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HRINZ HR Competencies

HRINZ COMPETENCY Framework for the Professional Development of Human Resource Practitioners

Introduction

The Human Resources Institute of New Zealand has two aims for this framework of the knowledge and skills needed for effective human resources management. Both flow from HRINZ's objective "to encourage and support the development of professional knowledge and competence and high standards of performance amongst its members."

The first aim is to provide guidance for the professional development of people involved in the fields of human resources management and development. HRINZ will use these competencies in assessing the continuing professional development needs of our members, and as a basis for the education and training programmes we organise and support. At the same time, individual human resource practitioners can use the competencies to compare their knowledge, skills and abilities with those which their professional peers consider to be appropriate. For educational institutions, the competencies are a guide to the content and curricula of courses, programmes and qualifications which they might offer in the fields of human resources management and development.

The second aim relates to membership of the Institute. HRINZ has two categories of members: general members and professional members. To become a professional, a person must be "able to demonstrate knowledge and skills and experience in generalist or specialist roles in the fields of human resources management and development which are sufficient to meet the criteria for professional competence set out in the rules" of the Institute. The competencies do not themselves establish those criteria, but they do prescribe the areas of professional knowledge and skills to be used in setting the criteria by which the Institute assesses member's suitability for professional membership.

The Framework's Approach

There can be no single prescription of the knowledge and skills needed for effective human resources management: the needs of organisations for specialist and technical abilities in human resources management vary widely because of differences in size, industry characteristics, structure, systems and management style.

Similarly, there can be no one way acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities involved in human resources management: they will be gained through formal and informal learning, and through experience in human resources and other positions. The framework's approach is to describe areas of skill and knowledge (which, it is assumed, lead to ability) which a "typical" human resource professional might be reasonable be expected to have.

HRINZ's Code of Professional Behaviour sets out the areas of human resources management and development in which, it states, the professional members of the Institute "have demonstrated their professional competence and experience".

The competencies describe these areas of knowledge and skill without attempting to define the standards of performance which might be expected of individual practitioners. That definition is a responsibility for each organisation. However, by focusing on knowledge and skills in selected areas of activity, the framework can be used also in assessing levels and standards of performance if they wish to do so.

Similarly, it provides a framework for HRINZ to assess an individual's entitlement to entry to professional membership, without requiring the Institute to make judgements about the level or standard of the member's performance in a particular role or position.4

The HRINZ Framework

The HRINZ framework is based on the notion of a "typical" human resource manager. Obviously, there is no such person or position, but the framework could not have been developed without some benchmark.

The "typical" human resource manager is assumed to be a human resource manager for an organisation with 100 - 300 employees. This job holder has wide-ranging responsibilities across the fields of human resources management and typically reports to the chief executive of the organisation or to a general manger equivalent. Usually, this position will only have clerical or administrative support, but it may be supported by a training, recruitment or similar specialist officer.

The framework recognises that an effective human resource manager has, or should have, a role in the organisation which is wider than that of a simple functional specialist. In order to participate in and contribute to the management of the organisation overall, a human resource manager needs knowledge, skills and abilities which go beyond the boundaries of functional specialisation.

There are two sections to the framework:

The first section outlines general knowledge and skills which any manager might reasonably be expected to have. These are not unique to human resource management, and do not need to be described here in detail.

The second section sets these out in detail. This section should be used for assessing the knowledge and skills needs and levels of individual practitioners; it should be useful in designing or evaluating the content and effectiveness of education and training programmes; it could be helpful in the design, analysis and description of human resources management roles within organisations; and it might be used as a basis for assessing an individual's performance and achievements.

HRINZ HR Competencies

Business Knowledge

To assist an organisation to deliver excellent service to customers, HR professionals must understand the core business of the industry or sector in which they work, and understand how external and internal factors influence the success of that business. There are three major areas to the Business Knowledge competency:

1. Value Chain:

Successful HR professionals understand the make-up and interrelationships of the various components that are critical to the success of an organisation. This includes understanding the impact of external suppliers on organisational success, the criticality of the production or service delivery processes and capacity, competitor analysis, and how internal financial management and information systems impact on the value chain.

2. Value Proposition: Successful HR professionals understand how an organisation achieves business objectives. Includes market capitalisation, financial, mergers and acquisitions (where relevant), and work design and organisational rationalisation through structural and relationship-based improvement processes.

3. People Value: Successful HR professionals understand how people make a difference to an organisation, including the effects that employment legislation or unions can have on an organisation and its ability to achieve objectives.

Advisory

Context: At the Advisory level, practitioners clearly and accurately express the aspects of operations that are critical to the performance of the business units where the practitioner is the Managers’ Adviser, or of the entire business if it is a small organisation.

They are able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of:

  • the criticality of the effects on the business units/organisation of the suppliers of goods or services
  • the critical aspects of the production or service delivery mechanisms employed by the units/organisation
  • the financing of the units/organisation, including revenue streams, cost recovery operations and expenditure management
  • the impact that information systems have on the efficiency and effectiveness of the units/organisation
  • the critical aspects of job design, including the interrelationships between roles within the units/organisation;
  • the vital aspects of the structural design of the workflows in the units/organisation, and the improvement processes that are employed to maintain effectiveness
  • the methods employed to make the best use of the talents of the people employed within the units/organisation to maximise performance
  • the collective or individual employment contracting arrangements that apply to the units/organisation, including the relationships with unions, and how these arrangements impact on the achievement of goals.

Mastery

Context: At the Mastery level, practitioners perform all the Advisory level functions at the level of the entire organisation (in contrast to just some business units) as the senior HR Practioner for a medium-sized organisation (over 100 staff) or for a significant plant or section of a large organisation

and

  • are recognised by senior non-HR managers within the organisation as a key contributor to the development and implementation of overall organisational strategy;

and either

  • have conducted tertiary level courses or professional workshops or seminars or published significant research on the relationship between HR and the business

or

  • have had a significant period of responsibility for a non-HR part of the business in a senior management capacity. –

HR Delivery

The HR professional is expected to bring to the business community both traditional and innovative human resource activities. While the traditional aspects of HR may not have changed in scope there are many instances where innovation and technology have changed the delivery of HR in today’s business world.  There are seven major areas to the HR Delivery competency:

    1. Staffing and Recruitment: Successful HR professionals are able to analyse, interpret, identify, plan, implement and measure staffing and recruitment initiatives within an organisation. Their planning and implementation activities show their understanding of the organisation’s internal and external operating environment and business needs.

    2. Performance Management: Successful HR professionals can produce an integrated performance management system that supports the business direction. The system will not only reflect the needs of the business environment but will also support the organisation’s needs for development and training, and reward and recognition of staff achievement.

    3. Development: Successful HR professionals can identify and implement training, development and learning opportunities that are consistent with the organisation’s capability development objectives.

    4. Remuneration: Successful HR professionals can develop, implement and monitor effective remuneration strategies, policies and systems to contribute to the delivery of business objectives.

    5. Health, Safety and Wellness: Successful HR professionals can identify and implement health, safety and wellness strategies and policies that ensure compliance, which contributes to the development and maintenance of a positive organisational culture, and which contributes to business success.

    6. HR Measurement: Successful HR professionals can identify and implement measures that provide the organisation with an accurate picture of the impact of HR practices and policies and can highlight areas of concern and success.

    7. Legal Compliance & Employment Relations: Successful HR professionals can accurately interpret and analyse employment related and other relevant legislation and develop appropriate policies, processes, systems and employment agreements to meet legislative requirements in a timely and effective manner. This extends to the ability to successfully undertake and conclude bargaining, and to the identification and successful resolution of employment relations issues.

Advisory

Context: At the Advisory level the HR Practitioner will have gained knowledge and exposure to the HR delivery functions and will be able to provide examples where they demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of:

 

  • in-depth knowledge of the role HR plays within their organisation
  • advice and support to the organisation in the application of staff recruitment and selection methodologies, including undertaking job analysis and writing job descriptions and competency profiles
  • advice on the application of organisational remuneration systems and administration of remuneration systems and policies
  • accurate and relevant advice and support in the application of its performance management system
  • training against an identified need
  • measures that accurately evaluate HR functions
  • current legislation in developing policies, and provide advice and guidance to the organisation
  • advice on the application and management of organisational health, safety and wellness systems

Mastery

Context: At the Mastery level, practitioners perform all the Advisory level functions at the level of the entire organisation (in contrast to just some business units) as the senior HR Practioner for a medium-sized organisation (over 100 staff) or for a significant plant or section of a large organisation. Practitioners at this level are highly proficient in the application and integration of:

  • identifying recruitment and staffing needs through business and environmental factor impact analysis and to translate this into process and policy design, development and implementation activities. That contributes to business effectiveness and workforce stability
  • analysing the needs of the organisation in the development, implementation and application of a performance management system that supports the achievement of organisational success
  • identifying management training and development needs and putting in place the means to grow and develop managers
  • contributing to business outcomes as a key member of the Senior Management team and contributing to the organisation’s strategic planning process through planning, implementing, monitoring and reporting against HR measures and triggers that ensure organisational success
  • researching, analysing and interpreting the impact of legislation on the strategic direction of an organisation. This includes being able to mitigate or maximise the effect of legislation or legislative change and eliminate risk through the introduction or amendment of policies and procedures
  • developing remuneration strategies, policies and systems that contribute to the achievement of business strategy
  • developing strategies that use health, safety and wellness to enhance business effectiveness and which deliver against business objectives
  • developing organisation strategy and supporting plans for the conduct of negotiations, and the development of organisation approach to the management of employment relations.

Personal Credibility

Successful HR professionals are credible to peers, line managers and other stakeholders. There are three major areas to the Personal Credibility competency:

  1. 1. Effective Relationships: Successful HR professionals build effective relationships of trust and credibility that lead to buy-in to the customer-focused business model of HR.

  2. 2. Achieving Results: Successful HR professionals meet their commitments and have a proven track record of achieving results. They deliver work with a high degree of business and professional integrity. Professional integrity means operating in a professional and ethical manner and maintaining up to date HR and Business knowledge.

  3. 3. Personal Communication: Successful HR professionals express themselves effectively both in verbal and written communications.

Advisory

Context: At the Advisory level, practitioners create effective interpersonal relationships. They are able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of:

  • build enduring and productive relationships that have engender high levels of trust
  • acting in a manner that drives the business to an optimum awareness of the importance of the customers to their operations
  • performing in a manner that demonstrates their personal integrity
  • being consistently able to communicate their advice, verbally and in writing, in an effective manner.
  • maintains up-to-date HR knowledge

 

Mastery

Context: At the Mastery level, practitioners perform all the Advisory level functions at the level of the entire organisation (in contrast to just some business units) as the senior HR Practioner for a medium-sized organisation (over 100 staff) or for a significant plant or section of a large organisation. In addition, they can show that they can:

  • build enduring and productive relationships with senior management, including CEO, that have engendered high levels of trust
  • deliver to plan work that is performed in a manner that convinced senior management of their personal integrity
  • are recognised by senior managers within the organisation as a key contributor to the personal credibility of the rest of the HR team
  • conduct tertiary level courses or professional workshops or seminars or published significant research on ethical business practices for HR personnel.

 

Strategic Contribution

There are many relationships that are essential for measuring HR when driving an organisation’s performance. Only when HR is firmly anchored as part of an organisation’s strategy implementation can the connection between HR and the organisation’s drivers of success be seen. Strategic contribution in terms of Human Resources relates to those deliverable outcomes of the HR architecture that serve to fulfil the organisation’s strategy. There are five major areas to the Strategic Contribution competency:

  1. 1. Culture Management: Successful HR professionals develop and implement strategies that are consistent with the organisational culture and that promote structures to support business objectives and meet business needs. They have broad experience of positively influencing and supporting employees at all levels of the organisation. This includes a culture that respects diversity and the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

  2. 2. Change Management: Successful HR professionals ensure the outcome for change expressed and shared. To be effective at managing change the HR practitioner must have experience in developing and recommending changes in staff structures to meet the organisation’s evolving needs, managing the implementation of change within an organisation, communicating changes and supporting employees through the change process.

  3. 3. Strategic Decision-Making: Successful HR professionals take part in framing business strategy and making key business decisions. They identify problems central to business strategy and have experience in developing and implementing strategies, plans and processes that meet the needs and interests of the organisation, its employees and stakeholders.

  4. 4. Customer Focus: Successful HR professionals have experience in designing, developing and implementing strategies and initiatives that connect employees with their customers in a way that enhances the organisation’s ability to respond to its needs.

  5. 5. Market Connection: Successful HR professionals use customer information to unify the internal organisation around competitive advantage. They create opportunities and mechanisms that amplify market signals within the organisation in a way that enables appropriate and timely responses to emerging opportunities or threats.

Advisory

Context: At the Advisory level, practitioners can understand, analyse and describe an organisation’s culture. They maintain an appreciation for the success factors of change management and the linkage to effective strategic decision-making. They are able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of:

  • the organisation’s explicit and implicit cultures
  • effectively communicate and transfer information, experience and knowledge across organisational boundaries to build a more effective culture
  • develop and implement guidelines that will encourage greater commitment and measurable outcomes for the organisation
  • apply the integral steps associated with the change management process and support the change management function
  • understand the link between people, systems, practices and policy and how these contribute to organisational success
  • understand the link and integration between operational imperatives and HR practice and policy
  • understand the link between effective people management and the organisation’s sustainable competitive advantage.

Mastery

Context: At the Mastery level, practitioners perform all the Advisory level functions and have demonstrated the ability to:

  • develop and implement HR policies, programmes and strategies that embrace diversity in all its forms
  • implement change management programmes from conception through to completion
  • develop protocols in consultation with management and union representatives.
  • develop and implement communication plans that ensure the participation and involvement of all stakeholders in change management programmes
  • integrate best practice in people management with organisational factors that contribute to the success of the organisation
  • develop strategies that respond to changes in the competitive environment, the complexity and size of the organisation, its technology, workforce demographics and values.

Business Technology

With Technology rapidly becoming a key part of the workplace and a critical delivery vehicle for Business services, the HR Professional is required to grow their knowledge and application of technology as a key delivery tool when implementing strategies. There are three major areas to the Business Technology competency, that the successful HR professional can display:

1. Linkage to Plans: Strategic awareness of technology’s linkage to the business plan and strategic application of e-knowledge, and how, where, and when to deploy it for maximum benefit. This relates mainly to the design of technological applications and their linkage to business and HR practices.

2. Effective Data Analysis: Evidence of rigorous and effective data analysis being used to make HR business decisions (an example being where a business case has been presented to senior management executives and managers to acquire and implement new technology that will improve services).

3. Facilitation Skills: Key facilitation skills in the use of business systems by the workforce and a realistic grasp of the technological applications that exist throughout the organisation, from both theoretical and applied perspectives.

Advisory

Context: At the Advisory level, practitioners are clearly and accurately able to show they are able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of:
 

  • an understanding of the range of business metrics across all operational functions and metrics can be used when making HR business decisions.
  • an understanding of the nature of service level agreements and good judgement in the preparation, approval and implementation of vendor service agreements
  • e-HR positively influencing business plans
  • e-HR capability being developed to support business strategies, such as the development of HR and business metrics

Mastery

Context: At the Mastery level, practitioners perform all the Advisory level functions as well as being able to show:

  • a tertiary qualification and/or experience at senior management level where a significant contribution has been made to connect e-HR with organisational capability
  • evidence of business metrics being used to inform business decisions and influence the strategic planning process
  • evidence of system reviews and upgrades being carried out to ensure compliance and business efficiency
  • an awareness of current and emerging technologies that can improve HRM efficiency and effectiveness within the organisation.

Knowledge and Skills for Effective Management

Knowledge of the Business

  • Knowledge of the environment
    Understands the internal and external trends and influences likely to have a significant impact on the future effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation.

  • Knowledge of the industry
    Understands the industry or sector in which the organisation operates; appreciates the varying perceptions and perspectives of it's stakeholders; and is aware of issues and developments which are likely to have an effect on the organisation.

  • Knowledge of the organisation
    Understands the operations, products or services of the organisation and its position in its industry or sector; understands the culture and value systems of the organisation and their role in its effectiveness; and understands the organisation's business mission and strategies and its operating plans.

Skills in Management

  • Management of people
    Is able to perform the responsibilities of the job efficiently and effectively while maintaining a concern for others and for the integrity of the human resources management role.
    Is able to create and maintain effective working relationships, gain the trust and respect of other people, behave in a fair and ethical way towards others, and demonstrate an appropriate sense of corporate loyalty and responsibility.
    Is able to lead, guide and provide feedback to enable others to perform their job responsibilities efficiently and effectively, both to achieve the goals of the organisation and to provide those people with job challenges and satisfaction.
    Is able to identify and advise staff on their development needs, formulate and implement realistic development programmes, and assess their impact on results and relationships.
  • Management of resources
    Is able to recommend, obtain, monitor and control the use of organisational resources, including human resources, finance, technology, systems and operations.
  • Management of operations
    Is able to plan, implement and maintain operations and services at appropriate levels and standards of performance.
    Is able to contribute to the planning and implementation of changes to products, services, systems, methods and techniques.
  • Management of information
    Is able to identify, gather, manipulate, interpret and report both qualitative and quantitative data which are of significance to the organisation and its strategies and operations.
  • General management
    Has a broad understanding of organisation and management - including a general knowledge of finance, systems and operations, information technology, sales and marketing and company law - and especially of the complex and integrative nature of general management.

Personal Skills

  • Communication
    Is able to communicate effectively and achieve understanding through organisational channels and interpersonal contacts and appropriate use of written, oral and other communications media.
  • Decision-making
    Is able to make effective and timely decisions and recommendations.
  • Group processes
    Understands the nature of group processes and is able to use group process skills to enhance group and organisational effectiveness.
  • Leadership
    Is able to provide effective leadership for others by communicating vision and direction and using appropriate skills of managing and influencing.
  • Negotiations
    Is able to recognise situations which require the use of appropriate negotiation techniques, and has the skills to persuade others to reach mutually beneficial agreements.
  • Problem-solving
    Is able to initiate appropriate actions and alternatives to avoid potential problem situations before they occur and/or to increase the probability of desired outcomes.
  • Relationships
    Is able to develop and maintain effective contacts, relationships and networks with individuals and groups inside and outside the organisation.

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