# Presentation: 017585

## HR Competencies:   Challenges and OpportunitiesThe Future is NOW

**Timothy M. Dirks**
**Director of Human Resources Management**
**U.S. Department of Energy**

## Dave Ulrich, AuthorHR Champions

- “ To be more significant,
- HR must become more
- professional.”

## Drivers of Change for HR Profession

- Impacts of downsizing
- Demographic makeup of HR profession
- New and emerging roles
- Alternative methods of service delivery
- Increasing customer demands
- Technology impacts
- New skills and competencies
- President’s memo aligning HR with mission

## Competencies:  What are they?

- OPM defines as . . . “An underlying characteristic of an employee (i.e., motive, trait, skill, aspect of one’s self-image, social role or a body of knowledge) which results in effective and/or superior performance” (Boyatzis, 1982)

## Why Competencies?

- (1) Maintain focus
- (2) Measure and align performance
- (3) Facilitate change

## HR COMPETENCY MODEL IPMA, OPM and NAPA 

- Addresses 5 roles
- Use as a tool for change
- Redefines role of HR organization and professionals

## HR Competency Model

- Strategic Partner
- - understands culture
- - knows mission

- Employee
- Champion
- - develop relationships
- -  promotes diversity

- Technical Expert
-           - Knowledge HR law
-          & policies, work-life,
- info. technology

- Leader
- analytical, strategic,
- creative thinking, and
-        knows business
-               systems

- Change
- Consultant
- O.D., marketing
- & teaming

## Impacts on Current Technical Expertise 

- Brain Drain
- Future exodus
- Lack of training and development opportunities
- Lack of attention to or focus on “the basics”

## Addressing Technical Competency Challenge

- Training / re-training
- Job Rotations
- Customer focus
- Develop competency-based systems for selection, training, and performance management

## HR Imperatives - Delivering on the New Roles and Competencies

- HR must become more customer-focused and results-oriented.
- HR must be creative and drivers of positive change.
- HR needs to be mission driven and aligned with key organizational goals.

## HR Imperatives - Delivering on the New Roles and Competencies

- HR must embrace new automated technologies to aid in service delivery and workforce analysis.
- HR must be managed like a business regarding return on investment and cost-benefits analysis.
- HR organizations must invest in the continual development of their people.

## Gandhi

- “We must become the change
- we want to see.”

## One Size Fits All?

- No - there is no one size fits all solution.
- Factors:
- -	Agency size/scope
- -  Customer needs
- -	Budget status
- -  Leadership commitment
- -  Culture and the like

## What’s Next?

- Analysis and assessment
- needs to be done to determine
- which competencies are appropriate
- for your agency’s culture, strategic mission and environment.

## What’s next?

- After identifying critical competencies -
- _align_ and _integrate_ HR systems to
- support those competencies.

## What’s next?

- Align to agency mission and vision:
- HR programs and policies
- HR service commitments and delivery systems
- HR position descriptions and performance plans
- HR individual development plans
- HR training and development
- HR awards and recognition
- HR measures/metrics

## What’s next?

- Competency Training and Certification/
- Credential programs
- enhance image
- sense of pride and stature
- new skills
- provide a foundation
- consistent service delivery expectations

## Albert Einstein

- “In the middle of difficulty
-            lies opportunity.”