What does it take to make it big in HR? What skills and expertise do you need? Since 1988, Dave Ulrich, professor of business administration at the University of Michigan, and his associates have been on a quest to provide the answers. This year, they have released an all-new 2007 Human Resource Competency Study (HRCS). The findings and interpretations lay out professional guidance for HR for at least the next few years.
The June 2007 issue of SHRMOnline offers some research perspectives on what high performance HR looks like in terms of six specific competencies.
New Competencies for HR cites the research done by Dave Ulrich from the University of Michigan and The RBL Group and outlines their findings in the 2007 Human Resource Competency Study (HRCS).
“People want to know what set of skills high-achieving HR people need to perform even better,” says Ulrich, co-director of the project along with Wayne Brockbank, also a professor of business at the University of Michigan.
Conducted under the auspices of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and The RBL Group in Salt Lake City, with regional partners including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in North America and other institutions in Latin America, Europe, China and Australia, HRCS is the longest-running, most extensive global HR competency study in existence. “In reaching our conclusions, we’ve looked across more than 400 companies and are able to report with statistical accuracy what HR executives say and do,” Ulrich says.
“The research continues to demonstrate the dynamic nature of the human resource management profession,” says SHRM President and CEO Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR. “The findings also highlight what an exciting time it is to be in the profession. We continue to have the ability to really add value to an organization.”
“HRCS is foundational work that is really important to HR as a profession,” says Cynthia McCague, senior vice president of the Coca-Cola Co., who participated in the study. “They have created and continue to enhance a framework for thinking about how HR drives organizational performance.”
The six competencies and the elements that make them up offer the outlines of what it takes to be successful.
The Credible Activist is respected, admired, listened to and offers a point of view, takes a position and challenges assumptions by:
- Delivering results with integrity.
- Sharing information.
- Building relationships of trust.
- Doing HR with an attitude (taking appropriate risks, providing candid observations, influencing others).
The Cultural Steward recognizes, articulates and helps shape a company’s culture by:
- Facilitating change.
- Crafting culture.
- Valuing culture.
- Personalizing culture (helping employees find meaning in their work, managing work/life balance, encouraging innovation).
The Talent Manager/Organizational Designer masters theory, research and practice in both talent management and organizational design by:
- Ensuring today’s and tomorrow’s talent.
- Developing talent.
- Shaping the organization.
- Fostering communication.
- Designing reward systems.
The Strategy Architect knows how to make the right change happen by:
- Sustaining strategic agility.
- Engaging customers.
The Business Ally contributes to the success of the business by:
- Serving the value chain.
- Interpreting social context.
- Articulating the value proposition.
- Leveraging business technology.
The Operational Executor administers the day-to-day work of managing people inside an organization by:
- Implementing workplace policies.
- Advancing HR technology.
