Transforming Human Resource Organizations: a Field Study of Future Competency Requuierements

As human resource organizations transform, staff competency requirements after significantly. The question is: to what? The present study attempts to answer this question using data gathered from knowledgeable observers within a single firm and employing a unique future-oriented, role focused methodology. The results suggest a competency model with three parts: a relatively small number of core competencies applicable across the full range of human resource roles studied, an even smaller number of leverage competencies applicable to half or more (but not all) of the roles, and a much larger number of competencies that are role specific. Leverage and roles specific competencies are combined into competency profiles for the various roles which, in turn, suggests a number of implications for the selection, development, and career progression of tomorrow's human resource managers and professionals. While this particular competency model and its implications may be situation specific, the methodology developed during the study can be readily replicated in an abbreviated form in virtually any organization.