Evidence-based Model:Your New HR Brand is Here!

It is out there: many claim the new evidence-, competency-based HR model, the all new HR look, feel and sign of recognition.

It has generated a lot of waves in the HR community. The general feeling was one of disbelief, if not outrage. How did this happen?
I had a previous post on the topic. Aren't we a body of professionals to be recognized under a global umbrella? Why did SHRM and HRCI split? If we have not experienced it at the personal level, we felt it at the professional one: we all the sudden became members of a dysfunctional family! Did we see it happen? Did our parents organizations see it coming? The results are the same. We have been facing the change for some time now and we had three choices: reject, ignore, or embrace it. The stages of grief are painstaking, but after all, we are professionals. We ARE HR, so we can individually say, "Je suis HR" under the new competency-based model.

Was HR FROZEN in Time?


SHRM calls the new model the "HR of the Future". Does it mean that HRCI was frozen in time?

What is it about anyway? Certified professionals have been having the privilege of receiving a pathway to the competency-based SHRM certification. So, you might have already had the chance to have a glance at the new model.

Is it totally new? Yes and no, depending on your school of HR. It evaluates both HR expertise and behavioral competencies in the sense that one could not make the right judgment without HR technical knowledge (expertise).  About three aspects of the assessment model stand out under this new certification: types, levels, and assimilation of nine specific competencies.

SHRM


  1. There are nine BEHAVIORAL competencies:

    1. Relationship Management
    2. Ethical Practice
    3. HR Expertise
    4. Business Acumen
    5. Critical Evaluation
    6. Global and Cultural Awareness
    7. Leadership and Navigation
    8. Consultation
    9. Communication 
  2. Competencies are scaled under Four LEVELS:  

    1. Early
    2. Mid
    3. Senior
    4. Executive
      •  Your selections/answers will spot you as belonging to one category or another in each competency, such as mid vs. executive.
      • The HRCI exam lets you also see your needed areas of improvement, without leveling. The comparison is in your results vs. others'.
  3. The Assessment is Evidence-based:

    Understand  that case scenarios are presented and you get to choose among four options. Similarities with the HRCI certification test do exist. The HRCI exam presents you also some cases and allows you to pick the best answer.
So, what is REALLY new? I honestly do not think that there is anything that is absolutely new beside the wider accessibility to the assessment , and the leveling  of the competencies. It appears to be a Re-invention of the HRCI exam. In a sense SHRM aknowledges the fact that HRCI certification was not all wrong: it just needed tweaking. SHRM reinforces the fact that HR is evolving and the need for that evolution towards a more rounded approach englobing strategy, business, and communication. Understanding of, and interpreting HR as mostly transactional, legal, and administrative is having a view of HR frozen in time. So, yes, this can be new if one's understanding of HR was frozen in time.

Long Overdue: HR Seating at the Table


However, if you come from a certain School of HR or/and if you have kept with the progress in HR, SHRM's new model is not so new, and yes, is evidence-based HR. It requires understanding of business principles and environment, and has been fairly current globally. The model has been established based on research, and incorporates both research and practice. It should not come as a surprise to HR professionals. In fact, it is a validation of the long-time overdue place of HR in the business world. Maybe it carves out a new place for a certain breed of HR professionals. Only time and results will let us know.

There was a concern of the new SHRM model being too widely accessible and lowering the standards of HR recognition.This is a difference with the HRCI model, which has slightly higher experience requirements for non-degreed practitioners. It is also relatively less costly. In fact, SHRM does not require SHRM membership! One could think that this is a pathway to assimilation of some practitioners in the category of recognized professionals. After all, taking the certification exam demands motivation and determination. It is not based on best practices. It relies on knowledge and behaviors.

Additionally, the classification of levels of competencies from "early" to "executive" should ease that concern. In sum, SHRM says: "Here is the new HR brand: not all HR are equals but you can work towards the next level."

And WOW! Whenever posting your certifications, you get the SHRM logo for SHRM's whereas  HRCI's is invisible. We are in the era of communication : Branding counts quite a bit. HRCI, come on...

En Synthèse....

Etes-vous HR? A quoi cela rime, me diriez-vous?

En Synthèse....

Etes-vous HR? A quoi cela rime, me diriez-vous? SHRM, après son divorce d'avec HRCI, vient de lancer la nouvelle certification RH et plusieurs professionnels le brandissent déjà. SHRM nous l'a donné pratiquement gratis pour s'assurer que dans trois ans nous continuerons de porter le même flambeau.  

La différence d'avec HRCI? D'abord ceux qui ne sont pas aux USA ne seront pas interrogés sur la législation Américaine! Un grand pas de gagné parce qu'alors, c'est vraiment une autre paire de manches! Ensuite, l’évaluation est basée sur les compétences, les attitudes/approches, et  les évidences/experiences/études de cas. Et finalement, il y a quatre niveaux: débutant/exécutant, moyen, cadre, cadre sup. 

On en fait beaucoup de bruit, mais franchement, si vous sortez d'une Institution qui a une approche business et communication des RH, ce n'est vraiment pas nouveau. Des études de cas, l’évaluation critique,  c'est courant dans grand nombre d’établissements hors des USA. Et puis, il y a l'aspect global. Pas si nouveau que ca non plus. En fait, çà c'est incontournable de nos jours. 
Après le test vous pouvez dire "Je SUIS HR".

Un titre au rabais, pensent certains puisque HRCI est plus "sérieux". Je me demande si ces deux-là vont jamais se réconcilier, les deux programmes étant complémentaires. Mais parfois, les parents divorcent pour différences irréconciliables...même si toutes les parties sont dans un sens perdantes...Que gagnons-nous en tant qu'HR? Tout au moins une mise à jour de nos connaissances.

Ah! Et pour la petite bête: SHRM s'assure que son logo devienne bien visible quand vous affichez votre certification. HRCI n'a pas encore appris que nous sommes à l’époque du branding!! 







Comments

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