HR Competency Model
A framework for the development of modern and relevant HR professionals who drive business value across the full HR spectrum.
Adopted globally to cater to the need for more strategic and impactful, T-Shaped, HR professionals.
It is no longer enough to specialize in one single functional HR competency. HR professionals need to become a generalist in five core HR competencies and a specialist in at least one functional competency.
The model is in its 3rd iteration and has been updated to reflect the insights from our global HR Community across 140+ countries.
What is a competency framework?
A competency is a cluster of skills, knowledge, abilities, and expertise needed to become proficient at performing a specific task, activity or job.
The aggregate of competencies that are important to a particular role or (HR) function is what we call a competency model.
A competency model provides a tangible framework for performance management, skill gap analysis, development, and provides a template for what the ideal (HR)
organization and professional will look like.
How are competencies structured?
In this framework, a competency is split up into multiple dimensions. Each construct consists of different behaviors that are described in terms of levels of proficiency.
Example
The Data Literacy competency is divided into two dimensions; “Data-Driven” and “Analytics Translation”. Each of these dimensions has behaviors related to them. For “Data-Driven,” these include the ability to “Read Data, Apply Data, Create Data and Leverage Data.”
Each behavior is described and scored on three proficiency levels, novice, developing, and exemplary.
5 Core HR Competencies
Business Acumen
Interprets external trends, analyzes customer needs, co-creates business strategy to achieve sustainable business results.
Data Literacy
The ability to read, apply, create, and communicate data into valuable information in order to influence decision-making processes.
Digital Agility
Utilizes technology to increase the impact of HR and prepares the organization for the adoption of digital practices.
People Advocacy
The ability to create a strong internal culture, get the best out of people, and act as a trusted champion and communications expert.
Execution Excellence
The ability to translate the organization’s purpose, mission, goals, and context into strategy, positioning HR policies and activities to best serve the organization’s interests.
Bheki – HR Generalist working in a medium sized manufacturing company.
They lead a team of six: two recruiters, one HR administrator, two HR Business Partners and a Learning Facilitator.
How does Bheki do their job?
such they use this competency when discussing how their approach towards Total Rewards will be determined to help drive employee retention. To do this effectively, they influence their stakeholders (part of interpersonal skills) to get buy-in for their new idea for a sales incentive.
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Explore the full HR Competency Model and Skills Glossary in pdf.
Business Acumen
Context Interpretation
Commercial Fluency
Customer Understanding
Strategy Co-Creation
Consults various sources to stay up to date with developments in the macro-environment and industry
“I am informed of changing
market trends and conditions
and can relate it to how it will impact our organization.”
Comprehends industry context, business and commercial realities, and the organization’s unique selling proposition (USP)
“I understand the industry
within which our organization operates, the current economic realities and how we are positioned in the market.”
Uses knowledge of business strategy to interpret business models, value chains and align
HR for impact
“I understand our business
value chain and how HR
contributes value.”
Uses appropriate knowledge of financials, commercials and accounting to interpret financial information
“I can accurately interpret financial reports and
information.”
Effectively applies knowledge and skills to compile, balance, monitor and report on HR budgets
“I can create and manage an HR budget.”
Empathizes with the internal customer (i.e. the employee) to understand their experience and diagnose their needs
“I pursue input from customers to uncover their wants, needs and desires.”
Creates value for customers through customer-focused solutions
“I design and implement solutions that meet the needs of the customer.”
Collects, interprets and acts upon feedback received from customers
“I listen to customer feedback and take corrective actions.”
Uses insight into business strategy to set goals, priorities and future strategies for the business and HR
“I think strategically about
the goals and objectives of the business.”
Aligns HR with business strategy in an effective way
“I use my knowledge of the business to identify and align HR priorities.”
Utilizes KPIs, metrics and feedback to demonstrates the strategic impact of HR
“I show how HR is delivering value at a strategic level.”
Data Literacy
Data Driven
Analytics Translation
Analyzes and understands data from a variety of sources
“I use various techniques to read data from multiple sources.”
Identifies opportunities to set KPIs and create value-adding data
“I create data that helps the organization answer questions, evaluate outcomes, and forecast trends and probabilities.”
Aggregates and applies data from multiple sources to inform decision-making
“I use data to drive evidence based decision-making.”
Works with data in an ethical manner that protects the
confidentiality and rights of all stakeholders
“I use data ethically and responsibly to protect privacy and promote trust in people analytics initiatives.”
Identifies and defines business problems that can be solved with (people) data analytics
“I identify knowledge gaps and answer specific questions with data analysis.”
Packages, visualizes and relays key data outcomes in a way that resonates with the target audience
“I consciously package and impart data insights in a way that promotes understanding, decision-making, and actionable outcomes.”
Creates an environment that supports and fosters critical use of data for decision-making
“I build a data-driven culture that transcends different technical skill levels and empowers others to utilize data better.”
Digital Agility
Technology Empowered
Digital Aptitude
Digital Adoption
Stays informed about the latest digital technology developments and advances
“I actively expand my knowledge of new digital technology through research.”
Uses technology to enhance efficacy and performance
“I deliberately utilize digital technologies in the execution of my job responsibilities.”
Integrates technology in the delivery of HR services
“I successfully implement various technologies to enhance HR service delivery.”
Improves HR practices through the application of digital technologies
“I continuously update and improve processes with the use of digital technology.”
Understands that digital applications adds value to personal work-related activities
“I see the benefit of adopting digital as part of my work.”
Pursues opportunities to acquire new digital skills, knowledge, or experiences
“I pro-actively search for opportunities to learn more about digital tools and applications.”
Confidently applies digital tools, skills and technologies
“I trust my knowledge and skills of digital to confidently apply those in practice.”
Prepares the organization for digital transformation
“I put structures in place to enable successful digital adoption.”
Promotes digital upskilling for all stakeholders in the organization
“I actively contribute to building digital capability across the organization.”
Uses digital to create seamless and integrated end-user experiences
“I integrate digital touchpoints into practices and processes to optimize user-experience.”
Actively promotes and the adoption of digital practices in the organization
“I actively encourage digital adoption in the organization.”
People Advocacy
Culture and Wellbeing
Change Navigation
Risk Mitigation & Ethics
Sustainability
Drives commitment to the vision and goals of the organization in a visible manner
“I align leaders and employees to the organizational vision and translate goals into tangible actions.”
Defines, communicates and facilitates behavior changes that contributes to business success
“I apply various culture models and frameworks to drive a culture of high performance.”
Fosters accountability to act in accordance with organizational values
“I promote our organizational values and have the courage to act when they are disregarded.”
Cultivates inclusivity by applying knowledge of DEIB
“I advocate for inclusivity and diversity to create an environment where employees can belong as equals.”
Balances employee wellbeing needs with organizational demands and productivity.
“I create an environment where employees have the resources and tools to manage their wellbeing.”
Creates plans, structures and processes to drive and respond to change
“I drive organizational change in a way that is sustainable and creates lasting value.”
Identifies and manages potential barriers and concerns & creates alignment around a common purpose
“I effectively manage stakeholder resistance and promote adaptability.”
Uses knowledge of human behavior to foster the capacity to adapt and respond to changes
“I help leaders and employees adopt habits that lead to higher levels of resilience.”
Helps the organization effectively mitigate possible risks
“I proactively identify and enable the organization to manage possible people risks.”
Embeds ethical practices and conduct into organizational culture
“I operate transparently and uphold ethical practices.”
Applies knowledge of the regulatory environment to ensure compliance
“I ensure that the organization acts in accordance with regulatory requirements.”
Creates opportunities to form relationships and contribute towards shared value with communities
“I create meaningful relationships with partners within the community where our organization operates.”
Applies knowledge of environmental, social and governance to deliver sustainable value
“I champion environmental, social and corporate governance.”
Creates opportunities for HR to contribute towards human and societal wellbeing
“I apply my knowledge and experience in HR to create a better world for future generations.”
Execution Excellence
Action Orientation
Problem Solving
Interpersonal Skills
Sets clear objectives, plans tasks, and manages time effectively
“I set realistic and measurable goals that deliver impact.”
Takes ownership to achieve objectives and goals within agreed timelines
“I take initiative and responsibility to delivery high-quality outputs.”
Adapts and embraces change and deals effectively with ambiguity
“I accept and welcome change and see it as an opportunity for growth.”
Plans, schedules, and allocates resources to successfully deliver results
“I plan, schedule, and allocate resources effectively.”
Integrates and assimilates complex information to articulate the core idea
“I set realistic and measurable goals that delivers impact.”
Aligns stakeholders with conflicting views or priorities to agree on a course of action
“I manage differing ideas and priorities among stakeholders and find a tangible way forward.”
Makes timely and well-informed decisions based on evidence and context
“I make timely evidence-based decisions.”
Forms and maintains productive relationships with others
“I establish and maintain positive relationships with others to achieve work-related goals.”
Clearly & effectively exchanges information to build shared understanding
“I convey information clearly and effectively to build shared understanding.”
Co-operates and works with others to improve ideas, find solutions, and deliver impact
“I work with others and contribute my expertise for the benefit of a shared objective, project, or mission.”
Builds consensus and alignment to gain support for an idea, agenda, or direction
“I gain agreement and commitment from others utilizing persuasion, negotiation, and conflict management skills.”
Acts with empathy, sensitivity and compassion for others
“I have compassion and respect for the feelings and perspectives of others.”
Demonstrates a deep understanding and appreciation of cross-cultural differences
“I create an inclusive environment where others feel appreciated and engaged.”
Specialist Competencies
Developing an attractive and competitive employer brand that attracts, engages and retain employees and inspires commitment to organizational goals
- Designing an employer brand
- Creating employee personas
- Communicating the employer brand
Identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, interviewing and selecting candidates in alignment with the needs of the organization
- Segmenting talent pools
- Managing vacancies
- Sourcing talent
- Conducting interviews
Designing and implementing onboarding activities that enable the integration and engagement of new hires
- Identifying onboarding needs and requirements
- Designing onboarding program
- Implementing the onboarding program
Establishing the practice of setting goals, measuring progress, providing feedback, and calibrating individual performance with overall organizational performance
- Setting and cascading goals
- Implementing contracting
- Providing feedback on non-performance
- Running calibration processes
Establishing organization-wide total rewards philosophy, strategies and mechanisms for various employee groups to incentivize the desired behaviors
- Designing a total rewards philosophy
- Designing reward, incentivization and recognition programs
- Designing reward governance and controls
Developing and implementing employee health and wellness programms to promote a healthy and productive workforce
- Designing organizational wellbeing programs and interventions
- Implementing interventions to improve the wellbeing of employees within the organization
Developing strategies to create a diverse and inclusive workplace
- Designing DEIB programs
- Coaching leaders on creating a culture of inclusivity
- Dealing with conflict and bias in the organization
Designing and conceptualizing employee experience practices aligned to the HR value chain and employee lifecycle
- Designing employee personas
- Applying design thinking to empathize with employee needs
- Designing desired employee experiences
- Implementing employee experiences through processes, systems and human touch points
- Listening and incorporating feedback
Designing, delivering and optimizing organizational practice that leads to organizational effectiveness and performance
- Designing OD interventions
- Coaching leaders
- Optimizing team effectiveness
- Driving employee development
- Diagnosing organizational inefficiencies
Preparing, supporting, guiding and managing change within the organization from a people, process and technology perspective
- Conducting change impact assessments
- Managing stakeholders
- Driving change communication
- Designing change interventions
- Measuring change benefits and return on investment
Developing and facilitating the implementation of organizational design to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with stakeholders’ priorities
- Designing organizational capabilities
- Designing business operating models
- Designing work, roles and skills requirements
- Guiding the business on structuring work, teams and functions
- Designing organizational competencies
Developing workforce strategies and plans to determine the manpower and capabilities needed for the future
- Determining the future workforce demands
- Determining the current workforce
skills and competency - Designing a workforce plan for the future
Designing and developing strategies to manage the talent demand and supply of the organization through programs to identify, develop, review and retain employees
- Segmenting talent pools according to scarcity and criticality
- Determining talent demands and supply
- Designing succession programs
- Identifying internal mobility requirements
- Determining bench strength
- Designing career frameworks and practices
Developing a culture of strong leadership and drive initiatives
to facilitate the development of leadership capabilities i
- Identifying required leadership competencies for success
- Designing and developing leadership development programs and experiences to build leadership skills and capacity
- Coaching and guiding leaders
Establishing and implementing learning and development programs and channels to facilitate employees’ growth and capability building
- Conducting a skills gap analysis to identify organizational learning needs
- Designing learning journeys and curricula to develop employees in line with organizational goals
- Identifying, designing, and implementing learning channels and methodologies
Collecting and applying organizational, people, and talent data to improve critical business outcomes
- Reading, collecting, and interpreting data
- Building data models
- Interpreting data in line with business requirements
- Utilizing dashboards and data visualization tools
- Communicating data insights to
drive business decision-making
Designing, implementing, and maintaining HR hardware and software aligned to IT governance
- Designing HR technology architecture
- Designing HR software
- Maintaining HR technologies
- Ensuring uptime of HR technology services
- Digitizing of HR
Managing the design, implementation, and administration of compensation and benefits to all employees
- Designing compensation packages
- Conducting salary surveys
- Designing incentive and benefit programs
- Administering reward reviews and audits
Managing of labor relations to support, enhance, and strengthen the relationship between employees, their representatives and employers
- Understanding labor legislation
- Following grievance procedures
- Following disciplinary procedures
- Consulting with legal representation
Designing and implementing of formal processes to manage voluntary and involuntary exit from the organization
- Designing offboarding process
- Reporting on offboarding processes
Developing and reviewing HR policies and procedures against organizational needs, and in compliance with legislative, ethical and regulatory standards
- Designing HR policies and procedures
- Implementing HR policies and procedures
- Managing HR policies and procedures
Collecting, processing and managing end-to-end payroll policy, process and systems
- Designing payroll processes, controls, and systems
- Running monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll processes
- Reporting on payroll waste and accuracy
Leadership
Providing clear direction and guiding behavior to realize organizational goals.
- Providing guidance
- Communicating strategy
- Clearly articulating success
Providing feedback and facilitates skills development and knowledge transfer
- Providing feedback
- Listening without judgement
- Facilitating and guiding action
Consistently acting in a way that builds trust with team members.
- Consistently acting in a way that builds
trust with team members - Building trusting relationships
- Creating an environment of safety
- Acting in a consistent and fair manner
Showing empathy and demonstrating care towards others
- Understanding others’ emotions
- Listening without judgement
- Acting with compassion
Managing conflict and resolving issues in a fair and transparent manner
- Knowing when to compromise
- Acting in a consistent and fair manner
- Acting diplomatically
Creating a sense of shared purpose and encouraging sustainable performance
- Driving high standards of delivery
- Aligning people to goals
- Recognizing and rewarding excellence
Reflecting on how actions are perceived and words and implements feedback
- Seeking feedback
- Admitting mistakes
- Reflecting on own behavior
- Applying insight to future action
What is an HR competency framework?
An HR competency framework describes the skills, knowledge, and attributes required by an HR team to deliver specific tasks, behaviors, or functions.
How does a competency framework help my team perform?
The AIHR competency framework clearly describes what is expected from HR professionals at different proficiency levels. A competency framework is a valuable method to clarify expectations and guide individuals in developing their skills to progress over time.
If implemented well, the competency framework can be the blueprint against which the development and performance of the HR Team are measured.
What is the T-shaped competency framework?
The T-shaped competency model provides HR teams with an overview of the skills, behaviors, and knowledge required to deliver on business objectives successfully. The model is shaped as a T, which differentiates between core competencies in the bar and functional and leadership competencies in the stem of the T.
The bar of the T-shape refers to the five core competencies of Business Acumen, Data Literacy, Digital Agility, People Advocacy, and Execution Excellence. These are the core competencies that all HR professionals need regardless of level, role, or organizational size.
The stem of the T compliments these core skills by defining several specialist competencies that guide specialist HR expertise, such as Talent, EVP, or DEIB. We believe all HR professionals need to be proficient in at least two of these areas.
Last, many HR professionals also manage teams, and as such, the T-shaped model identifies leadership behaviors that are crucial for the HR leader to be successful at the bottom of the T-shape.
Each competency in the AHIR Competency Framework consists of several dimensions. These dimensions represent interdependent elements that make up each competency and must be used together to enable proficient performance. This means proficiency levels for the different competencies are not based on specific tasks or behaviors but rather on an integrated and holistic approach to performance. In turn, each dimension comprises several measurable and observable behaviors that exemplify what the skill, knowledge, or attribute looks like at various proficiency levels.
Why do we need T-shaped profiles within HR?
Within today’s increasingly complex business environment, projects rarely remain limited to one specific area of expertise. Instead, they are usually cross-functional challenges that require a wide range of knowledge and skills.
The combination of being a generalist and specialist positions the T-shaped HR Professional as the ultimate all-rounder. This person can take on key strategic challenges and navigate issues like diversity and inclusion, digital transformation, and strategy & leadership.
More efficient and faster
T-shaped HR professionals are more efficient at their jobs as they don’t have to spend time and effort transferring their ideas from person to person, or waiting on other specialists before being able to move forward on a project. Having a T-shaped competencies profile enables them to be much more efficient and effective at their job.
Communicating more effectively
As a bonus, T-shaped HR professionals tend to communicate more effectively than their peers. Having a broader competency profile helps them communicate more effectively as they have a better understanding of various perspectives within HR.
How many proficiency levels does the T-shaped model have?
The T-shape competencies are measured on three proficiency levels: novice, developing, and exemplary. Each level has its own defined behaviors and builds on each other, assuming that you have mastered a specific level of proficiency before moving on to the next.
Does my team need to perform at an expert level on all the competencies?
No. The idea is that the team will have some level of proficiency within the five core competencies of Business Acumen, Data Literacy, Digital Agility, People Advocacy, and Execution Excellence. Depending on their respective roles and responsibilities, they will require additional proficiency in the functional areas applicable to their role.
For example, a Talent Acquisition Specialist will require proficiency in all five core competencies and in-depth proficiency in Recruitment, Onboarding, and Employer Branding.
Similarly, an HRIS Analyst will require some proficiency in the five core competencies while having more in-depth proficiency in HR Technology.
How can we incorporate the competencies into our work?
The T-shaped competencies can be incorporated in various ways. Some of the most beneficial ways include:
- HR role descriptions
- Performance contracts
- Performance feedback and evaluations
- Stakeholder feedback
- Career pathing
How can my team develop these competencies?
There are various ways to develop competencies which include formal and informal development. A blend of formal development such as online courses, articles, and training combined with on-the-job exposure and application is the best way to develop and enhance proficiency.
How can we adopt the T-shaped competency model?
After deciding to adopt the competency model, it is crucial to focus on upskilling your team. This involves providing them with the necessary training and resources to develop the required competencies. By investing in their development, you can expect to see lasting behavior change and significant business impact.
Looking for support in your upskilling journey? Schedule a call with one of our HR Learning Specialists to find out how we can help.
Where do we get started as a team?
Deciding to adopt a new competency model is just the start.
True business impact only happens once you start upskilling your team with the relevant competencies and start to see lasting behavior change.
Schedule a call with one of our HR Learning Specialists to find out how we can support you on this journey.
Download the Full HR Competency Model & Skill Glossary (pdf)
Do you see the need to upskill your team and are interested in finding out how AIHR’s solutions can help? Or do you have specific questions? Let’s have a chat.
Click here to grab a slot on my calendar. Talk soon!
Oisin Oreilly – HR Learning Consultant (contact me at [email protected])