By Amy Schabacker Dufrane
Writer and literary scholar C.S. Lewis said, “We read to know we are not alone.” That’s exactly why my colleague, Clarissa Peterson, GPHR, SPHR, LPEC and I authored our new book, “Alchemizing HR: Your Formula for the New Era.”
Like it or not, a new era is exactly what we’re in. Some days, it’s exhilarating and productive; others, it’s downright depressing. Despite our focus on people, HR might have the loneliest role of all in this new state of work. Our contributions are essential to our organization’s strategic growth and well-being; however, the degree and speed of transformation are making it harder and harder for HR. Investing in your own career is the best windbreak against the forces of unforeseen circumstances.
Working in HR is extraordinarily rewarding. Conversely, it can be one of the most isolated professions. In some cases, HR is a department of one or a shared services function. Required to maintain a high level of confidentiality, it can be difficult for HR to socialize with other employees for happy hour or company softball games. HRCI recognizes the importance of an HR community; the thriving HRCI community has more than 500,000+ certification holders. Their investment in themselves inspired us to write this book to help further enhance their careers.
We want to thank our fellow HR business leaders who shared their stories with us and made a difference in people’s daily lives. These stories, although often anonymous to protect our working colleagues, serve as a testament to the transformative power of HR professionals. Their contributions will encourage the growth of all HR leaders.
“Alchemizing HR: Your Formula for the New Era” is written to be a hands-on guide to the HRCI Professional Development Model, HRCI certifications, and global HR best practices and standards. We chose “Alchemizing HR” for the title because it evokes the wizard-like ability of successful HR professionals to transform their knowledge and skills into concrete HR outcomes and enterprise value – the book’s central theme.
Chapter 1 describes the components of the HRCI Professional Development Model, including megatrends affecting the workforce and, by extension, the profession. The chapter explains the model’s origins, its relationship with HRCI certifications, and the value certifications create for HR professionals and organizations.
Chapters 2 to 7 delve deeper into the five core knowledge domains and four key skills represented in the model that HR professionals need for continuous development. In these chapters, we detail the formula for success or level of understanding you need in each area as you progress in your career, as defined by the criteria required to pass HRCI certification exams.
The second half of the book connects the dots between the HRCI Professional Development Model’s core domain knowledge and skills and the outcomes they produce. It chronicles obstacles you may encounter and how to overcome them, as well as HRCI resources and additional organization-wide certifications.
Chapter 8 explains how the knowledge and skills outlined in Chapters 2 to 7 lead to concrete HR and business outcomes and enhance your organization’s current and future value.
At any point in your career, you may make a mistake or need to counteract someone else’s mistakes or failures that affect the workforce or the organization.
Chapter 9 examines the primary operational and strategic failings that HR professionals contend with and how to use the experience and learnings outlined in the HRCI Professional Development Model to turn failures into successes – or avoid them in the first place.
In Chapter 10, we look at a rapidly changing technology – artificial intelligence (AI) – and how it is touching every aspect of the workplace. Chapter 10 also examines the questions and considerations HR leaders should consider about AI and the risks it can pose. HRCI is committed to helping HR professionals succeed. In Chapter 11, we share three categories of HRCI resources that help with that: certifications, recertifications, and exam-prep study guides; opportunities for learning and development; and virtual and in-person communities and networking.
In the Conclusion, we make the case for HR leaders to take their quest to improve workforce practices and strategies from the personal to the enterprise through organizational certification based on global HR best practices as recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Throughout the book, we bring the knowledge and skills of the HRCI Professional Model to life through stories and advice from HR professionals like you. The examples – including a series of practical “how to” asides separated from the other sections of the book to make them easy to find – demonstrates how to apply learnings from the model to your work to act strategically, make effective decisions, and become better HR practitioners and leaders.
The disruptions and turmoil of the recent past have vaulted HR into the ranks of top leaders. Now, HR professionals must demonstrate that you can continue to work in ways that keep you there. The HRCI Professional Development Model is designed to help you do that. For more information about HRCI and “Alchemizing HR: Your Formula for the New Era,” visit https://www.hrci.org/alchemizing-hr-book.
