Abstract:
Orientation: The job inherent requirements for Human Resource (HR) professionals, as
is for any role, are constantly undergoing change due to the dynamic environment that
we work and exist in. With the transition from traditional Personnel Management to more
contemporary and strategic HR Management, these adjustments required for the role and
of the incumbents have become more and more pronounced. It is important that, as HR
professionals, one frequently reassesses and clarifies the inherent requirements for the
role, based on the needs and demands from the broader world of work and its roleplayers.
The concern is however whether HR professionals realise and understand which
behavioural competencies they should display in order to meet the changing demands
and whether they actually are ‘living’ these.
Research Purpose: The aim of this paper is to determine the relevant behavioural
competencies for HR professionals based on the analysis of various views gathered from
current HR professionals.
Research Results: It was found that competencies such as ‘Planning and Organising’,
‘Problem Solving and Analysis’, ‘Specialist and Technical Knowledge’, ‘Strategic
Thinking’ as well as ‘Interpersonal Sensitivity’ are all important in order to ensure effective
service delivery for HR professionals. An additional competency, ‘Leading and
Supervising’ was also identified as important, although related more to managerial HR
functions. From these results it is however also evident that competencies relating to
adapting and responding to change in the workplace, and the importance of being able
to deliver and achieve results, were omitted from the ideal profile. This, in comparison to
various articles and research presented by authors on the exact importance of such
competencies in order for the HR discipline to add value to the organisation, makes it
evident that many HR professionals have still not completed the transition from the
traditional Personnel Management to the more strategic HR Management.
