12.2 Very Competitive Field
Human Resources Competencies
The HRPA proposes a number of core competencies for the HR professional. The competencies are categorized as either functional or enabling competencies.
Functional Competencies |
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| Strategy | Strategy forms a cluster of competencies related to the ability to think and act strategically in regard to organizations, business, and the HR function. Including: strategic perspective, governance principles, leadership, business acumen, strategic alignment, international human resource management. |
| Professional Practice | A cluster of competencies related to the ability to conduct oneself in a professional manner and to exhibit high levels of professionalism in all contexts and situations. Such as: balanced interests, ethics, legal, responsible government, advancement of the profession, evidence-based approach, and external trends. |
| Organizational Effectiveness | A cluster of competences related to using the levers available to HR professionals to maximize the performance of organizations, teams, an individuals within the context of executing the organization’s strategy. Including: productivity, organizational structure, employee engagement, risk, change management, team effectiveness, job analysis, communicating challenges and developments. |
| Workforce Planning and Talent Management | A cluster of competences related to the recruitment and deployment of human resource is within an organization. Such as: workforce plan development, employee value proposition, workforce plan execution, performance management system, leadership development. |
| Labour and Employee Relations | A cluster of competencies related to managing the relationships between employer and employees. Including: collaborative work environment, legislation; collective agreements; and policies, labour and employee relations strategies, negotiation, diversity management and inclusiveness, representing individuals and organizations before tribunals. |
| Total Rewards | A cluster of competences related to the management of rewards within an organization in a manner that maximally supports the execution of organizational strategy. Such as: total rewards structure development, total reward structure implementation, total reward structure evaluation, value of total rewards. |
| Learning and Development | A cluster of competences related to the optimization of the ability of the organization, teams, and individuals to acquire and put to use new competencies. Including: learning culture, learning priorities, provision of continuing development opportunities, learning and development program implementation, learning and development priorities evaluation, mentoring and coaching. |
| Health, Wellness, and Safe Workplace | A cluster of competences related to the creation and maintenance of a healthy and safe workplace. Such as: health and safety, health; safety; and wellness policies and procedures, wellness, psychological health and well being. |
| Human Resource Metrics, Reporting, and Financial Management | A cluster of competencies related to the ability to collect, manage, and synthesize information relevant to the management of human resource is and the ability to incorporate financial analysis in the making of decisions about HR investments. Including: informed business decisions, human resource audits, human resource information systems, human resource information, human capital investments. |
Enabling Competencies |
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| Critical Thinking and Analysis | Consists of: Analyzing problems and challenges with perceptiveness and insight, having the capacity for flexible and innovative thinking, seeing how the various parts or facets of a problem relate to each other. |
| Technologically Savvy | Consists of: Making use of various technologies to the best advantage, seeing the possibilities in emerging technologies, managing the implementation of new technologies. |
| Research Skills | Consists of: Collecting and using data effectively in the HR decision-making process, Integrating the work of others into organizational practice. |
| Quantitative Skills | Working with quantitative data and conducting and interpreting predictive analytics |
| Critical Legal Thinking | Consists of: Analyzing situations from a legal perspective, considering and evaluating the relative merits of alternative legal interpretations |
| Emotional Intelligence | Interpreting the emotional state of self and others |
| Project Management | Planning, executing, and controlling HR projects using appropriate tools and metrics |
| Decision Making Skills | Making decisions in a timely manner, taking into consideration all relevant aspects of a situation. |
| Business Acumen | Effectively leveraging the context and dynamics of business |
| Independence | Consists of: Acting as an independent professional in the context of the workplace, adhering to the standards of the profession and to all workplace legislation; even when doing so is challenged. |
| Ethical Behaviour and Professionalism | Consists of: Acting with honesty; integrity; credibility; self confidence; and independence, coping with ambiguity, conflicts of interest; and the need to protect the public interest |
| Relationship Management | Building networks and establishing effective working relationships |
| Negotiation and Influencing | Consists of: Negotiating solutions that balance the interests of all parties, delivering persuasive communications that build agreement on a particular course of action |
| Strategic and Organizational Leadership | Consists of: Working in; building; and leading teams, demonstrating competence in goal setting; planning and organization; collaboration; process management; empathy; flexibility; responding to feedback; and conflict management |
| Integration | Integrating the various practice areas of HR together into a coherent response to a challenger issue |
The Human Resources Professional: The HRPA
HR has the particularity of being governed by a professional body and legislation in the Province of Ontario the Human Resource Professionals Association (HRPA). The primary purpose of the HRPA is to promote and protect the public interest by governing and regulating the practice of members, students and firms registered with the Association in accordance with the Registered Human Resources Professionals Act (2013). The HRPA’s governing and regulatory role not only ensures a competent & ethical HR practice, but works to advance the profile & value of the HR profession amongst members, students and organizations.
The HRPA maintains three (3) designations; Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) and Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE). HRPA designations were created to signal to organizations that an individual has the knowledge and expertise they need to excel in the HR profession. The benefits of achieving a designation for HR professionals are numerous. In addition to demonstrating the abilities of the HR professional, certification allows HR professionals to be more marketable in a very competitive field.
“Skills Needed for HRM” in Human Resources Management – 2nd Ontario Edition by Elizabeth Cameron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
