Identify, assess, and evaluate the competencies and skills needed by an HR strategist.
Introduction
The competitive nature of today’s business enterprises calls for equally competent human
resource managers who are resourceful in all the functional activities and organization of the
company (Guest, 2011). The HR should be able to handle all the needs of the department which
mostly relate to human capital management. These functions essentially include employee
training programs, reward, education, empowerment, motivation and ability to attract the best
employees.
Effective communication
The core competency of an effective human resource manager is the ability to communicate
effectively to all levels of staff in the organization. These may include speaking to groups of
employees directly or through social media in a convincing, caring and in a strong believable
system that would draw the best of the employees.
HR managers who are not tactful may influence wrong perception of company policies to
employees and which may result into strikes and go slows in company’s while at the same time
slow and incompetent HR managers may reduce company production by being ineffective in
communication skills (Mathis & Jackson, 2006).
Competent Organizational Skills
HR.W2.DISC 2
HR management needs orderly organizational approach with strong management skills that
ensures personal efficiency and effectiveness in handling human resource activities. The HR
must be capable of handling all the complications from all the functional departments in the
organization including issues relating to termination procedures, compensation systems and
recognition and motivation procedures. The HR manager deals with issues that directly relates to
people’s lives, families and careers.
Ability to Multitask
The HR manager must be able to multitask in all matters relating to his office as in one moment
different employees would be seeking answers from different functional activities of the
company including retirement and pension, promotion, wage rates, interviews, vacancies,
recruitment, training and other engagement and retention procedures including employee
motivation (Maier et al, 2013).
Discrete and Ethical
HR managers relay very critical information to the employees and they also keep very
confidential information regarding the company as well as from individual employees in the
organization. Despite having all the information, HR managers are expected to implement
company policies and regulations in all aspects. It’s not easy especially when one is fully
informed of individual shortcomings of employees, their personal misfortunes and inabilities.
The HR manager has to be compassionate but non-compromising in certain aspects when
implementing company procedures and policies.
Conflict Management
It’s obvious in most organizations that some employees would not get along well and the conflict
may affect the company’s productivity. The HR department has to assist all the employees to
work together and also assist in solving some of the problems faced by different employees.
Change Management & Participation in Strategic processes
Most companies are constantly finding ways of remaining profitable through different processes
like downsizing which may involve retrenchment of staff and hiring of new technical staff.
These processes are achieved through several taskforces and strategic activities that may involve
abolishment of certain ranks and hierarchies in an organization. Employees may be affected
directly with these changes and some would be psychologically affected. The HR manager has to
assist the employees to accept the changes positively and prevent negative perception from
building up in the organization (Paauwe & Boselie, 2005).
Negotiation
The HR must be competent in handling opposing views and implementing a successful and
acceptable middle ground for all parties who would be satisfied with the HR’s eventual outcome.
Such actions are not easy to achieve and it requires a skilled HR professional who is dedicated
and self motivated.
Conclusion
HR.W2.DISC 3
The HR department for many years has been seen just as a department for hiring new staff and
terminating inefficient staff. The roles of the department have changed to more strategic
functions of attracting and retaining competent staff. HR department is critical to the success of
the company hence the holder of the office has to be competitive and skillful in all aspects of the
job’s requirements.
HR.W2.DISC 4
References
Guest, D. E., (2011) Human resource management and performance: Still searching for some
answers. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(1), 3–13.
Mathis, R. L. & Jackson, J.H. (2006) Human Resource Management, 11th ed. Mason: Thomson
South-Western, 175-87.
Maier, C., Laumer, S., Eckhardt, A. & Weitzel, T. (2013) Analyzing the Impact of HRIS
Implementations on HR Personnel’s Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention, The
Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 22 (3), 193–207. Doi:
10.1016/j.jsis.2012.09.001.
Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P., (2005) HRM and performance: What next? Human Resource
Management Journal, 15(4), 68–83.
