HR COMPETENCIES 1 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1............................................................ 2 ABSTRACT............................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION......................................................... 3 Review of the Literature............................................. 5 The Relationship between HR Competencies and a Firm’s Performance...8 DEFINIATION OF HR COMPETENCIES......................................10 CHAPTER.2........................................................... 12 THE STUDY........................................................... 12 ASSUMPTIONS......................................................... 12 LIMITATIONS......................................................... 12 MOBILINK...........................................................12 MTBC...............................................................13 NESTLE PAKISTAN....................................................14 GUL AHMED TEXTILE MILL.............................................14 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................ 14 THE INSTRUMENT...................................................... 15 CHAPTER.3........................................................... 17 ANALYSIS............................................................ 17 CHAPTER.4........................................................... 24 CONCLUSION.......................................................... 24
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HR COMPETENCIES 1
Table of ContentsCHAPTER 1................................................................................................................................................2
Review of the Literature..............................................................................................................................5
The Relationship between HR Competencies and a Firm’s Performance................................................8
DEFINIATION OF HR COMPETENCIES..............................................................................................10
THE STUDY.............................................................................................................................................12
ABSTRACTThis study examines competencies of Human Resource (HR) professionals in the services and
manufacturing companies of Pakistan. The Human Resource Competency Survey (HRCS) model
is used in this study. The competencies that are examined in this study are business knowledge,
strategic contribution, HR delivery, and personal credibility and HR technology. All these
competencies will be tested whether or not they are significantly related to a firm’s performance.
Furthermore, researcher wanted to study the relationship of these competencies with variables
such as experience, education level, firm’s size and salary of the sample. The sample employed
here consists of HR professionals from Pakistani manufacturing and services companies.
HR COMPETENCIES 3
INTRODUCTIONAs the organization looks into the future they will be require to renew the investment in human
resources and formulating new policies, new modalities of learning, and innovative motivational
tools. Further workplaces may require managers to rely on their peers and subordinates for their
rewards, recognition, appraisal and training. Moreover, employees in the 21st century may
periodically have to back track their own careers, moving from expert back to novice, as they
required developing new competencies. Many believe that adaptation to these changes and
movement into unfamiliar roles may take place more smoothly within a supportive team
environment.
Preparing people for the future requires systems and procedures to align individual and
organization objectives, communicate and consult with managers and professionals, develop
them effectively, assess their potential and performance, give them feedback and help them plan
and manage their careers.Each of these activities has traditionally not been the responsibility of
the HR department in some companies here and around the world. Despite all the talk about
strategic human resource management, however, most HR managers remain stuck in their
administrative roles processing complaints and paperwork.
The increasingly dynamic nature of competition during the last two decades has made the
improvements of organizational learning and the developments of more effective methods for
managing, knowledge a crucial but predominant issue of contemporary organizations.
Knowledge is the only resource, which can only guarantee sustainable advantage. Today,
knowledge is not the power but the ability to use knowledge is recognized as power.
HR COMPETENCIES 4
Human resource professionals needed to function strategically. To play more critical roles more
effectively, HR professional must master the necessary competencies, and that mastery of HR
knowledge comes only from being familiar with the concepts, language, logic, and practices
of HR that are the result of research and training. Furthermore, mastery of the above abilities
comes from being able to apply the knowledge within specific business settings .Nowadays;
competencies are used in many facets of human resource management, ranging from individual
functions such as recruitment and performance management to organizational strategic planning
and design of organizational structure and culture. HR competencies are said to be a set of
characteristics contributing to the effective HR performance that enables an organization to carry
out its business strategies in a competitive market. However, many HR executives are not invited
to the strategic planning table because they have failed to display the required competencies. In
fact, it is suggested that the competency level of the HR manager has an influence on whether he
or she is able to get into the executive board master.
Competency for any job can be defined as a set of human attributes that enables an employee to
meet the expectations of his internal and external customers and stake holders.
We have generally observed that only hard work, knowledge, sincerity towards work, and
intelligence does not alone makes a person star performer in his/her profession. There are many
other factors that actually help an individual practically in achieving success in performing job.
For example we have observed that during our school or college days a star student who scores
maximum marks in exam may or may not be a good leader. Similarly to this a good batsman
may or may not be a good bowler in the game of cricket. The only reason behind this to be a
leader requires different set of competencies and to be a good bowler requires a different set of
competencies than for a good batsman. Human qualities and attributes which makes a person
HR COMPETENCIES 5
suitable for his/her job defines competency for that particular job.
A competent manager is always aware about different competencies that a person requires to
perform the job effectively and efficiently. And on the basis of their knowledge about this they
select and train their subordinates for that job.
There are many factors such are Social culture, work environment, nature of business,
Organizational structure, responsibilities, nature of process and assigned activities, attitude and
motives of management affects competency require for particular job.
Competency based recruitment and selection focuses on identifying those candidates that can
evidence those behaviorally defined characteristics which underpin desired performance in the
role you are seeking.
Review of the LiteratureThere are several major studies available on HR competencies [1]. One study surveys 3000 HR
professionals, consultants, line executives and academicians. That study reports that line
executives thought that computer literacy was the most critical HR competence; while
academicians argue that broad knowledge of and a clear vision for HR were the most important
issues, and consultants believe that ability to change things is the most important factor in the
excellent or HR performance. Another study, examining300 HR professionals from various
sectors, establishes a set of core HR competencies consisting of leadership style, management
intuition, functional abilities and personal attributes [2]. One of HR competency surveys suggests
that HR professionals needed to be more knowledgeable about financial management, external
competition and customer demands [3].The survey data of the Human Resource Competency
Study (HRCS) were collected in 2003 under the initiative of the Edinburgh university. The study
was carried out online (web-based). The respondents of the European HRCS were HR
HR COMPETENCIES 6
professionals and line managers of multinational companies located in Europe [4]. In this survey,
five domain factors emerged as making a difference interms of performance. The domains are as
follows:
Strategic Contribution
High-performing companies have HR professionals involved in the business at a strategic level.
These HR professionals manage the culture, facilitate rapid change, and are involved in the
strategic decision making and create market-driven connectivity of the operation [4]. In this
competency area, culture management, rapid change efforts, and a business partner role along
with customer focus emerged as important factors for HR professionals, making their impact on
their organizations' financial performance significant.
Personal Credibility
HR professionals must be credible to both their HR counterparts and the business line managers
whom they serve. They need to promise and deliver results and establish a reliable track record.
Furthermore, working well with others by building good relationship is vital in developing the
ability to work together with others effectively. In addition, HR professionals must have
effective writing and verbal communication skills [4]. The findings of the study by [4]
correspond with the prior research of [5], who found that that the personnel directors require
professional competence in social skills to develop effective interpersonal relations with other
board directors. This is one of the competencies of personal credibility.
HR COMPETENCIES 7
HR Delivery
HR professionals deliver both traditional and operational activities to their business in four major
categories. First, by designing developmental programs and challenging work experiences. This
is done by offering career planning services, and facilitating internal communication processes.
These efforts include both individual development as well as organization-wide development.
Second, by structuring and HR measurement: restructuring the organization, measuring impact
of HR practices, and managing global implications of HR practices.
Third, by attracting, promoting, retaining, and out-placing appropriate people. Finally, by
performance management in terms of designing performance-based measurements and reward
systems and providing competitive benefit packages [4].
Business Knowledge
To become key players in the organization, HR professionals must understand the business or
industry of the company they serve. Key areas of knowledge include applied understanding of
the integrated value chain (how the firm horizontally integrates) and the firm’s value proposition
(how the firm creates wealth). The labour factor, representing institutional constraints such as
labour legislation, is the third factor that constitutes the domain of business knowledge [4].
Human resources professional must understand how their business or agency
operates. This includes the organization’s strategy, how the organization makes money or
achieves its primary purpose, its technological processes and organizational capabilities,
etc. [6].
HR COMPETENCIES 8
HR Technology
HR professionals need to be able to leverage technology for HR practices and use e-HR/web-
based channels to deliver value to their customers [7]. [7] Further argues that the pace of
technological innovation will continue to accelerate. HR can take advantage of these changes by
automating HR processes and becoming more effective in communicating with its internal
/external customers. More importantly, by absorbing the latest technology, HR can project a
forward looking image that will help it earn the respect of skeptical colleagues. According to a
recent survey by Society for Human Resource Management, the top workplace trend identified
was technology.
The Relationship between HR Competencies and a Firm’s PerformanceResearchers in the field of strategic human resource management have emphasized that human
resource practices may lead to higher firm performance and be sources of sustained competitive
advantages . Competing in today’s tumultuous global economy provides additional challenges to
the HR function in creating the expected value to create and sustain competitive advantages. To
function effectively, HR professionals must master the necessary competencies, and that mastery
of HR knowledge comes from knowing the concepts, language, logic, research, and practices of
HR [1]. Furthermore, mastery of these abilities comes from being able to apply that knowledge
to specific business settings.[2] have convincingly argued that HR professionals need to become
more effective strategic business partners.[5] argue further that HR professionals must make the
transition from being strategic business partners to becoming contributors in their organizations.
Several studies have shown a positive relationship between certain competencies and firm
performance [7, 8, 9,] have stated that there is an emerging group of human resource
professionals who see the opportunity to turn human capital strategy into a long-term
HR COMPETENCIES 9
competitive advantage. They observe that in the 1990s there was a wake-up call for the human
resource profession. More than ever, organizations now seek greater creativity and productivity
from people. Part of the strategy in being creative and maximizing productivity is to possess the
necessary competencies for enabling these outcomes. The research by Brockbank [1] showed
that HR activities positively impact business performance by approximately10% (defined as the
financial performance of the business over the last three years compared to its major
competitors). Strategic contribution accounts for 43 percent of HR total impact on business
performance which is almost twice the impact of any other domain. These are all reasons why
competencies are being discussed by academicians and practitioners alike as ways of creating
sustainable competitive advantages. A study by [7] indicates the domain of strategic contribution
is positively correlated with financial competitiveness, while the domain of HR technology is
negatively correlated with this performance outcome. This is not completely in line with the
global HRCS findings. In the Europe, the study found only one domain (strategic contribution) to
be positively related to financial competitiveness, in contrast to the global results that suggest
four out of five domains to be positively linked to financial competencies.
HR COMPETENCIES 10
DEFINIATION OF HR COMPETENCIES
Any analysis of HR competencies requires careful definition because of the considerable
variance in the use of the term ‘competencies’ in the literature. For the purpose of this study,
the numerous definitions of competency can be summarized effectively as a collection of
technical and cultural capabilities (Brockbank 1997). However, it is obvious throughout the
literature that different authors advocate different approaches to competency definition. For
example, one particular approach to modeling competencies advocated by Ulrich et al (1995)
and Boyatzis (Yeung 1996) includes the integration of areas of competence into groupings.
Ulrich et al’s (1995) model combines various aspects of competence into three primary
elements: knowledge of the business, HR functional expertise and management of change.
They argue that management of change is critical, as the organization’s external rate of
change (e.g. globalization, information flow, customer expectations, technology, etc.) must be
matched by the internal rate of change for the organization to remain competitive.
(Retrieved December 23,2010 http://www.slideshare.net/nusantara99/competency-based-hr-
management).
Irrespective of job role or job title, the elements of competence remain in the same order of
importance, with any variation manifesting itself in weighting alone. In the US, ‘Change
management’ has been reported to be most important (41%), followed by ‘HR functional
expertise’ (22%) and ‘Knowledge of business’ (17%). A similar pattern was also seen in non-
US organisations, however the different elements were seen as being much more balanced:
34%, 26% and 26% respectively (Ulrich et al 1995, pp.487). The idea that competency
weightings change according to job role or level is also supported by Boyatzis (Yeung 1996).
HR COMPETENCIES 11
In defining HR competencies, Ulrich and Boyatzis, like many others, argue that it is
necessary to consider the specific job roles of HR practitioners in order to differentiate
between possible variations in requirements. The roles of human resource staff have been
extensively discussed in the literature and in textbooks of human resource management (see,
for example, Schuler and Huber, 1993; Purcell, 1995). One work in particular by Tyson and
Fell (1986) defined three dominant personnel management models based on an analogy from
the building and civil engineering profession: clerk of works, contracts manager and
architect. In essence, the clerk of works role focuses on the day-to-day operations carried out
by the personnel department, and is often the support or administrative HR practitioner role.
The contracts manager is the expert ensuring that every aspect of policy and procedure and
hence the personnel department’s ‘contract’ with the organization is fulfilled. This role
equates to that of the professional or specialist HR practitioner. The architect is the long-term
designer and planner, co-coordinating the activities of other members of the department,
otherwise known as the senior or strategic management HR practitioner. In the definition of
these models it is already clear how individuals carrying out different models of personnel
management will require different degrees of competence in different areas. This is also
relative to the environment in which the organization is operating.
HR COMPETENCIES 12
CHAPTER.2
THE STUDYThe study was conducting on leading companies of Pakistan that how much they are focusing on
HR competency of their employees and how thier managers uses skills that are fruit ful for the
organization. For this purpose personal visit have been made to Mobilink, MTBC and calls have
been made to Nestle and Gul Ahmed Textile Mill Pakistan.
ASSUMPTIONSIt is been assumed that all the organization are working hard to hire employees on their
competency and each organization have more than 100 employees since mostly organization
having less than 50 employees have no proper HR structure.
LIMITATIONSDue to shortage of time and some non-cooperation of staff only few of the HR professional and
employees have been interview.
MOBILINK Mobilink is Pakistan largest cellular company having more than 1000 franchises in all over
Pakistan and employee force of 4500 people.Mobilink has 47 HR department in Pakistan who
are responsible to perform not only traditional duties but also take such initiative to ensure
employees loyalty to Mobilink and in return what they are offering them.
Mobilink has a very well defined and structured department and its various policies of keeping
each employee productive part of the organization are intoned with the corporate worlds
requirement. Employees in the company are largely committed to the company and have shown
progress in the company. Employees are satisfied with the HR department of Mobilink GSM
Company.
HR COMPETENCIES 13
Humans are the basic tool for having competitive edge in the market for most of the organization
and Mobilink is one of these. It has best HR system in Pakistan that give edge to Mobilink.
Study shows that from very first step of recruiting employee until its final selection process ,the
HR managers always looking for the skills required by the job and how the new employee use
his/her skill to give good results.
MTBC MTBC is a dynamic and rapidly growing multinational health care IT company. The company
has attained tremendous growth in the short span of a few years, which is testament to well-
implemented, technology-based processes and which also lays the foundations for productivity.
MTBC is following a formula of long-term growth by combining and utilizing labor force
increase, investment activity and scientific and technological progress.
It is an American based company who is operating in Pakistan and India. To become the worlds
leading billing company MTBC has a very strong HR department who is always ready to meet
the new challenges and its reaction on its employees.
Their key to success is that they always looked for skilled force who can easily adjust them in
tough working condition ( Zaheer, Senior HR manager MTBC).
Company conduct special training sessions where each employee has the opportunity to prove
them in challenging work environment. Hiring is based on skills which employee brings to
MTBC.
The study shows that since MTBC has large number of competent employees but their working
environment is so tough that hardly any of the new recruit (male staff) stay in this office for not
more than 6 to 8 months. Long working hours and less salary and increment is one of the major
causes of this problem but due to high unemployment rate in the country they have no issue of
HR COMPETENCIES 14
employee leaving MTBC. Even the experienced and senior employees become less result
oriented due to these circumstances.( Miss Bushra, Senior HR manager MTBC)
NESTLE PAKISTANNestle is one of Pakistan leading group in manufacturing food items. Since they are in the
manufacturing sectors they hire highly competent professional both in production and
management sector. But due to recent bad economic condition in country it is difficult to hire
skilled labour and handle their affairs.
GUL AHMED TEXTILE MILLThe story of textiles in the subcontinent is the story of Gul Ahmed. The group began trading in
textiles in the early 1900’s. With all it’s know-how and experience, the group decided to enter
the field of manufacturing and Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd. was incorporated as a private
limited company, in the year 1953. In 1972 it was subsequently listed on the Karachi Stock
Exchange. Since then the company has been making rapid progress and is one of the best
composite textile houses in the world. The mill is presently a composite unit with an installed
capacity of 130,296 spindles, 223 wide width air jet looms, and a state of the art processing and
finishing unit.
(Retrieved December 24,2010 from http://www.gulahmed.com/html/sec_1024/corp.html#1)
RESEARCH METHODOLOGYThe sample employed here consists of HR professionals from Pakistanis manufacturing and
services companies. All respondent work for services companies in the twin cities of Pakistan
and others are in manufacturing companies. These companies were chosen
HR COMPETENCIES 15
because of their relatively large. Only firms with at least 50 full-time employees were studied.
This is because other studies have shown that firms with smaller employment size are less likely
to have HRM departments.
THE INSTRUMENTThe data collection instrument used in this research is the a quantitative methodology with a
survey instrument developed based on the five competency domains and 17competency factors
identified in the Human Resource Competency Study (HRSC) [5]. To improve statistical
reliability, the HR technology domain was divided into two competency factors; one was
operational and one strategic. This resulted in 18 competency factors that resided
within the five competency domains. A Likert scale was used on the questionnaire with the
following ratings:
1–strongly disagree, 2–disagree, 3–moderately agree,4–agree and 5–strongly agree. The
respondent was asked how well they performed the competencies identified in the HRSC. A
statement describing each competency factor is listed on the questionnaire. The 18 items in the
instrument are arranged in groups of five competency domain. Firm performance was measured
by the self-reported the researcher of this study used Cronbach alpha co-efficient method for this
purpose. The result of the reliability test shows that the alpha value base in each domain of the
instrument is between 0.62 to 0.89. Components that are tested are strategic contribution (alpha =