Manager's Guide to Developing Competencies in HR Staff: Tips and Tools for Improving Proficiency in Your Reports

by Phyllis Hartman, Phyllis G. Hartman

Overview

Workplace leaders are challenged with not just having people who can do the job today, but who are prepared to step up when things change tomorrow. For HR talent strategy, workforce planning, organizational design, and employee development to be successful, HR executives and managers need to understand and use SHRM competencies effectively. The Guide provides an easy-to-use roadmap for HR managers and small business executives to develop employee proficiency in the core HR competencies. Loaded with tips, techniques, assessments tools, and real-life stories of management successes, it takes the mystery out of HR staff development by showing the value of the SHRM competencies in business and then clearly establishing the links between various competencies and HR functions. It also offers activities HR managers can use to develop their own competencies and features Proficiency Indicators for different levels of HR staff and charts and forms to help make the process of developing HR staff a little easier.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781586444389
Publisher:	Society For Human Resource Management
Publication date:	10/20/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	365,949
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Phyllis G. Hartman, SPHR, is the founder of PGHR Consulting, Inc., and has spent close to 30 years as an HR professional. A frequent speaker on HR, business, and career development topics, Hartman is a member of SHRM's Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Special Expertise Panel. She is also an active member of the SHRM Advocacy Team (A-Team), providing advocacy for HR legislation. She has done volunteer work for the SHRM Foundation and has participated on various task groups for SHRM. This is Hartman's third book. She co-authored Never Get Lost Again: Navigating Your HR Career with Nancy Glube in 2009 and wrote Looking to Hire an HR Leaders? in 2014. She has written articles, white papers, and book chapters on HR topics, and she teaches human resources and business courses at several Pittsburgh colleges and universities. She was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013 from La Roche College, where she was a visiting professor and temporary HR department chair in 2015-16. She has delivered programs at the SHRM Annual Conference, as well as at the Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia SHRM State Councils, SHRM Student Conferences, and local SHRM and business organizations. She has held leadership positions in the Pennsylvania SHRM State Council and the Pittsburgh HR Association. Hartman is a member of the Executive Service Corps of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management and does volunteer teaching and consulting for not-for-profits in the Pittsburgh area. She is also a volunteer for the Ward Home, an organization that provides support for foster children. In her business, she has provided a variety of HR consulting services to small- and mid-sized organizations. Prior to founding PGHR, she worked as a practitioner in HR management in for-profit manufacturing and nonprofit service sectors. Hartman holds a master's in human resource management from La Roche College and a bachelor's in education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She holds the SHRM-SCP credential. Hartman lives outside of Pittsburgh with her husband, Chuck. She enjoys spending time with her son, Matt, daughter-in-law, Emma, and granddaughter, Penelope. She is an active hiker, an amateur yogini, a birdwatcher, a puzzle-solver, and a reader.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Challenges Facing HR Departments

It's a generally recognized fact that having the right people leads to business success. In the past, the right people often meant people who had physical skills. Later, it meant people who had a specific education. Today, things are different, HR and business management have become more complex.

Change Happens

Technology developments, global competition, a diverse employee population, ever-changing government regulations, and social and cultural pressures make the role of HR a constant challenge. This chapter will briefly explore changes and the need for workplace competencies. That the world is constantly changing is a little disputed fact. The pace of change affecting business continues to increase. We operate in what some call a VUCA world, a term introduced in the 1990s that means a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. This means that employers face a constant struggle to stay viable if they are to have successful organizations. In the past employees were often hired because they had a craft. They had honed specific physical skills to a level that meant they could provide a service to their employer. With the evolution of industrialization and mechanization, top jobs were driven by simply having knowledge. Just possessing a college degree meant that an individual would likely be able to contribute to the workplace and have a job for life.

Today, just having a skill or knowledge is not enough. Most work is no longer physical, and many formerly skilled jobs are done by machines. Information (knowledge/facts) is readily available, almost instantly, due to advances in technology. It takes more for organizations to succeed now, and this will likely be true into the future. Organizations must be able to respond to changes quickly, and having a "great" staff today that has the skills or knowledge to do the work is only good for today.

In the area of technology alone, we face an evolution in the definitions of work and employment driven by interconnected networks and digital disruption. Groups and teams can and do work virtually across the globe using audio and web conferencing services that are easy to use and affordable. Does that mean that work is no longer limited by location or even the physical ability to come to a workplace?

Customers increasingly demand products and services that are delivered quickly and exactly as they want. This trend is driven by online retailers like Amazon. How does this trend change marketing if you own a retail operation? Do you need sales professionals anymore? Can you take advantage of cost reductions often realized by mass production of goods if everyone wants a custom product?

In social networking sites like Pinterest and Facebook, the customers produce the content. Are they still customers, or are they now employees? If they are employees, are they entitled to various protections or benefits?

Self-service HR software allows employees to make changes and choices on benefits on their own; does that mean we don't need HR staff with benefits knowledge?

This interconnectedness, combined with global dependence of business, means that all workplaces are global and includes issues related to different languages and cultures. Conflict and misunderstanding grow along with the positive aspects of diversity. Employers cannot expect to have one approach or one language anymore. An HR staff that has knowledge of U.S. laws and regulations may be at risk when dealing with a facility located in Africa or Germany where laws and expectations may be very different.

Governments, in an effort to manage or control the safety or interests of individuals in today's chaotic business environment, continue to make laws and regulations that often conflict with the reality of business.

One example is the increasing use of freelance or independent contractors in the gig economy. To be effective, organizations need the contributions of many different people. Sometimes those contributions are needed for a short time, so consultants and contractors are used. Since these contributors don't fit the government definition of "employee," they may be seen as victims of abuse because they don't qualify for things like benefits.

Pay is another issue. Establishing regulations like minimum wages might seem like a good thing. But since laws and regulations are created for the "masses" with the ability to standardize, they are one-size-fits-all and don't allow for the flexibility organizations need to succeed.

Employees as consumers are increasingly expecting customized workplaces. They can get what they want outside the workplace, so why not inside? Demands for different pays structures, benefits, training, and even career paths are becoming more common.

For example, HR managers are increasingly reporting the need to design specific benefits for specific individuals. A young, relatively healthy individual may not be impressed with a high-level medical plan as much as she is by the opportunity to attain additional education. Some employees in the child care or elder care age groups want and need flexible schedules more than pay increases.

How Can Business and HR Respond?

Clearly, organizations can no longer just hire and keep employees based on a specific skill or knowledge set. Having skills and knowledge alone is not enough. But does that mean you can't hire at all, that you just "rent" employees from others or contract them as needed? Though this may be a solution, it is not the answer. This approach ignores the values of consistency and corporate memory and the importance of commitment and loyalty.

The answer is to recruit and hire individuals who possess competencies that can be applied to evolving situations and to develop competencies in current employees. Competencies are a combination of skills and knowledge matched with abilities and attributes that allow application to situations. Competencies go beyond the limits of knowledge. Identifying competencies and looking for them in employees allow organizations to better respond to changing environments because they aren't limited to an individual activity or situation.

An example might be the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) competency of Business Acumen, which encompasses the KSAOs needed to understand the organization's operations, functions, and external environment and to apply business tools and analyses that inform HR initiatives and operations consistent with the overall strategic direction of the organization. This means that individuals who have this competency don't just know the strategic planning process or how to read a financial statement. Rather, they understand what information is important and how to make changes, and they use systems thinking. This makes them able to respond to changing conditions.

An HR professional who doesn't possess this competency might find it difficult to deal with the evolving definitions of work and employment.

Another advantage of HR professionals developing competencies along with technical skills and knowledge is that it allows the individuals to function in areas outside HR. This increases their potential for advancement and career growth and helps them work collaboratively with other parts of the organization. Going back to Business Acumen: It would be desired in marketing, operations, and other areas and is a critical competency for organizational leaders.

CHAPTER 2

Essential HR Competencies

How do competencies assist with talent strategy, workforce planning, and organizational design and the rest of HR's role?

By evaluating the goals of the organization and the resulting business plans, organizations can identify competencies necessary to achieve desired results. When competencies are identified, organizations can then work to hire individuals who possess those competencies or develop them in incumbent workers.

Since competencies go beyond knowledge and skills by describing needed behaviors, the fit or the development is likely to be a stronger connection. Organizations can define how they expect work to be done and connect that with setting performance standards and expectations. The use of competencies within an organization makes the work of HR better and, if universally and well applied, helps ensure that the right people do the right things. Competencies truly tie the business to the people and to good HR functions.

With this approach in mind, what are critical or desired competencies necessary for HR professionals? Though many organizations use a competency model to identify core competencies for the total organization, each job and department will have specific competencies that relate directly to the work each does.

Many agree that the idea of competencies started with David McClelland, who in 1973 argued that competence rather than intelligence is a better predictor of job success. In the mid- to late-1990s, David Ulrich and others began to develop HR competency models that were likely driven by the desire of HR to get a seat at the (leadership) table.

In 2012, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released a competency model after more than 20 years of research. SHRM used academic resources, global HR professionals, and its own large membership base to validate the content and criteria of the model. The nine HR competencies identified by SHRM will be used as the basis for development suggestions in this book. In 2017, SHRM updated the model to better assist HR professionals.

In the introduction to SHRM's model is a description for behavioral competencies used in this book: A competency is a set of highly interrelated KSAOs that give rise to the behaviors needed to perform a given job effectively. For example, Critical Evaluation, one of the behavioral competencies in the SHRM Competency Model, describes a set of KSAOs including research design knowledge, critical thinking skills, and deductive reasoning abilities. These highly interrelated KSAOs enable HR professionals to collect, compile, analyze, and interpret job-relevant data and information for the purpose of supporting the HR function in their organizations.

A set of competencies that collectively defines the requirements for effective performance in a specific job, profession, or organization may be called a competency model.

Competencies can be either technical or behavioral. Technical competencies reflect the knowledge specific to a given profession that is required for a professional in that field to perform a particular role. The HR Expertise competency in the SHRM Competency Model describes the technical knowledge specific to the HR field (such as that associated with talent management, recruiting, or compensation and benefits).

Behavioral competencies, on the other hand, describe the KSAOs that facilitate the application of technical knowledge to job-related behaviors. They are more general in their applicability than the profession-specific technical knowledge that composes HR Expertise. For example, the behavioral competency Communication describes the KSAOs needed to effectively communicate across a range of mediums (for example, email and oral presentations) and with a variety of audiences (for example, internal and external stakeholders).

In sum, technical competencies reflect what knowledge HR professionals apply to their jobs, and behavioral competencies reflect how they apply this knowledge.

Any competency model describes the basic competencies expected for individuals to be successful in the workplace. That said, each job and organization may require varying levels of strength in a particular competency.

For example, Communication as a competency is critical for even the earliest level HR professional. The newer HR professional must be able to clearly communicate organization policies to employees. The executive level HR professional must not only be able to communicate the policy but must also be able to work with other executives to create those policies so that they communicate and support the organization strategies.

As you evaluate your needs, you might want to refer to Appendix D for more detail from the SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge (BoCK) about Proficiency Indicators for different levels of HR staff.

In a complex, multinational organization, communication at a higher level may be more critical for all HR professionals as opposed to those working in a very small, traditional, stable company in which relationships are more consistent, and people talk every day.

The SHRM Model Includes Nine Competencies

The charts below include a brief definition of each HR competency and the basic behaviors that an individual may display if he or she possesses that competency based on SHRM's model. The Proficiency Indicators (defined as "specific behavioral statements that illustrate effective HR practice") add to the definitions and help you see what successful performance looks like when applying the behavioral competencies. Later chapters will discuss methods for evaluating HR professionals' levels in these areas as well as ideas for helping them further develop their own competencies.

The SHRM Competency Model groups the Behavioral Competencies into Clusters. Since the clusters are made up of related competencies, the developmental activities for each may overlap. Individual employees may have strengths or weakness in a particular cluster, so it is appropriate to explore them together for the purposes of this book.

The Groupings are:

• Interpersonal. Includes Communication, Global and Cultural Effectiveness, and Relationship Management.

• Business. Includes Business Acumen, Consultation, and Critical Evaluation.

• Leadership. Includes Ethical Practice and Leadership and Navigation.

This book will focus on the eight Behavioral Competencies since they are typically the areas where managers need the most help. HR Expertise, SHRM's ninth area includes technical HR which managers are more comfortable in developing in their reports. In addition there is a lot of material and guidance in that competency development

Here is a list of the SHRM competencies along with behaviors that are considered Proficiency Indicators for HR professionals in general. For information on indicators for higher-level HR professionals, refer to Appendix D.

So What Do You and Your Employees Need?

Based on feedback from HR management colleagues, it is best to use multiple sources for deciding which HR competencies you need for your particular situation, person, or group of employees.

Starting with well-researched and consistently updated sources like the SHRM Competency Model, you should then evaluate your organization's needs. As mentioned earlier, you need to understand your organization and its goals, plans, and strategies. Then you can determine the key competencies your people need.

Your organization may have identified core organizational competencies, and if you work in a large organization in which you report to a department head, he or she may have determined key competencies for the department. As you determine your staff needs, you can look to align them with these organizational competencies.

Worksheet #1 in Appendix A can be used to record information on the competencies that you have identified for your employee team. It includes a list of the SHRM HR competencies as well as a place to document your company's or department's key competencies. In addition, the worksheet contains cells where you can document the strengths and development needs you have for your team. Keep in mind that all of the HR competencies are likely desired in a good HR function, but by prioritizing them as desired, priority, or core, you can focus on the most important to develop right now.

Chapter 4 will present information on how to assess the competencies of HR professionals. You can use Worksheet #2 in the Appendix to record assessment results for each employee and to document a development plan. Also, Appendix D includes the SHRM Competency Development form if you are strictly following the SHRM model.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "A Manager's Guide to Developing Competencies in HR Staff"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Phyllis G. Hartman.
Excerpted by permission of Society For Human Resource Management.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction,
Part I: The Business Case for Competencies,
Chapter 1. Challenges Facing HR Departments,
Chapter 2. Essential HR Competencies,
Part II: Linking HR Competencies to Business Outcomes,
Chapter 3. Aligning HR Functions with Competencies,
Chapter 4. Assessing Proficiencies,
Part III: Working through the SHRM Competencies Clusters to Create Development Plans,
Chapter 5. Interpersonal Competencies Cluster,
Chapter 6. Business Competencies Cluster,
Chapter 7. Leadership Competencies Cluster,
Chapter 8. HR Technical Competencies,
Part IV: Managing for Success,
Chapter 9. Helping Yourself—Competencies for Developing Others,
Chapter 10. Different Career Levels and Planning for Promotion,
Appendix A. Quick Reference Guide and Worksheets,
Appendix B. Spotlights: Real-Life Examples and Thoughts,
Appendix C. HR Functional Areas and SHRM Competencies Chart,
Appendix D. Proficiency Indicators from the SHRM BoCK for Different Levels of HR Staff,
Appendix E. SHRM Competency Development Plan,
Endnotes and References,
About the Author,
Additional SHRM-Published Books,
SHRMStore Books Approved for Recertification Credit,