Archives for April 2013

Human Resources: A Queen’s IRC Update

Paul Juniper, Director, Queen's IRC
Paul Juniper, Queen's IRC Director

Over the past few years, I've spent a lot of time talking about the future of the HR profession; a future that I think is filled with opportunity and possibility. We've seen tangible progression in the role of the HR function within organizations. Increasingly, the HR function is viewed as a strategic partner, called upon to provide critical advice and concrete guidance. Our role is transforming from transactional to align tactics in support of HR and business strategy, as we strive to best meet the needs of the organizations in which we work. Now that we have earned a seat at the table, we're focusing on complex topics, such as Succession Planning, Talent Management, Linking HR Strategy to Business Strategy, and HR Decision Making.

In my recent article, Beyond the CHRP – Raising the Bar on HR: Insights and Reflections, I gave my perspective that the CHRP designation is not sufficient for HR professionals to excel in their roles. I firmly believe that HR professionals need to continue to develop their skills and knowledge to remain competitive and manage their multifaceted roles. With this in mind, Queen's IRC developed its Advanced HR Certificate. We've launched programs for mid-level HR professionals that target some of their challenges, and enable them to develop their own learning plan to move their careers forward.

I am always interested in hearing what issues keep HR professionals awake at night. I had some wonderful conversations with HR professionals in Toronto at January's HRPA Trade Show. Thank you to all of you who stopped by the Queen's IRC booth to visit with us. I enjoy the opportunity to talk about our profession, how far it has come, and where it is, or should be, heading. This was especially true when I was at the 2012 World Federation of People Management Associations' World HR Congress, held in Melbourne, Australia. It's fascinating to hear how HR concerns diverge, and more often than not converge, on a global scale.

Indeed, Queen's IRC continues to investigate the HR profession in our practitioner-focused research. We recently partnered with the Cave Hill School of Business at the University of the West Indies, Barbados, to conduct a survey that explores the state of the HR profession in the Caribbean. Our Research Team is in the process of analyzing the data, and I look forward to sharing the results with you later this year. We will soon be launching our second survey of Canadian HR professionals, a complement to our 2011 Inquiry into the State of HR in Canada. We would like as many participants as possible in this year's national survey. Please contact our Research Team (ircresearch@queensu.ca) for more information on our practitioner-focused research.

Becoming a Trusted Strategic Business Partner: Lessons from the Government of Alberta

Graduates of the HR Business Partner Program, Dec 4-6, 2012, Edmonton Alberta
Graduates of the HR Business Partner Program (Series 3), December 2012, Edmonton, AB.

In 2008, when Mary Jefferies first consulted with Queen's IRC to build a new program that would enhance the Alberta government HR professionals' ability to be true business partners, she was not motivated by an industry trend, or faddishness.

The changing business of the Alberta government and of her department — then called Alberta Environment — demanded it.

"Our work was increasingly being seen on the international stage, whether it was in oilsands or in conservation. And we were being challenged to work in a more collaborative, more networked, more interactive way," said Jefferies, now an organizational culture expert in the Alberta government's Environment and Sustainable Resource Development department.

"We needed to give people capacity for systems thinking, facilitation, learning, and organizational development. We needed to respond to changes in the business, and in the expectations of senior leaders. We needed to think about emerging competencies in the workforce, talent management, and leadership development.

"And so we asked: What are the capabilities we need to be trusted strategic business partners? How do we get there?"

Jefferies knew precisely where to turn for the answers: to Queen's IRC and to Brenda Barker Scott, with whom Jefferies had previously worked on an organization design project.

The Queen's IRC team, including Barker Scott and Stephanie Noel, the IRC's business development manager, were up for the challenge to develop an HR Business Partner program, first for Jefferies' department and collaborating departments of Energy and Advanced Education and Technology, and then for the Alberta government's HR community as a whole. Participants now come from many of the Alberta government's 18-plus ministry HR departments.

The leading-edge curriculum has five interrelated workshops designed to expand HR professionals' capacity to be internal business partners: Foundations for Internal Consulting, Change Management, Building Relationships and Strategic Partnerships, Coaching Skills, and Organizational Design. Other facilitators include former Queen's IRC director Carol Beatty, Sharon Parker, Gary Furlong, and Francoise Morissette.

The goal of the HR Business Partner Certificate program is to enhance the capacity of HR professionals to work as business partners; to develop them into trusted advisors who use the knowledge of business needs, organizational context and HR policy and practices to generate insight and influence decisions. For example, the internal consulting workshop — about which Jefferies still raves — teaches a skills process, which shows participants how to diagnose challenges, collect and analyze data, design options and implement solutions.

For her part, Barker Scott credits the Alberta HR community for its foresight, and for recognizing that HR professionals need to bring thoughtfulness and a strategic perspective to their work.

"A true business partner is someone who brings strong depth and skills so they can facilitate change, so they can get good results from their knowledge of the business, so they can get really good energy and participation from their partners," Barker Scott said.

Current Queen's IRC Director, Paul Juniper, said his Centre custom-designs programs for clients like the Alberta government, a key differentiator in a crowded marketplace of HR professional development.

"The IRC's programming is unique. Programs are designed specially for practitioners, adhering to adult learning principles and practices. Our facilitators are subject matter experts who draw on their own professional experiences, while weaving academic theory and key concepts into the program content. Each program incorporates a variety of learning strategies, including exercises that allow time to reflect on and apply the concepts learned in the classroom," said Juniper.

"This experiential learning is a fundamental component of the IRC's programming; it ensures opportunities for dialogue, discussion, and debate, so that participants can network with and learn from each other. The IRC has a long tradition of excellence and strives to ensure that our programs are relevant, practical, and provide the kind of learning that participants need to address their own workplace challenges."

The result of that learning, Jefferies said, is clear: HR professionals who can better navigate increasingly complex situations.

The change Jefferies has seen in participants conjures to her a favourite quote — "A mind once stretched never returns to its original dimensions" — and a familiar acronym: VUCA.

"If you think about VUCA — about volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity — what we need in the HR world is the vision in the volatility, the understanding we can shape in the uncertainty, the clarity in the complexity, and the actions we can take in the ambiguity," Jefferies said.

"To me, that is how you add value."

For Juniper, the HR Business Partner program is about showing HR practitioners how to move beyond the traditional HR roles, and enlarge their perspectives on what the work is, and what it can be.

"HR professionals have become an integral part of HR management strategy. The IRC is proud to help HR practitioners gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their roles."

Exploring the HR Function at Maersk Oil

Stina Bjerg Nielsen is currently the Head of Human Resources for Maersk Oil, part of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, one of Denmark’s largest companies. Since joining in 2009, Stina has been involved in transforming both the Maersk Oil organization and the strategic direction of the human resources function. In this Queen’s IRC interview, Stina candidly talks about her experiences within the human resources profession in Denmark and Europe, and her role at Maersk Oil. She notes that the challenges and opportunities facing Denmark are similar to those facing other countries, and encourages HR professionals to stay connected with the business in which they operate and to develop their own tool kit of competencies and experiences to facilitate success in their roles.

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