Practitioner Roles Towards Skill Portfolio Development

It is an individual assignment. Through this assignment, you reinforce your understanding of a variety of capabilities (including knowledge, skills, abilities and others) to be acquired by a competent HR practitioner or HR manager for effectively managing human resources in organisation.

The Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) is the national association representing human resource and people management professionals. AHRI have over 20,000 members throughout the world and provide education and training services in HR and people management and business skills. AHRI also organises world-class conferences which bring HR practitioners together and holds seminars and networking opportunities all over Australia. AHRI also sets standards through accreditation of HR qualifications at universities across Australia (including LaTrobe’s HR degree), conducts research into people management practices, and assists governments in the development of policy and legislation that affects people at work.

AHRI have released a ‘Model of Excellence’, which explains the capabilities and behaviours of an ‘excellent HR manager’. This model provides a conceptual basis for the accreditation of HR practitioners and training offered by AHRI and universities. The model identifies 7 capabilities that are essential for HR practitioners. These capabilities are being:

• Business driven;
• A strategic architect;
• An expert practitioner;
• An ethical and credible activist;
• A workforce and workplace designer;
• A cultural and change leader; and
• A stakeholder mentor and coach.

In this assignment, you are to select three (3) of these capabilities and address the following (in your own words, with referencing as required):

• What does this capability entail?
• Why would it be important for a Human Resource Manager to have this capability?
• Assume you are applying for a graduate HR position, and demonstrating this capability is one of the key selection criteria. What evidence could you provide to demonstrate you possess this capability?  Draw upon your own experiences, whether it be your work, university life, home life, volunteering or sporting experiences.   

Please discuss each capability separately, under its own subheading. All reference material must be appropriately cited in the text of your assignment. Include a separate reference list that includes the full citation information. Follow the style guidelines for the Academy of Management Journal. Note that Wikipedia and similar websites are NOT acceptable sources for this assignment. Your Report must be typed and have standard margins on all sides. Double-spacing is preferred.

For further information on the AHRI Model of Excellence, see:

AHRI Model of Excellence

Following readings provide more information about capabilities for being a competent HR manager/practitioner:

Human Resource Competency Study

Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Yeung, A. K., & Lake, D. G. 1995. Human resource competencies: An empirical assessment. Human Resource Management, 34: 473–495. doi:10.1002/hrm.3930340402