SIx Proposed Qualities, Character and Competencies of a Licensed Human Resources Practitioner

 

The newly legislated Human Resources law in Kenya offers a unique opportunity to create the most "advanced" form of professional organization on the globe by taking lessons from the organizational strengths and weaknesses of other professional bodies around the world. How should the HRM profession in Kenya position and brand itself to be a world class professional body?

Allow me to open debate on the profile of a licensed Human Resources Practitioner. The Executive Director, Mr.  Osero, points out in the Business Daily that the certification will emphasize skills rather than academics. This is a critical point not just for the profession, but also for facilitating national growth and ensuring industrial development. HR professionals, not only need to know what to do, but also HOW to do it. This paper proposes six qualities, characteristics or competencies (QCC) that a licensed Human resources practitioner (CHRP) should have in order to do justice to the profession and serve the nation at large.

The first quality is integrity. While other professions assume integrity as a trust over financial or material things, Integrity assumes a whole new meaning when a CHRP is entrusted with lives, careers, and the realization of hopes and dreams of people. A CHRP should not only guard their personal integrity, but also protect the dignity of the people (employees) they oversee. A CHRP is called to be realistic, but impartial in all dealing in the best interest of employees and employers as partners in progress. This quality, perhaps more than any other, makes Human resources management a noble profession.

The second is leadership. Human Resources management mobilizes people resources for a purpose, projects and profit. Human resources is more than structure and systems it is about leading people with a just and beneficial cause to a profitable goal. It is therefore impossible to be a licensed human resources practitioner in an organization with an unjust or illegal cause. A CHRP demonstrates leadership in the ability to mobilize people to pursue corporate strategy and realize business goals through effective management of performance and the development of people. The CHRP is a leader and should demonstrate constructive leadership in the course of their duty.

The third is business savvy. The reason why HR practitioners have not always been welcome in the boardroom may be that they fail to understand industry and enterprise dynamics and cocoon themselves in dealing with "salary adjustments" rather than ensuring corporate success. In this sense, human resources is projected as a cost rather than a competence, with HR managers showing greater loyalty to protecting "human" interests than facilitating business sense that ensures the human interests. The CHRP will need to have the versatility to appreciate the challenges of enterprise and participate in developing business solutions that advance the interests of the business and human resources rather than wait for a budget allocation to pay and train staff for the year.

Fourth. Be global in outlook and remain relevant through continuous development, specialization, creating  and documenting new knowledge, through reading, research, writing and reflection ahead of continuous education. This will keep the profession vibrant, developing and on the cutting edge of technological advancement every year.

Fifth. Demonstrate the ability to translate theory into practice and be able to bridge the gap between academics and enterprise as well as being able to interpret, analyze and create human resources solutions in the socio-economic context of the enterprise and participate in the development of national solutions to environmental challenges. This is the bedrock of national transformation.

Sixth. Knowledgeable. The CHRP needs to be familiar with the foundations, construction and architecture of Human resources management principles, processes and variable global practice of the profession. And be a master of at least one specialization.

In conclusion, the law now exists. However, we (the professionals) need to create the profession. We have a unique opportunity to calibrate the profile of a licensed Human Resource Practitioner for posterity.

Allan Bukusi

January 2013