HR systems are designed to give employers a competitive advantage by focusing on how to attract and hire the best talent, as well as how to develop, train, and retain employees. This includes aligning jobs with organizational goals and strategies.
So a key challenge for HR managers is to understand the tasks that need to be carried out by individual employees and how individual positions fit together to accomplish organizational goals. In addition, organizations must understand what knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) employees need to have to do their work most effectively. In short, a clear understanding of what employees do on their jobs and the skills employees need to do their jobs is the basis for building strong organizations.

Note that only one of the nine competencies is focused on technical knowledge of human resources. The other eight are less knowledge focused and reflect broader behaviors needed for success in organizations, including HR jobs. This is important since, according to the researchers who developed the SHRM competency model, successful HR practice entails more than just HR knowledge; it also requires the right behaviors for implementing this knowledge in an actual work organization.

Case Discussion Questions 1. Regardless of whether you plan to be an HR professional, how might you use this competency model for your professional development?
Specifically, how would you go about gaining proficiency in each of these nine competencies? How might doing so help you succeed in your chosen occupation?
2. How might the robust empirical process used to develop the model be used to promote the model’s credibility among business leaders? How would you argue in favor of the model to leaders in a government organization? In a multinational, private corporation?
3. What do you think about the relative value of each of the nine competencies at different career stages of HR practitioners? For example, how might an executive HR professional differ from an entry-level HR professional in their need for each of these competencies?
4. How do you think business schools and HR programs could use the model for curriculum development for both HR professionals and students in other fields of business administration?
5. How relevant do you think each of the nine competencies is for an employee’s success in organizations, whether or not a person is associated with the HR function? Explain.