Join Us for HR Competency Round 8 Results

Every good HR professional is in a process of becoming. Either they are becoming stagnant as the world around them changes and they remain the same, or they become vibrant, developing their knowledge and skills to meet those changes. Dave Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank have been leading the HR Competency Study (HRCS) (co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Ross School and The RBL Group) through its first 7 iterations beginning in 1987 which has successfully tracked the changing competencies of HR professionals and their impact on results The study has evolved over time, beginning with the foundational definition of the roles of HR, then focusing more specifically on the competencies HR professionals need, next expanding into examining the HR function, and finally additionally exploring how organization capabilities enable the business strategy. The focus has always been not on just identifying the characteristics (competencies, processes, etc.) but more importantly, exploring the extent to which each drives business results. 

This year we (Mike Ulrich, Erin Burns, Scott Derue and I) led the HRCS with Dave and Wayne Brockbank providing advice, guidance, and oversight. We were fortunate to enlist over 29,000 participants providing ratings on almost 3500 HR professionals within approximately 1200 organizations. This is a remarkable data set collected during one of the most demanding global pandemics of our lifetime.  We were supported by 19 global HR Associations who were partners in this work.  Consistent with the past few rounds of the study we started with the results that matter to organizations, and then assessed the competencies of the HR professionals, the characteristics of the HR department, and the capabilities of the business. Below is a depiction of the model we have used. I will briefly explain each component. 

Results:

To begin, Round 8 of the HRCS focused on three aspects of performance results.

How do you compare with other HR professionals in terms of the competencies you display?

How do you create value for stakeholders, both internal and external?

How does the performance of your business compare to that of its competitors?

HR Competencies

Second, the study explored the types of competencies that HR professionals need to function in today’s environment.   Through lots of statistics, we identified five main HR competence domains, with sub factors for each.

Accelerates the Business:

Are you generating competitive insights that help the business?

Are you influencing the business in a positive way?

Are you focused on getting the right things done as opposed to just doing things?

Are you driving agility in the organization?

Advances Human Capability:

Are you elevating talent as a source of competitive advantage?

Are you delivering HR solutions to address business challenges?

Are you championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in your organization?

Mobilizes Information:

Are you leveraging information and technology to drive better decision making?

Are you aware of societal issues and trends and guiding the organizational responses?

Fosters Collaboration:

Are you managing your self in a such a way that others see you as having credibility and integrity?

Are you building relationships with others in a way that enables you to get things done?

Simplifies Complexity: 

Are you able to think critically as opposed to chasing after the latest fad?

Are you able to manage change and uncertainty in a way that helps the organization?

HR Department

A third area of focus within HRCS is the characteristics of the HR department. 

Do you have the right practices in place to manage employees?

Are those practices aligned to support the key strategic capabilities?

Is your function as a whole aimed at supporting those capabilities?

Is your function focused on delivering value for multiple stakeholders (employees, customers, investors and others)?

Is your HR department viewed as credible? 

Does your HR department leverage and analyze information to add value?

Do those in the organization rely on HR to help in key activities such as the creation of business strategy, strategy implementation, cultural change, and restructuring? 

Business Capabilities

Finally, the study also examined the business capabilities that are integrallly related to HR.

How does your business create strategic differentiation?

How agile and flexible is your workforce? 

How well does your organization support a DE&I culture? 

Round 8 of the HRCS addresses these questions, and shows HR competencies, HR department, and Business capabilities are related to business results. Tuesday May 11 we will host two webinars (10am and 9pm EST) that will serve as the first presentation of the data. The webinars are open to anyone, and if you are interested, please visit the link below to register. I hope you’ll be able to join us.  

Go to https://lnkd.in/gJYsiTh to sign up.