a competency model for human

A Competency Model For Human Resource Professionals

Table Of Contents

Executive Summary

Chapter One

Strategy For Change

Chapter Two

The Competency Model For HR Professionals

Chapter Three

Implementation Strategies For The HR Organization

Chapter Four

Marketing The Model To Stakeholders

Endnotes

Bibliography

Appendix A

Dictionary Of Competencies For HR Roles And Positions

Appendix B

Results Of The Groupware Focus Groups

Appendix C

Innovative Practices in the Federal and Private Sectors

Executive Summary

This report focuses on what the federal Human Resources (HR) community can do for itself to meet the challenges and the new roles that are going to be required to be a strategic player in the management of federal human resources - people.

While it is clear that HR programs, systems, and laws need to be reformed, these changes alone will not accomplish the transformation needed. Nor can the HR community afford to wait for Congress, new technology, or other influences to make changes. Only by changing - empowering - the people who are providing HR services will the transformation occur in time to have an impact on the greater organizational evolution of the government reinvention climate.

This report offers a strategy for change in the nature of HR work and its staff. The competency model identifies the new roles and competencies required and is designed to assist HR staff members and their agencies through the change effort. It also provides a marketing approach for integrating HR values into the culture and goals of the organizations and customers being serviced. The model is pictured below.

Following an extensive literature search, a survey of innovative practices in public and private sector organizations, and interviews and focus groups with current practitioners, some conclusions were reached regarding the kinds of changes that federal HR professionals themselves must make. They must:

• Assist in the move to competency-based tools for staffing and managing HR organizations.

• Accept that in-depth technical knowledge is no longer enough. Narrow job tasks or limited functional-based tasks need to be expanded. Organizational structures are changing; HR positions should change, too.

• Recognize the growing gap between what HR professionals think their customers want and what customers say they want.

• Understand that customers are demanding better service, more knowledgeable HR staffs, and assistance, not resistance to getting their job done and accomplishing the mission.

• Keep up to date with state-of-the-art business thinking. For example, the HR roles and competency model that is most often adapted or adopted is based on the work of Dave Ulrich (see Chapter Two).

• Work with models that can be tailored to support the specific organizational structure and culture of the HR office, and the organizational climate.

• Develop and implement new HR competency models that support transformation and strategy change.

• Embrace, expand, or adopt a model which defines what will be required of them during this period of great change. Do not wait for others to define their role; rather, HR managers must proactively take the initiative to define and take charge of their own responsibilities.

• Embrace the business unit mission, goals and language to better provide service to their customers.

This report outlines a process individual agencies can use to validate both the model and the range of competencies. A dictionary of competencies is included to meet each agency's own organizational needs. The model is designed to be flexible and encourages future modifications and refinement as experience in applying it grows.

In addition to the competency model, a step-by-step strategy for implementing the model and the change process is discussed. The components of the seven step strategy are as follows.

A Seven Step Strategy

1. Agree on the need to transform.

• Driven by budget cuts and downsizing threats; staff desire for new roles; customer demands for service; information and systems technology impacts.

• Directed from the top or self- identified by HR staff membership.

2. Develop a statement and agreement of the new role.

• Mission, vision and values statement for the HR organization.

• Integrate with organizational mission, vision and values statement.

3. Identify roles, competencies, and accountability

• Articulate customer needs - including line executives and managers.

• Assess organization or culture needs.

• Validate results by interviews with high performing HR staff.

• Benchmark data with other HR organizations.

• Build or adopt competency model for your HR organization.

4. Communicate roles and competencies throughout organization.

• Within the HR community.

• To customers/stakeholders.

• Apply in recruiting, promoting, training and rewarding.

• Use to assign accountability.

5. Establish process to gain competenc ies.

• Set up organization or infrastructure for career development or career development framework.

• Clarify employee responsibility and accountability for gaining proficiency in required competency(s).

• Provide reinforcing mechanisms - rewards and recognition for achieving desired results - consequences for failure to change - availability of transition strategies for employees.

6. Measure results of the HR staff impact on mission.

• Linked to GPRA and organizational measures.

• Individual HR professional's perfo rmance tied to and measured in performance management process.

7. Correct, adjust and improve the transformation process based on experience and results obtained.

• Establish continuous learning, continuous change as way of life in the HR organization.

• Maintain HR staff profile of skills and competencies compatible with fluctuations in the mission and business objectives of the organizations serviced.

Together, the model and the strategy illustrate how to manage the shift from "people issues" to "people-related business issues" so that the change process will produce an

organizational structure staffed by high performers who in turn make valuable contributions to the high performance organizations they support and service.

A key component to applying the model is the need for a plan and curriculum to develop and train HR professionals to use the competencies to successfully perform their new roles. If people are to be valued as resources, human resources management efforts require continuous learning experiences. Likewise, those learning experiences will differ depending on the size, mission, and resources of the customer base which the HR staff supports. The HR director of a large agency would find the report a starting place for action in terms of strategic planning three to five years out. While the HR director of a small agency will also be doing strategic planning, that effort is more likely to consist of more short range planning about outsourcing, cross servicing and other alternatives for coping with cur rent workload. This report and its model are modest proposals for initiating the change process. Development of training curricula, customizing the model to meet agency-specific needs, and refining the competency process to revitalize and motivate the federal HR workforce are part of the "next steps" to be considered in using this report as a tool for change.

Chapter One Strategy For Change

In recent years much has been said and written regarding the need for change in government - especially in how human resources management (HRM) issues serve as a catalyst for change. Within the broad HRM framework, human resource (HR) programs and the roles, tasks, and responsibilities of HR staffs have received a great deal of attention. The National Performance Review (NPR) report on Reinventing Human Resource Management, states that HR staffs should be "viewed as part of the management team," rather than "the systems' police." This comparison derives from an earlier study, prepared by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), in which line managers voiced concerns about their servicing HR organizations.

To change its focus and image, the HR community needs a model that identifies the characteristics, or competencies, which will transform HR professionals into business partners. The competencies, once identified and defined, can then be used to develop a working model for staffing the federal HR organization of the future. Professionals who have acquired and mastered the competencies identified for success will effectively use their knowledges, skills, abilities, and other characteristics to contribute to mission accomplishment.

Drivers of Change

Should this change occur now? The answer is a resounding YES! Our customers are demanding change and the HR community has the opportunity to influence the design of the new HRM framework. The same MSPB report referenced above concluded that much of the work performed by federal personnel staffs "was thought to contribute little to accomplishment of the agency mission...and...that change is needed." Further, "While managers viewed most Federal personnelists as hardworking and courteous, they raised a number of concerns about the capabilities and effectiveness of many of them." Managers described the ideal personnelist as one who can "be proactive...concentrate on the big picture rather than pushing paper...[and]...be oriented toward the mission and toward service."

The same NPR report made a key recommendation that "HRM staff advisors should be viewed as part of the management team, not servants of management or [as already mentioned] the system's police." The report's recommendations "require dramatic

A Competency Model for Human Resources Professionals 2

changes in the roles and responsibilities of line managers and their HRM advisors...Personnel offices must shift from reactive processors of paperwork to responsive consultants and advisors."

The NPR and individual client/agency managers have sent a clear demand that the federal HR community change and add value to the missions of the organizations they service. Re-engineering and downsizing activities throughout the government over the past two years have reinforced the message. Functions and resources that do not have a mission-related focus will not be retained.

The HR community has begun dealing with the implications of broad deregulation and its impact on the HR program environment. In 1994, a consortium of 32 agencies banded together to cope with the changes and strategize for the future. The consortium partnered with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Center for Human Resources Management (NCHRM) to assist them in their efforts to change. In 1995, as part of the first phase of this initiative, NAPA published a series of reports on strategies, alternatives, and guides for redefining the HRM program and conducted informational and educational programs for the sponsoring agencies. During Fiscal Year 1996, the second phase, "Practical Applications," continues efforts to assist consortium agencies in transforming their HRM programs by providing practical products and services which expand on and illustrate the principles and strategies identified in the first phase.

The federal government structure is coming under close public, political, and academic scrutiny. This scrutiny occurs in tandem with examination of bureaucracy throughout both the public and private sectors. A key concern is the value of the HR program. In the process of reinventing the federal government, the HR community has discovered that it is among the first functions to be closely examined for value in contributing to organizational mission performance and accomplishment. The internal government support structure, the HR program included, has been found to be inadequate by its customers - federal managers and employees. If the HR community wants to play an active part in a government-wide transformation, it must first expand and develop the capability to transform the HR program in the reinvented government structure.

As a first step, the HR organization must perform a self-examination. The competency model for HR professionals is a practical tool for starting that process. As a model, it can be enhanced and modified to meet the needs of an evolving HR reinvention process.

Although government transformation processes are well underway, the future and roles of HR organizations are still unclear. HR staff resources are decreasing. The application of information and systems technology has hastened the decrease in, and eventual elimination of many of the "back room" tasks associated with processing personnel actions along with the staff who perform those tasks. New sets of tasks and new roles are being defined concurrent with the technology changes. It is imperative that the HR community develop a strategy for the future of HR policies and that this strategy be linked to its customer organizations' strategic planning processes. The NAPA report, A Guide for Effective Strategic Management of Human Resources, explains the linkage in detail.

3 A Competency Model for Human Resources Professionals

A number of influences are driving the need for change (e.g. initiatives to balance the budget and mandates of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)). Federal agencies will be held accountable for their organizational performance in carrying out their mission based on measurable goals and objectives. Congressional interest in civil service reform, focus on reinventing how government operates, and public demands for improved services all suggest that the time for change is today. The HR community has the opportunity to direct and influence the substance and value of HR changes and program delivery.

Emerging Trends

Trends regarding the direction that HR initiatives should take are emerging. NCHRM research found a variety of approaches to addressing the issue of competency. Many external and internal forces are shaping federal human resource management. External forces include civil service reform, deregulation, NPR, modernization of technology, the changing role of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), budget reductions, and public expectations of federal operations. Internal forces include union-management partnerships, employee morale, client desires and expectations, downsizing, and GPRA. Changing organizational missions also change skill requirements of HR staff professionals and contribute to the forces shaping HRM issues. These forces are driving the need to modernize and reshape HR federal programs and the methods by which they are delivered.

The impact of these forces on the HR professional are profound. The elimination of the Federal Personnel Manual, a heightened emphasis on the need for HR to add value for their clients, client discontent with HR services, increased servicing ratios, and changing information technology lead to a need to transform the roles of the HR practitioner and a requirement to strengthen HR expertise. With fewer layers of management and multi-functional work groups, people are increasingly being called upon to work together and pool skills to solve problems themselves. Pressures are being exerted on HR practitioners to concentrate on business objectives, to become strategic partners with line management, and to possess broader skills to move with changes in restructuring and reengineering. If organizations are to survive in a constantly changing, knowledge-based work environment, HR professionals must adopt an attitude of a continual learner with a knowledge of state-of-the-art HRM issues.

The HR organization's importance in supporting the business enterprise is becoming increasingly recognized by successful companies and academicians. The human component is often viewed as the most important source of sustaining the future and propelling organizations forward. For HR professionals it is no longer sufficient to be technically competent. They must be value-added contributors to the objectives of the organization: mission-driven, flexible, and customer focused.

For the HR professional to meet these new expectations a number of changes are required. Modern information technology is required to increase efficiency. HR leaders


must market their results-and mission-driven role within the agency, assert themselves as leaders and strategists, and reposition HR from an administrative function to a strategic partner. HR professionals must be willing to take risks when they service their customers. The NAPA research, using focus groups in five cities nationwide, revealed that current HR professionals lack the knowledges, attitudes, and abilities to assume this new role to function in the desired state. The research also provides a vision of HR programs in the future and a map to get from where we are to where we, the HR community and the HR professional, should be. A starting point is to examine the HR mission, and re-assess its reason for existence. An evaluation of the reason HR programs exist should identify the products and services needed by customers.

One of the major changes that must occur is to move away from traditional roles and functional knowledges. To provide more integrated programs and services, the HR organization needs to move from an administrative focus, specialized ways of doing business (brought about by the complex nature of the legal and regulatory structure of personnel and current classification methodology). The new world of work requires the HR staff to be a contributor to organizational performance and to function as part of the management team. This trend impacts the competencies required of HR practitioners. Federal agencies must, therefore, redefine the role of the HR practitioner, and expand current HRM knowledges into competencies.

One barrier to major change is the perception that the current position classification process which structures positions around duties is the only basis for setting up a viable compensation mechanism. Alternative methods for classifying positions are feasible. One way to call attention to the need for change and at the same time demonstrate how it can be initiated would be to revise the position classification standards for HR occupations using a competency-based approach.

The GS--200 group of job standards, last revised in June 1966, is 30 years old. It describes personnel roles in a way that is completely the antithesis of the needs of today's HR community and its customers. It continues to encourage a narrow functional viewpoint of HR work, using the multiple specialties of employee relations, labor relations, staffing, employee development, and position classification. It perpetuates a hierarchical instead of team approach and, as a result, more often frustrates rather than serves the HR organization's customers. HR professionals in the new work environment must learn to expand and relate their functional expertise to the organizational performance goals of the line managers they service. At a minimum, HR staff position profiles should reflect increased use of the broad primary (201) standard as the preferred classification decision, even if the series is not revised in the near future.

Purpose of the Competency Model

A wide gap appears to exist between the potential and actual performance of the federal HR community in delivering services needed to accomplish the agency mission. The consortium of agencies who are supporting the transformation of HRM programs has


identified the development of an HR competency model as a key tool to help close the gap. The task is to establish a competency model for HR professionals to serve in new roles as strategic/business partners, advisors/consultants, and change agents as well as professional experts in all areas of human resources management. The purpose of developing the competency model is to:

• Redefine the role of the HR organization in the federal government;

• Define the knowledges, skills, abilities, and other traits, that is, the competencies needed by the HR professional;

• Establish the framework for building a performance-oriented and mission-driven HR organization;

• Design an approach to transform the federal HRM program, its leadership, and agency HR staffs;

• Identify and incorporate the best practices from private and public sector HR organizations into the design;

• Provide a tool for hiring, developing, and assessing the performance of HR staff members;

• Establish a framework for internal strategic and workforce planning for HR; and

• Define competencies for a variety of organizationally-based positions and roles.

The model identifies federal HR professionals' roles and core competencies. It is designed to be flexibly applied and can be adapted to specific organizational needs and culture.

The model is also designed to help educate and inform the HR community, including its leadership and HR development arm, of the new directions and best practices in organizations that have undergone significant HR program reinvention. The model should aid the federal HR community in reaching consensus on approaches for adapting to new work environments.

What is a Competency?

The term "competency" and its various forms, including job competency and competency model, has been a topic of academic and practitioner discussion for almost twenty years. Being competent creates different images in one's mind depending on the context in which the term is being used. Both Webster and Random House define competence as "the state of being competent." Further explanations mention "the knowledge that enables a person to speak and understand a language," "having suitable or sufficient skill,


knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified" and "soundness of mind."

In the business culture (including both business and public administration communities), the terms job competencies, core competencies, organizational competencies, management competencies, and individual competencies are becoming part of today's business language. One of these iterations has even made it in to a key barometer of American humor, the newspaper comic strip. To illustrate, a recent "Dilbert" cartoon by Scott Adams, has one of its characters practicing to sound like a company vice president by saying, "We've reorganized to focus on our core competency." The concept of competency is also linked to a growing range of human resources-related activities - competency-based performance management, competency-based approaches to developing people, competency-based approaches to developing organizations, to name a few.

There appears to be a lack of precision about the term. If this competency model is to be used as a vehicle for change, then it is imperative that there be clear, concise definitions of the key terms including "competency." And they must be clearly communicated and understood. If the competency model is to be of value in reshaping the federal HR program, the HR community must understand, embrace, and agree with its intended results.

Charles Woodruffe, in an article titled "What Is Meant by a Competency?," states, "It [the competency] often seems to be used as an umbrella term to cover almost anything that might directly or indirectly affect job performance. Given its pivotal role, it is absolutely crucial that there is an adequate and agreed definition of competency."

The following definitions are used in this report:

Competency Model: includes those competencies that are required for satisfactory or exemplary job performance with the context of a person's job roles, responsibilities and relationships in an organization and its internal and external environments (adapted from Boyatzis, 1982).

Job Output: a product or service that an employee, or a group of employees, deliver to others (customers, clients, colleagues, and co-workers).

Job Competence: an employee's capacity to meet (or exceed) a job's requirements by producing the job outputs at an expected level of quality within the constraints of the organization's internal and external environments.

Job Competency: an underlying characteristic of an employee (i.e., a motive, trait, skill, aspects of one's self- image, social role, or a body of knowledge) which results in effective and/or superior job performance (Boyatzis, 1982).

The Boyatzis definition of a job competency was selected because: (1) it distinguishes between the tasks that need to be performed competently and the "traits" people need to have or develop to perform the tasks at the required level of competence, and (2) because


of this distinction, it correlates well with the federal HR use of knowledges, skills and abilities (KSAs) and knowledges, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) which this model uses as its foundation. A dominant theme of the NAPA series on Implementing Real Change in Human Resources Management, NPR efforts on reinventing government, and the GPRA is the need for the federal government to be come more results oriented and outcome focused. Job or task outputs contribute heavily to results/outcome-based organizational performance. Therefore, the other key terms defined in our model include job outputs and job competencies or the capability of a job incumbent to perform the tasks. Our definition of job competence also includes a dimension of quality not found in the dictionary definitions. This is a significant and even essential feature of our competency model - the instrument that links the job outputs, job competence, and job competency together - that allows for standards of excellence and is a road map to developing the HR professional of the future.


Chapter Two Competency Model For HR Professionals

The Competency Model for Human Resources Professionals NAPA developed for the federal HR community is like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. All of them are critical - their shape, size, and placement determined by the level, task-orientation, and role of the position in the serviced organization's mission and culture. The model (pictured below) can be rearranged as agency customer and organizational needs warrant.

Components of the model include:

(1) Roles. Five roles are identified as essential for the HR professional to perform in the transformed work environment: advocate, business partner, change agent, HR expert, and leader.

(2) Dictionary of competencies. A variety of competencies are required for HR professionals to assume the roles identified in the model. The competencies clustered with the roles in the model are not necessarily linked with the role on a permanent basis. They may be moved to another role, used in more than one role, or not considered to be a priority - as defined by the needs of the customer and the serviced organization. A menu of competencies, with definitions, is found in Appendix A, Dictionary of Competencies for HR Roles and Positions.

The competencies included in the dictionary are a menu of the ones considered to be important for individual performance. They may also be reflective of the competencies required to satisfy organizational performance needs. A link between individual and organizational competencies may be worth exploring as the model is used by HR practitioners.

Although the labels may vary, many of the competencies in this model are consistent with those identified in other research efforts. This includes OPM's governmentwide research and data base using generic competencies for all federal occupations. The competencies used in this model have been cross walked with OPM's data base. Their labels for comparable competencies are included as parenthetical references in the dictionary.

(3) Organizational positions. Organizational positions should reflect the required competencies and the organizational work setting. In the process of developing the competency model, it became clear that new roles require new titles or descriptions. The following are ones that seem to work best with most agencies. Descriptions, and


comments on how the roles could be adapted by individual agencies are discussed in Appendix B, Results of the Groupware Focus Groups. In some cases agencies may prefer the term "personnel" as an alternative to "HR."

• HR Service Representative

• HR Advisor

• Senior HR Advisor

• HR Manager (unit)

• HR Director

How the Model was Developed

The methodology used to build the model included a review of current literature and the identification of other models used in private and public sector organizations. The draft model was based initially on the work of Dave Ulrich from the University of Michigan. His Model of Human Resource Staff Roles, was used as the starting point for group discussions. The approach and definitions relied heavily on the work of Boyatzis and Dubois as noted elsewhere in the report.

A one-day workshop was held in December 1995 with agency consortium representatives to obtain their views on the draft model. The workshop included presentations on the use of competency-based HR programs in two major U.S. companies. A panel of agency representatives shared their experiences using competency models, and other experts made presentations on competency-based performance improvement, a competency-driven occupational data base for all federal jobs, and research on competencies. The attendees then reconvened in small group discussions to develop a framework for their competency model. Feedback reports from the group discussions became the basis for the next draft. Based on differences among agencies as to size, mission, and other variables, the need for a menu-driven model with a dictionary of competencies and a range of potential roles was also identified.

The proposed roles and competencies, a list of task outputs by HR activity, and a set of organizationally defined positions and titles formed the foundation for focus groups to test and react to the components of the model. Three focus group sessions were conducted during February 1996 using GroupSystems V software at a Department of the Navy facility in Arlington, Virginia using the process illustrated in the flow chart below which follows the step by step process. The data from the role, competency, and task lists was loaded into the system and the focus group participants were able to review, comment on, and manipulate the data in a variety of ways maintaining anonymity regarding individual input. Changing any or all parts of the database was based on group participation and consensus. Each focus group was composed of pre-selected, segments


of the HR community - HR Directors of major agencies and bureaus, HR managers at the agency corporate/headquarters level, and HR specialists. The groups ranged in size from 8 to 12 participants. Discussions centered on how to best identify, define, and link the competencies needed for HR organizations to be strategic business partners within their agencies and to represent human resources considerations in carrying out each agency's mission and performance objectives. Participants were asked to review and revise the roles and the competencies identified with the roles, then link the tasks with roles. Finally, they were asked to refine the list of positions and link them to the competencies, ranking the need for the competency by position as to its importance (from very, to some, to little, and to no importance). Overall consensus among all three groups was that the substance of the proposed model was on target with federal HR community needs.

The following step by step process can serve as an approach that agencies may wish to use to adopt the model to their specific organization needs:

Step One

Use a job analysis process to identify the job tasks for HR positions. The NAPA task lists were developed from the consortium research materials and data received from agency members. A complete task list is found in Appendix B. Agencies may want to start with this consolidated list or develop their own task list based on their future work requirements and organizational requirements.

Step Two

Broaden the way job tasks are identified. The knowledges, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are the components by which HR has traditionally identified what is needed to perform the job tasks. Looking at just KSAs is not broad enough to ensure high performance. It is the other characteristics, traits, and behaviors that are so important but have been left out or are missing from our current model. This model attempts to go beyond the KSAs and to define "other characteristics" and ensure that they are part of the new "competencies" in Step Three, below.

Step Three

Identify job competencies. The definition of a job competency as used in this model is "an underlying characteristic of an employee (i.e., a motive, trait, skill, aspects of one's self- image, social role, or a body of knowledge) which results in effective and/or superior job performance" (Boyatzis).

Step Four

Establish the model for the new roles and related competencies. This identification of new roles and competencies may result in the need to establish new HR organizational structures. The new roles do not lend themselves to the traditional functional organizational structure which is generally a "stove pipe" with narrow technical boundaries.


Step Five

Develop preliminary competency clusters or organizational positions. When new roles and competencies are grouped or clustered, and/or organizational structures change, the traditional functional positions or titles are no longer appropriate. HR professionals' titles may require new identities that better reflect the nature of their roles and competencies. See Table: A Process to Develop or Tailor the Model for Agencies.


Chapter Three Implementation Strategy For The HR Organization

To shape the substance of future HR programs HR professionals and managers must better understand the business side of the organizations serviced and relate to the needs of the customers, line managers and employees. How to become an effective change agent is not well understood. The key to making a successful transition to a new HR concept is to understand tha t the strategic focus of HR is shifting from people issues to people-related business issues. This shift is discussed in the Academy's 1996 report, A Guide for Effective Strategic Management of Human Resources.

Defining a new human resources environment in the federal government calls for a consensus on the range of roles the HR professional should play in organizations. The tasks to be performed and the competencies needed to successfully fulfill the roles can then be defined, obtained, and measured.

A key assumption of the future-oriented HR environment is that "one size does not fit all." Core competencies may be needed, but each organization's culture, mission, and resource needs will determine the roles and the competencies needed to drive HR services of that organization.

Federal agencies have recognized that business as usual is no longer acceptable, including the "old" personnel management function. It has to change to become part of the management team of the organization. New operating requirements and customer demands necessitate going beyond the regulatory and paper processing roles previously accepted as part of the "servicing" function. But if the change is to be more than in name only, from personnel management to human resources management, the roles and competencies must refer to the change.

Identifying the new roles and competencies is a necessary first step. Ensuring that change happens requires an implementation strategy. Appendix C, Innovative Practices in the Federal and Private Sector, showcases two models of successfully executed implementation strategies in private industry - American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) and General Electric (GE) and three federal models that have been initiated at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of the Air Force, and the Department of the Navy. These examples provide insight on how change can be made and some of the techniques successfully used to bring about a more future-oriented and value-added HR work environment.


The literature review and an examination of these federal and private sector models indicates seven essential steps are needed to transform the HR program and develop the new roles and competencies. All seven of these steps are critical and appear in some form in those successful organizations that have used a competency model to transform their HR organizations including those showcased in Appendix C.

A Seven Step Strategy

1. Agree on the need to transform.

• Driven by budget cuts and downsizing threats; staff desire for new roles; customer demands for service; information and systems technology impacts.

• Directed from the top or self- identified by HR staff membership

2. Develop a statement and agreement of the new role.

• Mission, vision and values statement for the HR organization.

• Integrate with organizational mission, vision and values statement.

3. Identify roles, competencies, and accountability

• Articulate customer needs - including line executives and managers.

• Assess organization or culture needs.

• Validate results by interviews with high performing HR staff.

• Benchmark data with other HR organizations.

• Build or adopt competency model for your HR organization

4. Communicate roles and competencies throughout organization.

• Within the HR community.

• To customers/stakeholders.

• Apply in recruiting, promoting, training and rewarding.

• Use to assign accountability

5. Establish process to gain competencies.

• Set up organization or infrastructure for career development or career development framework.


• Clarify employee responsibility and accountability for gaining proficiency in required competency(s).

• Provide reinforcing mechanisms.

- rewards and recognition for achieving desired results

- consequences for failure to change

- availability of transition strategies for employees

6. Measure results of the HR staff impact on mission.

• Linked to GPRA and organizational measures.

• Individual HR professional's performance tied to and measured in performance management process.

7. Correct, adjust and improve the transformation process based on experience and results obtained.

• Establish continuous learning, continuous change as way of life in the HR organization.

• Maintain HR staff profile of skills and competencies compatible with fluctuations in the mission and business objectives of the organizations serviced.

Adopt, Adapt or Tailor the Model for Your HR Program

Once an agency has made the decision to transform its HR organization as described in step 1 and clearly identified its mission, as described in step 2, it is important that a new competency model fits the organization. The model in this report can be used by agencies as a prototype which can be applied "as is" or modified to meet the HR organizations needs. This is Step 3 in the Seven Step Strategy.

One way to verify or modify the model is to use the process developed by NAPA which is more fully described in Chapter Two and Appendix B.

If groupware facilities are not available, the same process can also be used through focus groups or facilitation techniques. The steps required and the agenda developed to lead the participants through the discussion are easily modified. However, a word of caution - the time frames allotted to the exercise should be modified depending on the participants' level of knowledge, previous experience with competency development, and the facilitation techniques employed. Experience shows that traditional pencil and paper techniques can take double or triple the time required to accomplish the task. See participants' evaluation comments in Appendix B for further discussion of this issue.


Adopting the Competency Model

A key component of the Competency Model is that it can be used as a menu-driven list of competencies. Each of these competencies is defined in accordance with the umbrella definitions in the previous section. In reviewing the competency-specific definitions (referenced in Chapter Two and listed in Appendix A), the following guidelines or principles are offered:

1. The purpose for which the model is to be used (e.g. to hire, to promote, to develop, to measure performance, and to compensate) may influence how the user reacts to the wording of the definition. Job competence, that is "aspects of the job at which the person is competent," and job competency, that is "aspects of the person which enable him or her to be competent" cannot and probably should not be treated independently. What people must be able to do, that is the task, what they need to do it effectively, that is the competencies, and how they do it (outcomes), that is the performance standard, should be articulated as a continuum related to and feeding on each other.

2. Competencies can encompass both acquired traits and other qualities of an individual such as behaviors or personality. Trying to define and quantify some aspects of competencies is difficult and may be subjective and difficult to measure.

3. Competencies can be differentiated by the level or degree of the competency that an individual demonstrates. The competencies identified in the model do not establish such levels. However, making such distinctions should be considered as part of the practical application of the model to a specific HR organization.

4. Not all HR professionals may be required to demonstrate all the roles or competencies shown in the model. Organizational structure, duties or tasks assigned to individuals, and organizational climate and culture can all influence which competencies and at what level are critical.

5. Any competency model should be understandable and user friendly. Its definitions should be both broad enough to use in a variety of contexts and specific enough to be measurable in some objective manner. The model should include competencies which are observable, simple, and clear, and allow for discrete distinctions. It should be easily related to the job tasks but more in a framework which is future-oriented instead of being grounded in past practices.

6. This competency model is generic. It should be customized to meet the individual cultural and environmental needs of each organization which applies it to their HR staff structure.


7. This model and its agency application should be subject to periodic review and modification. It should be changed as experience in applying it builds, and as new roles become apparent or are predicted.

Applying the Model

Because it sets and defines behavioral benchmarks for developing the individuals and organizations, the Competency Model for HR Professionals can be used as an assessment tool to measure progress. Once the HR organization has established a competency-based staff profile, the competencies needed to enhance staff performance can become part of the recruitment strategy. By augmenting traditional knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) with competencies, candidates may be assessed in terms of how they use their KSAs to service customers and contribute to an organization's success. The model includes the job analysis data, competency definitions, and role and position frameworks needed to identify, rank, and prioritize the specific competencies to be used as selection criteria in a job announcement, rating guide, and other appropriate selection tools (e.g. an interview guide). As suggested in Chapter One, the competencies contained in the model could become the core structure of a revised GS-200--Personnel Management and Industrial Relations Group position classification standard and as a natural extension, a revised qualifications standard.

HR organizations should define their employment selection criteria and task and position statements (that is, position descriptions) using the competencies that are identified. These should be mission and customer-driven to meet the needs of the organizations serviced. Task statements that correlate with selection criteria will provide a consistent nexus between the individual being hired and the needs of the organization. The HR organization should be able to start down the path of change if it integrates task statements, qualifications and selection criteria, and most important, performance elements that are:

1. Consistent throughout all of the documents,

2. Described in customer-based terms,

3. Grounded in results-oriented organizational objectives, and

4. Articulated as measurable expectations.

In the more traditional HR environment, training and development opportunities vary from agency to agency. As the HR organization starts to buy in to the competency model, it must also become more knowledgable in the business of the organizations serviced. Training and development options that increase HR staff understanding of the mission and goals that drive their customers' needs, such as details to business units or participation in basic training classes, may be both appropriate and vital to the change process. Even if workload dictates otherwise, all opportunities to learn more about customers' HR-related needs should be considered as an essential investment in the future of both the organizations serviced and the HR unit. HR directors should also create


opportunities to expand HR staff diversity by encouraging details of line business unit staff to the HR organization.


Chapter Four Marketing The Model To Stakeholders

The HR organization that has converted to the new HR roles must integrate them into the culture of the organizations it services. The marketing approach described in this chapter outlines a process for making the new HR organization a reality to its customers and stakeholders. The process may be customized to the culture and resources of your organization.

The Marketing Process - A Definition

We define marketing as, "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives." This definition points out that the objective of marketing is to satisfy customer needs. The first challenge of the HR unit is to identify its customers and their needs so that services can be developed to meet their requirements.

Another key concept in marketing is positioning. Position is the definition of the market which is communicated by the organization's actions and image. Positioning deals with the relationship between the seller and the customer. Perception is a key to positioning. For instance, perceptions about the HR staff are usually based on personal experience with that organization. If HR professionals are to participate in the emerging reinvented government, then they must position themselves and their organization to be perceived as part of the management team. How any federal HR organization (the seller) is perceived by its customers (the organization) is (1) based on how it has "positioned" itself in the broader organizational culture of its customers and (2) a product of the historical context in which its functions, policies, and procedures are viewed by its customers. Traditionally, the HR organization and human resources, that is, the people who perform public service, are perceived as overhead or costs in a budget. Unlike private industry where the bottom line is measured in dollars and cents, the contributions of people who perform public service cannot be measured in such clear cut terms. The HR organization is normally listed on the debit side of a federal agency budget. HR organizations must move from being a debit to a credit line in the budget. Performance creates position. Planned performance creates the position you desire.

To successfully market a new model of HR competencies the following key issues must be addressed:


Customers of the HR Organization

Designing an effective marketing strategy requires customer analysis. Organizations must know who their customers are and what they want and need. Many federal HR organizations that have performed this analysis have concluded that their principal customers include:

• Managers at all levels, including political appointees

• Employees

• Entities external to the organization such as Congress, OMB, OPM, EEOC, etc.

• HR staffs

This approach is similar to the private sector stakeholder model. The box below illustrates this comparison.

Just like private sector HR managers, federal HR leadership must make determinations about the relative priorities among customers/stakeholders. The level of effort to be devoted to each customer's needs is a difficult management decision given a finite resource pool. An all out push to meet the needs of internal customers may be the highest goal, but such an approach must be balanced by meeting at least the minimum demands of external organizations for information and compliance with laws and social norms, taxpayers' concerns about the cost of government, and the HR staff's needs for a reasonable worklife. Meeting all these demands requires a highly skilled HR workforce, one which has a variety of competencies.

Customer Values

Once it is known who the customers are, the effective marketer next must understand what they value. There are many ways to do this. Structured interviews can be used for top management. Surveys can be used to gain broader input from larger groups such as first line supervisors and employees.

Collecting information about the value of what is currently being done is reasonably straight forward. A more difficult task is to gain insight into operational problems where the HR organization can add value. This requires an understanding of the business of the agency, including customers, processes, and culture. Information should be collected about why customers value (or do not value) a particular service. There are a variety of factors which influence the view of the value of a service, such as:

• The way the service is delivered. This is influenced by the knowledge and skill of the service provider. Also important is whether the HR organization is easy to do business with (is accessible, timely, listens, and provides support which is


relevant to the situation); whether HR keeps its promises; meets its own standards; follows-up; treats people with respect; accepts accountability; and shares important information.

• The content of the policy or process. Again the competence of the people developing policies and processes influence this factor. Skilled HR professionals are able to develop policy and process solutions based on needs of individual customers where justified. The HR professional also recognizes when efficiency and consistency justifies standardized approaches to service delivery.

• The cultural context. One size does not fit all. A military organization has a different approach to business than a social services organization. An HR staff skilled in organizational analysis and change management will be sensitive to these differences.

• The reaction of opinion leaders. Most organizations have opinion leaders who are influential in shaping viewpoints of others. Sometimes the opinion leaders are the organizational leaders, and sometimes they are individuals whose influence is less formal. Identifying opinion leaders and understanding their value is an important consideration in marketing/positioning.

The HR organization has the opportunity to articulate how the new competency model can help achieve improved performance in those areas that customers value. To do that, the HR organization must examine how its current services are positioned.

Positioning HR Services

There is substantial evidence in NPR reports addressing HR issues, MSPB's study of personnel offices, and NAPA's research over the past 11 years to support the notion that federal HR operations, for the most part, are positioned as administrative experts. These studies indicate that customers see the principal value added by HR at the operating level is knowing a set of rules and processes which are dictated by higher policy levels. HR is not positioned as a strategic partner, change agent, workforce advocate, or leader.

This position, previously referred to as being located on the debit side of the budget ledger, does not usually produce value-added contributions to the organization.

Six questions which must be addressed to reposition HR include:

1. What needs to be changed? How do your customers see you now and what would they like to see changed?

2. What do you want your position to be? This will require some priorities because you can't be all things to all people.


3. What do you have to overcome? Some barriers which are common to federal HR managers seeking change are resistance to change, customer knowledge of the value of good HRM practices, and past HR performance which has eroded management support for change efforts.

4. How will you make repositioning happen? In order to achieve change it will be necessary to identify all the forces which are pushing change and those which are restraining change. The goal is to identify strategies to overcome forces which restrain change.

5. Do you have what it takes? The factors which may be necessary to make a change include human (including competencies), financial, technology, and organizational structure, systems, and policies.

6. How much do you want it? What price are you willing to pay to achieve a new position? The bigger the goal the more difficult it will be to achieve it. It is necessary to have the drive and will-power to withstand the setbacks which inevitably come with major change initiatives.

The position message describes the place you want to occupy in your customer's mind. Changing the position requires commitment, sustained effort, resources, and willingness to take risks.

Marketing the HR Organization

As previously noted, the traditional view is that the HR organization markets a bundle of services such as recruitment/staffing, classification/compensation, employee and labor relations advice and assistance, training and development, and HR information and payroll services. Some HR organizations have expanded portfolios which include organizational development, health and safety, and various other functions. This view of HR services will not do much to arouse the passion of line managers who need to get their jobs done.

Mission success is HR service being marketed. Most organizations will acknowledge that mission accomplishment is functionally dependent on attracting and retaining quality people and keeping their competencies up to date. The key is for the HR staff to demonstrate how their activities add value to mission accomplishment. Once a nexus has been established between HR activities and mission, the next step is to demonstrate how the roles and competencies contained in the competency model are important to the successful execution of those activities. What does the organization stand to gain from an HR staff serving as a strategic partner, change agent or workforce advocate? Each organization must develop its own answers based on its unique culture. The best practices information provided in Appendix C, previous NAPA publications, and other sources such as those listed in the bibliography are a good foundation to answer these questions.


Components of an HR Marketing Plan

A marketing plan for incorporating the concepts of the competency model into the organizational culture of the agency should contain the following elements:

• A description of the current situation. An honest and candid evaluation of the current level of effectiveness in meeting customer needs must be completed. This can be completed by internal or external organizations (or a combination of the two).

• An analysis of the organizational environment. This includes factors which are driving change and those which are inhibiting change.

• A customer analysis. Who are the customers? What are their needs in the near and long term? What changes are coming which will affect customers' HR needs? How can HR help anticipate and address these challenges?

• Change objectives. What changes are necessary in terms of cost, speed, service delivery, and customer satisfaction? These should be as specific as possible.

• Action plans. What actions will be taken to achieve the changes? This may include reengineering, use of information technology, organizational changes, outsourcing some of the HR functions, moving to greater self-service, and various strategies to reach out to customers and establish a better link between HR and mission results. The resources required to implement the action plan should be identified. Ideally the resources will be stated in terms of both costs and benefits.

• Statement of results. The desired outcome should be stated as specifically as possible using both quantitative and qualitative measures. The results should correlate with previously identified customer needs.

• Communication strategy. What will be communicated about the new HR role? Who will it be communicated to? What media will be used? Options include publications, briefings, one-on-one meetings with key individuals, a video tape, live TV presentations to the agency workforce, and establishment of a home page on the Internet which includes information explaining the reasons for the change and the benefits to each key stakeholder group.

• Contingency plans. What action will be taken when the plans do not result in the outcomes intended?

Making the Model Organization Specific - GPRA Link

Essential to overall implementation of the model is making it specific to the needs of the customer organization's culture, mission, workload priorities, and performance measurement indicators. In the federal arena both the HR community and corporate


management have a potential opportunity to test the usefulness and practicality of a management/HR unit business partnership in the development of the agency's Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) performance plan to be implemented effective the beginning of Fiscal Year 1997.

Concurrent with GPRA planning, each agency is re-assessing its individual performance management programs in light of new regulations issued in the Fall, 1995. Under the new regulations agencies have increased flexibility to define performance measurement tools and an opportunity to design a performance management system which (1) emphasizes individual performance expectations in terms of the organizational performance indicators in the GPRA performance plan, and (2) provides for assessing individual performance in line with organizational accomplishments. Such a system both validates the individual performance rating process and provides a means for measuring organizational performance using the GPRA reporting requirements. This concept, a model that links the two performance programs, is addressed in more detail in the NAPA report, A Guide for Effective Strategic Management of Human Resources. It is briefly described in this report to illustrate how an HR organization can play new roles, how such new roles can be performed, and, using the Competency Model for HR Professionals, how the HR staff and their customers can develop the type of HR organization which can competently perform the new roles.


Endnotes

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Appendix A Dictionary of Competencies for HR Roles and Positions

Appendix A is a dictionary of competencies that have been identified as important to HR professionals who perform tasks in a work environment in which the HR unit is part of the organization's management team. The weight of a specific competency, the level of competence, and its priority in the overall needs of the HR unit is dependent on several factors, including but not limited to:

• The level of competency currently available on the HR staff

• The priority need for the competency to meet current and projected workload

• The availability of the competency in the job market

• The degree of competency customization needed to complement the organizationa l culture of the customer being serviced

The competency dictionary allows the user to pick and choose which competencies best apply to the roles identified for the HR unit to perform based on the work environment and the organizational culture of the customers being serviced. Equally important is that competencies can be identified which support the performance of the organization as defined by the organization's strategic planning process and annual performance goals. There is a nexus between the competenc ies in the dictionary and those listed in the model in Chapter Two. Both the model and the list of competencies are subject to change and can be expanded and/or modified as necessary to meet customer needs.

Appendix A : Competency Definitions

Able to Assess and Balance Competing Values and Priorities (Planning and Evaluation) : Manages competing priorities and work assignments by continuously evaluating the needs of the organization's mission against pending work. Maintains contact with senior management to ensure a clear understanding of mission priorities. Uses this information to allocate effort to those items with greatest importance. Explains priorities to key customers to ensure that they understand the rationale for decisions regarding work priorities. Monitors implementation of HR activities to ensure that the desired result is being achieved. Makes corrections if necessary to better focus the HR organization on the desired outcome. Accepts accountability for effectiveness of advice


and monitors implementation to ensure desired results are achieved -- makes corrections if necessary.

Able to Be Innovative and Creative (Creative Thinking): Thinks outside of the box. Creates and presents new approaches which are outside the context of current policies when warranted by mission needs. Refuses to accept the status quo as a given. Maintains enthusiasm despite criticism of unique ideas. Understands and applies techniques which are designed to encourage creativity and innovations such as brainstorming, T-groups, and use of groupware technology to address new solutions to problems or concerns. Maintains currency with new developments within the human resources and related fields as a baseline for developing innovative solutions to organizational goals and objectives.

Able to Build Trust Relationships (Integrity/Honesty): Has integrity and demonstrates professional behavior to gain the trust and confidence of customers. Follows up on commitments made on a timely, accurate and complete basis. Takes action as expected and strives to do what is right without prompting. Can keep confidences and does not abuse the privilege of accessibility to confidential information.

Able to Design and Use Surveys to Obtain Feedback From Customers (Information Management): Knows and uses data gathering tools to obtain organizational and workforce information for developing courses of action and making recommendations. Uses a varie ty of survey techniques to obtain valid and reliable views from customers. Develops new or redesigns surveys to meet specific data-gathering needs or tailors formats targeted to specific issues.

Able to Effectively Manage Resources (Planning and Evaluating): Manages resources within a well planned approach and considers immediate and long term needs to make good use of resource allocation. Uses resources within a framework that includes clear goals and objectives to assure that available resources are effectively devoted to priority and critical issues. Continually looks for efficient ways of providing services by minimizing procedural requirements. Develops plans which provide the flexibility to quickly reassign resources to meet emergency work needs.

Able to Influence Others to Act (Leadership): Involves and motivates others to participate and contribute to HR activities and projects. Recognizes degrees of interest and skills and abilities to encourage new ideas, creativity and willing involvement by others. Develops individual or team participation to meet specific goals and objectives.

Able to Make Decisions (Decision Making): Makes timely and well thought out decisions without equivocation. Impartially considers all sides of an issue and makes logical decisions that are clear and easily explainable to interested parties. Listens to different opinions and considers more than one option before making a decision. Takes risks and encourages risk taking in others. Always keeps in mind the potential immediate and long-range impact of decisions on the needs of the organization and customers.

Able to Work in Teams (Teamwork): Works effectively as a team leader or as a team member. Understands the differences in roles to build team cohesiveness, reach


consensus and achieve team and mutual goals. Uses both roles to strengthen the participation of the other team members. Shares information, knowledge and expertise with the team without reservation.

Applies Organizational Development Principles (Psychology-Industrial/Organizational): Maintains knowledge of social science and human behavior strategies which can be used to improve organizational performance. Develops information about the health and readiness of the agency's workforce to meet current and future mission requirements. Proposes interventions that will contribute to improved employee understanding and commitment to mission goals and priorities, increased morale, a sense of accountability and sense of urgency. Promotes teamwork within the organization. Establishes strategies to promote greater learning within the organization. Provides advice that supports creating opportunities for employees to grow.

Applies Mentoring, Coaching, and Counselling Skills to Develop Talent (Teaching Others): Takes action to develop and strengthen others' skills, abilities and professional knowledge. Is aware of formal and informal techniques of staff development and uses them according to individual needs. Makes good use of special assignments, team participation, formal short and long-term training, personal career counselling and on-the-job training to develop staff.

Communicates Well (Oral and Written Communication): Expresses ideas and exchanges information clearly and persuasively. Speaks in terms of business results and goals rather than HR technical terms. Shares information with HR staff and line managers that is important to their mission goals. Listens for understanding before offering opinions. Communicates effectively with all levels of the organization from top level political appointees to entry level support staff. Accurately passes information from source to different audiences without personal bias or distortion. Delivers information effectively in a variety of settings including; one-on-one, team settings, presentations, and various written forms such as letters, memos, analytical reports, and decision documents. Assures that procedural guidance issued to implement requirements is customer-friendly by minimizing complex bureaucratic language and burdensome administrative steps and processes.

Customer Service Orientation (Customer Service and Organizational Awareness): Keeps abreast of organizational climate and mission changes and is keenly sensitive to customer needs and concerns. Responds to clients needs, questions and concerns in an accurate timely manner.

Develops Effective Solutions to Mission Requirements Using Principles/Programs (Problem Solving): Understands customers' mission needs and context in terms of people needs, and proposes proactive solutions. Conducts research and analysis to ensure an understanding of the issues and desired mission outcomes prior to proposing solution. Proposes solutions that integrate various human resources areas such as compensation, staffing, performance management, and training/development rather than providing piecemeal advice as issues arise. Assumes accountability for quality of assistance and advice.


Has Analytical Skills (Reasoning): Analyzes a multiplicity of data and information from several sources and arrives at logical conclusions. Recognizes the gaps in available data and suggests other ways to obtain the needed information. Arrives at integrated and cogent recommendations based on the results of the analyses. Analyzes results to identify patterns and trends of behavior which require management attention and action.

Has Marketing Skills (Sales and Marketing): Persuades internal and external customers of the needs and beneficial outcomes of particular programs or actions. Develops the pros and cons of an issue and persuades interested parties of the best course of action and the need for change. Ensures that customers are aware of the importance and effectiveness of established HR programs in supporting organizational goals.

Knows, Applies, and Manages Best Practices for Maximizing Human Potential (Mix of Technical Competence and Learning and Teaching Others): Keeps up to date with HRM state-of-the-art thinking and innovative ways of doing HR business to maintain a highly qualified and versatile workforce. Uses techniques to measure HR program and individual HR professional performance. Encourages and recommends developmental opportunities for gaining professional experience and knowledge in as many HR areas as possible to colleagues.

Knows Business Systems Thinking and Information Technology (Technology Management): Applies whole systems thinking to HR work processes by ensuring consideration of all external and internal environmental factors in providing advice and solutions to customers. Maintains awareness of current and emerging technologies which have potential to improve the efficiency and/or effectiveness of HRM within the organization. Understands information technology concepts and processes well enough to effectively communicate with technical information resources management staff. Develops proposals to implement new HR-based technology within the organization when justified based on cost-benefit analysis. Understands the agency's information resources management programs and strategy, and is able to articula te staff resource requirements within that context. Manages effective implementation of technology within the organization through change management and training.

Knows HR Laws and Policies (Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence): Keeps current and understands statutory and regulatory requirements affecting HR programs. Sees and uses intent of requirements as an HR tool to assist in managing resources.

Knows Individual and Team Behavior (Personnel/Human Resources and Psychology): Applies knowledge of individual and team behavior to help achieve organizational goals and objectives. Maintains currency with new approaches to human motivation and teamwork that may apply to the organization being serviced. Shares information with staff and line management regarding human behavior research which is relevant to organizational issues. Advises on improved job design, staff development strategies, selection criteria, performance management techniques and dispute resolution approaches to enable the organization to optimize human performance in support of mission goals and objectives.


Knows Mission (Organizational Awareness): Understands the purpose of the organization including its statutory mandate, its customers, its products and/or services, and its measures of mission effectiveness. Is able to articulate the relationship between human resources activities and successful mission accomplishment. Keeps current with factors which may have a future impact on mission including legislative initiatives, changing priorities within current mission activities, and use of new methods or technology. Facilitates mission accomplishment by proactively developing HR based solutions to new mandates before they are required.

Knows Staff and Line Roles (Organizational Awareness): Understands the HR role(s) within the organization and adapts behaviors and approaches that are consistent with the role(s). Understands delegations of authority for specific HRM matters and respects the authority of line officials to take action in accordance with their authority.

Manages Conflict (Problem Solving): Takes the initiative in solving or helping to resolve problems. This includes being able to analyze and anticipate potential problems and recommend preventive action. Initiates attempts to resolve issues informally before they become major sources of concern to the customers. Knows a variety of problem-solving techniques and uses them or recommends them to involved parties. Determines origin of problem and analyzes it in manageable steps differentiating among causes, symptoms, and perceptions.

Models Ethical Behavior (Integrity/Honesty): Serves as a role model for others by behaving in a professional manner. Behaves in ways that demonstrate trust and gain the confidence of the customers. Treats customers fairly and courteously and effectively responds to their needs regardless of organizational location or grade level. Avoids all appearance of favoritism to assure that the HRM program is viewed as supportive of the needs of all the customers.

Practices/Promotes Integrity (Integrity/Honesty): Maintains a high level of integrity in dealing with customers. Gains the confidence of the customers by respecting the confidentiality and privacy of their concerns and needs. Treats individuals with dignity and respect and avoids all appearances of conflict of interest, cronyism and favoritism.

Promotes Worklife Issues and Integrates with Results-oriented Organizational Planning Process (Managing Diverse Workforce and Organizational Awareness): Is sensitive to, introduces, and customizes worklife policies that will improve the quality of the work environment in balance with accomplishing the organization's mission and operational goals. Based on understanding of the culture and needs of the organization and in partnership with employees, their representatives, and managers, designs worklife-based options that (1) accommodate employee needs without compromising individual responsibility for results and (2) contribute to enhancing organizational performance.

Understands Business Process (Organizational Awareness): Approaches assigned HR program responsibilities with a broad perspective of the way business is done within the organization. Is able to translate budget and financial management issues to staff and customers in terms of their impact on HR related activities. Uses knowledge of


interrelationships of HR activities with those of financial management, information management, facilities management, and general administration to develop solutions which are well coordinated and can be implemented on schedule and with minimal disruption.

Understands Clients/Organizational Culture (Customer Service): Researches unique characteristics such as goals, objectives, vision, values, norms, beliefs, and business philosophy of client organizations to ensure that assistance and consultations are appropriate to the situations. Maintains awareness of differing cultures based on the mission, skills, and backgrounds of various organizations. Provides service that is tailored to the requirements of the culture rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.

Understands Public Service Environment (Legislative/Political) (External Awareness or Legal, Governmental, and Jurisprudence): Keeps current on political and legislative activities which may affect the organization and/or the HR community. Prepares for the HR issues which impact legislative actions so that actions to implement changes can be accomplished quickly. Seeks to understand the intent as well as the letter of laws, orders, and regulations which result from the political process so that implementation is consistent with the intended outcomes of legal and policy changes.

Uses Consensus Building Skills (Influencing/Negotiating): Enhances collaboration among individuals and groups by using consensus building skills. Objectively summarizes opposing points of view. Incorporates all points of view and assists in arriving at a consensual position or agreement. Reconciles disagreements with officials through reasoning and presentation of the facts. Uses differences of opinion to build alternative solutions to problems or concerns. Understands when and how to elevate issues to higher level line officials when actions being taken are inconsistent with legal or higher level policy requirements. Has courage to take a stand when an issue is considered important to the well-being of the organization's mission or reputation.

Uses Consultation and Negotiation Skills (Conflict Management): Uses consensus building techniques to resolve conflict and obtain agreement on issues affecting customers with differing views. Understands who are the principal stakeholders and decision makers. Is sensitive to the need to bring all stakeholders on board and assure that their views are considered. Assures that end products do not compromise HRM principles or the goals of the organization.

Values, Promotes, and Manages Diversity (Managing Diverse Workforce): Understands the potential contributions that a diverse workforce can make to the success of the organization. Is aware of the potential impact of HR processes and assures that diversity needs are considered. Identifies and informs management of survey results and observed organizational practices that do not take full advantage of diversity inclusion in the organization's business.


Appendix B Results Of The Groupware Focus Groups February 26 &

29, 1996

Appendix B illustrates the methodology by which the Competency Model for HR Professionals was developed. It is intended to be a stand-alone document that agencies and other organizations may find useful as one approach to using this competency framework. Through the use of Groupware, a computerized meeting software package, participants reviewed and modified each competency individually and as a group. Input and evaluations provided by the participants to identify common roles and competencies were discussed in terms of their usefulness and potential of successful application and then ranked as to importance within a set of organizationally based positions. Through this process, NAPA and agency participants were able to discuss and modify these roles and competencies so that they may be customized for each organizations specific needs.


Appendix C Innovative Practices in the Federal and Private Sectors

This appendix contains a summary of best practices in both public and private sector organizations. Informational interviews, company presentations, internal working documents and organizational studies were among the sources of information provided by AT&T, General Electric, National Institutes of Health, Defense Mapping Agency, the Department of the Air Force, and the Department of the Navy. The input collectively supports the need for several key elements to develop and successfully implement HR competency models in any organization.

Appendix C: Summary Of Innovative Practices in The Private and Federal Sectors

The Conference Board (Rethinking Human Resources-A Research Report, Report Number 1124-95-RR) Report of Private Sector Practices

The human resources strategic focus is shifting from traditional "people issues" to "people-related business issues." This, according to a survey of 314 large private sector companies by the Conference Board (Rethinking Human Resources-A Research Report, Report Number 1124-95-RR), provides a great opportunity for the HR community to add value to the company. The box below lists these opportunities.

These new opportunities require that HR leaders function as strategic partners with line management. The Conference Board report identifies four key roles that the HR organization must fulfill to take advantage of the opportunities. These are: business (strategic) partner, change agent, functional expert, and employee advocate. The most important of these, in the view of the HR executives surveyed by the Conference Board, is the business partner role. These four roles are consistent with the HR competency model which was popularized by University of Michigan Business School HRM scholar Dave Ulrich. To accomplish these roles HR professionals need to develop or refine a new set of competencies. These are:

• Business knowledge/acumen

• Leadership by facilitation and coaching

• Strategic perspective and conceptual thinking

• Broad knowledge of HR disciplines


• Consulting skills

• Change management knowledge and skills

• Teambuilding and teamwork skills

• A global perspective

The following pages describe several approaches to applying HR competency models in an organizational context. All have in common that they use or build on elements of the competencies identified in the Conference Board Report. The models are organized in the sequence listed in the Appendix C introduction.

The AT&T Model

One company which has considerable experience with HR competency development is American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). In 1991 AT&T's senior vice president for human resources initiated a plan to prepare HR professionals within the company to serve as strategic partners with business unit heads. To facilitate this transformation, AT&T established a professional development group within the corporate HR organization to help HR leaders succeed in their new roles and provide value to business units. The process used by AT&T to transform HR competencies demonstrates the framework and commitment which is important to others considering establishing a new model for their HR operations.

Establishing a Vision and Mission Statement

The vision for the HR professionalism initiative stated: "be a catalyst for expanding the role of human resources in becoming a strategic business partner, helping HR add value to the business by leveraging the human talent of AT&T. We will be a resource of innovative and useful tools, educational opportunities, and processes for helping HR talent grow and contribute to AT&T's global success."

The mission for the HR professional development staff is to: "strengthen the capability of AT&T's HR community by shaping, rewarding and sustaining leadership capability at all levels within Human Resources."

Identifying the HR Professional's Roles, Accountability, and Required Competencies

The identification of roles, accountability and competencies started with interviews with line executives and focus groups with line middle managers. It also involved researching models from academia and other companies. Line managers wanted the HR organization to: contribute to the profitability of the business; access the best resources within and outside the company to support the business; lead/facilitate and initiate cultural change; initiate action and provide solutions; counsel and advise (including having a point of


view); operate from a business partner rather than a specialist perspective, and support globalization. The business managers and HR professionals also identified three areas of accountability for HR leaders, as follows:

1. Accountability for business results by being results oriented, customer focused, strategic thinkers, and demonstrating HR expertise.

2. Accountability to project the proper self- image by viewing themselves as catalysts for change and as members of the leadership team, and by demonstrating self-confidence.

3. Accountability for effective management of interpersonal relationships by building information networks, influencing others, exhibiting interpersonal flexibility, and by building teams and energizing and empowering others.

During this process superior performers were identified. The superior performers were then interviewed to determine the factors which were important to their success. This information was used to build an HR competency model. Four roles were identified which are similar to those identified in the Conference Board's research discussed above: employee advocate, change agent, administrative expert, and business partner. These roles are defined in the boxes below.

From these roles two groups of competencies were developed: leadership and HR specific success factors.

The eight leadership competencies are:

1. Thinks strategically

2. Transforms strategy into results

3. Inspires a shared purpose

4. Creates a climate for success

5. Builds partnerships

6. Leverages disagreements

7. Learns continuously

8. Seizes opportunities

Each of the competencies is further defined with examples of the behaviors typical of the competency.

The four HR competencies, which, like the leadership competencies, are defined by examples, are:


1. Acts as a business partner

2. Uses human resources expertise

3. Influences others

4. Acts as a catalyst for change

The new HR model represents a paradigm shift from HR managers being accountable for managing people and line managers being accountable for business results to HR and line managers both being responsible for managing people and business results. This new mind-set is characterized by dramatic shifts in the relationship between management groups, as indicated below:

• From:To:

• Rulemaker Consultant

• Functional Orientation -- Business Orientation

• One size fits all Tailored programs

• Reactive Proactive

• Centralized Decision Making Framework for others to make decisions

• Mutual Distrust Partnering

• Focus on Activities & Process Focus on Eeffectiveness and Impact

Building and Sustaining Professional HR Competencies:

AT&T shared its HR professionalism program to the HR community through an extensive communication package. Key elements included a tape featuring the CEO, Robert Allen, explaining how the HR organization should change to fulfill its new role. The impact of having the CEO speak to this issue was a major factor in marketing the change within the company.

AT&T has invested in a career development infrastructure which enables HR professionals to attain the desired competencies and pursue their career goals. An underlying philosophy is that the individual is in charge of personal career development. Workshops titled "Taking Charge of Your Career" are provided for both employees and supervisors. The employee workshop provides employees with tools to evaluate the interrelationships between their current jobs and the overall goals of the organization. The employee forms an action plan in preparation for developing a career plan in partnership with his or her supervisor. A workshop prepares supervisors to coach, counsel, give feedback and discuss career plans with their employees. The supervisors


also assess their own skills, values and interests to determine suitable career options and job goals.

Other support and tools provided include:

• A monthly Business Partner Lecture series featuring senior business leaders talking about where their businesses were going and how the HR organization can help.

• An annual symposium was established which served as a major developmental event and showcase for the HR community. The symposiums feature leading experts speaking about important HR topics followed by AT&T HR professionals making presentations of their work, which reinforces the theme of the experts presentations.

• To reinforce the good work of the AT&T HR professionals, a recognition program called "Recognizing Role Models of HR Excellence" was established. Individuals, teams and HR organizations nominate themselves for exemplifying the characteristics of the high performance excellence model, forwarding the business strategies, or supporting corporate values.

• An attractive publication was prepared which addresses all aspects of careers as HR professionals at AT&T. The publication provides useful information on world trends affecting HR, new career paradigms, HR organizational roles, competencies, and positions, career patterns for HR professionals: A key section in the publication defines patterns of successful HR professionals.

An evaluation and selection tool which includes the competency model has been developed for use in filling HR management positions throughout the AT&T HR community. It focuses on the six key leadership success factors described in the section titled "Identifying the HR's Professional's Roles, Accountability, and Required Competencies," and contains an interview guide, candidate assessment tool, dimensions of leadership supplement, technical/functional skills supplement, and a candidate summary sheet.

Finally AT&T advises their HR professionals to adopt career strategies which include the following (partial list):

-Align your behavior with specific business objectives

-Look for win-win solutions

-Be willing to take risks and step outside of your comfort zone

-Be competitive but don't be driven

-Make your work fun


-Be committed to having a personal life

-Learn to be influential-make a difference

The results of any effort to improve workforce competence is measured by its impact on the organization. AT&T has adopted many HR-based initiatives which have enabled the company to compete in the rapidly changing telecommunications industry. In recognition of these accomplishments, AT&T won the prestigious Personnel Journal General Excellence Optimas Award in 1994.

The General Electric Model

General Electric's (GE) efforts to establish an HR competency model was driven by a recognition of the need to improve and integrate the development of HR professionals to prepare them to add value to the company.

Study Defines New Roles and Competencies

A study was conducted with GE business partners and HR professionals involving external benchmarking. The study concluded that within GE, the role of the HR organization needed to change substantially. Specifically there needed to be better integration with business challenges and initiatives, and there needed to be a greater focus on change management and organizational effectiveness. This role change would require development of new skills.

Some of the additional HR competency requirements which were developed as part of this process included:

• Organization and process design

• Continuous change and innovation

• Employee involvement

• High performance team development

• "Learning organization" development

• Reward and recognition systems

• Partnering with community groups

New Tools for HR Professional Development

The HR professional community identified actions which would facilitate their movement to a new competency model. These included:


• Establishing a professional development framework

• Stating clear standards for excellence

• Identifying a viable HR career path

• Developing tools and processes for professional development

• Clarifying HR's role

Implementing Study Results

The company approached turning the study results into a working document by forming a team representing the various businesses within GE, as well as corporate HR staff members. The team employed Dave Ulrich from the University of Michigan Business School to assist with this process. An HR vision was established which clearly stated the HR's purpose in the context of the company's business goals. The vision is stated in the following box.

To succeed as a business partner the team believed it was necessary to anticipate business needs by defining and creating what adds value to business performance in terms of:

• Individual and organization energy and capacity such as: structure, leadership, motivation and skills development

• Attraction, deployment and retention of diverse and global talent

• "Boundary-less" teamwork including: cross-functional, cross-border, and cross-business unit

• Acquiring the best HR talent with world-class functional skills and business understanding

• Making a GE job the best job in every community in the world

GE'S HR Competency Model

The GE model bears considerable resemblance to the AT&T model. This is support for the notion of considerable similarity in the future direction of private sector HR operations. The model contains four components as shown below.

Business Mastery which is based on the fact that knowledge of the business is a prerequisite to join the business team. The HR professional should have business acumen, be customer oriented, and be able to maintain positive relationships with external organizations and customers.


HR Mastery is essential to fulfill the role assigned to HR staff members. The HR professional must know HR technology and practice in order to establish function credibility. Specific capabilities included in the GE model are: organizational design, selection and staffing, performance measurement and rewards, negotiation and conflict resolution, continuous learning and development, consulting and coaching, employee relations, and communication.

Change and Process Mastery is required to add value to organizations undergoing change by applying change management tools. Skills which are essential to effective change management include being a change advocate, having a process orientation and facilitation skills.

Personal Attributes overlay the model and are concerned with living the GE values for the role of people in the organization and achieving business success. Also included is demonstration of personal integrity, credibility, judgement, and courage.

Career Framework

The GE model envisions development of competency in the four areas discussed above by gaining experience in a variety of sites including site, business unit and corporate levels. The preferred background would include functioning in specialist and generalist positions as an individual contributor, integrator, or strategist.

The Career Management System

Individual GE HR professionals are expected to assume considerable personal responsibility for managing their careers, with assistance from GE in terms of guidelines and support for self-development activities. This approach includes four phases.

Phase one: Understanding

Individuals are provided information regarding the HR vision and mission, the competency model and the career framework.

Phase two: Assessment

The HR professional is encouraged to assess their competencies against the model using the company's assessment tool.

Phase three: Learning About Developmental Resources

The individual is identifies sources of training, education and development which will strengthen competencies in areas of need identified during the assessment in phase two. The company provides information on the opportunities which are available.

Phase four: Action Planning


HR professionals develop and implement action plans which lead to development of the competencies identified in the HR competency model.

National Institutes of Health Model

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a consultant certification process for HR professionals and criteria for evaluating and maintaining a consultant status. The basic premise for this process is that the NIH HRM programs must meet certain characteristics to support the mission of the agency and support and mirror its culture. Within the context of a scientific enterprise, NIH HRM systems must be fast, reliable, flexible, thoughtful, equitable and cost-effective. The main goal is to develop high performance HRM programs which are creative, lean, and non-hierarchical to foster an organization whose employees are creative, risk-taking, proactive, and accountable for their actions.

Certification Criteria

The certification requirements are reviewed and approved by an NIH Leadership Team which determines whether the individual's experience and training reflect the quality and level of performance necessary to meet the requirements. These requirements revolve around core new roles reflecting the NIH strategic vision for the HR organization. The core roles are serving as an employee champion, change agent, strategic partner, and administrative expert.

Examples of qualifying experience and performance may include:

• Independent research, as evidenced by the design and completion of organizational research and evaluation studies.

• Independent consultation on unusually complex issues with line managers, that positively influenced outcomes.

• Initiation and design of new programs, which meet a crucial organizational need, as a result of the independent research and special studies.

• Leadership and decision making roles in projects/teams with agency-wide impacts.

• Participation in professional activities such as publications in journals, presentations at meetings/ conferences, leadership roles in HRM associations, design and delivery of training to assist colleagues' advancement as professionals.

• Involvement as an individual or team member in agency-wide program policy implementation or changes in statutory or regula tory authorities.


Individual facilitation or leader of a team consultation effort in support of efforts to:

• Manage a major organizational change.

• Assist with the development of an HR program in a particular discipline.

• Reinvent or redesign a major work process or function.

• Participation as an individual or as a team leader in trouble shooting or providing advanced specialist advisory services to a complex problem where there are unclear or no precedents.

• Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and principles of two or more HR disciplines to complex problems where there are unclear or no precedents.

• Graduate level study of topics and issues in the HRM field.

• Journey level experience in an administrative function unrelated to HR, such as budget, procurement, and management information systems.

• Substantial experience in practicing one or more HR disciplines with an operating HR organization.

Process for Certification/Promotion

• The employee's division director must submit the employee's name to the Leadership Team for consideration.

• The employee must submit a resume detailing qualifications, experience, education, accomplishments, publications and awards.

• The employee must also prepare a 20 minute presentation discussing one or more assignments or projects in which he/she applied the knowledge and skills of an HRM consultant to a complex problem/issue resulting in either its resolution or the development of an innovative or unique process or approach which was adopted by the agency.

In discussing the resolution or development, the employee should show how he/she utilized the various roles of the four core models for HRM staff development.

Maintenance of Consultant Designation

Thereafter, to maintain the designation (not the grade) of HRM consultant, the employee must on a biennial basis (1) demonstrate that he/she engaged successfully in the activities expected of an HRM consultant and (2) present to the Leadership Team a proposal for a project or assignment which will address a complex problem/issue facing the agency. The


employee must recommend alternative approaches to resolving issues and establish a process for making changes to enhance organizational performance.

Proposed project must be:

• Approved as part of the Business Planning Process

• Be able to be completed within existing budget constraints

• Involve either an individual or team effort (however, if a team effort, the consultant must have previously served as a team leader/coordinator

If one biennial cycle passes without recertification (by not completing a project), the employee must go through the complete certification process again.

Defense Mapping Agency Model

The Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) had developed a set of eight HRM core competencies which are flexible and can be adapted according to the organization's specific needs and cultural values. These were developed within the context of change, new expectations, new roles, the agency's values, strategic planning, and partnering. The environment is one which provides for innovation and challenge.

A determination is being made through a staff survey of the importance of each competency for the new HR professional in the next three to five years. The intent is to develop competencies which can be adaptable to changing needs. For example, if a self-managed team concept is used, it is possible that HR competency requirements may vary from team to team depending on servicing needs.

The competencies listed below anticipate a collaborative and cooperative relationship with other DMA business units. The main role of HRM is intended to provide expert advice and consultation, as well as analysis and information, to help customers reach decisions regarding human resources issues.

Core Competencies

1. Functional competencies: HR professionals possess broad technical competencies and currency in emerging state-of-the-art HR practices that are essential to the delivery of advice and assistance as well as HR products and services.

2. Interpersonal competencies: HR professionals show awareness of, consider, and appropriately respond to the needs of others; deal consistently and fairly with others in both favorable and unfavorable situations; and recognize and show respect for individual and cultural differences.


3. Business knowledge competencies: HR professionals understand the business processes of the organization, including its strategic plan, vision, and mission statement. They also demonstrate the ability to link HR services to the strategic plan, vision, and mission.

4. Leadership competencies: HR professionals serve as positive role models, and mentor peer and more junior personnel.

5. Change agent competencies: HR professionals are flexible; able to operate in a fast-paced, quickly changing, and ambiguous work environment; accept and productively deal with work related changes; and initiate and/or support the development of strategies, programs, policies, and procedures to manage change.

6. Customer service competencies: HR professionals consult and partner with internal and external customers to help them achieve their organizational goals; and provide flexible, innovative, responsive, timely, and cost-effective HR services.

7. Teamwork competencies: HR professionals maintain productive working relationships with agency business units; and use formally established channels to facilitate effective coordination, internally and externally.

8. Technology and automation competencies: HR professionals use technology and automation to deliver fast, effective, customer-focused HR services.

Reinvention of HR

To assist HR professionals to understand the new organization, DMA issued a comprehensive booklet titled, "HR On The Move," which, in Q and A format, answers questions that HR employees may have such as Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and So What? For example, the brief answer to Why is to support the new DMA, enhance customer service, implement reengineered processes, start running like a business, and achieve a competitive advantage. The answer to How is with customer consultants who have authority to act and are accountable for results, use technology solutions, including relational databases provided to customers, and have strong "corporate" values.

The message to HR professionals is very clear in that it is not business as usual. DMA provides direction and points out that (1) it does not have all the answers and (2) change will not occur overnight. It does however provide HR professionals with learning opportunities and new work experiences to acquire the skills and become familiar with and comfortable in a different work environment.


Air Force Model

Technical Competencies

The Department of the Air Force (AF) has developed specific technical competencies for non-supervisory employees including those in the personnel field. These competencies - knowledges, skills, and abilities - are identified through a job analysis process using subject matter experts. They are included in promotion evaluation patterns to rank competitors and are measured through former and current job experience, training or education, certifications, awards, and performance factors.

Managerial and Leadership Competencies

In addition to technical competencies, the AF assesses employees' managerial competencies to accurately identify the managerial and leadership skills of the workforce. This is done for employees in managerial positions and those aspiring to them. The competencies have been validated by each career field to be those which are predictors of highly successful performance based on behaviors that are constantly demonstrated by the most successful managers and leaders in a career field. In addition to serving as a valid assessment of training needs, this approach helps to rank higher for promotion and reassignment those employees who exhibit the managerial competencies which predict successful performance in managerial and leadership positions. These do not include all managerial competencies demonstrated by HR professionals. Rather, they are those that both top and average performers demonstrate (threshold competencies) and those specific to only top performers (distinguishing competencies).

The competencies vary among grade levels but the concept is that the competencies represent underlying characteristics which lead individuals to act in particular ways. The Air Force recognizes that specific behaviors will vary across individuals and different situations.

Shown below are the managerial competency models developed by the AF for the civilian personnel career field.

HRM Competency Models

The competency models are grouped into two major categories: distinguishing competencies and threshold competencies. Depending on the grade level, a distinguishing competency may be considered as a threshold competency at a different level. Shown below are competency models for grades 12-13, and 14-15:

Competency Model 12-13 Grade Level

• Distinguishing Competencies


• Communication and Persuasion Conceptual and Strategic Thinking

• Entrepreneurial Achievement High Standards of Excellence and Efficiency

• Initiative Self Confidence

• Working Through Others and Group Leadership

• Threshold Competencies

• Customer Service Orientation Judgement and Analytical Thinking

• Networking Organizational Awareness

• Technical Expertise

Competency Model 14-15 Grade level

• Distinguishing Competencies

• Conceptual and Strategic Thinking Entrepreneurial Achievement

• Group Management Initiative

• Interpersonal Awareness Self Confidence

• Use of Influence Strategies Working Through Others/Group Leadership

• Threshold Competencies

• Communication and Persuasion Customer Service Orientation

• Judgement and Analytical Thinking Networking

• Organizational AwarenessOrganizational Commitment

Navy Model

The Department of the Navy (DON) is in the process of developing a DON HRM Competency Model to prepare HR professionals with new knowledges, skills, abilities and behaviors to deliver top quality service. DON believes that new competencies are necessary to support the role of an innovative and customer-oriented business partner to management. It recognizes that an environment of regionalization, modernization of automation technologies, downsizing, and reinvention efforts require HRM policies and practices that are far different from those in the past. "Soft" skills such as team building, customer service, and problem solving will complement "hard" skills in strategic planning and business management.


DON HRM Competency Model

• Core Competencies

• Human Resources Management Ethical Responses/Integrity

• Customer Relations Organizational Awareness

• Business Management External Awareness

• Technology Diversity Awareness

• Leadership Managing Self

• Team Work Problem Solving/Decision Making

• Planning and Implementing Change Communication (Written and Oral)

• Technical Competencies

• Personnel Management Staffing

• Classification Labor Relations

• Employee Relations Employee Development

• Equal Employment Opportunity Personnel Systems

• Personnel Support

Competency Assumptions

The model is being developed with several competency assumptions. Some of the major assumptions are listed below.

1. The competency model will be developed with a vision to the future.

2. HR organizations are moving away from the transactional, paper pushing, hiring/firing support function it once was and is becoming a bottom line strategic partner.

3. The model is designed to provide a general description for competencies which can be modified to meet individual needs and circumstances.

4. Development of the HR community will be needed.

5. "Hard" and "soft" skills are important to all HR positions.


6. The role of HR practitioners is changing and will continue to evolve.

7. The role will expand and become more complex to include organization design and development.

8. There will be increased use of automation.

9. HR practitioners must have a knowledge of business practices as well as a broad spectrum of HR technologies.

10. HR practitioners need to have a commitment to continuous learning to succeed within a changing environment.

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