Taking the temperature on ëHR skills for survivalí

ëEffective management of changeí is today branded the top ëHR skill for survivalí, following the results of an poll posted on the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Developmentís (CIPD) online forum, Communities.

Over 400 respondents from the HR community chose three competencies they believed were most important to establish the functionís effectiveness and credibility in the organisation, with almost half (46%) of those taking part highlighting ëeffective management of changeí. This was closely followed by ëstrategic thinkingí (44%) and ëbusiness knowledgeí (36%).

But there were differences depending on levels of seniority. Seventy-eight of those taking part in our website poll are Heads of HR/Heads of function. For this group of respondees ëStrategic thinkingí was most commonly identified as crucial (55%) followed up ëeffective management of changeí (47%) and – reflecting their more senior role in the organisation – ëinfluencing and political skillsí (40%).

The sixty-seven HR Officers and Assistants in the sample also recognised the value of ëstrategic thinkingí (43%) and ëeffective management of changeí (42%) and rated ëUnderstanding of HR practicesí (37%) among their top three areas of competence.

Rebecca Clake, Organisation and Resourcing Adviser, CIPD, says:

ìThese are demanding times for both businesses and HR professionals seeking to deliver the business need. Itís important that HR people develop a skill set which equips them to deal with the challenges of the current economic environment and for preparing their people and business for the futureî