Title of report: Same old, same old, challenging development
practices for HR/HRD Professionals?
Authors: Patricia Harrison (Liverpool John Moores University
Address: Liverpool John Moores University, John Foster Building,
98 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5UX
Email address: p.a.harrison@ljmu.ac.uk
Stream: 3 - Critical, theoretical and methodological issues in HRD
Submission Type: Academic paper
1
Same old, same old, challenging development practices for
HR/HRD ‘Professionals’?
Abstract
When Personnel Management changed to Human Resource Management a driving
force was continued professionalization. This paper explores the professionalization
of the HR/HRD profession and the development of its members. The paper reviews
progress by identifying the hallmarks of a profession and comparing these to the
HR/HRD profession. It then considers how the body of knowledge, a hallmark that is
given centre stage in most theoretical constructions of a profession, is developed for
the members. The main conclusion is that it is equivocal in terms of whether HR is a
profession or occupational status group, primarily due to the difficulty in being able to
fully apply the hallmarks. With regard to the development of knowledge the findings
highlight the lack of organisation and control of essential practitioner knowledge,
albeit an integral construct of all professions.
Key words
Professionalism, HR/HRD, Profession, Professional Development
Introduction
When Personnel Management changed to Human Resource Management a driving
force was the its continued professionalization. This preference for professional
status is not dissimilar to many occupations who wish to tap into the benefits of being
perceived to be a profession, thus there has been a significant increase. One
essential hallmark of a profession is knowledge. Professions are known for their
esoteric (knowledge know by a few) rather than common knowledge (known by
many). The greater the development and control of knowledge, the greater the
presence and power of a profession. The aim of this paper is to explore the
professionalization of the HR/HRD profession and the current development practices
for novice HR/HRD professionals.
HR/HRD – Occupation or Profession?
There has been a significant growth in occupations claiming to be professions and
trying primarily to emulate the ‘ideal type’ original professions. Consequently, there
has been an increase in the proportion of professionals in the UK (Gold et al., 2007)
and Business Schools (Bennis and O'Toole, 2005). A key differentiator for any
professions is that they must be able to apply their learning as emphasised in the
following definition by Cheetham and Chivers (2005):-
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“…an occupation based upon specialised study, training or experience, the
purpose of which is to apply skilled service or advice to others, or to provide
technical, managerial or administrative services to, or within, organisations in
return for a fee or salary.”
Nevertheless, this is one definition of many as there is a lack of agreement over the meaning
of the term profession. The three earliest and most powerful professions are frequently
emulated by others; however, this is not always possible or necessary. One method used
to define a profession is the theory of ‘professionalization’. It is the process
occupations move through to become a profession. Wilensky (1964) proposes that in
order to become a profession that there is:
*
a recognised need for a full-time occupation
*
an establishment of training schools
*
a number of willing practitioners to form a professional association
*
political agitation to win legal support for restriction of entry
*
formulation of a code of ethics
This approach is viewed by some as over-prescriptive, stereotypical and countryspecific due to the inclusion of factors such as political agitation. Newer occupations
may not meet these demands. Another view from Sociologists in the late 60’s is a
functionalist theory of defining a profession that typically includes a list of commonly
viewed characteristics or traits. Cheetham and Chivers (2005) produced a
synthesis from a range of sources stating that generally a profession:
is organised

is learned

is altruistic (orientated towards service, rather than profit)

offers autonomy

is self regulating

is client focused

has collective influence within society
However, not all of the above attributes are represented in all professions and some
of the characteristics are questionable. Some professions desire power over clients
(Freidson, 1970) or the desire to maximise financial rewards to gain status.
Nevertheless, Starr (1982) concluding from the work of a number of sociologists,
agreed that the characteristics ‘service’, rather than profit orientation, should be
included in a definition of professions. Spencer (1896) devoted considerable space
in his ‘Principles of Sociology’ to showing how various professions function to
augment human life. The primary argument of professions is for relative freedom
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based on unique expertise, moral integrity, confidentiality and protection from
political abuse. As a result members gained a higher social status linked to classbased notions of trustworthiness.
Hodson and Sullivan (2012:277) use the term semi-profession to describe
occupational groups that demonstrate some characteristics of a profession and are,
therefore, in the process of professionalization. Occupations that could qualify as
semi professions include social workers, librarians and HR. According to Hodson
and Sullivan (2012:260) professions are characterized by (1) Expert knowledge
(defined as theoretical, practical and technique/application), (2) autonomy (decision
making freedom) , (3) authority (in the use of a specialized knowledge base) and (4)
altruism (demonstrated through helping others). They suggest that these hallmarks
are then used to evaluate occupations who wish to become professions. All
occupations have a body of knowledge but semi professions usually do not
monopolize theirs nor do they have barriers to entry. Although semi professions have
some discretion with clients, it is argued that the bureaucratic setting in which they
frequently operate affords only partial autonomy. Many semi professions have codes
of ethics and disciplinary rules enforced by the members of the professional
associations. However, unlike the established professions their associations are less
likely to be politically powerful. The semi professions’ associations are less powerful
for fear of offending major employers or the more powerful professions. To make the
process even more difficult in some semi-professions, several associations compete
for the allegiance of the members. Nevertheless, many semi professions are
accorded status and legitimacy. Some have considerable authority over clients, and
most have some form of licensing or credential, but they still lack the autonomy and
organized power of the professions. This results in a lack of collective power that is
deemed by Hodson and Sullivan (2012) to be the single-most important difference
between the semi professions and the professions. A possible criticism of Hodson
and Sullivan’s (2012) work is that they have only four categories to describe a
profession, making it too simplistic and thus, easier to make claims about
occupations and professions. Also, as a result of using only four categories there
are very few occupations who would meet the criteria to be classified as a
profession.
A further integral dimension of professionalization is professionalism, a term that
appears to be used widely, but frequently without full explanation (Solomon and
Tresman, 1999). The emphasis is on values, however, like professions, it is
understood to mean different things to different people. Therefore, there does not
appear to be one clear definition (Elman et al., 2005, Sachs, 2001). Some focus on
the attitudinal element (Hall, 1968, Kerr et al., 1977); moral nature (Durkheim, 1957)
or service (Cervero et al, 1990). According to Swailes (2003) one of the most cited
theorist is that of Hall’s (1968) who asserts professionalism is about understanding
the individual member’s view of a profession. His work comprises five elements:




Use of professional organisation as major referent
Belief in public service
Belief in self regulation
A sense of calling (commitment to profession)
Feeling of autonomy
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Hall (1968) highlights the intrinsic nature of professionalism and how it is connected
and influenced by the values of the individual and the profession (frequently outlined
in codes of practice or conduct), underpinned by moral and ethical principles. Hall’s
(1968) work has been criticised for not stating which element is more important than
another, for possible bias in selecting what should be measured and problems in the
ability to generalise from the data as they are culturally specific (Swailes, 2003).
Stewart and Rigg (2011:298) however, who specifically considered the work of
HR/HRD, highlight the moral and collective aspect, suggesting that HR professionals
construct their ethical position based on personal and professional values:“observes a set of moral, or ethical, principles that promote collective rather
than individual good’
The implicit emphasis in all of the above definitions of professionalism is a focus on
the collective rather than individual good that membership of a profession affords.
However, Cervero et al (1990:30) from their work in United States have a different
view stating that professionalism “generally refers to the provision of expert, high
quality service to consumers”. This definition appears to be much more client
focussed. Implicit in this view of professionalism is the unique service to clients
provided by professionals using their expert knowledge base. Cunningham and
McLaughlin (1995) point out that because professionals are deemed to be serviceorientated that this has been interpreted as being trustworthy, the suggestion being
that inherent in professionalism is trust, a term generally regarded as an ethical
issue. The professional is given legitimacy through the development of the client
and professional relationship; so too is the professional body who seek to protect the
status of the profession.
The focus on the collective and community interest is an important dimension but is
a current issue for many professionals. In the teaching profession a term called
‘new professionalism’ is evident (Kostogriz, 2007). The suggestion is that this is, in
part, due to shift from the Keynesian welfare state to Neo-liberal policies that are
aligned to principles of market economy in line with that discussed earlier in this
section. The provision of a profession is justified in order to maximise profits and
privatisation of public services. Kostogriz (2007:24) argues that the market-driven
discourse in education results in an emphasis on individual accountability and
responsibility, “erasing the singularity of teachers”. The result being a move towards
a managerial construction of professionalism where questions about wider socialist
issues are not encouraged nor expected. One suggestion is that the power of some
professionals have been curtailed through taking on management roles that use their
professional status to follow bureaucratic rules and encourage others in the
profession to do the same (Avis, 1996). This view highlights the difficulty of
professionalization in bureaucratic structures as mentioned in the section on semiprofessions. Brunnetto and Farr-Wharton (2004:587), agree and argue that one of
the roles of ‘managerialism’ in the 1980s and 1990s has been to:
“curtail the autonomy of professional employees”
This can be viewed negatively as the professional is judged and driven by externally
developed standards and performance measures (Bell et al., 2001). One of the
possible reasons for a preference by an organisation towards an individual rather
than collective approach, as offered by professionalism is that it has been found that
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professionals can be more committed to their profession than their organisation.
Gouldner (1957:296) found a difference between what he termed cosmos and local
employees. Cosmos employees he found were generally more committed to their
profession than to their organisation. He used faculty members in his research and
found that Cosmos showed:“less organisational loyalty than locals in that they would more readily leave
Co-op College for another”.
In practice, some have argued that certain professional employees when faced with
a dilemma that involves following managerial hierarchical decisions that clash with
the values and beliefs of the profession have followed the latter (Parsons, 1983).
However, Swailes (1993), using the view of Friedson (1970) that professional
autonomy will be maintained only if the environment reinforces it, supports the view
that management control could be deemed to be a threat to professionalism.
In relation to the HR profession concerning its status from occupation to profession,
there have been few comprehensive studies. Most notably, therefore, is the recent
work of Fanning (2011) who following an extensive literature review of fifteen authors
on the work of professions, including HR, identified nine characteristics. She
describes these characteristics (table 1) as desirable, not absolute prerequisites,
suggest that a profession includes:-
Governing Body
Certification, Education &
Training
Body of Knowledge
Code of Ethics &
Discipline
Legal Status
Research
Independence
Contribution to Society
Recognition
Table 1: Fanning’s (2012) characteristics of a profession
Slightly unique in Fanning’s (2011) characteristics is the inclusion of research and
recognition. However, on deeper analysis of the work ‘research’ and ‘recognition’
was highlighted by only two of the fifteen authors used in her research design and
was not found in other work on professionalization. Therefore, the author decided
that these dimensions would not be included in her summary.
Implicit in the research into professionalization (movement of occupation to
profession) is the notion that a profession can be described and understood in order
to exist. However, this notion is fraught with issues, particularly for the newer
professions like HRM who some continue to describe as an occupation (Caldwell,
2003b). A summary of fifteen different theorists who have identified the
characteristics of a profession (for example, Ulrich (1998); Cheetham and Chivers,
2005; Scultze, 2008) produced by Fanning (2011), other theorist and Hall’s (1968)
elements of professionalism have been synthesized in order to analyse the extent to
which HR can be deemed to be an occupation or profession (table 1). The hallmarks
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are defined as (1) Organised and recognized – does a professional body exist and is
it recognized by the wider community; (2) Body of knowledge – the author has used
Hodson and Sullivan’s (2012) definition that includes theoretical, practical and
technical knowledge; (3) Altruism – the concern and practical help for others; (4)
Authority – power and authority of clients and occupations through use of specialized
knowledge; (5) Client focus – Clear focus on client needs; (6) Collective influence –
practical influence at wider level in society and (7) Use of professional organization
as major referent – degree of professionalism of individual and relationship with
professional body. The criteria used by the author is (1) yes – to indicate that mainly
the professional body does meet the requirements (2) no – mainly the professional
does not meet the requirements and (3) partially – some evidence so not possible to
state yes/no.
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CHARACTERISTICS HR/HRD PROFESSION
OF PROFESSION
Organised and
CIPD organise the HR profession
recognized
Body of Knowledge
Theoretical body of knowledge
through PDS; however this is not
compulsory to practice. Practical
knowledge and technical
knowledge largely developed in
workplace.
Altruism
Autonomy
Authority
Client focus
Collective influence
Use of professional
organisation as
major referent
CIPD have code of ethics that
includes concern for others.
However, the conflicting nature of
the work to satisfy both the
employee and employer can make
altruism challenging.
Although self regulating, no
legitimate power to ‘strike off’
members. No legal status. At
times the HR practitioner is able to
use their own judgement,
however, due to nature of role and
position within organisational
setting this is not always possible.
In specialized areas of HR practice
there is authority over clients and
other occupations.
HR has many clients, and,
consequently retaining a client can
be problematic. Evidence that
currently greater client focus for
senior management than
employee.
Due to the divided nature of the
role, collective influence can be an
issue. However, outcomes of
CIPD research has wide-reaching
consequences and is used by
external bodies in decision
making.
Membership is not compulsory.
Current influence of the
‘managerialist’ perspective and
strategic emphasis questionable
8
MEETS
CRITERIA?
Yes
Partially as
theoretical
knowledge and
certification
process but not
all HR
practitioners
have the
qualification. No
for practical
knowledge.
Yes criteria of
code of ethics.
Partially due to
criticism of lack
of altruism.
Partially
Yes in many
areas of
specialized
knowledge
Partially
Partially
Partially
Table 2: HR/HRD Occupation or Profession?
From table 2 it can be seen that HR partially meet the requirements of the hallmarks
of a profession. CIPD is recognized and provides an organisational structure as the
HR/HRD professional body. Representatives from CIPD can be frequently found on
national television and radio (for example, radio 4) providing informed opinion and
contributing to debates related to employment. The result of this role in the media
also means that outcomes of CIPD research have wide-reaching consequences,
thus some collective influence. Much of the commentary from CIPD receives media
attention, reaching the headlines at both national and regional newspaper and
broadcast media (Askew, 2012). A distinguishing feature of professionals is their
claim to a specific knowledge base (Larson, 1977). The CIPD aims to control the
knowledge base through the Professional Qualification Scheme (PQS), the
recognized route to CIPD membership. Although the PQS is not compulsory for
practice it is the preferred approach and helpful for entry to the profession (CIPD,
2005). While findings from the IRS (2004) careers survey, suggested that 14% of
the respondents felt that a lack of professional qualification in HR was a barrier to
career progression. However, there are challenges to the knowledge base as HR as
an academic subject appears in most undergraduate degrees and postgraduate
management syllabus (Raelin, 1995) . In addition, the general and changing nature
of HRM work makes some of the professional aspects difficult to meet (Francis and
Keegan, 2006, Legge, 1995, Watson, 2004). Furthermore, HR/HRD work is often the
responsibility of a number of individuals in an organization, frequently all
management (Renwick, 2002). In a recent article in People Management, there was
a call to become an ‘applied business discipline’ as opposed to an ‘applied people
discipline’ as is now (Robinson, 2011:40). The suggestion is that HR/HRD
practitioners need to ‘speak the language of businesses. This move would have
implications in terms of the distinctiveness of the HR/HRD knowledge and contradict
the goal of achieving professional status for HR/HRD as a profession, particularly as
management is firmly placed in the category of occupation (Rousseau and Barends,
2011).
A separate issue of the HR profession and many other professions is the move away
from what traditionally is known as altruism, the need to provide a public service and
to serve others. In general for a number of professions there has been a move
away from public service to profit that has resulted in a perceived general lack of
respect (Gold et al., 2002). While this is a problem for many professions, it is
possibly critical for a ‘people profession’ such as HR, and particularly noting the less
than favourable external opinions of the profession (CIPD, 2005). Both autonomy
and authority are difficult for HR/HRD practitioners as they do not operate completely
independently, particularly with the devolvement of much management practice to
line managers. For example, a decision about dismissal of an employee could
include the HR manager, line manager, senior management, unions and possibly
many others during the investigation process. The result is that it is difficult for HR
to assert authority over the occupation of management, thus reducing their
professional status. Also, there is an argument, that the current value of the HR/HRD
knowledge base could be de-valued with the continued devolvement to line
9
managers (Currie and Proctor, 2001). Furthermore, the move to a strategic role has
added complexity. Although there are benefits to being more strategic as a
profession, there are criticisms about the inconsistency of practice, training,
development and support of line management (Legge, 1995; Caldwell, 2002; Francis
& Keegan, 2006). One of the particular concerns is that the notion of strategy has
been favoured at the expense of other traditional areas (Francis & Keegan, 2006).
In terms of the client base there is evidence that senior management appear to be
more satisfied with the HR move to strategic with less enthusiasm from line
management and employees. Certainly employees appeared to have fared the
worst as they are the least preferred group for HR professionals. Therefore, it is
possibly not surprising that longitudinal research from Hailey et al (2005) found that
employees were feeling alienated and that their interests, at times, are being
neglected as the HR Department is more inclined to side with management. This is
an area which, according to Reddington and Williamson (2005) is under-researched.
However, it is an integral element of professionalism with a focus on the values of
the individual towards the profession. As professional membership is not compulsory
to practice and with the dilution of knowledge to line managers it is imperative that
those who do have membership are aligned.
This research would suggest that the evidence is equivocal in terms of whether HR
is a profession or an occupational status group as supported by Caldwell (2003a).
Although there is a plausible argument for HR being a semi-profession, the author
feels that a greater depth of research into the term semi-professional is needed in
order to justify this conclusion and as Bailey (2011) note the issue that few
occupations would meet the full criteria of the ‘ideal’ professions. The general
literature review has clearly raised continued questions about the validity of HR as a
profession. In respect of the foci of this research, that is novice HR professionals;
there appear to be particular pertinent issues. Firstly, the knowledge base is
changing for this group with uncertainty about what is important. Novice HR
professionals are most frequently employed at the front line dealing directly with
employees and managers. Are they there to protect staff, protect management
and/or support both? Who is their client and how best should they serve them?
Their work is frequently of a transactional nature but this does not appear to be
valued in the same way as strategic work. Is transactional work as valued as a
knowledge base and, if it is not, what does that mean in terms of them as a
professional? There is a lack of integration between the formal knowledge gained on
the PQS and development of practice in the workplace. As novice HR professionals
are the future of the HR profession, they are an important group and, to a certain
degree, HR will only prosper as a profession with their future commitment and
loyalty. The HR function clearly sits on the edge of a profession or occupational
status group. The focus of this research is the development of notice HR/HRD
Professionals. Now the HR/HRD Professional context has been explored the next
section will focus on how knowledge is developed for this particular group.
Development of knowledge HR/HRD Practitioners
Professional development (PD) according to the CIPD (2007) is:-
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‘the conscious updating of professional knowledge, personal and professional
competence throughout an indivdiual’s working life
However, although this is the definition developed and used by CIPD, as with the
term ‘profession’ PD does not have a single definition thus resulting in ambiguity and
different interpretations (Elman et al., 2005). From a development perspective, PD
may relate to graduate placements; completing post doctoral degrees; beginning a
career or CPD during a career. The focus of PD may be on competencies, skills,
knowledge and attitudes, of which these will need refinement and continual
appraisal. PD, according to Elman et al (2005:368) recognise that development
incorporates experiences that go beyond ‘formal education and training’. However,
this is not always the view in practice as it is relatively common for individuals to view
professional education and preliminary experience as the ‘sum total of their
professional development’ (Murphy et al., 2006). PD activities may occur formally,
frequently in a structured classroom environment or informally, in the workplace. In
practice, PD may reflect the outcome in terms of a qualification or meeting a
professional membership level or through the attainment of career progression. One
of the new processes as part of the recently introduced professional map that may
help with the issue of career development for HR is that part of the upgrade process
for novice HR professionals will be to submit evidence of their Continuing
Professional Development (CPD). Nevertheless, a lack of organizational support for
HR professional practice and career development is problematic as no profession
can exist without the standardization of practices. Furthermore, frequently HR is
practiced on an interpretive basis predicated on a number of variables too numerous
to list (Pilenzo, 2009). Also although PD is recognised in the new professional map
introduced by CIPD there is little advice or monitoring about how this is developed.
Instead there are possible assumptions that any experience in HR is of value.
Therefore, there is no guidance provided to managers of novice HR/HRD
professionals on the PD scheme about the type and level of work, there is only
guidance about what topics should be covered and a list of competencies. There is
little information about how and why these have been selected and no guidance to
the individual and manager on how to achieve these.
An internal method to assess the extent and value of PD and professionalism is by
using evidence of HR practitioners’ career paths. One view is that the tenure of
individuals in a work domain, combined with the extent of career progression for
specialists, the more that domain can be classed as a profession. Lengthier service
and the restriction of senior positions to those with training and experience support
the view that the body of knowledge grows, and the sense of identity and
distinctiveness increases (Brewster et al 2000). Research into the career paths of
senior HR staff in the Fortune 100 companies found greater numbers of career HR
professionals with 44 per cent who began their career in HR, compared with 31 per
cent a decade ago (Cappelli, 2010). The findings show how there are more senior
HR executives developing from HR and more commencing their careers in HR.
Therefore, due to the evidence that there is a greater time being spent in HR this
would indicate that HR is becoming more professional. Nevertheless, in recent
research nine in ten HR professionals highlighted skills/capability gaps in their HR
function. Pilenzo (2009) found, particularly in the USA, that HR professionals tended
towards and a narrow and functional view of HR. As a result the competencies and
qualifications reflect this focus on HR to the exclusion of other equally important
business skills. This finding was also highlighted by Clarke (2010) in the UK who
11
found that although operational experience outside the HR function was valued there
was little evidence of this experience being encouraged. Therefore, one suggestion
is the design of HR career paths should be broadened, and perhaps include a
rotation through line operations. Although some companies, like Procter & Gamble,
do this most are not and depend on colleges and universities and professional
societies to produce the kind of HR executives they need.
Unfortunately, according to the CIPD report into careers there is a lack of planning
for HR careers (2005). The suggestion from the study is that there should be more
defined career planning but that this, in practice, is difficult. Furthermore, skill
shortages in HR continue with the HR professional body commenting that profession
should get their ‘house in order’ and ensure that the HR function has practitioners
that are ‘fully engaged and effective’ (Robinson, 2011:40). In order to achieve this
aim, it is necessary that both explicit and tacit knowledge are developed and that
there is a clear HR career structure. According to Pickard (2008) this is particularly
problematic for novice HR professionals, the subjects in this research, who are
finding career development difficult in the ‘three-legged model’ of HR. A large scale
research report on ‘managing and developing HR careers’, involving a survey of
1800 HR practitioners, criticised the change from transactional to strategic,
particularly within a service centre approach. It, further, criticised the lack of attention
to the career development of HR staff.
The literature is clear that both a recognized knowledge base and its practical
application are integral to the professional. For example, professional advancement,
according to Larson (1977) is clearly based on the fact that there is a clearly
identifiable knowledge base that can be controlled but, equally, the professional must
be able to apply what they have learned. Although the codifying of the body of
knowledge for a profession is essential and has to a certain degree been developed
by the HR profession, the certification process is in itself, of little value unless it is
combined with standards of performance that govern the practice of HR. In reality,
no true profession has one without the other and although HR has made
considerable gains in this area, there is much more to be done. (Pilenzo, 2009). In
general, for the newer professions, much of the development of explicit knowledge
has taken place in Business Schools, where there is a focus on the scientific, not
practitioner model, sought and gained by the traditional professions such as
medicine and law (Bennis and O'Toole, 2005). However, the importance of the
context of learning, that is, where the learning is being used is highlighted and for
some the only appropriate context is the workplace (Vygotsky, 1962, Eraut, 2003,
Nixon and Murr, 2006). Prominence is also given to tacit knowledge and reflection in
the work of Schon (1983) in his work on professional practice, suggesting that it is
more of artistry than an applied field. He stresses the importance of repeating
practice in different contexts. This raises the importance of tacit knowledge, which
is personal and private and generally difficult to make explicit but developed over
time through practice (Gourlay, 2002, Dewey and Bentley, 1949, Sternberg and
Wagner, 1986). Tacit knowledge is complex and there continues to be significant
ongoing debate concerning whether tacit knowledge is an individual or collective trait
and whether it is explicable or not (Gourlay, 2002). Moreover, the issue of
knowledge sharing is an important tool in the development of professional practice.
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Conclusion
The traditional professions of law and medicine appear to have retained a balance of
academic rigor and a practitioner focus in their development, for example with most
teaching members of medical schools being practicing doctors (Bennis and O'Toole,
2005). However, in HR there are gaps in understanding and development of this
essential practical knowledge, although the HR professional, once in employment,
places greater emphasis on this (Gold et al., 2007, Eraut, 2003, CIPD, 2006b).
There are also gaps in HR capability (CIPD, 2005). This gap in understanding is
partially due to change to HR; shift to HE for the development of knowledge
(evidenced by less apprenticeships and growth of Business Schools) with its limited
recognition of importance of the practitioner role in the academic literature and role
ambiguity caused by the changing nature of the roles in HR/HRD. There does not
appear to be a strategy to develop HR/HRD practitioner skills and there also seems
to be a lack of understanding about how to do this. The HR profession, having
modelled itself on the traditional professions, has consequently developed an
accepted body of knowledge and a system for certifying individuals. Nonetheless,
the recognition and acceptance of what it means to be an ‘applied’ field, like the
traditional professions of law and medicine, is lacking. If HR/HRD seek the
autonomy and authority of the professions, it is imperative that the professional skills
match the level of expert knowledge. One of the issues for the development of HR
professional practice is that it is dependent upon management systems that are used
for all types of training and development. Novice HR/HRD professionals are largely
dependent upon the systems in the organisation and skills of their line manager, who
may or may not be a member of the CIPD profession. This is because the guidance
from the HR profession itself is about what should be learned and not how it is
learned. Moreover, there is evidence that managers lack the skills to train others due
to a number of factors including work pressure and lack of training and there is
limited organizational support for informal learning opportunities, including
knowledge sharing that help to develop professional practice (CIPD, 2007a).
After a thorough literature review the author has developed a conceptual framework
to illustrate the imbalance in the current development practice of HR professionals,
see figure 1. The hallmarks in the framework (discussed earlier) can be used to
evaluate the professional status of the HR profession. The two primary types of
knowledge are included (explicit and tacit). Both types of knowledge are essential to
professional practice. However, the framework illustrates how in the development of
HR/HRD professionals explicit knowledge is given priority over tacit knowledge. This
is demonstrated through the scales being weighted more towards explicit, rather
than tacit knowledge. However, the traditional professions of medicine and law have
a balance between the two.
13
Established Professions
-
Body of knowledge , training and restricted entry
(Wilensky, 1964; Friedson, 1973)
Altruistic – orientated towards service, rather than
profit
Autonomy (Bayles, 1988; Carr, 2000)
Authority (Hodson and Sullivan, 2012)
Client relationships
Collective influence (Trowler and Turner, 2002)
Profession serves as referent group for professionals
(Hall, 1969; Gouldner, 1957)
Personal and tacit knowledge
Explicit knowledge
-Involves application of explicit knowledge,
intuition and tacit knowledge, therefore often
partly observable (Gourlay, 2002)
-Creation and control of
knowledge (Larson, 1977)
-Often developed informally (Cheetham &
Chivers, 2001)
-Explicit, codified and
articulated knowledge (Eraut,
2003)
-Developed with and through others (Roth,
1994; Vygotsky, 1962)
Professional Practice
-Involves both explicit and personal /tacit knowledge
-Development and use of professional judgement (Schon, 1983)
-Focus is on interaction and collective construction (Lave & Wenger,
1991)
Figure 3.2: Knowledge, professional practice and the ‘ideal’ professions
Consequently, this research is suggesting that there is a need to have a greater
balance between the explicit knowledge gained in education and the personal
knowledge gained in the workplace. There is a need for the expert knowledge,
including key analytical skills (developed through the HR Professional Map),
however, just as important is practitioner skills/knowledge. The current system of
largely utilising standard development practices that have been developed for all
staff is promoting an adhoc, haphazard, informal approach to skills/career
development for HR/HRD specialists. The aim of this research is to explore this
14
issue in practice with the aim to redress the balance through a more formal
approach. It is only through this that the HR/HRD professional will be able to
achieve the autonomy, authority and trust in client relationships that are integral to
being a professional.
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