Knowledge, skills and behaviours Essay

Many business use the CIPD Human resources profession map as it sets out what HR practitioners need to know, do and deliver at all stages of their career to be effective and successful. It sets a benchmark for HR excellence for the individual and the HR function. The map focuses on the knowledge, activities and behaviours by underpinning the skills required to develop products and services for the profession and the individuals, and it sets out how HR adds the greatest sustained value to the organisation now and in the future. It provides you with the support to accelerate your own career and professional development by offering an online self assessment tool called My HR Map. The map was devised from HR experts so it is a reliable source. The map is made up of different sections, firstly eight behaviours which are shown around the outside of the circle, these are; decisive thinker, skilled influencer, personally credible, collaborative, driven to deliver, courage to challenge, role model and curious. This section describes the behaviours and HR professional needs to carry out there activities. Each behaviour is described at four bands of professional competence. These four bands which go up the side of the map describes the four bands of professional competence and the transition challenges faced when moving from one band to the next, it is how their contribution and success is measured, band one being where you start at in a HR role and band four being a senior or management role. And then then there are ten professional areas inside the map which describes what activities you need to do and what you need to know for each area of the HR profession at four bands of professional competence. The ten professional areas are; organisation design, organisation development, resourcing and talent planning, learning and talent development, performance and reward, employee engagement, employee relations, service delivery and information, and the final two are professional areas which are recognised as the two core areas, these are insights, strategies and solutions, and leading HR. The two core professional areas of the map sit at the heart of the map and are applicable to all HR professionals regardless of their job role and stage of their career. Firstly looking at Insights, strategies and  solutions, this develops actionable insights and solutions, prioritised and tailored around a deep understanding of business, contextual and organisational understanding. The CIPD have produced tables for each of the professional areas describing the activities (what you need to do) and the knowledges (what you need to know) for each one putting them in relation with the bands. The four bands of professional competence define the contribution that professionals make at every stage of the HR career. Looking at the activities in insights, strategies and solutions a first example is building a picture. In band one the employee needs to Use management information and role experience to develop an understanding of what’s happening in the organisation and externally. Another example of an activity is Developing actionable insight, in band one the employee needs to Develop insights about potential opportunities or risks for the organisation from experience. From the same activity an example of a band two would be to work with colleagues and managers to develop shared insights and priorities and activities. Building capacity and capability is another activity and an example from a band one would be that the employee has to provide accurate and timely information, data and advice to managers and employees on organisations human resources policy and procedures and employment laws. Then moving on to knowledges so this is what the employees need to know. Firstly looking at business knowledge band one is to know the vision and purpose of the organisation and how this relates to your role. For contextual knowledge in band two the employee would need to know the sector context in which the organisation operates. In band one for organisational knowledge the employee needs to know the capability and skills that are needed within the organisation. And finally HR professional knowledge a band one professional would need to know how to effectively organise their own workload and priorities. Leading HR is the other core professional area and this area provides active, insight-led leadership owning, shaping and driving themselves, others and activity in the organisation. Although not everyone will have a role where they lead others, it is still important that they develop and grow in the other two dimensions. Looking at the activities for Professional leadership in band one the employee needs to seek feedback and coaching to continually learn and develop as a professional by using HR  processes as appropriate for own CPD (e.g. through my HR Map). Another activity is leading others, in band one the professional needs to focus on delivering flawless process and relevant, timely and accurate advice and data to support HR operations plan. Looking at leading issues an example of an activity is delivering value and performance in HR teams, and example of a band two professional would be to seek feedback from team to identify areas of concern around HR reward and recognition package and make suggestions for improvement where appropriate. Now looking at the knowledges of what the professional needs to know in leading HR the first example is leadership, they need to know the differences in how people work and interact, that is a band one professional. Another band one knowledge is Resource management, the employee needs to know personal skills profiles and strengths and gaps against role requirements. Performance management is another knowledge and for band two the professional needs to know methods for managing and evaluating team performance. Finally financial management, in band one the professional needs to know methods for collecting and analysing financial and non financial data.