporate strategy, can make HR a trusted strategic partner that drives high performance.
The conversation mixes theory, practical experiments (the green-pen/red-pen idea), and a memorable personal story — shredding a grievance procedure — to show why and how people leaders can pivot from reactive policing to proactive culture-shaping. He also encourages practical steps such as forming a culture hub, running cultural audits, and recalibrating policies through collaborative conversations.
Key Points
- Current HR models are often control-based and focused on risk mitigation rather than enabling high-performing relationships.
- Liddle’s pivotal moment (publicly shredding a grievance procedure) symbolises the need to move from retribution to resolution-focused practice.
- The People and Culture model is organised into five domains: People, Culture, Strategy, Justice and Value.
- The Justice domain promotes transformative/restorative approaches over punitive procedures, emphasising dialogue, insight and learning.
- The Value domain reframes contribution as strategic, stakeholder and social value, not just cost or compliance.
- Pioneering people leaders use values as a golden thread, connect values to behaviours and capabilities, and build trust in the people function.
- Practical steps include creating a culture hub chaired by CEO/CPO, using cultural audits and maturity indicators, and the green-pen/red-pen experiment to rebalance empathy and process.
- Call to action: treat people and culture as strategic priorities — pre-order Liddle’s book and prepare for new leadership tools like The People Leader initiative.
Context and Relevance
This conversation matters because organisations are under pressure to boost engagement, reduce conflict, retain talent and demonstrate social value — all while navigating regulatory and reputational risks. The shift from traditional HR to a People and Culture function maps directly onto broader trends: employee-centred design, restorative practices, and measuring people impact as strategic value. For HR leaders, OD professionals and executives, Liddle’s framework offers both a diagnostic and an actionable route to modernise people practice for 2026.
Why should I read this?
If you’re fed up with HR acting like the company’s rules police, this is the short read you need. It’s blunt, practical and full of ideas you can try tomorrow — from shredding processes that don’t work (metaphorically) to setting up a culture hub. Think of it as a no-nonsense blueprint to make your people function trusted, strategic and actually useful. Plus: a great shredder anecdote for your next leadership meeting.
