10. Human Resources as Business Value Creator: Business Philosophy Revisited

To sustain the transformation of human resource functions, human resource (HR) professionals must develop and demonstrate a new set of competencies to fulfill their changing roles and responsibilities. Prominent round of studies on HR competencies was conducted by Ulrich and team from late 1980s for around 30 years, defining the competencies of HR professionals and the way those competencies had an impact on personal effectiveness and business performance. There were certain competencies identified that needed to be demonstrated by HR professionals that were at the core of HR work or heart of HR. Three such competencies were found, namely, Strategic Positioner, Credible Activist and Paradox navigator. Other three competencies identified were Strategic Enablers that included Culture and Change Champion, Human Capital Curator and Total Rewards Steward. Further three competencies identified were foundational enablers, namely, Compliance Manager, Analytics Designer and Interpreter and Technology and Social Media Integrator. Other research results also indicated that organizations who were managing their human capital effectively had a competitive advantage over others and were more likely to have a strong financial performance. Literature also indicates that HR professionals need to not only possess HR-related competencies but also knowledge of business and high degree of cross-functional orientation so that HR may create value for business. HR professionals of tomorrow would need to understand business and context of business and use HR systems effectively as a strategic intervention tool. They would not only be required to work toward building of organizational capabilities, through competence building, talent management, leadership development and trust building, but would also be expected to work toward their own capability building to lead to fulfillment of expectations of various stakeholders and in process aligning Human Resource Development (HRD) with business and organizational goals.