HR Crossroads Gary Taylor Vice-President : IPM

Advantages of Registration  HR seen as a profession  Eliminate the amateurs  Elevate HR status in companies  Entrench standards of training / education

Registration  None of the above objectives would be bad for the HR profession but let’s consider some other issues....

Other Issues  Professional Registration occurs for specialist disciplines (e.g. Health Professionals, Engineers, Lawyers, CAs, Actuaries)  Does HR want to be positioned as a technical speciality or within mainstream strategy? NOTE: technical specialists are generally outsourced i.e. not seen as strategic

Outsourced HR Processes % Source: PWC Global Human Capital Benchmarking Survey (2002 / 3)

Percentage of Time Spent on HR Source: PWC Global Human Capital Benchmarking Survey (2002 / 3) % For what is professional accreditation needed?

What Issues are Boards Facing?  Top 5 business issues South AfricaGlobally 1.Revenue growthCost reduction 2.Customer satisfactionCustomer satisfaction 3.Cost reductionRevenue growth 4.Leadership developmentQuality improvement 5.Regulatory complianceLeadership development Source: PWC Global Human Capital Benchmarking Survey (2002 / 3)

So What’s the Point?  Maybe professional registration is more about our egos than business need!  Companies don’t demand professional accreditation for strategic or executive roles  Maybe we should see professional registration as part of other key HR responsibilities

Additional Focus of HR (Not requiring professional accreditation)  Partner and catalyst for growth and development in our country  Strategic business partner  Champion of BEE and transformation

Having said all that....  It seems to make sense that HR should be a profession

For HR to be a Profession  HR has to have: A community with a sense of identity An ethical code of conduct Common standards of entry and performance A requirement for training / certification A distinct body of knowledge

A Body of Knowledge for HR does exist across the Globe  HR IS A PROFESSION HR has an established body of knowledge that can be taught, learned and tested, and there is an ethical code of conduct (Losey)  HR MUST BECOME MORE PROFESSIONAL The route to professionalism is through the definition and gaining of competencies (Ulrich & Eichinger) that emerges from knowing what an HR professional must know and be able to do

Body of Knowledge  HRM principles (e.g. motivation, learning, org. culture) operating within: Organisational, sector/industry, country context Defined by job levels and job roles – determine skills required  PERSONAL: Communication, decision making, problem solving, business acumen, credibility and professionalism, leadership, relationship management, adaptability  ORGANISATIONAL: Knowledge of environment, industry, organisation, impact assessment, the HR dept. as part of the organisation

Body of Knowledge  MANAGERIAL: Self, people, resources, operations, information, change, fiscal, governance  FUNCTIONAL: HR planning, staffing, PM&D, compensations and benefits, health and safety, systems management, organisational design and development

In Conclusion  Professional Registration is one valuable tool in achieving greater professionalism for HR  At the same time, we must: Do it for the right reason Not divert our attention away from other strategic issues

Thank you