Human resource competencies: An empirical assessment

With data from 12,689 associates of human resource (HR) professionals in 1500 businesses in 109 firms, this research represents an extensive assessment of HR competencies. It extends current HR theory and practice in two ways. First, it proposes specific competencies HR professionals may demonstrate to add value to a business. Second, it offers an empirical assessment of how these competencies affect the performance of HR professionals as perceived by their Associates. The results indicate that when HR professionals demonstrate competencies in business knowledge, delivery of HR, and management of change, then HR professionals are perceived by their associates as more effective. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An analysis of the relationship between HR professionals' competencies and firms' performance in Malaysia

This study examines the competencies of human resource professionals in the manufacturing companies of Malaysia. The competencies that are examined in this study are business knowledge, strategic contribution, HR delivery, personal credibility, HR technology and internal consultation. All these competencies will be tested whether or not they are significantly related to a firms' performance. The sample employed here consists of HR professionals from Malaysian manufacturing companies in the southernmost state of Malaysia, Johor.A total of 89 firms responded to the survey exercise. This study uses quantitative methods such as spearmen ρ correlation and multiple regression analysis to test the variables. The finding shows that the top nine ranking HR competency factors are from the domain of personal credibility and HR delivery. The respondents' self-rated competency shows that personal communication, legal compliance, effective relationship and performance management rank above all other factors. Competencies such as strategic contribution, business knowledge, HR technology and internal consultation have significant correlation with firms' performance. Furthermore, it is found that out of all HR competencies, the highest contributions to a firm's performance are strategic contribution and internal consultation.     

The State of the HR Profession

We want to create a new narrative about the human resource (HR) profession. HR professionals have often been plagued with self‐doubts, repeatedly re‐exploring HR's role, value, and competencies. If HR is to fully (and finally) become a profession, these self‐doubts need to be replaced with informed insights. These informed insights should be based more on global data than personal perceptions so that the emerging narrative for the HR profession has both substance and meaning.     

HRBP模式在企业管理中的应用

在企业不断发展的过程中,传统的HR模式已经无法满足企业业务流程开展的要求。随着我国企业越来越重视在企业内部设立HRBP岗位,越来越多的企业已经通过HRBP创新模式为企业在激烈的市场竞争中提供了更加高效的人力资源对策,满足了企业长期可持续发展对人力资源管理工作提出的要求。论文主要就HRBP模式在企业管理中的应用进行了分析与探讨。     

The changing requirements of the HR professional—Implications for the development of HR professionals

This article examines the new competencies that are required in today's human resources (HR) professionals and how one company has gone about the development of those competencies within its human resources community. In addition, the author looks at the role that universities, professional associations, and “best practice” companies play in enhancing the capabilities of the HR talent that will serve companies' growing HR needs. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Professors,managers, and human resource education

his article examines whether Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programs adequately prepare human resource professionals. It also compares managers' and professors' evaluations of the competencies HR managers will need in the twenty‐first century. It finds that both managers and professors view interpersonal and problem‐solving competencies and integration of HR with bottom line concerns as more important than technical know‐how. HR managers, however, are much more critical of what MBA programs are doing than are HR professors. HR professors may be risking complacency about their product. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Patterns underlying required HR and IT competencies: a content and cluster analysis of advertisements of HR manager positions

Abstract

Despite the pervasiveness of Information Technology (IT) in organizations, IT competencies for non Information Systems professionals such as Human Resource (HR) managers have been overlooked and limited attention has been paid to the interrelationships between IT and non-IT competencies. Building upon signaling theory and the configurational approach, this study characterizes actual IT and HR competencies that firms signal when recruiting for HR manager positions. A content analysis of 207 online job advertisements of HR manager positions is first conducted. Using factor analysis, three bundles of competencies are unveiled: IT, strategy, and employee and workplace well-being. Then, a cluster analysis approach that combines hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering algorithms is applied, followed by discriminant function analysis for validation. The study uncovers three strongly separated clusters of recruiting organizations based on required IT and HR competencies for HR manager positions. The clusters are labeled according to their dominant required competencies: (1) strategy proponents ?10% (2) technology proponents ?30%, and (3) basic proponents ?60%. The proposed classification goes beyond the normative understanding of IT competencies for HR managers and the way they combine with HR competencies: it provides a well-structured and parsimonious lens that is useful for recruiters, applicants, and educators.     

HR professional development: creating the future creators at the University of Michigan Business School

This article focuses on the development of mid‐ to senior‐level HR professionals through a public program offered at the University of Michigan Business School. We suggest that developing HR professionals requires a theory of competencies about what HR professionals must know and do and a development experience based on those competencies. We highlight how we have created a competency model over the last decade and designed our HR executive programs to deliver against this model. We also show the pedagogical techniques used to deliver these competencies. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The role of change agent as mediator in the relationship between HR competencies and organizational performance

Human resource (HR) practitioners, as change agents, are responsible for easing the impact of changes in their organization and to protect employees against the side effects of these inevitable changes. Sometimes, the change helps to produce a significant increase in performance and the company can boost sales and production without additional cost. Several vital competencies that are reviewed in this paper include business knowledge culture management, effective relationship and human resource development skills. Based on the findings of this study, not all competencies are related to the role of change agent. HR practitioners who are unable to function as change agents will inevitably create a barrier against their becoming a well-integrated strategic partner. Therefore, the role of change agent also mediates the relationship between certain HR competencies and organizational performance.     

The implications of meta‐qualities for HR roles

A great deal has been written about the types of competencies that HR managers need. However, there is little known about how these might be acquired and which ones prove most valuable in carrying out HR tasks. This article provides insights into this issue from a study carried out in Ireland. The study examined HR managers' perceptions of the ways in which their competencies changed over the timespan of a management education process and the ways that they utilised these competencies within their work situations. The study suggests that the acquisition and development of ‘meta‐qualities’(Pedler et al, 1994) can be important to HR professionals in managing the complexity and ambiguity in their roles.     

High-performance human resource practices and firm performance: the mediating role of employees’ competencies and the moderating role of climate for creativity

Drawing on the resource- and competency-based view, this paper examines the relationship between high-performance human resource (HR) practices and firm performance. Using a sample of 189 firms in mainland China, a positive relationship between high-performance HR practices and firm performance was found that was partially mediated by employees’ competencies. We also found the organisational climate for creativity to strengthen such relationship. The implications and future directions of these findings are discussed.     

HR outsourcing: the impact on HR role,competency development and relationships

The business benefits of an outsourcing strategy are well documented, and HR is encouraged to outsource in order to add value. Yet little is known about how HR outsourcing affects the HR role, competencies and relationships with senior management. These issues are examined through 27 semi‐structured interviews with senior HR professionals, comparing HR departments engaged in HR outsourcing with those maintaining full in‐house HR provision. The findings indicate that HR outsourcing stymies HR role transformation. HR outsourcers experienced limited skill development and an increased focus on cost reduction at the expense of their strategic position. In contrast, non‐HR outsourcers actively engaged in other parts of the business, developing competencies that garnered trust and support of senior managers. The benefits of an external HR community appear limited. The study suggests that an ‘internal’ HR community is better placed to enhance HR departmental roles.     

Purchasing and supply management (PSM) competencies: Current and future requirements

Purchasing & Supply Management (PSM) competencies are the individual-level foundations of organisational PSM performance. In light of recent developments in the workplace and the external environment, the question of what PSM competencies are needed now, as well as in the future, becomes one of increasing importance. Analysing qualitative data from 46 interviews from 16 companies, this paper identifies what current and future competencies are required by PSM professionals, categorizes PSM competencies according to the framework established by Tassabehji and Moorhouse (2008) and establishes how these competency requirements have changed over the last ten years. The most important current competencies required by PSM professionals are negotiation, communication and relationship management (e.g. ‘Interpersonal communication’), strategy and analytics (e.g. ‘Strategic thinking’), as well as professional knowledge requirements (e.g. ‘Basic knowledge on PSM role & processes’). When looking at future requirements, competencies in the areas of sustainability and digitisation were identified as becoming increasingly important. Overall, 17 competencies in addition to those shown in Tassabehji and Moorhouse (2008) were identified. The most prominent new competency areas are related to digitisation (e.g. ‘eProcurement Technology’, ‘Automation’), innovation (e.g. ‘Innovative sourcing’) and sustainability. The interviewees also identified 11 new competencies within the interpersonal skills cluster, most of them at the intersection between competencies and traits (e.g. ‘Deal with Ambiguity’, ‘Curiosity’, ‘Passion’).     

The HR function in purchaser–provider relationships: insights from the UK voluntary sector

This article explores how inter-organisational relations with the state impact on the status of human resource (HR) professionals in voluntary organisations. It reveals a constrained and under-resourced HR function in voluntary organisations, implementing few strategic interventions. Explanations centre on the dynamics of power relations, institutional forces, the exercise of strategic choice and management of risk between purchasers and providers and their interaction with competencies among individual actors, attitudes of senior managers and the focus by voluntary sector managers on organisational mission. It warns that these external and internal factors will produce similar outcomes in sectors and economies characterised by arm's-length contractual relations.     

Certifying compensation and benefits management competencies

The American Compensation Association (ACA) has been certifying HR professionals since 1976. Its certification programs are based on a contemporary, evolving body of knowledge that reflects leading‐edge human resource competencies. Many people choose seminars to prepare for ACA exams. Taught by a cadre of nearly 400 practitioners, ACA's seminars are offered through hotel and conference centers, corporate in‐house programs, and, most recently, through the Academic Partnership Network (APN). The APN, established in 1997, serves as ACA's link to college and university teaching and research communities. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Emerging issues in theory and research on electronic human resource management (eHRM)

In the past several decades, technology has had a dramatic impact on human resource management (HR) processes and practices. For example, technology, especially the World Wide Web, has helped modify many HR processes including human resource planning, recruitment, selection, performance management, work flow, and compensation. These new systems have enabled HR professionals to provide better service to all of their stakeholders (e.g., applicants, employees, managers), and reduced the administrative burden in the field. Despite the widespread use of these systems, there has been a surprising dearth of theory and research on the topic. As a result, the purpose of this special issue is to (a) advance theory and research on human resource management systems (HRMS) and electronic human resource management (eHRM), (b) offer new directions for research on the topic, and (c) enhance the effectiveness of these systems in organizations. As a result, this article reviews the evolution of HRMS and eHRM, provides a brief overview of the existing literature, and introduces the articles in the special issue.     

The “New HR” and the new HR consultant: developing human resource consultants at Andersen Consulting

This article deals with the manner in which Andersen Consulting trains its HR consultants. In the face of the new complexity of HR, where new executive buyers are demanding HR solutions with business value, new ways must be found to bring professionals to high performance levels. Consultants must be armed with a broader and deeper set of competencies—not just in HR skills but in general business and interpersonal skills, and in technology. The article addresses new kinds of delivery philosophies and mechanisms—finding the right delivery for the right kind of training. It then presents an overview of the general curriculum for Andersen's consulting professionals and the specialized curriculum for those concentrating on HR delivery. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Establishing HR Professionals’ Influence and Credibility: Lessons from the Capital Markets and Investment Banking Sector

Through two separate studies involving 47 interviews inside 22 institutions in the capital markets and investment banking sector, we explore the levels of influence and sources of credibility for senior HR professionals, and examine the challenges they face in establishing credibility. We compare these findings against previous research, which has identified several determinants of HR’s influence and credibility. Our findings confirm that HR’s modest influence is contingent on the predispositions and convictions of key stakeholders, notably the CEO, but also depends on the decision being taken. We find that the basis for senior HR professionals’ credibility is more individual than institutional, and that HR professionals and senior business managers differ in the priorities they assign to credibility determinants. Finally, the studies illuminate an enduring inherent tension for HR in establishing credibility, between servicing their internal clients’ needs and retaining a level of independence. We reflect upon the transient nature of HR credibility in this sector and others. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Social Capital Effects on the Career and Development Outcomes of HR Professionals

HR professionals’ roles require them to be responsive to both employee needs and top management strategies. However, the need to respond to the often competing employee and strategic agendas makes relationship‐building efforts challenging. This study examines the social capital characteristics of HR professionals and the impact on receipt of network benefits and career outcomes. Results indicate that HR professionals benefit from relationships with other HR professionals for career sponsorship and role‐related benefits. However, it is contacts who are in higher positions or in other organizations that transfer the most influential benefits, which in turn relate to objective career outcomes. Few benefits are obtained from contacts in non‐HR functions. The results illuminate relationship development opportunities for HR professionals. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

HRM implementation by line managers: explaining the discrepancy in HR-line perceptions of HR devolution

Previous studies already established the idea of a partnership in which HR professionals and line managers share an organisation’s HRM responsibility. Yet, this relationship is often plagued by conflicts and other obstacles. As such, a perceptual discrepancy is likely to exist between both parties on the degree of HR devolution, which may eventually lead to bad performance. Using survey data, we empirically analyse which factors may explain a perceptual discrepancy between HR professionals and line managers on the latter group’s role in HRM. Results show that the HR-line discrepancy on the degree of HR devolution is rooted in differences in perception on several other factors, including organisational support, (personnel) red tape, the line’s individual capacity and age. Overall, though, it is a matter of understanding both HR’s expectations and the line’s experiences in all aspects of their partnership.