editor’s letter
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Keep it simple, stupid If you’ve ever sat through a lengthy meeting or conference and been tempted to say “just the highlights, please”, you’ll appreciate this month’s cover story on essential HR competencies. Yes, you’ve likely heard it before, but it’s unlikely you’ve heard it so succinctly summed up. Not only does Ulrich and co provide the six key competencies essential to HR success in 2012 and beyond, but they also provide a nine-point action plan to push those competencies into tangible action. And it appears they’re right on the money. Of the myriad tasks performed by the average HR professional, let’s take just one example: job redesign. This is not something currently handled well by most Australian companies; or if it is, it’s only considered when a long-term employee transitions to retirement, rather than undertaken as part of a broader questioning of how work is done in terms of succession planning and talent mapping. Yet a quick glance at the six core competencies reveals at least three which would help shed light on job redesign: Firstly, there is the Strategic Positioner. High-performing HR professionals think and act from the outside-in. They are deeply knowledgeable of and able to translate external business trends into internal decisions and actions. They understand the general business conditions (eg, social, technological, economic, political, environmental and demographic trends) that affect their industry and geography. Secondly, the Capability Builder. Capability represents what the organisation is good at and known for. HR professionals should be able to audit and invest in the creation of organisational capabilities. These capabilities outlast the behaviour or performance of any individual manager or system. And thirdly there is the Human Resource Innovator and Integrator. Effective HR professionals know the historical research on HR so that they can innovative and integrate HR practices into unified solutions to solve future business problems. They must know latest insights on key HR practice areas related to human capital (talent sourcing, talent development), performance accountability (appraisal, rewards), organisation design (teamwork, organisation development), and communication. Just like any professional, the HR professional reading this magazine will likely stumble across something they can and should be doing better. Nobody’s perfect – and recognition of that fact by improving skills through professional development will help HR’s ongoing, inevitable rise to prominence in businesses everywhere.
Iain Hopkins, editor, HC Magazine
Letters to the editor
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COPY & FEATURES EDITOR Iain Hopkins JOURNALIST Stephanie Zillman EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jessica Cooper PRODUCTION EDITORS Sushil Suresh, Moira Daniels, Carolin Wun
ART & PRODUCTION DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Angie Gillies SENIOR DESIGNER Rebecca Downing TRAFFIC MANAGER Abby Cayanan
CONTRIBUTORS Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers, The Next Step, Frontier Software, Leadership Success, Peak Health, EmployeeConnect
SALES & MARKETING SENIOR MARKETING EXECUTIVE Kerry Corben MARKETING EXECUTIVE Anna Keane COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Lisa Narroway NATIONAL COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sophie Knight ONLINE COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sarah Wiseman
CORPORATE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mike Shipley CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER George Walmsley MANAGING DIRECTOR – BUSINESS MEDIA Justin Kennedy CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Colin Chan HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Julia Bookallil Editorial enquiries Iain Hopkins tel: +61 2 8437 4703 iain.hopkins@keymedia.com.au Advertising enquiries National commercial manager, HR products Sophie Knight tel: +61 2 8437 4733 sophie.knight@keymedia.com.au Subscriptions tel: +61 2 8437 4731 • fax: +61 2 8437 4753 subscriptions@keymedia.com.au Key Media keymedia.com.au Key Media Pty Ltd, regional head office, Level 10, 1–9 Chandos St, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia tel: +61 2 8437 4700 fax: +61 2 9439 4599 Offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto hcamag.com Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of the editor. Contributions are invited, but copies of work should be kept as HC can accept no responsibility for loss.
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