FROM HR PRACTITIONER TO A CONSULTANT: THE TRANSITION

INTRODUCTION

HR Practitioners are individuals with the requisite skills, knowledge and capabilities needed to expertly handle matters connected with the management and development of people in organisations. They are responsible for providing initiatives, guidance, and support on all matters relating to the effective acquisition, management and utilisation of people at work. HR Practitioners work in conjunction with line manager s and top management to perform four major roles: Acquisition, Development, Rewarding and Development of Human Resources.

The growing demand for the outsourcing of Human Resource functions at work is a blessing in disguise to HR Practitioners with consulting skills. Outsourcing of HR functions often creates exponential demand for the services of independent HR consultants. The consulting skills can be acquired and nurtured by HR Practitioners to prepare them for a future career as independent consultants working on part time or full time for leading consulting firms across the world. They can also incorporate their own consulting firm and thus become a consultant and an employer of labour.

There are three work challenges or job demands that require an HR Practitioner possessing the skill of a consultant so as to be able to function effectively as a strategic business partner. These job demands are outsourcing, in-sourcing and co-sourcing. Outsourcing refers to the action of allowing external vendors to perform an entire HR activity (such as training, payroll, etc.) for an organization. The term in-sourcing refers to the action of the organization performing the entire HR activity in-house, and the term co-sourcing refer to the action of allowing an organization's HR generalist to work with external vendors on some activities, or to the action of allowing HR specialists to work as consultants to line managers who actually perform HR duties. Consulting skills are essential for all HR practitioners desiring to make meaningful impacts in outsourcing, in-sourcing and co-sourcing.

WHO IS AN HR CONSULTANT AND WHAT DOES HE DO?

An HR Consultant is an individual who provide an independent professional advisory services needed by managers and organisations to achieve organisational purposes and objectives through solving people and business problems, identifying and seizing new opportunities, enhancing learning and implementing changes. 

HR Consultants functions in ten principal ways.

          i.            Providing personal counseling.

        ii.            Training and Development of management and staff.

       iii.            Planning and managing organisational change.

      iv.            Improving systems and methods.

        v.            Developing action proposals.

      vi.            Doing diagnostic work.

     vii.            Providing expert opinion.

   viii.            Facilitating talent and business contacts and links.

      ix.            Providing information.

        x.            Providing specialist resources.

 CRITICAL AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION

HR Consultants or who would be consultant in HR could tailor their developmental efforts towards the areas that are prone to being outsourced according to CIPD of London, in their 1998 guide to Outsourcing.

          i.            Training.

        ii.            Recruitment.

       iii.            Health and Safety monitory and advice.

      iv.            Employees welfare and counseling.

        v.            Childcare facilities.

      vi.            Payroll management.

     vii.            Specialist legal advisory services.

   viii.            Occupational health and fitness services.

Practitioners can also venture into other areas in HR that are of great interest to them, outside of the identified areas listed above.

COMPETENCIES EXPECTED OF HR CONSULTANTS

The following are the competencies expected of all HR Practitioners and a must for all who would be an independent consultant. The list was based on the competencies drawn up by CIPD, London.

1. Personal drive and effectiveness.
2. People management and leadership.
3. Professional competence.
4. Adding value through people.
5. Continuing learning.
6. Thinking and applied resourcefulness.
7. Customer focus.
8. Strategic capability.
9. Influencing and interpersonal skills.

HR CONSULTANTS: THE STARTING POINT

The following are the suggested relevant steps to be taken by HR Practitioners desiring to become a respected consultant.

          i.            Professionalism: Membership of any of the top HR professional bodies in your country is a must, irrespective of your years of hands on experience in HR. Until you become a chartered HR Practitioner, you remain a quack, whose opinion could not be trusted. Visit www.cipmnigeria.org, www.cipd.co.uk, and www.shrm.org for more information on how to be a chartered HR practitioner.

        ii.            Learning, unlearning and relearning: Minimum of a second degree is desirable, but having a doctorate degree will give you a clear hedge. Invest in books and HR and Management Journals.

       iii.            Continuing Learning: Take the advantage of the mandatory professional development courses organised by your country’s HR professional body to keep abreast of development in the field. No amount spent on self development is lost; they are investment in your future.

      iv.            Professional Code of conduct: Give special priority to observing your professional Institute’s code of conduct. It takes years to build a name but just a scandal is enough to soil it. Be warned!

        v.            Ethical consideration: Always exercise integrity, honesty and appropriate behaviour in all business, professional and personal activities. You must act within the law and never collide with anyone to engage in unlawful conduct.

      vi.            Develop leadership and Management competencies:    Competencies such as: vision and alignment, strategic thinking, networking, resource management, process excellence, performance development, and goal setting must be developed.

     vii.            Develop HR roles-specific competencies: Develop the competencies of HR Strategists, HR Generalists and HR Specialists. HR Strategists role-specific competencies include: Business Acumen, Strategic Influence, and Change Management. For HR Generalists: Organisational Design, Development and Effectiveness skills; Relationship, Project and Product Management skills. HR Specialists should also have competencies such as: Strategy development, Situational Analysis, Programme Design, Product and Service Delivery.

   viii.            Networking: Establish contacts with people at meetings, social gatherings, seminars and workshops. Use your common sense and make the maxim, "It's not what you know, it's who you know.” work for you. Go everywhere with you business card. Be confident, positive and lively. If you operate in Nigeria, be constant at PPCA meetings.

      ix.            Conscious self developmental effort: The difference between a mediocre HR Consultant and a Guru is knowledge. The certificates and degrees you possess may not compensate for the knowledge you do not possess. Develop yourself, read good books and journals. Read and be aware of the current HR thinking. Go to free academic journal’s websites such as www.academicjournals.org and download top rated journal articles for free. Register with www.blackwellpublishing.com to access the content of all leading journals in HR and Management in general. Also register online with Harvard Business review to receive their daily alerts and management tips for free.    

        x.            Add to knowledge: Work towards writing quality and well researched books. Make sure you have a website or a blog dedicated to your thinking and consulting interests. There should also be a conscious effort on your part to contribute well researched articles to respected trade, academic, HR and management journals.  

CONCLUSION

Are you really serious about being a top rated HR Consultant? The easiest route to achieving this feat is through the books you read and the people you get close to. Read quality books for requisite knowledge and get close to the gurus in the field. I’ll leave you with this quotation credited to Charles Jones, “Five years from now you will be pretty much the same as you are today except for two things: the books you read and the people you get close to”.

References:

Armstrong, M (2003). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 9^th edn, Kogan Page, London.

Stephen C. Schoonover (1998).  Human Resources Competencies for the year 2000: The wake up call. Society for Human Resource Management.

IPD (1998b) The IPD Guide to outsourcing, IPD, London.

ILO (1996) Management Consulting. A guide to the profession (3rd Ed), ILO, Geneva.

Juliana D. Lilly, David A. Gray, Meghna Virick (2005). Outsourcing the Human Resource Function.   Journal of Business Strategies Vol. 22, No. 1.

About the Author

Ajiboro Ayodeji  is a Chartered HR practitioner based in Lagos, Nigeria. His areas of interest are Human Resource, Training, and Entrepreneurship Advisory Services. Tel: 2348027807452. Email: hutrenconsulting@gmail.com.

©Hutren Consulting 2011

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© Hutren Consulting 2011