Nine hr competencies

She was also responsible for advancing SHRM's workforce analytics program, supporting the identification of critical HR trends, and enhancing SHRM's position as an authority on HR metrics and the application of statistical models to worker-related data to optimize human resource management. Prior to joining SHRM, Dr. Strobel worked at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where she was responsible for leading competency-based strategic human capital planning for the Department of Defense Total Force.

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

Although HR critics abound, leaders in the field will be the first to acknowledge that their teams do not deliver innovative human capital programs that drive business results,1 and that a new mental model of what it means to be an HR professional must be developed to not only be relevant in today's business environment but to lead an organization to success. As purveyors of an organization's most valuable asset—its talent—HR is uniquely poised, through its application of a broad range of technical skills and its understanding of the business, to be an impactful leader and a formidable business strategist no company can do without.

The need to "reskill" HR has been discussed for years with little mention as to what this looks like, how it is accomplished and what can be expected with respect to delivered outcomes. To address this lack of actionable information, through research with thousands of HR professionals (111 focus groups and more than 32,000 survey respondents covering 33 nations), including experts and incumbents alike, SHRM identified those critical competencies for HR to lead people and organizations—on a global scale.

To be successful in HR and as a business leader, SHRM's research calls for the need for practitioners to be more than technically proficient; they need to translate what they know through key behavioral competencies. The combination of technical expertise and behaviors provides the right formula for success for HR leaders. In today's challenging business environment, the HR professionals should align with and meet the needs of the business strategy.

In other words, today's successful HR business leaders are highly proficient in nine critical competencies found in the SHRM Competency Model: Leadership and Navigation, Ethical Practice, Business Acumen, Relationship Management, Consultation, Critical Evaluation, Global and Cultural Effectiveness, Communication, and HR Expertise. For more information, please see shrm.org/hrcompetencies.

Positive formal relationships (e.g., an employee's relationship with his or her supervisor) are associated with beneficial outcomes for employees, such as improved feelings of belonging and inclusion in the workplace,7 increased salary, increased promotions, greater career mobility and other rewards.8 Positive informal relationships at work are associated with greater job satisfaction, involvement, performance, team cohesion, organizational commitment, positive work atmosphere and lessened intentions to leave.9

Additionally, various laws and regulations require organizations to use inclusive hiring practices. Again, HR professionals are often primarily responsible for complying with these laws and regulations because of their pivotal role in employee hiring. Given the role of HR professionals in promoting and maintaining a diverse workforce, it is easy to see the need for and importance of the Global and Cultural Effectiveness competency.

Communication

When HR information is communicated well, employees better understand the purpose and value of policies and practices. When managers effectively communicate HR practices and policies to their employees, employees perceive the organization's HRM to be more effective, and, in turn, employee satisfaction and business unit performance are positively affected.15 To effectively fulfill duties at each career level, HR professionals must ensure that the messages they distribute are clear, concise and readily understood through their expertise in Communication.

HR Expertise

HR professionals directly affect organizational success by developing, maintaining and executing sound HRM policies, practices and procedures16 that support organizational mission and goals. Effective HRM practices can have numerous benefits for organizations, such as reduced turnover, increased productivity and financial performance, and sustained competitive advantage.17 To implement successful initiatives, HR professionals must have a well-developed knowledge base. This knowledge is reflected in the HR Expertise competency.

Evolution of HR

Developing each of the nine SHRM competencies is required of HR professionals to help their organizations be competitive. Learning more about their company's financial results, understanding the numbers and, more importantly, knowing how their decisions and actions affect the bottom line will help contribute to HR professionals' business success. Competent and proficient HR professionals understand how their behavior affects value-creating activities in the organization and, in turn, understand the impact their behavior has on gross margin. These individuals are seen as fellow business leaders and not just "HR."

Endnotes

1.     Schwartz, J. Bersin, J. & Pelster, B. (Eds.) (2014). Global human capital trends 2014: Engaging the 21st century workforce. Westlake, TX: Deloitte University Press.

Hammonds, K. H. (2005, August). Why we hate HR. Fast Company, 97, 40-47.

2.     Barling, J., Christie, A., & Hoption, C. (2011). Leadership. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol 1: Building and developing the organization (pp. 183-240). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

3.     Burke, C. S., Sims, D. E., Lazzara, E. H., & Salas, E. (2007). Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration. Leadership Quarterly, 18, 606-632.

Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755-768.

4.     Barling, J., Christie, A., & Hoption, C. (2011). Leadership. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol 1: Building and developing the organization (pp. 183-240). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

5.     Lado, A. A., & Wilson, M. C. (1994). Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: A competency-based perspective. Academy of Management Review, 19(4), 699-727.

6.     Reich, T. C., & Herschcovis, M. S. (2011). Interpersonal relationships at work. In S. Zedeck, H. Aguinis, W. Cascio, M. Gelfand, K. Leung, S. Parker, & J. Zhou (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 223-248). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

7.     Alvesson, M. & Sveningsson, S. (2003). Managers doing leadership: The extra-ordinization of the mundane. Human Relations, 56, 1435-1459.

8.     Allen, T. D., Eby, L. T. Poteet, M. L., Lentz, E., & Lima, L. (2004). Career benefits associated with mentoring for protégés: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 127-136.

9.     Berman, E. M., West, J. P, & Richter, M. N. (2002). Workplace relations: Friendship patterns and consequences (According to managers). Public Administration Review, 62(2), 217-230.

10.  Wallace, J. C., Edwards, B. D., Arnold, T., Frazier, M. L., & Finch, D. M. (2009). Work stressors, role-based performance, and the moderating influence of organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(1), 254-262.

11.  Kristof-Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D., & Johnson, E. C. (2005). Consequences of individuals' fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person-group, and person-supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 281-342.

12.  Combs, J. Liu, Y., Hall, A., & Ketchen, D. (2006). How much do high-performance work practices matter? A meta- analysis of their effects on organizational performance. Personnel Psychology, 59(3), 501-528.

13.  Lawler III, E. E., Levenson, A., & Boudreau, J. (2004). HR metrics and analytics: Use and impact. Human Resource Planning, 27(4), 27-36.

14.  Ibid.

15.  Den Hartog, D. N., Boon, C., Verburg, R. M., & Croon, M.A. (2013). HRM, communication, satisfaction, and perceived performance: A cross-level test. Journal of Management, 39(6), 1637-1665.

16.  Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

17.  Becker, B., & Gerhart, B. (1996). The impact of human resource management on organizational performance: Progress and prospects. The Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 779-801.

Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635-672.

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