WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A PROFESSIONAL Prof. Leon van Vuuren Department of HRM, RAU HR Crossroads Conference Sandton November 2003

Themes The role of professions in society Requirements of a profession Requirements of a professional What HR professionals think

The role of professions in society Specialised knowledge essential to society Strong influence Helps to order/structure society Responsibility to society (predictability, consistency, accountability)

Requirements of a profession A body of knowledge Formalised ETD Admission requirements A licensing & (self)regulating body Autonomy Service ethos A code of ethics Recognition as a profession

Requirements of a professional What is required of practitioners to be professionals? They have to fulfill their responsibility by building a reputation that has a solid basis.

Pillars of professional conduct (HR) C ompetence C redibility C are

The three pillars of being a HR professional C ompetence Knowledge Skills Abilities (objectivity, informed decision-making & judgement) Compliance

Three pillars … C redibility Integrity Ethical behaviour Self-belief Confidence/Assertiveness Independence

Three pillars … C are Being in service Guardianship Balancing the best interests of stakeholders Adding value

Key questions Who is responsible for adherence to requirements of becoming a profession? (Institutional development) Who is responsible for adherence to requirements of becoming a professional? (Personal development)

What HR professionals think Quantitative research results N = 398 (population 1969; 20% response) Questionnaire, 28 items Adherence to requirements of a profession

RESULTS Strong indicators of the extent of HR’s professionalisation: existence of substantive theoretical principles HR has specific skills and applies these there is extensive academic tuition in preparation for a formal qualification in HR.

Traits on which practitioners seemed undecided: typical group solidarity and cohesion professional socialisation power and status of membership control over the quality of tuition/ training exclusion of those that do not qualify perception amongst line managers that HR is indeed a profession.

Areas of concern in HR’s quest for professionalisation: regulating body disciplinary function training in professional ethics inadequate perception among other professions that HR is indeed a profession perception among the general public that HR is indeed a profession.

The road to being professional To discover the essence of professional status, the ultimate focus must be shifted from the visible attributes of the professions themselves to the perceptions of the work audiences before whom the professions perform.

For, in the end, the work audience decides whether an occupation will be accepted and treated as a genuine profession … Burns & Haga (1977)

We must be the change we wish to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi